Page 24 of Love Affair in London (Once Again #12)

T he only way to reassure Piper was to make love to her.

To let her feel how much he wanted her. Jared stood, held out his hand.

Back in the Sky Garden, she’d so easily put her hand in his, and now, after the briefest hesitation, she let him lead her back into the bedroom.

He tossed the condoms on the bed, then turned off the lights, leaving the curtains open, the soft romantic glow of the city’s lights bathing her face.

“Take off my shirt,” he murmured.

She slipped her fingers beneath the fabric, touching his bare skin, the cold of the champagne flute on her fingers delicious against his hot skin.

After she pushed the shirt up his torso, he took over, reaching behind him to pull it over his head and throw it aside.

He wanted to get naked, piece by piece, together.

As he stood bare-chested in the moonlight, she raised her hand, brushed a fingertip over his nipple. Her touch sent a shiver through him.

Moonlight glittered in her eyes. “Now you.”

He dragged the tunic sweater up, and up. Until he tugged it over her head, her hair falling to curl over her shoulders. Her camisole was like silk against his fingers.

“Are you cold?” he purred against her ear.

“No,” she whispered. “I’m on fire.”

Giving her a wicked smile, he inched the camisole from the waistband of her leggings. Until he whisked it away, and her dusky nipples tightened against the sheer lace of her bra.

“You’re stunning,” he said, his voice husky. “Every inch of you.”

Rolling a finger around a taut bead, he felt her indrawn breath as her breasts rose.

Sitting on the bed, he urged, “Come here,” and pulled her between his legs.

He cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples through the lace.

Then he leaned in to kiss the swell of her cleavage, and her breath hitched.

Unclasping her bra with practiced ease, he slid the straps down her arms, tossing the lingerie aside.

His gaze never left hers as he took one nipple in his mouth, his tongue flicking the sensitive peak.

“Oh, God,” she gasped, her fingers tangling in his hair.

He lavished attention on her breasts, his hands and mouth exploring her curves with a reverence he’d never felt before. Her heady, sensual scent rose to him, carrying her desire with it.

Slipping his hands down her sides, he hooked the waistband of her leggings. “May I?” he asked, his voice soft but full of promise.

“Yes,” she said on barely more than a breath.

He peeled off her leggings and panties slowly, kissing a path along her hips and thighs as he revealed more skin. By the time she was naked, he felt her tremble with anticipation. She was so beautiful, her skin smooth, kissable, her breasts full, her nipples delectable.

His heart beat faster, wanting, needing everything from her.

Jared stood briefly, stripping off his own clothes. Piper couldn’t help but watch as each layer came off, revealing a body that was lean and strong, his muscles taut under smooth skin dusted with silky hair.

When he joined her on the bed, he kissed her deeply, his hands roaming her body with a confidence that left her breathless. His touch was everywhere—her shoulders, her waist, her thighs—until she felt like she’d come undone before he even reached her most intimate places.

He kissed his way down her body, lingering on her belly, her hips, before finally settling between her thighs. She tensed slightly, but he looked up at her, his eyes soft and reassuring. “Relax,” he murmured. “Let me take care of you.”

And God, he did.

At the first touch of his tongue on her, she wanted to melt. He found her hot button unerringly. She couldn’t hold back a moan. “That is so good.” Her voice came as a guttural rasp that didn’t even sound like her.

She was beyond embarrassment, beyond nerves, beyond worrying about what he would think of her body.

There was just his tongue on her, inside her.

There was just the pleasure he gave her.

She held him to her, tipping her head back and relishing every swipe of his tongue, every nibble of his lips.

When he put his fingers inside her, she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but feel.

Crying out his name, she tangled her fingers in his hair, held him tight against her, and begged for more.

Until sensation shot straight down to her center, to his mouth on her and his fingers inside her. Her climax hit her like a twister, leaving her shaking and gasping for air.

He kissed his way back up her body, murmuring, as if he knew exactly what she needed to hear, “God, you’re so beautiful.”

Then he settled between her thighs, his mouth claiming hers, tasting her with her own flavor on his tongue.

Nothing had ever been this good.

The sound of his heartbeat was steady and soothing, lulling her into a blissful haze.

“Was that okay?” he asked, his voice low and warm.

She laughed softly. “ Okay? That was amazing.”

He brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Good. Because I’m not done with you yet.”

“I don’t think I can keep up with you,” she teased, her voice breathless.

His lips curved into a grin. “I’ll go easy on you. For now.”

This beautiful, perfect night was far from over.

Running a hand through his hair she’d tangled in her passion, she whispered, “Now it’s my turn to taste you.”

Something glittered in his eyes. “Don’t you want me inside you?”

“Yes. But first, I want this.” Her mouth actually watered. She could already imagine how good the feel of him in her mouth would be. Pushing on his shoulder, she rolled him to his back, where she straddled his thighs and took him in her hand. “God, you’re so miraculous.”

His erection twitched in her hand. He was big, thick, hard, and perfect in every way.

“This is going to be so good.” Then she sucked him into her mouth.

Christ. He thought his head might blow off.

Both of them. She sucked on him like she knew his body intimately, as if she understood every nuance of what he loved.

Her lips worked his crown while her hand stroked him.

She slid down every few moments to take him fully into her mouth until he brushed the back of her throat.

Her touch was incredible, peeling back the layers of his mind until he was almost floating above them, watching.

It felt surreal, like a wet dream where she was a siren sent to consume him.

She cupped him, applying just the right pressure, and he knew that in another moment, he’d detonate in her mouth.

As mind-blowing as it felt, he wanted to be inside her when he came.

Pulling away was almost beyond him, but he managed, his hands on her shoulders as he forced out the words.

“Inside you.” His breath was ragged. “I want to come inside you.”

He fumbled for the condoms he’d thrown on the bed earlier, tore open the box, then ripped a packet with his teeth.

His mind cleared enough to salivate over the sight of her legs deliciously splayed for him.

He rolled on the condom, but instead of plunging into her immediately, he lowered himself to the pearl between her thighs.

“I need you inside me,” she pleaded, her voice raw and desperate.

But he’d regained some of his senses after her mouth had nearly undone him. “Not yet. You need to come again. Hard.”

He caressed her with his tongue, filled her with his fingers, working her until her body trembled.

Taking her to the brink, he pushed her higher, her legs quaking, her breath coming in quick gasps, and sweet little noises spilling from her lips.

She arched into him, and his fingers found the right spot.

Stroking her there, swirling his tongue over her, he didn’t stop until the tremors overtook her completely.

The moment she cried out, loud and full-throated, he reared up and grabbed her hips, plunging into her. She was so wet that he slid in easily, filling her to the hilt.

His body moved instinctively, thrusting hard against her to prolong her pleasure, to make her climax last forever. Her body milked him mercilessly, the pleasure building until it became almost too much.

Then she dragged his release from him.

He threw his head back, his neck straining, his teeth gritted as a deep groan ripped from him. When he let go, it felt like a star exploding inside him. He’d never known such pleasure, so raw and intense it bordered on pain. He poured everything into her, as she wrung every drop from him.

He stayed like that for a long moment, loving the feel of her skin and the pounding of her heart against his.

Finally, sliding to the side, he pulled her with him, still buried deep inside her, their rough breaths matched as they lay there.

“Christ,” he muttered, a laugh escaping him as he tried to process what they’d just done. Holding her close, he felt their hearts beating together. “That was crazy.” He stroked her smooth skin. “Crazy good.”

She gave him a breathy reply. “I think that’s what they call dying and going to heaven.”

His low chuckle vibrated in his throat. “Or to die for.”

Her voice came soft and sweet. “Maybe we should stop with all the death analogies.”

He relished the warmth of her body. “You’re just what the doctor ordered.”

He didn’t want to tell her how long it had been, didn’t want to imply that was why it had been so good.

Because deep down, he knew it was all about her.

It was how he’d craved her from the moment they met, how he felt her laugh deep inside him, how her scent filled him even when he wasn’t with her, how her voice echoed in his mind when he closed his eyes.

“No twentysomethings could’ve done that any better,” he whispered into her hair.

She nuzzled his throat. “I never enjoyed sex this much in my twenties. Too much angst about the whole thing.”