“If you’d like to take a leisurely bath, I can grab a quick shower in my bathroom and then get dinner going while you enjoy a soak, unless you’d like to join me.” He leaned into me a bit more, sniffing my hair. “I have to admit, we do smell a bit like the antiseptic smell from the hospital. I’d hoped to have time to unwind this afternoon. I hadn’t planned on Kent and Carol taking so long with us, or on Dane popping in unexpectedly. But the talk did help me see things in a different light for both of us.”
I felt myself cringe, recalling all Ethan had learned about me. He tipped my face up to him, placing gentle kisses on each eyelid before leaning in to whisper in my ear, “There’s nothing you could do or say about yourself that would scare me off. Don’t let the past control you, focus on right here, right now – with me.” His lips sucked my ear lobe into his mouth as he bit gently, causing a low moan to escape my throat. He was making me mindless, which is exactly what I needed.
I felt my body moving against his, craving the closeness, and needing to feel the emotions he was building in me, one’s that I hadn’t felt in years. I couldn’t believe this was the same Ethan, the one who’d always done everything by the book, the one who’d kept me at arm’s length. He’d always made me feel a sizzle, but now I was ready to combust if I didn’t get in the shower soon. I had to ask, “Who are you and what have you done with my best friend Ethan?”
His lips had moved down to my neck and I could feel his smile against my skin. A low growl escaped his mouth while he grabbed hold of my hips and pulled me up against the evidence of his desire. “I’m still here, darling. You’re the one who said you wanted to move beyond our friendship. I’m just following through with what we’re both craving.”
He pulled back, looking into my eyes, “Are you having second thoughts? We can always stop now before it goes too far. For the first time, in a long time, I feel in control of myself. But once we’ve crossed the line, there’s no turning back. One taste of you, and I could become addicted.”
I rose up on tiptoe where I could reach his lips. I lightly bit his lower lip before sucking it into my mouth. “I’m not turning back. I may need a cold shower right now, but I’m just getting heated up.”
I looked over to the basket of retro candy. It was filled with his favorite popping candy, bottle caps, some old-fashioned peppermints, cinnamon disks, and those long rainbow twist pops. Nate had dropped it off earlier proclaiming, “You deserve to have some fun”. I pointed to it as my hand grazed over his crotch, feeling how hard he was underneath his jeans. “I’m looking forward to dessert with you later. I hope your friend enlightened you on the uses of some of those candies.” I knew I had the smile of a Cheshire cat on my face. I hadn’t felt this playful in ages.
I quickly turned my back to him, shedding my clothes down the hallway toward the guest bath. I could hear his aroused voice, “You’re playing with fire, darling. I don’t like being left hanging, but I’ll get dinner heating and take a cold shower to cool me off for now.”
As I entered my room, I looked back over my shoulder and blew him a kiss. “I can’t wait to see how things play out. Who knows, I might become absorbed with your charms of persuasion.”
It didn’t take him long to find a phone and speak with Nate. I couldn’t help but laugh at his expressions, which were comical. “You use that on what? I do what to her with which one? She can do that to me and it not hurt?” I tried running through the list of candies to figure out which ones he was talking about. I couldn’t wait to start Ethan’s introduction into my world.
I ended up taking a good long soak in the tub. I wanted to hurry my bath and rush back into Ethan’s arms, but I held back. I wondered if I’d remember my submissive nature, if I could even do submissive any more, and worried I might have triggers that would inhibit any sexual encounters. Carol told me that they might be present, but no one could predict what they were or if they’d happen – it was a wait and see kind of deal.
At the same time, I questioned whether Ethan had triggers of his own. My sister, Gianna, noticed us getting closer and explained that Ethan had always been quite loyal to his love interests, but after the accident he’d played the field for a while, until he’d been used and played by a therapist wanting a last fling before her wedding. It made my heart break for him. I knew what Dane had gone through psychologically over that, prior to Marissa. I could only guess that’s why Ethan had been too scared to tread past the friendship zone, afraid of getting hurt again.
I didn’t realize I’d been in the bathroom for so long until he knocked on the door. “Is everything okay in there? Do you need any help?” He opened the door slightly and peaked in. Thank goodness there were enough bubbles remaining in my bathwater to cover my private areas. “I might not be able to lift you with my leg the way it is, but I’m a great back washer.”
I just laughed and shook my head. “I’m fine, just deep in thought. Why?”
He smiled as his eyes traveled over me in the tub. “Dinner’s ready whenever you are.”
I hated that he half hid behind the door, where I couldn’t see exactly what he had on. Frankly, I didn’t care. If the night continued as I hoped it would, neither of us would be wearing any clothes.
“Thanks. I’ll finish up and be out in a few minutes.” I grabbed my bath sponge and started washing.
He gave a devious smile as he saw me lift one leg out of the water. “I’ll be waiting, my little vixen.”
His voice was laden with lust, causing me to shiver with need. No one had ever called me vixen. That had always been reserved for my sister. Ethan’s words and actions, so far, were definitely that of a dominant. I couldn’t wait to see where a little instruction and sampling might lead us.
I hurried up and washed my hair and got out of the tub, wrapping a towel around me to dry off the water while I toweled off my hair. I was thankful I’d kept a short doo, falling just below my shoulders, so it didn’t take much time to air dry.
Now the ultimate question was what to wear. I noticed my sis had packed some sultry lingerie, along with a few of my more sensible pieces. I went a little crazy after being with James. He’d forbidden me from wearing any kind of pajamas or lingerie, ever. The only exceptions were a bra and underwear that were required at work. When I’d left, I bought enough matching bras, panties, and silk gowns to last me for months.
I decided to go somewhere in-between with a lacy, white thong and the nightshirt I’d worn up here to wake Ethan from his nightmare. Wow, who’d of thought that only a few days later I’d be back up here to stay awhile. I could never let him know how much I wanted to crawl into bed with him that night to soothe his nightmares and mine.
I walked out to the kitchen to find Ethan with his hair having dried in disarray around his face, making him look a little like a surfer. He had on a pair of pajama pants that hung low on his hips, showing off the sinewy muscles of his abdomen, the ripple of his six-pack, a perfect v forming just above his hips, and a light dusting of dark hair trailing down to his happy area. I’d seen him shirtless in bed before, but only through a friend’s eyes, not truly appreciating his physique until now.
He walked up to me, lifting my chin to where our eyes met. A small smile played across his lips, “See something you like?”
I shook my head to dispel all the sultry ideas running through my mind. I’d come out here with an appetite for food, only now I didn’t care if I ate because I was hungry for something more.
I looked over to the bar and found two place settings with chicken stew, salad, and some white wine for us to enjoy. Suddenly, I realized one of my favorite songs was playing in the background. I pointed to the food and then the stereo system, “I can’t believe you did all this. Thank you.” I went up on tiptoe to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. “I love Rachel Platten’s Fight Song.”
“The food was already fixed; all I needed to do was reheat it and put everything out on the counter. As for the music, I felt this song kind of states how our lives are ri
ght now, you know – taking back our lives.” I completely agreed with his thoughts. We were taking back our lives and it started right now.
His hand dropped to my lower back and guided me to one of the bar stools while he sat on the one next to me, our legs pressed against one another and our arms continued to brush each other every time we took a bite. I tried to move away so we weren’t so close, but he kept pulling me back, admitting, “Don’t. I need to feel you close to me.”
The stew smelled amazing and tasted even better. “Who made this? This is delicious.”
“That’d be your brother-in-law, Nate.” He smiled, taking a bite.
“Wow. I had no clue that Nate liked to cook. I don’t think I’ll be passing up those dinner invitations anymore, not as long as he’s cooking. I’ll have to ask him for the recipe so I can recreate it.”
In a way, our being together reminded me of a first date except we already knew everything there was to know about one another. We both liked to cook when time allowed. He preferred cooking the main dishes, whereas I liked to dabble with desserts, and we both had our special side dishes. We enjoyed the same movies, music, and fitness. Our only differences were our tastes in reading; he enjoyed suspense and cyber crime stories, while I preferred the popular romance novels.
He’d once asked me if I’d read the highly publicized Fifty Shades of Grey books. I hated admitting to it, but I’m pretty sure he caught me with it pulled up on my e-reader. I confessed that I was curious if the author had the facts straight about the lifestyle. That was all it took to deter him from asking any further questions. Truth be told, I couldn’t have cared less about the realism of the book. It was more the basis of the romantic story between the two characters. I wanted to know what it was like to truly love a person and have them love you back with their whole heart.
I was lost in contemplation, in my own little world, which I often did to avoid thinking about my life and how I thought I’d been in love before. Things seem different with Ethan though. I felt the brush of his hand against the outer part of my thigh making me stop mid bite, relishing the feel of his soft hands on my heated skin.
His breath cascaded over the side of my face, “I want you to finish eating your meal. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight over the past few days.” The warmth of his lips pressed against the side of my face and moved down my jawline to the juncture of my neck, where he softly bit and sucked my skin into his mouth.
I continued to chew my food, per his instruction, relishing the thought that for once someone wanted me to eat, not depriving me of food, unlike James who wanted me to fit an image of the perfect woman. His hand kept kneading my outer thigh, making me lose all concentration.
His nose trailed along my skin to my hair as he inhaled. “Your strawberry shampoo and vanilla body wash are intoxicating. That combined with the scent of your arousal, it’s all I can do to sit here and not rip your clothes off.” His hand moved down to my knee and parted my legs, slowly slipping up to my inner thigh. “As you can see, I’m not refrained tonight.”
This new side of Ethan was a heady combination of confidence and sexuality. I prayed his hand didn’t travel any higher toward the apex of my thigh. I didn’t want him to know my thong was already drenched. His effect on me was exciting and I wanted more.
I don’t know how, but I managed to eat the last bite of the food he’d dished out. I picked up my wine glass and decided two could play this game. I pressed the glass against my lip, tipping it back to have a small sip of wine but allowing some to drip down onto my chin. I noticed the caramel of his eyes recede to the edges as his irises darkened with desire, his lids hooded. He swallowed hard as I stuck my tongue out and licked the drops of wine off my lip and then my glass.
He lifted it out of my hands when I attempted to have another sip, drank the last bit of wine and pressed his lips hard to mine. I opened my mouth to invite him in, only to find the taste of the wine rushing in, mingling with the flavor of him.
I felt Ethan move from his chair, turning me toward him and standing between my legs while he continued to ravage my mouth, our tongues intertwining with one another in longing. He reached behind me pulling me flush against his hardness and grinding into me.
His hand reached down between us, rubbing my clit through the lace fabric of my thong. “My god you’re drenched. I can feel the heat radiating off of you.” His eyes focused on mine, “Tell me what you need Marjorie; I’ll provide it for you.”
His fingers continued to rub against my clit, causing me to squirm against his hand, seeking out more of a connection. My mind could only form the words, “You. I Need You.”
He stopped his ministrations on my clit and stepped back, grabbing hold of my hand while looking a little sad. “I wish I could carry you into the bedroom and lay you out on the bed like you deserve.” His hand came up and caressed my hair, pushing it back behind one ear. His fingers swept across the side of my face. “I’ll make it my goal to one day be able to carry you to our bed. But for now, I can only lead you.”
“Yes, please.” I said as I extended my hand to Ethan, our fingers twining with one another as we stepped toward his bedroom. Along the way, he grabbed the basket of candy goodness, making me shutter with thoughts of all the naughty things we could do with those.
He softened the lights in the room with a dimmer switch and moved me over to the side of the bed, placing the candy basket on top of the nightstand within reach. I noticed he must have pulled the sheets down earlier in preparation. “I know you’ve had scenes and are into some kink, but right now, I’m craving plain old vanilla. I want to know what it’s like before we add the whipped cream and sprinkles.”
I loved that he was trying. To him this was all new, but what he was saying and the way he was delivering it, spoke of an inner Dom waiting to get out. If he was the ice cream, then I was already gooey fudge sauce ready to drip all over him. I loved his reference, and to prove my point, I let my hand travel down to the noticeable bulge in his pants, resting it on him lightly. “I happen to love whipped cream. I especially like to lick it off.” His cock jerked in my hand and a low moan escaped the back of his throat, showing me I had a straight line to his groin.
He took a deep breath in before grabbing hold of my wrist and pulling my hand away from his crotch. “Woman, I now understand why you need to be tied up. Your touch is too sensual. You’re playing with fire, but I have no intention of burning you.”
I moved forward, pressing my breasts up against his chest and smiled. “But I like when things are set ablaze.”
He took a step toward me, pinning me between the bed and him. His hands slipped below the hem of my shirt and slowly lifted it, pulling it up over my head and tossing it onto the floor. I felt his eyes travel over the length of my body and the rumble of appraisal coming from his chest. This was so different than James who picked apart every inch of my figure.
Ethan’s hands began caressing every inch of my skin, in adoration. “You’re more beautiful than I imagined.” He reached down to help me out of my thong, pressing a reverential kiss to my smoothly waxed mound before coming back up to my eye level. “I have to confess.” I held my breath wondering if I’d done something wrong. “Had I known this is what you looked like beneath your shirt the other night, you’d never have made it out of my bedroom. As it was, I had to restrain myself from throwing you across the bed and taking you right there.”
I felt the breath I’d been holding rush out of me with relief. His hand came up to cradle the side of my face, his eyes full of concern. I shook my head, knowing there were tears forming at the corner of my eyes. “I was afraid I didn’t live up to your expectations. I’m so used to being ridiculed about my shapely figure.”
His tongue came out to lick my lower lip, followed by a small nip of his teeth and a soft kiss to the side of my mouth. “You are perfection personified. Do you have any idea how many dreams I’ve had of you? How many times I wanted to take things further, but felt I didn’t dese
rve you?”
I shook my head. I had no clue he’d felt this way.
His lips pressed gently against mine as he lowered one of my hands to his waistband. “Untie me, darling. I’m straining against the material, and I’m hurting for you.”
My hands quickly untied the drawstring of his pajama bottoms. He stepped out of them and kicked them to the side after they fell to the floor. I was in awe over his endowment. To say he was big was an understatement. My mind raced, wondering if we could even fit together. He placed my hand atop of his hardness, a drop of pre-cum already oozing out of the tip. “This is what you do to me; what you’ve always done to me.”
HER BREATH FALTERED AT my admission. I knew I shouldn’t lay all my cards out on the table totally exposing every inch of my heart, but given what we’ve both been through I felt openness and honesty were the best policy so nothing got misconstrued.
I leaned forward, pressing her down into the mattress and following her up onto the bed. I was surprised when her legs instantly parted, allowing me to settle between them. I watched as her hands went to the back of the headboard and held on. This must be an automatic response of hers.
I reached up and pulled her hands down to her sides. “For now, you can put your hands any place that makes you feel comfortable. There’ll be no rules to follow, no orders to obey for either of us. It’s about our pleasure and our desires. Do you agree?”
Marjorie’s emerald eyes sparkled with delight, reminding me of the rich green of clovers. A smile spread across her face as she nodded in agreement.
I kissed her softly against her lips. “I hate to ask this, but are you on some form of birth control? I can wear a condom, but I’d really love to feel you skin on skin. I’ve been tested recently and can assure you that I’ve got a clean bill of health.”
I Need You Too: Stand Alone Novel, Contemporary-Erotic-Suspenseful Romance, Psychological Thriller Page 9