Lina 33
“So, this is home,” I gestured with a wide sweep of my hand.
It felt weird to be so excited that he was in my house. It was different from being in his house, or being at work with him, or even him sneaking in through my window. No matter how much I’d touched him or how often his lips had been on mine, it still felt as though maybe he wasn’t real. Like I would wake up one day and realize this was all an elaborate dream. That things lined up to make my mind believe they were real. Now, this felt real. This angel of mine was standing in my living room.
“I don’t think you got a tour last time,” I said, feeling somehow shy.
Looping my arm through his, I led him at a leisurely pace through the house, pointing out the rooms and anything special in them that I liked. Our house really was lovely. Something you took for granted, seeing it every day. After finishing downstairs, we headed upstairs.
“See that painting?” I asked, pointing to a four-foot by three-foot canvas hanging above the hall table. “Jilsey, Gavin, and I painted it the day Gavin and I moved in. There were some old paints in one of the closets, and we found the canvas in Gavin’s room. It was our first official act as roommates.”
After appraising our masterpiece, he turned his eyes back to me. “You care about them a lot.” He said it as a statement, not a question, but I nodded.
“They’re my family,” I said simply.
“Yes, they are.” He pulled me down the hallway, stopping outside my bedroom. “This, I think, is my favorite room on the tour.” His smile turned wicked as he pushed me against the door with his body.
“Is that so?” I murmured. “That’s funny, because it’s mine, too.”
Using my semi-trapped hand, I reached for the doorknob, and we both nearly fell through the door laughing like idiots. My laughter died on my lips when he locked the door behind him and faced me. Gone was his humor, replaced with desire.
I stood completely still as he stalked forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. Telor backed me up until my knees hit my bed. With a not-so-gentle movement, he lowered me to the mattress and followed me down, dragging both of us to the headboard.
At first, his lips were nothing more than ghosts over my mouth and neck, gentle whispers of movement. Then, he ran his tongue from my collarbone to my neck and ended at my earlobe. Having enough of his torture, I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him fiercely, grazing my tongue across the bottom of his top teeth.
“God, you drive me crazy,” he growled, braced above me with his arms.
“Good,” I whispered.
I slowly undid the buttons on his shirt and slid it down one shoulder at a time. He shrugged it off, resuming his position over me. I was surprised he couldn’t hear my heart pounding or my blood pumping like a steamboat.
As he continued his leisurely assault on my neck, I fought to retain control of my own body. Try as I might, I couldn’t resist the urge to wiggle beneath where he was positioned between my thighs.
“I seem to be at a disadvantage,” he said, his wicked smile returning. I quirked an eyebrow at him in question, and he leaned back on his knees. Pulling me with him, he yanked my shirt over my head with one quick motion. As he lay us back down, he kept a vise-like grip around my wrists and pinned them above my head. “That’s better.”
Even though we were still mostly clothed, I felt exposed. The red and black lace bra I’d found in my drawer at Telor’s house heaved with my unsteady breaths, causing my breasts to almost fall out the top. Telor’s appreciative gaze did nothing to help my nerves.
“Have I told you how incredibly beautiful you are?” he said. His grip on my wrists was going to drive me crazy. I wanted to run my hands all over his body, lace my fingers through his hair, and pull his mouth to mine. I wiggled again, attempting to free my hands. “Are you afraid?”
“No,” I answered, though I wasn’t completely sure it was true. Despite my desire and excitement, I might have been a little scared.
Locking both of my tiny wrists in one of his hands, he used the other to torture me further. He glided his hand, the very tips of his fingers, down my body, stopping at the button of my black dress pants. He released my wrists and removed my pants with a hard tug.
I didn’t waste any time fumbling with his belt. I didn’t get far before he stopped me. When he rolled us so that I straddled his hips, his still-clothed hips, a wave of rejection washed over me. While it wasn’t the first time I had been turned down, it was certainly the only time it actually hurt.
“You’re angry with me,” Telor said, his voice amused.
What the fuck was funny? I thought.
“Nothing is funny, I’m sorry,” he said, stifling a laugh.
Did I say that out loud?
“Catalina.” His voice coaxed me to look at him. “I’m not rejecting you, don’t feel that way. I want to take my time with you. I want to know every inch of your body, every piece of your mind and soul. While in my younger days, I’d have had no problem taking you against your desk or even in the hallway.” God, I wish he’d have taken me against my desk. Having sex in my office had always been something I wanted to do. “I’m not that man anymore, and you certainly deserve more than that man could have given you. Okay?”
Goddammit. Why did he have to put it that way? While my body was still reeling with all the skin-on-skin contact, he stroked my heart in a way that it needed. Falling back against his chest, I slid my lips against his. They opened, automatically inviting my tongue to join his. Being on top gave me the advantage to return his earlier favor, and I worked my way from his neck and down his chest. He stopped me just below his sternum and pulled me back up to his face.
“You’re killing my self-control, Cariad.” His words were rough and filled with need.
“I know.” I smiled against his lips. I relished in the evidence of his want under me. “Do you need a shower? A cold one, perhaps?” I giggled as he pushed me off him and turned to his side, wrapping his arms around me.