Out of Control

by Toni J Strawn

  “Stay where you are,” I hissed. But she was already slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Shit.” The enormity of her abandoning me hit. Me. Blake. Here. Alone. “Mia, you don’t really have to go, do you?” I called after her.

  “You’ll be fine. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” she threw back over her shoulder.

  Whatever that meant. I didn’t have time to find out. She waltzed out the door, and Blake was back with a fistful of drinks before I could beg her to stay.

  “Where the hell is Mia going?” He turned on me, looking annoyed. Yet still sexy.

  I sighed. “I’m not her babysitter. She’s a grown woman.”

  Blake plonked the drinks on the table and glowered at me.

  “Well, this has been fun…” I got up and looped my bag over my neck. Time to exit stage right.

  “Sit down. You asked me to get you a drink, so you can hardly abandon me now. Here.” He shunted the beer into place in front of me, his expression darkening. “And while you’re at it, you can tell me everything you know about Mia, seeing as how you let her slip away.”

  His tone raised the hackles on my neck. “And if I don’t?” I crossed my arms, glaring back at him.

  He regarded me a moment, then dropped his angry stare. “You’ll miss out on your one and only chance to get to know Blake Hanlon. You know you want to.” He flashed his dimples, and I stifled a laugh.

  “Surely, you can do better than that?”

  “Nope, it’s all I’ve got on me right now.” He grinned.

  “Well, I’m all for honesty, so I guess that’ll have to do.” I sank back in my seat, cursing myself for giving in to the temptation of that sinful grin. It was impossible to resist, along with the rest of him—full lips, hard-edged muscles barely hidden by his shirt, and what I knew of his butt… The guy was fit. And he knew how to put every asset to good use. His gaze was wickedly hot as it flicked across my erect nipples like a hundred pleasurable lashes. Heat rippled through me from head to toe and I wriggled in my seat, conscious of my thighs sticking to the varnished wood.

  He waited until I stilled before sitting down. Only he didn’t take the seat across from me, but moved around to sit beside me. He pulled his chair in close, the heady aroma of warm, quintessential male hitting me. I closed my eyes, drawing it in.

  “Shall we continue where we left off?” He leaned back in his chair, displaying long legs and reawakening the memory of how well he’d filled out the front of his pants.

  I dragged my gaze from his lap, the flutter in my belly becoming a full-on butterfly attack. I took a long draft of beer, giving myself time to steady my erupting hormones. Where had strong, sensible Lila disappeared to? Out the door with Mia, I suspected. And her green light for “Go” on Blake wasn’t helping. He was the kind of man who demanded full attention, and I found myself wanting to say and do things that would regather his focus on me, as it had been when we were standing at the bar, just me and him. I needed him to look at me like I was delicious candy he couldn’t resist, like he wanted to lick me down and drown us both in the satisfying sweetness.

  I sucked in a breath. “Is that the place where you were slowly undressing me with your eyes?” The words just came out, the exact ones I’d wanted to keep to myself. Thought bubble, Lila. I squeezed my eyes shut, then slowly cracked open a lid.

  In time to see the beginnings of a sexy smile flirt around his lips. “Actually, I was talking about Mia and her new job, but let’s go ahead and have your conversation.” He flipped out his hand, encouraging me to continue.

  My cheeks were on fire, but I lifted my chin. “Mia and her job are none of my business, and I don’t gossip about friends behind their backs.” Especially ones I barely knew who held the lease on my apartment.

  Blake’s features tightened, and he rubbed his chin. “So you don’t work with Mia? How long have you known her?” he asked finally.

  I flicked at the corner of the beer label. “Around ten years.”

  His left brow took a hike into his forehead. “Why haven’t I met you before?”

  “Maybe you have and you’ve forgotten. I could be one of those ugly ducklings you looked right through all your life.” I grinned. “Here I am, all grown up.”

  He snorted. “Definitely not. I wouldn’t have forgotten you.”

  Okay. I’ll admit I was pleased by his comment, so I decided to reward him with the truth. “You’re right, we’ve never met, because I’ve only come across Mia once before, at summer camp. We hung out and had a blast all summer, but I lived in Arizona and she lived here. We kept in touch via Facebook, and last week she posted that she needed a roommate.” I shrugged. “I needed a room and, voilà, the rest is history.”

  He didn’t look nearly as impressed as he should have. “You moved here from Arizona on the basis of a Facebook post? Did you have a job to come to, or something?”

  I lifted my other shoulder. “Or something.”

  He frowned. “Who else do you know here? Do you have friends? Family?” He pulled back. “A boyfriend?”

  “No, no, and no.”

  He pinched his lips together. “Could you at least give me an answer that contains information?”

  I gave a short laugh. “Only if I’m asked the right question.” I took another swig of beer to hide my smile. Being my obtuse self was the best defense I could pull against a man like Blake. He was too much temptation wrapped up in a perfect body. I needed to drive him away with nonsense before the tingle of awareness between us became a bigger problem. He was confidence personified, and I didn’t want to be steamrollered into oblivion again. But once more, my gaze slid to his lap and a sizzle of heat curled my toes.

  The pulse in his jaw ticked, but he didn’t give up on me as I’d hoped he would. “You are the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met,” he growled. “Half of me wants to put you over my knee and spank you, the other just wants you bare-assed over my knee.”

  Holy shit. Had he just said that? The heat in his gaze told me he had.

  “I’m open to both,” I managed to choke out. What, did he think I’d run away? My panties were drenched, no point trying to deny that his threat hadn’t turned me the fuck on. That was me, jumping straight in.

  His gaze intensified, licking at my nipples, smoldering down my belly to my sex. I gripped the top of my bottle, willing the chill from the glass to put a freeze on salacious thoughts of my naked ass on this table, Blake between my thighs, hips pumping, his cock sliding deep inside.

  I bit down on my lip to hold back a moan. I reminded myself that I was in control of myself. No one else.

  Wasn’t I?

  He stood up and held out his hand, and my gaze slipped from his fingers to the erection pushing against his zipper, the earlier promise I’d glimpsed becoming hot, hard reality.

  “Why don’t we go to your apartment and see if Mia is home,” he suggested. “If not, I’m sure we can find something else to occupy our time.” His blistering look left me in no doubt of his intentions, and I was eager for every single one of them. Since coming to Wellsford, my mantra had been “Do whatever the fuck you want,” and right now, that what was Blake. He was all man, hot as fuck, and friends with Mia’s brother, so he was a known entity. Safety first.

  Besides, I had the advantage of knowing something he didn’t. Mia wasn’t home, and if her normal routine applied, I doubted I’d see her until the wee hours of the morning. Plenty of time to figure out where this flash of heat between us came from, ignite it, use it all up, and extinguish it.

  This was the new Lila Ward, and hell yeah, I was the one in control.

  Chapter Three

  BLAKE

  No sooner had we cleared the door of her apartment than Lila jumped me, her hot, hungry mouth latching onto my mouth. She twisted her fingers in my hair, her tongue tangling with mine and sending shivers of heat crackling down my spine. After the initial moment of surprise, I hoisted her higher and she wrapped her legs around my hips, leaning in to attack my lips
with a savage sweetness that almost had my knees buckling. It was all I could do to hold on. I figured she was trying to stop me from asking questions. Such as, Where was Mia?

  As if I needed to ask.

  I was as happy as Lila was about the empty apartment. Only not for the same reasons. Because the moment Lila had intimated she was open to me taking her home, all thoughts of Mia had become secondary. She could wait for another day, one when Lila wasn’t around.

  Lila wriggled against me, dragging my focus back to her. Oh. Fuck. Yes. I gripped her butt, squeezing her against my aching cock and letting her feel how hard she made me. Her fingers danced in my hair, giving her leverage to mash her lips against mine so I could barely breathe. I didn’t care. The sensation of her kissing me, her tongue dipping in then retreating, teasing me to follow, damn, she felt even better than I’d imagined…and I had a good imagination.

  I held her with one hand and slid the other under her skirt, getting my first touch of skin. She jerked forward, her heels digging into the small of my back. My hips answered her unspoken invitation, jacking forward, my cock straining to get into her tight, wet heat. I could feel how hot she was through the layers of clothing, and ground against her as if trying to dig through her panties.

  She pulled away, her hands on my shoulders. “Shouldn’t we go to my bedroom first?” she asked breathlessly. Her eyes were fever-bright, and I knew that, like me, she didn’t give a fuck about privacy. But for a moment, I’d forgotten she shared with Mia.

  I chuckled. “If she comes home, I think she’s going to hear us anyway.”

  “Exactly.” Lila trickled her fingers down my chest, hovering over my nipple. “If she comes home, I don’t want to have to stop,” she said, brushing her thumb across the sensitive nub.

  I pressed my lips together to stop the groan building in my throat, and let her slide down my body, taking her time to hit all the good spots. She grinned and held out her hand, leading me down the hall and into her bedroom. This was Declan’s apartment, so I knew it well, having spent several drunken nights in the spare room Lila now occupied. Declan had taken most of his good stuff with him, so the apartment was sparse, just what I’d expect from Mia, fresh out of college. But not Lila’s room. She had a large bed. Nice headboard. Fancy dresser, expensive speakers, and a state-of-the-art computer system.

  I looked at her afresh, my libido taking a temporary back seat. “Is there something I’m missing?”

  “Me?” She kicked the door shut and stepped in close, hands flattening against my chest. She reached up to nibble at my mouth, her tongue seeking the seam of my lips, at the same time rubbing my dick through my pants.

  No more time to think. With both hands now free to touch and explore, I pulled her close, trapping her hand against my cock so she couldn’t move it. I nibbled at the soft flesh of her bottom lip, drawing it between my teeth, enjoying the shudder of her body against mine as I bit down gently.

  I stepped back and tugged on the bottom of her skirt. “I want to see what’s under this. I’ve been thinking about it since I first saw you at the bar.”

  A slow smile spread across her reddened lips, her eyes sparking with heat. Starting at her knees, she ran her hands slowly up her thighs, dragging the material with her, revealing long, tanned limbs that seemed to go on forever.

  She kept moving her fingers upward, rucking the fabric up farther so I could see her black panties. She reached her waistband, and I held my breath as she shucked her skirt. When she straightened she revealed the view, a scenic landscape I could have gazed at for hours. Her panties were high-cut, slashing almost to her hip bone, allowing me an unhindered view of the curve of her leg from waist to toe. She ran one finger down the line between cotton and flesh.

  “More?” she asked, her voice husky.

  “Uh-huh.” I couldn’t do more than grunt my agreement.

  It was as if she knew exactly what I desired. Exactly what I needed. She slid her fingers underneath the elastic and slowly peeled the scrap of black cotton off her ass. Every inch revealed was a teasing pleasure, and I found I was holding my breath.

  “Get up on the bed on your hands and knees. I need to see you. All of you,” I ordered, my throat almost too tight for words.

  “Quite the voyeur,” she said, but she smirked and did as I asked, climbing onto the bed, flashing tantalizing glimpses of her glistening pink snatch.

  My knees went weak at the thought of driving into her. I stepped in behind her, running my hands over her rounded curves, enjoying the heat radiating from the apex of her thighs. I could smell the sweet musky scent of her desire. I wanted to touch. I wanted to run my finger down the seam of those gently puffed lips, find the nub of her clit…

  “Take off your shirt,” I said, knowing that I needed to wait. That I wanted to see all of her. Once I stroked her silken flesh I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop. She was that intoxicating.

  When she didn’t comply, I pressed forward, letting my hips bounce off her ass. She squirmed, shuffled forward out of reach, then flipped around so she was sitting on her knees, facing me.

  She crossed her arms. “You don’t get to order me around all night, you know. What?” she asked when I stiffened. “You think I haven’t imagined you all stripped down and naked? I’m all about tit for tat. Get them off.” She pointed to my pants.

  Damned if her demands didn’t make me harder. The way she had a soft husk to her voice that gripped my cock in a silky caress, then her smart-ass mouth kicked in with an extra bit of bite.

  Her gaze slid downward when I undid my belt. I opened the zipper and pushed my pants down over my hips. She ran her tongue across her top lip, and all the time her eyes stayed glued to what I had revealed of my thighs. I wanted to look down and see what had her so mesmerized, but in turn I was transfixed by her wide-eyed stare.

  I toed off my shoes and bent to shuck my pants to my ankles, making sure she got a good view of my ass, a flash of my balls peeking between my legs. She bit her bottom lip so hard there was a dent left behind. I liked that.

  One leg at a time, I slipped my pants off and over my feet, presenting her with a sideways view of my thighs and stiffened dick. Her eyes widened when I reached for my cock, running my hand down its length. I did it one more time, just because it felt good. And because I liked her watching me.

  “Your turn now,” I said.

  She blinked, long and slow, as though she’d just woken up. “What do you want me to do?” she croaked.

  God, the images those words evoked. I shuddered, imagining her lips on my cock, or burrowing my tongue into her pussy, her juices running down my chin. Pushing my cock inside her, pounding into her so hard she’d go sprawling across the bed.

  But first things first.

  “Top off,” I ordered. I wanted the night to last.

  She sat back on her heels, knees together so I caught only the merest glimpse of her ass and the tidy thatch of trimmed hair above her sex.

  She would have to be the first to get naked. At a disadvantage. Something told me I would need whatever leverage I could get. She wasn’t going to be a mindless, paint-by-numbers lover who would roll over and spread her legs on command. And I didn’t want her to be. Lila was everything I’d been looking for without realizing. Fresh. Fun. Fantastic.

  I stopped thinking when she popped open the buttons of her shirt one by one, revealing twin mounds of creamy flesh begging to be tasted. My mouth salivated, then I got distracted again when she took off her bra. I didn’t get to enjoy the full picture until it was removed and a little lace gave way to nothing. The view was worth waiting a lifetime for.

  “I suppose you want me to take my shirt off, too,” I said, readying my fingers to flip open the first button. I was all for getting naked, too. No barrier between us.

  She tilted her head, tugging at the ends of her hair as she considered me. Long seconds ticked by. “No, I don’t think so,” she said finally. “I think I want you to touch your cock again. Fist it, l
ong and slow.”

  My dick bobbed and jerked with appreciation as I wrapped my fingers around it. Knowing she was watching and enjoying every moment of pleasure that was only for me. I ran my hand up to the underside of the bulb, pumping in and out of the loose fist I had made. It didn’t take long before beads of liquid formed on the head. I gathered them in my palm on the next pass, creating a lovely friction as I pumped from root to tip, four times, driven on by the expression on Lila’s face, the way her tongue snuck out to settle on her bottom lip. With an effort I let go, my balls heavy with come, my cock swollen red, veins standing out along the rigid length.

  “You now.” I was so turned on I could barely push the words past my lips. I let my gaze rove her body, trying to decide how best to exact revenge. Mouth. Breasts. Pussy. Wet and juicy. Fuck. All I could see was me pushing my cock inside her, all the way in. I wanted to inhale her. Taste her in one big bite. And I always got what I wanted. Finesse could come later.

  “Roll over and spread your legs,” I ordered. She did so, and I took a deep, shuddering breath at her pussy, swollen and glistening with need.

  I stepped up to the bed and pulled her ankles downward so her ass was at the edge, so close I could feel the damp heat of her sex a whisper away from my balls. Usually, I was the one who played the woman like a finely tuned instrument. She would bend and sway to my will, and I would look on subjectively. Yeah, I liked having sex with women, but I knew I’d never fall, and I would always retain a piece of myself.

  But now, with Lila, I felt her dangerous pull. She played an appealing game of give and take which I was far more invested in than I had a right to be. Lila was Mia’s friend. Mia, the wild child who’d barely scraped through college, and from what I’d learned of Lila so far, she wasn’t much better. Definitely not long-term material.

  Not that I was looking.

  Reminding myself of that fact allowed me to pull back from the brink of sexual insanity. Lila hadn’t even touched me yet and I was panting for her. But if she could play this way, then so could I. I wouldn’t be the first to break.