Page 43 of Power Play

“Why?”

“We have plenty of time. If you’re doing it right, sex isn’t just about sex. It’s about the build-up. Foreplay. The things that happenbeforethe main event. I can’t fuck you how you like if I don’t know what makes you wet, can I?”

Her throat bobs around a swallow. “No. I guess you can’t.”

“This is going to be a long process. I’m going to ask you questions during it, and I want you to answer them honestly so I can get to know you better.”

All this shit is rigid and formal. So unsexy and far from the encounters I’ve had in my past, but she’s counting on me.

And I’ve never liked letting anyone down.

“What kind of questions?”

“Do you like to be teased?” I ask. “Do you like things fast?”

“Um.” She drops her head back and stares at the ceiling. “I think I might like to be teased. It’s… that’s what I do when I’m touching myself. I try to prolong it. When my ex and I were together, he always just kind of… put it in.”

“Fucking hell.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and groan. That dude is an absolute moron. “Okay. Tonight we’re starting with kissing and some touching. That’s it. I’m never just going toput it in, Piper. When we get there, I’m going to get you off at least twice before I fuck you.”

“Now I really feel like I should be taking notes. Do all guys act like this?”

“The smart ones do.”

“Why?”

“Some of us can get off just from watching you get off. Eating pussy is one of my favorite things in the world.”

Her wide eyes drop to the front of my gym shorts like they did the other night. This time, she doesn’t look away. She studies the outline of my half-hard cock and bites her bottom lip.

“You really like it that much?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I like knowing what I’m doing is working, and when you’re going down on a woman, you can tell.” I touch her cheek again and trail my fingers down her neck. “I can feel it. Hear it. Taste it.”

“That’s sexy,” she whispers. “That you like it.”

“Can I kiss you, Piper?”

“Oh. Um. I might not be very good at kissing either. Steven was never very affectionate with me, and I haven’t kissed anyone in the years that have passed. I probably use too much tongue. Too much?—”

“That doesn’t answer my question. Can I kiss you, Piper?”

It’s her chance to back out of this. To run away before we start something we can’t take back. I don’t want her to have any regrets, and I want her to be really fucking sure this is what she wants.

And that she wants it withme.

“Yes,” she whispers, voice so quiet, I’m not sure she actually said it.

“Yes what?”

“Yes,” she repeats, louder this time. “You can kiss me, Liam.”

I don’t know how many first kisses I’ve had in my lifetime. A couple dozen, maybe? I’ve ever been nervous about any of them until right now, because she’s trusting me to get this right. She’s counting on me to give her the fun she’s never had, to make sure she learns so the next guy she’s with won’t be disappointed, and I’ve never liked being a failure.

“Close your eyes,” I say lowly. “Tilt your head to the side.”

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