The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) (17 page)

“And then more recently, there was Andrew.
 
We broke up last year.
 
He said something along the same lines, only nicer.
 
I guess I just haven’t had the best track record with men.”
 
She shrugged, as though it was no big deal.
 
But Adam felt the way she’d tensed up.
 
She’d been hurt badly.
 
Used.
 
Discarded.

He rubbed her neck, encouraging her muscles to relax.
 
“I’m sorry,” he whispered again.
 
“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“I’m more upset with myself,” she replied, lifting her face so that their eyes locked.
 
“That I let those two men into my life.”

Before his mind could catch up to his mouth, he asked, “Do you regret me?”
 
His heart raced in his chest at his unexpected question, but he kept his expression neutral.
 
He might as well own it.

She studied him with a small smile.
 
With honesty shining in her soft blue eyes, she replied, “No.”

Something warmed his chest from the inside and he leaned down to brush her lips with his own.
 
She pressed against him, her hands gripping his shirt in tight fists.
 
Moaning softly, she leaned into their kiss just as Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex on Fire’ blared through her speakers.

His surprised laugh made them both lean back and Christie’s giggle once again filled the air, his favorite sound.

“It’s quite ridiculous,” she admitted, smiling broadly.

“It is.
 
Should I turn it off?”

“No,” she replied, snuggling closer.
 
“Because that means you’d have to move.
 
And I like you right here.”

“I like it right here too,” he murmured, her words making him bold.
 
He nuzzled the spot behind her ear for a brief moment before his hand trailed up her arm.

“Adam?” she breathed.

“Hmm?”

“Whatever you’re doing is working.
 
Very,
very
well.”

He smiled against her skin.
 
“Good.”

FOURTEEN

A million thoughts raced through Adam’s brain all at once.
 
Kissing Christie apparently did that to him.
 
He absently thought about how unbelievably smooth her skin felt, how silky her hair was, how plush the couch was beneath them, how quiet the living room sounded when the mixed CD ended and all that filled the silence were clothes rustling and little sighs…

We’re making out like teenagers
, he thought, only partly amused.
 
He would be turning thirty in less than three weeks and here he was…

In the back of his mind, Adam always wondered if other people had jumped into the game as late as him.
 
He’d often pondered his virginity and his lack of experience with women, especially since his friends used to have streams of women lining up to be with them.

Christie gave a little moan and it lit him up from the inside, fiery sparks igniting the blood in his veins.
 
She pressed into him deeper, no trace of the shy woman she’d pretended to be earlier this evening.

“Guess we’re no good at role playing, huh?” he teased her, breaking contact to let his glasses de-fog.

She bit her lip, staring at his own with lust in her eyes.
 
“Guess not.
 
I like us much better.”

He grinned.
 
“So do I.”

Her breath caught as they returned to each other.
 
Hands grasped and caressed until Adam thought they’d become one person.
 
They were pressed so tightly together, connected.
 
Unwillingly, a memory from a philosophy class he took popped into his head.
 
“Aristophanes,” he whispered, almost to himself.
 
It had been from a lecture on Plato’s
The Symposium
and Aristophanes’ idea of soul mates…how humans originally possessed four legs, four arms, two faces.
 
Zeus split them in half with his lightening, but they forever looked for their lost counterparts.

“What?” Christie asked, pulling away.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, his cheeks burning.
 
He captured her lips to distract her.
 
“Just something from Plato.”

“Great.
 
You’re thinking about Plato when we’re making out?
 
Guess I’m losing my touch,” she whispered hotly.

“Oh, it’s not you.
 
Trust me.”

She smiled at his earnest tone, but it quickly turned into a moan as Adam’s fingertips slipped up her thigh boldly.
 
He would be completely mortified if he had to explain he’d been thinking of soul mates while kissing her.
 
How pathetic he would seem.

Suddenly, Christie pushed off the couch to stand in front of him.
 
Her fingers traveled slowly to the button of her shorts.
 
Adam pushed up his glasses nervously, situating himself on the edge of the couch, not wanting to miss a single thing.
 
The sound of her zipper being tugged down had a direct correlation to his arousal and he tensed, muscles clenching in anticipation.

When she kicked off her shorts and slowly arched out of her blouse, Adam’s mouth went dry.
 
Clad in just her bra and panties—and of course, her bangles—Christie was absolutely magnificent.
 
Toned, yet soft, and smooth skin all over.
 
He imagined himself kissing every inch of her beautiful body.

“Do you want to see?” she asked, stepping forward between his legs.
 
His hands automatically spanned her waist, absorbing her warmth.

“Yes,” he murmured huskily, eyes flashing up to her own.

“Show me then.”

Femme fatale
, he thought with a smile.
 
She’d make him work for it.
 
But he was always up for a challenge.

His fingertips glided over the skin of her stomach.
 
They traced around her belly button, down her sides, up to the underside of her breasts, before tracing the line of her panties.
 
Christie’s breath hitched with every swipe of his thumb, with every lingering caress.

He loved exploring her.
 
He would gladly spend hours learning every centimeter of her skin.
 
He wanted to know how to pleasure her, wanted to know what made her mindless with lust.
 
What spots made her moan, where he could nibble and tease, where to stroke…

He wanted to know it all.

“Show me,” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss the spot just below her belly button.
 
“I want to learn how.”

Adam didn’t even have to explain his words.
 
Christie seemed to know exactly what he desired because she grasped his palms in hers and pulled him off the couch.
 
And then she led him to her bedroom, clad in nothing but her lacy underwear.

Adam had never considered himself an ass man, but watching Christie sway her hips made him want to worship that part of her.
 
In one of his numerous fantasies starring Christie, he tied
her
up and swatted her ass a couple times as punishment for their first lesson.
 
Now, the image was even more enticing because he had a perfect visual to go along with it.

He groaned quietly, feeling the pressure rise in his balls.
 
He liked to think he had stamina—although, how would he truly know?—but Christie was proving him wrong.
 
She drove him to the brink of madness.
 
Hell, she probably enjoyed doing it.

Once they sequestered themselves in the bedroom, Christie turned to him.
 
She gave him a scorching look, her eyes burning with desire, and told him, “Take charge, Adam.
 
Make me feel how much you want me.”

It was all the invitation he needed.
 
As though a part of him clicked into place at her command, he reached out and grasped her hips, tugging her closer.
 
Christie bit her lip, completely at his mercy, voluntarily giving up her control.
 
These were his lessons, after all.

Adam had taken off a total of two bras in his entire life, both drunken nights in college that had led nowhere.
 
He remembered having trouble both times, as one had hooked in the back and one latched together in the front.
 
Thoroughly confusing for men.
 
Why couldn’t all bras be made the same?
 
It would certainly prevent some embarrassing fumbling…

Luckily, Christie’s seemed simple enough.
 
He appreciated the cream colored satin with lace trim only briefly before he hungered to see what lay beneath it.
 
Reaching around her back, he was proud that he only struggled with the clasp for a couple seconds before successfully tugging the straps down her arms and tossing the bra away.

Practice makes perfect
, he thought wryly.
 
And he hoped he’d have more opportunities to practice with Christie…

With her breasts freed from their confines, Adam leaned back and had to remember how to breathe.
 
Why did it suddenly seem so difficult?
 
His hands brushed the swells of her breasts and he couldn’t resist the temptation to swipe his thumbs over her erect nipples.
 
Christie arched into his hands, her eyes sliding shut.

Yet, he wanted the full effect of her, so he quickly tugged her panties down her legs before telling her, “Lie down.”

Christie’s smile was triumphant and a little sassy as she crawled on top of her comforter.
 
Completely naked.
 
Her full breasts swayed with her effort and Adam’s jaw tightened, watching them in rapt fascination.

Adam had a sick fear in his gut that his alarm would go off any second.
 
That he’d wake up in bed, alone, and start his boring day.
 
Because this couldn’t be real.
 
His walking fantasy couldn’t be naked on the bed in front of him right now.
 
It just wasn’t possible.

Yet, here they were.
 
No alarm.
 
No waking up in a lonely bed.
 
It was just the two of them.
 
And Adam had all the time in the world to savor her, to learn her.

Despite everything, Adam still found himself asking, “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Christie’s eyes softened and she leaned up on her elbow, proudly displaying her beautiful body to him.
 
“Yes, Adam,” she replied softly.
 
“I am.”

He blew out a deep breath.
 
Nervousness began to course through him.
 
Even though they wouldn’t have sex, Adam would learn how to pleasure her.
 
It was still very intimate.
 
And what if he was awful at it?
 
What if he fucked up somehow?
 
He’d never be able to look her in the eye again.
 
Their friendship would be ruined.

“Okay,” he said quietly, almost to himself.
 
He could do this.

“Come here.
 
I have a lot to teach you,” she purred, casting a flirty smile his way.
 
He caught it, hook, line, and sinker.
 
Advancing towards her, he was only stopped when she added, “Take off your shirt.
 
I want to feel you.”

Unable to deny her, he quickly tugged up his t-shirt and dropped it on the ground next to her bed.
 
His glasses were briefly caught up in the material, but once he wrestled them free, he crawled over her and leaned down to capture her lips.
 
When he kissed her, he felt centered.
 
And not so out of control, like he’d fly out of his skin.

Christie wiggled against him and asked, “Ready?”

“Yeah.”
 
Her question reminded him that this was just one of their three remaining lessons.
 
The numbers helped center him too, allowed him to remember that what he felt for her didn’t matter.
 
This was about his lack of experience…and his blasted virginity.

Adam kissed his way down her body, feeling the intense heat emanate off her skin.
 
Her breasts were full and lush, with pink nipples straining for his attention.
 
He brushed his lips against them, feeling a shiver rack her body.
 
He kneaded her flesh, feeling the weight of her breasts.
 
He enjoyed touching her like this and the bulge in his jeans was evidence.

“Oh, Adam,” she breathed, once he stopped and began to move down her body.

God, she was so beautiful.
 
Every freckle he encountered on the way down he kissed.
 
Her skin was so damned soft that he couldn’t help but focus on it for a while before he eventually settled himself between her thighs, his head just above her bare sex.
 
His mouth watered as he studied her.
 
Her folds glistened with arousal and Adam felt a thrill go through him, knowing he’d been the cause.
 
It was an addictive feeling.

“Have you ever…?” she trailed off, but her question was clear.

He shook his head, still mesmerized by her, “No.”

She appeared almost satisfied when he admitted his inexperience with oral sex.
 
He didn’t understand why.
 
But he was quickly distracted when she whispered, “Go slow at first.
 
Tease me.
 
It’ll make it more intense later.”