Page 27 of Our Radiant Embers

“I’ve seen worse,” was his response.

“Bedside manner like that, it’s a wonder they’re not queuing around the block for a taste of this.” With that, I parted my lips around the head of his dick and moved down until he hit the back of my throat. In the still air, Liam’s gasp seemed obscenely loud. I pulled back to avoid choking, not used to the stretch. A deep breath, and I slid down again. Repeated it to build up a tentative rhythm, using my hands to cover what my mouth couldn’t.

It was good. So good. Fuck. The way he twitched under my touch like he couldn’t quite help it. The warm musk of arousal. His cock, fully hard now, flushed and glistening with my spit.

I glanced up through my lashes. Liam’s face was stripped of his usual arrogance as he stared at me, his brows knitted together. Holding his eyes, I licked around the head of his dick. He tipped his chin down with a harsh intake of air, lids fluttering shut.

I’d never done this in broad daylight.

My sexuality was shadows and fumbled urgency, unknown bodies, faces masked. Even the first time with Liam had been rushed and weirdly anonymous, two strangers who knew scarcely more than the other’s name coming together. This felt different—the staccato bursts of his breaths and the hectic flush of his cheeks, the way he bit his lip to stifle his moans. If anyone walked in right now, it would be impossible to mistake this for anything but what it was.

I pulled back to give my jaw a brief rest, tonguing along the underside of his cock. When I glanced up once more, he was back to watching me with dark eyes. One hand found its way into my hair, gently cupping the back of my head. I allowed it—sat back slightly on my heels and opened my mouth around the head of his dick, waiting. A careful thrust. I shoved a hand between my thighs, palming myself through my jeans. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.

Come on.

He gave another cautious roll of his hips, staring at me. Too much, but God, I didn’t want him to stop. Since choking wasn’t sexy, I wrapped one hand around the base of his cock to control how far he could take it.

“Okay?” he asked, a gentle murmur.

I pulled back long enough to send him a smile. “Go for it.”

As soon as it was out, I sank back down on his cock, and then it was small, hurried thrusts that soon grew erratic, edged with desperation, Liam’s half-choked groans mixing with the wet noises I made. Time narrowed to the space between us, ebbing like the tide.

When he tugged on my hair, I drew back just slightly and kept working him with my hand. Somehow, I still wasn’t prepared for the warm saltiness coating my tongue. Oh. Liam shuddered with his release as I tried to swallow it all and didn’t quite manage, which—fuck, I probably looked a mess, lips swollen and drool on my face. Liam didn’t seem to care, though. He dropped to his knees, then pushed me back onto the carpet, following me down as he covered my body with his own. He licked the corner of my mouth before our tongues met in a rough kiss, teeth grazing.

I thrust up a little, but fuck, it wasn’t enough. He slapped my hand away when I tried to wedge it between us. Arse. Before I could protest, he moved down my chest, tugging the shirt out of my jeans so he could flatten a hand against my belly, holding me down as he got my jeans and boxers out of the way. No hesitation as he swallowed me all the way, and oh, oh God, holy shit. I was tempted to cover my eyes and stared at him instead—his lashes fanned out against his cheeks, the way his mouth stretched around me.

Fuck, I wasn’t going to last. Felt like I’d balanced on the edge for half an eternity already, the tight coil of heat in my stomach spiralling out. I traced his jaw and let my head fall back, thighs spreading wider as I arched up to meet the rhythm of his mouth on me. He pushed me back down. Close, so close. No one had ever—God.

“I’m,” I started but couldn’t remember the words. He hummed in response.

Everything was heat and darkness, an ocean behind my eyes. I came with a gasp, dimly aware that Liam worked me through it, time stuttering in and out of focus. Then we were kissing again, open mouths and the wet slide of our tongues, my hands in his hair. I could taste myself.

Reality crept back in like a thief, stealing the lethargic sense of calm that had blanketed me. Our kissing slowed, my heart no longer rabbiting in my chest. Liam’s body was a solid weight on top of mine, one of my legs wrapped around the backs of his thighs to keep him close.

Silence.

I dropped my leg so he could move away. After a beat, he did—sitting up as he rubbed a hand down his face, his hair a mess from my fingers. Christ, we were both a mess.

What now?

“You okay?” Liam asked slowly, uncertainty fringing the question.

I blinked up at him, thrown. We didn’t do this, did we? We didn’t…We didn’t care.

“I’m okay.” My voice felt a tad rough, like I hadn’t used it in a while. “You?”

“I’m good.”

More silence.

I started to feel awkward lying on my back, dick hanging out, so I tucked myself back in while Liam watched, something careful around his eyes. This time, I broke the silence.

“We should get back to work.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, but it was another moment before he got to his feet, fixing his clothes as he went. I tried not to stare at his mouth. No one had ever…Well, obviously. Until him, all I’d known were a couple of rushed handjobs in the dark. Just because this was the best I’d ever had didn’t mean it was the same for him—it almost certainly wasn’t. I was just the latest entry in his long list of hookups. I wasn’t special.

Right.

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