Closing her eyes, she grasped for a thin thread of courage to say what she wanted out loud, but the words wouldn’t come. They were stuck hard in the back of her throat.
‘Say it, Jess. Stop being such a coward and say it,’ he teased.
‘I want to touch you,’ she whispered. ‘I want to know what your body feels like.’
Opening her eyes, she saw he was looking at her intently. There wasn’t a trace of the condescension she’d expected to see, only acceptance and approval.
‘Go ahead.’ He drew away from her, leaving a chasm of cool air where he’d once been and tugged his shirt over his head, revealing his amazing body.
Taking a deep, shaking breath, she stared at him in shock for a moment, her brain taking a second to catch up with the sudden and stupefying turn of events. Had he really just offered up his body for her to fondle?
Please let it be so.
‘Go on,’ he urged, taking one of her trembling hands in his and placing it against his warm chest.
His skin glowed in the lamp light, and it felt as soft as she’d imagined, more so if that was possible and the hard muscle underneath moved gently under her touch as he readjusted his position.
Putting his hand over hers, he lay back on the rug, pulling her with him so she had to kneel up and lean over him.
He nodded at her as if urging her on and she slowly moved her hand down his chest to the top of his stomach where the muscles swelled against his skin like perfectly formed snow moguls on a ski run.
‘Is it everything you expected?’ he murmured, giving her a slow smile that made the blood rush and fizz between her legs.
‘Uh-huh,’ was all she managed as her whole body shook with the effort of not collapsing against him.
‘Okay, my turn.’
Before she knew what was happening, he sat up, grasping her shoulders and flipping her onto her back underneath him, trapping her legs between his knees and putting his hands either side of her head.
‘Just say the word, Jess and I’ll let you go.’ He leaned in closer, ‘But please don’t,’ he begged, ‘I think I’m going to go crazy if I don’t get to touch you.’
She just stared up at him, befuddled and entranced by the fact she had the ability to drive him crazy.
Had the world gone mad? Since when did she get to hold all the cards with a man like this?
Since now, Jess.
‘Okay, you can touch me,’ she whispered.
He smiled and sat back, moving his hands to stroke along the tops of her shoulders, before sweeping down and pushing up the sleeves of her top to uncover her arms.
It had been such a long time since she’d been touched like this that her body nearly melted with joy.
His touch was feather-light and slow, his fingertips sweeping over every inch of her bare arms, tracing the lines between her muscles and pausing on one of the many dark moles on her skin.
‘I love this arrangement of moles here,’ he said, quietly. ‘It’s such an interesting pattern. Like a constellation of stars. Beautiful.’ Moving on down her arms, he dipped his fingers into the well of her inner elbows. ‘Your skin is so soft,’ he murmured, swirling the pads of his fingers around the sensitive skin there until she thought she’d go crazy with it. ‘You have an amazing body, Jess,’ he said, his gaze moving down to take in the swell of her breasts as they pushed against her new – lucky – red top. ‘I’ve been thinking about it all day.’
Had he really?
Shuffling down her body, he released her legs, gently pushing his knee between her thighs to open her up to him.
Her heart raged in her chest as she realised what he was about to do, his hand dipping down to caress the skin of her outer thigh.
‘Wait,’ she whispered so quietly he didn’t hear her.
Both of his hands were on her legs now, making gentle stroking sweeps up from her knees towards the soft, plumpness of her inner thighs, his thumbs drawing erotic figures-of-eight across her flesh.
Great crashing waves of need flowed over her, making the space between her legs ache and pulse with the demand to be touched.