Page 80 of The Locksmith's Promise

Finding the zipper at the nape of my neck, his smile faded. Pinching it between his fingers, his hand trembled as he slowly drew it down and peeled my dress away from my body, caressing the key on my ribs with his thumb.

Holding my dress in one hand, he steadied me with the other wrapped around my naked waist. Dipping his knees, he lowered it to the floor.

As it dropped past my thigh-highs, he groaned roughly.

“Step out,” he demanded.

Knees quivering, I grasped his biceps and balanced on one high heel after the other as he freed me from the dress and tossed it on top of my coat.

Straightening, his hand drifted up the outside of my thigh, his thumb dipping under the edge of my panties at my hip as he gazed into my eyes.

“I don’t even know where to start,” he breathed.

I had no words. The worship in his eyes and the reverence in his hands rendered me mute.

His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as his eyes dropped to my chest. Hand shaking, he traced the lace edge of my lavender bra where it hugged the swell of my breast.

“Purple’s my favourite colour,” he murmured.

“I remember,” I replied, pressing my breast into his hand and catching his soft inhalation of breath.

“Baxter,” I murmured.

His eyes flitted up to mine, pupils blown wide, a tremulous half smile on his lips. “Yeah, baby?”

He wanted me. It was in his eyes, his touch, the breathy sound of his voice.

“I don’t have to worry,” I stated.

He shook his head, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip. “You really don’t.”

The tension eased from my shoulders with a soft sigh. Dragging my palms up and down his arms, I explored the contours of his biceps and forearms through the stiff fabric of his dress shirt.

Touching the front clasp of my bra with the tip of his forefinger, he rasped, “Can I take this off?”

Voice husky, I assured him, “You can do anything you want.”

Those words sprung the lock on Pandora’s Box.

Palming my ribs, he yanked me forward and dropped his hot, hungry mouth to my breast, tonguing and tugging my nipple through the thin lace of my bra.

“Fuck, you’re sweet,” he growled.

Rougher than I expected him to be, I arched my back and dug my fingers into his arms at the shock of pleasure that shot straight through to my clit.

He fumbled at the clasp of my bra with one hand, humming around my nipple trapped in his hot mouth. Unable to open it, he yanked the cups down forcefully before cupping his hands around both globes, pressing them together as his mouth moved back and forth.

Knees weak, I snuck my hands up between us, opened my bra, and let it fall.

Humming with approval, he dropped to his knees and pressed a hot kiss to the promise inked on my ribs.

For a heart-searing moment, the memory of Jenny spread over his bed invaded my peace, but I pushed it back.

Moving forward together, there was no room for the sins of the past.

There was no room for any kind of coherent thought at all as his lips left a trail of fire over my ribs. I lurched forward when he dipped his tongue into my belly button before licking along the edge of my panties.

“I’m so fucking hungry for you,” he groaned.

---