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Howhad she not noticed it before?Sheplayed through the past day trying to identify a point where she might have suspected, but couldn’t single out anything.Asa teacherandaVirgo, being observant was usually one of her superpowers.Thenagain, she hadn’t noticed her ex-boyfriend falling out of love with her, so…
‘Hey,’ he said as he stopped in front of her.
‘I-Ididn’t know,’ she said, feeling stupid for being so blind.Somany thoughts and questions jumbled through her head.Howhad it happened?Howhad he survived it?Didit still hurt him?
‘I’mpretty good at hiding it from people,’ he said. ‘ButIdidn’t want it to come as a surprise when…when we…’
Shestepped towards him and placed a finger on his lips. ‘Shhh.Iunderstand.’Andshe did.Sheappreciated that he thought to tell her before things went further.Shewondered if he’d had a bad sexual experience in the past with someone who’d reacted poorly.Silently, she cursed any woman who had ever made him feel less because of this.
‘Doyou still want to…?’Hiseyes grew wary and moved to her ear as though meeting her gaze was too difficult.
Jesssaw a new side toGabriel.Lessconfident.Vulnerable.Morereal than the whooping hotshot she’d seen in the helicopter and more accessible than the grumpy gallery owner. ‘Ido, but…maybe not all the way?It’snot because of your leg,’ she rushed to reassure him. ‘It’sbecause of me.Iwas already having second thoughts while you were in your room.I’mnot usually a spontaneous sex kind of girl.’
Hisdark eyes moved back to hers, and it was her turn to drop her gaze. ‘Whynot?’
‘Whynot what?’Sheshrugged.
‘Whyaren’t you a spontaneous sex kind of girl?Sexis natural.Andyou’re beautiful.’Hetook the end of her plait in his fingers and slid the elastic off of the end.Slowly, he unbraided it.
Sheshook out her curls to hide her blush at his compliment. ‘Idon’t know.Justthe way…the wayIwas raised,Iguess.Allthe booksIread whenIwas a young girl, they made it seem like sleeping with men without a relationship was, you know,slutty,andIsort of took that message to heart.’
‘Well, it’s not slutty.TheFrenchdon’t think so, anyway.’Hepulled her into his arms and leaned over to kiss her jaw. ‘I’mhappy to be led by you.Thereare many’—kiss—‘manywaysIcan give you pleasure that don’t involve full sex.’Hismouth moved to her ear and he nibbled the lobe, making her shiver.
Ifthat wasn’t the hottest thing a man had ever said to her, she didn’t know what was.Hiswords darted straight to her core, and a myriad of ideas and exciting possibilities blossomed in her imagination.Thingsshe’d never done before, too embarrassed or too prudish to let herself be exposed.Butfor some reason,Gabrielmade her feel it was okay to be adventurous.Itseemed natural with him.
Rightnow, she wantedGabrielto show her what she’d been missing. ‘Let’sgo to your bedroom,’ she whispered.
Takingher hand, he led the way.
7
Thefollowing morning,Jesswoke up first.Justenough light seeped around the stone-coloured curtains for her to make out the man lying next to her, flat on his back and fast asleep.
Shepushed herself up on her elbows.Hisright leg lay on top of the duvet, ending around halfway down his calf.Hehad excused himself to remove his prosthesis and wash his stump after their first round of orgasms.Shewas glad when he’d done it because, although he did his best to keep it away from her, the few times her skin brushed past it had felt strange: cold and metallic.Shepreferred him without it—at least in bed.
Studyinghis muscular thigh, she swept her eyes down over the scarred, rounded end of his leg.Theskin was puckered and red, alternating between smooth and rough.Shecould see two lines where the doctors must have sutured it closed.Theurge to run her fingers over those lines forced its way into her mind; she squeezed her hand into a fist, knowing without being told how intimate that would be—even more intimate than what they’d done last night.Worriedthat he might not like it if he woke up and found her staring at his leg, she moved her gaze to his face.
Inthe dim light, she observed the dark stubble on his jaw, the one that she had kissed many times last night and the same jawthat had rubbed against the inside of her leg as he licked her into oblivion.
Ahuge grin spread across her face, which she immediately covered with her hand.Thethings they did last night...
Heraudacity made her want to laugh and hide at the same time.
Witha languid stretch, she laid back down and closed her eyes.Herhand stroked the skin around her belly button as she relived some of the more exhilarating moments from the previous evening’s sexy time olympics.Shehad never felt so free with previous partners.Gabrielhad brought her to orgasm multiple times in different ways: with his fingers, with his tongue, from the front, from the back.Hehad explored parts of her that she’d never previously allowed anyone to touch.
Yes, she meantthere.Thathad been an unexpected delight.
Thisspontaneity science fair project, asGabrielcalled it, was really working out for her.
Infact, she might never want to go back to penetrative sex ever again, now that she knew so much more about the other stuff.Thatbeing said, part of her regretted that she’d set limits on what she’d do with him last night.Hewas obviously a master, and she wondered what the full act would have been like with him.Itmade her want to have another go…
Sighing, she rolled over and picked up the glass on her bedside table.Lastnight had been thirsty work.Asshe sipped the water, her eyes fell on a framed photograph on top of the fireplace mantel.Init was a youngerGabriel, his hair more black than grey, wearing comfortable beige clothing like the type of outfit a person would wear in a desert.Aleanly-muscled, dark-haired woman in a khaki green vest top hugged him, and he hugged her back.Theirheads faced different directions, but both were laughing.Jesswas surprised at the irrational frisson of jealousy she felt.
‘Bonjour,’ saidGabrielbehind her.Heran a finger lightly down the middle of her back and a quiver ran through her.
‘Morning.’Sheflipped onto her other side, so that she faced him, her smile both shy and wicked at the same time.
‘Sleepall right?’Hishair was sticking up on one side, and he was so adorable and mussed, she longed to touch it and flatten it down, but ignored the urge.Shedidn’t know him well enough, which was a funny notion considering what they’d done last night.
