She wanted him. Not only for kisses, though this was nice. Oh no. She pressed closer to him, pushing him back against the couch so she could straddle him as they explored each other. His chest was hard against hers, his arms tight and steady. Because he was so steady. No wonder she felt safe and secure in his arms.
She pulled away and he blinked up at her, his eyes dazed. She imagined she looked just as confused. Her blood pumped fast in her veins, making it difficult to see or hear clearly. His fingers clenched on her hips and she nearly groaned when his erection rubbed against her.
He had an erection. For her.
To think she’d been so excited about hugs and kisses, and now she had his erection at her command.
She wanted it.
“Upstairs,” she managed. “Bedroom.”
He shook his head, and some of that dazed passion cleared from his expression. She braced herself for a denial, but instead he came to his feet in a rush, still holding her.
Any worry that she was too heavy for him disappeared when he easily took the stairs with her clutching him like a koala bear. He paused every few steps to kiss her, his hands roaming her back.
For a moment she wished they were at home, because she’d like to experience this in her own bed. That was okay, though. This was a different experience, not better or worse. She wanted every single experience.
He wasn’t even winded when they got to the top of the stairs. He pressed his lips against hers, a hard, fast kiss. “Your room? Mine?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
He chose his. They entered and only got as far as a few steps in before he pressed her against the wall, his hands roving over her legs while they kissed again, deeply. They parted only for a second, so he could help her strip off his shirt, and then he was back. She didn’t want to stop kissing him, because then they’d both start thinking. Maybe about all the reasons this wasn’t a sound idea.
You’re both adults, and you’re both single. This is fine. Acceptable.
Wait.
Her lashes fluttered open, a fleeting worrisome thought worming into her brain as he kissed his way down her neck. Was there something else she didn’t know about him? In all the time she’d known him, she’d never seen him with a date. What if he didn’t bring them home? “Are you single?” she blurted out.
He paused and there was laughter in his voice when he answered, lips on the hollow of her throat. “Uh, yes.”
“Okay, cool, just checking.” She quickly mentally ran through any other anxieties she may have. In the moment, that is, because they didn’t have time to run through all her anxieties. “I do pay you. Is the power differential coercing you into sleeping with me?”
Jas lifted his head. “No. Definitely not.”
His words were so empathetic, she believed him. “That’s good.”
He studied her. “Anything else?”
Katrina’s hands fluttered over his shoulders and she blurted out the words. “I’m not very experienced at this. I’ve only been with one guy, and that was over a dozen years ago.” It had been out of curiosity and a silent rebellion when she was twenty, and it hadn’t exactly inspired her to go looking for more conquests.
It was easy to do the math. A dozen years ago predated Hardeep. Jas didn’t ask about her marriage, though, and she was grateful.
“I’m not that experienced either. I can’t even tell you how long it’s been for me,” he admitted. “Years. I’m nervous too.”
“Oh,” she said soundlessly.
His finger coasted up her hip, pushing her sweater up a few inches. He squeezed the scoop of flesh that rose above her jeans’ waistband, and her legs turned to jelly. “I think all you have to do is tell me what you want from me. We can fumble around and figure things out from there.”
Her lips parted. What did she want from him? She didn’t know. That was such a difficult question . . .
“Kisses?” he prompted her. Before she could reply, he pressed light, soft kisses along her neck. “Here?”
“Yes.”
His mouth wandered down, to her cleavage, deep and plumped up by one of her best bras. He pressed his palms under the curves and pushed them up more. “More intimate kisses?”
“Yes.”
He scraped his chin over the skin exposed by the deep vee of her sweater, his prickly beard making her gasp. “Here?”