Page 171 of Through the Water

I frowned. “Yeah. Why?”

She regarded me silently as she pulled her pants down the rest of the way. The jersey hit her mid-thigh, revealing nothing. It didn’t matter, as my imagination had filled in the missing details quite nicely, bringing me dangerously close to losing control.

“Put your arms on the back of the couch and relax,” Ari said. She stepped in between the couch and the ottoman in front of me. Using her legs, she parted my thighs and knelt at my feet.

The temporary haze of lust brought on by her striptease dissipated enough for me to recognize her intentions.

“Whoa!” I sat up and placed my hands over hers. “We don’t need to do this.”

Ari shrugged out my hold and traced a fingertip down the ridges of my stomach before reaching for my belt. “Why are you the only one allowed to give pleasure in this relationship? Why won’t you let me do this?”

“Because,” I responded weakly, lifting my eyes to the ceiling. “I don’t need it.”

“Yes, you do.” The belt opened with a click, and she moved to my pants. “Everyone needs to be loved, Killian.”

I tensed and caught her hand in mine again. “No. Not like this—”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not an asshole!” I snapped, my chest heaving. “And I’m not degrading you for my pleasure. End of story.”

Ari’s green eyes widened as she peered up at me in silence. I couldn’t tell whether my sudden outburst had left her angry or upset. Her expression was completely unreadable.

Once again, I’d made a mess of what was supposed to be a night of celebrating. I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head fall back against the couch, jumping when I felt her fingers on the button of my trousers. “Ari—”

“Hey,” she said quietly. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly, I lowered my gaze to hers, still wrestling with my guilt. “I don’t want to be the guy I was before.”

“You’re not.” Ari freed the top button and set to work on the other. “And I want to do this—”

“Why?” I was genuinely curious.

“Why?” she repeated, scrunching up her nose as if finding the question silly. “Because I want to.”

Ari freed the last button and lowered my zipper, her voice soft. “Because there’s nothing degrading about being on your knees in worship. Let me love you this way, Killian. Let me show you how proud I am to be yours.”

I exhaled a ragged breath when her touch moved to the front of my boxer briefs, stroking me through the thin material.

“Please.”

“Fuck,” I groaned through gritted teeth, before nodding. “Okay.”

How in the hell was I supposed to argue with that?

“Lean back.” She reached into the waistband and freed my cock before continuing her slow and steady strokes. Her eyes glimmered with excitement like I was giving her something, not the other way around.

I couldn’t look away from her. When she leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the tip, I had to dig my hands into the back of the couch.

Fuck.

No one had ever handled me with such care. With such love.

Ari slicked her tongue over the same area, before rocking back on her knees to pant, “I’m not going to ask if I’m doing it right. I know I am.”

With that, she fisted the base of my cock, wrapping her lips around the crown with a low moan.

“Christ,” I ground out, before pulling her off. “What do you mean, ‘you know you are?’ Were you practicing on someone?”

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