Free Access All Areas by Alice Severin Page A

started to speak.
    “I’m…I wanted to thank you for that afternoon.” I turned to look at him. His eyes were beautiful; that mix of colors, grey and brown and blue. I realized I was staring, and turned to the front and drank another sip. My mouth was dry again.
    Then his mouth was at my ear. “My pleasure. But don’t thank me yet.” I inhaled, trying to have some control over my body. I pulled my leg in, and rested my hand upon my knee as an anchor. I felt like I was falling into him, and his body was turned towards mine, I could feel it. His mouth was closer, and then his nose was against my ear. I gasped, and I felt him smile against my hair. “I like you.” I took another gulp of champagne. Oh god. What was happening? His hand reached over and took my glass and put it down. “There’s time,” he whispered. Then his mouth was just touching my ear lobe, running down to my neck, his face on my shoulder. His full lips were soft, just like I remembered. My conscious mind was floating away. There was only the heavy liquid blackness that I wanted to sink into. He broke my reverie with a nip, fine sharp teeth biting at exactly the most sensitive junction between shoulder and neck. I moaned, and stopped myself.
    “No,” he said. “Go on. I like it, that’s why I like you, you’re all nerves.” He turned me towards him more fully. With my shoulders facing him, I needed to move my leg to steady myself. He extended his long arm and placed a hand on the top of my boot. I could feel the heat of his hand through the leather. “Look at me.” I raised my eyes to his. “I meant what I said. You are beautiful. You have a quick mind. And I think you would like to play games with me...” He drawled out the last vowel until it was a rumble in his chest. Oh god. Those words, in his voice. Like raw silk, the wind before a storm, fresh running water… “And you like me, don’t you?” He lifted my chin with his fingers. I could just feel the slight callous on his fingertips.
    “I do.” His eyes softened slightly but kept their level gaze. He managed to move my hand up to touch his face.
    “Touch me then.” I tentatively reached out my fingers against his skin. A tiny bit of stubble, the raised moles by his ear. I let my fingers drift across his face as slowly as I could, letting each sensation take time to reach my fogged brain. He closed his eyes and smiled. I wanted to touch his mouth. To feel it, the heart shaped upper lip, soft, but unyielding. Capable of extremes. Only focusing on the lower half of his face, there was that violence there that I had seen before, something dangerous and wild. I ventured my finger to the center of his lower lip. His eyes opened, and they were dark, almost black. I ran my finger over his lips again, and then moved to my own mouth, just to see the difference. His eyes followed my hand, glittering. “I knew you’d be like this,” he whispered. He caught up my hand in his and moved his fingers over my mouth, moving closer until he was touching my lips and I was touching his, softly. My tongue licked my lips, they were dry, but his fingers were there. I couldn’t stop myself and my eyes closed as I darted my tongue in between his fingers. I had just lightly touched him with my tongue, but we both breathed in sharply. His voice juddered like a ship hitting sand. “Ah, that’s good. Very good. I wonder if you won’t teach me something.”
    My heart was pounding and I opened my eyes to look at his face. He had a roughened look to him, a dark determination. But he suddenly moved away, and reached for our glasses and handed me mine. “Drink,” he commanded, and we both took large swallows of the delicate champagne. The taste on my tongue, the sweetness of the wine, the slight bitter saltiness of his fingers, was making me dizzy. But I made my decision. I needed to kiss him, I didn’t want to wait, and I couldn’t wait. I turned to put down my glass and placed my hands quickly on his