Unstitched (12 page)

He lay on the bed, his hands bent up under his head, a picture of ease and confidence. I loved his self-assurance. He rolled onto his side and patted the space beside him. I smiled, kneeled onto the bed and lay with him, nestling against his long body.

He caressed strands of my hair behind my ears, his eyes intense. ‘I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment you stepped out of my car on Thursday.’

‘Then kiss me. Please,’ I whispered.

His lips met mine with an urgency he’d never shown before. His fervour swirled deep in my stomach, gripping and biting. I was kindle in his arms. His hot hands slid over me, everywhere, rough and gentle, engulfing me in his flames.

I pressed harder to his muscled chest, tangled my fingers through his hair. But I needed so much more. I yanked at the bottom of his shirt, tugging it over his tight, toned abs. He sat up and wrenched it the rest of the way. He was naked from the waist up and I was in the best position to take advantage of that. I placed my palm against his chest, between the deep slopes of his pecs and pushed him down against the mattress. I crawled over him, straddled his lap. His thick, hard length heaved against his jeans, pressing into my sex. I rocked, couldn’t help myself, and his eyes closed, a deep rumble vibrating from his chest.

Looking down at him, his liquid green eyes set amongst those strong, masculine features. He was the sexiest man I’d ever seen. My fingertips tingled, yearning to touch his flesh. I smoothed my palms, my fingers, over his broad shoulders, down the slopes of his arms, exquisite ink igniting my hand. The urge to taste him on my tongue was insistent. I draped over him and kissed at his nape. Breathed in the scent of his skin, tasting salt on my lips. Lower, I pressed my lips to the symbols etched above each nipple. His muscles twitched and tummy tightened beneath my mouth.

With each deep breath, his chest expanded and fell sharply. ‘Take your dress off,’ he said, voice hoarse with lust.

I smiled, pushed my nose to my shoulder, hiding my blush.

He reached for the hem. ‘Looking that sexy is just going to make me more persistent.’

He tugged at my dress and I lifted to my knees, letting him slide it up my body. I lowered down on his lap, dressed only in pale blue knickers and a bra. His lips parted as his eyes wandered over my curves. ‘Fuck, Anthy, you’re so beautiful.’

I tried to smile, but his words and the look on his face, like he could fuck me until every neighbour knew his name, were wreaking havoc on my core. His hands cupped my breasts greedily, his thumbs sliding across the pert nipples. Pleasure pierced me deep and I rolled my hips against him, grinding his hard cock against my sex. I had no control — I was operating on primordial impulses.

‘I need you,’ I sighed and fell against his chest, my lips and tongue at his mouth. ‘I’m not taking it easy, Lucas. Please, I can’t.’ I was burning, throbbing, slick surrender wetting my knickers.

His hands fell down my body and cupped my arse. Ragged fingers pulled me down on him as his cock nuzzled between my thighs, again and again. I wanted his jeans gone. My knickers gone. I needed skin on skin. I needed him inside me or I’d burn to cinders waiting.

Lucas gripped my wrists, rolled me, and my back thudded against the soft mattress. He straddled me, pinned my arms above my head with his hands and sucked at my neck with his warm, wet tongue, and down to the flesh that spilled above my bra. He nipped at my nipples, one then the other, his hot tongue finding me through the fabric. I moaned, long and deep from my belly, unable to do anything else. My breath was thin, my desire was unending.

His hands slid under my bra, pushing it up over my breasts. My flesh filled his palms and he stroked and kneaded. I gasped when his mouth found me again, warm and gluttonous, sucking deep, swirling that silky tongue over my hard nipples. Yearning for more, I arched my back, urging myself deeper into his mouth. And still he sucked and kissed until my head was with the stars and I wasn’t coming back down.

Lower he went, down my stomach, my skin prickling. He gripped my knickers, slid them down my legs, off my ankles, and let them drop to the floor. He pushed my thighs apart until I was spread wide before him and kneeled between them. I rolled my pelvis, seeking something to slake the throbbing ache.

‘So sexy.’

He traced a finger over my butterfly tattoo and a smile danced on his lips. He leant down and ran his tongue across it. Looking up at me, his lips still close to my body, he said, ‘This here is really sexy.’

I bucked again, pawing my hands through my hair.

He took my calves and rested them over his shoulders. I held my breath, my body almost bursting as he lowered his lips to my centre and lapped along the length of me. He groaned, pushed my thighs further apart and licked again and again. His tongue circled around my clit then he drew it into his hot mouth. My head rolled back and I moaned — on the verge of losing it, everything.

He was relentless, sucking my clit rhythmically, licking over my lips, feeding his tongue inside me. I tightened my ankles around his shoulders and lifted my arse, seeking more of his mouth on me. He sucked and swirled as he gripped my hips, holding me to him. All breath burst from my lungs as pleasure mounted deep inside, growing and spreading like erotic needles across my body. An orgasm shook me deep and urgent and I bucked my hips.
He held me to him, sucking my clit between his lips as I clenched and pulsed so hard I screamed his name to the room. I never screamed, but I couldn’t stop his name falling from my mouth. He slowed the tempo until I wound back down and crashed back to Earth, panting and buzzing — sated.

***

Lucas

Anthea lay there with her eyes closed, sucking in each breath. She was beautiful, her skin misted with sweat and flushing pink. I climbed up the bed and nestled in beside her, wrapping my arm over her middle. I was so hard I could burst through my jeans.

Anthea rolled to face me and took my cheeks between her hands. Her touch was soft, caring — not at all like the wild woman who had just screamed my name to the surrounding suburbs. She was so hot, bucking against me like that, sexy — so wet and sweet.

She whispered, ‘Can I taste you now?’

My cock throbbed. I ached for her to touch me, was dying to have her take me deep into her mouth, but there was a reason I told her we should take it easy as much as it was torturing me now.

My eyes widened and a grin crept onto my lips. ‘This one was for you.’

‘Oh.’

I chuckled. ‘Believe me, Anthy, I don’t want to say no, but I’m not sure that if you wrapped your lips around me,’ I stopped, breathed in and out, trying to eliminate the image that was threatening my last remnants of resolve, ‘I’d be able to resist wanting all of you.’

She groaned. ‘I hate that agreement.’

‘It has its purpose.’

I would not take all of her before she was certain of her feelings. Before she knew that she loved me as much as I loved her — had always loved her.

‘So you’re allowed to make me come…’

‘Yes.’ I grinned. ‘And I loved every second of it.’ I kissed her, slipping my tongue against hers. ‘You taste so sweet. Every part of you.’

‘You’re a tease.’

I laughed.

I wish I wasn’t.

Anthea

My eyes widened, eyebrows soaring upwards, as I tilted my head way back and looked up. Immense steel arches thrust high into the inky black sky. A sky spattered with stars and soaked by the dull orange glow from the city lights.

‘We’re going to climb the bridge?’

Lucas nodded and took my hand. My heart was stuttering, my veins sparking with adrenalin. This bridge was tall — as high as my twenty-two storey apartment.

He led me to a small building where we met other climbers and the tour guide. We dressed in a baggy grey onesie so we could blend with the bridge’s steel and not distract drivers below. Definitely the most unattractive outfit I’d ever worn on a date. Harnesses were fixed to our belts and we each wore a headset to communicate between ourselves and the other climbers. We formed a group at the base of the bridge’s framework — thick steel beams, round rivets and grid work — and our harnesses were hooked to a spirit line.

Lucas looked back over his shoulder at me and grinned. ‘You’re not scared, are you?’

I swallowed hard and said over the thundering of my heart, ‘Of course not.’

He laughed and turned back to the front. We began our steep ascent up countless narrow steps. The glassy breeze howled through the framework, while the lights and sounds of traffic bustling across the bridge roared up to meet me. But the higher we climbed the more the noises muted until the full-circle view rushed in to meet me: the city high-rises soaring towards the sky, orange and yellow light flittering from their square glass windows; darkened sheer cliffs; and sprawling mansions dotting the banks of the snaking river metres below.

At the first viewing deck, I stood next to Lucas and he took my hand in his, forcing a pleasurable pulse through my body. ‘How you doing?’

‘Wonderfully.’

He squeezed my hand tighter and we peered over the railing. I breathed in the salty breeze that stroked my hair and face, slid cold down my throat. ‘The city looks so beautiful from up here, almost magical,’ I said.

He didn’t answer. I turned to face him. He was already looking at me. I smiled, but my lips soon straightened and parted as he leant down, his face nearing mine. He closed his eyes and I could feel his warm breath on my face and taste his delicious scent on my tongue. My eyelids fluttered closed and his lips were against mine. I sighed softly, desperate, as he edged my mouth open and slid his tongue inside. My body swelled, my head was dizzy.

Lucas fisted the hair at my nape, his other hand trailing down my back, to my waist, creating a path of warmth that rippled and swelled in every vessel, leached into my blood. He took my face between his hands and I sank deeper into his kiss, deeper against him. What climbers? What view? What height? None of it existed. This kiss, Lucas, this moment, was all that mattered. All I knew and all I cared about was now and how I didn’t want this kiss to end.

Too soon, he released me from my stupor and kissed me once more on the forehead. I peered into his bright green eyes, speechless, breathless.

‘We better get back in line,’ he whispered.

I looked around me. The other climbers were already in line waiting for us to finish. A giggle burst from my throat and my face burned crimson. We hurried back into line.

‘Welcome back, guys,’ the tour guide taunted, and the other climbers erupted into laughter.

The next part of the climb was a sharp descent down the side of the first wave of steel. We then scaled another steep rise to the second summit. The tour guide droned on with facts about the bridge, but I was too distracted to listen properly. I couldn’t keep my mind off Lucas — his hard body under my hands, his soapy flesh, the rough prickle of his stubble against my chin. He was under my skin and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get him to leave — ever want him to.

We arrived at the second summit. Lucas joined me, took my hand, and led me to the observation deck. He was talking quietly, but I could only see his perfect features: strong nose and jaw, silky brown hair falling around his face and neck. I traced my fingers over the fingertips of his left hand, feeling the rough calluses that had formed from playing the guitar all his life…

A loud whistling echoed all around me, popping and whizzing and crackling. My eyes darted into the night, but then an almighty
bang
cracked through the sky and my heart shook. An explosion of red, purple and green rained down all around me. There was another whistle and then strident explosions; fireworks were drawing patterns and splattering colours against the black canvas.

Lucas was smiling smugly.

‘Did you know about this?’ I asked.

He laughed. ‘I may have. Snapped you right out of your daydream.’

I looked at my feet then peered back up at him from under fanned eyelashes. ‘You noticed that, ha?’

He wrapped me in his arms and kissed my cheek. ‘Yes, I did.’

My heart was burning as brightly as the fireworks. I leaned into him and sighed. ‘Thank you. This is…wonderful. Magical.’

He kissed me and rested his chin on my head, enclosing me in his warmth. ‘It’s my pleasure.’

***

Lucas

I pulled up outside Anthea’s apartment, pushed the car into neutral. I didn’t want to end the night here — hell no. I never wanted to leave her. But I had a plan and I needed to stick to it. There were no second chances.

‘Anthea?’

She stopped staring out the window and turned to me.

‘A few fairies out the window I see?’

She instantly blushed.

I grinned wide, narrowed my eyes. ‘Are you blushing?’

She placed her palms on her cheeks. ‘No.’

I took her hands, lowered them to her lap and flicked on the interior lights.

‘I may be blushing a little bit,’ she said.

My grin was teasing. ‘You’ve got me curious now. What thoughts would make you blush like that?’

Silence.

‘I have a few ideas, but it might make you blush more if I’m wrong,’ I said.

She stared out the window, avoiding my gaze.

‘So, do you want me to guess, or shall you just tell me?’

She found my eyes and breathed deeply. ‘I was thinking how much I’ve enjoyed your company tonight and that I don’t want the date to end yet.’

My eyes widened. ‘And that’s what you were blushing about?’

‘Well,’ she shrugged, a coy little grin on her lips, ‘I was also wondering what you would think if I asked you to come up for a drink.’

‘Aaaah, I get it. You would like me to come up, but you don’t want me to confuse it with an invitation for sex,’ I said.

She nodded slowly.

‘Would you like me to come up for a while?’

She nodded again.

Anthea was wearing my self-control down. I simply couldn’t say no. ‘I would like to come up.’

‘Good,’ she whispered. ‘And there is one more thing I was thinking about.’