Page 10 of Lick

Emma

I’m a bag of nerves as we pull up outside my flat. Lick pays the driver as I climb out and take a few deep, steadying breaths.

Lick gets out and walks around to me, offering me his hand. I slide my cold one into his as he watches me, giving me a moment to get my shit together. For the thousandth time tonight, I ask myself what the fuck am I doing?

But I shut down the voice that warns me I’m being reckless, reminding myself that being careful never got me anywhere in life.

I walk him up to the doors, ignoring the guys on the corners who are eying Lick with curiosity. None of them acknowledge each other personally, yet I’m sure one of them just nodded to Lick, like he might know him. I shrug it off. Birmingham isn’t that big, and if Lick is a local and in a band at those popular nightspots, it’s likely he knows a lot of people, even if it is only to say hello in passing.

I tug the door open and lead him upstairs, not wanting to take the lift that always stinks of piss. I’m embarrassed enough about him seeing where I live. Though I have nothing to be ashamed of, it’s hard to get to my age and feel like I have nothing to show for it.

Pulling my key from my wristlet, I unlock the door before walking in, the familiar scent of home soothing a little of my frayed nerves. I wait for Lick to pass me before I close the door behind him. Tugging the bag free, I toss it on the little table near the door and turn to ask Lick if he wants a drink, only to find myself pressed up against the door with Lick’s mouth covering mine and his hands in my hair.

I whimper as he pushes his hips into me, his hard cock trapped between us.

“Fuck, you run this hot for your ex, or is this all for me?”

Before I can answer, his mouth is back on mine, muddying my brain once more. By the time he pulls back, I’m a juddery mess.

“Bedroom?”

I point in the general direction and yelp when he bends down and throws me over his shoulder. He pushes the door to my bedroom open and lowers me to my feet as he crowds me closer to the bed. His hand cups my face as his eyes move to my lips. God, if this man knew how powerful his gaze was, he’d be running the government and have all his constituents dropping their underwear, policies be damned.

“I can’t wait to get you under me. I’ve been thinking about it since the moment I saw you at the bar.”

I shiver at the desire in his eyes as his fingers move to the hem of my dress, which is right around the time I remember I’m wearing Spanx. Not willing to explain to a man in his twenties, who likely usually dates women the same age, that gravity isn’t as kind to the rest of mere mortals, I slip out of his reach and paste on a smile.

“I’m just going to freshen up. Make yourself comfortable.”

I see in his eyes him weighing the pros and cons of letting me go versus throwing me down on the bed. Thankfully for me, common sense rules out the latter as he steps away and sits on the end of the bed, where he starts to unlace his boots. “You got five minutes, beautiful, then I’m coming for you, ready or not. I have no qualms about fucking you over the bathroom counter.”

The gulp I gulp is so loud, I know he heard it. I scurry away as my cheeks flame, mentally chastising myself and my lack of coolness. I flip on the light and close the door, click the lock into place, then grip the counter and stare at my reflection in the mirror.

My face is flushed, my lips are puffy, and my eyes sparkle with life, something I’ll admit has been missing for a while. I’ve been going through the motions, doing what I needed to get through the day. I hadn’t realized how much I was letting life pass me by, becoming somewhat of a hermit. And now, in my bedroom, is an Adonis of a man, one who is far too young and far too gorgeous for the likes of me. But I’m going to enjoy every second of the night like I’m Cinderella waiting for the magic to end. Tomorrow I can think about the regrets and recriminations. Tonight, I want to have fun.

Heeding Lick’s warning, I hurry to strip out of my Spanx and throw them in the laundry basket before I take a second to freshen up. This isn’t a book where a woman can be out all night, sweating her ass off while she dances and gets horny grinding on a man, only for the hero to go down on her and announce that she smells like fucking roses.

By the time I’m fresh and smelling good enough to eat, hopefully, I feel the nerves kick in again. Now I’m standing buck naked, checking out the body that carried two children that had to be cut out because my hips were too narrow to deliver them. The C-section scar is neat and tidy and has faded a lot over the years, along with the stretch marks that litter my stomach and the tops of my thighs. I stopped caring about them with Dan. He made it clear that my body post-pregnancy, even a decade on from giving birth, wasn’t as appealing to him as it was pre-pregnancy. It got to the point that I had to remind him that the body he was still telling me he was aroused by belonged to a fifteen-year-old. And him still thinking that said more about him than me.

I shake my head, not needing Dan in my brain now because it’s a surefire way for my burning libido to turn to ice.

Taking a deep breath, I slip on my short white bathrobe from the back of the door and spritz a little perfume on my wrists and behind my ears before I square my shoulders. “I’ve got this.”

I pull the door open and yelp when I see Lick leaning against the door frame, completely naked.

Holy shit, I don’t got this.

He grabs my chin with his thumb and forefinger, tipping my head up to look at me as he dips his head and skates his lips over mine. He tips my head back further, giving him access to my neck, ripping a gasp from me as he kisses down the collar of my throat.

I feel the belt of my robe loosen as Lick uses his free hand to tug it open. His warm hand slips between the material, parting the sides as his lips trail down to my collarbone.

I reach up and slide my hand around the back of his neck as he slips the gown off one shoulder, kissing every inch of skin that he uncovers. I shiver against him, the rasp of his stubble leaving a warmth in its wake that will leave marks on me for days, proof that tonight really happened and that it wasn’t some naughty fantasy.

He slips the robe from my other shoulder and lets it pool at my feet as his lips move down my body to my breasts. He cups them with his hands, holding them up so he can feast on them, lavishing them both with attention before he gets to his knees. My breathing accelerates as he looks up at me with a wicked grin.

He hooks one of my legs over his shoulder before he uses his other hand to hold me open for him. I swallow hard just as his mouth covers me. He doesn’t waste any time with formalities. He sucks my clit before stroking it with the flat of his tongue.

“Fuck!” I curse when I feel my leg starting to shake. Any moment now, I’m going to drop, and yet I can’t find it in me to care. I’m dripping with arousal. If I weren’t so turned on, I’d be embarrassed. But hell, what does it even matter? I’m never gonna see this guy again.