it in her palm and inhaled it. She liked smelling her food before she ate it, as if she was drawing nourishment just from that. But her gaze went to him, noted his attention lingering on her bare shoulders. She was still holding the throw clutched around her, one hand in front of her breasts.
Slowly, she straightened her back, loosened her grip so the blanket slid away, pooled around her hips. Her chin was up. She knew he wanted to look, and she’d responded to his desires without him saying a word.
“Christ, you floor me,” he said, low. “And you have such perfect breasts.”
She pinkened like the softer colors of the peach. Picking up a slice, he brushed it over her nipple. It stiffened as he squeezed the fruit, made the juice drip over it. Then he used it like a brush, painting her skin with the peach’s flesh.
Her head was tilted down so she could watch what he was doing. Then he murmured again.
“Chin up and eyes forward.”
When she complied, he put a palm on the table, leaned in and put his mouth on the curve of her breast, tasted the juice on her skin. A trembling hand touched the back of his neck, fingers sliding up into his hair. She moved against him as he captured her nipple and started to suckle. Her soft moan gave him a jolt of pleasure, as did the tightening of her fingers, the caress of them against his nape.
When at last he drew back, he looked down the slope of her abdomen to her thighs. He gripped the blanket, pulled it away. As he did, her thighs shifted, parting.
He brought his attention back to her face, finding her mouth soft and eyes uncertain but needy. He dropped his hand down, let his knuckles brush her clit, once, twice, play over the petals of her cunt. She swallowed noisily, and he liked the way it showed him the moistness of her mouth.
Slowly, he took his hand away, sat back. “Eat,” he said.
That same subtle look of dissatisfaction, and this time he answered it, reaching out and tapping her chin, drawing her gaze to his direct one. “Yeah, I’m denying you. Keeping you excited, a little on edge. I want your mind centered on what I want from you, instead of caught up in things you don’t need to worry about. Okay?”
“Yes, sir. I mean, Rory.”
He gave her an unsmiling look. “Sir works when you feel it.”
He loved when her pupils got large, expressing her wonder at what was going on in her body, in her responses to what he was doing to her. “I…what should I wear tonight, sir?”
“Did you bring something specific for the party?”
“I did, but I wasn’t sure. There was something Les and Julie bought with me a long time ago. I’ve never worn it. Would you like to see it?”
Rory shook his head. “Not until you’re wearing it.” He gave her a heated smile. “Surprise me. And stay just like that while we eat. It increases my appetite.”
She’d been in the bathroom for about a half hour after her shower. He’d knocked and checked on her at least once, and she’d hesitantly indicated she was fine, it was just taking a little while. In her voice, he didn’t hear any of the usual alarm flags, particularly that strained note that told him she was getting into crisis mode. But he did wonder what the hold-up was.
He’d chosen black jeans and a blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled up and open at the throat. He’d belted the jeans with a new black belt, and wore his black cowboy boots under the denim. It was dressy enough for a party at a fancy house, but would leave him more comfortable than a suit for whatever the night would hold.
When the doorknob turned on the bathroom, he wasn’t sure what to expect. If Les and Julie had helped her pick it out, then he expected it to be pretty, classy. When she stepped out, it was both those things. But it was also something that took his breath away, because of what he’d said—she was wearing it.
He’d dated cheerleaders and girls who liked looking hot. Not trashy, but a short skirt and a snug top showing off a fine figure looked damn good on them.
This was…he couldn’t explain why her outfit struck him as so incredibly sexy. It was more than her looking beautiful, fuckable. It was because of what the dress said