Rise - Part One (Rise #1)(17)

I was close, so close, when I slid down his body and pulled his cock to my core. I held it in my hand and as I lowered myself onto it. He cursed between clenched teeth, his hands holding fast to the bed sheets.

Now, as I rock back and forth, I pull him deeper with each thrust.

"You're so tight." He closes his eyes, arching his back to gain more depth. "Fuck me harder, Tess."

I groan from the request. I lean forward, resting my hands on his chest as I slide my body along his. I glide forward, then back, each time plunging myself onto him.

"I'm so close." His eyes open slowly. "You're so f*cking beautiful."

I smile at the words, knowing that they're not grounded in his pleasure. It's different with him. I can sense how he sees me. His kiss and his touch can't hide it.

His hands grip tightly to my hips, forcing me down onto his swollen cock. "I'm going to come, Tess."

I want to come too so I reach down and lean back. I circle my clit with my index finger, honing in on the spot I know brings me the most pleasure. His eyes follow the trail of my hand and as he focuses on what I'm doing to myself, his cock swells within me.

"Jesus, that's hot." He arches his neck so he can watch me. "Keep doing that. Don't stop."

I can't. I'm just as close to an orgasm as he is and as I throw my head back and pump myself against him, I cry out his name as I come just a second before he does.





Chapter 14


"I can put my own clothes back on." I yank on the hem of the t-shirt he gently pulled over my head after I got up from the bed. "I mean, I don't mind leaving if you have things to do."

He closes his eyes briefly as he adjusts the dark sweat pants he put on. "I'd like you to stay."

I smooth my hands over my hair. "I want to stay. I can stay."

"Come with me then." His hand stretches out before me. "You can watch me while I make dinner for us."

I take his hand, relishing in both the strength of his touch and the knowledge that he used it just moments ago to touch me. I want to tell him that it was an intense experience for me. I want him to know that it was a gift but I can't. I don't want him to see me as anything but mature, experienced and a woman he wants to be intimate with again.

He stops before we exit the bedroom. He drops my hand, crouching down to help me step into my panties. I run my hand through his hair as a silent thank you for the thoughtful gesture.

We move quietly through the apartment before he points to one of two leather stools that are sitting next to an island in the kitchen. I take a seat as he pours me a glass of sparkling water.

"How was your trip?" I finally ask after taking a drink. "I should have asked that when I spoke to you on the phone earlier."

He turns quickly from where his head has been buried in the refrigerator. "It was good. It's always good."

If that’s the life of a pilot it's completely boring. It's not what I expected. I've never known anyone who worked as a pilot, but I've heard the rumors. "Do you ever hook-up with the flight attendants?"

That stops all movement on his part. The eggplant that he was reaching to place on the counter next to the refrigerator hangs in his hand in mid-air.

"I was just wondering," I say under my breath as I bring the glass to my lips, swallowing too large of a gulp.

He turns cautiously, his eyes meeting mine as soon as he's facing my direction. "Did you just ask me if I ever have sex with the women I work with?"

I'm not sure how to answer that or even if it's a real question as opposed to a rhetorical one. He obviously heard me. I simply shrug my shoulders and take another sip of the water.

He places the eggplant down as he takes a few heavy steps towards me. When he reaches the kitchen island where I'm seated, he rests his elbows on the edge of the counter. He leans forward, his tongue smoothing a path across his upper lip. "You want to know if I've ever f*cked a flight attendant on the plane, Tess? Is that what you're asking me?"

I close my eyes tightly to ward off the mental image of him f*cking anyone else. I know that we're not serious and this could end tomorrow, but I want the memory of what happened in his bed today to be untarnished. If I mess that up, it's my own fault for being too curious. "No. I just wanted to know if you…I was curious about whether pilots…"

"Tess." The movement of his hand brushing across my cheek pulls my eyes open. "Don't ask me about other women and I won't ask you about your popstar ex-boyfriend."

I nod through a smile. "I won't."

"Promise?" He leans forward to kiss me. "Promise me we'll leave our past relationships in the past."

"I promise," I whisper as I pull him into a deep kiss.

***

"You're a really good cook." I wipe my lips with the linen napkin he placed over my lap when I first sat down at the dining room table.

He'd lit several small candles before he dimmed the lights and poured me a glass of wine. The trout he prepared was succulent and the roasted vegetables that accompanied it were divine. I'm stuffed, content and relieved that all of our conversation since I brought up other women has been centered on my upcoming work in Los Angeles for Gabriel.

"I travel so much." He pushes the empty plate in front of me to the side. "I have to eat out a lot so when I'm home, I love to prepare my own food."