Maybe she was tired. She didn’t know. But one thing she did know was that she’d never felt this safe, this secure with a man before. She’d never had this kind of intimacy. She never even knew it existed.
Ryan only held her when he wanted sex and right after he was done he’d pull away from her. At nights, he’d roll off of her, turn his back and begin snoring almost immediately while she laid in the dark looking up at the ceiling still waiting for something wonderful to happen. He never held her, never asked her if it was good for her. He just seemed not to care.
Michelle placed her open palm against Erik’s chest and closed her eyes. She knew that when they did make love, Erik would hold her. He’d caress her. He’d make sure it was good for her.
Maybe that was it: Ryan had sex with her. Erik would make love to her.
Every nerve in Erik’s body begged him to strip them both naked and make love to Michelle for the rest of the day, all night, into the early hours of dawn, until they were both too satiated to twitch a muscle, until Michelle couldn’t tell her sweet juicy backside from her brown sugar nipples.
But years of practicing restraint gave him the strength to hold this lovely irresistible woman in his arms and not go the distance.
He had Cassie to thank for that. She’d been old-fashioned, so sex before marriage was not an option for them. As a young man, he had to learn to control his sexual desires when most of his friends were scoring on a regular basis. It’s probably why he started running ten miles a day. He had to release that energy somewhere.
Cassie’s choice to remain pure had taught him to respect her, and all women in general.
It was many intimate moments like this one that had strengthened the bond between them. Not giving in to their needs had taught them to trust themselves, and each other. They’d grown to know each other’s bodies so well, and built so much tumescence during their courtship, he’d imagined their wedding night would be tantamount to a volcanic eruption.
Sadly, it was barely satisfying, probably because they were both virgins. It had gotten much better during their marriage, but he was still waiting for that big bang, the one he was sure he would experience with Michelle when the time was right.
Erik closed his eyes and embraced the sound of Michelle’s heart beating next to his and the feel of her warm breath fanning his throat. He tightened his hold on her as slumber pulled him under.
***
About an hour later, Michelle opened her eyes to find Erik leaning over her with a pleasant smile on his face. “We slept together,” she said, noting the remnants of sleep in his eyes.
“That we did. How do you feel?”
How did she feel? She thought for a moment. “Respected and respectful.”#p#分页标题#e#
Erik laughed so hard the bed shook. He ran a finger along her cheek, pausing to linger at a corner of her mouth. “Well, there’s only so much respect I have and so much temptation I can resist, so…” He swung his legs over the opposite side of the bed and walked around to put on his sandals. “I’ll go find Dad and Precious while you freshen up. The bathroom’s through there.” He pointed at a closed door.
“What do we tell them when they ask where we were, what we were doing?”
“We’ll tell them the truth. We were napping.” He walked over to the door and opened it. “Don’t be too long,” he said, stepping out and closing it behind him.
Michelle turned on her back and stared at the ceiling. She couldn’t believe they’d just been locked away in a bedroom, slept in each other’s arms and he hadn’t touched her.
“Well, that’s not entirely true,” she corrected herself as she abandoned the bed and walked into the bathroom. He had touched her, in the most intimate part of her being. He’d touched her heart and her soul, introduced her to a deeper, more meaningful experience to which no physical contact could compare.
He was the most extraordinary man—make that person—she’d ever met. No wonder Bridget Ashley and—she was certain—many other women she hadn’t met were fighting for his attention.
He was worth fighting over. She smiled, feeling in her heart that she wouldn’t have to fight for him. All the signs told her that if she played her cards well, he would choose her when he was ready.
As she emerged from the bathroom, Michelle scanned the bedroom with her eyes. Erik’s presence was everywhere. Life size posters of famous athletes and banners of various sport teams were showcased on the blue-green walls—perhaps the way he’d left them before he went off to college, she thought.