I finally find words. I wrestle them together and fake indignation. “What are you doing here?”
“You stopped answering,” he states, matter-of-fact, but there’s an energy building between us, so his bluntness doesn’t fool me. He’s enjoying this.
“The texts? You came into my room without knocking because I stopped texting for three minutes?”
“It looks like you didn’t plan to reply anymore.” He motions to the phone.
“I was trying to work a few things out.”
“I heard. What did you think the heat in the car actually was?”
Well, shit. Talk about putting me on the spot. “I…This isn’t…you weren’t meant to hear that.” I try to look away, but there’s nothing I want to look at more than him.
“But I heard it. Ask me.”
“What?” He wants me to ask him directly? If he heard me, why can’t he just answer? But I know why. He enjoys playing with me. He loves the push and pull. He hinted as much with the little slips of flirty banter over the last couple of days. And I have to admit, now that I’ve finally settled in the storm’s eye with nothing to do but wait, I’m actually excited at the prospect of playing with him. No responsibilities. No dependants. For the first time in my life, I have no one’s needs to consider but my own.
“Ask me, Jules,” he insists, voice dark and gravelly with wicked intent.
“Are you with Sylvie?” I ask instead.
“No, I’m not. Ask me the right question.”
“Are you messing with me?”
“No.” I expect him to grin, but he fixes me with a severe expression. He means business. “The right question, Jules.”
“What was happening in the car, Dax?” I ask at last, terrified, and thrilled by his potential answer.
“Something I hadn’t expected.” His knee lifts onto the bed, he supports his weight on his hands. “You’ve surprised me at every turn. I promised to protect you, but I had no idea having you around would make me vulnerable, too.” His forearms flex and tense as he crawls his way up the bed towards me. By the time both fists press into the mattress, either side of my legs, my heart pounds. I hear the hammering in my chest and the blood whooshing in my ears.
“The car was a prelude to foreplay, Jules.”A prelude to foreplay?
Dax lays down on his left side, beside my legs. He keeps hishead tilted back to watch my face.
“When you placed your fingers here…” He lifts his right arm and runs his fingers up my legs from my ankles to the dip between my thighs where I press my legs together nervously. He traces his fingertips along the temporary join in a devilishly slow procession. “It felt like you were touching me,” he admits.
“It did?”
“It did. But I didn’t just feel you on my thighs.”
“No?”
“No. When your fingers moved upward…” His fingers reach up, they hesitate at the seam of the t-shirt where I hold it pinned to the bed. He hovers, staring at his fingers, and then he turns those burning molten green and amber irises on me. The gold flecks glow. He wants to continue.Fuck, I want him to keep going. Why is he stopping?
He touches the seam of the shirt with his finger. The lack of contact with my skin almost makes me groan with disappointment, until I finally understand, he isn’t hesitating,he’s asking permission.
With trembling fingers, I lift the t-shirt. My reward is the instant electrification of my skin as his fingers reunite with my flesh. He holds my gaze, relentlessly navigating his fingers along their wicked, wonderful path.
“…I felt it everywhere, Jules. But mostly…” he continues. His fingers reach the pinnacle; that crossroads between strangers and lovers. My unsteady breaths hitch. I watch his eyes widen in surprise at my lack of underwear before they darken to twin golden pools. “I felt you here.” His hand grips me purposefully, a finger delving deep and pulling back with such expertise, he captures my tender spot and presses gently.
As delicious as it is, it’s not enough. It’s a tease. How do I know? Because he doesn’t once break eye contact with me. He watches my face as his fingers discover me. Keeping eye contact with him while he touches me, is the most sensual thing I’ve ever experienced. It feels bold. Brazen. I can tell he loves it too. His lipspart and pull up at one side into a sexy smile.
“You’re a brave one. I knew that right away. Shall we see just how brave my girl is?”
“Try me.”
“Is that an invitation or a dare, Jules?”
