Leave a Trail (Signal Bend #7)(30)

“I don’t want to. I’m afraid to promise, though. I still want it.” Actually, this was the first time he’d thought about it in hours, and the thought didn’t come with the need.

She tucked his hair behind his ear. “Well, I trust you. And I’ll help you.”

He felt lucky. Blessed, even. That was almost funny. He kissed her again, deeply, tasting all of her, and moved his hand into the waistband of her skirt. It was snug, and he looked for an opening. Smiling on his mouth, she put her hands between them and untied a drawstring, then wriggled out of her skirt and panties.

He helped, pulling the fabric down and away, and there she was, totally naked under him.

So beautiful. So perfect. He pulled away to watch his hand move over her hip, down her thigh, and then back up, moving over and between. At the peak of her thighs was a small triangle of amber hair, trimmed short. As he watched his hand nearing that lovely sight, he realized that she was trembling. He looked back up and met her eyes. “Adrienne?”

“Not stopping, remember?” She smiled, but she looked scared.

“I don’t want to do anything you don’t want.”

“Then don’t stop. I want to feel you. Inside.”

“Fuck, I want that, too. Hold on.”

Pushing off the bed and ignoring the burn in his chest as he did so, Badger stood and took off his jeans and boxers, grabbing a condom from his pocket before he tossed his jeans aside. Her eyes flared when he stood naked at the side of the bed and rolled the condom on. As he circled her ankles and pulled her legs wide so that he could kneel between them, she scooted away—just an inch or two—and whispered, “Um.

Wait. Wait, wait.”

Kneeling, his hands on either side of her hips, he stopped. “Okay. Okay?”

She stared down between them. “Yeah—just…yeah. Okay.”

“Not stopping?”

“Not stopping. But slow.”

Thus assured, he slid his hand under her little ass, cupping a whole cheek in one hand. He took hold of himself with the other and pushed gently against her folds. Even through the latex, he could feel how wet she was. He could see it, too, in the darkening of the light spray of hair at her entrance. He wanted to touch her more, but she wanted this, and so did he. He pushed in, gently, slowly.

Jesus God, she was tight. Club girls, even new club girls, weren’t tight like this. He felt her body resisting him even as her eyelids fluttered shut and her neck arched gracefully upward. He pushed, working hard to be slow and steady, though the stimulation of her powerfully tight sheath was making him crazy, and then thought he felt real resistance. An actual barrier. He opened eyes he hadn’t known he’d closed and saw her biting down on her lip, her brow knitted. With pain?

Holy. Fucking. Shit. He pulled out in a hurry.

“Adrienne!”

A bright, fiery blush suffused her face and chest, and she opened her eyes. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I should have said. Please don’t stop.”

“You’re—you’re a—you never—” Confounded by shock and arousal, his brain would not form a sentence.

“I’m so sorry. I suck.”

Reaching for calm with a deep breath, Badger rolled to sit at her side, his solid cock sticking up stupidly.

“No, you don’t. But how…I don’t understand. You’re twenty-four. You’ve had boyfriends. That Patrick guy.” He hated that guy. He’d made Adrienne cry. A lot. Which had sucked for so many reasons.

“I know. I suck. It’s so lame.”

“Stop, Adrienne. It’s not. And you don’t. I’m just surprised.” Shocked, more like. “Why haven’t you?”

She didn’t answer. Instead she closed her eyes and then, for an extra layer of protection, threw her arm over them. Suddenly, she seemed very young to him.

“Adrienne.” He pulled on her arm. “Talk to me.”

Peeking out from under her elbow, she said, “Don’t freak out, okay?”

He just raised his eyebrows. He was plenty freaked already. This was the girl who’d made every move between them for years. Including tonight.

“You.”

“What?”

“Nobody else measures up. I’ve never found anybody I wanted to be with like that. Just you.”

He laughed.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“I’m not. It’s just—me? I’m nothing special. Especially now.”

She propped herself up on her elbows, which made her little breasts, still erect with arousal, point right at him. Distracting. “You really don’t see how awesome you are, do you? Do you want me to make a list?

Because I’ve made a list. Every time I get dumped because I won’t give a guy what he wants, I wonder why I won’t, what it is that’s so special about you, when you didn’t want me the same way. You want the list?”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Well, it’s long. You’re awesome. And I want you to be my first. Hopefully my only.”

Shock and something else—elation?—rocketed through his cells, and he felt his eyes widen.

She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, God. That last part shouldn’t have come out. Just ignore that part.”

“No. I’m not ignoring that part. No way.” He rolled back over and kissed her, wishing he could etch her words on their lips, and led himself back into her.