speeds up, and she swings a leg over my hip. The temptation to roll her beneath me and grind into her is so great it makes my teeth ache, but I want her driving this, so instead, I roll onto my back, bringing her on top of me.
We let out twin moans as soon as she seats herself astride me, the length of my rock-hard erection pressing against her heat. Iris’s hands smooth down my chest, making my breath go choppy. Her fingers breach the hem of my T-shirt and press against the scorching skin of my abs. Taking this as permission, I slide mine just under her top. I put my hands right to her waist, right where I’ve touched her before, but this time, my thumbs caress her bare belly.
I moan at the feel of her silky warmth and bring my lips to her ear. “I’ve wanted this,” I confess. “I’ve wanted to touch you here with nothing between us.”
Her answering moan is high and soft. “You don’t—” Her breath hitches. “You don’t know how good that feels.”
She grinds against me, and synapses in my brain burn up and ascend like paper lanterns. My hands move in the only direction that makes any sense now.
Down.
I grip the firm swell of her ass, the clinging sport leggings so thin I nearly lose what’s left of my mind.
“Oh, God, Beau,” she pants, and that’s all the urging I need. My fingertips slip beneath the waistband of her pants as she grips my waist.
I can make her come with my fingers right now. With my mouth after that. And—
“Wait.”
I freeze at Iris’s breathless word. She pushes herself up, panting above me, her brows knit in distress. “Beau, wait.”
Chapter Eighteen
IRIS
“I can’t do this,” I manage, my voice shaking. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this here.”
Beau yanks his hands from my pants so fast, the elastic snaps me like a rubber band.
“I’m sorry,” I say again, but he’s shaking his head. Hard.
“No, I’m sorry.” And with one wholly impressive ab curl, he’s sitting up with me straddling his lap. His hands rest gently on my shoulders. “I went too fast. Are you okay?”
“Oh… yeah. Yeah... Yes,” I stammer. “I—I’m more than okay.” Other than losing the ability to speak coherently. “I just… have to be careful.”
Beau’s hands settle lightly on my waist as though he’s steadying a tower of glasses. One false move and everything shatters. That’s how I feel too. Like I’m dangerously close to screwing up this whole day.
“We haven’t… known each other long,” Beau says, choosing his words carefully, and watching my expression as he does. “But I wouldn’t hurt you, Iris. I hope you know that.”
“Oh, I know that,” I say with immediate certainty. “I just have to be careful with, well, what people see.”
A crease forms between his brows. “You have to be careful what I see?”
I lay my hands on his cheeks. “No.” I laugh lightly, hoping he’ll understand. “Not you. Other people. If someone came along on the trail while we were… and recognized me, it would be…”
The crease between his brows becomes a frown. “It would be bad.”
I nod. “It could be. Especially if there were pictures.” I suppress a shudder at the thought. Because Moira would come unglued. She’d flay me alive. Add to the fact that she has no idea that I’m here and no idea I’m spending the day alone with my substitute dance instructor—my very hot and considerate substitute dance instructor whom I couldn’t stop thinking about even before the kissing—and if I survived her wrath, I’d never hear the end of it.
But there’s no reason to worry about that now because there aren’t going to be any pictures of Beau with his hand down my pants because his hands aren’t going to be down my pants.
Yet, I’d like to note for the record, that I’m very much in favor of Beau’s hands down my pants. I’m no expert in hands down the pants, but taking into consideration how incredible his kisses and caresses and cuddles all feel, I sense that his hands down my pants would have led to something extraordinary.
And I’ve never had extraordinary. I haven’t even had ordinary. Not from someone else, I mean.
Sure, from a small collection of reliable and discreet battery-powered personal items that live in my bedside drawer, but that’s it.
Before today, I didn’t even know I wanted to have ordinary. But with Beau, I do.