Page 77 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
He kissed my lips again. Once. Then twice. “You always set the rules. I get to be here with you. It’s amazing.”
I didn’t want to set rules, but I couldn’t lose my head until I got some kind of birth control from the doctor.Not just yet. He pulled my shirt over my head and his gaze traveled over my chest, taking in my black bra. My cheeks heated, the hunger in his gaze so obvious. I wanted him to touch me so much but did he. . .think I am pretty like this?
He met my gaze, whispering reverently, “You’re so beautiful.” His voice sounded hoarse. “Can I?” He motioned toward my bra. “We could be skin-to-skin.”
Since it meant he would take his shirt off too, I nodded. “Sure.”
“Pants still on.” I didn’t know if he said it to reassure me or to remind himself. Either way, I wasn’t worried in the least.
Then again, maybe he was reminding me, too.
I tugged at his shirt while he fiddled with my bra. Both went flying, and I gasped as his body was revealed to me. Barrett was strong, with defined muscles. I ran my hands over his abs, amazed when his skin seemed to jolt where I touched him.
“Just in case you wonder what you do to me,” he said, and placed my hand lower. He felt very hard under my hand.
I bit down on my bottom lip. “You know I have no experience, and you have some so…”
He shook his head. “Everything is new with you. Everything.”
Barrett pressed his body into me, touching our chests together, skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat. He licked his tongue over my bottom lip before he kissed me again. Over and over, until I felt drunk on the taste of him. I kissed him back, my enthusiasm and curiosity making up for my inexperiencefor the most part. Sometimes I led, sometimes he did, until we both squirmed with needs building inside. I could feel the hard press of him practically pulsing against me with promise. My body was hot, maybe hotter than ever before, so I jerked against him, seeking some relief. My nipples hardened, and he reached between us to stroke my breasts.
His body seemed to vibrate, and the sounds he made deepened. I ground against him while pressure surged inside of me. I needed…something. I wasn’t sure how to reach for it. But it wasso close. I dug my fingernails into his back, gasping with the unexplained need.
He stopped moving to stare down at me, and I practically mewled in complaint. “I love you. I’m never going to forget this.” He kissed my chin, pinning my wandering hands above my head. “We need to stop.”
“Why?” I asked with a pout, jerking my hips into him again so we both moaned. I really didn’t want to stop. I wanted him to kiss me again, hungry for more of him.
He thumbed my lips. “Because I’m getting too excited. I’ve got to take a breath, Baby. Believe me, it’s not lack of interest.”
I growled at him, even if it made sense. He kissed me one more time, as if he couldn’t resist one last taste. “And you have icing to make, right?”
Shit.Yes, I did.
Barrett helped with the icing,and since he was good at absolutely everything, of course it came out perfect. We cleaned up together, still touching as much as possible. I put the cake in the oven, crossing my fingers it came out okay.
“Come on,” he said and jerked his head for me to follow.Where are we going?
He sat on the piano bench then patted the seat so I would sit next to him. He kissed my cheek when I sat, lingering for a second while electricity charged the air between us. Things had changed a little bit between us, although I couldn’t define it.Can he?
“Do you play?” he asked, his voice low.
“No. Piano lessons never came up when I was young, and since Mom died, well. . .nobody really bothered with stuff like that.” I smiled. “I like hearing you play. It makes this place feel like home, because wherever you go, there is music.”
“You mean me stumbling through songs?” He shook his head. “I like to play, but I am by no means very good.” He touched a key. “This is middle C.”
The city lights touched his profile, carving out his face as if from ivory. I considered his handsome face carefully as he watched me, and finally I asked, “Are you going to teach me to play?”
“I am.”
The door swung open as the twins got home from school, Jer coming to an abrupt halt as soon as he spotted us. “Why does it smell like something is baking?”
He dropped his bag on the floor and Barrett laughed. “Because somethingisbaking. She’s making your cake.”
“Well, I am trying at least. It will probably be awful,” I confessed, and Julian dropped a kiss on my cheek.
“Nothing you’ve made has been awful.”
I shook my head. “You lie or you have an iron stomach.”
