Chapter 2 - Her Rules

CHAPTER 2: HER RULES

Xolani nodded before his brain had finished translating the question.

Refilwe smiled as if she had expected exactly that. She shifted closer, slow enough for him to watch the decision happen, and closed the warm space around him. Soft skin pressed at his shoulders. Her perfume was deeper at this distance — vanilla, clean musk, something smoky that made the air feel thick.

He could have climbed out if he had wanted to. She had left him room. That detail made his chest tighten harder than the pressure did.

"Still with me?" she asked.

"Yes." His voice came out thin. "Very with you."

Her laugh moved through him. "Good answer."

She brought her breasts together gently, not enough to trap him, just enough to make him feel the impossible softness closing around him. Xolani braced his palms and let his cheek press against her. He had imagined this in flat, private images; none of those fantasies had included warmth, the steady drum of a heartbeat, or the way another person could make you feel both safe and completely out of your depth.

Refilwe lifted herself after a moment. He rolled onto his back on the table, breathing hard. Her face appeared above him, magnificent and amused.

"You are enjoying yourself."

"I nearly died."

"No, you nearly had fun. There is a difference."

She pinched him carefully between finger and thumb and raised him until he was level with her mouth. Her lips curved around the word when she said, "Tell me what you want, Xolani."

His body answered first, hard and aching against his stomach. He looked away, then forced himself to meet her eyes. "I want to please you."