He caressed my face and smoothed my sweaty hair off my forehead as he looked at me with concern. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
I turned my head and placed my lips against the palm of his hand. “I’m perfect. You didn’t hurt me at all. That was…” I broke off with a sigh. “I can’t describe it.”
He didn’t say anything as he pressed his lips against my forehead before sliding out of me. Then, I watched as he climbed off the bed and walked toward the bathroom. It was only when he flipped on the light switch that I noticed his entire back, legs, and even his ass were covered in ink. I had never been into tattoos before, and had it been anyone else I probably wouldn’t have paid it any attention. But on Stellan? It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.
He disappeared from my sight, and then I heard the water turn on. A few moments later he reappeared with a wash rag, and I held out my hand to take it from him.
“Let me,” he said softly before rubbing the cloth over me to clean off my skin.
“Thank you,” I murmured when he was finished.
“Of course.”
I wasn’t sure what to do next, and my eyes darted around the room awkwardly as if searching for inspiration.
“I should probably go,” I finally said stupidly, “and get out of your hair.”
“Or…”
“Or?” I asked as hope filled me.
He gave a half-shrug. “You could stay.”
“Do you want me to stay?”
“I don’t want you to leave, unless you really want to.”
I didn’t want to leave, either. “I’d like to say.”
I stood so Stellan could strip the soiled comforter from the bed, and then we crawled under the sheets. To an outsider, me staying the night was probably too soon. But as he pulled me into his arms, it felt just right. And when he pressed his lips against the back of my neck as I started to drift off, my eyes popped open as a thought hit me. I pulled away a bit so I could turn to face him and then met his questioning gaze.
“What was it that you used on me when I was blindfolded?”
Stellan closed his eyes as he laughed, then he unwrapped his arms from around me so he could reach down beside the bed. When I got a good look at the item he was holding up, my own hysterical laughter matched his.
“Thanks. I’m forever ruined, and I’ll never be able to look at that the same ever again.”
“Well, now every time he plays, you’ll be reminded of how it felt against your skin,” he murmured before running the brush drumstick along my arm.
Goosebumps popped up along my skin as Stellan tossed the drumstick onto the floor before claiming my mouth once more. Stellan was worried about hurting me, so we didn’t go for round two. But that was okay, it wasn’t needed, and I was perfectly content with a heavy make-out session before falling asleep in each other’s arms. This had been the most unbelievable night of my life. If not for the ache in my ass and muscles that I hadn’t used in so long, I’d fear this was a dream that I never wanted to wake up from.
23
Foster
Blinking my eyes open, it took a few minutes to get my bearings and remind myself why I wasn’t in my bedroom. The blank walls, king-sized bed with the firm mattress and softest pillow I’d ever rested my head upon weren’t mine. The large dresser that looked to be made from the finest oak definitely wasn’t mine, and the leather jacket tossed haphazardly on the bench against the far wall probably cost more than I made in a month.
Then, as I stretched my arms over my head, I noticed two things. First, I was stark naked under the sheet that covered my lower half. Second, I had aches in places I never had before—mainly in my behind. And that’s when the memories of the night before came flooding back, and I smiled as I finally allowed myself to believe it hadn’t been a dream.
Stellan had treated my body as if it were made to be worshipped…but only by him. And worship it he did. He brought me to the edge only to pull back, before finally allowing me to tumble over into an abyss of pure pleasure. I’d never felt an orgasm pulse through my body the way the one last night did, and my toes curled at the memory.
Belatedly, I noticed his side of the bed was empty. When I reached out to touch the sheet, it was still warm. He must’ve snuck out of the room before I woke, and I tried to hold back the panic that threatened to consume my mind. I needed to take a deep breath and think about this logically rather than instantly go to the worst-case scenario.
For starters, I was in his house. Rather than leave, Stellan would have told me to get out. Secondly, the bed was still warm, which meant he had slept with me all night. He probably got up to use the bathroom or get ready for work.
Fuck. He probably needed to get to work, and I was lazing around like an inconsiderate houseguest, rather than getting out of bed so I could leave him be. With a flurry of activity, I flung the sheet back and jackknifed off the bed in search of my clothes. They weren’t in the pile on the floor where I’d left them, and after a quick glance around the room, I found them folded up neatly on an old trunk he’d positioned under the window.
My heart melted at the thoughtfulness behind his gesture, and after dressing, I made my way out of the room. I was halfway down the hall when the scent of coffee drifted toward me. I followed the intoxicating scent farther down the hallway and came to a pause in the doorway leading to the kitchen at the sight before me.
Stellan was standing at the stove, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs with his hair messy and hanging loosely around his shoulders. In the light of day, I could finally see the ink on his back, and my eyes grazed over the intricate design. Leaning against the doorframe, I tracked his movements as he started adding thick pieces of bacon to a pan before expertly cracking some eggs into a bowl with one hand.
He hadn’t left me at all, and clearly wasn’t in any hurry for me to go, either. And the fact he was making me breakfast had my heart swelling a bit more and the butterflies in my stomach flapping their wings even harder.
“Do you like cheese in your eggs?” he startled me by asking.
“How long did you know I was standing here?” I asked, rather than answering him.
“I knew the instant you were in the doorway.”
“How? You didn’t look at me.”
“I didn’t have to. I’m always aware of you when you’re in the room.”
“Oh.”
He turned and looked at me over his shoulder. “Yeah. Oh. Cheese?”
I shoved off the doorframe and walked toward him. “I love cheese. But should you really be frying bacon without a shirt?” I asked him.
Stellan shrugged and winked at me. “Worried about me, are you?”
“Or maybe just your tattoos. I kind of like them.”
He checked the bacon, then added a generous amount of shredded cheese to the egg mixture before turning to face me. “Which one is your favorite?”
I took my time letting my eyes roam over his stomach and chest. God, he was as gorgeous as his ink, and I wanted to kiss each and every tattoo. “It’s hard to choose just one. Each one is beautiful and unique.”
Stellan’s eyes flared before leaning over to put his lips on mine. As much as I wanted him to deepen it, or even bend me over the kitchen counter and take me right there, the popping bacon was a reminder that it couldn’t happen.