Illegal Use of Hands

by Desiree Holt

  He took one hand, lifted it to his mouth, and slid his tongue over the knuckles in a light caress. Moisture flooded her panties and her nipples tightened into hard peaks. The pulse low in her sex began to throb with a heavier beat, vibrating through her body. God, what this man could do to her with very little effort.

  “Let me clear this food away and take another look at that ankle.”

  They’d been icing it all day, as usual, and she kept telling him it was feeling a lot better. Ryan took care of the leftovers and dropped into his seat at the table again. He lifted her foot and placed it on his thighs, taking a minute to stroke her leg. Without thinking she squeezed her thighs together, and Ryan’s wonderful lips curved in a hungry smile. He knew damn well what he was doing to her, the ratfink.

  He unwrapped the elastic bandage slowly, placed it on the table and ran his fingers over her ankle.

  “You look almost like you know what you’re doing,” she commented. “Are you a doctor or something in real life?”

  He dipped his head. “Or something. Okay, let’s try walking on this a little. You game?”

  “More than.”

  She placed both of her hands in his, using him for balance as she stood up. When she placed her full weight on her feet she felt a slight twinge in her bad ankle and flinched.

  “Easy, easy, easy,” he told her. “Too much too soon?”

  Kaitlyn shook her head. She was tired of being an invalid. “No. Give me a minute, will you?”

  She took in a deep breath, let it out and, still holding to Ryan’s hands, took a step forward on the injured ankle. Little twinge again but not as bad. She indicated to him to walk backwards so she could take a few more steps. With each one she became more confident that she was healing well. She expected it to still be sore for a while but at least she could move around now.

  “Well?” he asked.

  “I won’t be running on the beach for a while, but definitely better. Much better.” Still holding onto him she walked around the porch twice before sitting down again. Dropping into her chair, she gave him a big grin. “Good job, Doctor Ryan.”

  “It’s been my pleasure,” he assured her.

  “Taking care of your gimpy neighbor? I’m sure you’ve had much better things to do.” She tilted her head and studied his face “Right?”

  One corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “Actually it’s been fun. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed myself more.” The look in his eyes heated. “And I don’t mean just the waiting on.”

  Every pulse point in her body throbbed. “Does that mean that we can resume some of our, um, extracurricular activities?”

  “You can plan on it. And sooner rather than later.” He swooped her up and carried her into the house.

  “Hey! I said I’m almost all better here. Remember? We did the test drive thing.”

  “Yeah, but you probably still can’t walk fast and I’m in a hurry.”

  “Oh? And why—”

  Before she could get the rest of the question out of her mouth, he pressed his lips to hers, urging her mouth to open for him. There was nothing gentle about this kiss. It was voracious and claiming, hot and scorching. He thrust his tongue inside like an erotic sword, dancing against all her nerve endings and coaxing her own small tongue to twist and parry with him.

  Kaitlyn wound her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to his. She could feel the heat emanating from it like a well-stoked furnace. She hoped they didn’t spontaneously combust before they got to the bedroom.

  Four days of pent-up frustration were threatening to boil over in an explosion of epic magnitude. Lying in bed next to Kaitlyn had been pure torture for the past few nights. Ryan thought he should get a medal for his self-control, especially each morning when he helped her with her shower. Touching that toned body with its smooth as velvet skin, those breasts that fit so nicely in his hands, that delectable ass that he wanted to lick all over was pure torture. But he was determined to keep his desire in check. He wasn’t one to take advantage of a woman or do crazy things, regardless of what Psycho Marlo had said.

  But now? Now all bets were off. He was going to make sure this was a night to remember for both of them. In the bedroom he set her on her feet, being careful how she put her weight on her bad ankle. Then he cupped her face and indulged himself in another hot, hungry kiss. Her mouth felt and tasted so good he thought he could spend hours doing nothing but exploring the different textures and taste. He’d never met a woman he enjoyed kissing as much as this one. It thrilled him that she was as enthusiastic about it as he was.

  Sliding one hand to the curve of her head, he released the ponytail from its holder and threaded his fingers through her hair. Even in the short time she’d been here, the sun had brought out all the highlights and her hair was like a golden waterfall spilling over his hand. He carried strands of it to his face, inhaling the sweet fragrance of it. In fact, every bit of her smelled delectable, that intoxicating blend of flowers and vanilla that he now knew came from the shampoo and body wash she used. No perfume, which surprised him. He’d never met a woman who didn’t douse herself with her favorite fragrance, but Kaitlyn went for the natural scent. He loved it.

  Reaching down, he tugged up the hem of her T-shirt, only breaking the kiss when he needed to pull the garment over her head. His eyes widened at the sight of those beautiful breasts lovingly cupped by pink satin and lace he’d helped her with this morning.

  No question there, he reminded himself now. His gaze was riveted to the upper swell of her breasts. He couldn’t resist running the flat of his tongue over each of them, drawing a wet line from one side to the other over her delectably smooth skin. At once her nipples beaded to such hard points they were visible through the fabric of her bra. Without taking his eyes from her body, he brought his hands together in front and rubbed his thumbs over the pebbled tips of her breasts.

  He loved the way she gave an involuntary gasp and pushed herself against his touch. Damn, but she was responsive. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the line of her collarbone while he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he thumbed her beaded nipples while he continued to lick and taste her skin. God, she was addictive. He wondered if he’d ever get enough of tasting her.

  Abruptly he pulled back and yanked his own T-shirt over his head then pulled Kaitlyn back to him, pressing her breasts against the hard wall of his chest. God, that felt so good, those soft mounds against his rock hard muscle. He wanted a taste of her again but he didn’t know where to put his mouth first. He wanted to rub himself and run his tongue over every inch of her.

  Kaitlyn wound her arms around his neck, pulling herself even more tightly to him. The feel of her body against his was electric, sending sparks to every part of him. It certainly sent a jolt to his already painfully swollen, agonizingly hard cock and his aching balls. He was driven by a need to bury himself inside her but he’d promised himself to take it slow tonight. Not to fall on her like some sex-starved idiot.

  Gritting his teeth, he lowered her to the bed and managed to get her shorts and bikini panties off without driving himself over the edge. But the moment he saw that well-tended mound, the soft curls in a dark-honey color covering the core of her, he nearly lost it again. Stripping off his shorts and boxer briefs, he barely took time to grab some condoms from his pocket where he’d hopefully stuffed them that morning, and dropped them on the nightstand.

  Then he got to the business of tasting her everywhere, running his hands over every curve, every dip and swell. He didn’t know where he found the self control he exerted to keep from plunging right into her but he was determined to make it good for her. He wanted to imprint himself on her and he had no idea why, except that it seemed like an urgent necessity.

  He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that before he realized it she had wriggled away from his grasp and pushed herself to her knees.

  “Here.” She patted the bed nex
t to her. “Stretch out right here.”

  “But—”

  Kaitlyn just looked at him, her finger pressed to her lips. “Don’t move, don’t speak, don’t do anything.”

  Without warning she wrapped her slim fingers around his aching cock and ran the flat of her tongue over the sensitive head. A tiny bead of fluid had speared at the slit and she lapped at it with greedy hunger. The sigh drove him nuts and further damaged his rapidly eroding control.

  “Kaitlyn—” He cradled her head in his palms and tried to lift it from his body but she would have none of it.

  Oh, sweet baby Jesus!

  Her mouth was a wet, hot furnace, singeing him and driving him closer and closer to the edge. When she slipped one soft hand between his thighs to cup his balls in her warm palm, he thought he’d lose it for sure. He had to close his eyes and grit his teeth to hang onto some measure of control.

  “Kaitlyn.” He could barely speak. “You’re killing me.”

  She hummed gently against his shaft, her lips moving up and down in a rhythm so erotic he wasn’t sure how long he could take it. He was so torn. He wanted to come in her mouth, to feel her suck all that juice out of him and swallow it deep inside her. At the same time, for four nights he’d lain next to her unable to make love to her and his overwhelming need was to bury himself inside her hot, welcoming pussy.

  At last he could stand it no longer. He gripped her head with both hands and tugged until his cock sprang free of her mouth. She looked at him with a combination of surprise and hurt.

  “What—”

  But he was past talking. He eased her onto her back, grabbed a condom and rolled it on with an efficiency that almost embarrassed him, slid his hands beneath her bottom to lift her, and drove home into her wet, welcoming warmth.

  Holy shit!

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to gather some measure of control. When he opened them, she was looking at him with a mixture of hunger and need and passion and…something else? Whatever it was, he couldn’t think about it now. He set a rhythm, steady and strong, in and out, the wet walls of her pussy clutching at him like a vise. He locked his gaze with hers, trying to read behind the mysterious expression in them.

  Then he could think of nothing else. Finding her clit, he rubbed and rubbed with his fingers as the release uncoiled inside him and wound up and up and up. He was so close yet determined to take her with him. There! There it was! He could see it in her face, feel it in the response of her body.

  Now!

  He wanted to shout it as he gave a last final thrust and took them both over the edge to a whirlpool of sensation, falling into a sensuous cloud that wrapped around them and shook them until the last bit was wrung from each of them. He leaned forward, bracing himself on his forearms. Both of them were gasping for air. He could see by the intensity of her pulse beating at the hollow of her throat that she was as breathless and drained as he was.

  At last, the shudders subsided, followed by aftershocks that trembled through them and then they were both quiet. Ryan pressed a soft kiss to her lips before easing himself from her body and disposing of the condom in the bathroom. Rearranging the covers on the bed, he crawled in beside her and pulled her body tight to his. After so many nights of denial, it felt unbelievably good to spoon with her like this.

  He tucked a few strands of her soft, silky hair behind one ear and pressed light kisses to her cheek before curling her even more tightly to him. That sweet curve of her ass nestled back against his finally replete dick and one hand cupped a breast.

  He was almost asleep when she called his name.

  “Ryan?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “My ankle doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  He laughed, a soft and gentle sound because that was all he had the strength for.

  Chapter Seven

  Ryan knocked back the rest of his orange juice, rinsed his glass, and set it in the drain. The past week had been one of the best he had ever known. Nothing beyond Ft. Myers Beach existed for him. Not, Psycho Marlo, the avalanche of bad publicity, the pressure from the team…nothing. He and Kaitlyn had been happy in their own little world. She wasn’t back to running yet but she walked on the beach while he ran and waited for him to come back. Sometimes they waded into the surf for a quick swim. They played tourist, in this typical tourist beach town, strolling the narrow sidewalks, eating ice cream.

  The weather was so pleasant that, unless they went out, they ate each night on her porch, with a soft breeze stirring the air and the last of the sun’s dying rays casting everything in a golden glow. And at night, with the moonlight streaming in through the window, they had sex so spectacular he sometimes wondered if he was dreaming it. He wondered if he’d ever been this relaxed or this happy. It was a far cry from the blood-stirring excitement of football or the heady climate of public adoration. This was completely different. He could pretend that he and Kaitlyn were on a distant planet where nothing could touch them.

  He had no idea what she was hiding from. Oh, yes, she was definitely hiding. He knew the signs. Sometimes she’d take her laptop out on the back porch and hunch over it for a while, her attitude an obvious Keep Away sign. She kept her cell with her at all times, often checking it obsessively, other times letting whoever called go to voice mail. He was curious what her problem was, but if he asked she’d want to know about his, and he wasn’t going there.

  Walt had called a few times, keeping him up to date. The worst of the furor seemed to have died down but people were still dragging the story out on slow news days. The team insisted he’d be better off in Ft. Myers Beach—out of sight, out of mind—until training camp. Under other circumstances, he’d be chomping at the bit and ragging at Walt every other day to get him back to the real world.

  But things were different. At least for the moment. This was like a magic interlude where life did not intrude. Selfishly he hoped whatever Kaitlyn’s problem was it didn’t get solved before his did.

  He’d meant to bring fresh clothes with him yesterday so he didn’t have to go home to shower today, but by the time he remembered, he was lying naked in bed with Kaitlyn and not inclined to think about clothes or anything else. This morning he wanted to go down to one of the marinas and rent a boat for the day. He’d been around them enough and driven them enough that he was comfortable handling a small one. Maybe they’d bring along a picnic lunch and eat out of the water.

  Yeah, that would be a good idea.

  The shower stopped running so he knocked on the door.

  “Kaitlyn?”

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” she answered. “What is it?”

  “I’m going to run next door, shower and change. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll be finished in a couple of minutes,” she promised.

  “Be careful of that ankle,” he warned, thinking she was the first women he’d ever dated who didn’t need an hour to get dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.

  She opened the bathroom door, letting steam billow out into the room. Her face was scrubbed clean, making those incredible freckles stand out.

  “Let’s go out to breakfast, okay?”

  “Works for me.”

  “Okay. Get going, then.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a mock salute.

  He opened the door and stepped out on her porch, thinking about the day ahead. And—

  Stopped. And stared.

  A black Lincoln Navigator was parked in his driveway and leaning against it was an obviously irritated Walt Alston.

  “Hey!” Ryan called, jogging down the stairs. “Did I know you were coming?”

  Walt looked at him and frowned. “You would have if you had your cell on. I tried to call you a dozen times and it went to voice mail.”

  Ryan frowned as he pulled his cell from his pockets. Dead as a doornail. “I, uh, guess I forgot to charge it.”

  “Damn it, Ryan.” Walt blew out an angry breath. “This is no time for shit like that. We have a crucial
situation here.”

  “Has something else happened?”

  “Not exactly, but—”

  “Then what?”

  When I couldn’t get hold of you, my mind imagined all kinds of things. I even wondered if Marlo had slipped her leash and tracked you down here.” Walt rubbed his jaw. “This is no time to be out of communication, Ryan.”

  Ryan leaned against the Navigator and crossed his arms. “Does that mean I’m supposed to lock myself in the house and never come out?”

  “No. But make sure your damn phone is charged. It’s my only link to you.” He stared at the cottage next door. “Whose house is that, anyway?” he demanded. “And what were you doing there?”

  “My neighbor’s.” Ryan tried to temper his irritation. “Why?”

  “Why? I should think that would be obvious. I didn’t bother to have your neighbors vetted because I wasn’t aware you were going to turn into a social butterfly.”

  “Jesus, Walt.” Ryan ran his fingers through his hair. “Cut me a break here, will you?”

  ”A break? You’ll get a break all right.” Walt shook his head. “From football, if you aren’t behaving yourself.”

  “There’s nothing for you to concern yourself with,” he insisted. Damn! How could he get rid of him and fast?

  Unfortunately for him Kaitlyn chose that moment to step out onto her front porch, looking way too delectable in a purple T-shirt, white shorts, and wearing her hair in a ponytail.

  “Hey, Ryan,” she called. “I was just—” She stopped. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you had company.”

  “Neither did I,” he ground out.

  Walt stared from one to the other. “Holy shit, Ryan. What the hell is going on?”

  “Nothing I want to discuss with you.” He fisted his hands at his sides. “You can turn around and go right back up the interstate.”

  “Not until we discuss a few things. Come into the house. Now.”

  “Go on inside and wait for me,” he called to Kaitlyn. “I’ll only be a minute.”

  “You may be a damn sight more than a minute,” Walt told him.