Page 68 of Don't Remind Me
The next pass of his tongue was a shock of pleasure. I dropped to my elbows on the island, legs already shaking as he lifted one knee over his shoulder, then the other so my lower half was suspended off the ground and splayed open to him while he feasted.
There was no other word for it. His mouth was relentless, moving over me like he couldn’t get enough but planned to die trying. His tongue filled me, teasing a spot that had me grinding against him, soaking his lips with my arousal. I moaned in protest as he retreated, but only until his mouth closed over my clit, sending me into a new kind of madness.
I came once, a slow-building wave that had me crumbling beneath its swell, continuing to break me apart until I was a trembling mess.
Jase rose to his feet and gently set me on the island, pulling my legs wide for him to step between. He reached for his wallet as I dropped kisses to his chest, scraping my teeth along his nipples and roaming my hands over his shoulders, my every touch an attempt to express how completely I wanted him.
Admired him.
Was grateful for him.
He rolled the condom on, then lifted my chin and kissed me again, just as deeply and fully as before, communicating the same to me. At least it felt that way, even if he didn’t mean to say it.
Then he tilted my hips forward and sank into me, and there was nothing left to say. No words to describe how good he felt, no phrases that could capture his fullness inside me, no way to encompass this absolute truth of us together.
He moved, slow and deep, grinding our pelvises together with each thrust. The friction sent me to another plane, then somehow higher as he leaned me backward in his arms to take my breast in his mouth. He drew the nipple to a peak, swirling and sucking before moving to the other.
“Jase.” It was barely a whisper. My next orgasm was already building, gripping me too tightly to speak. Sweat coated our skin, sticking my hair to my neck, making me slide against the counter as I helplessly rocked my hips.
He steadied me with his palms on my ass, his muscles flexing beneath my touch as he moved inside me and pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ve got you.”
My fingers threaded through his hair, eyes squeezing shut against the approaching onslaught.
“Look at me,” he breathed against my lips. “Please. I want to see you.”
I forced my eyes open as the pleasure swelled, gaze locking with his, and that was it. Everything ceased to exist except for ecstasy and him. There was no escaping it, no navigating it, no way out.
There was only the tightening of his arms around me as he snapped his hips faster, pumping into me with abandon, and the agony breaking over his face as he found his own pleasure. Groans fell from his lips, filling my head like a prayer.
“Dani, fuck.Dani.”
When I found my way back to the present, my back was flat against the island, his forehead resting on my sternum, both of us heaving in air like we’d just burrowed our way out from below ground and drawn our first breaths. I held him to me, one hand buried in his hair, the other gripping his shoulder, not wanting to let go.
But more than that, something told me this was what he needed. For me to run my fingers through his hair, rub my palm over his back, and make him feel cared for. Loved.
I didn’t analyze how easy it was for me to do. I just did it.
“Well? How is it?”
We were sitting on his couch, me in my tank top and panties and him in his gray drawstring pants, each with a plate of lasagna on our laps. I hadn’t touched mine yet, too concerned with watching him finish his first bite, trying to tell if he liked it.
I’d rate my cooking skills somewhere around average; I could usually follow a recipe to a decent result, but it was nothing to write home about. Sal had assured me this recipe was foolproof, but I suddenly doubted every step I’d taken. Had I overcooked the noodles? Was there enough sauce?
If the way Jase’s eyes fell closed was any indication, I’d done okay. Then he confirmed it by leaning over to kiss me, a short and sweet press to my lips. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”
I tried to suppress my smile as I cut into my own piece. “And the shower?” I asked, hesitating a little. “How was that?”
My plan had been not to ask. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was fishing for gossip about Alec and Stephanie. Especially after today, when I felt like I’d finally made true progress toward closure. But there was no ignoring that something had happened to upset him, and I wanted him to know he could share it with me.
He let out a deep sigh. “Not good. My mom…” He shook his head.
“What?”
“She invited my ex.”
My spine snapped straight as something ugly swept through me. Something eager to pull hair and scratch faces. I tried to hide it by cutting another bite out of my lasagna. “Why would she do that?”
“Basically, she thinks I’m a loser who will never be able to trick someone else into being with me, and since my career is doomed to fail, I need someone who can carry me through life so my parents don’t have to continue to be embarrassed by me. I’m paraphrasing, but that was pretty much the gist of our conversation.” His tone aimed for flippant but came up short. There was pain there—old and deep-seated.
