Chapter 14

I was aware of my pulse and my scorching body heat. Graham moved toward my neck and pressed his mouth on my neck softly. I caught my breath at the feel of it. It felt much better than I remembered.

My eyes lowered as I tilted my head to the side, allowing him more space to kiss. Graham moved. His body rolled to the side, one arm propping him up as his other one landed on my hip.

His kisses trailed up from my neck to my jaw and cheeks. They were open-mouth and wet kisses. His tongue flickered to taste my skin, and I shivered at the contact.

Finally, he reached my mouth. First, he kissed the corner of it and moved until he kissed the center. I opened my mouth and kissed him back eagerly. He groaned against my lips.

Graham shifted again until he was hovering over me, our chests pressed together. I closed my eyes, enjoying his weight on top of me. It was like he was anchoring me to him. My hands ran through his hair, keeping his mouth close to me.

I moved my mouth against his until one hand trailed up my legs and thighs, landing on the hem of my shirt and pushing it upward. His hand touched my stomach, and I sucked in a breath as he continued kissing me and caressing me. My head got dizzy.

We kissed some more. Graham’s hand moved away from my stomach to my legs, and he parted them. I obliged without a word. Then, he settled between them and flushed our bodies together. I could feel his large erection against my center. My lungs stopped working.

Graham moved softly, pressing his cock against my entrance through the clothes. I gasped as he started grinding against my hips while kissing me hard. I clung to his shoulders, meeting his movement. I felt devoid inside even though my clit rubbed against his jeans with each rock.

The movements were intimate, and I wanted to feel his bare skin.

As though he could read my mind, Graham stopped for a second to remove his shirt and tossed it aside. Then he returned to my mouth like he couldn’t be apart for longer.

My fingers trailed all over his hot skin, feeling his taut muscles. Graham cursed under his breath when my hands moved to his stomach, his abs clenching. He started to suck and nibble my neck, and I moaned as he pressed our bodies together, causing my breasts to squash against his chest.

I was delirious, grinding my hips against his and sinking my nails into his shoulders.

Graham’s hands fondled over my shirt, tugging it upward, and I helped him remove it. When he realized I was braless, he cursed.

“Fuck.” His voice was hoarse. “You have the prettiest tits I’ve ever seen.”

Though my cheeks were already flushed, I felt them turning even redder.

Impatient, Graham sucked one of my breasts, nibbling at the peak while he rubbed the other with his thumb. I was jolted at the feeling, arching my back and squirming under him. My hands flew to his hair, keeping him there.

He sucked harder until it was a mix between pleasure and pain. My eyes closed. He was driving me crazy. My climax built up inside me, but then, Graham stopped and rolled off me. He was gasping while one of his arms covered his eyes.

I frowned at him. What was wrong?

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he muttered under his breath.

“Graham,” I said shyly. “What’s wrong?”

“We’d better stop now, baby,” he licked his lips. He removed his arm from his eyes and looked at me. He eyed my breasts hungrily, then groaned in pain. “We need to stop now—unless—unless you’re willing to go further.”

I was paralyzed as Graham observed my reaction. I didn’t know the answer. For a second there, I’d almost gotten my release. My body wanted more, but my brain said otherwise.

I didn’t know what further meant, and I wasn’t sure I was ready yet. This was the furthest I’d gone with a guy, and he wasn’t even my boyfriend. Heck, I didn’t even know if he was my friend. I only knew that I fantasized about him a bit too much, especially in bed, late at night.

Whenever he touched me, I seemed to forget everything and be carried away.

I swallowed, breathing hard for a few seconds before I moved to grab my shirt and put it on.

I sensed Graham’s disappointment, but he didn’t push me, which I was thankful for. Instead, he looked at the ceiling, breathing hard all the time.

“Talk to me,” he demanded. His voice was husky and delicious. “Distract me.”

I was thrown off by his request since I didn’t know what to say. My head was a mess, fantasizing about what we were doing. “Hmm…”

“Excellent job, Miller,” he teased. “Put it on your CV. ‘Doesn’t know how to work under pressure.’”

I fought back a smile. “Shut up, St. Claire.”

I saw his smile and it was hard not to crack. I looked around, and my eyes landed on my shelf.

“There’s this book that I’ve been reading,” I started. “It’s about World War II.”

“Blood,” he said enthusiastically. It was cute how desperate he sounded. “Good idea!”

“It’s pretty interesting, though it doesn’t have blood in it.” Graham shook his head in disappointment as I smiled. “They are trying to break down German codes, like Enigma codes, so they can intercept messages from Nazis and prevent attacks. Or be forewarned, at least.”

“Sounds interesting,” he said. “Despite the lack of blood.”

I nodded. “It really is. I’m not that far ahead, but I like it so far.”

“Will you tell me the ending when you finish it?” Graham turned to me. His face softened as he studied my face.

I scowled at him. “Don’t be lazy. Read it.”

He chuckled. “Don’t have the time.”

“Well,” I said obtusely. “I’m not telling you. There’s nothing better than to be immersed in a story as it develops. The delicious feeling of not knowing what’s coming next or anticipating something and seeing how the characters react to it.”

A fondness was etched on his expression. “You like to read a lot, this kind of book?”

I shrugged. “I like to diversify in what I read. But mostly, I like fiction.”

He hummed, digesting the information. “What’s your favorite book?”

He had no idea what he had asked. I bit my lip as I looked at my shelf, narrowing my eyes. “That’s a good question to which I have no answer. I have favorite books in each genre.”

Graham smiled. “Nerd.” He looked at the ceiling. He had stopped panting, at least.

I smacked his chest. “Hey!”

“Try not touching me. I’m weak.”

I scoffed. The pounds of muscle begged to differ.

“Yes,” he said teasingly. “Let’s not talk about how sexy you find me. It’s not helping either.”

“Get off that cloud, St. Claire,” I said, but I did find him sexy, really sexy.

But who wouldn’t? He had a nice body from working out hard. He had abs, large arms that could protect, and a charming face. Not to mention his disarming smile with dimples.

I gulped, blushing.

“Clouds, horses,” he muttered, still looking away. “You know how to destroy someone’s ego.”

I looked down at my hands. I should be doing the same and stop thinking about how manly he looked in my bed and how hard it was not to kiss him again and explore more of his body, feeling bare skin against bare skin. I shuddered at the thought of feeling my soft breasts flush against his hard pecs, our skin slapping, all hot and sweaty.

“Talk to me about your family,” he requested next when I remained silent. I blinked, feeling my face heating.

“My family? Okay…” I trailed off, clearing my throat. “My mom is a nurse at General Hospital. She has weird shifts and sometimes, she comes home with pretty…unique stories, if you are interested in any of them.”

“Disgusting?”

“Most of them.”

“Be my guest.”

I proceeded to tell him about that one time my mom had to remove an attached nail from a toe that was oozing pus, blood, and sand. She had pictures. Then I told Graham about the boy who cut off a quarter of his finger, ran into the hospital with his severed pinkie plastered to his bloody hand, and Mom had to stitch it back again.

“Is that even possible?” Graham asked. “A quarter?”

I shrugged. “Apparently.”

“It fell off completely?”

I nodded and he hummed, pondering over it.

“Well, thank you for that,” he said, crawling to a sitting position. “I swear I didn’t expect it to go this far.” He ran a hand through his hair, giving me an unobstructed view of his chest. My nipples hardened. “I just wanted to watch a movie with you. Maybe kiss you. But then…” He pressed his lips, apologetic. “I got carried away. Sorry about that.”

Graham looked down, clenching his jaw as he waited for my answer. He looked chided.

I didn’t know what to answer. I also got carried away. If he hadn’t stopped, I wasn’t sure how far I would have let things go.

I cleared my throat. “It’s okay,” I muttered. For some reason, I wasn’t bothered. It felt more like a puff of air in my chest, lifting it.

Graham raised his eyes to me and studied my face. He blinked a few times but didn’t add anything else. “Want to finish the movie?” he asked slowly.

I arched my eyebrows.

“I promise to keep my hands to myself this time.”

I came to realize that when he promised something, he kept it. I nodded, eyeing the TV. The movie was over, and credits were rolling. We’d have to start it again at the place where we started kissing. I didn’t remember when that happened. I was distracted by his touch.

Common sense said I should kick him out; however, I wanted to spend more time with him, even if it meant being quiet. I hadn’t enjoyed the perks of his muscular arms for exciting scenes yet.

“Okay…” I said softly.

Graham brightened at my reply. “Really?” He smiled. “Great.”

He moved to his side, and I kept mine.

“Just pointing out,” he said as I replayed the movie. “I’m keeping my hands to myself, but if you need to cling or squeeze my arm during the movie, be my guest. That’s why I came.”

“~That~’s why you came?” I teased, casting a disbelieving look. He nodded solemnly.

“Don’t be shy, baby.”

I fought back the smile as I adjusted to my space. We continued watching the movie, but I couldn’t deny that a couple of times, I wanted to reach out and continue what we had started, because I was feeling uncomfortable and tense and bereft.

~And, okay, horny.~

But I didn’t. I behaved too, a little bit. I might have reached for his arm a few more times than necessary, but things never escalated from there.

Unfortunately for my horniness.