Page 52 of Our Long Days
“And this?” She presses her fingers to my cheekbone, the one I smashed into the doorjamb. She recoils when I flinch. “Sorry.”
“Forgot about that,” I grumble.
Flashbacks of her rubbing my back, dragging her fingers over my scalp, and every tender touch in between come racing toward me. Before she pulls away, I grip her hand, resting it against my jaw.
Questions swirl in those emerald orbs.
I suck in a breath, looking off to the side. “Thanks for sticking around. You didn’t have to. I hadn’t felt great most of the day and should’ve listened to my body.” It’s then I realize I have no clue how long I was out for. “Shit.What day is it?”
“It’s Wednesday night. I found you this morning. You slept most of the day.” Her fingers curl around my jaw, bringing my attention to where she kneels on the bed. “Do they happen often? The vertigo attacks?”
It’s unfair of me to expect her not to be curious; she just found her boss passed out on the bathroom floor. Her softcaresses help me ignore the indignity that comes with her follow-up questions.
I shake my head. “Once or twice a year. The dizziness and tinnitus come and go. Nothing too serious, though. The price you have to pay with the condition.”
“Do you…” She frowns, dropping her hand. “Sorry, I’m being nosy.”
Sighing, I snatch it back up, needing a connection. “You can ask me anything.”
She hesitates, gaging my mood. Considering she spent the day caring for me, the least I can do is answer her questions, even if they send my heart into turbulence. I brace.
“Is there anything I can do? A blog I found said it can take a few days to recover, depending on the severity of them. I read small lifestyle changes can help. Apparently, cutting back on caffeine helps. Maybe we switch your cup a day for decaf? Caffeine isn’t recommended for ADHD either. What are the odds?” My eyebrows hike. She pauses, frowning. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“When did you research all this?”
Her lips twist. “Umm, while you were sleeping. Your Ménière's is unilateral, right?”
The bricks around my heart shake. “For now.”
She shakes away her bashfulness. “Anyway, all your meetings are rescheduled, and your out-of-office is on. If you’re hungry, I can go fix you something. You don’t have to leave this bed today.”
Leave? I’m not going anywhere.
Words of gratitude evade me. Instead, I thank her silently. Her pulse flutters as I raise our joined hands and press a kiss to the inside of her wrist, lingering for a second too long. That second is all it takes for my blood to charge at her tropical scent and velvet soft skin.
Just this once. In the confines of my darkened bedroom, the risks seem less grave.
“Dex,” she says on a sigh.
My lips move higher, pausing below her bent elbow.
All armor, weapons, and strongholds shatter. I band an arm around her back, drawing her closer. She gasps, hands landing on my shoulders, hovering over my lap. I’m half-naked, and in this position, her short dress hitches around her waist, meaning the only barrier between us is our underwear. Mine barely contain my erection, and hers do nothing to hide the heat radiating off her.
I’m fucking aware of everything, and she’s at the center of it all. Resisting Florence is becoming an impossible task, the gravitational pull too strong.
My lips continue their journey, trailing over the cotton hanging loose on her shoulder. I hook my finger in the collar, revealing more skin.
“Tell me to stop,” I murmur before licking a slow path over her delicate collarbone.
“Stop what?” Her voice drips with nervous energy and lust, driving me wild.
“From taking what I can’t have and following through with the filthy things I’m imagining doing to you.” My left hand wanders from her hip, up her rib cage until her breast sits perfectly between my thumb and forefinger. The barest of touches. “Things I wish I’d done that night.”
Her head lolls to the side as I skim my teeth over her neck. With her mouth level with my right ear, her consent is loud and clear. “Do them. Show me.Please,Dex.”
Feral urgency takes over. The evidence of my arousal sits heavy and thick between the apex of her thighs. I trace from the hollow of her neck to the small divot in her chin.
Testing, tasting, tempting.
