Before he could say anything more to her, Aubrey backed out of the room and closed the door behind her. Jonah looked around, taking in the soothing white carpet, plush white bedding, and gauzy white curtains flowing in a breeze coming in through the open window at the front of the room. The thought of a shower was irresistible. He removed his shoes and tucked them under the bed, then removed his clothes before going into the bathroom.
The hot water on his skin when he stepped into the shower stall was intoxicating. It fell on him from three showerheads positioned around the walls ensuring that the massaging stream touched all of him even as he stood in the middle. He luxuriated in the feeling of the water beating into his skin and washing away the sweat, dirt, and stress. He hadn’t felt a shower like this since before he left Earth. The shower facilities on the StarCity had been designed to replicate those in homes as much as possible, but they always lacked the intense pressure that he appreciated in a shower. Once they crashed on Uoria, the showers they were able to build from the materials they could salvage were adequate, but never enough to give Jonah the truly clean, relaxed, and renewed feeling that he had always enjoyed from showers. He had gotten used to baths in his home or bathing in the river on the hottest days, but now that he was standing in this shower he felt like he never wanted to get out of it.
Aubrey had thoughtfully stocked the shower and by the time that he had finished, Jonah felt thoroughly and blissfully clean. The shower had furthered the release of stress that his tears had begun, and he felt like he could lie down and sleep endlessly in the clean, soft bed.
Jonah stepped reluctantly out of the shower and onto the bathmat. His feet sank into its padding as he reached for one of the impossibly soft towels that were stacked on the shelf ahead of him. The fibers were like silk on his fingers and he couldn’t help but let out a small groan of pleasure as he ran it across his body to dry his skin. He had become accustomed to drying on the thin cloths that they had on Uoria or laying out in the sun to let its warmth dry him when he bathed in the river, but there was joy and comfort that came just from the simple pleasure of being able to dry himself with a thick, plush towel and then wrap it around his waist so that he could step back into the bedroom.
When he did, he was surprised to find Aubrey sitting on the bed as if waiting for him. She looked away when she noticed that he was only wearing a towel, and stood.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought that you would get dressed while you were in there. I’ll wait outside.”
“I didn’t bring any clothes in there with me,” he said. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. Did you need something?”
Aubrey turned toward him and slowly brought her eyes up his body to meet Jonah’s eyes. He could tell that she was struggling to focus on what she wanted to say to him rather than looking at his exposed body, and the thought brought a thrill of happiness to his belly.
“I just wanted to talk to you,” she said. “I think that we need to clear some things up.”
“Sure,” Jonah said. “What do we need to clear up?”
Aubrey let out a sigh and looked down at her hands as she played with her fingers as if to distract herself.
“I know that things started between us kind of strangely, and then I probably made it much worse by the way that I reacted after that first…time in the lab.”
Jonah saw a slight hint of color flare on her cheekbones as she looked up at him and it only made her look more beautiful. He was struggling to resist her. The time that they had been spending together had made him even more aware of the attraction that he felt for her, but also the feelings that were growing within him, and it was getting harder not to tell her how he felt.
“It was unexpected for both of us,” Jonah said. “I don’t think that either of us really thought it through very much.”
“Yeah,” Aubrey said, nodding and looking nervous. “That’s just it. I should have thought it through. I can’t let myself make bad decisions.”
“What do you mean?” Jonah asked, trying not to let himself feel the sting of her words.
Aubrey sighed and let her hands drop to her sides.
“A couple of years ago, I thought that I had found the greatest guy in the world. He was fun and friendly. Intelligent and interesting. Attractive. When we met he made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the room and that he was only interested in what I had to say. We talked for hours. I couldn’t believe how much we had in common and how much he thought like me. It was like I had literally designed the ideal boyfriend and he came walking into the room. He even spoiled me like a princess for the first few dates. After that, though, he started asking me to pay for things and borrowing money. Suddenly, he didn’t have all of those interests and passions that we had talked about, and he didn’t seem to want to do any of the things that we had planned. Then I found out that he had been stealing checks from me and had even hooked up my credit cards to his utility bills, credit card bills, and even an automatic draft for his rent. When I confronted him about it, he completely blew up and said that he didn’t understand why I was making such a big deal out of it since my family had so much money. That’s when I realized that he had spent weeks researching me before we happened to meet. He had been scanning all of my social media, talking to my friends, even reading newspaper clippings about my family. He knew that my grandmother is well-off and decided that he was going to seduce me into becoming his very own piggy bank.”
There was an emotion to those last words that told Jonah that they hurt her deeply and he realized that the full, gorgeous body that he had been craving ever since he last tasted her made her feel uncomfortable. He instantly hated the man who had made her feel that way and desired feverishly to wipe away any of those thoughts from her mind.
“Aubrey…” he started, but she shook her head.
“It was only when this was all over and I had started the process of pressing charges on him that I found out that he was married. The whole time. I guess that explained why he never wanted to spend the night at my place, huh?” She looked down at her hands again and he saw her swallow hard before her brilliantly blue eyes snapped back up to his. “So, you see, I can’t trust myself, especially when I feel myself getting swept away by someone so quickly. I put myself and the cooperation between us in a terrible position by throwing myself at you that day.”
“I agree,” Jonah said. The breath caught in Aubrey’s throat and Jonah could see her eyes welling up with tears. He took a step toward her and shook his head. “Don’t misunderstand me,” he said softly. “I enjoyed every single moment of that. It’s just that that isn’t the way that I would have wanted our first time together to be.”
He was directly in front of her now and he reached up to brush a strand of hair that had fallen out of her braid away from her face. He leaned forward and touched a kiss to her lips, increasing the pressure as he let the towel fall away from his body and guided her back to lie down on the bed behind her.
Chapter Eight
Their kiss was slow and languid, but Aubrey could feel it sliding through her entire body. A few moments later, Aubrey felt Jonah slide off of her and the loss of his delicious warmth and weight on her body left her feeling cold. She remained lying on her back, but reached her arms up for him, but instead of coming back down to stretch out on top of her again, Jonah took her hands and gently pulled her up into a sitting position facing him. His eyes were locked on hers and his hands were sure and steady as they took her braid from her shoulder and released the elastic band that held it. He tossed the band aside and used his fingers to tenderly ease her hair loose, allowing the silky strands to flow around her shoulders.
Jonah stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers and Aubrey felt herself trembling, the reaction an unusual combination of nervousness and intense desire. She had been with him before, and yet she suddenly felt completely inexperienced and vulnerable in his hands. Again, Jonah lowered his mouth to hers and as he tenderly coaxed her wit
h his lips and tongue, Aubrey felt his hands come to her thighs and the hem of her dress. She hadn’t thought of how he would react to this dress when she had put it on, but now she was happy that she had selected it. It gave him faster, smoother access to the tender skin of her thighs and she didn't resist as he eased the fabric up her legs until it pooled at her hips. She lifted slightly to allow him to slip it out from under her and he continued to bring it up her body. Jonah hesitated when he got the dress gathered at her ribcage and she ran her eyes up his beautiful naked body to meet his gaze. Jonah looked back at her through dark, slumbering eyes, his lips wet and reddened by their kiss, and she knew that she had to have more of him.
Without saying a word, Aubrey raised her arms above her head. Jonah smiled softly at the invitation and slipped her dress off. He held it out to his side and let it fall from his fingers onto the floor beside the bed as if he wanted her to see the gesture and process exactly what it meant. Again, she was in front of him in nothing but her lace bra and panties, and her nervousness increased. The last time that she had been in this position they were both fueled by a blazing passion that dulled her insecurities and let her give in without, as Jonah had put it, thinking it through. Now, though, they were moving deliberately and purposefully, and she felt self-conscious. She could feel Jonah's eyes traveling over her barely covered body and she instinctively brought her arm over her breasts and the other to wrap across her belly. He looked down at her arms and used one hand to gently guide them out of the way.
"You don’t need to cover yourself," he whispered, "You are beautiful." Aubrey felt shy and looked away, but Jonah caught her face softly and turned it back so that she looked into his eyes again. "It’s just me,” he said. “I want to see more of you."
Aubrey felt Jonah’s hands slide around her waist to her back and stop at the hooks on the back of her bra. The pressure around her ribcage released as the bra fell loose. It was a sensation that she could never remember being aware of before, but he was moving with such precision and care that it seemed she was more aware, more present in each moment than she ever had been. Jonah eased the pale pink satin straps down her arms slowly, allowing the lacy cups to remain over her breasts until the last possible second. She moved her arms just enough to get them out of the straps, but the cups remained in place. Jonah ran one fingertip along one scalloped edge and then the other, bringing a delightful chill to each swell. Finally, he dipped his fingers into the cups and removed them. The cool air of the room brushed across Aubrey's nipples, causing them to tighten even further, and she drew in a breath, filling her lungs with the scent of the room and of him.
Jonah made an appreciative sound in his throat as he gazed at her, much like the sound that he had made in the lab. That time, the groan had been one of primal need. This time it was a sound of worship and she felt suddenly proud of her body. Before now her body had created contention and embarrassment in her life. It had made her uncomfortable even when she was alone, and caused her to make decisions that she was often ashamed of later. The way that Jonah’s eyes drank her in and the reverent way that he touched her, however, gave Aubrey the sense that her body had become an object of desire and emotion in a new, thrilling way. She craved allowing herself to truly give herself over to it and discover more about the pleasure it was capable of achieving, and providing.
Aubrey’s belly fluttered as Jonah led her carefully down onto the bed so that her head rested on the pillow. It was a subtle maneuver, and yet it felt as adoring and erotic as the flick of his tongue or the smooth glide of his fingers. He moved slowly and without any sense of urgency, making her tremble with each feathery touch on her exposed skin as he leaned over her. His chest brushed against hers and the warmth of his fresh-smelling skin made a soft moan escape her lips. Jonah nuzzled into the curve of her neck and shoulder, and Aubrey tilted her face against his as Jonah brought his mouth to her ear.
“Sex should be like a thunderstorm," he whispered, his voice low and rumbling, and his breath hot against her neck.
Aubrey straightened her head to allow him more access to her skin and her eyes drifted closed.
"First the clouds roll in across the sky. That is the anticipation, the desire. You know that something is coming, and you feel like you can barely catch your breath."
Jonah touched his lips softly to her neck, then moved them to her mouth. His kiss was deep, but slow. At first, he touched only his lips to hers, occasionally changing the angle and pressure of the kiss. Soon, though, she felt the tip of his tongue brush across her bottom lip and Aubrey’s breath caught. She could feel the tension building throughout her body, fogging her thoughts and making her heart race.
"Then the rain comes,” he said, barely taking his mouth away from hers. “It is gentle at first, just enough to break the tension of the anticipation," he whispered. He pulled away from her so that he hovered over her and flattened his palm in the center of her chest, running it down onto her stomach as he spoke. “But as the drops fall, you know it’s not enough. You want more.”
Jonah's tongue touched the underside of her jaw and glided down, creating a long, slow trail along her neck. He continued down her chest and along her stomach. In her mind, she could see the rain falling, the gliding of the droplets seeming to mirror his movements. He continued his delicious torture by moving his mouth over slightly each time his lick returned to her neck so that each discovered a new, trembling area of skin. He had done only this, but Aubrey felt like her body was coming alive, responding to him like it never had to anyone else. It was as though she had never experienced such a touch and each sensation was more and more intense. The tip of Jonah’s tongue dipped into her navel and Aubrey gasped. Her hips lifted involuntarily off the bed as if in search of him, but he only blew a soft, cool stream of breath onto her belly.
"Not yet," Jonah whispered.
He blew another stream of air onto her skin and Aubrey relaxed back down against the mattress. When she was lying flat again Aubrey felt Jonah’s mouth move lower on her eager body. He repeated the process much as he had when he traced her from her neck to her stomach, this time running his tongue from her navel down to the waist of her panties. When he had created several slick paths, he glided his tongue along the lacy edge to one hipbone and then to the other. Aubrey buried one hand in his hair and opened her eyes so that she could look down at him. Jonah lifted his head and gazed at her for a moment. He didn’t look at all hurried, but serene as if enjoying every moment of the attention that he was lavishing on her as much as she was enjoying receiving it. He turned to press a kiss into her palm and then he rested his head for a moment on her stomach.
A moment later his mouth came to her breast and he kissed along the swell of the underside and then along the top before finally coming to rest on her nipple. The sensitive peaks tightened even harder in response to his touch and Aubrey felt him draw the taut pink tip between his teeth and then wrap it with his tongue. It was as if he wanted to taste every inch of her, and Aubrey was more than willing to indulge him that pleasure. Jonah mirrored the attention on the other breast and then drew his body up hers to settle beside her.
Aubrey reached out for him and found his thigh. She ran her hand along his soft skin, relishing the feel of his hard, sculpted muscles beneath it. Jonah lowered his mouth to her ear again, gently nipping at her earlobe, and then soothing the playful pain with a tender kiss.
"The thunder comes softly at first," he whispered, "Just a few gentle rumbles.” He rested his hand on her lower belly and drew it down slowly, finally reaching her thighs. She held them closely together, but Aubrey felt him ease them apart. "Sometimes they are so gentle that you barely even notice them.”
The backs of his fingers ran lightly over her core through her panties and Aubrey knew that he could feel the warmth of her body. He traced the pattern of the lace, the light touch escalating her arousal even further.
“You just have to be patient, though. Soon they will get stronger. They will get more a
nd more intense the longer that you wait.”
Jonah bit her earlobe again and she felt him grasp the waistband of her panties with his fingers to drag them down off of her hips. Aubrey lifted them to allow him to remove the damp lace. Her thighs closed again, but he tucked his hand between them so that he caught it, and pressed them apart again. He let out a breath just as he ran his hand up her tender inner thighs and dipped his fingers into her folds. Aubrey cried out at the feeling and gripped the sheet beside her. Jonah drew his fingers through her core and then paused, focusing their touch on the taut, sensitive pearl at her peak. She whimpered, the sound like a high sob in her throat, as her body gave into the sensations that he was creating in her as it never had before. She clutched his thigh, digging her fingertips into his muscle as he stroked her with tender, patient skill. Jonah swirled his finger into her, gathering her silky fluid as he went so that he could explore her easily. There was no sense of a rush in his touch. She didn’t feel as though he were trying to push her or even that he cared about anything but the pleasure that he was giving her at that single moment. He wanted to know her. He wanted to understand her body and connect with it on a deep, intimate level.
Moaning low in his throat, Jonah let his finger dip down and slide into her. The touch was powerful and Aubrey's back arched off of the bed. His name tumbled from her lips in a gasping cry and she gipped his leg harder. She sought calm and control in his strength, feeling herself slipping away into a blissful oblivion but wanting to hold on for a little longer. His mouth played against her neck and she could feel his breath become more ragged as her hips writhed against his hand.
"Aubrey," he whispered, as much an exhalation as it was her name, "you are so wet. I want to be inside you. I want to feel you.”
Jonah & Aubrey's Story (Uoria Mates IV Book 8) Page 5
