Page 96 of Save Me

“Are we a couple?”

“Well, I’m not having you as a friend with benefits. I don’t want that.”

I grin. “Friend with benefits?”

“You know what I mean.”

“How can anyone have an IQ like yours and then come out in all seriousness with a phrase like ‘friend with benefits’?” I murmur in amusement, which earns me a punch in the guts. I groan with pain. “I preferred it when you were using your tongue.”

Another punch, then she works her way back up again until her face is only a hand’s width from mine. “Do you really think it’s wise to be that cheeky this soon?”

I feel as though my pounding heart is going to burst my rib cage any second. Ruby is straddling me, her upper body pressed against mine, the buttons on her blouse scratching my skin slightly. My hard-on presses almost painfully against the cloth of my trousers, and I shut my eyes for a moment as Ruby shifts her hips.

I want her.

I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

“I’m whatever you want,” I croak, meaning every word. “Friend, boyfriend, friend with benefits, anything.” I don’t care what myparents say or what lies ahead in the future. Ruby’s right—we have the present. And I can’t deny what I feel for her a second longer.

“Anything? Really?” she whispers.

“Anything,” I repeat, running my hands up her thighs. Something glitters in Ruby’s moss-green eyes. As I run my thumb over the inside of her thigh, I hear her gasp for breath. A triumphant smile spreads over my lips. She’s incredibly sensitive. I repeat the movement, but higher up this time. Ruby shuts her eyes. She looks gorgeous with her wavy hair; long, dark lashes; and her cute blouse with its bow at the collar. I’d love to pull on the black ribbon, but I don’t dare. If we’re really going to the next level, then it’s for her to take the next step.

As if she’d read my thoughts, Ruby leans forward until her mouth is close to my ear. The next moment, her lips run along the rim of it and down, and she takes my earlobe between her teeth. My body reacts violently to her. I have goose bumps all over, and the arousal is making me almost dizzy. She keeps on teasing me, trailing kisses down my throat and sucking at the crook of my neck.

I swear under my breath.

Ruby pushes away from me, looking at me seriously. “Don’t you like that?”

“Yes.” My voice is rough and scratchy with desire. “Yes, I like it.”

I wanted to give her time and not rush her, I wanted to be patient and act like a gentleman, but…I can’t any longer. I want to show her what she does to me. My hands tremble as I take hold of her face and press my lips against hers. Ruby groans with surprise as I roll over and pin her firmly beneath me. The moment I press my erection against her, she gasps in my mouth and clings on to my back. If she’s like this already, I can hardly wait to be inside her.

The next second, she strokes the shirt off my arms until it falls to the floor beside the bed. Her hands wander over my back, hesitantly at first, and then she gently scratches her nails along my spine until she reaches my bum and squeezes it.

“Shit, Ruby,” I growl.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” she replies, giving me a slap. I laugh breathlessly into her neck and bite her gently in revenge. She reacts by wrapping her legs around my hips and pressing herself more firmly against me. Fuck’s sake, is she trying to kill me?

I lean back a little, then take the ribbon at her collar between my fingers. I look her in the eyes as I slowly pull on it. Ruby gulps hard and watches, as if in a trance, while I undo the buttons. She sits up so that I can slip the blouse off her shoulders. I don’t know where I throw it; I only have eyes for Ruby. The light of the lantern outside casts pale stripes over her skin and the skin-tone bra she’s wearing. Ruby’s body is beautiful—curvaceous and soft in all the right places. It’s obvious at school that Ruby knows exactly what she wants—apparently, she’s the same in bed, and that’s making my throat dry out.

I lean down and dot a row of kisses over her cleavage. I put my hands around her breasts and stroke them, which makes Ruby gasp with surprise. I’m longing to rip the rest of her clothes off her body and sink into her, but I hold back.

This is our first time. I want us both to remember—years from now—how good it was.

So I take it slowly as I explore her upper body. I run my lips and teeth over every inch of skin, lick across her breasts, and hold her tighter. I move further down and run my teeth over the arch of her ribs. Her hushed gasps and the way she tenses are like aguidebook to her body. As I reach her waistband, she digs her fingers in my hair. Questioningly, I look up at her. She has me in her hand; it’s for her alone to decide what happens next.

“Keep going,” she whispers, almost inaudibly.

I don’t need any further invitation.

First, I pull off her shoes, then her socks. Ruby watches me, a slight smile on her lips. Then I unzip her trousers and help her pull them off her legs. After that, she’s lying there in front of me, in her underwear, and I hold my breath. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. Not a clue. Perhaps that’s what people call karma. Goes something like:Hey, is your whole life going to shit? Well, to make up for that, here’s the most amazing girl in the world. She’s forgiven you and likes you and even though you don’t deserve it, she’s letting you get her undressed.

Or something.

Whatever Ruby’s reason might be for letting me do this—I’m going to show her how highly I value her.

I lean down and kiss my way up her legs. Then there’s no more thinking, only feeling. I run both hands over Ruby’s hips. I gently stroke her sides, run my hand over her belly, to the top of her knickers. Ruby’s breathing faster and heavier.

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