Page 24 of Escorted

“Yeah,” shesaid with a sigh. “Sometimes you hold onto something—just because.”

Ander met hereyes. “In my experience, it’s rarely just because.”

Lori was silentfor a long time, thinking about that. Thinking about her hopeless yearningafter her friend. So many years of her life.

No wonder shewas a failure at love.

Eventually, shelet the questions and insecurities dissolve into her memories and she turnedback to look at Ander. His eyes were closed, and she didn’t know if he wasdozing or if he was just giving her some privacy for her thoughts.

Gazing at hissmooth bald head—which she now found infinitely attractive—she thought abouthow he must have felt at seventeen.

“You must havebeen so lonely,” she blurted out.

Ander’s eyesflew open and he turned toward her with a little jerk of surprise. “Excuse me?”

“As a teenager,”she explained, feeling silly at her lack of segue. “I was just thinking youmust have been so lonely. Kids can be cruel about things like that.”

He gave ahalf-shrug. “I’ve grown accustomed to not having any hair.”

“Of course. Infact, I’m sure it’s been an advantage in your profession, since it makes youlook so cool and interesting. But I meant as a teenager. Even though you hadyour reasons for not doing anything about it, it still must have been…hard.”

Ander swallowedand gave another half-shrug.

Obviously, thiswasn’t something he wanted to talk about. So Lori changed the subject bysaying, “Can I feel it?”

He blinked ather.

“Your head.”She waved in the direction of his scalp, suddenly wishing she hadn't asked.“It’s fine if you don’t want me to—”

“Of course, youcan,” Ander said. He adjusted so that his head was within arms' length of her.

She gently,almost delicately, stroked his smooth head with her fingertips. It really didfeel delicious—the skin stretched tight over the rippling curves and ridges ofhis skull.

She let out abreath as she caressed him and ridiculously felt her own body respond.

She reallywasn’t very sore anymore.

When shebrushed against a spot on the side of his skull, she heard Ander’s breath hitchvery slightly. Whether or not it was in response to her touch, the sound madeher inner muscles clench in excitement

Without hervolition, her hands trailed down his head and neck to gently caress his chest. Anderlay still and perfectly silent as she rubbed the smooth planes there. Then herhands lowered and lingered on the rippling muscles of his flat abdomen.

She felt thesensations under her fingertips deepened in her growing arousal.

After severalminutes, during which her breathing accelerated audibly, Ander murmured,“Again?”

She nodded.She’d been noticing some progress in his boxers, but she didn’t know if it wasfrom her touch and because of the mental thing he did to prepare himself. “Isit all right if we try another position this time?”

“Of course.It’s always your choice.”

Feeling verybrave, she swung her leg over his hips and straddled his prone body. “Likethis?”

“Of course.”

Ander raisedhis hands and stroked her upper body over her satin chemise, his skillful touchtriggering nerve endings and pleasure receptors and causing Lori to drop herhead back for a moment. Then he eased her upper body down so he could take oneof her breasts in his mouth, stroking her hard nipple with his tongue throughthe thin lace and slippery fabric.

He suckled andkissed her breast for a few minutes while his hands slipped under the chemiseto caress and fondle her back, thighs, and bottom.

She’d thoughtbeing on top was supposed to make one feel more in control, but she felthelpless and overwhelmed by the growing sensations as she sprawled on top ofhim and panted hotly into the pillow.

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