Page 86 of The Affair
How had I gone through life, not knowing the tender touch of his hands on my body or the gentle caress of his lips on mine?
Our kiss deepened as we learned each other. My hands found the inside of his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders to fall to the ground. His fingers buried into my hair, and soon, we were gravitating toward the living room.
I hadn’t really thought about where I wanted this to happen—only that I wanted it to. Sex in my childhood bedroom on my twin-size mattress didn’t sound ideal, and I definitely wasn’t going to suggest any other room in the house, so the living room was as good a place as any.
At the rate his hands were roaming my body, I would be okay with the floor too. Anything to get that man’s clothes off quicker.
As we shuffled into the living room, kissing and moving, moving and kissing, my feet hit the sofa, and we paused.
Breaths heavy, lips swollen, Sawyer looked down at me with hesitation. “Tell me you want this, Elle. Tell me you’re not going to wake up and hate yourself in the morning.”
“What? No.”
“Are you sure? Because if there’s one thing I couldn’t stand, it’s to see regret in your eyes.”
“I could never regret you, Sawyer,” I promised. “Never.”
This must have been the words he needed because barely a second passed before his mouth was on mine again. His fingers left my hair, finding the strap of my dress and dragging it downward, and when his lips followed, I thought I’d died and gone straight to heaven.
I’d never been so conflicted in my life. I wanted to rip off his clothes right that instant and feel every inch of him, but at the same time, I knew we’d never have a first time again.
It should be savored, right?
“I want you naked,” his sultry voice whispered in my ear.
What was that I was saying about savored?
No idea.
“Yes,” I managed to say back as his lips dipped between the valley of my breasts, and I momentarily lost the ability to breathe.
Finding the zipper at the nape of my neck, Sawyer slowly dragged it downward until the dress fell to the floor.
Thank God I had gone with the sexy underwear tonight.
I felt somewhat timid, but his gaze made me feel just the opposite. Seeing him look at me like that—like I was some sort of forbidden treat in the dessert case and he couldn’t wait another second before devouring me whole—that erased any sense of insecurity I had left.
The doubt still lingering from my failed marriage vanished in the reflection of his hungry eyes, and suddenly, I was a lioness ready to claim her mate.
We kissed, long and deep, until it wasn’t enough.
I tugged at his tie. When he bent his head, I removed the blue silk and dropped it to the floor. Up next was his shirt. He watched intently as I went from button to button, slowly removing the crisp white shirt from his body. I’d hoped to find nothing but skin underneath but was met with another shirt.
“So many obstacles,” I murmured, making a small grin appear on his face.
When his hands reached down to the hem and lifted upward, I became a little less mad about the extra layer. Watching those biceps flex as he removed it was definitely worth the wait.
“Damn,” I breathed out.
“I was thinking the same thing,” he answered, taking me in.
I’d never been one for lingerie, but on a whim last week, I’d bought a black lace bra and matching thong.
Considering the way he was looking at me, it was turning out to be one of my better decisions.
I slipped out of my shoes, and he did the same.
I could feel my nerves creeping back. The confident lioness was retreating back into her den.
