Craving Forbidden (Craving Series Book 8)

by Crave Publishing

  “No. That’s all right.” She concentrated on breathing in and out through her nose. His touch had devastated her heart rate. “It’s almost gone.”

  “Good.”

  He smiled, again, drawing her gaze to his mouth. Those lips! As she stared, her skin began to tingle. She squirmed in her seat. Before the ache between her thighs became any more insistent, she forced her attention higher. But her body seemed hell-bent on betrayal, her chin lifting until it became an invitation. She held her breath, watching with rapt fascination as Jason’s eyes went dark.

  “Melinda?”

  She reached up and circled his wrists with her hands.

  “You wanna get out of here?”

  Chapter 2

  Jason Troy Wright was fairly certain he’d taken leave of his senses. As if his life weren’t complicated enough. He’d decided to take a strange woman to his hotel room…a fan of J. T. Wright, no less. And though he didn’t know of any ethical issues in an author taking one of his readers to bed, he couldn’t help feeling it was bad form…especially since he’d chosen not to enlighten her.

  He’d been at the bar a good half hour before her, trying to mitigate his own feelings of frustration. But in his case, it had been with himself. He hadn’t gotten very far, when he’d felt a surge of energy behind him, looking up just in time to see a curvaceous beauty settling onto a barstool two down from his. She’d plunked a book on the bar and her purse on top of it, pushing both to the side before lifting her hand to get the bartender’s attention. As Manny’d approached, she’d finger-combed her wild black waves, tucking the sides behind her ears to reveal porcelain skin and a fine, streamlined nose.

  He’d been sure she’d catch him staring but, heaven help him, he hadn’t had the strength to look away. And then it had happened. For one breath-stealing moment, she’d glanced at him. Later, he’d realized she hadn’t really seen him. But her visage had been burned into his memory. Her hairline formed a widow’s peak just off center of her forehead. Broad cheeks narrowed to a dainty chin. The classic sweetheart frame contrasted with the sin of her plush, red-stained lips. Ridiculously long lashes sweeping over her deep blue eyes, she’d blinked…once…twice…three times. And it had been over. She’d turned away.

  If he’d conjured her from the pages of one of his books, he couldn’t have been more enchanted. And then she’d gone and asked him to take her to his room.

  He felt her stumble and turned. Melinda had her head down, a firm grip on his hand. Between her heels and the three margaritas she’d had in little more than an hour, she tripped rather unsteadily behind him. He slowed, waiting until she caught up before pulling her close and tucking her arm through his.

  “You okay?”

  She bit her lip uncertainly and his heart dropped into his gut. But then she nodded.

  “Yeah.” She smiled up at him. “You?”

  “Me? I’m great.”

  They’d arrived at his door, but Jason hesitated. Turning, he cupped her cheek, angling her head to better see her.

  “I’ve never done anything like this before,” he confessed.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Neither have I.”

  He believed her. Not a trace of subterfuge tainted her expression.

  “Look.” He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his courage. “I have to ask you…are you sure about this?” He hurried on, not ready for her to answer. “Because the way I’m feeling”—he forced himself to meet her clear gaze—“I don’t exactly know what’s going on here, but I can’t remember ever wanting a woman like this.” He sighed. “I’m pretty sure once that door closes behind us…”

  She looked stunned.

  “I see. Then I guess there’s really only one question.” A slow smile stole over her lips. “You got condoms in there?”

  He nodded, releasing the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

  “A whole box.”

  A shapely brow arched high in her forehead.

  “Somebody came prepared,” she told him dryly. “And just so you know, I’m on the pill.”

  As she spoke, his gaze dropped to her mouth.

  God, those lips!

  “Okay.”

  “So we’re covered.”

  Why haven’t I kissed her yet?

  “We are.”

  “So…Jason.”

  He dragged his gaze to hers.

  “Yeah.”

  Amusement crinkled the corners of her eyes.

  “How about you open the door?”

  He smiled and then nodded, taking his hand from her face to retrieve the key card from his pocket and then slide it through the lock. At the blinking green light, he turned the lever, pulling her behind him into the dark.

  Before the door had clicked shut, she was on him. Her palms warm on his cheeks as she tugged him lower. His heart beat wildly, his flesh grew hard. Bewildered, he pulled back, his arms hanging uselessly by his sides.

  Melinda abandoned his face for his shoulders, skimming her body over his as she rose up onto her toes. And then she traced the seam between his lips with the tip of her tongue, enfolding him in a swirl of strawberries and tequila with a splash of lime. The provocative effort snapped him out of his stupor. He caught her up in his arms, one hand cupping her head, the other splayed in the small of her back. Then he crushed his mouth to hers, his tongue breaching her lips, eager to plumb her deepest secrets.

  She sagged in his arms as if her knees had given way. He cinched her tighter, edging the hand at her back ever lower until he’d found the fine curve of her ass. He squeezed. She moaned. And he very nearly succumbed to the sudden impulse to drag her to the floor and take her in a blind frenzy. But then he remembered. He’d already failed to live up to her expectations. And though she might never know it, Jason meant to make amends.

  Taking two trundling steps forward, he signaled his intent. Melinda matched him effortlessly without the slightest pause or hesitation. And then, with lips and arms entangled, they waltzed their way into the bedroom.

  Chapter 3

  Melinda found herself wishing they’d stopped to put on a light. Jason might be a Comic-Con geek, but underneath the wrinkled shirt and loose-fitting khakis, she discovered a hidden treasure of rippling muscles. If—as the stereotype suggested—he lived in his parents’ basement, they must be keeping a big ass set of weights down there with him. And she would have liked to have seen what she was touching.

  Then again, it would have meant he could see her as well. Melinda had accepted her body long ago. She was a plump girl, and proud of it. But when it came to being naked with a man, especially for the first time, she found comfort in shadows. She’d prefer Jason remembered her as she’d been in the bar. Carefully made up, her hair falling softly in big curls around her face, the cute mini dress she’d bought specially for her ill-fated meeting with J. T. Wright.

  The dress! Suddenly, she recalled wriggling into a body shaper after her morning shower. Dragging her fingers from the seductive feel of Jason’s body, she bent her arms behind her back. Hopefully, she could get the undergarment off with her dress.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking off my clothes.”

  “Oh, no.” Long fingers circled her wrists, easing her arms behind her. “That’s my job.”

  He tugged her closer and she stumbled against him. Lips parted and breasts straining, she waited. He took his time angling over her, his mouth hovering just out of reach as he carefully lowered her zipper, its hum barely audible over the drumming of her heart. With a simple twist of his wrist, he dispensed with the eyehook. Then he eased the silky material off her shoulders, followed by the straps of her shaper and bra.

  He kissed his way across the bared skin, making her gasp and moan as he explored neck and ears and décolletage. When he lifted his head, she looked for him in the dark. His expression was obscured, but she could swear she felt him smile. And then he reached beneath the layers covering her, cupping her br
east before lifting it free.

  “Jason…”

  “Hush.”

  He tightened his grip, as if reminding her who was in control. And then he lowered his head, taking her aching nipple into his mouth. She gasped and arched her neck. Mindlessly, she shook her head from side to side, as if denying the energy gathering between her thighs.

  “Please.” She hardly recognized the husky voice as her own. “Please, Jason.”

  He lifted his head, making her groan in protest.

  “What?” He brushed his lips over her sensitive skin. “What do you want, Melinda?”

  “You. Please. I want you.”

  “Oh, you’ll have me.” She yelped when he nipped her, still holding her fast. “But first, I need to hear more of that begging.”

  He gave her little choice, exposing her other breast and giving it the same treatment, her cries becoming ever more feverish. By the time he released her, gently easing her arms to her sides so her dress fell to the floor around her feet, Melinda trembled with need.

  She bit her lip as he knelt before her. Reaching up, he peeled what remained of her clothing from her body, snagging her panties on the way down. Even her bra came away, though she couldn’t remember him unclasping it.

  “Hold on to me,” he directed.

  She clutched his shoulders as he helped her lift first one foot and then the other. His hands warm on her ankles. Then he sat back on his heels and let his gaze rove lazily over her.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered.

  She gasped when he grabbed her, his fingers biting possessively into her hips. Pulling her close, he pressed kisses to her belly and thighs, his hair tickling over her skin. And then he covered her sex with his mouth, his tongue slipping evocatively between her lips.

  “Oh, Jason. Oh!” She clung to him, nails digging deep into muscle. “I can’t. Please. I can’t.”

  He lifted his head, and her contrary flesh cried out in despair.

  “Can’t what? Come?” he asked, his lips glinting in a thin beam of moonlight which had breached the heavy drapes. “Is that a challenge? Because I do love a challenge.”

  His smile was pure sin.

  “No!” she insisted, shaking her head for good measure. “Please.” She glanced at the bulky shape behind him. “Please take me to bed.”

  “Ah.”

  He got to his feet and, before she could even think to protest, scooped her up in his arms. Carrying her effortlessly, he deposited her on the edge of the mattress and then leaned down to kiss her, easing her backward. Once she lay flat, he worked his way south, kissing and licking until her pleas had become nothing more than sighs and whimpers.

  Once more he knelt at her feet, edging her thighs wide with his shoulders. She arched up to meet him, tangling her fingers in his hair as his tongue resumed its greedy exploration. Her orgasm came almost without warning, Melinda crying out in surprise as she writhed and shuddered. Jason held tight, drawing every last quiver from her before imparting a final tender kiss.

  Down the span of her body, she watched as he got to his feet. He stripped quickly and then turned to the bedside table, the silhouette of his body a cruel tease. But when she heard the tearing of a foil wrapper, she thought of a way to have some naughty fun of her own.

  “Let me,” she told him hoarsely.

  He handed her the condom, and she shifted position, laying at the edge of the bed with her head on the pillow. She tucked the packet beneath her ribs and then reached up to wrap her fingers around his silken length. His sharp inhale became a low grunt as she tugged him closer, pressing a quiet kiss to his thigh before leaning back to peep up at him. She took several long, twisting strokes before releasing him to trace his length with her nails, noting every ridge and ripple before starting over again. He stood quiet, his hands loose by his sides. His head tipped at an indulgent angle, as if content to let her play. But when she wandered too near the creased skin closest to his body, he sucked in an unsteady breath.

  “That’s enough.”

  Her belly went tight at his uncompromising tone. Quickly, she retrieved the packet from beneath her, taking out the condom and rolling it slowly over him.

  He made her wait two full heartbeats before falling upon her. Cuffing her behind the knees, he opened her wide. She cried out as he buried himself deep, braced for a violent coupling. But he went still, smoothing her legs around his waist before covering her body with his own. Fingers tangled in her hair, Jason began to move. A slow, steady pace Melinda soon found to be equally as devastating.

  Chapter 4

  Melinda woke up smiling, afraid to open her eyes. To say she and Jason had chemistry would be a laughable understatement. All night long, they’d explored and pushed one another’s boundaries, catching cat naps between expeditions and discovering a sexual synergy bordering on the supernatural. He’d taken her places she hadn’t imagined possible. And if it had been a dream…if he’d been nothing more than a creation born of alcohol and disappointment, she wanted a bit more time before having to face it.

  The memories seemed real enough. Jason rousing her from sleep…gentle kisses the length of her spine…his tongue rimming her ear…devouring him with mouth and fingers before the inevitable…being reduced to a mewling, shuddering creature begging for release. He possessed an uncanny ability to keep her on the edge, knowing when to pull back, and when to push harder. And, more important, the precise moment she’d reached her limit.

  Just thinking about him, her nipples grew taut, her belly rigid, the apex of her thighs wet and hot. Where was he? Had it really been a figment of her imagination? As if in answer, she heard the shower. Relieved, Melinda opened her eyes.

  The clock on the bedside table read six thirty-seven. She did a few quick calculations, realizing a short twelve hours ago, she and Jason had been strangers. They’d been in his hotel room for eleven and naked with each other for ten. Showering together seemed an appropriate next step.

  Grinning, she sat up, wrapping the sheet around her before padding to the bathroom.

  He’d left the door ajar, and she slipped in without making a sound. Jason stood facing her, eyes closed as he rinsed the shampoo from his hair. Her gaze chased the bubbles as they cascaded from shoulders to waist to muscled thighs. Pausing at the masculine bounty between, she parted her lips in anticipation, loosening her grip on the sheet.

  Just then, Jason turned his back to her.

  The images were eerily familiar. A red rose, its stem spiked with thorns. A winning hand of twenty-one—the queen of hearts and ace of spades—fanned out below a dove in flight. Instantly, she knew. It was him! J. T. Wright!

  The night’s events replayed in her mind, cast in a sinister light. Had he known she’d been there for him from the start? Noticed his book in her arms as she’d entered the bar and assumed she’d be easy pickings? No, last night hadn’t been a dream at all. It had been a lie.

  “You bastard.”

  Jason spun around, reaching out to shut off the water before throwing back the shower door.

  “Melinda?”

  For several seconds, they just stared at one another in the silence. Then Jason reached for a towel, hastily wiping it over his head and face before wrapping it around his waist.

  “I can explain.”

  “Don’t bother.”

  She spun around and bolted, leaving the sheet in a trail behind her as she scanned the room for her dress. Snatching it from the floor, she pulled it over her head with a precision born of rage. Then she scooped up her underthings and headed into the sitting room.

  “Melinda!”

  Jason had made it into the bedroom but struggled to get his jeans on over his damp skin. She took advantage, jogging to the chair by the door where she’d tossed her things before delivering herself into the arms of a fraud and liar. She stepped back into her shoes a much sorrier woman, cramming panties, bra, and shaper into her purse before grabbing for the door. And then, without either her copy of the latest J. T. Wright no
vel or a backward glance, she rushed from the room.

  Not until she stood in the elevator, unzipped and gasping, did the depths of her folly become clear. J. T. Wright had made a fool of her. But he hadn’t done it alone. She’d helped him…perfectly content to surrender herself to a stranger in the dark.

  Chapter 5

  Though everything inside him screamed otherwise, Jason stopped himself from going after Melinda. He needed to think. Figure out what to do so he didn’t make the shit storm he’d created any worse.

  Taking a deep breath, he got his pants up over his hips. But nervous energy had him pacing before he could zip. The way she’d looked at him! Crestfallen and betrayed, the memory made him sick. What he wouldn’t give to rewind the morning, stay in bed, watch her sleep. And the second she’d opened her eyes, told her everything. Every last bit of it, even the shameful parts. The things he would have been better off for letting go of years ago. But instead, kept tucked in the special corner of his mind where he went when he needed to torture his soul.

  Still, he’d have shared it all with Melinda, if only she’d given him the chance. He wouldn’t blame her if she refused. He knew how it looked. She thought he’d tricked her. Used what she’d told him, her love of his work, against her. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Obviously, there’d been an intense physical attraction. But what they’d experienced during the boundless night had transcended lust. He stopped pacing as the images crowded around him, unconsciously lifting his hand and pressing it to the center of his chest. It had seemed as if he’d known instinctively how to touch her. A firm grasp had calmed her. Lengthy caresses had brought her moans. And when he’d tripped his fingertips over her silky skin, both of them had quivered. Her gasps and groans had resonated deep within him, guiding him, urging him to push her further. Her pleasure had become his sole desire. And each time he’d discovered it, the lines between them had blurred. Until, at last, they’d dissolved altogether.