“I’ll be back later,” she whispered to Callie. Before she left, she brushed her teeth—a second time—brushed her hair, put on her prettiest bra-and-panty set, and then added a little lipstick on top of it all.
If she was going to seduce a man, she might as well give it her best shot.
When she stood outside Seth’s door, she almost lost her nerve. But before she could hightail it and run, he swung the door open and then crossed his arms over his chest.
Rose cleared her throat. “Can I come in?”
“How many times are we going to do this?” was his reply.
She winced. It wasn’t cold out, but she shivered nonetheless. She suddenly felt silly, with her fluffed hair and lipstick, standing outside Seth’s door like he would’ve fallen at her feet in an instant.
“I told you I’d tell you what was going on,” she said. “So, here I am.”
“It’s midnight.”
“I thought I’d continue our usual trend of nighttime sessions.”
He raised an eyebrow, and then he moved aside so she could come in. She ducked under his arm before he could change his mind and lock her out.
Tonight he wore a shirt, which was a shame. Then again, it would help her concentrate. Closing her eyes, she centered herself and took a deep breath. She started to shiver, though, and she wondered if she was going to be sick.
It didn’t help that she’d already told all of this to Heath earlier. The thought of explaining again? She wasn’t sure she had the strength to do that.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Seth’s concern. He led her to the couch, his touch gentle.
“You don’t have to tell me anything.” He held up a hand at her protest. “That was unfair of me. That’s not to say I would stop you if you wanted to tell me, of course. But you look like you’re about to puke.”
She laughed and tugged at her hair. “You could say that.”
“Then just sit with me.” In a tone that was almost shy, he added, “I missed you.”
That sent her hormones into overdrive. Gazing at him now, with his dark hair rumpled and smelling of soap from a recent shower, she wanted to crawl onto his lap and kiss him until everything else faded away.
He still held her hand. Gathering her courage, she took his hand and pressed it to her breast. He stilled.
“If we aren’t going to talk, I’d rather we enjoy ourselves.” She licked her lips. “I’ve missed you, too. In fact, all I’ve wanted lately is you.”
His eyes flashed in the dim light from a nearby lamp. “Hummingbird…”
“No, don’t. I know what I want. I know I’ve been confusing the hell out of you, and all I can say is that things are complicated, but you know what isn’t complicated?” She asked this as she climbed into his lap, his hand still on her breast.
“What isn’t complicated?” he asked hoarsely.
“How much I want you.”
His eyes flashed, and then in a quick movement, she pulled her tank top off and tossed it over her shoulder, baring the bright blue bra she’d bought on a whim years ago. His hand that had held her breast now gripped her waist.
Bending toward him, she cupped his stern face in her hands. “Make love to me,” she whispered against his lips.
It was like those words unleashed him. With a growl, he tangled his fingers into her hair and kissed her, his tongue pushing into her mouth within seconds. She gasped, loving the taste of him, the feeling of his tongue against her own.
That hand on her waist moved upward to cup her breast.
“Say it again,” he commanded. “Tell me how much you want me.”
“More than anything.”
He smiled a smile that she imagined would be called predatory—like the wildcat she’d compared him to when she’d first met him.
He kissed her harder before kissing down her throat. When he reached her sternum, he made quick work of pushing off her bra straps to reveal her breasts. Her nipples strained toward him, and when he enclosed one nipple in his mouth, she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
With his tongue and his teeth and his lips, he paid homage to one breast and then the other, just like he had all those nights ago. Except in this instance, Rose knew this was only the beginning of their night together.
“I love your breasts. God, you’re beautiful.”
Rose laughed breathily. “Do you just love my breasts?”
She’d meant it jokingly, but his expression turned serious for a quick second. But whatever had descended into his mind was quickly pushed aside, and Rose found herself toppled onto the couch and underneath Seth.
He stripped out of his shirt as she took off her bra, needing to feel him skin to skin. The hardness of his chest against her sensitive breasts made her moan and writhe. It didn’t help that his fingers were skimming the soft skin of her pelvis below her shorts and panties.
His cock—like an iron bar—pressed against her belly as he danced his fingers across her sex. She closed her eyes and gave into the pleasure of his touch.
It was strange: she’d thought having a man as big and strong as Seth on top of her, dominating her, would’ve made her panic, yet she only felt safe in his arms. A lump formed in her throat, and as he touched her with such tenderness, she felt perilously close to tears.
Seth played with her, fondling her sex, his strokes light as a moth’s wings, and she felt her core tighten. He avoided her swollen clit, though, and when he pressed a finger inside of her, she cried out.
“Touch me—no, higher. Higher. Seth.”
“I know, baby, but I don’t want you to come without me.” He stroked her sex one last time before pulling her shorts and panties all the way off.
He moved up her body and kissed her before saying, “I’ll be right back.”
She blinked, dazed from the onslaught of pleasure. When Seth returned, he flashed a foil pack in his hand. “Probably don’t want to forget this,” he said. “Put it on me?”
It took her a moment to tear the packet open—her body was shaking, and her brain was mush—but after a few tries and some assistance from Seth, they got the condom on. Rose stroked his cock the way she’d learned he liked, shooting him an impish grin.
“Do you want this to be over before it’s even begun?” He kissed her hard, probably just to distract her so he could get her under him.
Rose had no complaints there.
Yet with his weight over her, the smell and taste of him enveloping her senses, she started shaking for an entirely different reason. She fought against the panic, but it was like clawing through a fog: she couldn’t hang onto it to push it away. She gasped for breath when he touched her knee; she felt dizzy, disoriented.
“Wait, wait,” she burst out. “Just give me a minute.”
Seth stilled. He didn’t ask questions, for which she was infinitely grateful, but instead sat next to her, not touching. She sat up, but she had to put her head between her knees. God, this was embarrassing! Was she going to faint before having sex with the man she loved?
She groaned for another reason: she loved him. She loved him. She wanted him, too, and her body still thrummed with desire, yet her mind fought that desire, tooth and nail. Why couldn’t she get her body and her mind to align for once?