That First Kiss (18 page)

22

The
suite was small but comfortable, outfitted with a simple patterned sofa and chair positioned against one wall and an armoire housing a large flat screen television opposite it. Nestled in the corner was a contemporary wood dining outfit that she knew she would never use.

But none of that mattered
just then.

Clinging to one another,
tongues tangled together, hands everywhere, they stumbled down a short, narrow hallway, past the functional kitchen area and into the bedroom where the massive king-sized bed waited.

             
Stopping just inside the room, the bed at her back and Tate’s imposing figure at her front, Piper felt completely vulnerable. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but this wasn’t like the other times they had sex. This time felt somehow…different. Maybe it had something to do with the buildup. Every other time they had simply jumped into the sex without much time to think it through. This time around they had plenty of time to realize this was probably a bad idea, but Piper didn’t want to think beyond the here and now. She wanted to follow what her body wanted, and what it wanted was to be devoured, for Tate to make good on his promise.

             
Shifting gears, Tate moved past her, leaving her standing at the foot of the bed while he pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows that would be crushed and tangled in a few minutes anyway.

A swarm of butterflies fluttered their eager wings in her belly. W
as she really going to do this? After all her talks with Shelia about how the two of them would never work out, was it really wise of her to let this happen again?

Fear was gradually beginning to take root in her gut and its nasty brother Doubt was whispering in her ear—she wasn’t pretty enough, tall enough, and certainly wasn’t slim enough for a guy like Tat
e’s rich and selective palate—she could never hold him.

             
But then, Tate had never given her reason to think any of those things, so she forced the poisonous thoughts away. No more doubt, she vowed. From here on out, she was going to be the confident, gutsy, wanton woman her friends had pushed her to be. It wasn’t about being a floozy or a tramp, but a step toward taking back control of her life, determining her own course, and navigating it successfully in the face of adversity. If she could learn to hold her head high, without apologies, then she could do anything.

             
Well, she wasn’t going to apologize for this. She wanted Tate and he wanted her, it was that simple.

Finished turning down the bed, Tate turned to her with a slow smile. His eyes slid over her lazily making every cell in her body come alive. The longer Tate stood there inspecting her, making no moves to undress her, Piper grew increasingly antsy. Was she supposed to
do something? Why was he looking at her like that?

Tate scrubbed two fingers over his stubbled chin. “Take your shirt off,” he
instructed.

Piper’s eyes widened. He expected her to undress in front of him?
Here, now? In the daytime? Good Lord, it really shouldn’t be a problem considering everything they had already done together, but she had never been completely nude in front of him before. Or anyone for that matter. Even Tyler had only seen her within the confines of a night darkened room. It wasn’t that she was ashamed of her body; it’s just that she had never been completely comfortable in her own skin. Ugly Duckling Syndrome she thought they called it.

One of Tate’s brows arched up. “Piper, is something wrong?”

Yes, there was something wrong! He wanted her to undress in front of him while he just stood there and watched, judged. What if he didn’t like what he saw? She didn’t think she could handle it if he rejected her.

She was driving herself crazy with this line of thinking when in reality, Tate wanted her. Nothing could be clearer than that.
The erection straining behind the zipper on his pants spoke for itself. If he saw something wrong with her body, he wouldn’t be so eager to get his hands on it.

Right
.

I can do this. I
can’t do this. I
can
do this
; she warred with herself, until Tate repeated his question. “No,” Piper said, terrified, but resolved to do as he asked. She wanted this, and what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn’t make little concessions like taking off her clothes for him?

Wait.

Girlfriend?

Where had that thought come from?

Shaking the disturbing thought away and reminding herself of the little promise she had made just seconds before, she took a moment to breathe deeply, and straightened.

Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Piper
lifted the t-shirt over her head, revealing the pink lacy bra beneath. Watching his face closely, Piper tried not to let the blank expression he wore ruffle her. Not knowing what he was thinking was utter torture.

She let the material slip
from her fingertips and fall to the floor.

Tate stared at her breasts, then further down. His face was expressionless, leaving her with no idea of whether he liked what he saw
or not. “Now the pants.”

I can do this
, she reminded herself as shaky fingers pulled at the button on her jeans and she stepped out of them. She felt incredibly exposed standing there in her bra and underwear.
Thank God I decided to match today
.              

Tate
wet his lips and took a step toward her. “Very nice, Piper.”

She felt herself blossom under his praise and almost tore off the rest of her clothes just to hear more of it.

Tate stopped just in front of her, so close she could feel the heat from his body on her skin. He smelled like soap and spices. The combination took her back to the first night they met out on the dance floor. Just like that night, she wanted to throw herself on him and kiss him senseless.

Reaching out, Tate trailed his fingers lightly across her flesh, starting at her wrist and working his way up to and over her shoulder,
then down her chest where he circled her nipples through the thin fabric of her bra until they pebbled.

“Hmm, sensitive,” Tate observed. Bending down, he wrapped
his arm around her waist and his mouth around her nipple, suckling it through the lacy material. Piper bit back a moan and her legs turned into jelly. She loved when he did that. All too soon he released her, and she had to fight to stay upright.

Picking up where he left off, Tate caressed the sensitive skin of her belly, circling around her navel
with his thumbs. She squeaked at the tickling sensation. Tate stilled and looked up at her, his blue eyes dark as he waited for her permission to continue, though he really didn’t need any. She was putty in his hands.

Biting her lip, Piper nodded and gasped as his fingers traced the outer edge of her panties, his intentions clear. 

“Are you wet for me, Piper?” he asked, staring her in the eyes as one of his fingers dipped between her thighs to swipe across her saturated panties. He sucked in a sharp breath at what he found. “Oh, you are very wet.”

Piper was a quivering mess. If they didn’t take this to the bed soon, she was afraid she might collapse right there on the floor. What was it about a guy whispering in her ear that made a woman go completely boneless?

“Please,” she said, but she had no idea what she was begging for.

“You don’t need to beg me, sweetheart. I’ll give you everything you and I both want.” Tate stepped back, and Piper moaned her displeasure. She wanted him closer, not farther away. She reached for him, but he stepped back again, staying just out of her range. “Ah, ah,” he tsked. “Patience, sweetheart.” Grabbing the hem of his plain blue cotton t-shirt, Tate dragged it over his head, revealing an expanse of toned, tanned muscle that made her itch to reach out and touch. Working fast, he unbuckled his belt at the same time he
toed off his shoes, then unbuttoned his jeans and shucked them off.

Piper’s eyes fell straight to the thick erection jutting from his hips. She’d never thought commando was sexy, but now…
Hot damn
.

Tate crooked his finger at her, and that was all it took to get her moving. Taking her by the shoulder, Tate guided her closer, until his shaft slipped between her thighs, rubbing against
her sensitive clit through her panties. A tremor of need surged through her, but Tate wasn’t a man to be rushed.

Slowly, Tate unhooked her bra, slipping first one strap and then the other down her shoulders and tossing it on the floor. Cupping her breasts in his large hands, he smoothed his thumbs over her nipples. Piper was a mass of sensation. His hands on her breasts, his breath on her face, and his
cock between her legs all threatened to undo her.

Dropping her head back, Piper moaned again. “That feels so good.”

“Mmhmm.” Releasing her breasts, Tate slipped his fingers beneath the elastic on her panties and dropped to his knees as he drew them down her legs. 

Piper, looking down at him, couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.
This is my dream,
she thought excitedly, recalling the very vivid pictures with ease. And just like in her dream, she didn’t want him to stop. Slipping her fingers into his hair, Piper could scarcely contain herself at the thought of what he was about to do to her.

Tipping his head back, their gazes locked, and then Tate leaned in to taste her. “Oh, my God!” If Piper wasn’t a mess before, she was now. Gripping his hair tightly, her legs twitching uncontrollably, Piper fought to stay upright under Tate’s expert touch.

Tate took his time licking her, running his hot, wet tongue through her slick folds. He stopped at the top to suck her engorged clit between his lips. Piper trembled and gasped his name as he flicked his tongue back and forth, varying the pressure from light to hard until she felt the tension inside of her begin to build. Blood roared in her ears and her fingers tightened, pulling at his hair. Even though she must be hurting him, he didn’t complain.

Quickening his pace, Piper was on the precipice, dangling over the edge of the cliff, when two fingers suddenly plunged inside of her. Crying out, Piper’s hips
thrust forward at the same time Tate’s lips clamped down on her hardened nub. Her whole being felt like it was splintering apart into a million pieces and scattering to the wind.

Legs quaking, Piper could barely make her body obey when Tate rose to his feet and spun her around to face the bed. He urged her forward until her thighs bumped against the mattress, then, instead of climbing into the bed like she assumed they would,
his arms came around her, circling her waist. Flattening his palm against her stomach, he drew her back up against his chest.

He was
incredibly hard, his erection straining at the crease of her ass. Gathering her hair, Tate swept it to the side and lowered his mouth to her neck. Piper’s lips parted and her breaths left her in short, hard bursts as he trailed soft, wet kisses from her shoulder up to the nape of her neck and his hand glided down her stomach seeking her wet folds.

Arching back, Piper’s backside pressed against his cock and Tate let out a soft curse. When she turned her head, Tate wasted no time capturing her mouth. His tongue plunged inside, tasting her,
filling her, as his fingers dipped between her legs. He rocked his hips in time with his pumping fingers and she could feel his cock probing her, slipping through her cream and teasing with each gentle thrust.

“Tate,” she
uttered. She wanted more,
needed
more.

Understanding
her unspoken plea, Tate pushed down on her back with his chest, using his weight to bend her forward. When his hands left her body, she voiced her displeasure. Grasping both of her hands, he guided them to the bed and curled her fingers into the blankets.

“Hold on, and don’t let go,” he
instructed her, and then nudged her feet farther apart. Her breaths were coming so fast that Piper thought she might pass out, and it only grew worse when she felt Tate step closer, insinuating his hips between her open thighs. His fingers swiped across her moist core and dipped inside briefly before leaving her again. Piper bit her lip and let her head fall forward, wishing he would give her more of what she craved.

She tried to steady her breathing as his hands wandered, playing with her cheeks, smoothing up her back. Each graze over her sensitized flesh sent shivers racing up her spine. Finally, his fingers combed through her hair and fisted it. With a sharp tug, he forced her head back. “Look at yourself,” he commanded
, his voice dropping to a deep rumble beside her ear.

Piper’s brows pinched together in a mixture of
confusion and intrigue, and she opened her eyes. Her gaze fell on herself reflected back in the full length mirror positioned on the opposite side of the room. What she saw stole what little breath she had left.