Page 139 of Beyond the Stroke

“Doubtful.”

“Are you going to paint today?” I ask.

“Yeah, later this afternoon. I’m feeling a sunset session. They’re one of my favs. Either sunset or early morning.”

I glance down at her. “I’d love to see something you’ve painted sometime.”

She bites her lip. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

All I can do is nod.

Summer hasn’t shared the specifics of her art with me yet, so I’m trying not to push it too much. It’s something she’s had to guard in the past and I don’t want her to feel that way with me. I want her to share it on her own terms.

I’m quickly noticing that for someone who said ‘space’ was their love language, there’s none of it between us now.

Her thigh brushes against mine again, so I do what I’ve been dying to do since we sat down and lift her leg to drape it over mine. It feels like the most natural thing in the world.

The new angle of her leg shifts the hem of her dress, exposing more of her legs. My hand moves beneath the table to rest on her bare thigh.

“This okay?” I ask, loving the feel of her silky skin beneath my palm. Touching her thigh has my thoughts quickly returningto how it had felt to hold her open while I’d licked her pussy last night.

I’m certain she’ll fight me on it. Toss out some sarcastic quip. But she quietly hums with approval, taking the last bite of the pancake.

“I’m not normally a sweets person, but that pancake was so good. I’m going to be thinking about it all day.”

I lean down to press my mouth to her ear.

“I get it. Now that I’ve tasted you, it’s all I’ve been able to think about.”

My fingers wander farther up her leg, slow and measured, until they disappear beneath the hem of her dress.

At my advance, Summer’s breath catches, but she doesn’t pull away.

“Do you want me to stop?” I murmur, keeping my voice low.

She shakes her head. “No.”

Hidden beneath the diner’s deck awning, we’re sheltered from the warm sun. The salty breeze flows through Summer’s long hair, then wraps around us like a secret.

There are only a few other tables occupied on the deck, but I’m still aware we’re in a public place. I keep my gaze forward, letting my palm slide over her inner thigh until my fingers find the edge of her underwear.

Just this secret touch beneath Summer’s dress is enough to set my body aflame.

“You looked so pretty falling apart for me last night.” I dip my fingertip under the edge and trace along the seam. “I keep thinking about how soft you sounded. How sweet you tasted.”

I notice Summer’s left hand is curled around the edge of the bench, her nails digging into the worn wood.

“I’m going to take my time with you later. Spread you out on my bed and make you beg a little.” My voice dips lower. “Iwant to hear that rasp in your voice when you whisper my name again.”

“Rory.”It’s half a warning, half a plea.

I watch as Summer’s lips press together and her cheeks flush with want.

My finger releases the edge of her underwear, then slipping out from under her dress, my hand finds a safe place back on her thigh.

“Later,” I promise her, squeezing her leg softly above the knee.

“You’re evil,” she says calmly, placing her sunglasses back on her face.

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