Page 8 of The Reward of You

I brush one hand over the hair curling against the collar of his sweater in silent apology. “So here’s the big confession, maybe bigger than what I was going to lead with originally.” His oddly pale silver eyes regard me without accusation, so I take another deep breath. “Nobody has ever wanted to kiss me like that. I’m really glad you did. I liked it. But… I get hyper self-conscious in situations where I have no experience and then I freeze because I don’t know what to do.” I’m practically wailing with frustration because I get so annoyed with myself for not being able to adapt in the moment.

Sam stares at me long enough to get my nerves firing on all cylinders. I swallow hard. Because really, this is yet another new situation where I’m not sure how to respond. “Nobody? Ever?” he finally asks like he can’t comprehend it.

I shake my head, biting my lip.

His lips twitch at the corners and then his eyes smile first before the grin breaks through. He tugs me down on his lap. “Baby, why do you think that’s a bad thing? But first, maybe you should explain how you have two kids who look exactly like you, so I doubt they’re adopted.”

I giggle, which is also new for me. “They’re mine from the start. Very basic fumbling around, and I guess I get pregnant easily. My ex and I didn’t exactly… um… that didn’t happen very often.”

Sam’s face turns more serious. “Did you want it to?”

I blush. “Not with Ed, no.”

“But you’d be more open to exploring that with me? Because swear to God, Noelle, now that I’ve had a taste, I’m not sure I can keep my hands off you for more than a few minutes at a time.”

I moan with desire for that level of intimacy and give in to temptation, pressing my aching breasts into the firmness of his chest. Sam lets me, his arms coming up to wrap me close.

“Yes, please,” I mumble into his sweater. The hand running down my back is more soothing than enticing and I sigh with regret for ruining a moment that started with so much promise. I squirm on his lap unconsciously, trying to alleviate some of the built up tension. My poor aching pussy has not yet received the message that for the moment at least, nothing is happening.

Sam sighs. “Sweetness, you’re asking for something you just admitted you’re not ready for.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

He gives me a sweet but very chaste kiss. “No apologizing, baby. But I need time to formulate a plan. Plus, you’ve done a very good job of distracting me from the laundry.” His fingers tickle my waist. When I’m convulsing with forced laughter, he picks me up off his lap and sets me down on the couch. “You keep reading, then we’ll have lunch, go to the doctor, pick up the girls, and eventually I’ll get you alone again.”

I frown at that run down. I don’t think I’ve ever been alone long enough for what he’s hinting at. I pout with disappointment. “In ten years?”

“No,” he chuckles as he heads out of the room, “tonight. I promise.”

That has me biting my lip with renewed anxiety. I’ve not had a date since Ed packed up for Europe, so I’ve never even introduced the concept of me seeing other men to the girls.

“Stop worrying, Noelle. That’s an order,” Sam calls from down the hall.

I sigh with a smile and go back to his book. No doubt by the time dinner rolls around, he’ll change his mind.

In the privacy of the laundry room, I adjust my aching cock and bury my face in my hands, balancing my elbows on the still warm surface of the dryer. Noelle has no idea how devastatingly sweet she is. I knew she was beautiful before, but now getting to know her, seeing her willing to be so vulnerable… And she’s offering herself up to me to teach, to mold with all the adorable trust of an enthusiastic virgin. Which I know she’s not, but from the sounds of it, she might as well be.

I could tell she thinks that’s a defect, some kind of personal flaw to be overcome, but my cock and I adamantly disagree. I want another, different taste of that soft skin I tended last night. I want her willing and submissive beneath me, her pussy stretching to take all of me as I show her what all the fuss is about.

Like I even know, I mock myself. I’m no virgin, that’s for sure. But I’ve never been the player that old calendar implied. Nor did I take advantage of the literally thousands of women that popped out of the woodwork when that thing hit the shelves. I’ve had sex. I’ve had good sex. But I’ve never had the kind of relationship I need for great sex. Every cell in my body knows that Noelle is the woman with whom I, too, can see stars. Every damn time. Even God would forgive me for being impatient, right?

Yeah, probably not. I do penance for my evil thoughts by folding the laundry. Hopefully, I’m not mixing up the right owners. Bea is easy. She’s smaller than everyone else, but Miranda is almost as tall as her mom, so I’m having to judge on style for the most part.

By the time I fill the washer with the bedding, I’ve got myself mostly under control.Mostlyis maybe a bit of an overstatement but it will have to do.

I dish up lunch, a spaghetti with some fancy cheese I found in the back of the fridge that I’m guessing the kids would probably refuse. “Noelle? Time to eat.”

She sighs and pads into the kitchen a few minutes later. “I was just getting to the good part. You swear a guy wrote this?”

I nod while licking my index finger free of sauce. “I can introduce you if you want.”

Noelle tilts her head. “Maybe. Right now I’d be too self-conscious.”

I grin. “Yeah, I’m thinking of ways to cure you of that.”

She rolls her eyes. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

“Tonight, baby. Now, eat up. Your doctor awaits.”

---