Page 58 of Audiophile

Reed smiles, his eyes luminous and earnest in the warm light of the bedside lamp. His hands are warm where they spread over the tops of my thighs. “If you haven’t flirted with me yet, then I’ll be helpless when you do.”

I’m afraid that if I laugh, I’ll sob, so I don’t do either. This must unnerve Reed, because he shifts to rub his hands up and down my arms as if I’m cold.

“I don’t want you to forget who you are. I quite like Petronia Diamante,” he says, and frowns at my answering snort. “I have an idea. Do you trust me?”

“As well as I can trust someone I’ve known for a few days.” It’s the hard truth. Reed won’t harm me, but he pushes me out of my comfort zone, and he’s not familiar with my limits.

Reed’s lips press together as he searches my face. “I need you to trust a little more. I promise I only want to make you feel good.”

Reed crawls onto the bed to gather the giant pillows. He stacks two on top of each other and reaches for me, guiding me down until my head is cradled in their softness. I drown in his honey eyes, hypnotized, while he kneels beside me, holds my chin, and swipes a thumb repeatedly over my mouth. I forget I’m nearly naked. Forget to giggle. Forget to be awkward.

“Eventually, you’re gonna let me kiss you.” His voice is rough, pleading and demanding all at once. Heart pounding, my lips part to ask for one, but he breaks away to grab another pillow. “You want this to be easy, darling?”

He strips the pillowcase off and folds the fabric neatly until it’s a long, narrow stretch of cloth. I nod, and my blood heats as he leans over me to kiss my cheek.

“Then I’ll make it easy. Lift your head and close your eyes.” I move instantly, becauseof courseI trust Reed. He places the cloth over my eyes as a blindfold, tucking it under my head so that I can take it off if needed. “Forget everything else. It’s you and my voice—”

I frown. “I don’t want to use you.”

His hand trails up my neck to my mouth. In the darkness of the blindfold, he leaves tingles everywhere he touches. I’m hyper aware of the rough pad of his finger as he plays over my lower lip. “Do you still know it’s me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want it to be me, in this room, right now?”

The blindfold takes the pressure off. I can feel his eyes on me, but I’m not busy reading him, or judging my own body. “If Thor showed up, I’d kick him out.”

He chuckles, fingers leaving fire in their wake down my neck, across my ribs. “Cheeky, cheeky. God, your smile is gorgeous. What about Knight? Would you rather have him here?”

“You think I’d be more connected to a fake scene?” I reach for some part of him and give a gentle squeeze. “You braved my family over dinner, have an unhealthy obsession with puppy chow, and delight in embarrassing me at work. No one else compares.”

I can’t tell what Reed’s sharp inhale means, but his mouth on my shoulder makes my toes curl in anticipation. In the safety of the dark, my nerves disappear.

“Dangerous woman,” he murmurs before he pulls back. “What are your boundaries? What can’t I touch? Kiss? Can I take my time as I eat you out, baby?”

My blood beats, hot and heavy, like a bass drum. “Shit. I can’t believe you say things like that.”

“I’m not shy,” he notes with a laugh. “Boundaries, Petra. Yes until no, or no until yes?”

There aren’t any,I want to say. I also want to tell him not to go down on me. Nate didn’t enjoy it, and he made me hate it. But Reed isn’t Nate, and I hold back my misgivings. “For this moment, I’m yours to touch, Reed.”

“And you said you don’t flirt. Touch,” he repeats, like that in itself is a boundary line. “With my mouth, too?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

He takes his time learning me. I wouldn’t have thought blinding myself would help, but it grounds me. My only points of connection with the world are the soft pillows under my head, the sheet against my back—

And Reed.

Reed’s mouth, unhurried on my skin. Reed’s hair, tickling me with each brush. His wide palm that strokes, soothes, and arouses me. He builds me up slowly, his body hot along my side as he maps every dip and curve he can reach. All of it unhurried, and accompanied by soft words in my ear.

“I love this little mark here, Pet.” He chuckles as he caresses the side of my breast. “And this one here, at your waist.”

“Sure, moles are very sexy.”

He nips my shoulder, scolding me. “I wasn’t finished. You have several of them, and it makes me want to play connect the dots with you.”

“Pretty sure there’s a pen on the desk,” I offer dryly.

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