Page 92 of High Seduction
“Come and spot me while I do bench presses,” Tim requested. What he was thinking wasno more running away allowed.
Erin moved into position, and slowly the awkwardness drifted away. For the next forty-five minutes they fell into a comfortable, familiar routine. Not as Tim and Erin who were friends and lovers, trying to find a way to deal with the past. Not as Tim and Erin who walked a fine line of excitement and needed to find a way into their future.
Just steady co-workers. People who used their bodies to do a job and needed to keep their equipment in peak working condition.
When she laughed out loud at a snarky comment he dropped, Tim smiled. The next time they both had their hands empty, she surprised him by sneaking in and curling herself up close.
“Hug attack. I like it.” He stroked her back softly as she relaxed against him, both of them slightly sweaty, but damn if he cared. It was far more important to have her cheek resting on his shoulder, rhythmic puffs of air crossing his neck as her breathing evened.
It was time.
He stole one final brief kiss before adjusting their position so he could look into her eyes. “We need to talk.”
Erin made a face. “Can I apologize first for having the worst timing ever? Here we are in the middle of a fantasy-level vacation, and I dumped on it.”
“No apologies. If anything, I’m as much to blame because we should have had this conversation back in December when I first arrived in Banff. So instead of figuring out who did what wrong, let’s move on.”
“Agreed.”
He led her to the workout bench and sat her down, dragging a second bench closer so he could sit by her side. “I listened closely to everything you had to say this morning.”
“And you were pissed.”
“I was, but I’m not anymore. What I am now is confused.”
She frowned. “What part didn’t make sense?”
Tim hoped like hell this was going to work. “You were afraid you’d be willing to give up all control, inside the bedroom and out. Matt made a comment when I got back that helped me realize something.”
“Matt said a lot of things this morning,” Erin muttered.
Tim laughed. “He’s an opinionated bastard, isn’t he?”
Her expression twisted into a wry smile. “Sly bastards. I’m surrounded by them.”
Tim caught her fingers in his. “Serious now. Erin, what happens when you give me control in the bedroom? Think it through, and tell me everything.”
She paused. “You... make me feel good. Take me places I can’t go by myself.” He nodded for her to continue. Her pupils widened slightly, as if in remembered passion. “You push my boundaries at times, but it always ends up with me trusting that the result will be worth it. Like having sex in front of Matt. I enjoyed that so much, and I can’t even explain why.”
“I still take my pleasure,” he prompted. “It’s not just about you.”
“It feels like it’s all about me.”
Tim waited while a soft stream of curses escaped her lips.
“And that comment proves I’m a bigger ass than I thought.” She sighed heavily before lifting sad eyes to meet his. “You just seem so damn careful and considerate all the time, but it is about both of us, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Tim lowered his volume, his voice barely above a whisper. “I think about you the entire time. I watch. I listen closely. Trying to figure out what you need—reallyneed—and what’s going to take us both there.” He stroked her fingers lightly, needing to touch her. “I’m selfish enough to want the result to be pleasurable for me as well.”
She turned her hands over in his and watched as he traced his thumb back and forth over the sensitive inside of her wrist. “I’m pretty sure if it were a choice between my pleasure and yours, you’d pick mine.”
“It’s not difficult to want the best for you.”
Erin cupped his face with one hand and leaned in to kiss him, the moisture clinging to her lashes wetting his skin as she brushed her cheek against his.
He took her offering but didn’t let it end there. He couldn’t. “You were afraid the next step would be giving up all control to me outside the bedroom.”
She nodded.
