Next, she crossed her right foot over her left and pivoted, turning on the balls of her feet. When she was facing him again, she saw physical evidence—tent in his sweats—that he was, in fact, enjoying the show.
She alternated rolling her right and her left shoulders back then ran two fingers up her satin gloves before sliding first the left one off and then the right. She swung them around over her head before tossing them in his direction.
He reached out and grabbed one, smiling from ear to ear.
She walked towards him in time to the melody, her sure strides continuing past him and around his chair. Running her fingers along the line of his shoulder and then across his back, she finally stopped beside him and put her heeled foot up on his knee. Leaning down, she placed her hands on either side of her ankle and slowly ran her hands up her calves, over her knee, and down her thigh.
The sensation of touching herself, even just on the leg, while Eric’s eyes followed her movements intently… Wow! It was a serious turn-on. She liked having his undivided attention.
Removing her foot and moving to stand between his legs so her back was facing him, she set her hands on his knees and dipped down. Then, chest first, her body rolled up. She heard a deep moan of appreciation as he reached out, touching her backside.
“No, no, no.” She turned and glanced over her shoulder, wagging her finger back and forth. “No touching.”
His head fell back in mock frustration. “You’re killing me.”
“But what a fun way to go,” she said with a wink.
His deep, guttural groan sent a pulsating wave of tingles cresting through her. She loved the fact that he didn’t even have to be touching her to give her body pleasure. He could do it with a sound, a look, a word.
With arousal coursing through her, she decided that practice time was over. Turning to face him, she started unhooking her bustier. His eyes narrowed as he watched her hands unfasten each and every hook, starting from the bottom so by the time she got to the top her stomach and cleavage were peeking out between the separated fabrics.
As she unclasped the last hook, the garment popped open like it was spring-loaded, and her breasts burst free. He exhaled a harsh rush of breath at the sight.
Lily loved the way he looked at her body. Other men she’d been with had seemed plenty turned-on by her curves, but the way Eric looked at her, she felt like she was his ultimate fantasy come to life. It was an amazing feeling.
Placing her petite hands on his large thighs for balance, Lily dipped down. But instead of rolling back up, she continued until she was on her knees in front of him. Then, moving her hands beneath his shirt, she splayed her hands over the steely contours of his rippling abs.
He sucked in a breath as she ran her fingers up his muscular chest, grazing her nails against his skin along the way. She began removing his shirt and he helped by lifting his arms.
She sat back for a moment on her heels, her hands resting on his legs, which were still clad in sweats. She let her eyes take in his strong and powerful chest and then let them wander down to his narrow waist and long, muscular thighs.
Deciding that he still had on way too many clothes, she said, “Stand up.”
His eyebrow rose at her command. She normally didn’t give commands in the bedroom—he did. And she more than enjoyed it. But they weren’t in the bedroom right now, and this was her show.
Taking his time, he slowly stood as she remained kneeling before him, bringing her face level with his shaft, which was currently straining out of his sweats. Licking her lips, she moved her hands to his waistband and pulled them down and off, freeing his swollen flesh.
Her mouth watered as she stared at his full, throbbing erection. Wasting no time, she placed her lips around his member and then took him as deep and far as she could before pulling back. The velvety smooth skin of his rock-hard manhood sliding in and out of the wet suction of her mouth caused an aching pull of need in her core.
She loved pleasuring him like this, loved the feeling of him getting larger and larger inside her mouth as his arousal skyrocketed. Gripping the back of his thighs, she began moving at a speed she knew drove him crazy.
“Lily,” he said in a warning tone.
She didn’t heed his warning. She continued sucking him as he slid in and out of her mouth. His hamstring muscles tensed beneath her fingers as she clutched him for support. The larger he got, the deeper the pulse was in the apex between her legs, causing her to start making small, shuddering groans.
“I want to be inside of you,” he said through clenched teeth as he scooped her up from her position on the floor and carried her quickly into the bedroom.
Her heart raced with anticipation as she held on to him, loving the feeling of being carried in his arms. Stepping into her room, he shut the door behind them, making sure Shadow wouldn’t make an appearance. He stalked over to the bed, tossing her onto it.
She gasped at the thrill of being so easily moved. Everything Eric did seemed effortless and easy. He was so strong and capable, and she never felt nervous when he was around. She just had a feeling deep in her soul that he would take care of her. Protect her. She loved that feeling, and she was starting to think that she loved him, too.
After grabbing a condom from a box he now kept in her dresser drawer, he took care of protecting himself and quickly removed her booty shorts. Moving above her, he hooked his elbows under her knees, causing her pelvis to tilt up, positioning the engorged tip of his shaft at her tight, wet femininity.
The muscles on jaw his clenched as he pushed into her. Watching where their bodies joined intimately as he buried himself deep inside of her, Lily felt him not only penetrating her body but also her heart and her soul.
---~---
Eric shuddered as he plunged into Lily. He couldn't believe how hard watching her dance had made him. He wondered if he had ever been this hard in his life.
God, there was just something about the way she moved, the sensuousness of the sway of her body, as if water were flowing through her at the same time that she was on fire. He couldn't quite put words to the magic 'something' she possessed when the music started to move her body, but, damn… His body certainly recognized it.
He thought it might have something to do with the intoxicating mix of vulnerability and power she displayed when she danced. Every movement was a delicate balance between the two, and when Eric watched her, he was torn between the desire to use his strength to shield her from the world and the temptation to give in to his weakness and just fall under the power of her spell.
Now, touching her, kissing her, driving himself into her, he was as just as helplessly torn between those two impulses as he had been when he watched her dance.
He opened his eyes wide, watching the expressions of ecstasy that flew across her face in quick succession as he pounded into her, ever faster and deeper. He loved to watch her face as he drove into her again and again, to see the pleasure so nakedly displayed there and know that he was the one causing it. God, it was almost as intoxicating as the pleasure that he himself was feeling.
Eric slowed the pace of his thrusts. He could feel that he was building to a climax—and carrying Lily along with him—and he didn't want that to happen too quickly. He wanted to savor their coupling, make it last just a bit longer. He needed to learn to pace himself with her. He could tell that their intoxicating chemistry was going to make him feel the need to rush, rush, rush every time the two of them came together, and he couldn't give in to that. He needed to control himself, to last, to give her the pleasure out of the experience that she deserved.
However, to Eric's surprise, as soon as he slowed his pace, Lily's hands flew down his body and cupped his ass desperately, urging him back to the path they had been rushing headlong down in a mad dash toward frantic, chaotic climaxes.
He smiled. No. It didn't matter if she was as consumed by their incendiary chemistry as he was. He still wasn't going to give in. In fact, maybe this could be fun.
Raising up slightly so that his weight rested firmly on his knees, Eric slid his hands up Lily's body, breaking the hold her hands had on him and pushing her arms up over her head. His hands did not halt in their persistent upward path until he had pinned her wrists high above her head, where he held them firmly, smiling mischievously into her eyes.
Breathlessly, she whimpered and pressed her hips forward, encouraging him to pick up his speed and intensity. Much as she had done when he had put his hands on her derriere during the dance, he shook his head, teasing her, drawing out the pleasure.
The movements of her hips became ever more frantic, and a cry escaped from her throat, one that was equal parts frustration and pure pleasure.
Eric leaned down until his lips were barely brushing Lily's ear and her skin was quivering with the sensation of his hot breath on her neck.
“Lily…” he said raggedly.
She didn't respond. She kept moving her body with his in the entrancing rhythm of their lovemaking. He realized that she must think he was merely groaning her name in ecstasy, not that he was attempting to get her attention.
“Lily,” he repeated with a more forceful tone in his voice.
This time, she whipped her head around immediately to look into his eyes, and he saw the spark of arousal in them as she did so. He smiled. She liked it when he took charge. She liked it on an animalistic, visceral level. And hell, he liked that.
“Lily, do you trust me?” he asked in a whisper, his voice rough with passion.
She nodded vigorously, without hesitation.
He buried himself in her, up to the hilt, and then stopped moving. She whimpered in frustration and began pumping her hips against him.
He stilled her with a kiss.
“Do you trust me?” he repeated.
Somewhat more reluctantly this time, perhaps realizing that this answer was going to somehow lead to a scenario where their climaxes were put off for a few more aching moments, she did eventually breathlessly sigh, “Yes.”
Eric smiled with satisfaction. “Good.”
With that, he began to pump into her again with even more fervor than he had originally displayed. He had proved to himself that he was capable of controlling his urges, so why prolong the point? Just because he was able to do it didn't make it a good idea.
Lily cried out, obviously taken by surprise with his sudden change of tactic, and her hands flew out from under his grasp, clasping his back, digging her fingernails into his flesh as he pounded into her, hard, again and again.
“Oh, God...oh, yes... Oh, please yes...” she murmured desperately, although whether she was aiming her pleas at him or simply the Universe in general, he did not know. He doubted she did either. She was simply caught up in the ramblings of ecstasy.
They rushed on toward orgasm, their bodies rocking together faster, harder, and more intensely with each passing second.
Before he knew it, Eric felt her inner walls tightening around him, and the sensation sent him over the edge as well. Just the knowledge that his body was giving her the ultimate pleasure was enough to send him spiraling into oblivion. As he exploded into her, his mind was lost in images of Lily— of Lily smiling, of Lily dancing, of Lily lying below him as he pleasured her.
God. Eric had never felt this kind of intense focus on someone else while he was making love before. While he was of course aware of his own pleasure and how much he was enjoying the experience, that was secondary to the knowledge that he was sharing this with Lily, that he was giving her pleasure, that they were joining together in this act.
As he came down from the powerful climax that was still cresting through him, with these thoughts bouncing around in his lust-addled brain, he was struck by a powerful conclusion: it was because he loved her.
This was what it was like to make love to someone when you loved them.
He could only hope she felt even a small fraction of what he did when they touched, or when their eyes met, or when they smiled at each other…or when they made love.
If she did, then maybe—just maybe—they had a chance.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“All right, ladies…” Lily raised her voice to try and be heard over the chatter. She couldn’t believe the turnout for the Burlesque class. There had to be over twenty women here, including some faces she never would have expected to see. Of course Amanda, Karina, Sam, Lauren, Nikki, and Amy had come. But also Karina’s grandmother Renata was in attendance as well as Sue Ann from the café. And the one that had really taken her by surprise was Mrs. Maguire, Eric’s mother.
Lily was trying not to think about the fact that she’d practiced this routine for the woman’s son. All day she’d been having a hard enough time dealing with the fact that she’d known his sisters would be here. His mom, though? Now that was a whole new level of awkwardness.
But Lily was a professional and she had a job to do. So she put those thoughts out of her mind. Plus, there was no way that any of his relatives would know that she’d danced for him. Or what had happened after she’d danced for him.
After everyone quieted down, mostly because of Renata’s shushing, Lily began. “The art of Burlesque is the tease. It’s all about seduction and fun. So don’t take it too seriously. A well-placed smile, wink, flirt, and even a little gasp adds to the dance. I’m glad to see that you all came wearing shoes with at least a little heel on them. That extra lift makes a difference in our posture.
“Okay. First, before we get our props, I want us all to practice our strut. Before any routine begins, you need to walk around and own the space, even stop briefly for a sexy pose. So, everyone, let’s all step to the back wall and walk towards the mirror.”
All the ladies shuffled to the back and stood, waiting for the next instruction. Lily walked to her iPod dock and pressed play. The room was filled with the sound of Beyonce’s cover of the song “Fever.” Lily began snapping her fingers along with the track.
“Okay, so it’s important when we strut to make eye contact and feel the beat. Does everyone have the beat?” Lily asked the class.
They all demonstrated their snaps.
“Good.” Lily was happy everyone was listening. This was a lot more like what she was used to in a class setting. “Now let’s walk.”
Lily began strutting towards the mirror and the rest of the class followed.
She stepped to the side to observe and called out helpful suggestions when she saw that someone was struggling. Never pointing them out individually, she just mentioned them to the class in general.
“Remember, your movements can be exaggerated.”
“Don’t be afraid of a little hip sway.”
“You can cross your foot in front of the other one like you’re walking on a tight rope.”
“Your hands don’t need to stay by their sides. You can move them up your body. It’s your body. Own it.”
When the song ended, she put it on replay and had the ladies all repeat the exercise. By the last half of the song the second time around, they were all getting looser, starting to relax.
“All right, great job, ladies. Now for our props.” Lily pulled out her box-of-fun, filled with lots of gloves and boas. There were also several costume bustiers and garters. The women’s faces all lit up as they were picking through, grabbing their chosen props. Lily got a little sentimental remembering her students in Sacramento.
She’d left so suddenly that she really hadn’t been able to say goodbye to any of them. Some of them she’d seen several times a week for the last two years. Even though she’d kept her life private, they’d shared a lot about themselves with her.
One of her students, Molly, had lost one hundred and three pounds taking her Zumba classes five days a week. Another student, Martina, had been diagnosed with cancer and said that Lily’s classes we’re the only thing that kept her going during her treatment. Last month, Martina had been cancer-free for exactly one year.
Lily realized that, although her studen
ts may not have really known her, she knew them and she missed them. Maybe after she got off tour she would head back and visit her former students. Not to stay but just to see how they were doing.
The thought scared her a little bit. It must have been because she’d never returned to a place she’d lived before. It was always leave and never look back. But things were different now. She could go back.
Shaking her head from her melancholy thoughts, she instructed everyone to get chairs. There were oohs and ahhs of excitement as the ladies shuffled around and selected their chairs then pushed them to their chosen spots on the floor.
“All right. Now all of your props, whether it be an article of clothing or an object like a chair, are just extensions of you. Extensions of the dance. For example, when we sit on, walk around, or hold the chair, we do it with a little sass.” Lily placed her palm down on the back of the chair then fanned out her fingers, closing them slowly, one at a time, wrapping them around the wooden frame.
There were sounds of understanding and acknowledgment as everyone nodded and practiced what she’d just shown them.
“Now before I teach you ladies any routine, I want you all to get used to some of the movements we’ll be using, so I am going to demonstrate several. Then I’ll put on a little music and want you to do what feels natural while incorporating what I’ve shown you.
“The first move is the shimmy. So we’re going to alternate moving our shoulders back and forth. Start slow, get the feel, and then you can speed up. Also, there are several positions you can have your hands in while shimmying. Either extended for a more showstopper feel, like this, or in your lap or behind your back for a little coy type of a vibe.” She demonstrated for her class.
Snow Angel (The Hope Falls Chronicles) Page 20