Page 127 of Old Acquaintances

I moved my hand on the top of his head, pushing his hand out of the way.

“Right there,” he moaned. “Don’t stop.”

“Stop!” I laughed, scratching his head.

He closed his eyes and pointed to the other side of his head.

“You’re too tall, my arm doesn’t reach.”

He snaked his hand under my left butt cheek and slid me across his lap so that I was straddling him. I bit back a sound of surprise. A second one, too, when he put his hands under my bent knees and slid me closer to his body. Tucker kept his eyes closed.

I looked at his beautiful face and wondered what was happening. That was more than a butt grab. More than a brush against my chest. Our bodies were closer than they’d been in years and our hips were aligned.

He was clearly aroused.

I ran both hands through his hair, testing the waters to see if he reallyjustwanted this, a head scratch, and he didn’t open his eyes. His expression stayed passive and flat.

I swallowed. He had to have heard the shift in my breathingpattern. I lifted, running my hands down the back of his head, and I felt it. My core rubbed against his. My edge, his edge. I stiffened, feeling the ripple of it through my spine.

When we had sex before, it was for a purpose. It was a one-time thing. Still, I’d never felt anything like it.

I never had a connection that strong, that deep, and I never felt the purest sense of relief like I had with Tucker. I rocked again, looking at his face, wondering if he wanted it. Wondering if he put me in this position to see what I would do.

His face distorted when I did it again.

I put my elbows on his shoulders and did it again. And again. Then, there was a push, something returned.

Tucker licked his lips and opened his eyes. They darted back and forth between mine, questioning. Asking. Begging, it looked like. His hands went to my hips, and they glided along the sides of my bare skin. I stilled my movements, watching him as he watched his hands move under my shirt, along my ribcage. They moved back down and nestled into the sides of my underwear.

He still wasn’t sure if he should proceed.

I thought I would die if he didn’t.

I picked up his right hand and put it to my left breast, near my beating heart. His palm fell on the cotton. His fingers rubbed my nipple through the shirt. I fought against closing my eyes, the surge of excitement nearly taking over my body, because I wanted to see him. I needed to see his face, to understand how badly he wanted it.

In that moment, I was honest with myself and remembered every fantasy I’d had about being with him like this. For four years, I begged my body to stop remembering how good he made me feel while simultaneously edging myself toward thoughts of it.

He moved his hands to the comforter and sat up. His open mouth landed slowly on my nipple, and I felt the wet heatthrough the fibers, my head rolling back. I arched into him and whimpered. He pressed back into me and moaned.

Tucker dragged his tongue along my shirt to my neck. He kissed me there. He kissed my jawbone. He took my earlobe in his mouth and his hands grabbed my butt holding me tight to him. I wanted him to kiss me like only he could. On the ski trip he called itone last kissand I wanted to test the slipperiness of that declaration.

I leaned back and wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing our lips together.

His hands wove into my hair. He opened his mouth, drinking me in, holding me tight, before flipping me to my back. He kissed me and lifted my shirt. His hand knotted the fabric as he grabbed my boob, laying kisses along my stomach, a line of them leading to my core. I reached for his hair when his mouth landed on my underwear, my legs sliding, my body curving. His breath hit my heat and then -

“We can’t do this.”

Tucker peeled himself from my flesh and I felt like cold water had been poured over me. My eyes flew open. He stood, panting on the side of the bed.

He covered his mouth. His eyelids fluttered as he looked at me and his body teetered. “We can’t do this,” he breathed.

I sat up, curling my legs in. “Why not?”

He palmed his erection and closed his eyes. “We just did it that one time, that was it.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“Ella, please.” He exhaled and forced his eyes open.

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