“That’s a healthy mindset,” she says.

The conversation delves into various other aspects of my life since she won’t tell me much about hers, not without a poke or a prod from me. But I’m content to see her calm and relaxed as opposed to the gunpowder keg I stumbled upon earlier.

The wine is working its magic, and the cheese platter is a decisive knockout to the point where Audrey’s gaze softens as she leans back in her chair, satiated.

“Thank you, Jason,” she says after a long silence.

“For what?”

“For all of this, for just being you,” she replies, half-smiling. “For not asking too many questions, for giving me room to breathe, for … making me feel safe again.”

Ah, the magic words that every man wishes to hear from the lips of his woman. It fills me with a different kind of energy, strength surging through every fiber of my body as I get up from the table and take her in my arms. Audrey surrenders instantly, melting in my embrace as I kiss her lips softly.

“You’re going to have to tell me everything at some point,” I tell her in between tender pecks. “You can’t keep me in the dark forever.”

“I know. I need a bit more time to find the right words to explain,” she sighs. “Not tonight, though.”

“No, not tonight. Tonight, I’m making love to you.”

She looks up, losing herself in my eyes for a while. “Making love?” Her voice is but a whisper fluttering in the dim bedroom lights. An echo wedged between our fastening heartbeats.

“You have to admit it, Audrey. This thing we’ve got going on, it’s not strictly physical, is it?” I ask, already seeing the answer deep in her gaze. “It’s something else, it’s something more. I’m okay with not rushing into anything, but I can’t lie to myself, and I don’t want you lying to yourself, either. Whatever happens next, it’s going to be the two of us together. As long as you’ll have me, anyway.” I pause and kiss her cheek. “Will you have me, Audrey?”

“Oh, yes,” she replies without hesitation.

My mind unravels as I let her take over. We kiss hungrily, ravenously, desperately clawing at one another. Our hands roam up and down, feeling and touching and squeezing everything in their path. Her towel is the first thing to land on the floor while she manages to get me out of my shirt before I start trailing wet kisses down the side of her neck.

I take my sweet time kneading and kissing her breasts, reveling in the smooth firmness of her flesh as I close my lips around her nipples, suckling and licking each until all I can hear are her gasps of raw pleasure. I bite into one, my teeth nipping tightly enough to tear a whimper from her throat, then decide it’s time to take things to the next level.

“Do you trust me, Audrey?” I ask, peering into her hazy eyes.

She’s so hot, so turned on, she’ll let me do whatever I want as long as I give her that sweet and devastating release. I’ve come to know her so well; it’s as if I’m rereading my favorite book, one page at a time, dissolving into the story all over again.

“Yes,” she says. “I trust you, Jason.”

“Good. Come here,” I say and guide her over to the four-poster bed that dominates the room. I sit her down for a moment and ask her to wait while I fetch a pair of fuzzy cuffs and slim, velvety ropes from the closet in my master bedroom. I return to the room, quietly closing the door behind me and locking it. She watches me with a mixture of concern and curiosity, making me laugh. “It’s for your pleasure, I promise. We’ll stop if you want to stop, Audrey. You’re in control. You will always be in control.”

She nods slowly. With gentle motions, I cuff her wrists and loop the ropes through before tying them to the bed posts, making sure her arms are comfortably loose and stretched out. I take a moment to admire her gorgeous, naked body. Those nipples perk up under my gaze, and it makes my pants feel a lot tighter, but I’m determined to make her crumble tonight in the best and most decadent way possible.

“This is weird,” she says.

“Are you okay, though?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” I reply and lean in from the side of the bed to kiss her.

Our tongues play, joyfully swirling before I go back to teasing her breasts some more. I listen to her ragged moans as I gradually shift my attention downward. She’s helpless. She can’t touch me, and it’s tormenting her, but I make up for it by kissing every inch of her creamy skin, squeezing and pinching along the way until I settle between her parted legs.

“Oh, Jason!” she groans as I slide my tongue over her swollen clit.

She’s wet and more than ready for me, her pussy glazed with glistening arousal. I lick her folds and suck on her nub, feeling it grow in my mouth while I insert one, then two, fingers inside her. Audrey loses control when I slip in a third, her hips swaying as a rhythm is built between my hand and her pussy.

“That’s it,” I growl, my cock twitching painfully against the fabric of my pants as I finger-fuck my woman out of this world. “Come for me. Give me everything you’ve got.”

“Fucking hell!” she whimpers as I press my tongue onto her clit.

I can feel the pulsating ripples as she explodes, my fingers curling with each retreating motion. I feel her clenching tightly before she lets go of herself, wholly and completely, writhing in the sweetest agony. Her whole body shudders under the sudden release, the throes of ecstasy making her come hard.