Page 18 of Single Malt

Freedom

The dinner invitationcame as a pleasant surprise, but my own response had been what shocked me the most. I’d told him that I’d only accept if we had room service back at his hotel. The way his eyes had darkened to a stormy ocean blue-green had told me that he’d understood that I wanted more than food.

I looked at my reflection with a critical eye. Brody and I weren’t going out in public, really. Just to the hotel. No one would have any expectations about my appearance. Brody didn’t seem to care that I was dressed for business instead of in something meant to attract him.

Because I hadn’t chosen my outfit based on how I thought he’d like it.

No, I’d picked my favorite sweaterdress because today was cool enough for me to wear it, and the weather didn’t allow for it very often. I like the way it flattered my figure, not hiding or hugging anything. The deep blue color looked good with my skin tone and made my eyes almost glow. The dress also wore well, meaning I didn’t look like I’d spent nine hours in it already. I reapplied my deodorant and freshened my makeup, then undid my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders and ease the ache in my scalp.

Hopefully, Brody would ease other aches soon enough.

I only had one more thing to do before I went back out to Brody. I picked up my phone and tapped out a message to my sister.

I have some things to finish up for the exhibit so I can have the weekend free. I might be home late, or I might not come home at all tonight. Unless you need me.

Yes, I was stretching the truth, but I didn’t share details of my sex life with her at any point in time. I wasn’t about to start with this. It wasn’t as if I intended to bring Brody home to meet the family, anyway. She didn’t need to know about him, just that I might not be home. I’d worked late before, sometimes even staying at Dr. Ipres’s house, so I didn’t risk waking Aline up by coming in late.

Her reply came back quickly.Don’t work too hard or worry about me. I’m finishing up my first draft of my paper and then am going to have an early night. I’ll see you in the morning either way.

Now that I could put Aline out of my mind, I was ready to focus on the drop-dead gorgeous man waiting for me. Any relaxing I did this weekend would only help me focus more easily on Monday. Brody could accomplish in a few hours what two days with hot baths and binging comedies from the late eighties couldn’t do.

A thrill went through me at the memories of his talented hands, but the first thing I wanted to feel on me when we got to his room was his tongue. More than once since we’d last been together, I’d dreamed of him going down on me, and I needed to know if the reality was as good as the fantasy.

Yes,needed.

I had to admit that as I walked toward him, desire twisting my stomach and sending my pulse racing with each step. It was beyondwant. I could walk away fromwantwithout much of a problem. I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be as easy to denyneed.

“I’m at the same hotel as before,” Brody said, “but I drove this time. Do you want to meet me there?”

Just as I’d appreciated him not having issues with me driving before, I appreciated him not assuming that I’d ride with him simply because he’d driven here. It was a lot less awkward to answer his question than it would’ve been to explain that I wanted my car available so I could leave whenever I wanted after we were done.

We arrived at the hotel within a couple minutes of each other and made our way through the lobby, up the elevator, and into his room – a different one than before, but still nice – with little dialogue. We didn’t even touch, and for that, I was grateful. If he’d so much as taken my hand, I didn’t know if I would’ve been able to stop myself from going further than I should have in a public place.

The door barely clicked closed before his mouth was on mine. He buried his fingers in my hair, his touch as hungry as his kiss. I pushed his jacket off his shoulders and then went for the buttons on his shirt, making it halfway before giving in to the urge to slide my hands inside. The feel of his skin under my fingertips, against my palms, made me sigh, as if I’d been needing that touch and only just now realized it.

He moved us across the room, and I let him lead, confident that he’d get me where I wanted to go. When I felt something against the back of my calves, he gave me a gentle push, and I dropped onto the seat of the armchair. When he went to his knees in front of me, a shiver went through my every cell. We’d obviously been thinking along the same lines.

I kicked off my shoes and spread my legs, the movement pulling the skirt of my dress almost high enough to flash my dark blue panties. Eager to see more of him, I kept my eyes on him as he took off his tie.

He didn’t finish what I’d started with his shirt, however. Instead, he put his hands on my ankles and slid upward, the twin caresses leaving matching trails of heat. Over my knees and then on the outsides of my thighs until he reached my hips. His gaze met mine, and his fingers curled around the waistband of my panties.

I nodded, my mouth dry and my pulse pounding. I wanted to urge him to hurry up, but my gut told me that he’d make it worth the wait if I let him set the pace.

My underwear ended up on the floor with his tie, and then his hands pulled me closer to the edge of the chair, and anticipation chased everything else away. His cheeks brushed the insides of my thighs, causing the slightest hint of burn from his five o’clock shadow, and I made a soft sound that could have been a moan or a gasp or something halfway between.

He looked up at me, a smirk on his lips, as if he already knew just how much I was going to enjoy myself, and then his tongue ran up my slit, a touch so light that I almost couldn’t feel it. When I tried to move, his hands clamped down on my hips, holding me in place.

“I’m driving.”

Before I could decide if I even wanted to argue with that statement, he dove in, nothing light or timid about it. My mind tried to follow what he was doing, categorize it, label it, find some way to process the waves of pleasure rolling over me.

I wanted the release of tension that came with an orgasm, but this felt more like a total loss of control, like letting go of something I hadn’t been aware I’d held back. Now that I knew it existed, I gripped it, held it, used it to keep me grounded, even as I desperately wanted relief.

Then he slid two fingers into my pussy and curled them, the tips searching for that spot that most men couldn’t find. My hips jerked, my body pushing toward his mouth and hand, but he held me in place. He worked his fingers inside me, his mouth on my clit until I came, a wordless cry falling from my lips as I allowed myself those few blissful moments of pure, mindless pleasure.

When I opened my eyes, Brody was still on his knees, looking rather pleased with himself.

“Well done,” I said a bit breathlessly. “I’ll return the favor as soon as I can use my legs.”