Page 108 of Secret Paths

‘Come to bed, Peter.’

I kiss her again, softer this time. We undress without the usual contest. I unfasten her blouse and push it from her shoulders. She opens my jeans, but when her hand closes around me, I cover it with mine and bring her fingers to my mouth instead.

‘Tonight is not about proving anything,’ I say.

‘Who says I am proving anything?’

‘No one.’ I kiss her palm. ‘Lie down.’

She does, which tells me more about her week than any explanation could.

I roll on a condom, then climb onto the bed beside her rather than over her. I draw her back against my chest, both of us on our sides, and slide one arm beneath her neck.

My other hand travels over her waist and stomach, unhurried. She covers it with hers for a moment, our fingers linked against her skin.

I kiss the back of her shoulder. Then the place below her ear. Her body gradually loosens against mine, one guarded muscle at a time.

‘Tell me what you want,’ I whisper.

She guides my hand between her thighs. ‘This.’

I touch her slowly, using the pressure she shows me. Her breathing changes. She presses back against my cock, but I keep my attention on her until her hips begin to move with my hand.

‘And this,’ she says, reaching behind us to guide me.

I lift her top leg over mine and enter her from behind. There is no rush, only the gradual welcome of her body and the small sound she makes when I am fully inside.

I stay still. My mouth rests against her shoulder. My arm is wrapped around her, my hand spread over her breast, and for a few seconds we simply breathe.

‘Closer,’ she says.

I tighten my hold until there is no space left between us.

Then I move. Short, slow strokes that keep us pressed together. She reaches back and finds my hip, holding me there as if I might disappear.

‘I have you,’ I say.

The words leave my mouth before I can decide whether they are too much.

Mandy turns her face into the pillow. ‘Do not make this into something.’

‘I am not.’ I kiss her shoulder again. ‘I am right here. That is all.’

Her hand loosens on my hip. She settles back into me and lets me keep moving.

I touch her between her thighs, matching the rhythm of my fingers to my body. Her breathing grows uneven. There is none of her usual demand for more or faster. Instead, she whispers my name each time I press exactly where she needs me.

‘That feels good,’ she says, the words almost lost against the pillow.

‘Good.’

‘Stay like this.’

‘I will.’

Her body tightens gradually, then all at once. She comes with my arm around her and my name on a broken breath, her fingers closing over mine. I keep the pace gentle until the last tremor passes through her.

She twists just enough for me to kiss her. I only manage the edge of her mouth, but the tenderness of it catches me off guard.