At first, I think she’s going to argue. But a moment later, she relaxes and leans against me. “Okay.” Humor laces her voice. “If you insist.”
I stroke a tendril of hair off her cheek. “I do.”
“But later,” Yara persists. “Before we go to bed. I’m returning the favor.”
My eager dick twitches.
“You don’t have to,” I reply. “It’s not like that. I don’t do things expecting?—”
“I know.” Her lips brush across mine. “I like making you come. Especially when you just lie back and let me do whatever I want.”
Shit.
It’s really hard to stick to mymake tonight about Yaraplan when she says things like that. But I tamp my own urges down. For now, at least.
“I love it when you take control,” I tell her. It’s just as hot as when she lets me do the same. As much as I enjoy it when Yara cedes control over to me, there’s just something about watching her above me, her gorgeous body on full display, letting her do whatever she wants to me.
It’s always incredible, for the record. Because one of the awesome things about sex with Yara is how strong she is. Not strong enough to overpower me—shit, I’ve got eight inches and almost a hundred pounds on her—but she’s strong enough to try some of the positions I’ve never tried with anyone but her.
We’ve actually been working our way through the Kama Sutra, testing out some of the more challenging positions. Yara gave me the book for Christmas—not during the gift exchange with my family, but later, in the apartment above the garage—with the explanation, “I know it’s kind of cheesy. But I thought it might be fun, seeing how many we can do.”
I wholeheartedly agree. Itisfun. And I’m more than up for the challenge.
“So, later,” Yara presses. “When we’re in bed? We’ll make sure we both finish?”
I kiss the sensitive spot below her jaw. “If you insist.”
She smiles. “I do.”
“But for now,” I add, “this isCelebrate Yaranight. After all, it’s not every day you win a grant from the National Science Foundation.”
Her face lights up. “I suppose it isn’t.” A beat passes before she adds, “I still can’t believe it. Winning that grant… I only entered on a whim. I never expected…”
“Of course you’d win. What you’re doing is so important, Tink. If they didn’t give you the money, they’d be crazy.”
Yara’s exciting news from earlier today is the reason for our impromptu celebration—dinner out in Williston at her favorite restaurant, wine and truffles back at home, soaking in the hot tub beneath the stars, and soon, another surprise I’ve decided to spring on her tonight instead of waiting. A few months ago, Yara applied for a robotics grant from the National Science Foundation, all the while insisting she had no chance of winning.
But she did. And she won big. They awarded her a grant that will fund her work for the next five years, including all the equipment and materials she needs, a full-time salary, and professional connections to help her inventions get distributed to the people who need them.
Now, she’ll be able to quit her job in Seattle to work on her inventions full time. She’ll be able to come up with methods to scale the production of her prosthetics, so they’ll go to even more veterans. She’ll be able to do what she loves, right from the state-of-the-art workshop we’re going to build on the Blade and Arrow property.
Oh, and she’s already making plans to offer summer internships to the most promising students from her enrichment class, so they can follow in her footsteps if they want to. In fact, one of her favorite students, Jack, who’s headed to Berkeley this fall, is already planning to work with her next summer.
Shit, I’m so proud of her, I could burst.
“There are lots of people who are doing great things,” Yara points out. “I’m not the only one.”
“But look at what you’ve done. You’ve changed people’s lives. Indy’s. Tyler’s. The recipient from the event last year. That’s huge. And just think of how many more people you can help.”
“I know.” She brightens. “I never imagined making them on a bigger scale. In the beginning, I didn’t think I wanted to. I liked puttering away in my garage, spending a year to make one prosthetic. But.” Her expression turns thoughtful. “Seeing how much it helped Indy and Tyler… it made me realize how much more I could do, if I had the funds.”
“And you will.” Turning Yara to face me, I frame her face with my hands. “I’m so damn proud of you, Tink. We all are.”
She stares at me before swallowing hard. “I used to worry that my parents would be disappointed in me. Which was stupid, they wouldn’t have cared what I did for a living, as long as I was happy. But now… I think they’d be proud.”
My heart twists. “They would be, Tink. I’m sure of it.”
Yara gives me another long look. Then she pushes herself off me and starts to climb out of the hot tub.
