Chapter 26

26

DAPHNE

K issing Sterling like this was surreal enough for me. Kissing him like this while leading him blindly to my bedroom? Well, that was like a dream coming to life.

My brain was definitely struggling to process what was happening, but my body was miles ahead, already roaring to go. I moaned into his mouth when his tongue swept along my own, his hard abdomen pressed tight to mine.

With his hands in my hair and our chests practically molded together, we stumbled into my bedroom and crashed down on the mattress, making out like horny teenagers who had been denied the opportunity for much too long. Sterling rolled us over once we landed, caging me against the bed with his body.

I pressed my fingers harder against his head, angling my own to kiss him deeper. Every nerve ending I had was singing, my body desperate for everything he had to give. Hyper aware of every part of him, I felt his leg sliding between mine, his thigh nestling right in the sweet spot.

A shiver of pleasure slid through me. Sparks traveled from my toes to my core at the friction, but at the same time, I was focused on his elbows next to my shoulders and his soft lips on mine. I couldn't get enough of him.

The one thing that stole my attention more than anything else was that one thing—Sterling North was hard. Very, very hard.

For me.

The bulge of his erection pressed against my hip and it was like steel. Knowing he was as turned on as I was spurred me on, making me need to touch him in ways I never would have thought I'd be brave enough to do with him .

In this moment though, he wasn't Sterling North, the unattainable demigod who would never even look my way. He was just a guy who was kissing me like he had been waiting for this as long as I had and he couldn't wait any longer either.

Finally releasing his hair, I ran my palms along the strong planes of his back, memorizing the feel of him before hooking an ankle around his ass. I pulled him even closer to me and he groaned. His hips started to rock slowly.

"Daphne," he ground out between kisses that were growing more passionate by the second.

"Don't," I whispered into his mouth, terrified that he was going to come to his senses. "Don't stop and don't hold back."

"Trust me, I'm not stopping." He slanted his lips back over mine with renewed fervor, his hands sliding into my own and pinning them to the bed. "God, I want you."

"Same," I moaned into the kiss, rolling my hips against that steel rod in his pants as he positioned himself between my legs.

Sliding my hands down, I tugged his shirt out of his pants and pulled it off over his head, gasping at the hard heat of him once it was gone. Sterling lowered the zipper of my dress before easing himself off me so he could help me out of it.

I wriggled free, my gaze hooked on his as the fabric slid to my ankles. He didn't break eye contact as he swept it off, dropping it unceremoniously on the floor. The tops of his cheeks were flushed, his lips slightly swollen from the force of our kisses.

Sucking in a breath, he finally dropped his eyes away from mine, groaning out loud as he ran them across the length of my body. Left only in panties and a strapless bra, I was more exposed to him than I had ever been, but he seemed to like what he was seeing.

In return, I dragged my own gaze over the stacked blocks on his torso, then reached for him, tugging him closer by his belt. He laughed, coming willingly, and I lifted my head to kiss him again.

As his tongue slid into my mouth, I made quick work of his belt and his fly with his help. I kicked off the slacks once they were open, unable to believe that he was nearly naked on top of me.

Soft groans of pleasure rumbled through his chest. Then he swore, kissing me hard before pulling away. "I don't have a condom."

"Neither do I." I scrunched up my nose, disappointed but not about to let that stop me. A smile spread on my lips as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him down on the mattress with me. "There's lots we can do without one."

I felt his lips curve into a grin against my own, and relief raced through me that he wasn't letting it deter him either. His lips came back to mine and he kissed me hungrily, not stopping until I was burning for him.

My panties were drenched, my nipples were hard, and everything in me was screaming for release. Sterling seemed to sense it, his hand sliding down my side until he hit the waistband of my panties. He paused there, reaching his free hand around to unhook my bra and then lifting his head to look at me once it was gone.

Without saying a word, he brought his mouth to one of my nipples, sucking it in, and his fingers finally skated beyond the elastic of my underwear. I waited for him to take them off, but he didn't do it, sliding his fingers across my almost bare pubic mound and sucking in a sharp breath when he realized how little hair I had there.

"This is a surprise," he murmured against my skin. His tongue elicited the most amazing sensations from me as it lazily circled my nipple. "You're so fucking sexy, Daph. I can't wait to take this."

He patted my mound as he said it. Then his fingers found my clit and my brain shattered. Sterling played me like a fiddle, the pads of his fingers everywhere I needed them to be whenever I needed them to be there.

Moaning uncontrollably, I reached for him in turn, my inhibitions obliterated by the magic he was working on me. Following his lead, I allowed my hand to dive into his underwear but I didn't take them off, kind of feeling like it was safer to keep some layers of fabric between us.

As soon as my fingers brushed against him, he hissed and his hips started rolling slightly, breaking the last working parts of my brain. Sterling North was wet. For me.

I arched my back to press my chest harder against his mouth as I wrapped my fingers around a thick, very hard, very hot shaft, and started stroking up and down. Sterling's moans quickly started matching my own, running into one another as the pleasure consumed us both.

The orgasm I felt building was powerful, and when it released, I almost shouted, my toes curling and elation shooting through me like lightning. Sterling was there with me, jets of his release filling my hand as he let out a low, long groan.

As our bodies relaxed, he kissed me again, then pulled me into his arms and dropped another kiss on top of my head. "Sleep now, baby. I'll be here when you wake up."

Without another word, I drifted off to sleep.

Slowly drifting into consciousness the next morning, the first thing I was aware of was that I was hot. A slight glow told me that it was morning, but the heat didn't make sense. I tried rolling over, only to realize that the heat was coming from bands wrapped around my arms and legs.

Strong, warm bands holding me tight to a wall in bed behind me, and that was when it all came rushing back. Sterling .

My heart jumped into a higher gear, a smile spreading on my lips as I finally opened my eyes. He stayed!

The butterflies in my stomach woke up, zooming around happily. I relaxed back against him, closing my eyes once more to drink in the moment. His body was so hot and firm against mine, and he was holding me.

His steady, even breathing suggested he was still asleep—with me in his arms, while he held me like he'd never let go. My smile spread wider and I let out a soft sigh.

I can't believe he stayed!

My insides threw a party and I turned slowly in the circle of those strong arms, careful not to wake him but wanting just a moment to see him while he slept. The sight didn't disappoint. With his strong features relaxed and his eyes closed, he looked younger, long black lashes resting against the smooth skin beneath his eyes.

His dark hair was messy, sticking up in all directions. Heat flashed through me when I wondered if it was from my fingers or if he looked like this every morning. Something told me it wasn't quite this mussed every morning, though.

I remembered pushing my fingers into those thick strands, tugging them through it and holding on as he brought my body to heights I'd never experienced before. Heat settled firmly between my legs. I squirmed, knowing there was every chance he was going to jump up and run as soon as he woke, apologizing profusely for having made a big mistake.

But there was also the tiniest possibility that he wouldn't. That he'd wake up, pull me even closer, and kiss me again. Slide his hands down to the waistband of my panties and?—

"Good morning," he murmured suddenly, yanking me out of what had fast been becoming an erotic daydream. "Penny for your thoughts?"

I blinked hard, focusing on those glittering, deep brown pools as they stared into my eyes with a mix of heat and amusement in them. He wasn't running yet, though. I supposed that was an encouraging sign.

"Good morning," I said quietly, almost whispering so I wouldn't break the moment. Our noses were so close together they were almost touching. Our gazes locked as we lay tangled together. I gave him a slow, hopefully playful smile. "I'd love to tell you, but it might be better if I showed you."

It was a bold move, propositioning him with the light of day slowly creeping from my windows to my bed, but that was why I'd hoped the smile was playful. If it was and he rejected me, I could always say I'd just been joking.

Sterling stared silently back at me for a beat before he finally ran his hand from the small of my back to my cheek, cupping it. He moved his head closer to my own. My pulse spiked, that heat becoming an inferno as I anticipated feeling his lips against mine again, but just before it happened, Eric's voice filtered in from outside.

"Yeah, Mom. I know it's early, but she's always awake by now," he called. "If she's sleeping, it's fine, but I need her help, so I figured it was better to stop by."

My entire body froze, my lips parting in shock as even my eyelids forgot how to move. Sterling's eyes widened, but his lips curled into a cheeky grin before he smacked a quick kiss on my mouth anyway.

"To be continued," he whispered and rolled away from me, getting up and out of my bed. Then he mouthed, "Where can I hide?"

I sat bolt upright, my hand shooting toward the closet. "In there. Quick."

A couple knocks rang out from my door and I slid my legs off the bed and reached for a shirt on the floor. After shoving it over my head, I called out. "Coming! Just a minute."

Sterling pulled his pants on over his underwear and grabbed his shirt as he darted to my closet. The next thing I knew, I heard my front door opening and my heartrate kicked up another notch.

"Daph? Are you in here?" my brother's voice rang out, much closer now as he entered my little house. "Daphne?"

I cringed, hurrying over to my dresser and grabbing the first pair of shorts I spotted. "I'm here. I said I was coming!"

"I didn't hear you," Eric said just as Sterling disappeared into the closet, the door closing only seconds before Eric knocked at my half-open bedroom door. "Are you decent?"

"Just give me a minute," I said irritably, trying and failing to swallow my annoyance over his unexpected appearance and how pushy he was being about it. "The sun's barely up. What's going on?"

"My receptionist caught that flu that's going around," he replied, staying outside my room, his view of the inside shielded by the partly closed door, but he was right there. I could hear how close he was. "Do you think you'll be able to help me out at the garage today?"

My heart pounded as I stalked across the floor and yanked the door open all the way, propping a hand on my hip and glaring at him. "Seriously? You couldn't just text?"

He shrugged, his blue eyes so similar to my own that I recognized the slight flare of suspicion in them immediately. Striding into my room, he looked around, his gaze lingering on the closet for a moment. "Why are you being so weird?"

"Weird is showing up at someone's house at the crack of dawn without even a phone call," I said flippantly, taking his arm and dragging him out of my bedroom. "I don't know what century you think it is, but people just don't do that anymore."

His brow furrowed, but he let me pull him out of the room—just not without another quick look back over his shoulder. "Why do you care? I come by all the time and you've never had a problem with it before. Do you have company or something?"

"No, but I was about to take a shower. Privacy is a real thing, you know."

He sighed. "Sorry. But for the record, it's not the crack of dawn. And I stopped by to talk to Mom anyway."

"Either way, wait for me to answer the door or don't complain if you see something you're not supposed to see."

Eyes forward again, he looked me over and then pressed his hands together as we got back to my front door. "Help me today?"

"Fine." I managed to give him a smile, but my heart still hadn't stopped pounding. "I'll be there soon."

"Awesome. Thanks, sis."

"Next time, call." I schooled my features into a strict look, opening the door for him and waving him out. "But I love you and I'll see you in a few."

Chuckling, he finally left. I shut the door behind him and pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm my heartbeat. I kept an eye out through the window, watching him make his way to the garden gate and disappear out of it before I raced back to my bedroom.

I opened the closet to find Sterling dressed—sadly—and smirking at me. Dark hair still mussed, he stepped out and ran his forearm along his brow. "Phew. That was a close call."

I laughed, shoving him slightly before collapsing back on my bed. "You're telling me. I think I came this close to a cardiac event."

I lifted my hand, setting my thumb and index finger about an inch apart. Sterling chuckled, nodding his agreement before coming around to sit on the bed beside me. He smiled, turning to face me and reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Do we need to talk about this?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head, returning his smile as I leaned into his touch. "We're good, Sterling. Don't worry. We're all good."

I had no idea what else to say, but we really were good. Last night had been fun and that was it. As much as I wished things were different, they weren't, and overcomplicating it wouldn't help. We were just good .