In Flight (Up in the Air #1)(43)

“Thank you,” I said, flushing.

I hadn’t displayed my own paintings all over my house ever intending for someone like him to see them. The ones he studied were a collection of desert landscapes, focusing on colors. There were enough of them, and they were small enough, that I’d arranged them into a sun mosaic of sorts. The bulk of the paintings were of some of the mountains that surrounded the Vegas valley. I had exaggerated the colors, making them deeper and richer, almost a kaleidoscope. In others, I had painted close-ups of individual plants with the same rich colors.

“You did these?” he asked, sounding astonished.

I nodded, walking to the table by the couch to straighten some books that were messily strewn there. I hadn’t cleaned for company, though living by myself, I tended to keep things neat.

“I’m impressed. Do you have more?”

I shrugged. “It’s just a hobby. You’ll see my house is full of them. I know they’re amateurish, and simple, but it’s a cheap way to decorate my house. And painting is a good stress reliever for me.”

“I don’t think they’re amateurish. I think they’re enchanting.” His voice was quiet, and I wanted to believe him, but I told myself he was just buttering me up with lavish praise that he probably didn’t mean.

“Hmm thanks,” I said, uncomfortable. I didn’t want to like him any more than I already did.

“Can I see more?” he asked, smiling at me warmly.

“I’m beat,” I told him, hesitant to show him anything more. I was starting to wonder why I had accepted his spending the night here so readily. This was already starting to feel too strangely intimate for my liking.

He frowned. “Of course. I’m sorry. I can see them in the morning. Let’s get you to bed.”

I was already heading to my bedroom, undoing my tie as I went. I went to the closet, stripping off my work clothes and hanging them as I went.

I could feel James watching me from behind. He had seen everything already, but I still felt strangely embarrassed.

I ignored the feeling, stripping until I stood in my stockings. I undid my garter belt, slipping the stockings down carefully. I hated to snag them. They could be expensive if I didn’t treat them carefully.

James was still fully dressed, arms crossed, when I finished. He was just watching me.

I felt horribly awkward. Should I put something on for bed? Or was that silly? I unsnapped my bra, letting it fall to the floor. I wore nothing but a black lace thong then, and I couldn’t read James’s steady gaze.

I brushed past him, not used to his passivity. It gave me the strange urge to goad him into action.

I removed my new watch and small stud earrings, placing them in a safe drawer in the vanity set up just outside of my bathroom. I washed my face, then moisturized.

He still just watched me intently.

I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed. I lay on my back, and he came to stand over me, still just staring. It was positively agitating.

I cupped my br**sts, pinching the ni**les. I watched his face for a reaction. He hissed in a breath. He pulled off his dark V-neck shirt in one smooth motion.

“What did you want to do to these?” I asked him, becoming almost rough with my br**sts as I fondled myself.

“Fuck,” he cursed, undoing his pants. “Keep doing that.”

I did, and he had himself naked in record time. He climbed on top of me, straddling my rib cage, his erection huge and hard between my br**sts. His hands went over mine roughly, and he pushed my br**sts around his cock, thrusting between once, twice. I gasped. I hadn’t known that people even did this, but I was wildly turned on by it.

There isn’t an inch of my body that he doesn’t want to f**k. It was a heady thought.

He drew back, crawling down my body, and I protested.

“Quiet,” he told me, throwing my legs over his shoulders, and burying his face between my thighs. He started licking softly. He lifted his head after only a few strokes of his tongue, propping his face on my pelvis. “Does that hurt?”

“No,” I gasped.

He got back to work, licking every fold until I was gripping his hair and on the verge.

He spoke into my core. “Come,” he told me, stroking my clit with a talented finger. It was a gentle touch, but it was enough. I came, crying out hoarsely. He had my body tuned to his touch like an instrument. It was intoxicating, and alarming.

He rubbed his erection along my sex very carefully. He crawled back up my body, placing his now wet member back on my chest. He handled my br**sts, his eyes inscrutable.

“I’m going to f**k every part of your body. No part of you will be left untouched by me.”

“All tonight?” I gasped.

He laughed, giving me a wicked grin. Capricious man.

“No. There’s no rush. I plan to take my time, violating every inch of you.” With that ominous pronouncement, he began to thrust steadily.

My eyes ran over his beautiful body while he moved, his muscles working extraordinarily. His abs flexed with each movement, his arms bulging as he held my br**sts in position for his cock.

I didn’t know where to put my hands, so I ran them everywhere, drinking in his hard flesh with my fingertips.

“Look at me,” he told me when my eyes had wandered for too long.

“I love your body,” I told him.