I shucked out of my jeans, but not before grabbing a condom from my wallet. And then I was sitting on the rocking chair, pulling her on top of me. As we rocked back and forth, our bodies in motion, our sighs of pleasure filling the air, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I wanted to make sure she came first, but I couldn’t… I let out a guttural moan. My stomach clenched, and I exploded, my vision going dark.
She panted, yelling out a few times before collapsing against my chest. As our breathing slowed, it dawned on me— “You totally faked that,” I blurted.
“What?” The way she slowly dropped her jaw, eyes blinking. Yep. She was lying. “No. I didn’t.”
“You climaxed when we were dry-humping. I know what your ‘O face’ looks like.” That hadn’t been an act, nor had her genuine embarrassment that followed.
“Maybe I have different ‘O faces.’” Her cheeks tinged pink as she slid off my lap and grabbed her clothes. When she saw my stern gaze and realized I wasn’t buying it, she added, “I mean, I’m good. Really. That felt really good.” I would’ve found her discomfort endearing were I not agitated by the fact that she was lying to me. Lying about an orgasm—or lack thereof.
“Really good?” I scoffed. “I’m sorry, but I’m not willing to settle for less than absolutely fucking amazing. Are you?”
“I’m just… It takes a lot for me to orgasm. It doesn’t happen every time, and I’m not sure I’ve ever climaxed from penetration alone.”
“Okay,” I said, wanting to know more. Was that what she’d been trying to tell me earlier? Had that been the reason behind her hesitation, or was it something else? And how could I possibly make her feel good if she wouldn’t talk to me? “What gets you off, then?”
When she still didn’t answer, I started listing everything I could think of. “Romance novels? Dirty talk? Nipple stimulation? Clit stimulation? Porn?”
“I don’t know.” She lifted a shoulder, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“You don’t know?” I repeated, unable to hide my astonishment.
How did she not know? Had none of her previous partners ever noticed the forced enthusiasm? Were they not paying attention, or did they simply not care, more concerned with their own pleasure? Or—god forbid—not wanting to consider the fact that they hadn’t gotten their partner off? I gnashed my teeth. I could never imagine treating a woman that way, especially not a woman like Audrey.
“Okay…here’s what we’re going to do,” I said, glancing around. I spotted a mirror in the corner and decided we’d start there. “We’re going to spend the next few days trying a bunch of stuff to see what does or doesn’t appeal to you.”
“Oh, we are, are we?” She crossed her arms over her chest, and my eyes darted to her breasts. She rolled her eyes but didn’t uncross her arms.
“Yes.” I nodded emphatically. “We’re going to try it all. I won’t rest until you’re satisfied.”
She burst out laughing, the joyous sound at odds with her defensiveness from moments before. It broke the lingering tension. “Oh my god.”
“What?” I cocked my head to the side. What had I missed?
“You won’t rest until I’m satisfied?” She attempted to mimic my voice, but she could barely pronounce the words through her laughter. “You sound like an infomercial or a plumber or something.”
“Well…” I pulled her closer, her breath brushing over my skin, her nipples hard points against my chest. She liked this, me. “I am going to do a thorough inspection of your internal plumbing.”
She scrunched up her face and pressed her hands to my chest. “Ew. No. Stop.” She laughed. “Just stop.”
I had a feeling that Audrey took most things in life too seriously, and it was good to see her laugh. Even better to be the cause of it. I didn’t want to think about what that meant. Or what would happen after we’d finished our little experiment.
She peered up at me curiously. “What about… Well, don’t you have plans, work?”
Was she actually entertaining the idea? Idiotic as it was, I wanted more of her. Maybe it was the fact that one of my best friends had just died. Maybe it was the near-death experiences I’d had in the field. Hell, maybe it was the prospect of spending the impending holidays alone. All I knew was that life was short.
“I don’t have any plans. And the shop is closed for the week, so…yeah. I’m free. What about you?”
“I mean, I have some time off. But I don’t know,” she hedged, and I sensed she was trying to talk herself out of it.
“Come on, aren’t you tired of being left…unsatisfied?” I grinned, doing my best not to laugh.
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. But I’m not sure you’re the best person to do this with.”
“Why not?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’m… I don’t know that we’re thinking clearly. We’re in a heightened emotional state due to…everything.” She waved her hand through the air, and I knew what she meant, but I didn’t care.
“Audrey.” I took her hands in mine. “Do you regret what we just did?”
