I twist my neck around to look at him, even though I can’t see clearly in the darkness. “Wait, what?”
“You’re right. Blaine is a disaster. The entire crew agrees. Even his own personal assistant can’t stand him. But more than that . . . I really like hosting. Love it, actually. When I get past my nerves, I enjoy it so much.”
I shift around completely so that I’m facing him. “You’re an amazing host, Drew. You’re perfect for this series. But I just have to make sure that you really want to do this. You want to take over as host? I’m one hundred percent on board, but I want you to feel comfortable.”
“I’m one thousand percent on board if you’re the one directing me, Alia.”
The soft rumble in his voice as he says my name makes me hum from the inside out.
“We’d have to tell the crew what we’re doing so they can be in on it,” I say. “We’d have to keep shooting footage of Blaine in addition to filming you. It could get exhausting doing double duty like that. But we need to so he doesn’t catch on.”
“Given the way the crew responded during tonight’s shoot, I think they’d be an easy sell.”
“We can’t tell anyone outside of the crew what we’re doing.”
“Absolutely. It’s gotta be under wraps until the big reveal.”
“And you’d have to start posting regularly on Twitter and Instagram. It’s the best way to build up a fan base and eventual viewership for you.”
“I can do that. And I probably already have a bit of a following thanks to your subway gentleman photo.” The grin he flashes dazzles, even in the darkness.
“I promise I’ll make you as comfortable as possible while filming. Anytime you start to feel overwhelmed or nervous, all you have to do is tell me. I promise we’ll take a break. We’ll take as much time as you need. I’ll do everything I can to support you and make you as comfortable as possible during filming.”
“I know you will, Dunn. You’re the only person I want to do this with.”
In the darkness, I smile to myself. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
His hand on my hip gives me a soft squeeze.
I resist the pleasant shiver that makes its way through my body at his touch. “We’ll tell the crew tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
Eyelids heavy, I let out a tired moan and roll back over so that my back is to Drew. “After all that excitement, I’m tempted to call it a night.
He lets out a soft laugh. “Good night, Dunn.”
“Good night, Irons.”
I close my eyes. Before long, I doze off.
13
I wake, my eyes still closed. I’m in that tease of sleep your body does right before you fall into a deep slumber. For however long I’ve been dozing, I must have shifted a bit because now only one arm is cradling the side of my head.
And the other is . . .
Oh no . . . Oh my God no . . .
I start to gasp in horror because my other hand is cupping Drew’s dick.
My eyes snap open, but all I see is pitch-black. It’s been so long since I’ve shared a sleeping spot with someone that I forgot just how handsy I get in my sleep. In the haze of almost-sleep my brain is operating on a five-second delay. I command my hand to release Drew’s penis, but it takes a few seconds before my hand actually lets go. When I finally do, my body’s response is reflexive. I jerk my arm back, forgetting that Drew is cradling me, and promptly elbow him in the gut.
He grunts, then coughs himself awake. As he hacks, I scoot around so I’m lying on my other side facing him. My eyes adjust to the darkness, and I’m able to make out his face. It’s twisted in agony as he winces through the pain.
I cup my hand over my mouth. “Oh my God, Drew. I’m so, so sorry,” I mumble against my hand.
“Did you hit me in the stomach?” he wheezes. “What the hell was that for?”
“I’m so sorry!” At least I’m alert enough to know to keep my voice down. Our tents are clustered just a couple of feet apart from one another. I don’t want to wake anyone with the commotion happening in our tent. “I . . . I . . . um . . . I kind of freaked out in my sleep.”
Drew lets out a soft groan. “Damn, did you have a nightmare or something?” he asks, eyes closed.
He presses his hand to his lower abdomen—where I’m guessing I hit him.
“Um, not really. Here.” I press my palm against his stomach and rub in small gentle circles. “I . . . um . . . what happened was . . .”
I hazard a glance up at him and see that the agony of his expression has melted away completely. His eyes are puffy, but he’s looking at me with softness.
I blink and then come clean.
“I know this is going to sound weird . . . but . . . I get a little handsy in my sleep sometimes . . . when I’m cuddled with someone. And I—I grabbed your junk while I was sleeping, and then when I woke up and realized what I was doing, I was so freaked out about it that I immediately jerked my hand away to let go. That’s when I elbowed you. By accident. God, this is so embarrassing.”
I don’t even look him in the eye when I whisper my confession. Because if I did, my brain would melt. It would be too humiliating. Just the fact that I’m trapped in a sleeping bag with Drew while confessing that I’ve groped him is horrible enough.
I wait a beat, then direct my gaze back up at him. I fully expect him to glare, to recoil, to throw me out of his tent. But all I see is amusement in his expression.
The corner of his mouth moves up slowly. “It’s okay, Dunn.”
“What?”
He lets out a soft chuckle. “It’s totally fine.”
“It is?”
“God’s honest truth? That’s kind of hot.”
“Sorry, what?” I can’t help the whispered chuckle of disbelief that falls from my lips.
“Dunn, I’m super attracted to you. Didn’t you realize that?”
I shake my head.
“Well, I am.”
“But . . . what about when you texted me after our hike at Whale Rock? You said it’s best to just be colleagues and nothing more.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “That was bullshit. I was super attracted to you then and wanted to be with you, but I lost my nerve when Rylan interrupted us. That text was me trying to save face.”
Even though the volume of his voice is low and soft, he can’t hide that growl. That feral, guttural noise that signals pure want. For me.
Now that Drew has made it crystal clear that he’s into me, the nerves dissipate.
My hand stills against his stomach. “So . . . you like the way I’m touching you right now?”
He grunts another yes.
Slowly, I run my hand up his stomach, relishing the way each hard line feels under my palm. I stop on his chest, just over his heart, which is thundering inside him. A quiet pant falls from his mouth.
He swallows. “You can do whatever you want to my body, Alia. Asleep, awake. Anytime, anyplace. You have my permission.”
I tilt my head up until our faces are barely inches apart. “I’m so attracted to you, Drew. Like, you have no idea.”
His half smile turns full. It’s so bright it cuts through the darkness.
“It’s been a struggle not to drool over you while we’re shooting.” I tap my fingers against his chest, quietly delighting in the way his hard mass barely budges.
“It’s been the same for me. You’re beautiful, Alia. Every time I look at you, I feel like a creep because I can’t stop staring. I still can’t believe we ended up here.”
My heart melts in my chest. Whatever blip in the universe resulted in us seeing each other again, I’m thankful for it.
He cups my cheek with his hand. Closing my eyes, I hum.
“I’ve been trying my hardest not to pull you aside so we can finish that kiss we started that ni
ght we met.”
“We can finish it now.”
I hover my mouth over his for a hot second, taking his declaration from minutes ago to heart.
You can do whatever you want to my body, Alia.
So I do. I press my lips against his, moving slowly. I run my tongue along his bottom lip, savoring the flavor of salt and mint. It’s just a few slow seconds, but it sends a bolt of lightning to my chest. The last time I had my mouth on Drew’s mouth was almost a month ago. Since then I’ve spent so much time trying to forget the glorious feel of his mouth on my mouth.
Now I know why I couldn’t get it out of my head. Because it was insanely, insanely good.
He kisses back, his lips firm against mine. Then he swipes my tongue with his. It’s a teasing game we play. He takes the lead for a bit, lapping at my tongue with an exquisitely slow rhythm until he can hardly breathe; then I take over. Then he catches up, our tongues tangle, and we switch off who leads once more.
It goes that way until we’re both gasping for air. My hands claw at his hair; his hands grab at my waist.
He pulls away for a second. “Fuck—kissing you is the best.”
“Is it?” Biting my bottom lip, I grin at him, then pull his mouth back to mine before he can answer. I tease him with my tongue and he groans softly.
My hands slide down to his chest. His hot skin and firm muscle pulse under my palms. Once again I’m silently thankful that Drew crawled into the sleeping bag bare-chested. That’s one less step I have to take to get his skin on mine.
He runs his hand under my shirt, cupping my breast in his massive, warm palm. I moan into his mouth as he circles my hard nipple with his thumb.
When he pulls his mouth away from mine, I let out a whispered whine. Even in the darkness, his smirk dazzles. I can make out his glistening lips, his pearly-white teeth, that mischievous glint in his eyes. My head spins from his kiss. My lord is he good with that tongue of his. For a split second I wonder if he’ll go where I hope he will, in that spot between my legs that’s currently throbbing like crazy from just his kiss.
But then he hovers his mouth over my T-shirt-covered breast and bites me lightly, his teeth scraping against the flimsy fabric.
“Holy sh . . .” I trail off as pleasure jolts through me. And then I remind myself that I need to keep my voice down. We’re just a handful of feet away from the next tent, and I cannot risk anyone overhearing us fooling around.
Drew works me over with his mouth for several more seconds before pulling away. His eyes shine bright as he looks up at me. “Okay if I take this off?” He tugs at the hem of my shirt.
I nod so fast, I get dizzy. Or maybe that’s an aftereffect of Drew’s mouth.
I lift my torso up as he slides the shirt off and up my arms. I shake it off, and it lands somewhere behind me. And then he’s back, running his magical mouth over my breasts once more, but this time he uses his tongue. Soon my eyes are rolling, my head falls back, and the silent breaths I’m forcing myself to take are turning ragged.
A split second later, he backs away and I catch my breath. It’s like he can sense that if he continues, I may get too noisy.
I fall back so that I’m lying with my back flat on the ground. He leans up and stretches down to unzip the sleeping bag. Then he lies back down and snakes his massive arm up my back. He braces me so that I’m up on my side again before nudging my arm up.
For a second, I frown and wonder what he’s doing, but then he presses his mouth on that supersensitive spot of skin between my underarm and the side of my breast.
He trails a few supersoft kisses down. I gasp and giggle at the same time.
“That tickle?” he whispers against my skin.
“Mmm-hmm. But . . .” My breath catches as his stubble runs lightly across that hot spot along the side of my breast, right underneath my upper arm. “I like it,” I say through a sigh.
I squirm under his mouth, but he holds me steady with one hand on my hip and the other bracing my arm up. He slowly makes an invisible line with his lips along the side of my body. Closing my eyes, I savor the ticklish, teasing touch. It elicits a warring response from my body. On the inside, I’m all heat. My blood and my heart pulse fire. But on the outside? On the outside my skin is covered in a sheet of goose bumps. I shiver, groaning softly at the clash of sensations, how Drew’s mouth and his gentle-as-a-feather kisses can leave me more turned on than any other kiss that every guy before him has given me.
“You’re so . . . creative,” I say, then bite my lip.
“Creative?”
I press my eyes shut as a way of enduring the teasing pleasure consuming my body. “Yeah. No one has ever kissed me there. I don’t think they ever thought to.”
“I couldn’t help myself.” He presses another kiss, this time near my hip. “Your mouth tastes so good. I want to taste you all over.”
Just then my eyes fly open. I haven’t had a shower since this morning. We’ve been hiking around most of the day. I’m covered in dust and dirt and sweat. Judging by the downward path he’s making with his mouth along my torso, I know the spot he’s aiming for—and I want his mouth there more than anything. But not when I’m as unclean as I currently am.
I reach down, grab him gently by the head, and pull him up to look at me. “As much as I’d love that, I’m just not very, um, fresh down there. Right now, I mean.”
I’m not at all ashamed of my body, but this is my first time with Drew. I want my body to be in alluring condition, not swathed in BO.
Even though it’s dark, my eyes have adjusted and I can see perfectly as a sly smile tugs at his lips. “So?”
He gently wraps his hands around my wrists and pulls my hand out of his hair. Then he dives back down, settling between my legs. His fingers skim the hem of my cotton panties. A low, soft, guttural sound rips from his throat right before his hot breath crashes against the skin of my inner thighs.
“I haven’t showered,” I plead through a whiny, whispered voice.
“I don’t care,” he grunts just before he presses a kiss to the inside of my thigh.
With one smooth move of his hands, my panties are gone and his mouth is on me.
I swear I try to speak, but all that comes out is a gasp, then a broken exhale; then I clamp my mouth shut. Noise. I can’t be making any noise—there are people sleeping soundly all around us.
But . . . Drew’s mouth. Holy goddamn hell, his mouth. Even though my eyes are closed, they’re rolling back. Because Drew’s mouth is divine—everything about him and what he’s doing is heaven. The slow and steady way he moves his tongue, the wet heat he coats me with, the way he moans softly, like I’m the best thing he’s ever tasted.
Heat flickers between my legs. It gets hotter and hotter by the second. Soon it spreads all over; I can feel it from the tips of my toes to the tips of my fingers, all the way up my neck. Inside my chest is squeezing with every breath I take.
My jaw drops, but no sound comes out—thankfully. It takes every brain cell I have to command myself to stay quiet. All I want to do is scream, to howl, to pant, to moan, to cry out Drew’s name. This pleasure that he delivers from his mouth to my body is the best I’ve ever had. Yes, I’ve had satisfying sessions of oral sex in my life. But Drew is in a whole other league. He gauges my reactions with expert perception. He can seem to tell by the way I pant and tug at his hair what I like most, and to keep at it.
In my head, I pull up my secret test for every guy I’ve been with: the shower massager test. I’ve always asked myself if I’d rather have his mouth or my shower massager. Sadly my shower massager has beaten almost every guy. But I’d light my shower massager on fire and choose Drew any day of the week.
He swirls his tongue in a slow, steady, firm rhythm that jolts my entire body. He maintains the heavenly tempo, which intensifies the pleasure and heat building inside me. My mouth opens
again, purely outside my control, and the beginnings of a yelp start to fall from my lips, but he reaches an arm up my body and presses his hand over my mouth, muffling the sound.
I moan softly against his massive, warm palm. Holy shit, that’s a hot move.
Fire and pleasure intertwine inside me. I can feel it in every molecule of my body as it builds and builds. My chest heaves up and down and up and down, faster and faster, until I’m whining against his hand.
One of my hands clamps around the wrist of his hand that’s on my mouth; the other stays tangled in his hair, pressing his face against me. Soon I’m grinding my entire body against his face. Every inch of me tingles, the pleasure about to boil over. A muffled moan escapes Drew’s mouth. It’s low and throaty and indulgent. It tells me that he’s loving this so very much—just like me. And that’s what sets me off.
My legs flail as a climax shatters me. My back arches off the ground as every muscle inside me tenses. The squeeze I feel inside is relentless. It’s like I’m possessed by this orgasm; it’s thrashing inside me, consuming me like a rogue wave that knocks me off my feet, engulfing me, then dragging me under the water. But I’m happy to drown in the pleasure. I don’t care if I never touch land again. This mind-blowing, earth-shattering ecstasy is my new home now; I’d happily live here forever.
What feels like minutes later, my body starts to unfurl. My breath slows and evens out until I’m no longer panting like an Olympic sprinter. Drew presses impossibly soft kisses over my mound, then along my inner thighs once more. I cover my hands over my face as I lie on the ground and wait for my heart to stop thundering.
Then I lean up on my elbows, letting out a soft grunt when I feel the muscles in my body finally loosen. I’m going to be so, so sore tomorrow. Worth it.
When I open my eyes and look down at him, he’s a blurry mass. After several blinks, his smug, satisfied smile comes into focus.
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