Page 24 of Free Me

I close my eyes for a moment as the room spins and my body shakes. Blake sucks me gently, slowly pulling back. My knees try to give out, but he holds me up as I wait for everything to stop spinning. Good grief, that was incredible. Inhaling deeply, I gather my wits and gaze down at him, feeling the connection between us strengthen. I brush the hair from his face. “Thank you, darling. That was amazing.” He pushes up onto his knees, slides his arms around me, and presses soft kisses across my torso. It’s sweet and intimate and tugs at my heart. “Can I make you feel good?” I drag my fingernails through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp.

He turns his head, resting his cheek against me, relaxing into my touch with a soft hum. “Not yet. Later.” He gives me one last squeeze before reaching for my swimsuit, pulling it up, carefully tucking me away.

I quirk an eyebrow at the decidedly pronounced bulge in his swim briefs. “So, you’re going to go out there like that?”

He glances down at himself and laughs. “No.” He stands, shucks off his suit, and walks into the bathroom. Without shame, I watch him go. Blake has a beautiful body. It’s not ripped muscles and zero body fat, but for a man in his early forties with a high-stress desk job, he’s in amazing shape. I hear the water running in the sink, followed by the lathering of soap, then water splashing. “I’ll pull on board shorts and a T-shirt. They’ll camouflage the issue. Since I’m the one who’ll be standing in front of the grill, no one will question the wardrobe change.”

Blake comes out of the bathroom and I do nothing to hide my ogling as he grabs clothes from his dresser. He puts them on and picks up his phone, crossing the room to pull me into his arms. “Are we good?”

“Oh, yes, Blake, we’re exceptionally good.” I lean into him, enjoying how amazing his arms feel around me, then boop his nose and make my own trip to the bathroom to wash up. “We should get whatever you need from the kitchen and start grilling before you have hangry guests.” I wash my hands and face, then walk into the bedroom. “Ready?”

Blake looks up from his phone and smiles, slipping it into his pocket. I don’t say anything because I’m not here as his coach, and this is the first time I’ve seen him with it since I arrived. Baby steps. He stops me before I open the door. “Stef, before we go out there…”

Every nerve is on high alert. In my experience, nothing good ever starts with a sentence like that. With as bland an expression as I can muster, I turn and face him.

“I just want to make sure you know where I am with this.” He gestures between us, and my stomach sinks. “Because I’d like for this to be about more than sex.”

I blink as my brain redirects. “Oh. I thought you were going to tell me…” I shake my head. “Never mind what I thought.”

“I really like you, Stef, and I want to see where this goes, if you do.”

I cock my head to the side and grin at him. “You mean like dating?”

“Exactly like dating.” It’s odd to see him nervous. I feel slightly bad for thinking it’s adorable, but it is.

“I’d like that.”

11

Stef

Severalhoursandonesuccessful meal later, everyone finally begins the long process of saying goodbye. They insist on helping to clean up, which is sweet, and I’m glad Blake won’t have a sink full of dirty dishes in the morning. But I’m ready for them to get the heck out so I can have him all to myself.

I wait for him in the kitchen, folding the dish towel and looking for things to keep me busy as he walks the last guest out and waves goodbye. When he finally closes the door, and comes up behind me, he slips his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. “Alone at last.”

Turning to face him, I wrap my arms around his neck. “Finally. I thought they’d never leave.”

He chuckles and slips his fingers under the edge of my shirt, teasing over the skin at my lower back, lighting me up inside. “It was fun, though. And everyone had a good time.” I tuck myself against him, hyper-aware of how fast his heart is beating against my chest. It’s comforting to know he’s as excited and maybe just as nervous as I am. This is a big step.

“Didyou?” I arch into his touch, beyond ready to have all of his attention.

“I did.” Blake places the barest of kisses along my neck, making me tingle everywhere. “I’m hoping to have the best night, too.”

My eyes drift shut and I hum happily, enjoying the soft brush of his lips along my skin and the firm press of his body. “Do you still want me to stay?”

I barely finish my sentence before his arms tighten possessively around me, and he growls out one word. “Yes.” Oh, hello! My body definitely likes growly Blake. I tilt my head to the side encouragingly, but he loosens his embrace and pulls away.

My eyes fly open, and I grab the front of his shirt, keeping him close. “Blake?” He holds his hands out to his sides and ducks his head. “Blake, what’s happening?”

“Sorry. That was way too possessive.”

“Like heck it was.” I haul him against my body and put his arms back around my waist. He lifts his troubled eyes to mine, and my heart turns to goo. “Oh, darling, trust me. If that was your version of possessive, I like it. In fact, it was freaking hot.” He doesn’t look convinced. “Seriously. I’ve had enough of guys too cool to show they’re interested. Knowing you want me as much as I want you is refreshing.” I slip my arms around his neck again. “And hot.”

Blake’s smile is soft and self-deprecating. Yet another glimpse of the boyish side of him I adore. “I’m not normally this impetuous, but nothing about meeting you, or anything that followed, has been typical for me. The whole club scene? Not even slightly my thing. I’m no stick-in-the-mud, but I usually look before I leap, then look again. And after all that, I usually consult a map.” I laugh because he means to be funny, but I can tell there’s a lot of truth to it, too. “Except when it comes to you. With you, my caution flies out the window. I want you. I want to be with you and have you around me all the time. And Jesus, it’s probably way too soon to be telling you all that, but it’s the truth.” He tightens his arms around me. “It hasn’t been exactly comfortable pushing my boundaries, but I’m not sorry I have.” His gaze locks on mine with an intensity that’s intoxicating. “I’m definitely not sorry we met.”

This level of honesty is more than I ever expected. It’s incredibly hot, exciting honesty that makes me tingle all over, but it’s still surprising. I’m definitely here for it, though. I slip my fingers into Blake’s hair and shrug. “Iampretty fabulous.”

He chuckles, kissing the side of my head. “Your self-confidence is sexy.”

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