章 51: The Other Pretty Things

** Eli **

Her breath hitched, and he felt her muscles tighten. Then her chest rose in a quivering inhale as he pushed up the fabric of her shirt, revealing more of her body and covering it with more gentle kisses.

The feel of her skin under his lips was sublime. Soft, silky smooth, impeccable when combined with the subtle scent of vanilla greeting his nostrils. Did she use perfumed lotion, or was this simply her natural scent? Eli wanted to lick her to find out. Or to suckle and bite all the most sensitive spots, make her gasp and wiggle and beg from the tingling. He held back from the temptation — she probably wasn't ready for that part yet.

So he continued with the feathery kisses, trailing a slow path up her stomach until he reached the barrier of her bra. He glanced at the garment as he nudged her shirt over it. A pretty thing with white floral laces, trimmed with blue embroidery, and—