“I can’t think sitting here.” I try to move away again, and his jaw tightens along with his hands.
“Maybe we don’t have anything to talk about.” His hand slides down the top of my thigh, making me shiver. “Maybe we should just let things happen and deal with shit as it comes along.”
Swallowing hard, my stomach flutters as I focus on his mouth that’s just inches from mine. “I don’t know if that… that would be smart.” I lift my hand and rest it against his chest. “It would be easy to let thing happen between us, but—”
“No buts.” He grasps my wrist, cutting me off as he lifts my hand to kiss my palm. “I want you.” My breath catches as he nips my fingertips. “I know you want me.”
“Tide.” His name ends on a whisper as he brushes his lips against mine. “I don’t want to ruin what we have by complicating things.”
“We’ll have lots of time to think about why we shouldn’t do this, Aria, but right now, I need you to focus on why we should. We don’t have to rush shit. We can keep things casual, but I know this is inevitable, so there’s no reason to deny it.”
I know I should ask him to explain his definition of casual, but instead of doing the smart thing and not wanting to hear him tell me that he just wants to be friends with benefits, I say, “Okay.” Because he’s right about one thing—I do want him, and it is inevitable. I just hope we can keep things separate.
“Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to kiss you?” He brushes his lips against mine, then pulls back. “How often I’ve jacked off to the thought of touching you?” His eyes darken as his hand moves up my waist and under my shirt, his thumb skimming over my nipple, causing wetness to surge between my legs while a moan passes from between my lips. “Kiss me, Aria.”
I don’t even attempt to deny him. I turn and place my mouth against his and pull his lip between my teeth, listening to him growl. When his mouth opens under mine, I lose myself in the feel of his rough hands against my smooth skin as he moves me to my back on the couch and settles between my legs. Lifting my foot off the ground, I wrap it around his hip and arch my neck up toward him as he lowers his head toward mine. The moment our mouths meet, I forget about all my inhibitions. My entire being focuses on this moment in time and the feel of his weight pressing against me, cocooning me in warmth and safety. Without a word shared between us, he stands from the couch with me in his arms and carries me upstairs to my bedroom, his lips meeting mine and his tongue sliding into my mouth.
I’ve never felt more desired than I do right now. Teeth gnashing and hands roaming, I know this is what uninhibited desire is supposed to feel like. Franticly, we strip each other of our clothes, and once we reach my bed, we are both undressed. Lying back against my pillow, I watch his heated gaze roam over me and fight the urge to hide myself from his view. Where I’m soft, his body is hard and toned.
“You’re perfect.” His knee hits the bed, his muscles flexing as his hands roam up to the top of my knees, spreading my legs open. “So fucking perfect.” He kisses my belly, between my breasts, my chin, and then my mouth. Wrapping my arms around him, I lift my hips as he nudges against my entrance. His hand comes between us, and his fingers slide through the wetness that he’s built before his fingers slide inside me, causing my back to arch off the bed and a moan to escape my lips. “Christ, you’re tight.” His thumb circles my clit. “Next time, I’m gonna drink from here.”
He thrusts his fingers harder while he manipulates my clit. Digging my nails into his skin, I cry out as an orgasm starts to build within my center that spreads through every inch of me, making me feel like I’m coming apart at the seams.
“Jesus,” he groans against my mouth as I come around his fingers, then I lose his touch as he grasps his cock, only to sink into me with one smooth thrust. With my recent orgasm still skimming the surface of my being, I hold my breath and ride the wave as Tide sinks into me over and over, his hips thrusting and thumb working my clit. I know it shouldn’t be possible to come so soon after just orgasming, but I’m no longer in control of my own body. He plays me like a fiddle, bending his head and sucking first one breast then the other into his mouth, transporting me to another dimension and sending me over the edge.
I come harder than I ever thought possible, with his name on my tongue and lights flashing behind my closed eyelids as he growls, losing himself inside me. I hold him tighter, not wanting to lose our connection, and he collapses on top of me, then rolls to his back with me panting against his chest. I probably should pull away, but instead of doing what will probably be best for my mental health, I slide my hand around his waist, nuzzle into his chest, and drift off to sleep in his arms.
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“Aria.” I open my eyes the next morning when my name is called and wake to find Tide sitting sideways on the side of my bed, fully dressed. “Hey.”
“Hey.” My insides twist when he runs the back of his fingers against my cheek.
“I hate to say it, but I gotta go. I’m meeting my dad to help him with some stuff, but I’ll be back here with dinner, if that’s good for you.”
“Oh, okay, sure. That sounds good.” I sit up and tuck my hair behind my ear as I hold the blankets up to my chest.
“Good.” He stands and rests his fists on the bed on either side of my hips before he kisses me, then leans back to search my gaze. “Have fun with Gia and Gino today.” I nod, not sure what to say, then watch him smile up close before he pushes back to stand and walk to the door. When he reaches it, his eyes come to me and warm. “I’ll see you later.”
“See you later,” I agree, watching him tap the doorjamb twice before he disappears out of sight. When I hear the door downstairs close, I look at the clock on my nightstand and do a double take when I see it’s after nine. “Holy cow.”
I rest my head back against the headboard, not believing I spent all night with Tide obviously sleeping next to me. When I was with my ex-husband, I would wake up off and on all night, and every time I did, I would find it more and more difficult to get back to sleep. It wasn’t that he did something to wake me; he didn’t snore, and we slept apart, him on his side and me on mine. I never knew what it was that kept waking me up, but I guessed it was just having him in bed with me. The only thing good about those times was I would eventually give up on sleep all together and get out of bed to go write.
Unsure if I should try to dissect why I was able to sleep last night with Tide, I toss back the covers, go right into the bathroom, and start the shower. Once the water’s warm, I get in and wash my hair. As my fingers dig into my scalp, a movie starts to play behind my closed eyes, and I shout, “Finally!” I rip open the shower curtain and jump out of the tub, soaking wet. I wrap a towel around myself but still end up dripping water and soap on the floor. I run into my room, right for my bedside table, to grab the notebook and pen I keep there. Franticly, I jot down the series idea that just came to me and end up filling three pages with notes, before I go get back into the shower to finish up, doing it with an excited smile on my lips.
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Sitting on my front porch, with one of my thicker sweaters wrapped around me, I go back and forth between the notes I wrote this morning and the document I have open on my computer. Since I didn’t have a chance to work on my new series pitch this morning and spent the afternoon with Gia and Gino, who is way more adorable in person, I’m doing it now as I wait for Tide to get here. When I hear the rumble of his engine coming up the driveway, I look up, and my eyes lock with his through the windshield, causing a nervous smile to lift my lips.