Girl Crush(67)
He dug into my skin just slightly, tilted his head to the side, and finally, Collier touched his lips to mine. My thoughts quit racing, my spirit calmed, and love poured between us. The warmth of his tongue caressed my lips, parting them for entrance. And a simple kiss became an unspoken conversation. The deeper it went, the more his hands roamed. My skin flamed with his touch and ached for more.
I’d wanted Collier to lead, and that he did. He finally broke our kiss long enough to bring my shirt over my head, and when his mouth found mine again, his fingers worked the button, and then the zipper of my jeans. I mirrored his efforts, and in seconds, he stood before me in naked glory, and all that remained on my skin was a skimpy, lace thong and matching bra. Collier stopped and pulled back. His gaze went from my lips, slowly down my neck, past my collarbone, where it lingered momentarily on the fabric that barely hid my secrets, then further down to my belly button. It hovered slightly on the tiny bow at the waist of my panties before stroking my thighs and landing on my toes.
When his warm-green eyes met mine again, the look on his face made every mile I’d logged in the last five years worth the pain. My confidence returned, and I decided to help move this process along. Not that I minded the foreplay, that wasn’t it at all, but I was beyond wanting to pretend like I’d never seen a naked man and now just wanted to be consumed by him. I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra before allowing it to fall to the floor and then shimmied out of my panties. I’d been so focused on watching him size me up that I’d missed the gift that had been on display in front of me.
I’d seen his chest and his arms, the washboard abs—they’d all made appearances at the pool. Even his legs had shown up in shorts a time or two. But nothing prepared me for the deep groove that pointed toward what would prove to be heaven. In the blink of an eye, Collier had taken over, pulled us both to the bed and somehow managed to roll me underneath him. His knee nudged mine apart, and he made room for his body between my legs. Had I had time to think about it, I would have been embarrassed by how wet he’d made me with just a kiss, but Collier didn’t give me time to question any of it.
He held his weight off my chest by his forearms on either side of my ribs, and when he leaned down to capture my lips again, he eased himself in with one smooth stroke. I gasped, and my back arched in response to the way he took me. It was slow and methodical, and there wasn’t a moment I hadn’t committed to memory. Every time prior to this paled in comparison. Each roll of his hips brought a new sensation, as though I’d never been touched before. And when I finally reached the height of the experience, the colors that exploded behind my closed lids were more glorious than any color of nail polish that currently sat in my cabinet. The pinks, the reds, gold, and silver—each one like a firework in the sky of ecstasy.
Collier West owned me lying in that bed. He captured me in a way that told me without words, he never planned to let me go. And once he found his own release, he gently raised himself off me. He didn’t get up and go to the bathroom or reach for a tissue on the nightstand. Instead, he lay next to me and pulled my body to his. The light still glowed around us, and when I dared make eye contact, the soft green I normally saw had turned into a lush jewel tone I’d never seen before.
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. Before releasing it, he stared intently at my fingers and then whispered, “What color is this?”
I burst into laughter, taking in the rich blue-green nail polish. “Is That A Spear In Your Pocket?” I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. Ironically, OPI was better than Hallmark—they had a color for every situation.
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
“I’d ask if you planned that, but somehow, I think it was just fate.”
Fate. A word I’d never believed in prior to these stars aligning.
“Do I want to know just how many colors you have stocked up?”
“Probably not…but let’s just say there’s not a situation I can’t handle with OPI at my fingertips.”
He pointed to his dresser, and I noticed for the first time that each bottle I’d given him sat on display. Lined up, side by side in the order he’d received them. “I’d agree with that. I’ve never had anyone tell me a story with nail polish.”
“It was less of a story and more of a confession.”
He hummed in approval but didn’t say anything. I laid my head on his chest and listened to the strum of his heartbeat. I couldn’t stop the smile that lingered on my lips or the joy that filled my body. Every part of me was heavy with exhaustion but light with emotion.
“Giselle?” The way he whispered my name filled my heart.
“Yeah?” When I didn’t look up at him, he lifted my chin with his fingers to ensure I didn’t miss what came next.
“I love you, too.”
I kissed his lips to acknowledge the words I’d insinuated with that final bottle of OPI and closed my eyes to sleep.
*
The next morning, I woke to a wall of Collier. Everything in me wanted to snuggle into him, breathe in his comfort, memorize his scent, but the “History of Giselle” told me it was time to go. I hadn’t done relationships in years, and the more I thought about where I was, the faster my heart started to race and panic set in. The walk of shame didn’t appeal to me, and the only option remaining was silent flight, but as soon as I tried to pull out of his arms, he stirred. His grip around my waist tightened, and he hummed.