Page 54 of A Lesson In Beginning

“Oh!” I looked around, surprised at the absolute silence.

“The rooms are soundproof and equipped with a sound system to play music on. You just have to link your phone to the speaker system in the back corner there.” He pointed over my shoulder, causing me to turn and look. The sight of the room surprised me.

“It’s not what I thought it would be.” I spun in a slow circle, taking in the furniture, lighting, and even the color palette of the room.

“What were you expecting?”

“Something a little more extreme, I suppose. All black and red, with whips and chains and torture devices.” He chuckled, and I grinned sheepishly.

“That’s a few doors down, I believe. But tonight I wanted things to be comfortable and simple. Is the room to your liking?” His nerves were apparent, his hands fidgeting with his hair, and then stuffed back into his pocket on a loop, much like my own.

“It is.”

“Adah.” The sound of my name on his lips made butterflies erupt in my stomach. His hands wrapped around the curve of my shoulder, turning me to face him completely. His eyes found mine and held them. “I want you to know you can leave this room at any time. You just say the word. The door locks, but I want you to be the one who locks it. I want you to be sure that this is what you want to do.” The weight of his concern for my comfort was touching.

Taking a singular deep breath, I reached out to the door, flipping the lock and sealing my fate. Whatever happened next in this room would be an experience, and regardless of how nervous I may have been, I was ready.

“How does this begin?” I asked trepidatiously.

“Well, we’ve already discussed what you are comfortable and not comfortable with, but for tonight, I’m actually going to start slower. Tonight isn’t about toys and pushing boundaries. Tonight is about getting to know one another. So, to begin, I’d like to kiss you.”

My eyes searched his, finding only the truth staring back at me as a grin spread across my face. I couldn’t find the words to respond, so I simply nodded my head.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.” His eyes remained locked on mine as his hands slid down the length of my arms, one sliding into the space between my elbow and waist, wrapping around to my lower back. The pressure of his fingertips compelled me forward until we were just nearly touching. His other hand touched my cheek, cupping it softly as he tilted my chin up, his lips lowering to mine.

I didn’t see what happened next as my eyelids fluttered closed. His lips brushed against mine, whisper-soft. My breath caught. My smile faded. I lost myself in the feeling of being kissed for the first time in — I could not remember how long.

His lips played along mine, never seeking more, just allowing each of us to feel the intimacy blossoming between us. His fingers pressed into my lower back more firmly, pulling me closer until the tips of my breasts brushed against the solid form of his abdomen.

He was so much taller than me. As his lips slowly coaxed mine to open to his kiss, I lifted onto my tiptoes. My arms lifted, finding their way around his neck. His hand rose up my spine, fingers splaying over my back and holding me close to him until my breasts were crushed against his chest.

Lips opening to lips, his groan of satisfaction reverberated through my entire body as his tongue met mine. I lost myself, completely and utterly, as our kiss deepened. Slowly and sensually, we came together, with no expectation or purpose other than to explore one another.

His hand slid past my cheek, around the nape of my neck. With gentle yet insistent pressure, he tilted my head back further, turning his head as his mouth claimed mine with a passion I did not know existed. My ears rang with the roar of my thundering heartbeat, blood rushing to the surface over every inch of my body, rendering me little more than a bundle of live-wired nerves, ready to be set on fire by nothing more than a kiss.

But this wasn’t just a kiss. It was a welcoming. It was like coming home, to a home I’d never been to before, and yet was familiar with, all at the same time. I couldn’t get close enough to him.

Moments later — or perhaps an eternity — our lips parted, our foreheads touching as we clung to one another, each catching our respective breaths.

“You taste like sin.”

“You make me want to sin.” Before the last syllable had left my lips, his lips were on mine again, and this time my gasp of need filled the silence of the room. His gentle touch shifted, his fingers pressing firmer, pulling harder, and I clung to it. I clung to him. To the passion that was so fierce and overwhelming, I felt I may never long for anything the way I longed for the kiss of this man.

I barely registered that he was pushing me backwards, not until my heel hit the door behind us. He pushed, pressing me into the door, hard. I gasped, our lips parting for the space of a single word as his breath fanned against my lips.

“Need.”

There was nothing less and everything more as tongue met tongue, lips parted, and hands pulled. I couldn’t get close enough to him. The hardness of his body pressed me into the door, crushing against the softness of my curves.

My hands threaded through his hair, still tied at the top of his head in a top-knot style bun that somehow was absolutely meant for him. His teeth grazed my lower lip as my nails raked against the back of his scalp lightly. Swallowing his groan of need, our kiss deepened.

His fingers dug into my hips. When had his hands found my hips? I couldn’t think straight. Didn’t want to think straight.

“Wait.” His lips tore from mine, but he didn’t step back. Our labored, panting breaths were the only sound in the room for a solid moment.

“Did I do something —”

“Christ, Adah, no. God, no. Hell no.” His lips found mine again, soft and sweet as he brushed lips against lips, offering humble supplication.

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