There was a split second of consideration, I admit it. But then logic slid in and reminded me that this was not planned. In my head, I was scanning my house, thinking about the dirty dishes I’d left in the sink, the piles of discarded clothing on the floor of my bedroom—the outfits that didn’t make the cut for tonight’s dinner, had I made my bed…?
Alicia’s hands slid down my arms, grasped my hands. She ducked her head to catch my eye as she coaxed, “Come on, Lacey. Live in the moment. Don’t think about it. Don’t weigh the pros and cons. Just be right here, right now. With me.” She bounced a little bit as she pleaded and I found myself agreeing before I even realized it. But she was so happy with my decision that it was almost not stressful for me. Almost. “Fantastic! I don’t want you out of my sight, so I’m just going to ride with you. Can you bring me back to get my car tomorrow?”
I nodded and hit my key fob, the locks clicking open as our gazes held.
She looked giddy, and that helped me to push aside my dislike of spontaneity. After a quick kiss on the mouth, Alicia zipped around the front of the car and got in. We buckled up, I started the car, and we pulled out of the parking lot.
And so began the sexiest drive home I’ve ever experienced.
Alicia let her hands wander, but the car was dark, so I never knew where they were until they landed on my body. The back of my neck first where she dug her fingers into my hair and scratched my scalp. I almost drove us off the road right then. Then down the back of my dress a bit, fingertips dancing along the skin between my shoulder blades. Alicia’s face was close to mine; she nuzzled her nose against my neck, flicked my earlobe with her tongue.
I swallowed hard, whispered her name. “I don’t want to wreck us,” I pointed out, my voice weak and shaky.
“Then I guess you’d better concentrate on the road,” she replied, causing a little whimper to escape me. She trailed one finger around my neck, down my throat, and traced the plunging neckline of my dress. “This, by the way? So, so sexy.” Her finger dipped down between my breasts and I could feel my nipples tighten.
Suddenly, getting us back to my house, her house, whatever, it didn’t matter, just a house of any kind—was the only thing I wanted to do. I pushed a bit harder on the gas pedal and heard her chuckle.
“Is somebody anxious to get home?”
My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel, forcing myself not to look down as I felt Alicia’s hand skim teasingly over the outside of my bare thigh, around my knee. It moved up and over, her fingers now brushing the inside and tugging subtly, forcing my legs to part just a bit.
“Alicia…” I said, trying to make it sound like a warning, but instead sounding like I was begging.
“Lacey…” she whispered, then sucked my earlobe into her mouth and ran her tongue around it.
Oh, my God, I thought, as I felt a surge of wetness from my body. Somehow, I managed to pry the fingers of my right hand off the steering wheel, plant my palm against Alicia’s sternum, and push her several inches back into her own seat. “Alicia, I swear to God if you don’t stop, I’m going to drive us into a tree. You have to…I need you to…you’re just…stay there. Stay right there. Please. We’re almost home.” I gave my head a slight shake to clear it. “God.”
She didn’t say anything, so I ventured a glance her way. Her grin, the glint in her eyes visible even in the dimness of the car, the warmth of her hand as it wrapped around my wrist. Yeah, she was far too satisfied with herself in that moment. Her sexiness, my intense arousal for her, they were almost alarming.
Alicia kept her hands to herself for the remaining five minutes of our ride, and actually held herself in check until we got through the front door. I closed it and hit the deadbolt as she wandered through my small home, into the living room.
“This is so cute,” she said with a smile as Leo came bounding down the stairs to say hello.
“Thanks.” I called Leo, opened the back door and let him out, then turned and made the three steps it took me to get to Alicia. I said nothing, simply grabbed her waist with one hand, her head with the other, and brought her mouth down to mine as I backed her into the couch, where she fell into a sitting position. I broke our kiss only long enough to hike up my dress so I could straddle her lap. Then I grabbed her face with both hands and crushed my mouth to hers once again.
She moaned against my lips, and I felt her hands rubbing up and down the sides of my bare thighs causing goose bumps that had nothing at all to do with the temperature to erupt across my skin.
I couldn’t recall a time in my life when I’d ever been so completely aroused. Or so assertive. She’d turned me on to such a high degree during that ride that there was only one way I was coming down. I pulled away and looked into Alicia’s eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes that were nearly all black now, which only served to intensify my desire.
Absently, I heard Leo scratching at the door, and I pushed myself off Alicia’s lap to get him, smiling at the gentle whimper of loss she let out.
I was determined. This was my show now. I let Leo in, gave him a treat, then held my hand out to Alicia. She took it, I pulled her to her feet—taking a moment to let my eyes roam over her entire body—then tugged her to the stairs and up to my bedroom.
She stood in the middle of the room, looking around, taking it all in, I assumed, as I turned on a small lamp, kicked piles of clothes out of the way and chose some music on my phone. Something soft and sexy, the volume low. I turned back to her and caught my breath. The sight of her standing there in that beautiful blue dress, her hair tousled, her face flushed a lovely pink, her lips dark and parted slightly, her gaze intent upon mine…it did things to me. Erotic, sensual things. I crossed the room in four quick steps and we were kissing again. Deep, passionate kissing that had the rest of the world falling away. There was nothing in that moment for me but Alicia. Her mouth on mine. Her hands exploring my body. The heat from her skin. It was almost too much. If I’d simply imploded right then, left nothing but a pile of ash on my bedroom floor, I really wouldn’t have been all that surprised.
I maneuvered us to the bed where we both sat, still kissing. I loved the way her face felt in my hands. I held her tenderly but also firmly, and when I dug my fingers into the sunset hair at the back of her head, gave it a tug so my tongue could have easy access to her throat, the little gasp she released caused a tingle low in my body that steadily grew in intensity. The gasp morphed into a moan when I closed my hand over her breast and squeezed gently. Her hands came up to my face and she kissed me harder.
Without realizing we were doing it, we slid our bodies up and back so we ended up lying on my bed, our mouths never parting. While I was sure I could make out with Alicia for hours on end, I also felt like we’d done that and it was time for more. Her hand was in my hair as I leaned over her body, her fingers digging in, and it was blissful. Shivers of arousal ran all across my body every time she scratched at my scalp. I moved a hand to her knee, then up the side of her thigh to her hip where I stroked absently as I explored her mouth with mine.
I felt hurried, but not. I felt desperate, but not. I felt overwhelmed by sensation, yet perfectly content to just touch her. My hand was still on her hip when my fingers sent information to my brain, and I pulled my mouth from hers just far enough to speak.
“Are you going commando?” I asked, in aroused disbelief.
A super-sexy grin broke across her face. “Have you seen how tight this dress is?” was her response.
I nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have.”
“Then you understand.”
“It’s a good thing I didn’t know that little factoid during dinner.” I kissed her again while my fingers found the hem of her dress and slipped beneath it.
Alicia took a turn pulling her mouth away. “Yeah? Why? What would you have done?”
I held her gaze as my heart rate kicked up yet another notch and I said, “I would’ve sat much closer to you, and I would’ve put my hand here.�
�� I slid my fingers around to the inside of her thigh, and I felt the hitch in her breath. “And then—and I’d have been very subtle because there were other people around us—I would’ve done this.” I slid my hand a little higher, very slowly, drawing it out as I held that blue-eyed gaze with my own. I could feel the heat. And then I could feel the wetness on the insides of her thighs, causing me to moan quietly. “You’re so wet,” I whispered, and I could hear the wonder in my own voice.
“I’ve been like this since I saw you at the table.”
I continued to look in her eyes as my thumb skimmed over her center and she gasped. I kept my touch feather-light, just barely brushing her skin, watching her face and feeling an unfamiliar sense of luck. Of being blessed, if there was such a thing. Of being special enough to be allowed to put my hands on this woman, to kiss her, to be this close to her. I pushed a little harder and Alicia gasped again, and even though I wanted to go slow, I also wanted to make her feel amazing. I kissed her as I continued to stroke her, and soon her hips picked up the rhythm and we moved together, gently, up and down. Without missing a beat, I slid inside her, and that was all it took. A long moan pushed its way up from her throat, wrenching her mouth from mine and forcing her head back, exposing a long, elegant column of throat that I wanted to devour with my mouth as she came…but I couldn’t pull my eyes away. Alicia was so beautiful in that moment. Sexy, erotic, sensual, vulnerable, strong, all of it mixed together to form this one, blindingly stunning image just for me.
I felt so incredibly honored that tears welled up in my eyes.
I could feel Alicia everywhere. One hand gripping my hair, the other’s fingers digging into the small of my back, her breasts pressed against my body, her leg wrapped around mine, the warmth of her center holding my fingers inside her. It was as if we were a single entity, melded together in one intimate moment. And I never wanted it to end.
It did, of course, but it was seared into my memory forever.
Alicia’s eyes were closed. Her hand slid off my back and dropped to the bed like a dead tree branch as she whispered, “Oh, my God,” over and over again and I smiled down at her.
I kissed her mouth and rolled myself off her so I wouldn’t squish her completely. When I did that and glanced at the two of us, I started to chuckle.
Alicia opened her eyes, narrowed them as she mock-scolded me. “Laughter is not something a girl wants to hear in the heat of the moment, Lacey.”
“I know,” I said in amusement. “But look at us. Notice anything?”
Alicia lifted her head and then she chuckled as well. “We’re both still dressed.”
“Completely. With the exception of shoes, we are both completely dressed.”
Dropping her head back to the pillow, Alicia said, “I don’t think I’ve ever had that intense an orgasm with all my clothes still on.” She turned those blue eyes on me, and her expression grew tender as she reached out a hand and stroked my cheek, ran her fingertips across my lips. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That was amazing.”
I couldn’t control the grin the broke out across my face. “It was.”
“I could use some water.”
“You got it.” I slid off the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
I padded down the stairs to the kitchen, which was lit only by moonlight. As I filled a glass with water, my brain tossed me flashes of what had just happened, and it occurred to me that this was the first time I’d gone off-script as far as my planning went, the first time I’d gone with “live in the moment,” and I didn’t regret it.
Interesting.
I headed back upstairs and into my room. And stopped dead in my tracks.
Alicia was still on the bed, but she was reclined on her right hip, facing me, her right arm bracing, holding her up.
Her eyes were bright.
Her smile was sexy.
Her body was naked.
She was lounging on my bed, in all her naked glory. Her skin looked smooth and creamy, flawless, tiny freckles dotting her bare shoulders. Her breasts were beautiful, porcelain white with dark pink nipples enticing me simply by existing. I swear to God, she looked like a painting. A gorgeous, unbelievably sexy painting that was for my eyes only.
“We’re not done,” she said, her voice quiet as she crooked a finger at me.
As I set the water glass on the nightstand, I was overcome with what I can only describe as a totally unfamiliar sense of courage. I stood there for a moment and held Alicia’s gaze. Without letting it go, I reached down to the edge of my dress, but she stopped me.
“No. Come here.”
I did as I was asked and walked to the bed as she sat up. Her fingers grasped the hem of my dress and tugged me closer as she got up onto her knees on the mattress. That alone was enough to kick my breathing into high gear, and I did the best I could to keep myself under control, a little bit shocked that she’d ratcheted me up again so quickly…and also not shocked at all.
“The undressing is part of it for me,” she said quietly, as her hands skimmed along my hips, my sides. Then she pulled the dress up and over my head and dropped it to the floor. I watched as Alicia’s lips parted slightly and she let out a very, very soft “Oh” that she drew out as her eyes raked over me, so sensually, I was sure I could feel them. Like the caress of her hands on my skin. And then her hands were on my skin, her fingertips brushing up the sides of my legs, then to my hips, then to my waist where she grabbed on and pulled me toward her, covering my mouth with her own.
I tried to pay attention to everything that happened. I did my best to feel exactly where her hands were, her fingers, her tongue, but being with Alicia Wright went way beyond simple touch. It was so much more. It was sensation. Endless, overwhelming sensation. She made love to me in a way that was both desperate and controlled, both raw and tender, like it might be the last thing we ever did on this earth and she wanted me to remember. And when the orgasm finally ripped through my body, tightening my muscles, lifting my hips off the bed, colors exploding in my head, I could do nothing but hold on to her for dear life, whispering her name as if I was unsure she was still there, uncertain she was even real, fearing the possibility of waking up only to discover my entire evening with her had been a dream.
But she was real. She was so very real. When my heart stopped feeling like it was going to detonate in my chest, when my breathing calmed down from “panting dog” to “I just jogged a tiny bit,” when I could uncurl my fingers from the death grip they had on the pillow under my head, Alicia was still there.
She smiled down at me, her eyes filled with tenderness as she brushed my hair off my forehead. “Wow,” she said quietly.
I swallowed, then cleared my throat before I responded hoarsely, “I think I’m supposed to say that.”
We stayed in that position for what felt like a long time, but I was biding my time while I regained my strength. Because, to quote Alicia, we weren’t done yet.
Chapter Thirteen
I don’t think the morning after the first time is easy for anybody. You’re stone cold sober. You go over everything you said in the heat of the moment the night before and, inevitably, you remember things that make you cringe. Oh, God, did I really say that? Did I actually do that? Did I really make that sound? Each moment—hell, each second—is subject to scrutiny and criticism because, in the morning, you have a clear head.
Or at least, I did until Alicia started moving. Touching. Exploring.
It was barely the crack of dawn, judging by the purplish crimson color of the horizon I could see out my window. Leo would have to go out soon, but I could hear the little snuffly-snoring sounds coming from the vicinity of his bed, so I allowed myself to drift a bit. Alicia’s soft, warm body was tucked up against my back; she took on the role of Big Spoon, her knees in the crook of mine, her arm tossed over my side, her fingertips grazing my stomach. And then she started moving.
I am not a morning person. Remember when I mentioned that? The only thing I want to do at
oh-dark-thirty is burrow more deeply into my pillow and under my covers and continue sleeping.
Turns out, Alicia is a morning person.
When her fingers shifted from grazing my stomach to brushing across my nipple, my breath caught, a zap of arousal sizzling down my spine to sit low in my body. Alicia slid her other arm under my neck, and I wasn’t sure why until she switched hands, and that one began toying with my breasts. She nuzzled my ear, quietly, gently, as her fingers played. My mind wanted to scream at her that it was too early, it was time for sleeping, so just let me do that, please, it’s morning. But my body betrayed me. In a big, big way. Alicia’s other hand trailed down over my hip, my thigh, and back up. Her fingernails left a path of goose bumps along my back, my shoulders, and I was embarrassed to feel myself squirm under her touch.
Alicia never made a sound the whole time she tortured my body. Neither did I until she used a hand to lift up my knee and tuck her own between my legs, which gave her better access to that part of me that had become so wet, so fast I was kind of stunned at my body’s reaction, especially when I let out a little moan that had nothing to do with wanting to sleep.
She took her time, which I think made it more frustratingly delicious. Sensation oozed through me like warm water, slowly filling me. The only movements in the bed were her fingernail gently scratching across my hardened nipple, sending tiny electric jolts down to my center, and the fingers of her other hand as she slid them between my legs and into the hot wetness she’d created in an alarmingly short time. She sighed in my ear as I began subtly moving my hips to the slow and easy rhythm of her hand, and when she whispered, “Come on,” so very quietly, I had no choice but to obey. I brought my arm up to grasp the back of her neck and hold her tightly to me as my body trembled in climax. There was no sound. Only the two of us, melded together, breathing as one. When I came down and my body relaxed, Alicia simply kissed my temple, tightened her arms around me, and snuggled back in. She fell back to sleep in minutes, her deep, even breathing a comfort behind me. I followed her soon after.
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