Page 107 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

“Yes?”

Zoe nodded. “Yes, Alex. But can we stop if it’s too much?”

He lit both candles and put them down on her desk before he wrapped her up in his arms. “Always. You need a safe word to avoid confusion.”

Zoe blew out a slow and steady breath. “Peony.”

The fact they were doing this had set his skin ablaze. His dick ached for release, but more, he wanted to see Zoe writhing beneath him, lost in feeling instead of thinking.

“Okay. Peony it is,” he breathed, smiling when Zoe reached beneath his T-shirt to grab the hem; the short nails blunt against his skin. Silently, she slid it over his head, then he returned the favour by easing her pyjama top down her arms. His fingertips traced a line along her skin, loving the way goosebumps followed close behind.

When she reached for the button on his jeans, he raised his fist with his inner wrist facing her and drew circles in the air.

Wait.

He raised an eyebrow then grinned. He ran the tip of his commanding hand along his inner arm from wrist to elbow, eventually lifting it off. “Slow,” he signed.

Zoe pouted, and Alex leaned forward, nibbling on her lower lip. Everything had been a rush. Finishing the gig, finding a car hire, driving along the M6 as if the police were on his tail. Now he was here, he intended to savour it.

Anticipation and lust flowed through him. As he’d driven, he’d thought about what it would feel like to learn so much more about each other’s bodies, as they pushed their boundaries.

Tenderly, he slipped his fingertips beneath the waistband of her pyjamas, feeling her smile against his lips. He removed his fingers, formed a fist, and moved his wrist as if knocking on a door. “Yes?” he signed, hoping she knew he was asking for her consent.

Zoe repeated the sign and mouthed the word, “Yes.”

He lowered the pyjamas down her legs, pressing a kiss to her hip bone. As he stood, he brushed his fingers along the space between her thighs, taking in the sight of her. While she trimmed, she still had curls, which he preferred. There was something totally fucking hot about them. She smelled good, and he couldn’t wait to taste her again.

“Bed,” he signed, tipping his chin in the direction of the pillows. Swiftly he undressed, removed his pearls, and grabbed the oil he’d bought especially for her. For this.

“Front or back?” he asked.

Zoe bit down on her lip. “Front I think, so I can watch.”

Starting at her feet, he began to smooth the oil over her skin. Along her shins, along her thighs, over her hips. Zoe half-watched through hooded lids, the massage soothing her as the flicker of the candles teased.

He pressed a chaste kiss to her clit before continuing up her body, massaging her stomach, and covering both breasts with his hands. They might be less than a handful, but that measure had never meant shit to him anyway. He preferred them like this. Firm, more pointed than round. Zoe’s back arched as he kneaded them more firmly than he had ever done in the past.

Unsurprisingly, his little Rocky seemed to like it. He began to pinch the nipple of one while he massaged the other, alternating, watching her body for signs of arousal. The flush of red on her chest, the glisten of wetness between her lips.

“Kiss me,” she said drowsily, and he pressed his lips to hers. A person more interested in a power exchange might refuse. Make her wait. Not let her dictate their action. But in that moment, he knew he’d not be able to withhold anything from her.

As he did, he continued to massage oil into her arms and over her shoulders, until he had to lift off her so he could oil her neck and throat. She kept her eyes on his as he used both hands to spread oil where she was so vulnerable. When he increased the tension, her mouth opened in a gasp.

“Too much?” he asked.

Zoe shook her head. “No. I trust you.”

And, Jesus Christ, if those four words didn’t short-circuit his heart.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your safe word?”

“Peony.”

Alex quickly retrieved the jug with red wax in it. “I’m going to start high, so it’s a little cooler when it hits your skin. Then I’m going to go lower. If I get too low, just say higher. Too much, say peony.”

---