Make Me Fall

by Sara Rider

  She needed to back out before he opened his eyes.

  Too late.

  He did a double-take when he spotted her standing like a fool with her arms reached out, as though the fluffy white terrycloth was some kind of invisibility shield. He raised his eyebrows and stepped toward her. She backed up, bumping into the door. It slammed shut behind her, trapping her in the tight space.

  “That for me?”

  She nodded.

  With his eyes locked on hers, he plucked the towel from her hands and ran it along his chest, soaking up the beads of water trickling down his skin. “It’s okay to look, Nora.”

  She sucked in her breath. He dropped his hands to the side and let her take her fill of his body.

  “It’s okay to touch, too.”

  Her exhalation came out in a rush. Her body reacted like his permission was an unbreakable command. Slowly, she reached her shaky hand out and pressed her fingertips to his chest. His sharp intake of breath emboldened her. She traced those hard planes and ridges she’d admired from afar for months, reveling in the way they contracted beneath her touch.

  She bit her lip, not recognizing herself in this moment. She wasn’t wild or wanton, or the kind of woman who would dip her hand lower to the cut-lines of his hips just to see how his body would react.

  His cock hardened. She wanted to wrap her hand around him and hear him struggle for breath. And yet…

  “This is crazy. We’ve already kissed and there was no chemistry.” The lie was a feeble last-ditch attempt at defense.

  He raised his hand and tucked it against her cheek, brushing her lips with his thumb. “Maybe we just kissed each other in the wrong spot.”

  A burst of raw, wild heat exploded in her belly. “I…suppose it would be scientifically prudent to test that hypothesis.”

  He slid his hand into her hair and curled his fingers in the wet strands. He eased her head to the side and brought his lips to her neck, so gently at first, it felt like a whispered promise of what was to come. Her knees buckled and turned to warm marshmallows as he opened his mouth and pressed his hot tongue to her skin like a brand.

  He pulled back, Adam’s apple bobbing against his throat. “Results?”

  “A noticeable increase in effect. Let’s see if it’s replicable.” With a daring she didn’t recognize, she leaned forward and kissed his throat. His skin was hot and rough, with the barest hint of stubble. It had been so long since she’d felt the hard planes of a man’s chest beneath her fingers. She’d forgotten how delicious it could be. His erection pressed into her belly and a small moan escaped his lips.

  “Definitely an improvement,” he said in a raw, gruff voice.

  “Let’s try another,” she whispered against his skin. She brushed her lips down his chest and licked his small, flat nipple. His shudder sent an intoxicating thrill through her body.

  He pulled her head back with enough force to make her gasp. The fire in his eyes was almost frightening, yet there she was, ready to fuel it until they both combusted.

  “Better?”

  “Only one way to tell.” He unfastened the knot of her robe. The silk parted like water sluicing over her body, and she straightened her back, resisting the urge cover herself. Nerves prickled her skin as his gaze travelled down her naked body. “Damn, Nora. You’re beautiful. Everywhere.”

  He cupped her breast, plumping it up and brushing his thumb across her nipple, making it ache with need. She leaned into him, practically begging for more. He didn’t make her wait. He sucked her nipple into his hot, eager mouth.

  She dropped the back of her head against the door and whimpered. “Statistical significance, definitely,” she managed to grit out as he moved to her other breast. His mouth was somehow hungry yet gentle, lavishing her until she was dizzy with arousal.

  “Not good enough.” He kissed his way down her ribs, steadying himself with his hands on her waist as he went to his knees.

  Her heartbeat hammered so loudly, she could almost hear it echoing in the small room, and her breath came hard and fast, like she’d just run a marathon. He kissed her belly, then her hip bone. And then he pressed his mouth to her pussy.

  “Oh God.”

  “You’re still confused, Princess.” He flicked his tongue against her clit. “My name’s Eli.”

  He swirled her tight little bud with quick, focused swipes of the tongue until she couldn’t remember her own name. Beads of perspiration formed along her forehead but did little to cool her off. Her body was on fire. He dragged his tongue through her folds with a long, indulgent lick that made her groan with pleasure. Her brain could barely fathom that Eli—the man who’d spent the last six months annoying her to death—was the one making her writhe with desire.

  It had been so long since she’d experienced this kind of electric pleasure, she reacted like a firecracker, exploding from the tiniest spark. He sucked her clit and it sent her right over the edge. She cried out and buried her hand in his hair as her orgasm ripped through her.

  When the shudders finally slowed down enough to let her catch her breath, he rose to his feet and brushed back the strands of wet hair that had fallen into her face. His satisfied grin was both adorable and sexy, even though she was the one who’d just come on his face. “I think we proved our hypothesis. Maybe we’re a little compatible after all.”

  She shook her head. “Not yet. Reproducibility is the key to good chemistry.”

  He raised his eyebrow, and she responded by sliding down to her knees and circling her fingers around his cock. She didn’t care if she and Eli had any chemistry. Didn’t care if anything about this moment made sense. She needed this. Needed to feel desirable and in control of her sexuality for the first time since moving here.

  She twirled her tongue around the head of his cock, savoring the clean taste of his skin.

  A string of curses slipped from his mouth. She squeezed her slick thighs together and took him deep into her throat, suctioning her lips around him. He leaned forward against the door, sliding his cock deeper into her mouth, but she didn’t care. Hell, she wanted it. Wanted him to lose control just like she had. She sucked and licked and savored him until her knees hurt from resting against the hard tile beneath her, but it wasn’t enough to make her stop. Not when he was repeating her name like a prayer between rushed breaths. The words turned to desperate grunts and she could feel him thicken in her mouth.

  He tugged her hair until she popped off his cock. “Not like this. Not here.”

  She nodded. “Hang on.” She brushed past him and rummaged in her vanity for a condom from the unopened box buried behind the neatly stacked rolls of toilet paper and cleaning products. “Expiry date is still good.”

  “Thank fucking God, because I need to be inside you. Now.” He took her by the wrist and led her to the bedroom, which wasn’t hard to find in the little bungalow.

  Her room was pristine, just like always, but for the first time in her thirty-two years, that made her worry. Would he think she was weird or uptight for not having any signs of life? No creases in her perfectly laid out comforter. No clothes in a laundry hamper waiting to be washed. Gavin used to give her grief about her neat freak tendencies, always telling her it ruined the mood when the bedroom felt like a sterile hospital room.

  He paused at the bed and cupped her cheeks. “Hey, you’re thinking too hard right now. We can stop if you want.”

  “No! I’m just thinking about my laundry.”

  He winced. “Was I that bad?”

  Her eyes widened. “No! You were great. It’s just…does it bother you that my room is so clean?”

  He cupped her pussy and slid his fingers through the slickness, teasing her. “Your room is pristine now, but I intend to make a huge mess of it. And you. And after that, we can clean it all up. Army corners and all. Sound good?”

  Her throat was too full of whimpers to answer, so she nodded. He delved his finger inside her and the air rushed out of her lungs. She braced herself on his shoul
ders while her knees turned to jelly. The way he watched her lose all her composure shouldn’t have turned her on so much, but she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to give him every moan, every shudder, every reaction he was seeking.

  Before she knew it, he had her on the bed and was rolling the condom down his cock. “Ready?”

  She scooted back and parted her legs, inviting him in. He entered her slowly, letting her adjust to the feel of his hard length inside her. God, this felt so good. It had been so long since she’d had this kind of intimacy and connection. She clung to his shoulders as his mouth found hers, kissing her with the kind of urgency she’d never experienced before. The kind where she could lose herself in him forever.

  “What do you need, Princess?” he whispered against her lips. She nudged her knee upwards, and he responded with a delicious grin. “As you wish.”

  He flipped her legs over his shoulders, letting his cock surge deep inside her to the spot that always made her scream. She pressed her palms against the headboard, bracing herself to feel the full impact of his thrusts. He moved faster, harder, filling her with even more aching need. It was raw and primal and exactly what she’d needed to lose herself in him. And just when the onslaught of sensations became too much to bear, a powerful orgasm crashed over her, tightening every limb of her body before giving her the sweetest relief.

  He lowered himself against her, pressing her into the mattress with his delicious weight until her hamstrings stretched, and quickened his pace. He came soon after, like he’d been holding back until he’d assured her pleasure first. He let her legs fall off his shoulders when it was over and brushed back her now messy strands of hair, looking down at her with a warm, satisfied smile.

  And then he kissed her—so tenderly and slow, it made her whole body shiver. His hands and tongue had explored almost every inch of her body, but somehow this kiss felt even more intimate and sensual.

  It was over too soon. “That was incredible,” he mumbled into her hair.

  She hummed her agreement, still blissed out from the moment and trailing her fingers down his spine. She could have lain here forever like this.

  He rolled off her and climbed out of bed. “I need to clean myself up.”

  She nodded and shamelessly watched him as he walked naked back to the bathroom. Eli was just as gorgeous from the backside as he was from the front. But he was also funny, smart, and heck of a lot kinder than she’d assumed.

  Don’t get carried away, Nora. He’s not for you. Incredible sex was one thing, but that didn’t change the fact they were completely wrong for each other in every other way. He was too relaxed, too easygoing for someone like her. They had the kind of differences that would drive each other crazy in the long run. She’d seen it with her parents. She’d grown up with that type of tension and resentment and watched how it could destroy two people who were supposed to be in love.

  She grabbed her robe off the ground and scurried off to the bathroom to pee as soon as he was done, and when she came back to the room, a part of her was surprised to see he hadn’t left. He’d crawled under the covers, leaving them halfway pulled back for her. She hesitated at the door.

  “Is this okay? I’ve had a really shitty day until now and I’d rather not sleep alone tonight.”

  She’d never heard him sound so unsure. So vulnerable.

  “Of course,” she lied. “But that’s my side of the bed.”

  He rolled over and she climbed in beside him. He tucked her into his chest, curling his arm around her body.

  She hated being touched when she slept. Didn’t like cuddling either. And yet, something so wrong had never felt so right.

  6

  Eli woke up without a nasty headache pounding his skull for the first time in months. His retinas didn’t burn from the first hint of sunlight, and there was no kink in his neck. There was, however, a perfectly palm-sized breast in his hand. He squeezed it gently, rolling the nipple between his fingers.

  “Good morning,” Nora said with a deliciously soft moan. “What time is it?”

  “Time for you to close your eyes and let me finish what I’m starting.”

  She arched into him, pressing her butt to his hardened cock, but then a chime rang out. She rolled away from him and grabbed her phone off her nightstand. “Crap! I need to get ready for work.”

  “Can’t you go in a little late? Call in sick?”

  “No. I have a class to teach at 8:30. If I’m not there on time, the students will leave, and then how will they learn about stoichiometry?”

  “Go shower, I’ll make you breakfast.”

  She turned toward him, pulling the sheet up to cover her chest, then smiled sweetly. “Thank you.”

  He didn’t want to turn away, but he had enough self-preservation instincts to know she wanted a little modesty this morning. He averted his eyes as she skittered out of the room, focusing instead on the picture on her nightstand of her and two other women hugging and smiling in front of the Eiffel Tower. She was almost unrecognizable behind those big shades, with sunlight dancing over her freckles, and a smile so wide, it felt like a kick in the gut. Somehow, he knew she hadn’t smiled like that since she’d moved here.

  He needed to do something about that.

  He picked up the bright pink paperback sitting in front of the photo and flicked through the pages as he headed to her kitchen. After last night, he shouldn’t be surprised that his quiet little neighbor indulged in some steamier literature, but the notion still entertained him. No doubt she had more secrets lurking beneath that tightly coiled exterior, and he planned to uncover every one of them. But first, breakfast.

  Her fridge was stocked more neatly than a pharmacy, with every jar and bottle turned to face out like a grocery store shelf, every vegetable neatly chopped inside a Tupperware container with clearly printed labels and dates, and not a stain or speck of dirt anywhere. He was almost scared to touch anything inside it, but he didn’t want to be the next-day dirtbag who couldn’t even feed the woman he’d just spent the night with.

  Regardless, whatever he made was going to have to be quick, because he’d left a trail of spent grains all over her floor. He started the coffee, popped a couple slices of bread into the toaster, hunted down a broom in the closet, and got to work.

  Twenty minutes later, Nora came into the kitchen with her hair pulled back in a severe bun, sensible slacks, and a jaw that hung wide open. “You’re naked!”

  Eli laughed. “I’ve just swept your floors and a made a meal for you, and that’s what you focus on? I feel so objectified right now.”

  “It looks like the only thing you feel is that cool breeze coming through the window.”

  “Evil, evil woman. Have a seat and eat your toast so you’re not so hangry.”

  He led her to the stool butting up to the raised counter. She grabbed the mug as soon as she sat down and drained half of it in one long sip. “Okay. I feel a little better. So let’s get back to the question. Why are you cooking me breakfast completely buck naked?”

  “Other than giving you the kind of sexual fantasy that will keep you satisfied for the rest of your days? My clothes are still a mess and I’m not sure we’re at the stage where you’d be cool with me slipping on a pair of your lacy little panties for my walk of shame, short as it is.”

  He didn’t miss the tiny flush that trickled across her cheeks just now. “I can run back to your place and grab you something before I leave for work if you like. But after I eat.”

  “Enjoy.” He slid the plate with two slices of toast topped with something she didn’t recognize toward her.

  She took a bite, making the kind of face he’d come to appreciate so much last night. “This is delicious. What is it?”

  “Toast with ricotta and honey. My mom used to make this for my sister and me when we were kids. I would have made you something fancier, but the truth is I don’t really know how to cook, and frying up some bacon in the buff didn’t seem like a good idea.”

&
nbsp; Her eyes flashed down his body before becoming unnaturally interested in her coffee mug. “Um, maybe we should talk about last night. It’s probably not a good idea—”

  He pushed her paperback across the counter. “We can talk about that later. Right now, we need to talk about this.”

  She crossed her arms defiantly. “You have a problem with the fact I’m reading a romance novel?”

  “No. I have a problem with the fact you’ve been in the world’s shittiest book club all this time when you could be in the best one. My sister started a Books and Brews club at the Holy Grale, and this just happens to be the book they’re reading this month.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Trust me, it’s bad enough having to listen to a half-dozen of my favorite customers going on and on about how Talon Brookside is their newest book boyfriend, but the other day I overheard my sister call him a hot hunk of pure domination.” He shuddered at the memory. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Julia to have a nice, healthy sex life. He just didn’t want to hear anything about it. Ever. “The next meeting is on Sunday at eight. You should come.”

  She bit her lip, looking a whole lot less excited than he anticipated.

  “It doesn’t have to mean anything more than what it is. A book club for people who like to read whatever they want without being self-indulgent pricks about it. Just think about it, okay?”

  Finally, a reluctant smile appeared on her pretty face. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

  Nora had never seen so many eggplant emojis or smiley faces light up her phone. There was no logic to the texts. And apparently no end, either. It was like Alice and Jessie were in a competition to out-emoji each other. Just when she was about to set her phone down and refresh her email on her office computer, another text popped up.

  You slept with Humperdinck???? OMG!!!!

  She had to give Jessie credit for using actual words, but that didn’t make this group text any less uncomfortable to read while at work. Then again, she wasn’t able to think about anything else all day, which was why she’d told her friends about sleeping with Eli in the first place. She’d never experienced anything that explosive before. Her whole body still tingled from the memory of his lips on her skin.