Page 58 of Hold on Tight

“Stand there a minute. Let me look at you.”

“I’m self-conscious.”

“There is not a fucking thing for you to be self-conscious about.”

“You’re staring.”

“I’ve had sex that isn’t as good as staring at you.”

She laughed. “You’re full of shit.”

“No.” He said it quietly. Because it didn’t need emphasis, it was so simply true. “Best sex I’ve had in over a year, for sure.”

Her face stilled. She understood what this meant to him, or at least she was trying to.

“You haven’t had sex since you lost your leg.”

He shook his head. “No. I haven’t.”

She didn’t say anything. He hoped she wouldn’t make too big a deal out of it. At the same time, he was glad that she knew.

He’d been there the first time she’d had sex. It made cosmic sense she’d be here now, while his leg lost its virginity.

He felt the smile under the surface, not quite making the connection all the way up to his mouth, trying to remember its old pathway.

When she finally spoke, she said, “I want to know what it feels like.”

“What what feels like?”

“This purely visual sexual experience you’re having.”

“You want me to talk dirty?”

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“I’m not a poet.”

“I don’t like poetry.”

“I’m like a locker room.”

“Just talk.”

“I’m supposed to be giving the commands around here.” Bantering with her this way was making him even harder.

“Command away,” she said with a wave of her hand. “But if I’m going to stand here while you sit over there, you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on in your head. Big and little. Not that there’s anything little about you,” she amended quickly, and made him laugh. Again.

“It feels fucking good,” he said. “My dick is harder than it’s been possibly ever, and you haven’t even touched it. This is like blow-job hard.”

“Is blow-job hard the gold standard?”

“You set a new gold standard, baby. Lie down.” He stood up.

She stretched that gorgeous body of hers out along the length of the couch. He wanted to look some more, but he made himself pull his T-shirt over his head instead.

The look on her face.

He’d forgotten.

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