She fought down the urge to strip naked, haul open the door and do a full body tackle. Drawing a deep, steadying breath, she took one step forward, then another. Calm. Controlled. Still, her heart beat a frantic rhythm. Just as her hands touched the key to throw the dead bolt, a wave of anxiety went through her, followed by a bolt of pure, unadulterated lust. Her breath caught. She hesitated and sent up a fervent prayer for divine intervention.
As hot and bothered as she was—and at nothing more than a glance—she knew she was going to need all the help she could get.
9
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Meg asked, pulling open the door.
“Our first lesson.” Dillon’s gaze collided with hers. “Don’t tell me you forgot about it?”
“I thought you were the one who forgot. It’s half past nine.”
“I had a few things to do first.” He indicated the brown grocery sacks that filled his muscular arms. “But I’m here now.” He winked. “Armed and ready.”
Her tummy fluttered with excitement. “You’re really good.”
“How’s that?”
“You’ve got the flirting down perfect.” She shook her head. “But you don’t have to do it with me.” Please. “I don’t need an actual demonstration. I just need to know how you do it.”
His teasing grin faded into a serious expression. His green gaze brightened. “Then let’s get to it.”
“What’s all this?” she asked as he deposited both sacks onto the counter near her cash register.
“A few things—” he rummaged inside one of the bags and pulled out a small jar of cherries “—to whet your appetite.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
He grinned and gave her a smoldering look. “Not yet.”
She fought down a wave of excitement as she watched him unpack. A can of whipped cream, a small box of chocolates, a six pack of individual pudding snacks, three different pints of ice cream, a can of diet soda, a bottle of sweet tea, some orange juice and a large slush. “You’ve been to the Quickie Mart out on the highway.”
“The Piggly Wiggly had already closed and it was the only place open this late.” He set the bags behind the register and shoved a large, tanned hand into his pocket to unearth a red, white and blue bandana. His gaze collided with hers and his eyes gleamed a bright, vivid blue—
She blinked. Just like that, the color faded into a rich emerald green. Had she just imagined the strange color?
Duh. Of course you imagined it. He has green eyes, not blue. He’s always had green eyes.
“School’s in session,” he said, his deep voice killing any more speculation as he circled and came up behind her. The hard wall of his chest kissed her shoulder blades. She caught a quick glimpse of them in the mirror behind the counter and her stomach hollowed out at the provocative picture they made. He looked so large and powerful and intense. And she looked so…hungry.
The realization struck as she noted her glittering eyes and parted lips, the way her body fairly trembled in anticipation.
Of course, she was trembling. She’d been waiting for this for a long, long time.
Since the ninth grade.
His heavily muscled arms grazed her bare shoulders, distracting her from the ridiculous thought. He settled the bandana over her eyes and blotted out the truth staring back at her. “I want you to forget everything else and focus on what I’m going to put into your mouth.”
“And how is this going to help me convince the rest of the town that I’m sexy?”
“Being sexy isn’t about what clothes you’re wearing or what kind of sheets you have.” His deep, husky voice reminded her of last night’s dream and she felt her cheeks heat. “It’s about being sensuous.” Strong fingers brushed her temple, her cheekbone as he adjusted the bandana. “This little exercise is going to get you in touch with your sense of taste. After that, we’ll move on to the other senses—touch, smell, sight, sound.”
With her vision gone, her others senses became sharper in that next instant. Her nostrils flared with the aroma of warm, hunky male. Her skin prickled from the heat of his hands burning into her arms as he led her to the far edge of the rectangular countertop. He turned her until her back was to the end of the counter and then his hands went to her upper thighs.
When the realization hit, panic bolted through her, followed by an avalanche of excitement. Her breathing quickened. Her pulse pounded.
“What are you doing?” she blurted as he gripped the back of her thighs and lifted her.
“Making things more convenient.”
She quickly found herself perched on the end of the long, rectangular countertop, the groceries spread out the length behind her. She could feel the coldness of one of the ice cream cartons seep through the thin material covering her right buttock. A freezing contrast to the heat of the male hands that slid down the outside of her upper legs, over her knees to the tender skin inside. He urged her legs apart and wedged himself between them. Worn denim grazed her inner thighs and awareness rushed through her. Her ears tingled at the deep, husky murmur of his voice.
“There. Now we’ve got plenty of room. You can lie back if you want.”
Yeah, baby.
The notion rushed through her head and she stiffened. He was too close, too overwhelming and with her eyes covered, she experienced a rush of vulnerability she hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Suddenly, she was back in high school, her insides tingling in anticipation of her first actual kiss.
A kiss that had been the worst of her entire life.
“I’d rather sit.” She shifted, trying to find a comfortable position where they weren’t actually touching. “You know, I really don’t see why you can’t just give me a copy of your online research,” she said, eager to put some distance between them and kill the intimacy. She went for the blindfold. “I’m really better at studying than any actual hands-on training.” Strong, warm hands caught hers before she could pull the material free.
“That’s the point, isn’t it? To get you out of your comfort zone? Obviously what you’re doing isn’t working. We need to try something new.” He urged her hands back down to her sides. “Stop fighting and work with me, Meg. Otherwise, I’m going to think you like sitting home every Saturday night.”
“I don’t sit home every Saturday night. I go out once in a while.” She swallowed. “Just not with hot guys.”
His warm rumble of laughter slid into her eardrums. “This will change that. If you give it a chance.” Before she could reply, she felt the press of something hard against her lips. “Now stop fighting and open up.”
The scent of chocolate filled her nostrils and her stomach gave a traitorous grumble.
“The object of this exercise is for you to guess what I’m feeding you,” he continued. “Focus on the flavor and texture.” His voice, so rich and deep, stirred her even more than the sugary sweet decadence. “Take your time to savor every mouthful. Then tell me what you think.”
And what you want.
The deep command echoed in her head, as if he’d whispered the words right into her ear.
He hadn’t.
She hadn’t felt the rush of his breath against her temple, the graze of his lips. Nothing. Just the crazy feeling that he’d somehow, someway, invaded her thoughts.
Wariness wiggled up her spine and she had the sudden urge to hop off the counter and make a run for it. But then her stomach grumbled again and her mouth seemed to open of its own accord.
She sank her teeth into the sweet confection he fed her and focused on the burst of flavor rather than the urge to drag her tongue across the tip of his finger and taste him instead.
“Let’s see…” she said, savoring the delicious mouthful.
Chocolate melted on her tongue, stirring her nerves into a euphoric buzz. She chewed and did her best to ignore the massive man who loomed in front of her. So close she could touch him if she leaned forward just so…
If.
She balled her
fists and tried to concentrate on the specific flavors overwhelming her taste buds. His large hands settled on the tops of her thighs as he waited and awareness prickled her skin. Her stomach quivered as she swallowed. “It’s, um—” she licked her lips and tried to differentiate the different flavors that lingered in her mouth and made it tingle “—milk chocolate with a darker, more rich chocolate inside. Fudge,” she blurted, as the realization hit. “It’s milk chocolate with a fudge center. I’d say…a truffle from that box of chocolates?”
“You might be a quick study, after all.”
She smiled, but the expression died when she felt the cool pressure of something at the corner of her mouth. His fingers moved and the thing he was holding slid across her bottom lip, teasing and tantalizing, until she forgot all about talking and opened her mouth.
A few seconds later, she bit down on a ripe, succulent piece of fruit. Juice spurted, drenching the inside of her mouth and trickling from the corner. “Cherry,” she said, as she tried to catch the drop with her tongue.
“Bingo.” The word was deep and husky. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn she felt the soft flutter of his lips at the corner of her mouth, the soft flick of his tongue—
The thought shattered as she snatched the blindfold down to find him looming in front of her, his face several inches away, his gaze hooked on her face.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I just thought…” That you were going to kiss me. She shook her head. “Nothing. I just got a little claustrophobic.”
“Since when are you claustrophobic?”
Since the hottest guy in town walked into her boutique, hiked her up onto the far end of the counter, stepped between her legs and started mucking up her common sense.
“Can we just get on with this?” She pulled the blindfold back into place. “Come on. Give me something else.” She opened her mouth. Several seconds ticked by, but then she felt the edge of a foam cup. A mouthful of slushee slid past her lips and iced her tongue.
“Cherry,” she murmured.
“This isn’t part of the test.” He chuckled. “It’s just to wash everything down.”
“I don’t need a drink. I’m fine. Just get to the next thing.”
“Be patient, sugar. We’ve got all night.”
All night? No way could she make it fifteen more minutes without making a move, much less an entire night.
“I’m hungry,” she blurted. “Famished. Starved. Hurry up.” Her heart thundered in her ears as she sat, waiting for more.
Her ears prickled to the tear of cardboard, the soft pop as a lid pulled free. After what seemed like forever, she finally felt the press of plastic at her bottom lip. A heartbeat later, he spooned a mouthful of something soft and sweet and scrumptious into her mouth.
“Chocolate pudding,” she murmured, concentrating on the sudden rush of yummm that spiraled through her, rather than the man responsible.
She felt the hard press of his thigh against the inside of her knee and her nipples pebbled. She licked her lips.
Another spoon and the flavor of cold cream cheese and graham crackers exploded on her tongue. “Cheesecake ice cream.” Another mouthful and her insides tingled. “Mmm…strawberry this time.”
“Maybe you don’t need me.”
“That, or you’ve lost the element of surprise. I saw you unpack the grocery sack, remember?”
“So you know what I’m going to feed you before you taste it?”
She nodded. “We’ve done everything except the whipped cream. So I know that’s what I’ll get to taste next.”
“That, or maybe I’ll do a little tasting of my own.” She felt his body weight shift as he dropped to his knees.
“What’s that supposed to—” The words faded into a sharp intake of breath as he touched his lips to the inside of her thigh.
“Mmm,” he murmured against her bare skin. “Definitely sweet.” The soft rumble stirred a tremor and she felt the sudden wetness between her legs.
“You really shouldn’t be doing this.” Excuse me? This was exactly what he should be doing. What she’d wanted him to do from the very beginning—to make the first move and ravish her.
He was ravishing, all right.
At the same time, when she’d pictured a man falling all over her, he’d usually started a little higher up.
Dillon wasn’t anywhere close to hauling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. Not in the traditional sense, that is. Even more, there was nothing wild and uncontrollable about his actions. The hands that pressed against her thighs were too purposeful, the mouth nibbling at her too intent. As if he were in complete control with one objective in mind—to push her to the edge until she was the one who lost her wits.
Never.
That’s what she told herself. What she fully intended to tell him.
But it had been so long since a man had touched her like this—forever, in fact—and she couldn’t seem to find her voice.
Her few sexual encounters had always been brief and to the point, and she’d always been the one in the driver’s seat. The one on her knees, pushing some man to the brink rather than the other way around.
Not this time.
Dillon nibbled and licked his way slowly—deliciously slow—toward the heart of her and anticipation bubbled. She tried to remember that they were in her boutique, in full view of anyone who happened by and looked through the glass storefront.
Rather than zapping some sense into her, the thought made her that much more excited.
Instead of resisting, she found herself opening her legs even wider, her body begging him closer, while her head was telling her to pull off the blindfold and put a stop to this before she sailed over the edge, straight into the land of Give it to me baby, or else!
She wouldn’t. No matter how much he worked her up.
No way. No how. Uh, uh.
While she wasn’t resisting, she wasn’t going to take the lead and move a muscle.
Her mind made up, she braced herself as he trailed his tongue over the silk covering her wet heat and pushed the material into her slit until her flesh plumped on either side. He licked, stroking and stirring the sensitive flesh until she squirmed and shoved her fingers into his silky hair.
Okay, so she had to move.
But there was a big difference between holding on for the ride and jumping into the driver’s seat.
At the same time, there seemed nothing wrong with being a little enthusiastic. It wasn’t like she was begging for it. She was just giving him a little encouragement.
He gripped the edge of her panties and she lifted her hips to accommodate him. The lacey material slithered down her legs. He caught her ankles and urged her knees over his shoulders. Large hands slid beneath her buttocks as he drew her to the very edge of the counter. At his first long lick, the air bolted from her lungs.
His tongue parted her and he lapped at her sensitive clit. He tasted and savored, stroking, plunging, driving her mindless until her body wound so tight that she couldn’t stand it anymore. A cry vibrated from her throat and shattered the stillness that surrounded them. Her orgasm gripped her and held tight for the next several seconds. Her body trembled and her insides convulsed. She barely resisted the urge to haul him to his feet and press her body against his.
Because as great as the feeling was, it just made her want to forget her inhibitions, peel his clothes off, push him down and climb on top.
And suddenly, with her own ragged breaths echoing in her ears and her heart pumping furiously in her chest, that didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
After all, he’d started it.
DILLON DRANK IN THE intoxicating taste of her. His hands kneaded her sweet ass, holding her close as her orgasm rippled through her. It wasn’t the actual act of having sex with a woman that fed the beast that lived and breathed inside of him. It was her orgasm.
Her essence.
When a woman peaked, she pulsed with the sweetest,
most potent, most sustaining energy.
Meg Sweeney was the sweetest yet.
The thought struck as he fit his lips more closely on her throbbing slit. Her body convulsed against his mouth and he drank from her, relishing the rush of heat. Her essence fed him all of five seconds. But instead of being satisfied, he felt even hungrier. Starving. The urge to push her back onto the counter and sink his cock into the decadent warmth gripped him and the beast took control.
He pushed to his feet, the tight bulge in his pants brushing against her sensitive flesh as he pushed closer, urging her legs wider, her back flat against the counter top. Candy bars sailed to the carpeted floor. The can of whipped cream upended, clattering on the counter and diving over the edge.
Tugging at his waistband, he unfastened the button and gripped the zipper. He was just about to shove the zipper down when her soft voice pushed past the roar in his ears.
“Wait. I want to see this.”
Her hands went to the blindfold and his memory stirred. He remembered the excitement on her face when he’d leaned in for that first kiss so long ago. Followed by the disappointment when it was all said and done.
He stiffened as she pulled the bandana down and gazed up at him, a victorious light gleaming in her blue eyes. Her full lips curved into a smile and where he’d been about to pull away, suddenly he had half a mind to finish what he’d been fool enough to start.
He liked seeing her smile.
Things are different now.
You’re different.
It was true. He wouldn’t come anywhere close to disappointing her now the way he had back then. He knew it.
Still…
She was different. She had a strong will. Strong enough to resist him despite his vampire charisma. Which meant there was the smallest possibility that she might not think he was all that in the sack.
Not unless she was already out of her mind with lust.
So much that she reached out to him.
He stared down at her. She made an inviting picture, the metallic dress riding her waist, her legs spread wide, her ass bare on the glass countertop, her nipples hard, throbbing points beneath the skimpy material. Expectancy etched her beautiful features as she waited for him to free his cock and sink into her.
Love at First Bite Bundle Page 28
