Jess

His eyes held that familiar twinkle that I’d come to like so much, but there was a depth there now, something I wasn’t sure I’d seen before. I wasn’t even sure I was seeing it now. After he’d kissed me, I’d been powerless to keep myself from replaying the moment, of imagining that he’d kiss me again.

Yes, I knew this was madness, knew that I was playing with fire, but I didn’t know how to stop, and I didn’t want to stop.

I locked eyes with him and smiled slightly. “And how would I go about doing that?” I asked, wondering where the flirty-sounding voice that emerged from my throat had come from.

Sean smiled deeper, tapped his chin with his finger. “Let me think…”

In the next breath, he had captured me in his arms and begun to kiss me.

When his lips covered mine, I exhaled, the breath I took feeling like the first I’d had since he’d kissed me the first time. I’d tried to go on like usual, pretending that I thought nothing of the kiss. But in my heart, and in my head, the memory had lingered, as had the desire to kiss him again.

I sighed and melted against him, the tips of my breasts aching as I pressed against his hard chest. I moved without thinking, my arms going around his neck as I pulled our bodies flush.

Sean responded in kind, tightening his strong arms around my waist as he prodded my lips with the tip of his tongue. I opened, and when he swooped into my mouth, I sighed again, the urgency of my need making my world tilt.

I broke the kiss, desperate for air and afraid of the intensity of what I was feeling. When I looked at Sean, his green eyes had darkened, the expression in them reflecting what I felt.

Then he lifted the corner of his mouth in that uniquely Sean way. “That qualifies,” he said.

“For what?” I asked on a shaky breath, my chest still heaving.

“A proper introduction,” he said.

I stared at him for a moment, and then, in the next breath, closed the small distance between us and laid my hands on his chest. I could feel the thud of his heart, the warmth of his skin through his T-shirt. I returned his smile.

“I think I can do better,” I whispered, curling my fingers gently.

Sean lifted one brow in question. “Are you sure?” he asked.

His expression had a hint of cloudiness now, and on instinct, I stretched up and kissed him, moving my lips against his, along the rough stubble at his jaw, down his neck until I grazed his collarbone. I almost lost myself in the taste and feel of Sean, this chance to touch him in ways I’d only dreamed about sweeping me away.

But, I found myself and took a step back, looked into his eyes. “I’m sure,” I said.

And I’d never meant anything more. Whatever the circumstances, however screwed up this all was, I wanted Sean with all I had. So, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I would cast aside reason, not think of the consequences, and take what I needed.

Sean studied me for a long moment, considering. Then, he entwined his fingers with mine, the gesture surprisingly sweet and tender, and then he started walking. I followed without pause, the excitement that boiled in my blood making my steps hasty.

So hasty that I was impatient when Sean paused and locked the door and then guided me up another flight of stairs.

When he reached the door at the top of the stairs, I realized where he was taking me, and my excitement was momentarily banked in favor of curiosity. Though Sean was becoming more and more familiar each day, there was still so much I didn’t know about him. Seeing his home would give me insight that I so deeply wanted. It also added a level of intimacy that I hadn’t anticipated.

It seemed a small thing, but the prospect of being in his home, in his bed, made this moment mean even more.

He unlocked the door and led me in, and as he closed and relocked the door, I took the place in.

It was huge, maybe twice the size of the unit below. I realized then, that the first floor must have two units, while this floor was only Sean’s. And, unlike the apartment downstairs, which had distinct rooms, Sean’s home did not. Other than a door at the far corner of the space, which I presumed led to the bathroom, there were no other rooms. Instead, the open space had areas for different functions, but no walls.

I could feel Sean behind me, his fingers still gripping mine, but I was riveted by what I saw. Or rather, what I didn’t.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected from Sean’s place, but this neat, tasteful, immaculately clean space was not it. The concrete floors looked to have been polished to a high shine, and I didn’t see a speck of dust anywhere, not even under the long, sectional couch that took up a nice portion of the large area that had been made into a living space.

The same was true for the massive entertainment center set off to one corner. The only thing that even suggested someone lived here was the single glass that sat on top of the poured concrete counters. But even that gave the place a hint of character, the slight imperfection only enhancing the overall image.

Even the giant bed off to one corner had been made.

I sighed when Sean squeezed my hand and then kissed my neck. “What do you think?” he whispered, his lips grazing the shell of my ear, his hard chest against my back.

His closeness almost made me lose my train of thought, but I smiled and leaned deeper into him. “Not what I expected,” I said.

“And what were you expecting?” he asked.

“I…” I trailed off, stifling a smile.

But Sean’s little huff of a laugh told me he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“You’re surprised it’s neat?” he said.

“Well…I mean…” I responded, my smile breaking through.

“You’ve seen the bar,” he said, before tracing his lips against my ear.

“I thought that was Grace’s doing…” I said, my voice fading into a deep sigh as Sean held my waist and then settled his hands on my thighs.

“Nope,” he responded, his breath warm, his hot hands driving me even further to distraction.

“Umm…” I said, and Sean laughed.

“Sounds like you’re ready for the rest of the tour,” he whispered.

“Definitely,” I responded, turning in his arms.

He’d taken off his glasses, and I lifted my hand to stroke my finger across his nose, lingering on the little divots where his glasses had rested. Then, finally, I stretched tall again and kissed him. I kept my eyes open and studied his expression as I kissed him, watching the little incremental shifts in his face as I did.

It was Sean who broke the kiss this time, his green eyes intense but also light with humor. He smiled, the cockiness of his expression endearing and so quintessentially Sean. Then he stepped back and dropped his hand to my fingers again and led me across the large space.

I knew where we were headed and when we got to the edge of his bed, he looked at me again, smiled, and waited. Again he was silently telling me that the choice was mine.

My answer would be no different.

As I had before, I kissed him, hoping he could feel my answer in the intensity of my kiss. From his response, the way he breathed out deeply and then locked his arms around my waist, he had.

He took over the kiss, thoroughly exploring my mouth with his tongue as he let his hands roam my body. He cupped my ass in his palms and pulled himself flat against me, my breasts crushed against his hard pecs, my soft stomach against his solid abs making me shiver.

That shiver deepened when he moved his hands around my waist and unbuckled my pants. He broke the kiss and looked down at his hands as he worked my jeans and panties down my legs. They fell into a puddle at my feet, but I scarcely noticed because he thrust his hand between my thighs, unerringly moving toward my wet center.

At the first brush of his finger, I sighed and blindly groped for him, closing my hands around his strong biceps. I looked at him, and he smiled, his face bright, but his eyes showing the intensity of the moment. In the next breath, he began unbuttoning my shirt, moving quickly to open the buttons. He pushed the shirt down my shoulders and off and then quickly relieved me of my bra.

The cool rush of air made my nipples pebble, but Sean’s warm, rough fingertips caressing the sensitive tips took away any chill. At first his touch was gentle, exploring, but when I looked into his eyes, the air shifted. He squeezed my breasts and then began to knead, the rough scrape of his palms against my nipples, the strong grip of his thick fingers driving me to the edge.

And then he was gone.

Sean stepped back, stared at me. I stared back, wondering what he saw when he looked at me, tried to imagine myself in his eyes. He watched me, and when I saw the slight flair of his nostrils, the way his throat worked when he swallowed, I knew that he was pleased. A conclusion that was correct when he again closed the space between us and pushed me back.

I laughed when I landed on his soft bed, and continued to smile when he pulled my shoes, pants, and underwear off my legs, leaving me naked. The feeling of Sean’s soft, fine bedcovers under my body as I watched him start to undress was decadent, made me feel like a different version of myself, a version that I liked.

This new, unbound me watched as Sean kicked off his heavy boots and then pulled his T-shirt off. His bare chest was just as glorious as I’d imagined, every muscle perfectly sculpted, the light dusting of darkish blond hair only making me want to touch him that much more. He looked at me from across the space and then flashed me a cocky grin. One that, to my surprise, I found myself returning.

I’d found pleasure with lovers before, but never the comfort and ease I felt with Sean. I wondered at the source of that, but then forced myself to stop. The whys didn’t matter, nor did the questions of what would happen after.

All that mattered was now.

Sean walked toward me, his arms loose at his sides. But, rather than joining me, he continued to the head of the bed. I watched him avidly, and caught a glimpse of his arm. On it was a beautiful tattoo, an M. that covered the top quarter of his arm.

Instantly, I knew what it stood for and got a clear understanding of what family meant to him.

But all thought fled when Sean turned and tossed a string of foil packets on the bed. My heart began to thud as he unbuckled his belt and opened his pants, then pulled them down his lean hips and over his strong thighs. My harsh, ragged breaths filled the room as I watched him, my gaze riveted on his long, thick length.

Sean took a couple of steps closer, his cock bobbing with the movement. My breath, which was already ragged, increased, my throat going dry as the dampness between my thighs increased.

“You want to do the honors?” Sean asked in a rough voice when he stood at the edge of the bed.

I wasted no time scrambling toward him, uncaring of how ungraceful I might have looked, of how doing so might have put my imperfect body in a less than flattering light. All that mattered was touching Sean, reducing the number of seconds between this moment and the moment when he would finally enter me.

I kneeled on the bed, which brought me not quite eye to eye with him. Without pause, I reached for his shaft and closed my fist around his thickness, his warm, welcoming weight making my palm tingle.

At my first tentative stroke, Sean exhaled hard. I stroked him again, more firmly this time and was rewarded with another hard breath, one that made me feel both powerful and desired and pulled me deeper under his spell.

I stroked my fist up and down his length over and over again until his shaft was slick with his precum and I was so turned on I thought I’d come before he even touched me. I released my hold and quickly sheathed him and then lay back.

Sean wasted no time joining me, and then he spread his strong body over me, pressing me into the mattress. I’d opened my legs to cradle his hips and when I arched, his cock nudged my opening. I arched again, crying out when his cock hit my clit.

“Sean…” I said, hoping he heard the neediness in my voice.

“I’m here,” he whispered, his voice a rough rasp against my ear.

I held his shoulders tight as he reached between our bodies and began to thrust into me.

My reaction was instant, the pleasure that rocketed through me almost overwhelming. The rigid way he held his body, his harsh, heavy breaths telling me he felt the same. I’d never felt anything like it, and the tiny voice at the back of my head told me I never would.

But I ignored that voice, and let the waves of pleasure Sean stirred sweep me away.