“I didn’t get that,” I say, kissing his forehead. “Can you say it again, but slower? I promise not to make fun of your desires.”
His flush has reached epic proportions and has infiltrated his hairline. He shoves his fingers through his hair, causing the gorgeous ink-black strands to stand straight.
He shifts a little closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “I. Want. You. To. Touch. Me,” he says slowly and carefully.
“Are there any off-limits places?”
He bites his lower lip and shakes his head.
“Is that what you were going to practice with Tristan?”
He shakes his head again. “I already know I want that. I just…the other stuff. I’m not sure.”
“Okay. Let me ask you this. If you want me to touch you, do you also want to touch me? You don’t have to. I just want to know.”
He gives a tiny nod as deep scarlet tickles across his cheekbones.
I hold my hand to my ear. “I’m going to need a verbal on that one.”
He punches my shoulder. “Yes. Of course I want to touch you. If that would feel good for you.”
“I would like that very much.” I tap my chin. “What about my mouth? Can I explore you with my mouth?”
He inhales on a shiver. “I think so, yes.”
I lean in, lightly kissing his neck. “Like this?”
He whines. “Mm-hmm.”
“And like this?”
I lay open-mouthed kisses on the sensitive divot at the base of his throat before licking and sucking up the column of his neck.
I take his breathless, “Oh my God, oh my God,” as confirmation.
I pull back, and his horny, desperate look is so beautiful that I don’t even know what to do with myself. Before I get lost in him, he goes in for another kiss, a little more urgent and sloppier.
I wrap him in my arms, as much of my body touching his as possible. I press my hardness to his and…I need to stop. I kiss his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, intoxicated. I cradle his jaw, trying to calm the fuck down.
“Tonight has been a lot for you, and I’m not going to push,” I say, pulling away even though it hurts. “So, uh, text me, and let’s try to find an evening together to explore, okay?”
Ford’s mouth drops open and, fuck, he looks devastated.
I touch his elbow. “Did I say something wrong? Was I moving too quickly?”
“Are you crazy? Why would I want to wait?” he asks, shocking the hell out of me.
I hold up my hands, completely unsure of what to do next.
“Ford, you crab-walked out of the apartment to get away from me. You were terrified of me just twenty minutes ago.”
“That was twenty minutes ago,” he pouts, fists on his hips.
“You were going to practice with somebody else tonight.”
“Yeah, then you said it was okay if we tested things out on each other. You were very sweet to me even though I treated you like you were here to murder me. I’m ready to move on from that.”
I open my mouth and shut it. “I mean…okay.”