The Strength of the Pack (Suncoast Society #30)(29)

He laced fingers with her, drawing her hand up to his lips to kiss it. “Yes?”

“Can we…try some of that?”

“When would you like to?”

“I’d say tonight, except, reasons.” She pointed down the hall and he knew what she meant.

Laurel.

He smiled. “I don’t have any of my stuff with me, anyway.”

“New Year’s? We’ll be alone.”

Leo and Jesse had already volunteered to stay home with Laurel that night so she and Nate could spend it together.

They’d planned on celebrating it alone at Nate’s house.

“I think I could arrange something,” he said. “Can I make a suggestion?”

She nodded.

“Why don’t we take sex off the table so you don’t feel any additional stress?”

He thought she looked a little disappointed. “Oh,” she softly said. “Okay.”

He flicked his tongue out and licked her thumb before sucking it into his mouth. His gaze locked onto hers as he slowly laved his tongue over her digit, knowing damn well what he was doing to her.

He released her thumb. “I didn’t say take orgasm play off the table,” he countered. “No intercourse. And you are, of course, able to safeword at any time for any reason.”

Her eyes brightened considerably at that. She nodded.

He moved to her index finger, slowly repeating what he’d done, watching her, seeing her breathing change by the rise and fall of her chest, the delicious pink flush creeping toward her neck.

“There are lots of ways to have orgasm play without sex,” he softly said after releasing her index finger and before moving to her middle finger.

Hell, his cock was hard, screaming, and he suspected she had to feel the way it was pressing against her through his jeans.

But her gaze never left his.

When he finished with that hand, he released it, captured her other hand, and started again. No, he didn’t need sex to get off. Part of what he got off on was this, the energy crackling between them, nearly visible, palpable as he slowly worked her up.

Even if he ended up having to finish himself off by hand New Year’s Eve, it’d be worth it to see the way the fire kindled in her gaze, a fire he had only glimpsed the barest embers of up until now.





Holy…crap!

If he was that good with his mouth…

Yeah, she was okay with no sex, but now that he’d awakened her libido and had it screaming like an overzealous Hallelujah choir in her clit, she reeeally wanted an orgasm.

Seriously wanted one.

Hell, she needed one. She hadn’t had one in…Well, a long damn time. She’d tried masturbating a couple of times, but too many dark memories interfered and her failure to get over only reinforced them and made her sadder.

A self-perpetuating cycle of dismal doom she’d rather not repeat.

Leo—she’d thought—had been good in bed. But if this foreplay was any indication…

She had a feeling Nate would far outshine Leo’s considerable talents.

When she walked him out to his car later, she flung her arms tightly around him and rose up on her toes to kiss him, hard, insistently.

With Eva melting right there in Nate’s arms, he returned her hungry embrace, taking over, taking control of the kiss with one firm hand cupping the back of her neck and thoroughly kissing her until she wasn’t sure she’d be able to suck air into her lungs again.

He smiled down at her, his thumb caressing her cheek. “Might not be a bad idea to have a sit-down conversation sometime this week about our situation.”

She nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“And that’s what I meant.” His gaze seemed to search her face. “We should discuss what we are, exactly. We don’t need to set deadlines or do much differently than we are, but I think it would be wise to…define it more clearly.”

“Yes, Sir.” Her pulse thrummed, racing.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re boyfriend-girlfriend.”

She smiled. “Me, too.”

“I don’t have a lot of protocols,” he said, “but I do like doing things my way. If you want me to be your Dominant, that is a very serious responsibility to me. I also think it’s something we need to try out on a trial basis first. You are, technically, collared to Leo and Jesse, under their protection. I respect and recognize that. I know they’ve said they’re fine with us doing whatever we want at this point, but I’d rather make sure you’re okay with it before we formalize things and you move from being under their collar to mine.”

She nodded, barely able to think, much less speak. “I am.”

He kissed her one more time before letting her go. “Then we’ll talk more Wednesday night,” he said. “After Laurel goes to bed.” He was coming over for dinner.

“Yes, Sir. Thank you.”

He offered her a smile. “Good girl,” he whispered.

She stood on the front porch and watched him back out of the driveway and disappear down their street. Their Christmas lights, along with those of their neighbors around them, cast a cheerful glow into the night.

That’d been another fun afternoon, Nate coming over one Sunday to help Jesse and Leo put up the outside lights and decorations.