Julian told me to go sit on the sofa and wait. Although I still felt a bit nervous at the evil glimmer in his eyes, I did as he said. He left me and went to the front hall closet, rummaging around.

“What are you doing?” I called out.

“You’ll see,” was his answer.

I wasn’t the most patient person in the world. I tapped my finger repeatedly against the sofa cushions and jiggled my leg to the rhythm.

When Julian returned and I saw what was in his hands, my eyes went wide.

He held a scarf in his hands. “Close your eyes.”

My heart jumped and my cheeks flushed.

Feeling a little less apprehensive now that I had some inkling of what he had planned, I let my eyelids flutter shut.

Julian tied the scarf around my eyes carefully and knotted it at the back.

“Is it too tight?” he asked.

“It’s good,” I said, my voice a little shaky from anticipation.

The sofa dipped as Julian took a seat beside me. I turned to face him, even though everything was in darkness.

“Can you see anything?” he asked.

“No.”

“Perfect.” The sofa shifted again. When Julian spoke he sounded closer. “Here’s how the game works. I’m going to do two things. You’re going to tell me which one you prefer.”

My stomach fluttered.

Julian pushed the hair from my shoulders and placed a single soft kiss on my neck. I shivered. He moved from my neck to my ear, nibbling gently, his hot breath washing over my cheek.

He pulled back.

“Which one did you like better?” he asked.

“Ah…I don’t know, “ I said. “I liked both.”

“Let me try again.”

He brushed his lips along my throat, from my shoulder to my cheek, up and down. Then he latched onto my neck and gave me a hot, wet, sucking kiss. The sensation sent heat between my legs.

He detached himself and went back to my ear. This time he nuzzled it, his nose tracing a line along the curve before he bit down hard enough to make me gasp.

“The ear thing,” I said breathlessly. “I liked that.”

He hummed a pleased sound low in the back of his throat. His lips left my ear, trailing down my jaw, then kissing the corner of my mouth.

“What about this?” he asked.

He bit down, his teeth tugging on my lower lip. Then he let go and sucked it into his mouth, swiping a soothing line with his tongue. I exhaled slowly.

“The first one,” I said, my voice nearly breathless. “I like the biting.”

“My little masochist,” he chuckled darkly.

He slipped his hands under my shirt to unsnap my bra. He traced a line from my back and around my rib cage until he was cupping my breasts. He kneaded and massaged, his thumbs rubbing my nipples. I pressing my thighs together to alleviate the ache.

“I like that,” I said.

“This isn’t part of the game,” he murmured against my lips. “This is just because I love touching these sweet tits of yours.”

A fresh flood of heat roared through me like a tsunami, making my heart pound. I’d always loved it when he talked like that.

He tugged on my shirt and I lifted my arms to help him take it off. Next went my bra. He took both nipples between thumb and forefinger.

“This?” he asked.

He pinched both nipples. I let out a squeak, then a moan. They turned stiff in his hands, throbbing with a pleasurable ache.

“Or this?”

He sucked a nipple into his mouth and bit down, rolling them and tweaking them with his teeth.

“That one!” My whole body quaked. “I like that one.”

He pulled away, leaving me wanting. He blew a breath of cold air against my wet skin, making my nipples peak even further.

He trailed his hand down my chest to my belly. He circled my belly button, dipping in briefly and making me squirm. I’d always been ticklish.

He popped the button on my jeans.

“Lift your hips,” he said.

I followed his command, allowing him to tug my jeans down and throw them to the floor. My panties were next.

He took my hips and dragged me off the sofa until I was perched on the edge. With one hand on each thigh, he spread them and knelt in front of me. My insides turned to liquid at the thought of that handsome face between my legs.

He turned his head to nuzzle my inner thigh.

“This?” he murmured

He nipped on the tender skin. I let out a small, pleased noise.

“Or this?”

He cupped me and traced my lower lips with his fingers before pinching lightly.

“Oh god,” I moaned, letting my head tip back.

“Which one?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I panted. “Maybe you need to demonstrate again.”

“Cheater,” he chuckled.

He slid a finger between my folds, not entering, just circling. He ducked down and placed a soft kiss on my clit, barely brushing it with his lips.

“That’s just a tease,” I said breathlessly.

“Choose,” was his reply.

“I love your lips on me,” I said.

He pushed one finger inside me, rough skin dragging against my inner walls. I pulsed around them, squeezing and clenching. He continued pumping, in and out. Then he used his tongue to draw circles around my clit, licking and flicking.

“Oh fuck…” I groaned, nearly collapsing on the sofa. “I can’t choose.”

He kept up the motions, fingering me roughly and playing with my clit. It was so much, and yet not enough at the same time. I needed more.

“Julian…” I whined. “I need…”

Without words, I fisted his hair between my fingers and tugged him closer, urging him on.

He crooked his fingers forward, hitting that one pleasurable spot, just as he sucked my clit into his mouth and sucked hard, using his lips and tongue.

I shrieked out loud, gripping his hair, hips bucking against him. I shook and trembled and nearly squeezed him to death with my thighs.

After long moments, when I finally came down from the high, gasping huge breaths, he slid his fingers out slowly and placed one last kiss on my clit. I choked out a cry, my body overly sensitive.

Julian knelt up on his knees, still between my legs. I kept my hands buried in his hair and pulled him up, crashing our lips together in a fiery kiss.

When we finally parted, I huffed into his mouth.

“I liked that game.”

“I figured you would,” he replied. He untied the scarf from around my head. “Although we kind of gave up at the end.”

“I guess we’ll just have to play it again sometime.”

My breathing finally evened out. I pulled Julian up onto the sofa. We traded soft, lazy kisses, cuddling up against each other.

After a few minutes, Julian broke our kiss and leaned back to look me in the eyes. He cupped my face, stroking the hairs at my temple.

“I wish I knew what made you change so much,” he whispered. “It couldn’t have just been because I left.”

I swallowed hard and ducked my head.

“I haven’t changed that much.”

Julian tipped my face back up with a finger on my chin.

“You have,” he said softly. “You’re less sure of yourself. More cautious. There are moments when I can feel you wanting to say something, but pulling back.”

I stayed silent.

I didn’t want to tell him everything. I couldn’t. I couldn’t let Julian know how weak I’d been, how stupid I’d been to let Keith treat me the way he had. I’d let it go on for far too long when I should have known better. I should have left sooner.

I buried my face in his neck. He wrapped his arms tight around me.

“Do you have anywhere to be today?” I asked.

“Nowhere but here,” he replied.

We sat together in blissful silence. It felt like nothing had changed, like the broken years between us hadn’t happened. The two of us didn’t need words.

But I knew someone who did.

Julian bringing up the past reminded me of something I’d realized the night before.

I owed someone a big apology.