Page 16

QETESH

The bedroom door closed behind us, and I took a deep breath. I turned to face Jacob and set myself off laughing.

"Tesha?" he prompted.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I realised I don't actually know what to do now."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Usually, I've just let the other person drive the interaction," I said. "And I brought you in here, but now I don't really know what to do."

"Okay, well, maybe we start slow." He stepped closer, his hand landing on my waist as he drew me to him. The weight of it felt nice, though it wasn't enough to start me responding.

He dipped his head lower and pressed his lips against mine. There was a softness about the kiss, and a surety, that made a lot of my worries slip away, even if I currently had no answer.

We broke apart, and he lifted his fingers to trace over the lines of my face. "Tell me what you like," he said.

I swallowed hard. "Out loud?"

He chuckled, the sound vibrating his chest under my palm. "Preferably. I can't read your mind."

"I like my nipples touched," I whispered. "They're sensitive."

"Okay, good start." He turned me around and found the zip at the back of my dress, drawing it down slowly.

The knowledge of what was going to happen, and the way his touch lingered on me a moment longer than it needed to, were enough to start the anticipation building.

This part had always felt a little contradictory for me.

I didn't feel any need to be here, but I was still looking forward to it.

Though it was a lot more comfortable to be in this situation with someone who I knew understood how I felt inside.

My dress dropped to the floor, leaving the cool air to prickle against my skin.

"You'll need to tell me if anything is too much," Jacob muttered as he skimmed his hand over my arm.

"It's good," I responded, reaching for his hand and drawing it up to my breasts. My bra was still in the way, but it seemed like a good idea to start there.

He traced his thumb over the edge where my skin met the fabric, sending a thrill through me.

My body started to respond, just like I knew it would when someone was touching me like this.

It had never been a case of disliking this part, it was just that I found it difficult to explain that I didn't crave it, not like a lot of people seemed to.

I turned around and put my arms around his neck. "We should get rid of the clothes and go to the bed."

"We can do that," he responded, leaning in and brushing his lips against mine. It was still a sweet kiss, but that only added to how safe all of this felt.

I broke away from him and stripped off my underwear, knowing that it was just going to get in the way if I kept it on. I got onto the bed and watched as he stripped off his clothes, leaving us both one step closer to what we'd agreed to do.

He joined me on the bed, and reached out to touch my waist, smoothing his thumb over my skin in an intimate gesture.

I cupped his cheek in my hand and drew him to me, kissing him again, a bit more firmly this time. His hand skipped over my skin, making me gasp as his thumb flicked over my nipple. He smiled against my lips and repeated the motion.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Yes, okay," I murmured.

"Tell me if anything isn't." He shifted so that he could pay attention to my other nipple, causing a small moan to escape from me.

Slowly, his free hand drifted down, and I parted my legs without even thinking about it.

This part was natural, and being with someone I trusted was adding to it more than I expected.

I arched up into his touch as his hand drifted up my inner thigh.

"Show me," he murmured.

I nodded and reached down to guide his hand into position. I could feel the pleasure starting to build within me, and I was aching for release, and I liked the idea that I wouldn't have to do it myself tonight.

He took direction surprisingly easily, and I moaned as he slipped two fingers into me, using his thumb to press against my most sensitive spot, never letting up his attention on my nipple either.

I wish I could think of something to say as he sent me higher and higher.

I grabbed hold of his wrist, hoping to hold him in position as my release reached its peak and exploded through me, making every part of my body tingle in response.

I collapsed down onto the bed breathing heavily. "Good," I murmured.

He chuckled. "I'm glad you think so."

"It's different from doing it myself."

"I think that's the fun part," he responded.

I took a few deep breaths and propped myself up on the bed, looking at him intently. "So, what do you like?"

"A lot of different things."

"That might be a little much for one night," I said

He laughed. "Probably."

"So?"

He took my hand in his and wrapped it around himself. He twitched under my touch, even without me doing much. I paid attention to the speed he was showing me, being careful to keep it up when he let go of my hand. He'd made me feel so good that I wanted to return the favour.

"Do you have a condom?" he asked through laboured breathing.

I nodded and rolled over so that I could pull open the drawer of my bedside table, grabbing one from within and holding it out to him.

He took it from me and tore it open, rolling it onto himself with swift ease, then shuffled back so he was sitting with his back propped against the headboard. "Straddle me?"

I nodded and moved so that my legs were over him. He reached down to guide himself into me, watching my face intently. I assumed he was trying to make sure that I was comfortable, which was sweet of him.

I touched my fingers to his face and gave him a smile that I hope he took as reassurance that I was doing just fine. I let out a small cry as he seated himself within me.

Concern crossed his face.

"I'm fine," I promised, putting a hand against the wall and using it to move myself over him.

His eyes glazed over a little, and one of his hands guided my hips, keeping me in the perfect rhythm. I lost myself in the moment, enjoying the sensations that being with him like this was bringing.

Pleasure curled up within me, and I felt another release growing close, but I wasn't going to get there without help. I moved my free hand between my legs and pressed it into the right spot, but the pleasure was a little too intense for me to concentrate.

"Let me," Jacob murmured, moving my hand out of the way and pressing his fingers where I needed them.

I cried out as the release ripped through me, completely losing all sense of the world around me. I was dimly aware of him groaning as he found his own release.

Everything started to come back into focus and I collapsed onto the bed while he got rid of the condom and came back to join me. He shifted the covers so that we could get under them and opened his arm to me.

I shuffled closer, hooking my leg over his and resting my head against his shoulder. "That was good," I murmured.

"It was," he agreed.

"No regrets?"

"No." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "It was fun. I like spending time with you, and I look forward to doing more things together."

"Same." I looked up at him and smiled. There was something comforting about lying here with him and knowing that we both felt the same.

That we could do this again without it being something that made either of us uncomfortable.

"I'm glad you're staying the night too." I traced a pattern over his chest.

"Me too. I liked waking up to find you in my arms last weekend."

"It was nice. I didn't realise how much I'd missed that part of being with someone."

He pulled me closer. "It's hard not to get confused between physical affection and sex sometimes."

"Yeah, I think so. I've avoided one in order to avoid the other a bit, I think."

"You're not the only one."

"Another date is on the table, right?" I checked. "Without sex."

"I mean, you are going to my sister's wedding," he reminded me.

I laughed. "Yes, but I have my own invite to that, you can't take me as your date," I reminded him.

"True. But Ella is going to ask us what's going on."

"What do you want to tell her?" I asked quietly.

"We could tell her that we're just hooking up. I'd love to see her face."

The laugh burst from me without me meaning it to. "It would probably be funnier if she knew I was ace too."

"Mmm, true. But honestly, we can tell her whatever we want to."

"That we're dating, and it's going well?" I shifted up so that I could meet his gaze. "If you think it's going well."

He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, his eyes soft and full of something that looked similar to adoration. "I think it's going well."

"I'm not seeing anyone else. I mean, that was probably obvious from the fact I said I hadn't been with anyone in about five years, but just so it's out there."

"I'm not either," he said. "Which was also probably obvious."

"You say that, but you were at a dating event recently," I teased.

"So I was." His amusement made his eyes dance, filling me with warmth. "But I guess that's what we tell Ella when she asks. We're dating exclusively, and it's going well."

I settled into his arms and let out a contented sigh. "I like the sound of that."

And I did. This wasn't what I'd expected to happen when Aine had introduced me to the new manager at the Jinx hotel, or when Ella had introduced me to her brother, but I liked it, and I could tell that I wasn't going to regret it.