He reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and produced a condom. “Maybe I was keeping my options open as well.”
Arching an eyebrow, Mae lifted her purse in front of her chest and pulled out an entire box of condoms.
Sebastian laughed. “When you’re in, you go all in.”
“I’m what you might call an all-or-nothing kinda gal,” she said, fluttering her lashes.
“I’ve noticed.” One corner of his mouth hitched up.
She hesitated. “Noticed it in a bad way?”
He closed the distance between them and slid his arms around her waist. “I like it.”
“Well, then you’re going to love this,” she said and began unbuttoning his shirt.
He leaned in, pausing when his mouth was so close that his breath fanned over hers, and said, “You’re right. I do.”
And then he kissed her and she was once again drowning in her need for him. His tongue pushed against her lips—seductive, carnal—and she forgot about the buttons on his shirt, winding her hands up behind his neck, holding his head in place.
She’d kissed and been kissed before, but it had been nothing compared to kissing Sebastian. The need he didn’t attempt to disguise, the desperation she couldn’t have hidden if she’d wanted to. He slid his hands down to her hips, pressing her closer as she speared his hair with her fingers, giving her all and taking as much from him.
Eventually, she dragged her head back, sucking in lungfuls of air, almost dizzy with wanting.
“I have to tell you,” Sebastian said around his own panting breaths, “I’m feeling torn about this dress.”
She glanced down. “You don’t like it?”
When she’d bought it, the dress had made her feel good about herself, flattering her nicely. And when she’d put it on earlier in the evening, she’d thought of him and smiled at herself in the mirror, hoping he’d be taking it off later.
“I’m torn,” he said, toying with the neckline, “because I like it so much that I’m a little sad it has to go. But it does. Have to go. Now.”
Her knees buckled, and she swayed in the safety of his arms. “There are two ties. The one you can see on my left side, and, on my right, there’s a secret hook as well as the tie.”
“Now, that is useful information.” He kissed her again, a quick, scorching press of his lips to hers and then dipped his head to focus on the task. He pulled at the first tie, and one side of her dress dropped, leaving a length of material wrapped against her torso. The light pressure of his fingers at her side as he searched for the hook was torture—the touch, muffled by the fabric, was nowhere near enough. And then he found the hook, unclasped it, and the rest of the dress unraveled from around her.
As he slid the two panels of soft material apart, the pads of his fingers brushed lightly against her ribs, leaving a trail of sparks on her bare skin, and she gasped. Too soon, his fingers were gone, and then his hands were on her shoulders, slowly easing the dress down her arms. In moments, her dress was gone, leaving cool air swirling against her flesh.
Surprised, and impressed, that he’d worked it out so easily, she gave him a lazy smile. “That was fast.”
“I can be fast when it’s important. And this was very important.” He leaned past her and carefully draped her dress on the hotel room’s plush velvet chair.
As his gaze roamed her body, he set his warm, strong hands on her shoulders, first tracing circles and patterns, then moving down her arms, across her back, and a soft moan escaped her lips.
She glanced up at him, mesmerized by the wonder and appreciation she found in his features. “What do you want, Sebastian?”
“I want to see you this time,” he said without hesitation.
Meeting his eyes, she reached behind her back and found the clasp on her bra. It took her a few seconds to release the catch—despite only having one glass of champagne at dinner, she was feeling more than a little inebriated. It had nothing to do with the champagne. She was drunk on him. It was all him. It was Sebastian’s effect on her, making her fingers tremble, making her light-headed.
She pulled her arms from the lace straps, and let the bra fall from her fingertips to the floor. Then she hooked her thumbs in the sides of the matching underwear and slid them down to her ankles before kicking them away, along with her shoes. Sebastian’s eyes flared as he drank her in, and she stood tall, feeling beautiful under his gaze.
“Mae,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “You’re...” He stopped, cleared his throat, and tried again. “Everything about you is exquisite.”
He reached for her and she melted into him, tugging at his belt buckle even as he kissed her, wanting to remove the last fabric barrier between them. On one especially rough tug on his belt, he laughed and laid his hands over hers, stopping her until she looked up at him.
“What about you?” Releasing her hands, he cupped her face and brushed a featherlight kiss on her lips. “What do you want?”
“I want...” She had no idea if this was another onetime deal or if it was the start of something, but just in case, she wanted to experience everything with him at least once. “I want you inside me this time.”