Full Tilt (Full Tilt #1)(85)
“I want to take you home,” I said in her ear, my hands sliding across the smooth material of her dress. She wore elaborate thigh-high boots that laced up the front and a button-down black dress, every button undone but for a few along the middle. The flaring fabric revealed the smooth valley of her cleavage and flaring open just above her boots when she walked.
“No water show?” she asked.
“You mind if we skip it?”
Her hand slipped between my legs, over my dress pants. She found my burgeoning erection and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I want this more,” she whispered back.
At my place, I undid the laces on her boots—one at a time—and the buttons on her dress—also one at a time—until she was down to her black, lacy bra and panties. Then we celebrated the installation. We celebrated long and hard into the night, until we collapsed on the pillows, exhausted and satiated. My body felt heavy and thrumming with waning climaxes. Kacey was soft and limp, curled up alongside me, her head pillowed on my shoulder. The clock radio read two-fifteen in the morning.
“You were intense tonight,” she said.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“God, no.” She snuggled closer. “I might not be able to walk tomorrow, but it’ll be worth it.”
I craned down to kiss her hair. “Just doing what you said at Great Basin. Taking each moment and wringing it for all it is worth.”
“I was wondering…” She let her fingers trail over my chest, across my scar, and along my shoulder. “If you’d given any more thought to letting me invite some of your old UNLV friends to the installation next week. Carnegie too, though that’s going to be short notice. I know you’re not—”
“Yes,” I said without thinking. “Let’s invite a few. The friends I was closest to.”
Kacey lifted her head to look at me, her smile radiant. “Really?”
I nodded. “I’ll try to dig up some email addresses for you. I’m sure they’ll think I’m an ass for waiting until now…”
“I’ll make sure they won’t. I’ll explain you were busy, on deadline, but now your project is done.” Kacey propped herself on her elbows, the swell of her breasts pushing against my chest. “I’m so happy you changed your mind. Can I ask why?”
I started to tell her it was to make her happy, or that I really wanted to see my old friends. I told her the truth instead.
“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel as important as it once did to keep them away.”
She traced a shape on my chest with her finger. “Maybe it’s because you accomplished what you set out to do. No distractions.” She grinned shyly. “Well, except for one.”
“One beautiful, amazing distraction.” I pulled her mouth to mine, kissing her softly at first, then deeper.
You need to take it easy…
“Hold that thought,” I murmured against her lips. “I need water. Want some?”
“Sure.”
I got up and padded naked to the bathroom. The light blasted in my eyes when I flipped it on, and they flinched at the harsh glare. I tried for one of the two glasses on the sink and missed because white lights were suddenly dancing across my vision. I grabbed the counter as the floor spun beneath my feet and my breath turned shallow.
The hell…?
The episode, or whatever it was, passed in moments. My vision cleared, and I breathed deeply a few times until my equilibrium was restored. A side effect of the meds, probably. Or more likely I’d just overdone it with Kacey. That was probably it. Even as I was taking her like a madman, I knew it was too much. But tonight I couldn’t get enough of her. I needed to fill my hands with her, touch her everywhere, inhale her, absorb her, as if I could carry her with me even when we were apart.
Nice and easy. Chill. The installation is done and you have every day free to see her.
I filled both water glasses with steady hands and returned to the bedroom.
“Thanks,” Kacey said and drank hers as I climbed back into bed. She set her glass on the nightstand and took mine when I was finished. “Now… Where were we?”
She kissed me sweetly, then seductively, but I gently pulled back. “The day’s finally caught up to me. Either that or you wore me out. Pretty sure it’s the latter.”
She huffed a dramatic sigh. “Tease.”
“I know. Come here.”
I wrapped her up in my arms, tucked her head under my chin, and kissed her hair. Even after sweaty, voracious sex, she still smelled like caramel. I filled up my lungs with her, taking her with me into sleep, where I dreamt of a gently rocking boat and a swiftly receding shore.
It was opening night of Jonah’s installation at the Wynn Galleria. I hadn’t been this nervous and excited since the night before Rapid Confession’s first big concert.
Miraculously, I didn’t want a drink. I hadn’t had a drink since I’d left the band and hadn’t smoked a single cigarette either. I had the urge now and then, but I would never smoke around Jonah, and if I smoked in my apartment, it’d be everywhere when he came over.
So I kicked two bad habits. One for me, one for him.
I put on a little black dress that came to mid–thigh in the front, with wide shoulder straps and a skirt that draped to my calves in back.