Torch (Take It Off)

by Cambria Hebert

  The way his hands felt sliding over my damp skin. The way his fingers worked the shampoo through my hair and massaged the tension out of my scalp. My body began to ache for him in ways I’d never ached before. It wasn’t a bad ache, though; it was the kind of ache I didn’t want to go away—a deep unfurling desire that curled around beneath my skin.

  I took my time washing and shaving. Thankfully, I didn’t need to wash my hair and I just let the bandages on my wrists get wet. They needed changed anyway.

  Once I was done, I dried and peeled away the saturated bindings, taking care to dry the wounds thoroughly. Then I opened up the bottle of peaches-and-cream body lotion and applied it to my thirsty skin, minus my wrists.

  I managed to wrangle my hair into a smooth side braid that fell over my shoulder, with wispy little waves falling around my face. The only makeup I bothered with was mascara for my light lashes and some peachy-pink lip-gloss. I dressed in my sole pair of jeans and a gray T-shirt that draped across my chest.

  All my bandages for my wrists were in the kitchen, and as I left the bathroom, I hoped Holt had lost some of his anger.

  He was standing in the living room, but he wasn’t alone. The police were here. They might as well just move in.

  “Officers,” I said, stepping into the room. “Is this about the man in the BMW?”

  “Yes, ma’am. We were just leaving. Mr. Arkain can fill you in.”

  “You don’t want to question me?” Surprise filtered through me.

  “No need at this time,” one of them replied as Holt showed them out.

  He barely had the door closed when I started asking questions. “What did they say? Did they arrest that man?”

  Holt strode across the room and swept me up against his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  The words seemed to rumble right out of his chest.

  “It’s okay.” My voice was terribly muffled against him, so I wasn’t sure if he even heard.

  “It’s not your fault all this is happening. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

  I pulled away to get the bandages I needed. “I probably should have called you.”

  He took them from me and motioned for me to sit down. At this point he was used to changing these bandages and he did it on autopilot, working quickly and smoothly. “You’re going to be an expert by the time these things are healed enough to be uncovered.”

  “It’s not something I want to be an expert at,” he said sadly.

  A heavy silence draped around us, kind of like a thick fog in the early morning hours. “You know what I think?”

  “That I’m totally awesome?”

  I snorted. “Besides that.”

  “So you agree?”

  I slapped his arm playfully. “No more talk about murder, car chases, or fire tonight.”

  “Don’t you want to know what the cops said?”

  “Not really.” I was beyond tired of thinking about it all.

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “Dinner. Normal conversation. Ice cream.”

  “What about kissing?” he asked, tugging on the end of my braid.

  Anticipation shot through me. “I like kissing.”

  “Do you like touching?” he slid his hand up the inside of my jean-clad thigh.

  “Do you?” I countered boldly, doing the same to his leg.

  “Careful, sweetheart. If you want to make it out of this house, watch what you do with those fingers.”

  Suddenly dinner didn’t seem that important. “I changed my mind.”

  His fingers stilled where they rested on my leg. “About what?”

  “I don’t really need dinner.” My fingers climbed a little higher. “Or conversation.”

  He groaned and grabbed me by the waistband of my jeans and pulled me closer so I was caught between his legs.

  “All I thought about today was last night,” he murmured, pulling my mouth down against his.

  His tongue didn’t waste any time delving into my all-too-willing mouth and stroking against mine. Lazily, our tongues spun in a circle in a seductive little dance that shot little jots of thrill down into the nerves beneath my jeans.

  The muscles in my vagina began to flex like they were preparing for something… or possibly inviting something.

  “Holt,” I said breathless, a little bit of hesitation finding its way into the cloud of my desire.

  “We’re not going to do anything you don’t want to do, Freckles.” His hands slid up to cup my face tenderly and his kiss became achingly gentle. It was his gentleness that made me feel bold.

  I climbed into his lap, straddling his waist and pressing my chest to his. It was delicious, the way his body felt beneath mine, the way every part of me became sensitized and every touch rocked me to my core.

  I grasped fistfuls of his shirt and pulled it up over his back and then ran my fingers down over his bare skin. He released my face to pull the shirt up over his head and when he leaned back to kiss me again, I shook my head.

  “It’s my turn,” I reminded him.

  He dropped his hands between us, resting dangerously close to the fly of my jeans, and my body reacted, pushing itself a little closer to his hands.

  He began to playfully tug at the button of my jeans as I began my exploration of his incredible physique. I started at his shoulders, splaying my hands out over their incredible mass and then trailing down lower to grip his defined biceps. His skin was smooth and warm to the touch, making me want to climb inside him and find somewhere to rest.

  Keeping my grip secure, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. He turned his head so I could kiss him fully, but I pulled back and then began kissing my way to his ear, taking the lobe into my mouth and gently suckling it. When I released it, I traced my tongue upward around the shape of his ear before whispering how much I loved the way he smelled.

  His hands gripped the inside of my thighs, a low groan vibrating his chest.

  I glanced down, noting that my nipples weren’t the only ones to have tightened into tiny little buds, so I brushed against them, stopping to pinch them lightly between my thumb and forefingers.

  I glanced at him, my tongue wetting my lips. “Can I kiss you?”

  “Honey, you can do whatever the hell you want.”

  I bent, flicking my tongue over one of those rock-hard pebbles and then covering it with my lips completely. I sucked him into my mouth and his hands found my head, tilting it so I was even closer and pinning me there. I increased the pressure, sucking a little harder, and was rewarded with a heavy moan.

  Next, I slid over and did the same thing to the other as my hands began to trace around the waistband of his jeans.

  When I was done lavishing his pecs with attention, I sat up, rocking forward to kiss his lips, but my movement sent an intense rush of pleasure through my center and a little gasp broke my lips.

  He stared at me through heavy-lidded eyes, giving me a knowing smile. Gripping my hips, he guided me into a gentle rocking motion that proceeded to drive me half out of my mind. The way my jeans rubbed against his made me hungry, hungrier than I’d ever been.

  I wound my arms around his neck, pressing myself against him, taking the lead and kissing him deeply. I didn’t lift my mouth from his; I didn’t come up for air. I didn’t need oxygen; I needed him more.

  His hands snaked between us and he used a single finger to stroke upward on the seam of my jeans that pressed against my crotch.

  Something exploded within me and I groaned. I couldn’t sit up straight and I collapsed against his chest as he applied more pressure against that secret spot. Wave after wave of ecstasy rolled over me, and every single coherent thought fled my mind.

  When he finally pulled his hand away and slid it beneath my shirt and up my back, my body was completely boneless and flushed from head to toe. The hard ridge in his pants still pressed against me, stirring even more desire within me.

  It was incredible.

  I pulled back to look i
nto his passion-laced eyes. “Take me to bed, Holt.”

  “If you’re not ready—” he began, and I silenced his words with a provocative kiss and rocked against him once more.

  He stood as I locked my legs around his waist and he carried me into the bedroom, yanking the covers down and draping me across the center of the mattress.

  I sat up, reaching for the button on his jeans.

  His hand covered mine. “Are you sure?”

  I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life. In fact, I was sure if he didn’t cover his body with mine right then and there, I would go insane.

  “Have you ever wanted something so badly that you could barely see?” I whispered.

  “Every single day since you walked into this house.”

  I brushed his hand away and unfastened his jeans, slowly lowering the zipper. With a gentle tug, he gave in, abandoning them to the floor. My eyes trained directly at the bulge beneath his boxer briefs. It was a very large bulge that made me swallow thickly.

  He pushed me backward onto the bed, leaning over me, and his erection brushed against the inside of my thigh. I wondered again about its size, but before I could worry, he was moving down to grasp the end of my jeans at my ankles. The fabric of the jeans scraped over my legs as he tugged them away and the cool air of the bedroom brushed against my overheated skin.

  When my pants were gone, he lifted up my foot and began kissing down the inside of my leg. I started to tremble with desire. It was almost as if my body understood what it was going to do and it urged me on, barely able to contain its thrill.

  His kiss was at the back of my knee now, moving down… down… so he nipped at the inside of my thigh. I looked down the length of my body at the striking contrast of his dark head against the paleness of my thigh. I shivered.

  “Holt,” I said, shocked by the deep rasp in my tone.

  He glanced up, those light eyes piercing me from just above my most secret place. I thought he might say something.

  He didn’t.

  With our eyes locked, I watched as he licked up the center of my panties. My back arched up off the bed and an involuntary moan pierced the silence around us.

  He hooked his fingers in the fabric and slid it down my legs, tossing it somewhere over his shoulder. Then he leaned back down, nuzzling the soft folds of my center, and began to do things with his tongue that were utterly sinful.

  In between gasps, I felt his fingers gently part my folds and then the slightly rough texture of his tongue delved into my entrance and made me cry out.

  I grabbed up fistfuls of the sheets on either side of my hips and squeezed them until I thought the fabric might rip. My knees were shaking so uncontrollably that I probably would have been embarrassed if I had room for thought inside my brain.

  Just before I tumbled once again over the edge of complete bliss, he pulled back and smiled. “You’re so incredibly wet and you taste so sweet.”

  I sat up, my head swimming a little like I was drunk, and reached for the waistband of his boxers. He was so hard now that it created a tent.

  Before pulling the fabric down, I leaned forward and pressed a trail if kisses down his abdomen and beneath his belly button.

  Holt pulled my shirt up over my head and reached around to unclasp my bra, leaving me completely naked to his eyes. It was only fair that he become as bare as I.

  I stripped away the last remaining barrier between us, my eyes widening at the way he jutted upward into the space.

  It was the first time I’d ever seen this part of a man in person. I wanted to touch it, to see what kind of reaction he would have, but I was afraid he wouldn’t like it. I was afraid I would do it wrong.

  I decided to start at the inside of his thighs, the way he did to me. The skin here wasn’t as smooth as his upper body. Hair covered the tops of his legs and grew thickly just above his penis.

  As I went up, I cupped his balls in my hand, gently brushing my thumb in an even circle around them before giving them a very gentle squeeze and moving on.

  I glanced up at him, again unsure, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was labored, so I assumed I was doing it right.

  With that little bit of encouragement, I wrapped my hand around the base of his hardness and gently stroked upward. This was the silkiest, softest part on his entire body. The head was a little bit wider than the rest, and as I slid upward, my hand caught just beneath it and he jerked, a moan ripping from his chest.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” Holt said, his voice strained.

  “What? No.” I pulled my hand away, thinking I’d done something wrong.

  He made a sound and pushed me back on the bed, coming over me, his weight pinning me to the mattress.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, Freckles. You did everything so perfectly that if I allow you to touch me anymore, the fun will be over before it begins.”

  I reached up and ran a hand against his soft beard, enjoying the way it tickled my palm.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, giving me a quick kiss before disappearing into his adjoining bathroom. I took the opportunity to slide up onto the bed, placing my head near the pillows.

  Several seconds later, he reappeared with a small foil packet in his hand. He tossed it beside me and lay down on the bed.

  I kind of thought this would be the part where we—you know—did it. But I was wrong. He started kissing me again, paying attention to every single part of me like I was something that needed to be cherished.

  I snuck in some touches and caresses myself, but for the most part, he wouldn’t let me touch him, saying there would be plenty of time for that later.

  Eventually, he settled between my still-trembling legs, the length of him teasing my entrance. He kissed me, and then I heard the tearing of the foil pack and his hands left me completely.

  Before settling against me again, he placed his hands on the insides of my thighs and pushed my legs open wide. Using two of his fingers, he gently slid into my core, making me groan in anticipation.

  “You’re ready for me,” he said softly, pulling out and then coming over me once more. “I’ll be gentle,” he swore.

  Nerves tightened my body a little, and I grabbed on to his hips, waiting for the pain I knew was supposed to come.

  “Look at me, Katie,” he demanded, and so I did.

  He was gorgeous and there was so much emotion swirling in his face that I cupped his jaw and pressed a kiss to his lips.

  He joined our bodies in one swift motion.

  I cried out, not because it hurt—though it did just a little—but because the sensation of him filling me almost sent me over the edge.

  He held himself still, holding his weight above me with shaking arms.

  I kissed his shoulder. I kissed his neck. I turned my head and kissed his bicep. He started to move then, tentative slow movements at first, but then they began to grow.

  “Tell me you’re okay,” he whispered in my ear.

  “I’m perfect.”

  He pulled out and then plunged into me again and again, completely rocking my entire world. Tension began to build within me, and I started to move with him, seeking sweet release.

  Holt dipped his head and drew one of my nipples into his mouth, scrapping over it with his teeth.

  I cried out, my entire body shuddering as a powerful orgasm ripped through me. I grabbed hold of him, hanging on, afraid I might spin away.

  Above me his body went rigid and with one final plunge, I felt his release in my center. His hardness jerked again and again, stroking against the walls of my cervix.

  “Holy fuck,” he said after a few minutes of nothing but our heavy breathing. He rolled off of me, collapsing onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. “That was…” His words died away.

  “Was it okay?” I asked, my body singing. It had never been so satisfied, ever. I just hoped he felt the same.

  He laughed. “That right there was every man and boy’s wet dream come to li
fe.”

  I guess that meant it was good.

  He rolled onto his side and placed a hand against my head. “What about you? Feel okay?”

  I heard the slightest bit of self-doubt in his tone, and I smiled. “This right here was the best first time any girl or woman has ever had.”

  He grinned. He had a really good grin.

  “Who’s the man?” he sang.

  “You are definitely the man,” I said, laughing.