He knew what she was saying made sense, but it still felt all kinds of wrong to him.
“There’s no chance of us falling in love because…well, you’re done with that,” she said firmly, and it was on the tip of his tongue to disagree, but he kept it to himself for now. “I think since we’ve both expressed an…interest, we owe it to ourselves to explore this.”
Okay, that he agreed with, but…
“Is this a one-time thing, Skye?” he asked and, unable to help himself, he sat down beside her, caressing her cheek.
“I…I’m not sure. That’s why I had thought we’d wait until…after to talk about it. But if you’re not comfortable with this…”
He pulled her to her feet and cut off her words with a kiss. Both hands gently cupped her face as he deepened the kiss, desperate to keep her from talking either of them out of this.
For years he had talked himself out of acting on his attraction to her because he thought it was wrong and she’d never shown any interest in him other than as a friend. But knowing she was hiding her feelings just like he was?
Game changer.
For now.
This was different.
Skye was different.
They had a history together which meant this wasn’t just a casual hookup. It couldn’t be. And over the past few months, he felt like they really got to know each other and that made this feel a whole lot more…intimate.
Which should have scared the crap out of him and made him say “thanks but no thanks,” but he didn’t. He couldn’t.
For all he knew, they were going to find that they weren’t the least bit compatible and this was a one-time thing and his curiosity would be settled.
But if this kiss was anything to go by, they were not only going to be compatible, but combustible.
Lifting her in his arms, he turned and guided them both down onto the bed. He stretched out on top of her and heard her hum of approval. Her arms tightened around him as her legs did the same.
Their kiss turned wild, carnal, and it seemed crazy that they were doing this to each other after so many years of…not doing this to each other. But again, he wasn’t going to complain.
Skye arched her back beneath him and gave him a nudge that sent them rolling and changing positions. She lifted her head as she sat up and smiled down at him. Her long hair was in sexy disarray, her lips were wet and slightly swollen, and she looked ready for more.
And he desperately wanted to give that to her.
His hands rested on her hips and gently squeezed, causing her to smile. “You’re really good at this,” she said, licking her lips.
“Oh, yeah?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Kissing. Really, really good at it.” She licked her lips again before reaching in front of her and pulling her sweater up and over her head. The plain white satin and lace bra certainly wasn’t designed for seduction, and yet on her, it looked sexy as hell. Skye glanced down at herself and frowned.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“I should have planned better,” she murmured as her hands came up to cover herself.
Elliott was quick to slowly guide her hands away. “I like that you didn’t plan. In my head, I like to think that you wanted me so badly that you couldn’t wait and came as you were.”
“I did,” she whispered. “I really did.”
He lifted up slightly and cupped a hand around her nape and guided her back down for another kiss.
And it didn’t seem possible for it to be hotter than the one before, but it was.
They rolled all over the bed–each of them taking a moment to be the dominant one–and Elliott swore he was going insane with need. Skye’s skin was so warm and soft and he wanted to touch and taste more of her. When he couldn’t take anymore, he rolled her beneath him again and sat up and mimicked her earlier move of whipping his shirt up and off, tossing it to the floor. This time when he leaned back down, he kissed along her throat, her collar bone, and then the sweet valley between her breasts. He heard her soft hiss of pleasure before reaching up to lower the flimsy bra straps off her shoulders and down her arms so he could reach more of her.
The first swipe of his tongue over her nipple had her humming with pleasure. Her hands raked up into his hair and held on. The longer he teased her, the louder she got. When he switched to the other side, she was panting his name and begging for more.
“Elliott…please. I need…I want…” She was writhing beneath him and he knew exactly what she meant because he definitely needed and wanted more too.
It would have been easy to go forward with this mindless passion. To simply strip them both and claim her. He knew it would be amazing and beyond satisfying, but there was something he had to say first.
Lifting his head, he looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and she was still a little breathless and squirming.
“Skye,” he whispered, and when she slowly looked up at him, the sight of her took his breath away. She was so beautiful and he felt humbled that she was here with him like this.
She quietly said his name as her hand stroked his jaw before slowly skimming down over his shoulders before resting on his chest.
Right over his heart.
For a moment he reconsidered. Maybe speaking up would ruin the moment and then all of this would just go away. But there was still a twinge of reason swirling in his head and he knew better than to ignore it.
“I just wanted to make sure you were still okay,” he said gruffly. “That we’re not going too fast or…or that you’re not having second thoughts.”
Her expression softened and she looked up at him in a way most people only dreamed of. “Elliott Sullivan, I am 100% sure that this is what I want. No second thoughts.”
Carefully, he lifted her hand from his chest and kissed it. “I really wanted to be sure. I thought that…”
“Elliott?”
“Hmm?”
“Stop talking,” she said with a sexy grin. “We’ve been talking for almost twenty years. Now I’d really like…” She paused, glancing away, and he could see her blush.
“Tell me,” he urged. “Tell me what you want.”
When her gaze slowly met his again, she said, “I’d really like for you to…show me how much you want me.”
A primal side of him that he didn’t recognize sparked at her words. He wanted to tell her how much he wanted her–to describe everything he wanted to do with her–but instead, he claimed her lips with his and did his best to prove it.
The next time Elliott had a clear thought, the bedside clock read two a.m. Skye was curled up beside him with her head on his shoulder, their legs tangled together, and her hand on his chest.
It was damn near perfect.
“I should go,” she sleepily murmured. “It’s late.”
He held her tighter. “And that’s why you’re not going anywhere. It’s too late and you’re too tired to be out driving.”
“But…”
“No buts,” he insisted before placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Besides, I like holding you.”
“Elliott…” Maybe she was going to say more, but she yawned and seemed to drift off to sleep.