Though another part of her wondered if people who relied on their vision weren’t the ones who missed out. Being in the dark demanded such focus that it enriched as much as it denied.
“So tell me something that you could only tell me in the dark,” he said.
She paused. “I can’t think of anything.”
“Really? A secret that you never told, a fantasy that you are too shy to share in the light of day? Isn’t that what blackouts, airplanes and dark restaurants are for?” he joked, but she knew he was serious, too.
Her heart beat a little faster at the idea, and the seductive tone of his voice.
“Maybe,” she said, unsure.
“Tell me.”
Tessa couldn’t believe she was so nervous. She wasn’t shy, in fact, she was often the one who initiated sex with her partners. But there was one thing … she had never told anyone. She didn’t know if Jonas would be okay with it. What if he thought she was demented?
“The problem with sharing secrets in the dark is that we have to go out into the light at some point,” she said, thinking twice.
“Tell me, Tessa,” he said again, stroking her hand with his thumb.
Sparks lit along her skin and she almost expected to see them light up in the dark.
“Okay. There is one fantasy I’ve often had …”
“Mmm-hmm.” His hand was on her thigh, rubbing lightly there now, and she had a hard time focusing.
“I’d like to have someone watch me have sex.”
His hand stopped. “What do you mean exactly?”
“I’d like to perform for a lover. You know, just have you, for instance, sit back and watch. Maybe I could use a vibrator, my hand or some other toys, but I’d love to feel free enough with someone to do that, to know that they could enjoy just staying back and watching me pleasure myself,” she said, her voice catching. She was getting turned on just talking about it, but also felt embarrassed admitting it.
“I can’t imagine anyone saying no to that,” he said, his own voice a little rough.
“Men don’t want to think women can find pleasure without them. It’s a dent to their egos, I guess,” she said.
“Not mine. I could do that. If you want, I want to do that,” he said, his hand rubbing her leg again, moving higher. “When I have my eyes back, I mean. Just say the word.”
She was incredibly turned on by sharing that with him, and by the prospect of being able to do it. But as he buried his face in her neck, she pushed him back.
“Your turn.”
He took a breath. “Right. I don’t suppose I can get away with the standard guy fantasy of two women, right?”
She laughed. “I know you can be more creative than that.”
“I don’t know. I have always been a pretty traditional kind of guy in bed. What you did to me on the train … that was about as kinky as I have ever gotten.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“So is there anything you’ve ever thought you’d like to do? You know, the thing you can only share in the dark?”
She put her hand on his thigh now, mimicking his motion on hers earlier.
“You are evil,” he said.
“Tell me.”
“Okay. I’ve never done it, but I think I’d like to try …”
Tessa realized she was actually holding her breath.
“Maybe being tied up,” he said. “and tying up my partner in return.”
“Bondage?”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “I’ve never trusted anyone enough to allow myself to be completely at their whim. To let them do whatever they wanted to me. For them to be completely in control. No pain or anything like that … or maybe just a little,” he said in a tone that tantalized her. “And hopefully they could trust me in the same way.”
Tessa took a deep breath to try to slow down her speeding heart.
“I could so do that,” she said, enjoying the image of Jonas bound to her bed. “I mean, if you ever thought, you know, if you wanted me to—”
She stopped, realizing she had dug her nails into his thigh. When she pulled her hand away, her fingers brushed his cock, hard and testing the looseness of the scrubs.
“I’ll go find our waiter to see if he can bring a check,” she said quickly.
He got up, too, and as she turned on her heel, she bumped into the chair and stumbled forward.
Amazingly, Jonas was there, his strong hands closing on her upper arms, steadying her and then pulling her in to hold her close.
“Hey, careful.”
“Good catch,” she said, linking her arms around his neck.
“Mmm,” he said, kissing her.
“We all go through life stumbling around in the dark, Jonas, looking for something to grab on to that makes sense. You and I, we seem to keep bumping into each other. We fit.”
He pulled her against him, fitting her to him tightly as he deepened the kiss. She didn’t resist, letting him take his fill, and getting hers in return. But for all the desire and passion between them, she couldn’t help but think there was something else Jonas hadn’t told her. Some other secret that stayed between them in the dark.
ELY SNUCK THE KEYS out of Chloe’s pocket as he pressed her against the doorjamb, her arms locked around his neck, their kisses even hungrier after their backseat encounter.
She was gorgeous, he thought, sliding the key effortlessly into the lock and opening the door without missing a beat, getting them inside where they could dispose of soaking-wet clothes and he could take his time with her.
“You have great hand-eye coordination,” she said against his mouth.
“I was very motivated to get that door open and get us inside,” he responded as he deftly undid the buttons on her wet blouse.
“I wasn’t talking about opening the door,” she rejoined, nibbling at his bottom lip, making him laugh and groan at the same time.
She tried the light switch on the wall, but apparently the power was still out.
He felt … light. For the first time in recent memory.
“I’m glad you stuck to your old habits,” he said, thankful he’d gone to the bar and that she had walked in.
“Me, too,” she whispered, lifting a hand to his face, running her fingers over the stubble of his jaw. “Let me get out of these clothes—”
“My thinking exactly,” he interrupted.
She laughed, and he liked how it infused her entire expression with warmth. Her laugh reverberated through her entire body, the cool, distant reporter erased, a vibrant, passionate woman revealed.
He’d known there was magic between them before, but he’d been too raw then, too fresh from his return to be good for anyone. He hadn’t been ready for more then, but he was now.
“How about we get dry, have a glass of wine … take our time,” she said, leaning in to kiss him again. “No need to rush.”
He nodded, sighing. “You’re right. There’s time,” he agreed.
It was a luxury he was still getting used to. Time had seemed to stop in Afghanistan, and since then,