Page 74 of It Started in the Chatroom

She laughed breathlessly, her eyelids at half-mast as her eyes roved over my face. “I’m just following your lead,” she said.

“Well, don’t let me stop you then,” I murmured.

She brought her lips back to mine, her hands on my chest. I licked the seam of her lips, silently asking for permission to enter, which she granted. I tasted her in large sweeps of my tongue, getting hints of mint and some kind of chocolate.

I sat up, moving her with my hands on her hips so she sat squarely in my lap. “You have too many clothes on, pretty girl.”

It was then that I noticed what she had on. I tilted my head, examining her clothes. “New outfit?”

She blushed, the rosy hue of her cheeks endearing her to me even more. “Yes,” she said. “I bought a bunch of new outfits in a bid to get your attention.”

“Not that I’m complaining, but why?” I asked.

She gave me a half-shrug, lifting one shoulder before dropping it again. She didn’t meet my eyes. “I thought that maybe the reason why you denied me the other night was because you were turned off by my outfits,” she whispered. “And you seemed most enthusiastic when you saw my underwear.”

My heart melted at her quiet confession, at the sincerity and shame in her tone. I scanned her body again, taking in the full outfit: cashmere sweater that gracefully exposed one shoulder, leggings that molded to every curve of her body, fuzzy socks. For the second time since I’d met her, her hair was down, blonde-brown curls falling to her shoulders. And while I did appreciate the clothes that made her look more her age, I straightened and looked her right in the eye as I responded.

“Ciara,” I said, cupping her face. “Never think you have to change anything about yourself for me. I like you and am attracted to you no matter what you wear because it’s not your clothes that first got my attention in the first place. Girl, we met online for God’s sake!”

She laughed, her shoulders relaxing and a grin brightening her face. “It’s true. It’s just…” She sobered by degrees, looking at me and holding onto my wrists. “I want you to look at me the way you did when I only had my underwear on, you know? I want to feel…desired. By you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want me to undress you with my eyes all the time? Even in public? I mean, I’m down to do it, but don’t women hate that kind of thing?”

“Not if it’s the right person.” She blushed again, fiddling with the buttons on my shirt. “Not if it’s you.”

That overwhelming feeling I’d felt all week was back, expanding in my chest and making me feel ten feet tall. Ciara played her cards close to the chest, to the point where until we hooked up the first time, I didn’t even know she liked me like that. And now, to hear that she hopedIthought of her…it was almost too much.

So instead of directly responding, I kissed her forehead, both her eyelids, her cheeks. “Okay,” I said. “Message received. From now on, I will look at you as if I’ve seen you naked. No matter where we go.”

She shook her head, trying to suppress her smile. “Not what I meant,” she said.

“And in return,” I continued, “dress how you want, in whatever feels comfortable to you. If you like this outfit”—I tugged on her sleeve—“wear it. You like it, I love it. Deal?”

She nodded, ducking her head. “Deal.”

“Good. Now enough about the clothes you’re wearing; let’s get them off of you.”

I tugged at the hem of her sweater, indicating that she should lift her arms so I could lift the garment over her head. She obliged, and when the sweater was over her head, I pressed my lips against the thin strap of her tank top. I lifted it over her head as well, stopping to take her mouth with mine.

I kissed my way down to her nipples, taking one in my mouth, groaning low in my throat. I flicked it with my tongue, doing the same to her other nipple but with my fingers. Ciara arched into my mouth, a whimper on her lips. She clutched my shoulders, rocking into me, urging me on with her sounds. “Nathan,” she said breathlessly.

I hummed, blindly reaching for her leggings. Finding that I couldn’t get them off with her straddling me, I lay her down on the couch, looping my fingers under the waistband, preparing to tug them down her legs.

“Nathan,” she said again, this time, more insistently. Her hands covered mine. “Stop for a minute?”

Even though she phrased it like a question, I stopped immediately. “What’s up?” I asked. “Did I hurt you? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” she assured. “I was just wondering…”

“Yes?”

“Can we…um, can we move? To your bedroom?”

Ah, yes,I thought as I remembered what had caused me to hesitate to have sex with her the first time.She wants our first time to be in bed.

“Our bedroom,” I corrected with a quick kiss to her lips. “And of course.”

I leaned down, guiding her so she wrapped her legs around my waist, then hoisted us both up. She quickly put her hands on my shoulders, grinning when we were nose-to-nose.

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