Out of Control

by Toni J Strawn

  His finger rested on my chin for a moment, then dropped, drawing a line down my chest between my breasts. We both watched my nipples spring to life. He wet his bottom lip and then flipped the duvet back over my nakedness.

  “Good to see you have panties on. Now, hurry up and get dressed.” His voice was gravelly and I could see the bulge in his pants made it a little harder for him to rise out of his crouch. “Oh, and I’ll take this,” he said, snatching my phone off the bedside table.

  I jerked upright. “What for?”

  “So I can program in my number.” He lowered his brows. “Next time you take off in the middle of the night, at least call when you get home and let me know you’re okay.”

  I sucked in a shaky breath when he left, no longer tired. I had to get up anyway, right? The fact that I was following his orders was coincidence, not acquiescence. Still, I took my time getting ready, opting for that shower before presenting myself to him in the kitchen.

  He barely looked up from his phone. “Mia looked tired this morning. Is she all right?”

  I looked down at the bench, a knot gathering in my chest. “She’s fine,” I said tightly. “Shooting started, and she’s the only person on the ground here in the States.” I gave him a look. “You and Declan should get off her case. Everyone has to pay their dues, right? She wants this.”

  “What about you? Did you pay your dues?”

  I shrugged, thinking back across my own not-so illustrious career. Babysitting, college, then my first and only proper job in HR. My relationship with Austin had been in full swing by then and, looking back, everything had been clouded by his stifling influence. Nothing had been easy.

  “I took a different path,” I reluctantly admitted. “I let a relationship get in the way.”

  “You? Really?” Blake rubbed at his chin. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

  I snorted softly. “You have no idea who I am or what I’ve done,” I challenged. “My ex, Austin, was the ultimate control freak. A bit like you. On steroids.”

  Saying his name out loud still brought a hurt to my chest. I had loved Austin the only way I knew how. All or nothing. No restraints. And he had yanked that love out of me, then offered me nothing but lies and games in return. I still kicked myself that I’d given my trust so blindly.

  “Tell me about him,” Blake said, his expression hardening.

  I narrowed my gaze. “Why? You want to compare notes?”

  “No. I want to know more about you. And you look like you could use a friend.” His gaze caught mine and I saw pity flicker in the depths of his eyes.

  My stomach rolled. “Is that what we are? Friends?”

  “No.” His expression grew thoughtful. “Although, I think we could be.” He drew a finger down the back of my hand, sending a flurry of tingles rushing up my arm.

  Not friends. No. Not when the slightest hint of his attention left me hot and wanting, heat licking around every erogenous zone in my body. Maybe once the frenetic spark of desire had dimmed, I could be friends with this man. But the thought of Blake not looking at me the way he was now—like he wanted to rip my clothes to shreds, devour me whole, fuck me on the kitchen counter—I would hate not to be the focus of that kind of attention. To have to watch him make someone else the center of his sexual fantasies.

  He broke our gaze, lifting his eyes from mine, releasing me from the smolder that sparked in them. “Tell me about Austin. I want to know.”

  He was deadly serious. Perhaps that was what had me replying, “Austin. He… He was nothing.” And I realized for the first time that I meant every word. Compared to Blake, Austin was an insignificant bug, a boy who had to manipulate and belittle to feel like a man. “I met him at college. Coming from a small town, I didn’t know many people.” I laughed darkly. “Looking back, I must have been walking around with a giant ‘V’ for victim on my forehead, and Austin knew how to hunt his prey. He systematically culled me from my herd of new friends, turning me against them until it felt as though he was the only person in the world who cared about me.”

  I tried not to be embarrassed by how weak I sounded.

  Blake shoved his hands into his pockets. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone likes to be wanted.”

  “Until it turns into an obsession,” I said dryly. “Austin was always telling me how much he loved me, but he didn’t really. He craved ownership and adoration. If I wanted to do something different than he did, he’d get angry, accuse me of meeting other men behind his back. I’d try to reason with him. I mean, fuck, I’d just be going to the library to study, or for a walk on my own. But he’d get so upset, like I had betrayed him somehow.” I shook my head. How ridiculous it all seemed in retrospect, but at the time it had been so real. “He created drama and would catch me up in it, send me spiraling into the madness with him. The pressure was unrelenting, squeezing tighter and tighter until I couldn’t breathe.”

  “He was emotionally manipulating you,” Blake said tersely, looking less and less happy with what I was saying. He yanked his hands from his pockets. “I’d like to meet this guy, Austin. How long were you with him?”

  “A while.” Try three years. I lifted a shoulder. “Eventually, the good times grew further apart. I wanted to do other things. Pick any of the above. Unfortunately, at the same time I realized the relationship held no happiness, I found out I no longer had a life outside of Austin. I’d allowed him to become a wedge between me and the rest of the world.”

  Which was how I’d come up with the app. All that spare time sitting around on my own, avoiding Austin’s calls. It had taken a long time for him to accept I wasn’t coming back. Then I’d seen Mia’s post for a roommate.

  “So you’re not just running away?”

  “Hell, no, not running. Making up for lost time.” I grinned.

  I leaned over to brush his cheek with a kiss. He grabbed my chin and brought his lips to mine. I thought he would be savage—I could feel the anger ticking inside him—but instead, his lips were gentle and sweet. His tongue ran along the seam of my lips and when I opened for him, he dipped in slowly, with long, lavish licks that sent shudders sparking down my spine.

  I moved in closer, groaning when I hit the full length of his body. He slipped his knee between my thighs, gripping my ass so I was pulled tight against him. The heat of his cock nudged my belly. Hard. And left me breathless.

  “Let’s go to bed,” I suggested, my fingers questing for his belt.

  He put his hands on top of mine, holding me still. “First things first. I think I promised you breakfast.”

  I pulled away, ready to argue. After talking about Austin, I wasn’t about to sit back and allow him to order me around. “Trying to control me?” I asked silkily, only half joking.

  “Never.” He kissed my nose. “But you’ll need fuel for what comes later.”

  “Later?” I liked the sound of that. I glanced up and his dimples flashed.

  That was it. Blake was an itch that had to be scratched, and I needed relief. Fuck breakfast.

  “I’m hungry now,” I said and launched myself at him.

  Chapter Nine

  BLAKE

  I made it as far as the door before Lila leaped onto my back, wrapping her arms around my throat. She nuzzled her lips into the side of my neck, nipping at my skin before she thrust her warm tongue into my ear. Immediately, my cock hardened.

  She slid down while my head was still reeling, circling to the front of me, grasping fingers diving down the front of my pants. Gray eyes sparkled as she gripped my dick, a grin forming.

  “Looks like you’re hungry, too,” she said, waggling her brows. “Too bad I got into your pant-ry first.” She sank to her knees before I could open my mouth to say anything, although why the hell would I? I couldn’t refuse that sweet fucking mouth of hers.

  Her lips found my cock, and everything else became background noise. I didn’t care if I never breathed again. Her tongue licked a long line up my length, fire exploding ins
ide me as she laved the head until I was slick and glistening. She gripped the base and sank her mouth down on me.

  I looked down, and at the same moment she glanced up at me, wide eyes searching for mine through her bangs, her mouth full of cock.

  I nearly came right then. Air hissed through my teeth, and I pulled her hair back so I could see more of her face. Cupping her jaw, I kept her gaze steady on mine as she drew back then bobbed forward, swallowing my cock as far as she could. I let her set the rhythm. It was all I could do to stop myself from collapsing against the door. Heat whispered down my spine, around my hips, caressing my balls. I gripped at the wall with my fingertips, hanging on while she took me for the best ride of my life, alternately stroking and licking my cock, sucking on the end, her lips wrapped around the rim of the head while her fist kept pumping.

  It scared me, what she did to me, that she could skewer me to the wall with nothing more than her mouth and a whim. I was powerless against her onslaught, a willing pawn in whatever game she was amusing herself with.

  Game? Hell, I didn’t even know if she was playing. All I knew was that she kept knocking me off my feet, and like a circus clown I kept getting up for more.

  She raised her head. “I want you to come,” she said, her tongue flicking her lips. She must have known I was holding back, pleasure a pressure cooker waiting to explode.

  She placed both palms on my thighs and, still looking up at me, drove her head forward so my cock rammed down her throat. I groaned, unable to stop myself from grabbing my dick, drawing back, driving forward again. Her fingers curled, the sting of pain as she ripped at the hairs on my thighs further fueling the fire stirring inside me. I sawed my hips back and forth, slowly letting go each time I thrust my cock deep in her mouth.

  “Fuck,” I roared as every cell in my body squeezed tight. “I’m gonna come.” I tried to rip myself from her mouth, but she grabbed my ass, keeping her face planted on me, swallowing every drop.

  I swear I saw stars, the room tilting slightly to the side. My back hit the wall and I struggled for breath. By the time I hauled myself upright, she had disappeared. No. Not disappeared. There she was, in the alcove that held the dining table, stripping off her clothes.

  I blinked. “What are you doing?” I asked as she used a chair to climb up onto the table. It seated six people—the perfect size to hold something as delectable as Lila.

  She lay down. “Come eat if you want,” she invited, spreading her legs wide.

  “Holy shit, Lila.” I closed my eyes, then opened them again, not wanting to miss a second of the view. She was all turned on and ready to go, her pussy wet and gleaming in the overhead light, her nipples pert and erect.

  I wiped a hand across my mouth. “I want a little extra with my breakfast,” I said, heading for the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter. There were fat juicy plums, apples, and a pineapple. Not quite what I had in mind. But close. I opened the pantry and found what I was looking for. A jar of peaches. I gathered a few pieces of extra fruit from the bowl.

  “What are you doing?” She pushed up on her elbows, trying to peer over the kitchen counter at me.

  “Lie back down. Food doesn’t speak.”

  She chuckled softly and did as she was told. Just as well. I had no idea what I would’ve done if she hadn’t. I hid a smile. She was a firecracker who lit an incendiary fuse inside me. What she didn’t understand was that I was a closer. I took pride in attaining perfection, cleaning up the mess that others left behind. And she had started something this morning which I fully intended to finish. She’d gotten the jump on me with the element of surprise and a fucking amazing blow job, but I wasn’t without my own ideas on how to turn up the heat.

  I ripped the lid off the peaches, then watched her across the counter as I rolled a plum in my hand to warm it. She twisted her head to the side, her lips twitching as she tried to work out what I was up to. I was having fun, something I’d forgotten how to do. Until now.

  I took a bite out of an apple. “You ready?” I asked.

  Her eyes widened. “For what?”

  I walked around the counter, brandishing my weapons.

  She jerked back up onto her elbows. “Holy crap, are you going to stuff me like a pig?”

  “Shh.” I inserted a sliver of peach into her mouth. Sticky juices ran down my arm and onto her chest. I waited until she had swallowed before prodding a finger at her shoulder to make her lie down again. I went around the table, jerking chairs out of the way. She jumped each time one clattered to the floor, but I didn’t bother righting them. I wanted full access to the table and the woman lying on it.

  “Finished being He-Man?” she quipped, although I could tell I’d rattled her cage a little. Her chest rose high and fell, her breath catching.

  “Oh, I’ve only just begun,” I promised darkly.

  She licked her lips, so I licked them, too, lapping at the sweet peach nectar clinging to her mouth and chin. Her lips were soft and tender, and I traced the seam with my tongue, encouraging her to open. When she did, I thrust inside, a surge of heat ripping through me as she danced her tongue around mine. I pulled away, my own breath ragged, matching hers.

  “Looks like I’m going to have to keep your mouth busy in other ways.” I smudged her chin with my thumb, popping another peach slice between her lips when they opened. Juice dribbled down her jaw and I wiped it away, then dragged my fingers down the line between her breasts, leaving a glistening trail all the way to the bottom of her rib cage. Her flesh quivered, a rash of goosebumps pebbling her skin, nipples beading into tight little buds.

  “This isn’t paint by numbers, you know,” she said hoarsely.

  “Isn’t it?” I raised a brow. Dipped my fingers into the jar again. “One. Two.” I smeared my fingers across each nipple, leaving a shimmering streak.

  She sucked in a breath. “I should have known you hadn’t progressed from finger painting.”

  “Shut up. You’re going to give me indigestion,” I rumbled. But I liked her banter. It helped keep me just this side of control.

  I bent my head to lap at her nipples, loving the way my actions made her squirm. As soon as I started tasting her breasts—the sticky scent of peaches and sweet, succulent Lila—I realized I’d been remiss in paying them the attention they deserved. I made up for it, spending time licking circles around the areola, then working the rigid nub with my tongue and lips, grazing her with my teeth. Her breath came hard and fast, and she wriggled her butt, trying to find purchase with her heels on the wooden table.

  I drew my hands down her sides, holding her hips still as I kissed my way down her rib cage, toward her navel. I dipped my tongue in, sucking the soft skin of her belly into my mouth. She tasted so fine, I didn’t need the peaches. Her warm vanilla scent infused the air, each sigh of pleasure hardening my cock and driving me to explore further.

  I edged down the table, nudging her legs apart, pushing her knees outward so she was splayed open. She had the faintest blush of dark hair narrowing down to plump pussy lips that were puffed and pink.

  “Mmm, you do look delicious,” I murmured, looking up the length of her body, past reddened nipples to the tight line of her jaw. I picked up the jar of peaches and plucked one out. “Do you want one?” I tried to catch her gaze, but her eyes darted from mine to the juicy piece of fruit in my fingers.

  She bit at her lip. “No thanks, but feel free to help yourself.” She lifted her hips off the table a fraction, drawing my heated gaze back to the other sweet treats on offer. I laid a sliver of peach on top of her mound, watching as the juices slid down the slit in her pussy to pool around the curve of her ass.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” I walked to the end of the table, sucking peach nectar from my thumb, although I was hungry for something else entirely.

  She let out a tiny gasp when I grabbed her ankles and pulled her across the table to me. The peach slipped off her mound, catching in her crotch as she shunted down the slippery surface.

 
; I grinned wolfishly at her startled expression before ducking down to chow on breakfast. I spread her lips with my fingers, lapping at the liquid around the crack of her butt, sucking the fruit up and swallowing it down. Sweet fruit and the faint musk of Lila burst to life on my tongue.

  “Mm-mm, peaches and cream.” I bit my bottom lip.

  I thumbed her clit while I chased after any lingering trails of peach juice, cleaning thoroughly between her ass and the entrance to her sex. She clutched at my head, her fingers opening and closing around my hair as I ate at her.

  “Fuck. Blake. Fuck. Fuck.” She wrapped her ankles around my shoulders, gripping hard as she yanked me forward, grinding her pussy on my face.

  I pressed down on her clit, digging my tongue into her sex while I rubbed at her ass. She let out a moan that reverberated through her and to my stiffening dick. She was close. And I wanted her. Her thighs tightened around my ears and I eased off her clit, slowing my movement to long, open-mouthed kisses. One last lick that went from her ring to her clit, then I stood up, surveying my handiwork. Her pussy was red and swollen, her clit an erect nub just begging to be petted some more.

  “You better be about to fuck me.” She rolled her nipples between her fingers, her hips rotating in a small circular motion. Her mouth was slightly open, her cheeks flushed with lust.

  Blood pounded through my veins at the sight of her, filling me with a fierce need to conquer. Mark her. Make her mine.

  I wanted her. And didn’t I always get what I wanted?

  “You better believe it.” I yanked a condom from my pants pocket and rolled it on, not taking my eyes from her face. She bit at her bottom lip, grey eyes wide and begging me to fuck her.

  I pulled in a breath, trying to hold onto what little control I had left as I positioned myself at the end of the table, the tip of my cock nudging her sex. She wrapped her legs around my hips, coming up on her forearms so she could see. Her muscles tensed, anticipation making her limbs tremble.