Jade by Olivia Rigal

neck and my shoulder.
    Oliver whispers, “So this peck is all I get for being that brave? I think I deserve better.”
     “A better reward could be negotiated. What did you have in mind?”  
    “A real kiss, somewhere more private,” he says, and pulls me out of the bathroom and to the opposite side of the hall. My heart skips a beat or two, but I’m not about to balk. I want to be alone with him in a private place. 
    He opens one of the few closed doors of the hallway, and lets me in a room. He closes the door behind us, and leans against the wall while I look around. His room is three times the size of my minuscule cell and boasts a real desk with shelves, a full bed as well as a ceiling fan. 
    “How did you manage to score these luxurious accommodations?” My tone is a tiny bit sarcastic, since it’s still a very small room despite its real window. 
    But then I see that the mattress looks like it’s five times thicker than mine. Right now, I would sell my soul for a bed like this.
    “You mean this royal suite?” 
    “Yes!” I sit on the bed, bounce a little, and say, “Oh, and you have an imperial mattress! I’m so jealous.”
    Power returns: the fan starts rotating slowly, and the light comes on. The glare is horrible. He hits the switch to kill it and we’re back in semi-darkness. Much better. 
    “That kind of killed the mood,” he observes.
    “Yes, kind of.”
     “I can fix that.” He’s grinning again, and looks very sure of himself.  
    “Let’s begin by that kiss you owe me for my bravery,” he says as he sits next to me on his bed. He rolls us to our sides, facing each other, with his back is to the wall.
     He leans in to me, one hand slides between the mattress and my waist and curls up to rest on my hip. 
    “One kiss and then we’ll play it by ear.”
    With his free hand, he caresses my cheek and his mouth takes over mine. His hand makes a fist in my hair. The way he pulls on it feels good. Lovely minutes later, he lets go of my mouth and kisses my neck. It’s so sensual that I think I just purred. Seriously, I did! It’s the leopard’s influence probably.
    Pressed against his chest, I reach for his head. I can feel a rough stubble on his cheeks, and a softer one, right above his ears. Probably a bit of hair that still grows and that he shaves. He pulls away, just a little. The bed is so tiny that there cannot be much space between us. He tugs on the sarong. “May I?”
    My breath catches in my throat. “Yes.”
    As he unties the knot, I tug at his towel. His eyes crinkle. Clearly I don’t need to ask permission. He lifts his hips to help me, I pull it away and I throw it onto the floor behind me. My eyes are locked onto his. I’m swimming in a pool of warm chocolate.
    His hands tentatively slide down my shoulders to my breasts. His gestures are sweet and tender. My heart melts as I ignite. I move back against him, and kiss his chest. Against my lips, I can feel his heartbeat, it’s fast and strong. I nibble on a nipple and he pushes me back to do the same on one breast and then the other. A strange sound comes from the back of my throat. I press his head to me. He lets out a chuckle, and he bites gently at first and then harder. I moan. Oh my God, that’s fabulous, amazing, mind blowing. It’s the sweetest pain. Each bite raises my core temperature and I’m covered in sweat.
    My hand crawls from his skull to his chest. I follow the trail of hair that starts on its chest to the thick curls at the base of his shaft. His breath hitches, and his stomach muscles tense. I wrap my hand around him.   
    “Slow down tiger,” he says. 
    “Why?” My voice doesn’t sound like me. It’s too husky.
    “You’re jumping the gun, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 
    I’m stunned. I blink and repeat, “Not a good idea?” Then I crash.
    I go from sizzling hot to freezing cold in an instant. What was I doing? What was I thinking? I should have known better. I roll