by Jodi Redford
Get the damn thing removed. It wasn’t the first time the voice of logic had given her a stern lecture on her folly, but the pathetic reality was her stomach revolted whenever she contemplated heeding the advice. The tattoo was the only part of Jerrick she could claim as her own. Letting it go would be the end of a bittersweet dream.
Sad and pitiable didn’t begin to describe the sorry state of her mind.
“Are you done inspecting me like a side of beef?” Jerrick inquired dryly.
She smacked him on the ass and winced at the stinging burn spreading across her palm. He didn’t even flinch. Damn him and his rock-hard butt. Clearly having a flogger would be beneficial and save her a sore hand. “You’ll speak when I allow it.”
He grunted. “What is this? Method Acting 101?”
“You want me to get in character, right? So I don’t blow our cover and muck everything up?” Getting to throw his words in his face was immeasurably satisfying, especially since his tight expression hinted at precisely how difficult he was finding it to bite his tongue. “If there’s anyone who could use some brushing up on their acting skills, it’s you, Jer, since you don’t appear the least bit docile at the moment.”
“You’re deliberately trying to goad me. And I damn well don’t think this evil dominatrix charade is going to fly.”
“Only because you’re a stubborn mule who doesn’t like the notion of a woman holding all the power. Face it, you’re a control freak.”
He chuffed a humorless laugh. “If you honestly think that, then you’re a fool.”
Oh, I am. In more ways than one. But it didn’t change the fact that she was right about this one point. He was all about control. Having it yanked out from under him wouldn’t be pretty, and he certainly wouldn’t give it up without a fight.
Well, she had news for him. She was infinitely more stubborn than him. And she had the added edge of holding all the cards. “We’re not reversing roles. It’s this way or no way.”
A muscle ticced in his jaw. “This is a disaster in the making.”
That, at least, was one thing they agreed on. But damn if she wasn’t going to enjoy wresting all of that hard-fought control from him in the meantime.
Chapter Eight
He was starting to come to the conclusion that the smaller the package, the more potential for testing his patience. Despite being half his size, Avi possessed the ability to drive him to the limits of his sanity.
After their showdown in the bathroom, she’d calmly ordered him into the kitchen—where he was currently making her a salad while she kicked back on the sofa. She was taking this whole getting-into-character to an exasperating extreme. He knew she was doing it to prove a point, and he even understood why.
What she didn’t understand was the dangerous fire she was meddling with.
There was a reason he desperately needed to be the one holding the reins in this charade, and it had nothing to do with some farfetched notion of refusing to kowtow to a woman’s demands. As long as he remained in control of himself, everything would be okay. He could treat this job like any other and stay cool and professional in the process. But with Avi pushing him and stripping his defenses, what hope did he hold of resisting the potent pull of her?
He had to. Giving in was not an option. Popping a cheese cube into his mouth, he squinted at her profile. “It’s bloody cold in here. Can I put my damn shirt back on?”
“The lower temp is good for your metabolism. We wouldn’t want you developing a spare tire around your gut.”
“I appreciate your concern for my health.” Somehow or other, he’d find a way to get her back for this. “What else do you want in your salad?”
“Maybe a few slices of the Nahimi melon.”
He opened her cooler and inspected the contents of the crisper bin. “Looks like you already polished it off.”
“Well shoot.”
He waited for her to demand he drag his ass down to the grocer. Or perhaps produce some magical seeds and till her a garden so she could have her blasted fruit.
“Guess you’ll have to skip adding it. Chop up the rest of the cooked hen on the second shelf and toss it in instead. I need my protein, you know.”
Undoubtedly so she could keep her lungs nice and strong for bossing him around.
A minute later, meal completed to her exacting standards, he carried it to the sofa. She patted the cushion next to her. Before he even sat down he knew what her next request would be.
“You can feed it to me.”
Biting back a growl, he speared a serving of the greens and crispy poultry with the fork and held it to her mouth. Her lips closed around the metal tines with an mmm of pleasure that wrapped around his cock and refused to let go. Yes, she definitely drove him insane. In more ways than one. He battled the potent desire to suck the remaining few speckles of dressing from her berry-vinaigrette-glossed lips.
“Does it meet your approval, my precious?” His voice sounded strained and gruff to his own ears.
Her smile was as sweetly delivered as his endearment. “Color me impressed. Didn’t know you had it in you to cook. You’ve always avoided any domestic activity like it’s a fate worse than death.”
Damn sassy woman. Even if she was right. “It’s a salad. Not much cooking involved.”
She surprised him by snatching the fork from his grip. At bloody last, she was putting this ridiculous dominatrix stuff to bed for the night.
Truthfully, her roleplaying wasn’t the only thing wreaking havoc on his tightly strung patience. Sitting next to her and not running his hands all over her silky skin was killing him. Their brief contact in the bathroom only added kindling to the fire crackling between them. If he wasn’t careful, he stood a good chance of getting burned.
It didn’t help that they were sitting on the same damn sofa that’d witnessed his near downfall five years ago, when she’d offered him her virginity. He swore the piece of furniture was mocking him. An overstuffed, floral, brocaded reminder of his weakness where she was concerned. He needed to remove himself from temptation. Now. Desperately clutching the frayed strands of his willpower, he started to shove up from the cushion.
Avi stalled him with her hand on his thigh. His entire world narrowed to the distracting pressure of her splayed fingers. He didn’t immediately notice the fork waving inches from his face. “Wha—?”
She shoved the greens into his mouth, effectively shutting him up. He chewed the offering, his wary focus never leaving her face. She scooted closer and tucked her legs over his lap. A rush of familiarity swept over him. How many times had she curled into him like this? Too many to count. And just like those other occasions when he’d sweated through her need to cuddle, he questioned his ability to keep his hands safely out of the danger zone.
Popping another savory morsel of poultry into his mouth, she looked him square in the eye, her own twinkling with a devilment that put him on high alert. “Put your hand on my leg.”
He returned her stare for a long moment, attempting to decipher if this was part of her cover or something else. Something that’d ultimately prove a far tougher test to his control.
“Don’t make me punish you for your disobedience, Jer.”
The mock sternness in her tone did funny things to his gut. Or maybe the sudden stiffening of his cock had something to do with the lazy swirl of her fingertip along his abdomen. Hard to tell.
Extra emphasis on hard.
If he was smart, he would have called an end to their training right there and packed it in for the night, but apparently his intelligence had migrated south for the winter. “What punishment are you intending to dish out?”
“Well…” She set aside the forgotten plate of salad and straddled his lap. Her fingers drifted along the delicate swells of her hips, the soft scritch of her nails raking the supple leather providing an erotic soundtrack. “If you won’t touch me, maybe I should make you watch me do it.”
Surely she didn’t mean that the way it soun
ded. “Avi—”
She pressed a fingertip to his mouth. “No, you had your chance. Now you’re going to pay the price.”
Oh, he held no doubt of that. Particularly when her hands ghosted upward, tracing her rib cage and higher still to the fullness of her breasts. She rolled the pads of her fingers over her nipples, mimicking the motions he’d used earlier in the bathroom. His lungs suddenly felt equally as constricted as his damn briefs.
She licked her lips, the sultry haze of desire in her eyes nearly doing him in. “Did you like touching me? Do you wish you could do it right now? Would you caress my breasts, or maybe slide your hand up under my skirt and find out how wet I am?”
Sweet goddess. He hissed a breath between his teeth. “Don’t play this dangerous game with me.”
“Why? Worried I’ll crack through that legendary control of yours?” One palm swept lower and hovered temptingly near her mound.
Sweat broke out on his forehead. He’d never been more grateful for the hindrance of a skirt. Ironic, considering he usually cursed them to hell and back for slowing his seduction progress.
The heated glimmer in her eyes making him infinitely nervous and aroused, Avi lifted onto her knees and tiptoed her fingers along the creamy-smooth expanse of her thighs. Hypnotized, he watched the slow crawl of her hemline ascending toward her hips. The black lace triangle of her panties popped into view, and his shaky exhalation snuck loose before he could rope it into submission. Damn. He was a fucking sucker for sexy underthings.
Then again, he was a fucking sucker when it came to Avi. Period.
“Do you like what you see?” She leaned forward until her lips grazed his earlobe. “Or should I give you something even better to watch?”
His brain screamed one answer while his cock piped in with an entirely different response. Not trusting the words that might jog loose of his mouth, he swallowed hard. This close, he could smell the sweet heat of her. Beneath the luscious floral essence, he easily detected the feminine musk of her arousal. It was driving him out of his mind. He longed to hike her up into his arms and bury his head between her legs, fill his nose with the heady intoxication of her pussy, right before he filled her with his tongue.
She leaned back, awarding him some room to enjoy the show. He knew he was in some serious trouble the instant she hesitantly stroked over the fabric covering her crotch. She was soaked. The slick, succulent sound taunting him verified it. No need for him to see or feel her wet, velvety flesh firsthand.
But he wanted to.
Dear gods, how he wanted to.
She teased him with her naughty, flirty fingers. Sliding them all up and down the drenched lace without actually delving inside. He tensed with the need to tuck that damnable bit of fabric aside and insist she rub herself properly. Or better yet, give in to her command to get her off. Worried he was seconds away from doing precisely that whether she wanted him to or not, he clenched his fists at his sides.
“What’s the matter, Jer? You’re suddenly all awkward and stiff.”
Sonofafairy. Her devilish little grin was gonna be the death of him. Hell, everything about her was an annihilating force to his equilibrium. Devastating as she’d been all those years ago as the innocent virgin who’d lured him with impossible temptation, it was nothing compared to the wicked seductress she’d become. He lifted his hand, but before he could reach his intended destination, she smacked him away from her panties.
“No touching, remember?”
“You’re being a goddamned cocktease.” And he fucking loved it. If that didn’t confirm what a twisted mess he was, nothing would. If he possessed a lick of sense, he’d scoop her out of his lap and hustle his ass from her apartment, pronto. He damn well knew where this was headed. The warning sirens were blasting relentlessly in his brain. But his fierce desire for her outshouted all else.
One look at the sparkle in her eyes verified she was plenty aware that she had him by the short hairs. “Mmm. So hypothetically speaking…say I did let your fingers do the walking, where would you want them? Here?” She caressed herself through the lace. “Or maybe here?” Her fingers slipped down the front of her panties.
He unglued his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Yeah, definitely there.”
“Would you just keep them here, not doing anything?”
“No, move them around like you were— Fuck yes, exactly like that.” His cock thickened a good inch or two behind his fly while her fingers got busy beneath the tantalizing concealment of the lace. Her soft moan kicked up his internal thermostat by several thousand degrees.
Eyes drifting shut, she snared her bottom lip between her teeth and undulated in tempo with her slow stroking. When she arched her back, pressing into her own questing fingers, the micro-fine filament of his restraint snapped. Gripping her by the wrist, he tugged her hand from between her legs and sucked her fingers into his mouth with a ragged groan. Her musky essence melted on his tongue like the sweetest honey.
A shaky breath lodged in her throat. “Jer.”
The sound of his name on her lips was the final devastating blow to his control. Releasing her wrist, he tangled his fingers in her hair and hauled her in for a hungry, consuming kiss.
Chapter Nine
Head spinning, Avily clutched Jerrick tight, the ferocity of his kisses dissolving her into a boneless puddle of goo in his lap. She’d waited a lifetime to experience this level of abandon with him. In the back of her mind, she’d prayed that bold bit of naughtiness would crack his defenses, but this? It was more than she’d dared dream.
Hooking her legs around his waist, he pushed up from the couch and carried her to the bedroom. Lowering her onto the quilt, he stretched over her, his mouth hot and insatiable upon hers. He dipped lower, his lips nuzzling her neck while his gliding caresses along her upper thighs contributed to the constant shivers of pleasure purling through her. She’d primed herself beyond the point of no return with her little stroke session in the living room. His slightest touch threatened to topple her over the edge.
“Do you have any idea how insane you drove me out there?” His warm breath peppered her skin, a precursor to the erotic rasp of his beard scruff over the hills of her breasts. He kissed his way to the deep V of her cleavage, and she twined her fingers in his hair.
“Hmm, maybe I’m the one who deserves the spanking then.”
“Something tells me you’d enjoy it too much.” His smoky chuckle an additional torment to her quivering nerve endings, Jerrick slipped his hands underneath her and deftly loosened the dress’s upper ties before rucking the top down. He stared at her breasts for a long moment, the heat in his eyes blistering in its intensity. “I was right. Your nipples are the same gorgeous blush as your cheeks.” His groan leaking free, he brushed his lips over the puckered peak before sucking it into the luscious heat of his mouth.
She shivered and moaned, the feel of his tongue working her an indescribable ecstasy. “You’ve wondered about the color of my nipples?”
“Amongst other parts of you.”
Well damn. If she’d known that, she would have set about appeasing his curiosity ages ago.
Each wet whorl of his tongue set off a chain reaction in her body. The sensation tingled through her nipples, zipped through her belly and spread liquid fire down to her core. Her clit ached and throbbed, desperate for friction.
As if he’d read her body like a manual, Jerrick aligned his hips with hers and rocked against her hot, needy center. Every rasp, drag and grind of his hardness into her softer flesh sprang a gasp from her, but her wanton noises only seemed to spur him on, triggering a wild, ravenous side of him that thrilled her.
Here was the Jerrick who invaded her dark and decadent nighttime fantasies. The primal lover capable of conquering her body with the simplest touch.
He reclaimed her mouth, his teeth scraping over her bottom lip. “Avi, gods, what you do to me.” He tunneled his fingers through her hair and sucked on her tongue, his devouring kisses pushing h
er to the edge of reason. She dangled on the precipice, no safety net in sight.
But did she want to be saved from this encompassing pleasure?
No freakin’ way.
Clamping her hands on that firm, gorgeous ass of his, she squeezed and tugged him closer. Rolling her hips, she met him stroke for stroke and reveled in the husky groan that vibrated through his chest. He pinned her beneath his weight and trailed hot kisses along the slope of her neck. Coasting lower, he pushed the dress’s bust completely free of her breasts and worshipped her nipples again, his tongue an unrelenting supplier of toe-curling ecstasy.
She squirmed and panted, earning his devilish grin.
“Sensitive indeed. Shall we explore those other erogenous zones now?”
If he didn’t, she’d damn well clobber him upside the head. She told him as much, and he graced her with another of those low, smoky chuckles that drove her crazy before sliding down her body, taking her dress with him. He tossed the garment aside, his playful nip to her abdomen a sinful prelude to his tongue rimming her bellybutton.
She wiggled, frantic murmurs fighting their way past her lips. “Jer, please.”
His gaze burned with an inner fire. “You beg so prettily. I could grow addicted to it.”
“Could you grow addicted to it after you put your mouth on me?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “But I’ve had my mouth all over you.”
“It hasn’t been everywhere.”
His eyes sparkled. “Did you have a particular destination in mind?”
“You damn well know I do, you son of a bitch.”
