by Avery Flynn
This time he went slow, so slow his hands nearly shook, lowering the strap holding up the other side of her tank top. There was something illicit about seeing the prim and proper Lady Lemons undone like this, moaning on his bed and rubbing herself against him as he rolled and pulled her nipples with just the right amount of tension to elicit little moans of pleasure from her. Her fingernails dug into his ass, and she hooked her legs around the back of his thighs, holding him hard against her as if there was any other place he wanted to be.
Swirling his tongue around her extended nipple, he pressed his cock against her damp center. Fuck. This was going to kill him. He’d come in his shorts if he didn’t give his aching cock a time-out. While coming with Brooke would be good, coming inside her and feeling her tighten around him would be so much better. So he untangled himself from the sweet tangle of her legs and slid lower down her body, taking the tank top with him and sliding it over her hips along with her shorts. After flinging the scraps of material off the bed, he sat back on his heels and looked at the woman spread out before him.
“God, you’re beautiful. I could look at you all night.”
She glided her hand over her body, over her full tits, down her flat stomach, and through the tight blond curls between her thighs. The house could explode around them and he wouldn’t have been able to look away from her at this moment—something her knowing chuckle acknowledged. It took some effort, but he tore his gaze away from her pussy and back to her face.
“Please tell me that looking is not what you do in America in these situations, or I will have to file a complaint with the United Nations.” She brought up her hand from her core at that moment and sucked the moisture from her fingers.
“You’ve got a tart mouth, Lady Lemons.” And his was dry at the moment. There was only so much a man could take watching this little performance of hers.
She rolled up into a sitting position, her fingers finding the elastic waistband of his boxer briefs. “You could always give me something else to taste.”
“Believe me, I plan on it.” Right now, in fact.
He turned her onto her side, then pivoted his body to join her so that they lay side by side in the perfect position to put his mouth near her slick core. God, he could see it glistening, her desire darkening the honey curls.
“Prop your leg up for me,” he said, barely recognizing his own voice in the words of a man skating the edge of desperation.
She did, bending her top leg at the knee and leaving her foot planted on the mattress to give him full access. At the same time, she wrapped a hand around his straining cock and swirled her tongue around the sensitive head. His whole body clenched.
“Brooke.” Her name tore out of his mouth like a curse and a prayer.
Her only answer was a “hmm” as she swallowed him deeper into her hot mouth. It was enough to make his eyes glaze over. Okay. This position hadn’t been his best idea if the idea was to slow things down, but he wasn’t going back now. Especially not when she did that thing with her tongue again. He just needed to up his game, making her lose her composure.
Following his fingers, he dipped his head between her legs and traced his tongue down her center, relishing her responsive moan against his dick. It wasn’t enough, though. He wanted to feel her come with her lips tight around his swollen head. He spread her wide open with his fingers and devoted every bit of his fractured concentration to making her break apart. Licking, sucking, teasing, sliding one and then two fingers deep inside her, he drove her higher and higher until her thighs were quaking.
“Nick,” she panted, the head of his dick against her bottom lip. “Don’t stop.”
He wasn’t planning on it, not when he had her so close, all she could do was lose herself in the feeling of it all. The angle of their position didn’t allow him the luxury of watching her face as she moved higher and higher; instead he had to judge her reaction by the pitch of her moans and the shiver of her thighs. When her core muscles gripped his fingers in a rhythmic pulse that built with every stroke in and out, he tore his mouth away from her clit long enough for one demand.
“Suck me.”
She did, taking him in as deep as she could just as her core squeezed his fingers tight as she came, her entire body arching against him. Her moan of pleasure reverberated against his cock, making his balls tug up close to his body. It was exquisite torture, beating any imaginings he’d had late at night while he’d cupped his own balls and stroked himself to the breaking point as she lay in her bed on the other side of that connecting door.
“Oh my God,” she said, rolling onto her back, her breathing erratic. “That was just what I needed.”
Tugging her limp frame around until she was face-to-face with him, unable to resist the temptation of her parted lips, he lowered his mouth to hers.
“Glad I could be of service,” he said between long, leisurely kisses.
“Oh, you’re not done.” Her fingertips skated down his body.
Just the anticipation of where that hand was going had his balls aching. “I’m not?”
Her hand wrapped around his hard length. “I have condoms.”
The woman might be tense and bossy and stubborn as a pissed-off mule, but when she let loose, there was no holding her back, and he fucking loved it.
“Hope you have enough of them.” Nick rolled her hard nipple to a stiff peak. “I can’t wait to feel you come all over my cock again and again.”
…
Keeping her mouth busy exploring the line of his jaw as they lay side by side facing each other, Brooke deliberately stroked her hand up and down his hot length, turning his words into a desperate groan that had her doing it again—only even slower. What could she say? There was just something about being in control of giving that kind of pleasure that turned her on. Leaning forward, she trailed kisses across his broad chest, dipping down from the top of his pecs to his flat nipples. The temptation to continue her way south made her mouth dry, but that’s not what she wanted. Not right now.
“Get on your back.”
A wry chuckle rumbled from his chest beneath her lips, but he complied. “So you’re bossy in and out of bed?”
“You better believe it.” She sat up and straddled his thighs, then reached over to her emergency bag on the nightstand and swiped a condom from inside.
“And what if I want to lead?” he asked, his hooded eyes traveling across her naked body as solid as a touch.
“You have to wait your turn.” Giving him a saucy look, she ripped the foil packet and took out the latex condom.
“Are you always this much of a hard-ass?” The question came out sure and cocky right up until the last word, which just happened to be when she rolled the condom over his prick with deliberate care.
She didn’t bother to hide her grin. Sex was too much fun not to enjoy it. “When I know what I want, yes.”
A vein in his jaw twitched, but he didn’t make a move. “And what is it that you want?”
“This.” Tilting her hips a few degrees, she slid all the way down his length, letting her head fall back as she relished the feeling of oh-my-God-yes-that-is-amazing making her bite down on her bottom lip. It had officially been too long, because there was no way Nick should feel that good inside her, as if this was how sex was always supposed to feel.
His hands were on her hips a heartbeat later, tugging her forward, making her clit rub against him on each downward stroke. “Touch your tits.”
“Now who’s being bossy?” she asked, but her hands were cupping her breasts before the words were even out of his mouth.
The second she started rolling her nipples between her fingers, he inhaled a sharp breath and his fingers bit into her hips. Oh, he liked that, did he? Never taking her eyes off his face as she rocked herself up and down his thick cock, the move making her thighs ache at the same time it sent shivers of pleasure
through her body, she pinched her nipples and tugged hard on them.
His hazel eyes darkened with lust so primal, it sent a thrill right to her clit. “I’m claiming my turn.”
Without losing their connection, he shifted underneath her, tilting her until her back was on the duvet and he was on his knees with her feet planted on the bed on either side of his thighs. Oh hell yes. She arched her body, bringing her hips higher and in line with him. His hands cupped her ass, each finger digging into her flesh with just the right amount of pleasure as he pistoned his hips, plunging into her, filling her so completely that it stole her breath.
“So damn tight, so wet, so hot,” he said, pushing into her with each declaration. “You feel so fucking good.”
If she could have spoken at that moment, she would have returned the compliment, but as it was, she wasn’t sure she could speak the Queen’s English at all. She was already too far gone.
His hands moved from her ass to her back, and he lifted her upper body until her breasts were pressed against his chest, never once losing his rhythm. She wrapped her arms around his corded neck and met every one of his thrusts with a swirl of her hips as she climbed toward her orgasm. Her grip tightened and she leaned back, changing the angle so his cock stroked the sensitive bundle of nerves just inside her opening with every stroke.
He let out a possessive growl. “Look at how wet you’ve made my dick.”
She glanced down. Fuck. She could see herself on him, and it was one of the hottest things she’d ever seen.
“Nick.” She wanted to say more, but that one syllable was all that she could get out. The sensations building in her core were like a ball of megawatt electricity growing with each thrust and retreat, making it almost impossible to do anything but chase after her climax.
“Say it again.” He plunged into her harder, deeper.
“Nick.” Breathy. Begging. On the verge.
“Jesus, Brooke, I’m gonna come.” He slipped his hand between their bodies and rolled her clit with the pad of his thumb, round and round.
The pleasure built and built until— “Oh. My. God.”
And she broke apart as her orgasm crashed into her, turning her entire body electric. Nick sank back onto his heels, taking her with him, shoving her up and down his length in an ever-faster rhythm before sinking deep within her and coming with a harsh groan.
She was floating and sinking at the same time as she collapsed against him, secure, at least in this moment, that he’d catch her. And he did, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight as they both came down.
Four hundred and sixty-eight days later—or at least that’s what it felt like—her heart rate finally returned to normal and she slid off him and back onto the bed. She swore her eyes didn’t flicker shut, but the next thing she was aware of was the bed dipping when Nick got back in.
“Where’d you go?” she asked, trying to regain her mental footing.
He grabbed the duvet and threw it over both of them. “Got rid of the condom.”
“I didn’t mean to crash out like that.” She sat up and scooted over to the edge of the bed. “I’ve gotta go.”
“It’s two in the morning.” He turned toward her, propping his head up on his hand and giving her an excellent view of his drool-worthy chest north of the duvet. “Why not stay?”
Because it was all she wanted at the moment. She’d given in to that feeling before—the thrill of being with someone charismatic who lived the kind of life about which she’d never dreamed. That had resulted in her heartbreak being splashed all over the tabloids whilst all she wanted was to run back to anonymity. That’s why she’d come back to Bowhaven. She’d learned her lesson and wasn’t planning to take a repeat course.
It was past time to get this wildly out-of-control situation back under control. “Mr. Vane—”
He laughed. “You can’t call me that after I’ve made you come twice.”
She couldn’t stop the smile tugging at her lips. “A gentleman doesn’t brag.” Even when he was right.
“Who in the world ever lied to you and said I was a gentleman?” he asked as he traced a line of temptation across her belly.
If she didn’t get out of this bed—his bed—now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to. So she stood up and swiped her tank top and shorts off the floor. “You’re heir to the earl.”
“So?” He snagged her tank top and pulled it out of her grasp.
God, he was tempting. She could just get back in bed and…well…not sleep. He looked like he was okay with that. The buzz of anticipation in her chest was more than okay with it—which was exactly why she couldn’t. “Spending the night with the earl’s personal secretary isn’t done.”
He sat up, frustration obvious in the tense line of his shoulders and the set of his jaw. “But banging her is?”
“That’s vulgar.” And it made her breasts full and achy for his touch. Shit. She needed to get her tank top back.
“True, but you like it.” His gaze dropped to her stiff nipples. “Nobody else realizes just what a dirty girl you are, do they?”
“Nor will they.” She slid on her shorts and held out her hand for her shirt. “Everyone in Bowhaven talks. The last thing I need is for them to be talking about who I’m sleeping with.”
That was an experience she did not want to go through a second time. There was nothing like having your cheating boyfriend’s face plastered all over every tabloid in the country. The humiliation had been overwhelming. Reporters had even called around to her flat to try to get her reaction, which had amounted to absolute hurt and embarrassment.
Nick held her tank top up but out of her reach. “I do not get why you stay here. You can just walk away without looking back and not have to deal with them again. That’s how I handle it when people are being assholes. Fuck ’em. Life’s too short.”
“This is my home.” When all her supposed friends had left her, more impressed with her ex than her actual mates, the people of Bowhaven had stayed by her side. Even if they’d gossiped about the situation. A lot. “I could never walk away from it or the people here. Is it really that easy for you to do that?”
“Always,” he said, his tone a hard neutral that made his words sound a lot like a lie. “I don’t get tied down. That’s the benefit of being a bastard without family.”
She leaned forward, one palm flat on the mattress near where the duvet lay against Nick’s waist. The position not only put her in close enough to get her shirt, it also put her dangling breasts within his reach. His attention flicked down to her boobs and she ignored the little yay that went up from her horny self and grabbed her tank top from his grasp.
“But you do have family now,” she said. “And a house. And a village that is depending on you. Just give them a chance. They’re good people and I think somewhere underneath all that I-don’t-care-about-anyone facade, I think you do. I think you care quite a bit. You’re a fixer and Bowhaven is a lot like the fireplace you fixed. A little beat-up, a little tired, but so very worth saving. All you have to do is stop looking at it as a burden and see it as the opportunity it is.”
He flopped onto his back and let out a sigh. “You couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Okay, that made her chest ache a bit—exactly what she couldn’t afford to have happen when it came to him. Feelings were verboten—even of the poor-puppy-doesn’t-understand-yet variety. That way led to the kind of trouble she couldn’t afford to have if she was going to keep her mind focused only on bringing Bowhaven back from the edge.
“Give the earl and the village a chance. Your grandfather is cross and controlling, but he has his reasons—especially now.” Ones that weren’t hers to tell.
Nick rolled onto his side again and patted the empty spot beside him. “How about instead you come back to bed and let me curl your toes for a third time tonight.”
While all she wanted to do was say “yes, sir, may I have another orgasm or twelve?” she forced her mouth to form other words as she crossed to the door and opened it. “Good night, Mr. Vane.”
“I like the way you say Nick so much better.”
So did she, but that was neither here nor there. Tonight was an aberration, not the start of something. It was best if they both remembered that. She walked through the connecting door and made sure it clicked shut behind her.
Chapter Fifteen
Nick woke up hard and alone—or at least that was his assumption when he reached toward where his hard cock had tented his boxers imagining it was Brooke’s sweet, warm mouth moving closer.
“Please refrain from gratifying yourself in my company.” The earl’s voice cut through every thread of early-morning lust.
Nick’s eyes snapped open at the same time as he reached for the comforter tangled around his thighs. The old man stood at the end of the bed, a scowl on his face. Nick yanked the comforter up to his neck like a maiden in a pirate movie.
“What in the hell are you doing in here?” he asked, feeling every bit like a teenager getting caught jacking off into a sock.
The earl picked an invisible piece of lint from his tweed jacket. “Informing you that you’re late.”
His brain moved quick, but not first thing in the morning and definitely not with his grandfather looking at him like he was a box of rocks. “For what?”
The old man let out a sigh. “Two members of the village council have arrived to discuss market day.”
None of this made sense. “So?”
“As my heir, you’ll be my representative in the negotiations.”
Like that made anything any clearer. “Negotiations?”
“Has Ms. Chapman-Powell not taught you anything? The stalls on the high street must pay a fee to the estate for the privilege of selling their goods on the portion of the street that I own,” he said slowly, as if talking to a particularly difficult child. “You are going to determine the amount and ensure that it is paid.”
