Not Safe for Work(85)

“I can understand that. But it’s going to happen. And neither of us is twenty anymore, so we’re not always going to be—”

“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled.

He laughed. “For what it’s worth, top drop or not, there are worse ways to spend an evening with someone than watching Golden Girls and shooting the shit.”

I held his gaze. God, he was so right. As much as I loved the leather and the toys and the begging, there was something to be said for switching all that off for an evening and just enjoying each other’s company. And I did enjoy his company. A lot. This was a side of Rick I hadn’t imagined before we’d slept together, mostly because I’d assumed we’d have nothing in common, but here we were.

He watched himself run his thumb along the back of mine. “Like I said, this is what I was hoping for when I put up my profile. I wasn’t very optimistic about it, but…” His eyes met mine again. “Here we are.”

“Yeah.” My heart thumped against my ribs. “Here we are.” I freed my hand and brought it up to his face, and then drew him in for a kiss, and the softness of his lips sent a shiver through me just like the very first time I’d kissed him.

Yeah, Jon. Here we are.

This wasn’t what I’d signed up for when I’d downloaded Leathr. It was so much more than I’d ever expected from someone I’d met for casual kink. A sub who was empathetic and caring for a Dom with top drop was one thing. I was hard-pressed to stay with a sub who wasn’t understanding about that.

But this felt like more. It was hard not to read into the tenderness of his kiss. Hard to figure out where it stopped being extra gentleness and sympathy, and where it became…more.

I touched my forehead to his. “Thank you again,” I whispered. “This is exactly what I needed tonight.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” He smoothed my hair. “Doms need to be taken care of as much as subs do.”

I kissed him again, and as I drew back, I met his gaze, fully intending to tell him that wasn’t what I meant. But then I realized I didn’t know what I meant. And I damn sure didn’t know if I wanted to say it out loud, because things like that couldn’t be taken back all that easily.

And then I realized who I was talking to. Who I was holding, looking at, kissing. Before I could stop myself, I laughed. “Wow…”

“What? What’s so funny?”

“I…” I shook my head. “I guess I just forgot for a minute who I was with.”

He eyed me. “You—”

“I mean, I couldn’t forget I’m with you. Ever.” I kissed him again. “But I have to admit, sometimes I still catch myself thinking ‘holy shit, am I really fooling around with Rick Pierce?’”

He laughed. “What’s that mean, anyway?”

I kissed his fingers again and lowered our hands. “You do realize you’re supposed to be out of my league, right?”

Rick chuckled. “Bullshit. I’m just a guy, and so are you.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I am. The only differences between us… That’s all just stuff and money.” He ran his fingertips along my jaw. “Take all that shit out of the equation, and we’re two guys who happen to be perfectly compatible.”

My humor faded, and I held his gaze because I couldn’t look anywhere else. “Yeah, we are perfectly compatible. Which still kind of blows my mind.”

“Mine too.” He traced the edge of my jaw again. “Mostly because I was starting to think I’d have to settle for someone a lot less compatible.” He pressed his lips to mine. “And no amount of money could change that either way. It either works or it doesn’t.”

“Well, I’m glad it does.”

“Me too.” The corners of his mouth rose slightly. “Maybe we should send a thank-you card to the people who made Leathr.”

I laughed. “You’re probably onto something.” Drawing him in again, I brushed my lips across his. “You were right in front of me, and without that app, I probably never would’ve found you.”

“God bless technology.”

“Damn right.” I slid my hand into his hair and claimed his mouth again. I didn’t pull back. He didn’t pull back.

Holy f*ck. I hadn’t made out like this since I was a teenager. Hell, even that didn’t compare. Teenage me never kissed anyone who was as gentle and unhurried as Rick. This wasn’t frantic groping and gasping in the back of a movie theater or the front of a car, getting as hot as we could without going farther than we were ready. This was kissing for its own sake. Languid kissing, as tender as it was erotic, with no need to move forward. Sex and submission could wait.

Even that heavy fatigue that had been dragging me down all day couldn’t distract me from the taste of his mouth, the warmth of his body, or his cool breath rushing across my skin. Top drop was a bitch, and nothing would revive me completely except for time and rest, but Rick’s touch was soothing and arousing at the same time. Not a magic cure, but one hell of a painkiller.

I pulled his head back and kissed his neck. He pushed out a breath and tilted his head even more, as if to bare as much flesh as possible. I barely heard him curse, but his voice thrummed against my lips and damn near turned me inside out. No surprise there—tired or not, it was almost impossible not to get turned on in Rick’s arms.