What If You & Me (Say Everything #2) - Roni Loren Page 0,60
she’d been saddled with this fear by some selfish, malicious asshole. He wished he could wave a wand and take it all from her, make her feel safe and powerful and in control. But there were no magic wands. He knew more than anyone how deep trauma cut, how lifelong those wounds could be.
What he could give her, though, was his word. “I won’t touch you unless you ask me to. I promise.”
She inhaled deeply, her shoulders rising with it, and then nodded. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I’ve been wanting to kiss you again for the last hour. You’re giving me exactly what I want.”
She smiled at that. “Benefits for both sides then.” She tucked her knees beneath her and lifted up, pressing his wrists down at his sides and against the couch cushions, bringing her breasts precariously close to his face before sitting back on her calves again. “You stay right there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She bit her lip, still smiling. “Okay, the way you say ‘ma’am’ is kind of hot.”
He laughed under his breath. “Andi Lockley, author, podcaster, budding sexual dominant.”
She cocked a brow and then swung her knee over, straddling his thighs and surprising the hell out of him. “Don’t give me any ideas. I do enjoy being in charge in other areas of my life.”
His tongue pressed to the back of his teeth at the feel of her straddling him, her hands on his shoulders, giving him a delicious view down her loose shirt. “Andi, feel free to get any goddamned ideas you want.”
Her fingers curled into his T-shirt, her gaze meeting his. “To be one hundred percent honest, my experience is extremely limited. So even though I’ve figured some things out on my own, I don’t know a lot about what I like and don’t like yet with guys.”
On my own. Aaaand he was done. Picturing Andi getting herself off was enough to send his starved libido into a seizure. All his blood rushed south, and his cock pressed against the zipper of his jeans. He felt his ears go hot, embarrassed that he was on such a hair trigger. “Sorry. Obviously, I’m happy to be your test subject.”
Andi glanced down, her eyes widening slightly. But when she looked back up, instead of her expression saying Dude, control yourself, it seemed to be saying Well, hello there. She braced her hands on his shoulders and leaned down, putting her mouth a breath away from his. “I have to say, knowing I can do that with just words does feel pretty damn powerful.”
He wanted to reach out and touch her so badly, slide his hands beneath the hem of her shirt, feel her skin, kiss her neck, find out what sounds she made. But he kept his palms glued to the couch cushions. “It’s not just your words, Andi. If you haven’t noticed, you’re fucking gorgeous. And smart. And—”
Her lips touched his, cutting him off and making his eyelids fall shut. Her hands went to his jaw, holding him where she wanted him, and her tongue touched his. The kiss was hungrier than the ones earlier, more urgent, like she was daring herself to take it a little further. She deepened the kiss and shifted on his lap, settling against him, the hard ridge of his erection pressing at the apex of her thighs. He groaned into her mouth, the heat of her body apparent even through his jeans, and she made a delicious noise in the back of her throat. He lifted his hands, wanting to grab her waist, to angle her where he could make her feel even better, but he caught his mistake just in time. He planted his hands against the couch again.
Trust. Above all else, that was what she needed from him. To be able to trust his word.
He refused to let her down.
She broke away from the kiss, still holding his face in her hands. Her blue eyes were a little dazed, and she was out of breath. “I want your shirt off.”
“Then take it off,” he said. “I’ve been told not to use my hands.”
She bit down on her bottom lip, eyes smiling. “So you have.”
She reached for the bottom edge of his T-shirt and then lifted it over his head before tossing the shirt somewhere behind the couch. Her palm pressed against his chest, a hot brand of skin-to-skin contact.
A flash of insecurity went through him. In the past, he’d been proud of his body, working hard to keep in top