Page 36

Claire kissed her way down Erin’s throat and pressed her mouth over the pulse racing beneath her skin. A gentle bite made Erin’s hips push forward. Her wrists shifted inside Claire’s grip, testing how firmly she intended to hold them.

Keeping Erin’s wrists pinned above her head, Claire opened the button of her jeans and lowered the zipper. She left the jeans and panties in place, slipping her free hand between them and beneath the waistband. Her fingers found Erin already wet.

“Oh my God, Claire. Plea—”

“Save your pleading, Erin. You’re going to need it upstairs.” She drew one finger through the wet heat slowly enough to feel Erin’s thighs tense.

Erin’s head fell back against the door. The sound that escaped her was louder than either of them expected. Claire watched her face as she traced a deliberate circle, then another, learning the rhythm that made Erin’s lips part and her lashes flutter.

Claire released Erin’s wrists and slid two fingers inside her. Erin’s hands dropped immediately to Claire’s shoulders and held on. Claire set a pace that was maddeningly slow, curling on each stroke, holding Erin’s gaze every time she opened her eyes.

“Stop biting your lip. I want to hear every sound I pull from you.”

Erin stopped biting her lip, and the raw sound she released filled the entryway. Claire increased the pressure, her thumb finding the right angle while her fingers moved deeper and faster.

Erin’s knees buckled. Claire’s free hand curved firmly around her waist and held her against the door while her other hand kept its rhythm. Erin clutched Claire’s shirt as she came with a cry that shook through both of them.

Claire eased her hand free and wiped her fingers on the inside of Erin’s open waistband. She pulled up the zipper and fastened the button. Then she kissed her mouth with a softness that belonged to an entirely different woman than the one who had pinned her minutes ago.

Erin sagged against the door, her cheeks flushed and her breathing uneven.

Claire smoothed a strand of hair from Erin’s damp temple. “Catch your breath.”

Erin gave her a breathless laugh. “That may take a minute.”

“Take one.” Claire leaned closer, her lips brushing Erin’s ear. “I promised to make you come before you reached the bedroom. I never said I would be finished once I got you there.”

Erin’s breathing faltered again.

Claire stepped back, giving her room to move away from the door. “Come upstairs.”

“What should I do when I get there?”

“Everything I tell you.” Claire turned toward the staircase, certain Erin would follow.

Claire climbed the stairs without looking back. She heard Erin kick her boots off and then the soft pad of bare feet on the hardwood behind her.

She reached the top of the stairs and turned. Erin stood three steps behind, her blouse untucked where Claire had gripped it. Her curls fell across one eye. She pushed them back and looked up at Claire from the staircase.

“Keep coming.”

Erin crossed the remaining distance. Claire took her hand and led her down the hall into the bedroom, then turned to face her beside the bed. She caught the front of Erin’s blouse and walked her backward until the edge of the mattress pressed against the backs of Erin’s thighs. She kissed her once, brief and firm, then released the fabric and began working the buttons.

Each button revealed more of Erin’s skin. Claire uncovered the hollow of her throat first, followed by the swell of her breasts above dark lace and the softness of her stomach. She parted the blouse, pushed it from Erin’s shoulders, and let it fall behind her.

She ran her thumb along the lace edge of Erin’s bra. Erin’s breath caught. Claire unclasped it and let it fall beside the blouse. She cupped Erin’s breasts, feeling her nipples tighten beneath her palms.

Claire kissed her once, then opened Erin’s jeans and pushed them down along with her panties. Erin stepped free of both and stood naked before her. Claire let herself look for a long moment.

“Lie back.”

Erin sat on the mattress and moved toward the center before stretching out against the white sheets. Her thighs parted slightly as she watched Claire approach the bed.

Claire held that gaze while she pulled her own sweater over her head. She unhooked her bra, stepped out of her jeans and panties, and stood naked at the foot of the bed. Erin’s attention moved down her body and back up, open and hungry.

Claire climbed onto the mattress and straddled Erin’s hips. Leaning down, she kissed her slowly as their breasts pressed together. Erin’s hands slid up her back, trying to draw her closer, but Claire ended the kiss and shifted higher.

Claire placed one knee beside Erin’s ribs, then the other, and moved higher until her knees framed Erin’s shoulders and her thighs surrounded Erin’s face. The hesitation lasted half a breath. Erin’s hands came up immediately, gripping the backs of Claire’s thighs and pulling her down.