Page 35 of Unhurried Hearts

“Too much?” he asks.

I’m not about to explain that his hands digging into my sore muscles is the most erotic thing I’ve ever experienced so I simply shake my head. He takes his time, working his way up inch by inch over my tender muscles. Dark hairs press up against his sharp jaw. They’ll be shadowy stubble by morning. When he licks his full lower lip my heart hammers at the idea of kissing him in my bed.

Like he read my mind, he asks, “Can we make out now, Annie?”

“Uh huh,” I whisper.

He stops his massage, leaving those hot, capable hands so high on my upper thighs that my pussy throbs. Chris is practically panting, his short, hot breaths tickle my skin as he leans closer. So this is what it takes to get the man's heart rate up. Starting at my temples, his long fingers rake through my hair before cupping the back of my head. When he grazes his lips back and forth against mine like he’s savouring the texture, I sigh and open for him. One smooth stroke of his tongue over mine and I melt, leaningto get closer. Chris controls the angle, tipping me ever so slightly to deepen the kiss. This is incredible. I’ve never been kissed like this. He’s been holding back.

While my mouth works to learn from his, my hands have a mind of their own. I’m desperate to touch some of that smooth, tanned skin I saw in his photo. I reach between us, my palms splaying across his broad chest. Beneath the thin fabric of his white t-shirt, the rough texture of his chest hair and the heat of him sink into my skin. His groan is one of torturous pleasure. What would it be like to rest my cheek against that chest? His abs are as hard as they looked when I stroke down them. I grasp the hem of his shirt, lifting it enough that I can now feel an inch of his bare skin. He sucks air between his teeth and rests his forehead on mine like he’s getting a hold of himself.

“I’m trying to go slow for you.”

“I appreciate that,” I say carefully. “But…maybe we could speed it up ateensy, tiny bit.”

I push his shirt up higher as I say it. His skin is positively radiating heat.

“Oh, Anna. You’re killing me.” He scrubs a hand over his face. “Screw it.”

He rises onto his knees and pulls the shirt off over his head in that easy arms arms-crossed way men do. My lips are already tingling from his kisses and now my jaw is slack.I can’t pull my eyes away from his abs and the way they seem to keep going, even beyond the low-slung waistband of his sweats. The dangling drawstring of his untied pants is like an invitation to a party I don’t feel cool enough to attend. When he chuckles, it draws my attention back to his face, his tongue stuck in one cheek while he smirks.

“You look good, and you know it.”

“What did I say? Lock screen.”

“I prefer the real live version.” I rise to my knees to meet him and steel myself for what I’m about to do next.

His playful expression fades, brown eyes widening as I grasp the hem of my own shirt. The tender look in his eyes quells my nerves. Now I’m simply excited to see what his reaction to my half-naked body will be. I peel the shirt off, tossing it behind me, leaving me bared to him.

“Annie.” Chris’s voice is husky.

His strong hands grasp his thighs, knuckles white. My nipples tighten as he looks between my breasts. A strand of hair falls from my ponytail, brushing my collarbone. He moves seamlessly, gently touching the spot where the hair fell and replacing it with kisses that dip lower and lower onto the swells of my breasts. Soon, I’m reclined between a mound of pillows and a man. It might be the best place I’ve ever been. I can feel his unmistakable erection against my hip and without thinking I roll my pelvis against him,eliciting a low moan from deep in his chest. He captures my nipple between his lips, sucking hard. Jolts of pleasure zip down between my legs as he continues to suck and kiss and lick me.

“Chris, please.”

What am I even asking for?

“Medium.”

“Hmm?”

“I changed my mind. I don’t want slow. I want medium.”

“Those are shirt sizes, Anna. Tell me what the hell you want.”

His breathing is laboured as he moves away from my chest and renders me speechless with a filthy kiss.

“We’re not having sex,” he says, taking a short break from devouring my mouth.

“Notyet,” I clarify.

“Is that so?”

“Mmm hmm. It’s inevitable. I want you to be my first.”

“Christ, Anna.”

Chris falls onto his side, dragging a hand down the dip of my waist to play with the top of my sweats.

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