Page 103 of Hold Me Instead
She pulled back slightly, smiling that they could be light about it. “Are you uncomfortable with doing anything tonight?” Her eyes searched his.
“No.” He shook his head firmly. “No, I’m good if you’re good.”
“Good,” she said softly against his lips. “I trust you, Zachary.”
His palms curved to her cheeks as he pulled back, eyes soft as he scanned her face. Her stomach flipped at the intensity of his gaze. It was a look she’d fantasized about, but the feeling it elicited was beyond her imagination. She was light enough to float on a cloud yet heavy with need. It was a gut punch of desire, a mutual want. Tenderness.
They moved at the same time, and when their mouths fused, they held. Charlie touched his jaw lightly, then tugged his bottom lip between her teeth.
Zachary groaned, and one palm engulfed her nape and angled her head. The kiss was deep, the strokes of his tongue long, slow, playful, like he was letting her know he could make these kisses count, that they could be enough if she wanted. His hands mapped her hips and slid to her ass, following her movements as she ground herself against him.
Her whole body was ignited, sparks shooting everywhere that she wanted to chase immediately. Naked.
He tugged his mouth from hers. “Are you okay?”
“What? Yes. I’m so okay.” She pulled at the bottom buttons of his shirt and slipped her hands beneath his undershirt, the feel of his warm skin against her energizing. To feel it against her body would be…
She gasped, his hands trailing under her shirt and up. She raised her arms, and Zachary slipped the top over her head and tossed it to the floor. She shivered and finished his buttons, shoving at the shoulders until the sleeves slid from his body.
“So…many…layers!” she griped, grabbing the hem of his undershirt to tug it off. “Ugh, I don’t even want winter to come, that’ll mean more.” She slammed her mouth against his, smoothing her hands over his pecs, his ribs, around his back.
Zachary laughed against her lips, then trailed kisses down her neck to her chest, slowing over the swells of her breasts. His hands reached behind her, finding the clasp of her bra, and freed her from the restraint. He guided the straps down her arms with extreme patience, bit his lip as he tossed the bra aside. His hands kneaded her breasts, taking his time. Fingers brushed her nipples, then pinched them lightly.
Charlie moaned, the sound growing as Zachary crashed forward, his mouth capturing one nipple, fingers working the other. She arched her back, gripped his head to hold him against her.
Her body was on fire. She reached for his jeans, scooting back on his thighs to give herself room as she tugged at the button and zipper. Her hand found his boxer briefs, and she slid her palm down, his hard length straining. Zachary’s breath hitched, an arm tightening around her waist. Then she was on her back, pressed into the couch cushions, as Zachary kneeled over her.
“Fuck, Charlie,” he said.
She whimpered, the loss of his mouth on her, her hands on him, too much.
He kissed her, tongue diving into her mouth, hands splayed over her body. His fingers trailed along her stomach, tracing lower between her thighs. Her heart raced, but then his hand was on the move again. After two more rounds of the same, she realized he wasn’t going to go any further unless she wanted him to. And she wanted him to. Wanted release, from him.
She held his hand in place when it once again flirted between her thighs. He stared at her, their breaths heavy. She nodded.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Please. Touch me,” she whispered.
“Fuck,” he said, his forehead falling to her shoulder. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She shook her head. “You won’t. Just…go slow.”
He lifted his head and nodded. Then he kneeled beside the couch, a sly grin forming. “Oh, I can go slow.”
She bit her lip, the tease as hot as it was concerning because she had no doubt this man could make her beg.
Carefully, his eyes monitoring her every breath, Zachary undid her jeans and tugged them down, the well-worn denim harsh against her sensitive skin. His hands slid up, with a squeeze to her calves, then thighs. His thumbs grazed over the edge of her plain berry bikini-cut underwear.Didnotthink this far ahead.These are so boring.
He grinned. “Perfect color for you.” His thumbs skimmed the fabric, right over her clit, seeming to emphasize his point.
Charlie arched from the couch with a gasp.
He pressed kisses to her thighs, on the inside of her legs, over her hips, slowly working his way up until he was back at her breasts, tongue swirling over her nipples, making her crazy with want. Every inch of her was tingling, the brush of his chest against her causing rippling shocks through her body.
“God, Zachary,” she breathed.
“Mmm,” he hummed over her breast.
