Page 29 of The Grand Duel
“I was a lot more confident when I said it than I am now you’re questioning me.”
My mouth twitches at that. And the fact he has the balls to be so honest.
“No kissing,” he adds after a beat, but it sounds like he’s zoned out, and I’ve lost him a little, even though my body burns as if it’s being pinned by his gaze. “You cannot kiss me.”
I bite back my smile and let it tease him as I slip my hand into his jacket, smoothing over the soft fabric and hard muscle beneath. His heart thuds like a racehorse. “Because we’re saving those for the wife?”
He sniggers, chest expanding under my touch. “Fuck.” What I can only guess is his thumb settles on my bottom lip and drags down. “No, darling, I’m not. It’s just that I can find far moresatisfying uses for our mouths tonight. Would you like me to show you?”
I shake my head, feeling a little bit of me snap back into place. “No…” I bite down on my bottom lip, chasing his touch with a pull of my teeth before releasing it. “I want you to strip for me.”
SEVEN
Lissie
I’m being ballsy, but it’s the only way to make this work for me. The only way I’ll be able to peel the white lacy underwear off and let this stranger touch me. The nerves are warranted given the circumstances, but it’s not me. I believe you can either be the butterflies or the sanctuary. You can be free to fly, explore and live your life, or you can let the flutters inside of you consume you until you become the very thing that cages them.
The best experiences in life always come after that fluttering feeling in my stomach.
I feel him move between us and try to imagine exactly what’s happening beyond my blindfold.
I fixate on it.
I picture strong hands working on each button of a white shirt, exposing more and more inches of a wide chest. Strong. I imagine him to be strong. Jaw sharp with a long straight nose, perfect for teasing my neck and chest the way I love. He’s tall. Dark hair. Handsome as hell.
Iona was right. If the anticipation over being in this room, knowing what I was about to do wasn’t enough, being able to make him whatever I need him to be beyond my blindfold right now is.
I rub my thighs together discreetly, still listening to the rustling of clothes. The ache that ripples throughout my pelvis has a soft sigh parting my lips.
And then he sighs. Although it’s not quite the same as mine. It’s needy. More. A plea wrapped in desire desperate for an escape it doesn’t find as it parts his lips.
“I don’t feel quite so nervous anymore,” I tell him honestly.
“No,” he says softly, too softly, the heat of his naked body brushing up against mine. “You feel dangerous.”
I reach behind me and undo the clasp on my bra. I let it fall to the ground between us. “Charlie?”
“Hmm,” he murmurs back, and I know his eyes are fixed on me.
I lift my chin up, as if he’s tall and towers over me. “I haven’t been touched in so long.”
He lets out another sound, and it fuels me. Because it’s not just me alone in my arousal; he feels it, too.
Large hands settle on my waist, and I shiver, goose bumps pebbling under his fingertips. I keep my head angled back, hoping he’ll get the idea to lower his head to my neck.
“I like how your hands feel on me.”
A growly sound rattles from his chest.
He lowers his head, his lips pressing into the hollow in my throat. I can feel the fabric of his trousers against my abdomen, which, one: tells me he is tall, and two: “You’re not naked.”
His lips drag lower, his nose trailing. “I got distracted.”
God, that feels good. I reach between us and fumble for the front of his trousers, finding the belt and top button open, as ifhe really was midway through when he got distracted. I drag the zipper down, the resistance behind it making my insides clench.
My hand brushes his erection, and he hisses.
He’s so hard.