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  I tell him about Cora, and he gets so animated, calling her a bitch and reminding me how he never liked her. All the ladies in the nail parlor stop to listen in on our conversation. I start telling him about Ben, and about the fact that we have known each other for so long, and nothing ever happened, and now we cannot stop flirting. He tells me not to overanalyze things.

  He says, “Just have fun with it. Que sera sera.” He looks around for a moment, then he starts singing, winking at me, “When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother what will I be?” He keeps on singing the other verses of the song with a smug look on his face, and pretty soon, he has every single woman in the shop singing along.

  I shake my head and smile at him. When he is out of the gym, he is just fun Andrew. The vegan place we go to afterwards is good, but of course, my trainer inhibits my choices, and he is also quite vocal about what should I get. I glare at him often. I end up having a kale and green salad topped with tofu, and a green smoothie. We walk back to my apartment leisurely. It’s still early in the afternoon, and I’m not sure what time Ben will be back.

  He is supposed to call me, message me, something like that. And as I look up down my street, there he is.

  I see him first. He is coming out of my building, and his eyes are fixed on his phone. A sigh escapes me. Andrew looks at me with a puzzled expression.

  “Twelve o'clock,” I say with a tip of my chin in that direction. He is about sixty feet from us. Andrew looks in the direction I pointed.

  “Lord Almighty! Is that him?”

  “Yes!” I say with a giggle. I don’t want him to leave, so I yell “Ben!” as loud as I can. When I see him searching for me, I wave at him. He sees me too. And he smiles.

  Oh God, that smile, how I missed it. I want to run to him, but I try to keep my cool.

  “Hold this,” I say to Andrew, handing him my green beverage. “For your sake, I better not taste like kale.”

  He is just wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He is a little more tanned than he was a couple of weeks ago, and possibly even more beautiful. And the eyes. So impossibly blue. They pop even more against the darker skin. Suddenly I’m glad I made an effort when I dressed for lunch with Andrew. I’m wearing a summery green maxi-dress with a tribal print.

  We can't stop looking at each other and grinning like fools, like it's the first time we are really taking each other in. I want to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him madly, until I remember Andrew is next to me. Not that he wouldn't enjoy the show.

  “I thought you weren’t going to be in town until later,” I say. He puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs.

  “I took an earlier flight,” he says smirking, and I think I might just melt into a puddle of mush.

  “Get out!” Andrew chimes in.

  “This is Andrew, my friend and pain in the ass trainer,” I say, gesturing toward Andrew, never taking my eyes off of him.

  It takes him a few seconds to register, and only then does he look over to Andrew, extending his hand out. They exchange pleasantries, but as soon as they are done, I give Andrew a quick hug and tell him thank you for lunch.

  “You better come with details. Lots of them,” he whispers in my right ear. He proceeds to swat me playfully on my ass, and we both wave goodbye.

  When I turn to Ben, I suddenly feel the electricity between us. I feel nervous in the pit of my stomach, almost as nervous as when I was about to lose my virginity. Maybe it’s because I can’t even remember the last time I had sex. Maybe it’s not just me. He looks almost shy, and in the clothes he is wearing, so much younger than his age.

  I take his hand, and say, “Let’s go.”

  He is quiet and different from the flirty Ben he was via text just a few days ago. We wait nervously for the elevator, hand in hand, every once in a while exchanging a nervous glance. This wasn’t the time to be shy, no time to be prude. I wanted him, and I was going to show him.

  Chapter 11

  AS SOON as the elevator door closes, his hands are around my waist. We look at each other for a few interminable seconds. I take his shirt in my hands, pulling him to me, whispering against his lips, “I missed you. So badly.” He cradles my head and I feel desperate with need.

  “If you don’t kiss me right now, I might lose it,” I say, hating myself for sounding so needy.

  He does kiss me. His lips touch mine, but it’s no more than a quick peck before the elevator stops at my floor. He pulls back. My eyes are still shut and I’m still waiting for a real kiss, but it doesn’t come. I huff, exasperated.

  He chuckles, “Patience, Prudence. Come on, lead the way.”

  I fumble with my keys, and now I feel him moving behind my back. He scoots the hair away from the back of my neck and starts kissing me there. The sensation of his lips on my skin is enough to send a shiver through my spine and make my knees buckle.

  I finally get the door open. I get in, and he closes the door behind him and locks it. And now it's just the two of us, and we don't have to wait anymore. I’m trying to tell myself to let go and not overanalyze things. Live in the moment. I glance at him and he spins me around against the door, taking my wrists into his hands. He lifts my arms above my head, and finally lowers his head to kiss me, or so I think. But he heads for my neck, and he places a soft, wet kiss on my skin, right under my ear lobe. His beard nuzzles me and makes me slightly ticklish, and mixed with his deliberately slow kisses, does nothing but feed the fire that was already slowly burning.

  It seems like we have been doing verbal foreplay for days, and now I’m so impatient. He keeps kissing me in a slow pace and a moan escapes my mouth. He still has my wrists pinned and I can't really do much in this position. This is sweet, sweet torture, but it’s not enough. I want to taste him.

  “Ben . . . I need to kiss you.”

  He releases me then, and I grab his face and kiss him furiously. I suck on his bottom lip, and when he opens his mouth, our tongues slide around each other, almost like a dance. He tastes fucking delicious—a hint of spearmint and something else. I do what I’ve wanted to do since we kissed in my kitchen: I untie his hair knot, and a mass of beautiful golden hair falls on his shoulders. I smile and run my fingers through his hair.

  “You are so beautiful,” I tell him, pressing my forehead against his, but he shakes his head and his lips curl into a smile.

  “You are,” he whispers in my ear, before sucking on my ear lobe and then trailing kisses on my neck again.

  One of his hands is cradling my jaw, the other one is on my hip and grabbing my butt, pressing me against him. Even through our clothes I feel every inch of his erection against my hip.

  “Do you know how long I have been fantasizing about you?” he asks in a low growl, his voice alone a fucking turn on.

  I might have an idea, but I shake my head no. I want to hear him say that.

  “Ever since that day at the beach . . . you ran away so fast, I couldn’t even take a good look at your butt. That was really inconsiderate of you, Prudence,” he says with a smirk.

  “You’re right,” I say, panting. “That was so rude of me. Clearly I need to be punished,” I say playfully.

  I see a flash of excitement in his eyes, and as he starts pulling up the hem my dress, he locks eyes with me.

  “We’ll see . . . maybe I will make you beg.” Oh God, what have I gotten myself into? I’m so turned on by the slowness of his moves, by his sexy gestures, I feel greedy and can’t wait any longer. I bite my lip, grab the fabric of the dress, pull it over my head, and throw it on the floor. I step out of my wedges and kick them to the side. I’m much shorter than him now, but I don’t feel small. I stand before him in my underwear, and the effect I have on him makes me feel sexy and powerful.

  His eyes are dark and hungry, hazy with lust, and I’m sure mine look just the same. I place a hand against his taut stomach, push him to sit on the armrest of the couch, and slide my hands under his t-shirt, touching his abs. Holy smokes . . . is this why
everyone makes a big deal about abs? I wouldn’t know . . . he might be the fittest lover I ever had. James had cute, tiny love handles. I didn’t mind at all; I actually loved them. But now, the hard muscles under my hands . . .

  Don’t drool on him, Prudence, don’t do it. Keep your eyes in their sockets. It’s just abs, no big deal. His hands grip my waist and then skim down to my butt, while I’m busy examining every hard line of his chest with my fingers. I’m already so wet and ready for him, and he hasn’t even touched me there yet. He leans in and kisses me again, and one of his hands goes under my bra, bringing the cup down, teasing my nipple. The fingers of his other hand venture inside my panties. He tickles me on my sensitive spot on my hip, making me squirm under his fingers.

  We both laugh and stare at each other, his eyes searching mine for any other unusual reaction while his fingers trail down my skin and reach inside my folds and find my clit. I let out a sigh.

  Every trace of laughter is gone, the lust back on; we never break eye contact, my arms on his shoulders for support while he slides a finger inside me, pushing it in and out in a slow rhythm. He adds a second finger and then starts tracing circles with the pad of his thumb on my clit. My head falls forward on his shoulder and I moan against his ear. His fingers start moving faster. I bite and lick his ear lobe and my hand trails down his pants. I start rubbing his erection and tugging on his belt.

  He takes his right hand out of my underwear and unbuckles the belt, unzips his jeans, takes off his pants and boxer briefs, setting his erection free. Inspired by his sudden quickness, I take off my bra and throw it on the floor, and the panties come off next. Both standing naked, we take each other in for a few moments. Then he grabs a foil packet out of his jeans.

  “Bed. Now,” he says with a low and sexy voice, his dark eyes full of lust. He slaps me on my butt, and I jump, startled, but then I smile and bite my lip. His gaze searches my face, as if he is making sure we’re still good, still on. He holds my cheek and runs his other hand in my hair, before giving me a heart-melting, knee-buckling, soft kiss on the lips.

  “Come on,” he says.

  I walk to the bedroom, dazed and naked, feeling his eyes boring into my back. I look at the immaculate bed, with fresh, white sheets, and pause for a moment, unsure of what my next move should be. Luckily, I don’t have time to stupidly overanalyze things, because his arms envelope me from behind, grabbing my breasts and teasing my nipples. I feel his erection pressing against my back. I instinctively lean my head against his shoulder.

  He kisses my neck and a moan escapes my mouth when his hand moves down and touches my clit again.

  “I want to hear you come,” he says in my ear, and he keeps going at it, until my moaning escalates. I reach behind me, grab his dick and start stroking him up and down. He grunts against my neck as I increase speed. He strokes a nipple with one hand and with the other he is working my clit, and with his mouth he is licking and biting my earlobe. I’m in a sensory overload and I can barely stand up. When the waves of climax rip through me, he actually has to support me. When he releases me, I turn around and kiss him, deep and wet, tasting every bit of his tongue, biting him on his chin. My body flushed against his, my arms around his neck. I look at him adoringly, but still hungry.

  “I need you inside of me,” I say against his lips. A smirk spreads across his face and he gently pushes me backwards to the bed. My butt falls down on the bed, and he leans down to kiss me. He retracts and walks away to grab the condom he had placed on the dresser. I get up on my elbows and watch him putting it on, standing in front of me in all his naked glory, his eyebrows pulled and his eyes focused. He catches me looking at him, and his look alone makes my insides clench.

  He lowers himself on the bed, one of his hands skimming across my outer thigh, grabbing my hip. He leans over me, and I drop on the mattress. He kisses me and then starts trailing kisses on my neck, on my chest, while teasing one of my nipples with his fingers. He grabs the other in his mouth and the sensation of pleasure is enough to make me want to scream his name; he's got me all worked up again. A moan escapes my throat and I run my fingers through his hair. He smiles at me wickedly, and puts two fingers inside of me. He lowers on me, the sweet pressure of his chest on mine.

  “Do you know how beautiful you are? I haven't even been inside of you, and you are already driving me crazy,” he says softly.

  I bite my bottom lip and stare at him, incredulous. I have been driving him crazy? He is much too sexy, and I haven’t been down this road in a long time. I can’t even recall the last time I was naked in front of someone of the opposite sex. Good thing I work out. And still, it’s not enough to boost my self-confidence. He strokes my cheek with his thumb.

  “I’m crazy about you, Prudence.”

  I take his hand and kiss the inside of his palm and say, “Don’t make me wait any longer, then.”

  He gently spreads my legs apart, and I’m all tingly just from the way he’s looking at me. He leans down on my body and positions himself against me. The head of his cock nudges against my entrance, and he thrusts in slowly, withdrawing a little, and pushing back in, my muscles stretching around his length. A low growl escapes his mouth, and his eyes are locked on mine, watching my reaction.

  It dawns on me we have only briefly touched the subject of us, and I haven’t asked him what it is that he really wants from me. I want to guard myself and believe this is just a hookup, but the way he is looking at me makes me believe otherwise. The realization that this could be something more than sex, and the sensual wave of pleasure that starts building inside of me, makes me lose my mind.

  When he’s buried in me, he waits just a moment, before starting to thrust, going deeper and deeper; I wrap my legs around him and slightly lift my hips to meet his thrusts. The fit and fill of him is so new, yet so perfect, and I know he is near the edge, just as I am. He grunts with each deep thrust, and I moan at the pleasure, which is only heightened by the intensity of his stare. I feel bare and vulnerable to the rush of emotions running through my body, my blood pumping faster and faster.

  The room is filled with an orange-y sunset light, and his hair looks even more golden. As he keeps thrusting in me, he comes down to kiss me and his tongue twists around mine hungrily. He adjusts his position against me, and the friction of his cock against my clit is enough to make me burst. I’m so, so close. I wrap my legs around his waist tighter, lift my hips higher, and squeeze my muscles around him. I love the guttural, low noises that come out of his beautiful mouth while we keep moving faster. My breath comes in fast and shallow, and with each thrust I yell his name, as well as various forms of oh my God.

  He drives into me again, and I come completely apart. A couple of thrusts later, he shudders on top of me, while I’m still reeling from my own orgasm. He places his head on my chest, and he completely abandons himself on top of me. I caress his back, run my fingers through his hair, and kiss his forehead.

  We are still breathing hard, and we stay like that for a few moments. I have never had a first time with anyone that felt this intimate and comfortable.

  He kisses me on my chest and says, “I'll be right back.” Then he gets up to go to the bathroom.

  I’m unsure of what to do, so I pull out an oversized white tee and put it on, and walk back to the living room to grab my phone and see if my mom has left any messages.

  She tends to get a little nervous before she flies. I glance at the trail of clothes and smile, grab my phone to check my messages, and walk back to the room. I’m typing a text back to my mom when I walk right into Ben's chest.

  “Hey, what are you doing? Get back in bed, now!” he says, grabbing my hips.

  “Just a second, I’m updating my Facebook status to tell the world we just had sex,” I say, dead serious. When I look up at him, he is just getting the joke and starts laughing. God, I love his laughter. The smile that spreads across his face is one of the most beautiful things ever. It's so contagious, it makes me smile too.
/>   “You’ll pay for that one!” he says, lifting me up on his shoulder and swatting my ass, taking me back to the bed.

  He sits on the bed and lowers me on top of him, across his lap. My legs are wrapped around him, my face so close to him I can see the speckles of green in his blue eyes.

  “Hey,” I say, smiling and wrapping my arms around his neck.

  “Hey,” he says, a playful tone in his voice.

  We look at each other for a while, both smiling. I’m amazed at how comfortable we are. This would be the time where the guy usually runs away with some excuse. But here we are, holding each other, still reeling from what just happened. I can’t stop staring at him, and he seems just as intrigued with me. Just the way he looks at me makes my heart race. Add the fact that I just had sex with him and I’m sitting on his lap, and you get a big giant mess of emotions.

  What is happening to us? The question is just sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. Don’t be that girl, Prudence. The girl who scares a guy off by falling too fast, too soon. But the way we are right now around each other, I could almost swear, it’s a straight line to falling in love. Scratch that thought, don’t even go there, I tell myself.

  “So, when you want to go to the beach?” He asks. The beach. The beach! I completely forgot to tell him. I lean my forehead on his shoulder.

  “Oh, no!” I say, suddenly remembering.

  “What?” He chuckles. “You know, if you don’t want to go, there is no need to be so dramatic.”

  Still leaning on his shoulder, I peek at him through my eyelashes, his face turned toward mine. Perfect moment. Ruined.

  “I forgot to tell you . . . my mother is coming to visit this weekend. She is staying a few days. It was already planned and it just slipped out of my mind.”

  He laughs. His hand caresses my back and he kisses my temple.

  “It’s okay, we’ll go some other time. It just means you are not getting rid of me tonight.”