Page 83 of Already At Risk
Her gaze blazed as she clamped down on my fingers, licking them off as I pulled out of her mouth again.
“Now swallow,” I directed.
Natalie swallowed.
Unbelievable.
“Yeah?” Natalie breathed, and I realized I’d said it aloud.
I nodded, words somehow completely escaping me. I was too busy watching the slight flutter of her lashes and the way her honey-colored hair fell around her shoulders in tangled waves. Her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes gave color to an otherwise colorless room. She flashed me a soft, shy grin, and she lookedhappy.
A rattling in my chest made it hard to breathe.
“That was…” she started but then just pressed her lips together, the blush on her cheeks intensifying. “Well, you know.”
“I know,” I assured her. “I know, Natalie.”
I knew exactly what it was.
In fact, I suspected I knew more about what it was than she did. But I’d promised her we’d take things at her pace and follow her rules, and I intended to stick to that promise until she realized the same things I did.
“I’m going to clean you up now.”
“Oh.” She looked away and started to shift, scooting closer to the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to?—”
I put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from standing. “I’m going to clean you up now,” I said again, more forcefully.
Natalie didn’t move another muscle until I came back from the bathroom. And then she let me clean her up, using a warm, wet cloth to wipe the inside of her thighs. I took my time, exaggerating the process because I wasn’t quite ready to be done spending time with her body tonight. And I wanted her to know that this part was important, too.
After I finally finished, I tossed one of my old T-shirts on the bed for her to put on before I went into the bathroom and cleaned myself up, too. When I returned, I was happy to see that she’d snuggled herself beneath the bedcovers. And she was wearing my baseball tee I’d set out, one from an intramural league I played in back in college.
I tried to ignore the possessiveness running rampant through my veins at the sight, and leaned against the frame of the door with a cocked grin.
“Will you stay here tonight?”
I held my breath as I waited for her to respond.
It was probably bad news for me that I wanted Natalie London sleeping in my bed just as badly as I wanted her in my bed for other reasons, ones we’d just explored. I wanted her tucked under my arm all night long. Just wanted to fucking hold her.
“That sounds nice,” she whispered, wiggling her body further into bed. “If you’re okay with it.”
Thank fuck.
“I’d prefer it.”
Massive understatement, but she didn’t need to know that.
“When do you need to be home tomorrow? I can drive you.” I crossed the bedroom, pulling back the covers to slide in behind her. “And I’ll set an alarm for the morning.”
“Need to be at Blake’s by seven forty-five, so a bit before that,” she mumbled as I wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her back into my chest.
Her body against mine was something I might never get used to. It fitsoperfectly.
Natalie released a sigh and snuggled into me. I pressed a kiss to her hair, breathing in her vanilla scent and listening to the way her breathing quickly evened out.
She was gone within minutes, maybe even seconds.
And fuck, so was I.
