by Anna Durand
He picked me up and dropped me back onto the adjacent cushion, my calves draped across his lap. In one smooth motion, he whipped his shirt off over his head, tossing it onto the coffee table. It flumped onto a pile of travel magazines.
Aidan spread his arms over the sofa's back, smiling with masculine satisfaction. "There. Problem solved."
I straightened, perched on his lap, and soaked in the sight of his fantastic torso. Skin softly bronzed by sun exposure. Hard lines etched by sculpted muscles. Fine, dark hairs sprinkled over his pecs tapered into a trail that vanished beneath the waistband of his jeans. I bit my lower lip, battling against the impulse to unhook the rivet of his jeans, ease the zipper down, and discover where that hair-dusted trail led.
My gaze dropped to the bulge of his penis.
He swept a finger over my lips. "You're drooling."
"Am not." I patted my lips, finding them free of drool, and gave his chest a halfhearted slap. "You're hot, but I can control my lust."
"The way you controlled it this morning? When I had my hand inside your panties and you were screaming my name."
I laid my hands flat on his chest, reveling in the heat of his body and the silkiness of fine hairs teasing my palms. "I didn't have sex with you. That's control."
"But it was a sexual encounter." He settled a hand on my knee, gliding it between my thighs. I couldn't keep from parting them for him, allowing him to skate his hand up to my groin. "I made you come for me."
"I'm aware of that."
"Only one more little step — "
"No stepping. Not even on my tippy toes."
"Hmm." He slid his hand back down to my knee, studying me with a thoughtful expression. "Have you ever seen a man naked?"
"Not in person."
"I can remedy that."
Aidan rose, with me in his arms, and turned around to face the sofa. Setting me on the cushions, he took two steps backward to stand just past the coffee table. While I sat frozen, my gaze glued to him, he unhooked the rivet of his jeans. Flashing me the kind of smug smile only he could make disarming, he pulled the zipper down, down, down, to unveil the length of his penis inch by tantalizing inch. I ran my tongue over my lips, my mouth suddenly watering. The more of his body he exposed, the more ravenous I grew at the sight of all that delicious male flesh.
His jeans slumped to the floor. He stepped out of them, rolled his shoulders back, and gazed down at me with sultry eyes. "You're drooling again."
"Am not." I was lusting, though, big time. No woman could remain detached when faced with the vision of nude Aidan MacTaggart mere feet away. I let my gaze roam his body, from the lines of his torso muscles — the ones that begged to be traced with a hot, wet tongue — over his narrow-yet-powerful hips and down to…
My focus stalled at his groin. At the sleek length of his cock. The way it had begun to swell and harden. The way a rosy blush now kissed the tip, the color darkening as his erection blossomed before my eyes. I tried to tear my gaze away from it, to admire the thick muscles of his thighs, but my eyes kept snapping back to his cock. I slanted forward without meaning to, my mouth falling open, my tongue slicking my lower lip.
I probably was drooling now. And I didn't give a damn.
Aidan lowered his mouthwatering self onto the coffee table, facing me. His erection had grown stiff enough to bob in the air between us and I fought the ridiculous and nearly overpowering urge to stretch out a hand, close my fingers around his smooth shaft, pump slowly until he begged me to —
Giving myself a mental slap, I shook off the fantasy. Sort of. My body clung to the imagery, to the sensory details my mind had conjured up.
He tipped toward me, spreading his thighs wide, his cock jutting in my direction. "One little step, that's all it takes."
One little step? I wanted to fling my entire body at him.
"Ah well," he said, unfurling his body, waving his erection in my face. He grabbed his jeans and yanked them on, then snagged his shirt from the table and pulled it on as well. I must've looked disappointed at the way he'd covered up, because he hooked a finger under my chin, encouraging me to gaze up at him. "Donnae worry. You'll get an extended view — one day soon, for as long you like — when we make love."
"You mean when we have sex."
"No." He ducked down to press his lips to mine in a sweet kiss. "I mean when I make love to you, because we're going to fall in love. Soon."
I marveled at how he could say such outrageously presumptuous things without sounding the least bit arrogant. He spoke with a gentle tone, his thumb rubbing over my chin, his cheeks dimpled by an adorable little smile.
Sweet and wicked. Forward and patient. He was a contradiction, yet the disparities made sense in the context of Aidan.
Or maybe lust had warped my mind.
He flopped onto the sofa beside me, relaxed into the cushions, and linked his hands behind his head. "Your turn."
"My what?"
He propped his feet on the table, ankles crossed. "Your turn to undress."
Speechless, my jaw agape, I managed only a croaking noise.
"I showed you mine," he said, raking his gaze over my clothed body, "so show me yours. I can tell you want to."
The notion of standing nude before Aidan while he devoured me with his gaze made my skin tighten and my pulse accelerate. But I couldn't. I mean, really. Strip for a man I barely knew? A thrill raced through me, awakening every hair on my body. God, but I wanted to do it.
I pulled my knees up and gripped them. "I'm not stripping for you."
Aidan covered one of my hands with his. "It's all right. One day you will. One day very soon. I can wait until you're ready, because once you show me everything, I'll know you're ready for the pleasure I can and will give you." He lifted his hand, brushing the backs of his fingers over my cheek. "And then I'll be inside you, stoking that fire I see burning in you right now, driving you toward an ecstasy that will leave you spent and satisfied beyond your wildest dreams."
I bit down on my tongue to keep from licking my lips. "You're awfully certain you'll rock my world."
"Aye," he said, his expression sober. "Because I will. Because I'll make sure of it. Nothing matters more than ensuring you feel all the pleasure you deserve."
I couldn't look away from his earnest face. He meant it. My pleasure was his top priority. For a man to care this much about satisfying me, to be willing to wait as long as it took for me to be ready, he must feel more than raw lust. He had to… care.
But he lived in another country. Even if he stayed for a month, eventually he'd go home and I couldn't move to another country, even if he asked me. Falling for him was out of the question.
I considered the mound of his erection contained inside his jeans. My pulse picked up speed as I once again wondered what it might be like to lay hands on his engorged penis — or to close my lips around its girth. A blush sizzled on my cheeks.
"You're thinking about it," he said. "About sex. With me."
Shit. How did he know?
"Maybe I am," I said. "Doesn't mean I'll do anything about it."
"Take your time, I'll wait. Unless you're wanting me to go home."
"I don't want that. Having you here is… nice."
He kissed my temple. "Being here is nice."
Yes, and sitting here with him was very, very nice. I shouldn't feel so relaxed and comfortable around him, but I did. He made it easy.
I cleared my throat, straightening my legs to rest my feet on the coffee table. "Would you like to play a board game? The owners left some games behind."
He made a pained face.
"What?" I asked. "If you don't like board games, just say so."
"I like them." He ran a hand over his mouth. "Erica and Lachlan played Monopoly the day after they met. I know you don't like me to repeat things they did together."
"Right. No board games."
Aidan glanced out the windows.
Mindy boinged up and flew past the sliding glass doors in midair.
She landed and took off across the yard toward Mandy. They collided and rolled, Mindy underneath her smaller sister, both baring their teeth in mock combat.
"Let's go outside," Aidan said. "Get fresh air and play with the puppies."
"Sure."
He gave me a sly look. "Maybe you'll roll around on the grass with me. We can take turns being on top."
"Cooking for me is hot, but not quite enough to make me ruin my clothes with grass stains."
"Donnae worry." He stood and offered me his hand, smiling. "My sister Fiona taught me the secret to removing any stain."
I took his hand and he helped me up, then we headed for the sliding doors hand in hand. The way any normal couple might. We weren't normal. We weren't even a couple.
But I was slipping down that slope a little further each day, the one that ended at the feet of Aidan MacTaggart.
Chapter Twelve
Darkness enveloped me as I lay beneath the covers, trying to sleep but too wired to get there. The puppies had stayed in the living room with Aidan, meaning I had nothing to distract me from reliving the day's events. Aidan had given me incredible pleasure. I'd invited him to stay with me. Somehow, having Aidan around made me forget about Rade and the divorce and everything else in the entire world. I had no choice but to resist my lust for Aidan.
Resist hard. Resist like crazy.
I wriggled under the covers, unable to get comfortable, and flopped onto my back.
Aidan had been so sweet today, playing with the puppies, making me lunch and dinner, even washing the dishes. His kindness made me uneasy, because resisting liking him proved harder than resisting his seduction.
Oh, but that orgasm. He'd made me want more — not simply another climax, but more of him. I couldn't stop thinking about him in the bathroom after he'd pleasured me. Unzipping his jeans. Taking his rigid, engorged cock in his hand. Stroking and stroking and stroking. Head thrown back, mouth wide, eyes closed as the ecstasy overtook him.
Hot as that was — and God, was it hot — another fantasy kept tormenting me. Aidan had taken a shower earlier and emerged from the bathroom in jaw-dropping style. Shirtless. Wet. Dark hair shimmering, droplets of water dripping onto his shoulders and rolling down his sculpted chest. If I hadn't vowed never to sleep with him, I might've lapped up every bead of water and dragged my tongue up the rivulets, laving that smooth skin and tickling each tiny hair with my lips. He would've sucked in a breath, groaned, thrust his hand into my hair. I could've moved lower as I kissed my way down to his waistband, popped the rivet of his jeans with my teeth, took hold of the fabric and yanked it down to bare his rigid —
Gah. I threw my hands up and let them drop back onto the bed, bouncing a little. I was getting way too turned on thinking about Aidan.
I shoved off the covers and the rush of cooler air on my sensitized skin made my body ache in every naughty way imaginable, plus a few I'd never known before. My satin nightie billowed, and as it settled back down, it teased my taut nipples.
Aidan. Naked. Wet. Groaning while I tasted every inch of his skin.
I shifted position, which only rubbed the slickness drenching my sex onto my thighs.
His hot mouth on my breast. His strong hands on my ass.
My clit pulsed, my nipples shot harder.
I lifted my head to glance around the darkened room. The puppies had stayed in the living room, where Aidan was staying up late to chat with his sister Jamie. I'd shut the bedroom door. Alone in my room, I could surrender to the need. It would hardly be the first time I'd done it since Aidan barreled into my life.
Sliding a hand down my body, I brushed the satin fabric of my nightie over my skin, skimmed my fingers over my breast and across my nipple. A little shock of need jolted through me. I envisioned Aidan on all fours above me, lust in his eyes. As I teased my nipple with my thumb and forefinger, I imagined him taking the nipple in his mouth, that agile tongue tormenting my flesh. I stifled a moan.
My hand moved lower, as if an outside force commanded it. Across my belly it skated, down over my mound. I dipped one finger inside my folds, to find the hard nub of my clit.
One of these nights, maybe you'll show me how you touch yourself.
A husky breath burst out of me. My skin tightened and tingled, every hair erect, every nerve enlivened with anticipation.
I wanted Aidan to watch. I wanted him to see.
And heaven help me, I wanted to come under his molten gaze.
Squirming, I slapped my hands onto the mattress and drummed my fingers. I could walk out there and issue my invitation, but the idea of what I was about to do had me so excited I might come just from the sensation of my own thighs rubbing together as I walked, rubbing my swollen sex.
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, dialing Aidan's number.
He answered on the third ring with a drowsy hello.
"Were you asleep?" I said. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"Not sleeping." He yawned. "Just a wee bit tired after Skyping with Jamie. She's got more energy than your puppies."
One hand on my tummy, I crooked my fingers, anxiety trickling through me. Could I really do this?
"Well," I said, "I should let you get some rest."
Noises indicated he was changing position. "Ahmno sleepy. Why are you calling me when you're down the hall?"
Because I'm a big old chicken. "I, uh… wondered if you'd like to…"
Why couldn't I finish a damn sentence? After our conversation about self-pleasuring, making a lewd invitation shouldn't have tied me up in knots.
"Spit it out," he said. "Unless you want me to come in there and torture it out of you."
My mind spun with visions of all the erotic ways he might torture me with pleasure.
I took a breath, cleared my throat, and said, "Remember that thing you wanted to see?"
"Thing? Are you meaning the quilt on your bed? Or maybe the window drapes."
Was that humor in his voice? Was he teasing me because he knew what I wanted to ask him? I clutched my nightie in one fist. "You said maybe one evening I'd let you watch. How about tonight?"
He choked and sputtered. "Do ye mean — "
"I want you to watch me masturbate."
Silence, interrupted only by the susurrations of his heavy breathing.
My voice low and throaty, I said, "If you're not interested anymore…"
"Ahm interested," he rasped. "When?"
"Now."
Click. The call ended amid the thumping of footfalls in the hallway. The pitter-patter of puppy feet followed in the wake of Aidan's steps.
He flung the door open.
Mandy and Misty careened toward the opening.
Aidan clapped the door shut, muttering, "Sorry, wee lassies."
Breathing hard, hair mussed, he stood near the door, his gaze glued to me. His T-shirt hung loose, the rivet of his jeans was unhooked.
I crooked a finger. "You can't see anything from way over there."
Puppies whined and pawed at the door.
Aidan's bare feet made hardly a sound on the wood floor as he moseyed to the bed and climbed over my legs to lie down at a diagonal to me with his head near my hip. He braced his head on one palm.
"Should I take my nightie off?" I asked.
"Not this time." He stretched his free arm down to rest one fingertip on my ankle, then glided it up the inside of my leg, past my knee, halfway up my thigh. "I like a bit of mystery."
With that one finger, he pushed the hem of my nightie down to cover me more. His hooded gaze found mine.
Desire wound tight inside me, but a thread of anxiety whipped around it. What the hell was I doing? Letting him touch me had been wild and insane. Inviting him to watch me masturbate, that was a whole new level of crazy. Possibly depraved. A sign of slipping morals, for sure.
I had married a man I didn't love, who now held onto me in spite of his promise to let me go. Didn't I deserve something for myself, something wonderful and wild, something that belon
ged to me because the choice was mine and mine alone?
"Second thoughts?" Aidan asked, studying my face.
"No." It wasn't cheating, I reminded myself. I'd filed for divorce, and Rade and I had agreed from the start to live separate lives. I reached out to skate my fingers over Aidan's cheek. "I want to do this, but I've never done anything like it before."
"Take your time, I've got all night. And if you change your mind, you can stop anytime. I willnae complain."
His patience and sweetness tugged at my heart but also fired up my libido. I wanted him more than I'd ever dreamed I want could a man. I wouldn't give him what he wanted most — a wife and children — and so I couldn't give him all of me. Not yet. Maybe… I swallowed, knowing that for tonight this was what I could give him.
I spread my hands over my throat, running them down to my collarbone, pausing there to soak in the lust darkening Aidan's eyes and expression. He pressed his lips together, then flicked his tongue out to dampen them. I glided my hands lower, until they covered my breasts. The delicate wisp of satin on my skin made me sigh out an uneven breath. His eyes on me, his parted lips, it emboldened me to go on, to go further, cupping my breasts in my hands and flicking my thumbs over the hard nipples while I kneaded my flesh.
Aidan stared at my hands, the way they massaged my breasts. His voice rough and low, he said, "I want to be doing that to you. I want my mouth on you, right where your thumbs are."
His assertion hit me like he'd done exactly that and I pinched my nipples through the satin, letting out a little moan and rocking my hips. With his gaze pinned to my hands, tracking wherever they moved, I skimmed them down over my belly with deliberate slowness, relishing the feel of smooth, cool fabric on my skin and the sight of him devouring my every movement. My hands breezed over my hips and down onto my thighs. I let one palm stay there, flat on my left thigh, and swept the other up and under the nightie's hem. My fingers grazed my mound. My neck arched and my head tilted back as my eyes fluttered shut.
"No," he all but growled, "donnae close your eyes. Please, Calli, look at me while you do this."
I opened my eyes and our gazes locked onto each other, bound by an invisible force, a power borne of lust and something deeper, something I couldn't acknowledge even if I'd wanted to, something forbidden — in my world. I didn't care if this was wrong. Didn't care if I should feel guilty. In this moment, connected to him by shared need, I gave in to my deepest, darkest desires.
