Page 22 of Strawberry Cake

“No. It’s okay if I don’t have to walk.”

“Well, then I’ll just have you sit on my lap when you wear it.”

Before she could suck on that bottom lip again, he shoved his thumb inside Hope’s mouth. Her lips curled around him in a cheeky grin, her teeth scraping the skin. He let out a long breath, his fingers now digging into her ass. “I’d like that very much,” she breathed.

The last word had barely left her mouth when their lips met once more. She ground her core against him, his cock testing the limits of his jeans. His body and mind were burning up, remembering what it felt like to be touched again. “Will you stay?” he asked, his tone far more hopeful than he was typically comfortable showing.

“Only if you let me borrow your clothes,” she giggled.

“They’re all yours.”

One more sweet kiss, and Hope pushed off him. “I might find a new favourite sweater.”

He indicated the direction of his bedroom. “Go for it.”

With a beaming smile, Hope turned and walked towards the back of his apartment and even though he couldn’t see it, she was probably curiously taking in his home. And Decanliked how she looked in it.

Decan

Once Decan tidied the kitchen and turned off the lights, he followed Hope to his bedroom. Noting the light behind the bathroom door, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it in the laundry basket. In the closet, he opted for grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He set the clothes in his lap, meeting Hope in the bedroom.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I stole a hair tie.”

The words took a moment to register. He was too busy taking in her gorgeous figure wearing his clothes. They hugged her body like a glove, from the sweatpants to the old t-shirt. And if he wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t wearing a bra. “Um, that’s… fine,” he stammered.

Hope stepped aside, letting Decan disappear into the bathroom before he could make even more of a fool out of himself. Maybe it was too soon for her to stay over… but it was too late to back out now. Suddenly, he felt so desperate but at the same time, undeserving.

He sighed and splashed cold water on his face, trying to take Marco’s words to heart and not be so pessimistic. He changed and tied his hair back, then returned to the bedroom.

Hope sat at the foot end of the bed, scrolling through her phone. When she heard him, she looked up and smiled. “I wasn’t sure which side you sleep on.”

“I prefer the left.”

She finished her text, then walked around to the right side of the bed. “Fair warning: I’m a blanket hog.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to rely on your body heat to stay warm.” He transferred himself onto the bed, feeling odd about someone watching him. It wasn’t the sexiest move, after all. But Hope didn’t react. She already sat on the bed, her back against the headboard. Decan made himself comfortable and lifted the covers. “Come here, little thief.”

Hope curled up next to him, laying her head on his shoulder and pushing beneath his shirt to draw those hypnotising shapes around his belly button. “Can I ask you something?”

He let his head sink into the pillow and closed his eyes. “Of course.”

“Are you in pain? I mean… Do your legs hurt?”

“Is that why you didn’t add your weight to my legs earlier? Because you were afraid to hurt me?”

“You noticed that, huh?”

“Yeah, I noticed,” he chuckled, reaching up to turn off the lights. Then he hooked a hand behind Hope’s thigh and pulled it over his leg, wrapping her gorgeous figure around him. “It’s more like feeling everything through really thick clothes. The sensation is dampened and often it feels like my legs fell asleep.”

Her hand moved further south, teasing over his hip bone to his other leg. His heart pounded so violently against his ribcage it felt as if it were going to burst. “Where does it start?”

He laid his hand over hers and guided it down to the spot where the sensation changed. “Somewhere on my upper thigh. It’s odd, like a smooth transition.”

“Do the questions bother you?”

“Not at all. I mean, I don’t talk much about it. Most people I have in my life already know and others never have the courage to ask.”

“I apologise if I say things that come across rude or awkward,” she admitted. “Like earlier.”