As I studied his bare torso, I couldn't stop my hands from touching his skin. He was still leanly muscled, as he had been in high school, but his shoulders and upper body were a bit broader, as though he had grown into himself.
He shivered when my fingertips brushed over his nipples and took my hands in his.
"I think it's my turn."
My throat turned dry when I saw the expression on his face. He looked as hungry as I felt.
He put my hands on his waist, pressing them in slightly. I understood the request even though he didn't voice it. He wanted me to keep my hands there.
My fingers flexed against his flesh when he lifted his hands to my shoulders. I'd always loved his hands. They were long-fingered and wide-palmed and handled a basketball with dexterity and skill.
Even with his palms cupping the top of my shoulders, his thumbs brushed the space between my collarbones. He traced the line of each one, skimming over the halter straps of my dress.
It was my turn to shiver.
I looked up at him, eager and impatient for what came next.
He seemed to read my mind because he smirked and smoothed his hands up and over my shoulders to the back of my neck. J.J. laughed a little as he fought with the knot that held up the straps of the dress.
"You weren't taking any chances, were you?" he asked.
I had to laugh as well and shook my head. "You knew my brothers growing up. All the pranks they pulled on me made me beyond cautious."
After a couple more seconds, J.J. shook his head. "You're going to have to turn around."
Now, we were both laughing, breathless and quiet. I didn't know why we were whispering but it seemed to suit the dream-like quality of the moment.
I turned and made sure my back faced the bare window so the moonlight illuminated the knot. Able to see the tightly wound fabric, J.J. made quick work of the fastening and the straps fluttered down to my sides.
I shuddered as the tips of his fingers traced from my hairline, over the back of my neck, and down my spine to the zipper of the dress.
The metal teeth hissed as he lowered the tab and the dress fell to my hips, revealing the strapless bra I wore beneath.
His hand continued its downward path and he pushed the garment over the curve of my hips. The dress hit the floor next to his shirt, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.
This was the moment my nerves came back with a vengeance.
Sure, I'd worn bathing suits that covered little more than my underwear. Several times in front of J.J. himself.
But this was different.
This was before. Before he would strip me bare. Before he would put his mouth and hands on my body. Before he would be inside me.
I wanted all those things. I wanted them badly.
But I was frozen inside, unsure and out of my depth.
Somehow, J.J. sensed my hesitation and turned me to face him again. "Hey, why do you look scared?"
I swallowed hard. "I'm not scared, exactly. Just...a little nervous." My eyes flicked up to his. "Been a while, remember?"
Like twenty-five years to never.
"We can stop now or—"
I shook my head. "No, I don't want to stop. I just—" I inhaled and confessed. "I don't know what you like, how you like to be touched."
His face was arresting. He stared down at me as though he'd never seen me before.
"Are you worried I won't like something you do?" he asked, his hands coming to my waist to pull me closer.
I nodded.
"Would it make you feel better to know that I'm worried about the same thing?"
I leaned into him then, gasping when my skin met his. As overheated as I felt, his flesh was hotter, firmer. "You are? Why? I've liked everything so far."
Again, my face was so close to the pulse in his throat that I couldn't resist putting my mouth against it.
J.J. chuckled. "Then, you can assume I feel the same. How about we make a deal? If either of us does something that doesn't feel good, then we redirect. Show me where you want me to go. Where you want me to touch you. And I'll do the same."
"Okay," I whispered against his skin.
My nerves settled and I focused on the way he felt against me, the scent and heat of his skin.
I wanted to remember this moment, this night, for the rest of my life.
Since he'd essentially given me free rein, I traced the line of his belt from the sides of his waist to the buckle. My fingers weren't trembling as much when I slipped the leather free and opened the belt.
J.J. seemed to take that as his invitation to touch me as well. His hands cupped my breasts over my bra and I gasped as he ran his thumbs over my nipples.
This time, my fingers fumbled as I unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper, but I had an excuse. The way he gently kneaded my breasts was incredibly distracting...and arousing.
I hesitated once his pants were undone. I wanted to reach inside and find that intriguing hard length but I was still somewhat shy.
J.J. took that moment to slide his hands around my back and unhook my bra. It fell from my body and landed on top of the growing pile of clothes.
This time, when his hands returned to my breasts, his palms met my bare skin. I shivered violently at the intense sensation.
Dear God, I wasn't sure I could stand it.
"Redirect?" he asked.
My brain couldn't process his question at first, but when his hands stopped moving, I released my death grip on the waistband of his pants and put my palms over his.
"Don't stop," I whispered.
His thumbs moved over my bare nipples and I shivered again, but this time, he smiled.
Feeling bolder, I reached out and shoved his pants down his thighs.
I wasn't sure how it happened, but we managed to get tangled up in his pants when we worked together to remove them. We teetered next to the bed for a moment before crashing down onto the mattress in a mass of limbs and suit pants. J.J. landed on top of me and I released a laughing yelp as we collided.
I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw a flush creep along his cheeks.
"Um," his voice cracked and he stopped to clear his throat. "I did mention it's been a while, right?"
I laughed again and pulled his head down toward mine.
I had a lot of expectations when it came to this moment, but laughter hadn't been one of them.
When our mouths met, when his weight lowered fully onto my body, I wondered if this was what laughter tasted like. The embarrassment had faded completely when J.J. raised his head again and set to work untying the knot of his pants and our legs.
After a few moments of wrestling and muttered swear words, we were both free and wearing only our underwear. Well, I was.
J.J. had taken the time to remove his when he stripped off his cursed pants and his socks.
I wanted to stare at him, to study his body, but he knelt over me and tugged my underwear from my body.
When he stretched back over me, we were both naked. His skin slid along mine, hot and smooth, but covered with a fine dusting of hair on his chest and thighs, and I wasn't sure I could handle the sensations. I'd never been skin-to-skin with a man like this before and it was amazing. Fantastic. Bliss.
I briefly wondered if it was possible for the human brain to explode from an overload of pleasure, but my thoughts were aborted when J.J. lowered his mouth to my breasts.
His lips closed around one of my nipples and he sucked. A strangled sound escaped my throat and I arched into him, gripping his hips with my thighs as hard as I could.