Page 65 of Off the Stick
In some respects, Dane is still somewhat of a stranger to me.Except for the facts he’s shared and what I’ve googled, I know only the basics of his life since we parted.And most of the online information was stats or rumors about his love life.I avoided those tidbits.
“I’ll be right over there,” Dane says pointing down the hallway, his voice filled with the huskiness of desire.He stares at me long and hard, as if searching for an answer to the unspoken question of,are you all right?
“Thanks.I’ll be right out.”
He reaches to grab the door handle at the same time that I do, and our fingers touch.Electricity shoots up my arm.The corners of his mouth quirk upward.“Take your time.”
Time.What a funny concept.
I’ve had plenty of it—five years, in fact—never expecting I’d have another moment like this with Dane.Which is why I’m so damn nervous.
The sound of the door clicking shut and the quiet that surrounds me sends me in a chaotic tailspin.
I stare at myself in the mirror and don’t even recognize the woman in the reflection.I am deliciously disheveled with swollen lips and wait… what’s this?I lean in to get a good look in the mirror and tug the collar of my sweater away from my neck.Right there below my ear is a red mark left from when Dane nipped and sucked the skin.
In fact, my panties are still damp from the sensation that rippled through me while he did it.
Even after all these years, Dane can get me hot and wet within seconds, all without even using his fingers or dick.What does that say about me?
I’m still as inexperienced as the virgin I was when we first met.
And he’s been with loads and loads of women since then.
I wash and dry my hands as I mentally prepare myself for what comes next.I’ve got this.It’s just like riding a bicycle.Right?
When I open the door, the sound of soft music wafts in from the main living area.I follow it down the hallway and find Dane sitting on a large L-shaped couch.His legs are propped up on a leather ottoman, one arm draped along the back of the sofa, and his soft eyes track me as I walk toward him.
He drops his hand and pats the cushion next to him.“Come here.”
I swallow, and my feet don’t want to move.“Dane… you need to know something… I don’t think I can do this if you just want casual.”
He swings his feet to the floor and pushes up to stand, then walks purposefully toward me, his eyes turning a dark steel gray as he gets closer.I’m trapped in the spotlight of his gaze, marveling at how it changes in intensity and color based on his mood.
Taking my hands in his, he lifts them both to his lips and presses a light kiss on each.The soft bristles of his beard scrape over my skin, and the sensation zaps between my thighs.
Which, I realize, is where I want his hands.So much that I ache with the need.
My breath stutters unevenly with nerves and excitement over where this is leading.What he has planned for me.
“Cherry, this is anything but casual for me.It never has been with you.Ever.”He drops our hands down to our sides and moves in another step closer so there’s scarcely a breath between us.Then he begins to move side to side, swaying like a tree in the wind.Our feet move to the slow rhythm of the music in the background.“I don’t deserve this second chance with you, but I don’t want to lose it.I’ve only ever wanted you.”
Dane ducks his head and tips my chin up with the rough pad of his thumb so our eyes lock.The sincerity in those gray orbs is almost blinding.I don’t have to search his expression to know the truth.
One of his hands slips behind me and settles on my lower back.Dane bows his head and his bearded mouth glides over my neck and then the hollow of my throat, and my own head tips back as heat radiates through my body.He burrows his hand underneath the back of my sweater, fingertips playing over my spine like it’s an instrument.And the music they elicit from me is a deafening cacophony of desire and need.
We sway together in small steps, my body tingling everywhere his touch lands.I throw my arms around his neck and draw him closer.My fingers tangle in the soft hair at his nape as his fingers dip lower and curl into my waistband.
He continues to pepper soft kisses along my collarbone and then both of his hands meet at the button of my jeans.
With a pop and a slide of my pants, a finger seductively glides back and forth like a pendulum, the tempo maddeningly slow.
His breath fans out over my neck and his voice in my ear is a low, strangled sound.“I want to feel how wet you are for me, Cherry.”He toys with the edge of my panties, which elicits a loud gasp from me.“I want to make you come.”
I’m not sure if this is an ask or a demand, but I’m all in.I hum in agreement.
With deliberate ease, he slips a finger underneath the silky material and straight through my wet folds.My entire body shivers involuntarily, my shuttering breath almost laughable.
Dane’s fingers go straight to my core and into my soaked flesh.He spreads me open and sinks a digit inside.I clamp my hands over his shoulders to find purchase as I spasm around him.
