An Indecent Proposition

by Stephanie Julian

  “College isn’t for everyone.”

  “Some people think you’re stupid if you don’t.”

  “And some people are idiots. Some of the stupidest people I know have a college degree. I figure it all evens out.”

  Her smile was small but genuine. “I guess it does. So tell me, Erik. Don’t you want to have sex with me again?”

  His hand froze in the act of beating the eggs. “More than I want to breathe. Is that why you’re here?”

  Her gaze dropped. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

  “Bullshit.” He said it with no edge, no snark, no sneer.

  After a few seconds, she nodded and her gaze lifted to his again. “Okay, fine. Why am I here?”

  She looked at him with such vulnerability and he was struck by how young she looked.

  Rationally, he knew she was only twenty-one but she’d never seemed that young. She had a maturity beyond her years.

  Until this minute.

  And now he felt every one of those nine years separating them.

  Christ, what a mess. And it was all his fault.

  “Because you know what we shared wasn’t just sex.”

  The words were hard for him to get out because he was admitting something aloud he’d barely admitted to himself.

  And he should’ve known she wouldn’t let it go at that.

  “So what was it to you?”

  He paused and, after several seconds, Jules huffed. “Are you really not going to talk to me? Am I the only one who has to spill their guts?”

  After a few more moments of silence, she shook her head. “Damn it—”

  “When you left, I had every intention of calling you, of setting up a date. A real one. With the three of us. Then…I got some information about the explosion that I had to investigate.”

  “What information?”

  “Nothing I want to discuss now.” When she looked like she wanted to argue, he held up his hand. “No, I want to talk about you. About us. We can talk about anything else you want later. Right now, I want to talk about us.”

  “Is there an us?”

  “What would you say if I told you I want there to be?”

  Her turn to pause. “I’d have to say I’m so screwed up in the head about all of this that I’m not sure what I want anymore. All I really do know is that I want you.”

  His cock tightened painfully and his hands curled into fists as she began to walk around the counter. “Jules, I’m trying to be—”

  She put her hands on his face again and pulled him down for a kiss. And he let her.

  Chapter Ten

  Erik locked down every impulse to grab Jules and toss her onto the nearest flat surface.

  As her lips moved over his with a desperation he could taste, his lust built until it reached an almost feral force.

  He resisted for all of two seconds then gave in to the raging desire to take whatever she wanted to give him.

  When her mouth opened and her tongue licked at his lips, he opened to her.

  God damn, she tasted fucking amazing. He wanted to kiss her for-fucking-ever.

  His arms wrapped around her body, caging her. She wouldn’t be able to move unless he allowed it. And he wasn’t going to. Not for a damn long time.

  She’d come to him. She’d given him her permission. He was going to take her at her word. Or actions, as the case happened to be.

  With his tongue in her mouth, he swore he was drugged by her taste. It made him reckless. Made him forget that only seconds ago he’d been ready to be noble and not fuck her brains out.

  Now he didn’t think he could take another breath without having her.

  Their lips still locked, he picked her up in his arms. Hers wrapped around his shoulders immediately and she clung to him as he headed for the stairs at the back of the kitchen.

  The stairwell was narrow and he bumped his elbows so many times he was sure they’d be black and blue tomorrow. He didn’t care.

  He almost stumbled as they reached the second floor and he had to release her mouth to get his bearings, flinging one hand out to steady himself against the wall. Her mouth immediately landed on his neck, where she sucked on the tendon beneath the skin, biting and licking and driving him crazy.

  That side of his neck was mostly scar-free so the skin was more sensitive there. Almost too sensitive. Every swipe of her tongue made electricity zing through his body. His cock felt like it was going to burst out of his jeans.

  Stopping to make sure he had his feet under him, he let his head fall back as she worked her mouth from his neck to his lips.

  Her hands shoved through his hair and she tugged until he stared directly into her eyes. “You better be taking me to a bed.”

  “Damn right. And when we get there, I’m going to strip you naked and tie you to it.”

  He saw her eyelids flutter and her gaze darken. “I might let you.”

  “You already gave your consent. You’re here. And now you’re mine.”

  He felt her shake, heard her breath hitch but she held his gaze. And didn’t let go.

  She’d accepted him before, scars and all. Now he’d see if she accepted even more of him.

  He started to walk again, his bedroom on the other side of the house from this set of stairs.

  She never said no. She never said stop.

  By the time they reached his bed, he hoped like hell he had enough control to take her the way he wanted and not just fall on her like an animal. But, Jesus, he craved her.

  Only his obsession with finding out what had happened that night in the lab kept him from hunting her down.

  Now, he tossed her on the bed. She bounced once before stabilizing herself with her hands on the mattress, still staring up at him.

  “Strip.”

  Swallowing hard, she hesitated, eyes widening as if in fear.

  Damn it. Maybe she was just too damn young to handle all of him. Maybe—

  Her lips curved in a slight grin. With an easy grace, she rose to her knees, her hands lifting to the front of her shirt. Her gaze held his and he couldn’t tell if she needed reassurance that he hadn’t turned into some kind of raving lunatic or if she was as turned on as he was.

  Her fingers worked their way down her shirt buttons. She didn’t go slowly, didn’t do it as a tease. When she got to the bottom, she yanked the tails out of the skirt and shrugged it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the side, leaving her in a flesh-colored bra that managed to be sexy without being overt.

  Then again, maybe it was because she was wearing it.

  Now, her hands went to the fastening on the back of her skirt and he heard the zipper release. In the next second, she slid to the edge of the mattress and stood. The skirt fell down her legs, revealing matching bikini panties and a garter.

  God damn, the girl slayed him.

  His jaw hurt from clenching it, to keep from demanding she go faster. That she get on her knees and suck him off. Jules brought out the caveman in him. And he wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

  Because in the back of his mind, he wondered if he was just a curiosity for her. Just the man who’d saved her and her mother from a life of poverty and worry. Maybe she felt she owed him.

  At this moment, he didn’t care. She was here and he was going to take whatever she gave him.

  Bastard.

  So be it.

  She leaned to the left, her breasts jiggling as she toed off her shoes. Now she was at least two inches shorter.

  He felt like he towered over her. It made him want to toss her onto the bed and consume her.

  “Take off the panties. Leave the rest. Then take off my clothes.”

  Her head tipped to the side, her braid falling over her shoulder. “That’s an awful lot of demands.”

  “All you have to say is no.”

  She thought about it. He saw her weighing the pros and cons and he hoped like hell that the pro column came out ahead. If it didn’t, he’d have a world-class case of blue balls. />
  After what seemed like an eternity, she moved her hands, her thumbs catching in the strings of her bikini panties, which then disappeared down her legs.

  His chest contracted until he thought he wouldn’t be able to breathe. When she reached for the hem of his t-shirt, it released in a rush.

  He raised his arms to allow her to pull the shirt over his head, trying not to wince as that dark gaze made a thorough catalogue of his scars.

  Yes, she’d seen them before but he didn’t think he’d ever get used to anyone looking at what had once been flawless skin.

  She reached for his jeans as soon as the shirt dropped from her hands and finally his cock got some relief from the tight denim. Which hadn’t seemed that tight when he’d put them on this morning.

  His lungs began to work overtime as she went to her knees, dragging his jeans and underwear with her. With her mouth only inches from his cock, his fingers curled into fists at his sides so he didn’t reach for her and pull her mouth to his erection.

  Her breath brushed against his abdomen, hot and moist, before she rose again.

  As if she’d realized the balance of power was shifting, she looked up at him through her lashes. Overtly sexual. Devastatingly hot.

  “I believe you said something about tying me to the bed.”

  Fuck. His cock jerked, his balls tightening until he could barely stand it.

  “Pull the comforter off then lie face down on the sheets.”

  Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth but he shook his head. “Do it.”

  With a raised eyebrow, she went.

  Jules grabbed the comforter and pulled it to the foot of the bed then crawled onto the mattress and lay on her stomach.

  Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to let him tie her down and do whatever he wanted to her?

  Had she finally lost her mind?

  Or was this some sort of weird reaction to having sex with Keegan earlier? She’d fucked him so she had to fuck Erik too?

  Or was she just that horny?

  She thought maybe it was a combination of all of the above. And right now, she didn’t care.

  She burned. All over. Her breasts ached. Her pussy ached. Sex with Keegan hadn’t been enough.

  How screwed up was that?

  The sheets felt cool against her skin and her nipples puckered almost painfully.

  “Reach for the top of the mattress and spread your legs.”

  Swallowing heavily, she did what he wanted. The cool air on her pussy almost made her close her legs again.

  She heard Erik moving around, felt the mattress shimmy beneath her then something soft wrapped around one ankle. Sucking in a sharp breath, she tensed when he tightened the strap, tugging her leg closer to the edge of the mattress. Seconds later, he’d strapped her other ankle and tightened that one, leaving her legs spread wide.

  “I’m going to do your hands together. Let me know if it’s uncomfortable and I can split them.”

  She nodded, not trusting her voice. She couldn’t catch her breath and she didn’t want Erik to think she was frightened. She wasn’t.

  Turning her head, she watched him reach between the mattress and the headboard and draw out a wide black strap with double cuffs.

  When he had her hands restrained, he stepped back to look at her. His cock stood almost straight up and made her breathe even harder.

  If he didn’t touch her soon, she might cry.

  And that would be utterly humiliating.

  But she was beginning to believe she was totally out of her league here. She’d considered herself experienced. Able to handle any situation.

  What she was feeling for these two men wasn’t anything she was prepared to handle.

  Not that she was about to pull out now.

  She shuddered as Erik touched her, just the tips of his fingers down her spine.

  “You have the most gorgeous skin I’ve ever seen.” He stroked the hollow of her back just above her ass then palmed one cheek before squeezing the other.

  Her eyes closed as she absorbed the warmth and roughness of his skin. Her breath caught when she thought he might reach between her legs to play with her pussy but he continued down her thigh.

  When he removed his hand, her eyes opened but she couldn’t see him, couldn’t see what he was doing. Disoriented, she writhed, pressing her mound into the mattress, trying to gain a little relief.

  She felt over-wound and over-stimulated, even though he’d touched her so sparingly.

  Need more. Need it now.

  When the bed shook, she sucked in a breath, realizing she’d been holding it.

  She felt him pick up her braid and seconds later, her hair spilled around her shoulders, teasing her skin.

  Then he put one hand high on the inside of each thigh, kneading her flesh. Moisture seeped from her needy sex.

  He didn’t say a word as he began to stroke her, his hands smoothing over every inch of skin he could reach. His knees were between her legs. She felt the hair on his legs graze her inner thighs and she knew he could see her pussy clearly.

  Was he looking? Could he see how wet she was for him?

  His palms felt rough against her skin, calloused. They had some scarring but it didn’t turn her off. Nothing about this man turned her off.

  She had a moment to wonder if the reason he wanted her face down was because she couldn’t see his scars but then he tapped her ass and said, “Lift.”

  It took her a second to compute what he wanted then she lifted her hips off the bed. Something cool and firm slid under her. A pillow held her body away from the bed.

  And exposed her sex even more.

  “So fucking pretty.”

  He didn’t touch her again for several seconds and she began to wonder if he was ever going to.

  Then he ran one finger along the seam of her sex and sent a shudder of desire sweeping through her. She tried to close her legs, even though she knew she couldn’t.

  “Every night, I dreamed about this.” His voice made her skin break out in goose bumps. “About you naked on my bed. I wanted you here.”

  “Then do something.”

  “I plan to. I just don’t plan to rush it.”

  She felt the bed move but she couldn’t see what he was doing. Then she felt the heat of his body as he put his hands on either side of her torso and leaned forward. His mouth landed on her nape, planting a kiss there, then moving to the side and laying a string of them along her right shoulder. Her left.

  Every now and then, she felt the scrape of his teeth and she shuddered, muscles tightening, before he began to make his way down her back.

  He bit and sucked and kissed, arousing her to a fever pitch with only his mouth. He was halfway down her back when he stopped. Her lungs stuttered and she found it nearly impossible to breathe as she waited for him.

  Finally, she felt something brush against her lower back. But it wasn’t his mouth.

  He scraped his beard-roughened cheek against the hollow of her back, just above her ass, and her body reacted as if he’d shocked her.

  Barely able to breathe, sensation pulsing through her, uncontrollable and raw, Jules sank deeper into a state of heightened awareness, where each rasp of his whiskers, each brush of his fingers against her skin, made her pant for more.

  His hands moved now, grabbing her ass before smoothing down her thighs. When he bit her on one ass cheek, she flinched, though not from pain.

  “Erik. Please.”

  His answer was to bite her other cheek.

  Could he smell her arousal? He had to be able to. She wanted him to—

  “You are so fucking wet, I can see it from here. I want to draw this out all night but, Christ, I can’t do it. I’ve got to…”

  He put his mouth between her legs and swiped his tongue at her sex. Every nerve ending in her body lit up and sharp hunger sliced through her. She moaned, every muscle in her body clenching.

  He licked at her like she was his favorite fla
vor of ice cream. The tip of his tongue flicked out to play with her clit, stimulating it until it ached painfully. He refused to give her exactly what she wanted. Instead, he drove her so close to the edge that she felt, finally, she’d fall. But then he’d pull back and she’d nearly pass out from the unrealized culmination.

  He licked at her labia, playing with the sensitive lips and sucking on them. Then he drove his stiffened tongue into her body and fucked her with it.

  Not enough. Not nearly enough.

  Her legs strained against the straps holding her down and he smoothed his hands from her thighs to her calves, easing the aching muscles.

  When he pulled away, she wanted to scream but heard the crinkle of foil and her body stilled with anticipation.

  “Hurry.”

  He pressed a kiss to the bottom curve of one ass cheek before she felt his knees wedge her legs even farther apart.

  As he leaned over her, his cock nestled into the valley of her ass, making her whimper as he rubbed himself against her.

  “Do you want me?”

  He whispered the words in her ear and they reverberated like a heavy bass line in her stomach.

  “God, yes.”

  “Good.” His words were practically a growl. “Because I can’t wait any longer.”

  He slid his cock between her cheeks twice before he groaned and pulled away.

  But not for long.

  She took a deep breath as his cock prodded the entrance to her body. Rubbing the tip against her, he groaned as he smeared her wetness all over his shaft. The stimulation made her suck in a breath and hold it, waiting for the moment he breached her.

  He made her wait until she couldn’t take it any longer.

  Then he took her in one, hard thrust. His cock filled her, stretched her, made her moan in ecstasy. He filled her completely, gave her a sense of satisfaction that competed with the raw lust eating away at her.

  When he’d gotten as far inside as he could and she felt his hips press against her ass, he stopped and held still. One hand grabbed her shoulder while he held his upper body away with the other.