His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 124: Like It?

Chapter 124: Like It?

** Eli **

Her smile was part inquisitive, part hungry, and part—

Eli melted from the inside as he tried to place the remaining emotions in Harper’s expression. Under a veil of curiosity and desire, there was something soft, gentle and far more delicate. Something he had never expected to see ... bestowed by someone like her to someone like him.

It really must be a dream. Could she truly have such feelings for him? How did it even start, and how much longer would such a precious gift last?

Eli squashed the thought as soon as it crossed his mind. This wasn’t the time for wistful musings, not when she was still looking at him expectantly with that beautiful gaze in her eyes. He could only let himself enjoy the moment while it lasted ... and he’d give her everything he had to make her enjoy it too.

With that goal, he kissed her again, this time at the end of her jawline where it met her neck. Trailing his lips down that sensitive area, he followed it up with a path of feathery pecks, bare brushes of his mouth against her smooth skin.

This was exactly how she had kissed him earlier, and he wanted her to know that he remembered it. Burned it into his memory, in fact. The way she had touched him with so much affection and tenderness made his heart swell, and it made his body throb in places he didn’t know he could feel. He wanted to give it back to her, let her share the wonder of that sensation and the joy beyond words of being so treasured.

She noticed what he was trying to do. "Did it feel this good for you when I did it too?" she sighed the question when he reached a spot on the side of neck that she liked.

Eli chuckled against her skin. "I guarantee you that it felt even better for me," he spoke the truth. "Which is why I need to top it off with something different—"

He changed paths, tracing those kisses back up until he reached her earlobe. There he took it between his lips in a light suckle, and his tongue brushed over that soft tip.

A half gasp, half moan threaded out of her throat. He felt her shudder as her shoulders rolled, and her head tilted back, bringing this part of her closer into him.

"Like it?" He chuckled again and closed his teeth gently around the sensitive flesh, teasing her with a tiny nibble before moving up, ghosting his tongue over the shell of her ear. "This is a preview of one of the ten thousand things I’ve wanted to do to you," he whispered, letting the words tickle right into her and eliciting another tiny shudder.

He had noticed weeks ago that Harper was sensitive here. The urge to play with that knowledge and lick her to the edge in a spot she’d never expect had been so tempting ever since then. But like he said, this was only a preview. He didn’t want to spoil this intimate, delicate evening with too much kinky teasing.

Reluctantly letting her go, he trailed his kisses down again, feathering a wet line along her collarbones. He took it slower than usual, letting himself savor every brush of his lips just like she had done earlier, cherishing the taste and smell of her enveloping him like heaven. She didn’t urge him either. Her arms looped behind his neck again, and as he painted a lingering path down toward her stomach, she folded her legs around his waist, hooking them behind him and pulling him closer into her.

Damn. Did she have any idea how hot that was?

Eli felt his groin burn. But at the same time, this was much more than that. The meaning of her wanting him close, the unburdened freedom that he could now finally take to be close, to please her and admire her without being afraid that he’d cross the line, sent pulses of euphoria shooting through his body even more forcefully than the waves of physical desire. He had never dared to wish for such an invaluable treat from her ... But now, it was happening, and the familiar scent of honey and vanilla proved to him that despite his fear, this wasn’t a dream.

Honey and vanilla, though ...

Remembering something, he paused just above her stomach. "What happened to the perfume you wore earlier?" he asked, recalling the floral fragrance that had reminded him of his first visit to her apartment. She was wearing it during the meeting just a few hours ago. If this wasn’t a dream ... then where had the perfume disappeared to?

Harper’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze wavering when it met his, as if she was still lost in the sensations of his caress. "I took a shower before I came over," she said. "I wanted to ... well, be prepared."

She didn’t say what she wanted to be prepared for, but he knew, and damn it he shouldn’t have asked the question. The answer coaxed the flames inside him into a greedy hiss, making it almost impossible for him to think straight. Then his eyes landed on the tiny piece of thong just beneath his view. "And you changed into this too?" His thumb grazed the edge of the fabric. "For me?"

"For you ..." — she let out a breathy chuckle — "to take off."

Fuck.

Eli almost lost it. All too eagerly, he obliged, pulling the stringy garment out of his way with a bit too much force. The sweet scent of her desire filled the air around them, making him heady, and her back arched into him in anticipation of what he was about to do next.

But this time, he wanted to give her something different. Letting his hand slide between her thighs, he cupped her with his palm, whereas his lips traced back up her stomach, closing around a long hardened nipple instead.