Chapter Twenty

Max sat alone in his living room, the curtains all pulled shut, every light but one turned off, not a sound in the house.

The grand piano – his pride and joy – gleamed in the golden light of the nearby lamp, and it sat silently majestic while Max prepared his sheet music.

A moment later, he flexed his fingers, set them on the stark white keys, and began to play Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’. The notes were haunting, as they should be, and Max lost himself in the music almost immediately.

Piano was his emotional sanctuary. The chords, the keys, the distinct sounds each one could make when paired with another…he craved it. Especially in times of emotional turmoil, he could play for hours on end without stopping. His fingers flying across the keys, slowing occasionally, the chords ever-changing and real.

Nothing else existed in those times…just the beautiful, magnificent instrument that he alone could play. Just him, alone with the music.

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Erin could barely concentrate on the movie being so close to Jon – feeling his skin against hers, breathing in his scent. It felt as if her entire body were on alert, each nerve sensitive to even the slightest touch.

Jon settled his arm comfortably around her, pulling her just close enough that she could feel the rippled muscles in his torso, teasing her through his thin black shirt.

Sweet Jesus…how I have missed this man.

She had succeeded in shutting out her nagging brain thus far, but her nagging desire was another thing entirely.

Without taking her eyes off the screen, she reached over and laid her hand gently in Jon’s lap, resting it comfortably between his legs. She felt him stir slightly and look at her, undoubtedly confused. She didn’t look back, but slowly began to rotate her thumb in small circles through his jeans.

Jon groaned slightly. “Baby, watch the movie…”

Erin smirked. Like he really meant that.

In response, she slid her forefinger down the zipper trail of his jeans as her thumb continued rotating. She could feel him hardening right through the thick fabric. Damn if she wasn’t feeling the unmistakable signs of arousal as well.

Jon inhaled quickly, trying to ignore her antics and focus on the characters on the screen. It didn’t help that Danny and Evelyn were intimately tangled in parachute sheets.

Erin continued her manipulation, stroking him softly and enjoying the internal struggle he seemed to be battling. To see how far she could push her limits, she slowly unzipped his zipper and slid her hand into his jeans to get a better position. Jon sucked in a breath and held it, shutting his eyes and focusing on the burn in his lungs rather than the tingle between his legs.

The truth was, he’d wanted her all night. Hell, he’d wanted her all week – since they’d last seen each other. Her deep, dark green eyes had tinted the edges of his every dream, his fingers had literally ached to smooth over that satiny skin. And tonight – fuck. That minidress was just long enough to cover the curve of her ass, but he’d been hoping she’d bend over all night. The way her thick blonde hair tumbled down around her, hiding that shallow curve between her shoulder and neck…

He gave himself about three seconds before he made up his mind.

Exhaling slowly, he gently removed her hand from his lap and brought it over to her own. Pushing up the short hem of her dress, he fingered the lace on her thong before sliding a finger beneath it and beginning his own exploration. She was surprisingly moist, a revelation that caused his very belly to tighten like a rock.

He removed his finger and took her hand in his, bringing it back down below to the thong’s fabric. Erin looked at him, her eyes widened.

“What are you doing?”

Jon threw her ball right back into her court, smirking and refusing to look at her. Gently, he positioned her finger beneath his and slid them both back beneath the lace. It was Erin’s turn to suck in a breath, as she sat there in surprise at what he was doing.

Jon was staring at the movie screen, but he couldn’t have explained what was happening anymore if someone had paid him to. His entire mind and every thought was on the woman sitting next to him, where his finger was and what he was doing to her…what he was making her do to herself.

He slid their fingers slowly in between the moist folds of flesh to sink into the soft silkiness inside. Then, he moved them gently in and out, stroking her in her most sensitive places as he did so. He listened carefully to her reaction, and smiled when he heard her start to pant.

He picked up the pace then, gradually increasing speed until she was nearly bucking her hips in time with the mutual thrusts of their fingers. She whimpered in between her pants, and threw her head back against the sofa in anticipation of the finish. Jon was overcome with a crazy urge to bring her over the edge, to watch the look on her face and hear the guttural sounds she made as she found her sweet release.

She found it quickly, her body tensed so tightly that it had been nearly at the breaking point already. She moaned as she clenched around their fingers again and again, slicking them both. Jon waited until her body relaxed, then slowly withdrew their fingers.

He met her gaze then, and made sure he had her attention as he brought her finger to his mouth. He closed his lips around it and sucked with his tongue, closing his eyes as he did so. When he was finished, he opened them and released her finger, chuckling at the look on her face. She seemed in a daze, her mouth set in a precarious ‘o’ and her eyes unblinking.

“Well…how was that?” he said slyly.

Erin narrowed her eyes at him. “It wasn’t supposed to happen that way.”

Jon chuckled. “I figured. But you should know that I don’t play well when I’m on the defense.”

Erin raised an eyebrow.

Jon nodded. “I usually play on the offense.”

“Well then,” Erin got up and tossed back her hair, letting it fall freely down her back.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back,” her voice was mysterious, but Jon somehow knew she didn’t want him to follow her. He watched as she walked away, a deliberate sway in her hips. His jaw clicked as he smirked. She was undeniably sexy…and she knew it.

Erin made her way to the entry hall, where she’d left her purse – she’d brought along something special for the night. She turned down the hallway to the nearest guest bathroom and shut the door.

A thin, slinky red piece of lace, entirely transparent except for the tiny matching triangles of silk. Erin smirked as she peeled off her minidress and slipped on the babydoll, admiring what she saw in the mirror. Despite working hard lately, she’d found time to get in a nightly run, and now she was pleased with the toned thighs and tight tummy. The lace was dangerously thin and fragile, the silk triangles clung to her heavy breasts, and Erin somehow knew the outfit wasn’t going to survive the night.

She ran her fingers through her hair quickly, tossing and fluffing the long tresses. She pulled a tube of bright red lipstick from her purse and splashed some color on her lips, then spritzed her favorite perfume on her neck and chest. She shoved her clothes and purse aside, took one last look at herself in the mirror, and left the bathroom quietly.

Barefoot and nearly naked, she made her way through the house silently.

As she approached the living room, she called out, “I play on the offense, too, you know.”

“Oh, really?” Jon turned as she walked into the room and stopped short. Erin’s stomach fluttered as she watched the changes in his face take place rapidly, and she nearly laughed at his almost dizzying change from nonchalant to pure lust. His baby blues darkened, his lips parted, his breathing shallowed. He stared at her with an expression so hungry she could barely restrain herself.

“Yeah,” she said smugly. “I do.”

Sunday, May 10, 2009