Build

by Gillian Archer

  After a few minutes, Rachel pulled away with a gasp. She panted softly and stared into my eyes with her arms still wrapped around me. “What the hell was that?”

  I smiled. “That was the beginning of an amazing fucking night. What do you say, sweetheart? Wanna take this party upstairs?”

  6

  Rachel

  I stared into Austin’s hazel eyes, my heart pounding in my ears. Was he… He couldn’t mean… I’d never in my life had a one-night stand. Hell, both of my previous boyfriends had been so disappointing they weren’t worth remembering. My high school boyfriend had been a two-pump chump. And honestly, my ex Jordan hadn’t been much better. Both were selfish lovers who only cared about getting themselves off. I had more fun with my fingers and my battery-operated rabbit than I ever did with either of them.

  But something told me that Austin wasn’t in the same league. Our kiss had been more exciting than any of the foreplay my previous exes had ever attempted. If he could do that to me with just a kiss, what was he like with more time and less clothes between us?

  And he was staring at me because I still hadn’t answered his question.

  I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Austin’s eyes clouded with confusion, and he sat back on his heels.

  “Hey, if you’re not interested, that’s cool. I thought there was something here.” He waved a hand between us, and his action distracted me as he waved in front of his totally bare chest. His chest was pure muscled perfection. He could’ve modelled for a fitness or a tattoo magazine. Perfect pecs gave way to an eight pack complete with that Adonis belt or whatever it was called when men had that groove of muscle from their hips down in a V to their…yeah, he had that. And the tattoos. Oh wow. Black ink with hints of color here and there perfectly highlighting his muscles, and I was staring again without talking.

  I shook my head. “No, it’s not that. It’s just—you’re all you.” I waved a hand in his direction. “And I’m just…not in the same league.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re a smoking hot woman with the hottest pair of lips I’ve ever fucking seen.”

  I flushed and looked down at my lap. “I’m…I’m not—”

  “You’re not gonna give me some bullshit line about being a virgin or something are you? Because I know you have a kid. If you’re not interested, just say it. I’m a big boy. I’m used to rejection.”

  “Yeah right.” I snorted and then covered my face in horror. I just snorted in front of Austin freaking Burns. Oh my god. Kill me now.

  Austin chuckled softly. “Yeah right to the virgin thing or me being used to rejection?”

  I shook my head, not able to form a coherent sentence, let alone look at the man.

  “If you had any idea how fucking cute you look right now…” Austin broke off with a groan.

  “Abject horror turns you on?” I snorted again then buried my head in my hands again at my hopelessness.

  “No, you being you turns me on.”

  I had to look up at him with that revelation. Really? Me?

  “You’ve got that whole flustered-good-girl-I-really-wanna-turn-bad thing. I can tell at a glance that you’re not the kinda girl who hooks up with guys like me—or the kind who hooks up period. You’re cute and get flustered so fucking easy, but that kiss was fan-fucking-tastic. You got a whole ‘nother level to unleash; I can feel it simmering under your skin.” Austin paused as a lazy smile stretched across his mouth. Like he was thinking of all the dirty things he’d like to unleash with me.

  The naughty promise in that smile made my nipples tingle.

  “All I’m saying is that you and me can enjoy the time we have together upstairs in bed or we can sit in the theater and watch a movie together. Or you can go off on your own and lock yourself in a bedroom. What happens tonight is totally up to you.” The smile slipped off his face as he stared intently into my eyes. “So, what’s it gonna be?”

  I wanted to look away from the intensity of his eyes, but I couldn’t. I wanted, ached, to be the woman he’d described—only I knew me. There wasn’t another amazing level of whatever simmering under my skin. I was an okay lover who had a hard time letting go. I was afraid I’d be memorable for Austin, but for all the wrong reasons. We had to be here together for however long it took to get the roads plowed. How awkward would it be later if our time upstairs was an uncomfortable train wreck?

  Finally I whispered, “I’m not that girl. I don’t think I could ever be that girl.”

  The sparkle died in Austin’s eyes as he sat back with an almost silent hiss. “Got it.”

  “It’s just…It’s not you—” I rushed to explain when Austin cut me off.

  “You don’t have to say it, Rachel. It’s fine. You wanna watch a movie or turn in for the night? Alone, I mean.” He stood up and brushed at some imaginary lint on his jeans.

  Meanwhile, all I could do was stare at his naked chest. The play of his muscles as he moved. The way his tattoos stretched. The scars here and there on his body. All the evidence that this amazing, gorgeous, talented man lived his life.

  Whereas I hid from mine—buried myself in work and hid from any slightly interested guy—all because I was afraid.

  That crap ended tonight.

  I wanted to just live in the moment. I was a grown, responsible adult who deserved to have some fun and do something for me for a change. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and moved into his personal space. Austin’s eyes widened and he shifted to step away but froze when I spoke.

  “I changed my mind. I want to go upstairs. With you.”

  He searched my eyes like the answer to my sudden change of heart lay within them. “You sure about that, sweetheart? I don’t want you regretting anything.”

  “I’m sure.” I took a deep breath and grabbed the reins for the first time in a long while as I wrapped my arms around his neck, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him. It took him all of a beat before Austin’s lips moved with mine. Then another before he took control of our kiss.

  And I let him.

  I opened my mouth to his tongue and groaned softly as it moved seductively against mine. Austin growled deep in his chest and cupped my ass with both of his hands, lifting me up to his kiss. I tightened my grip around his shoulders and held on as I kissed him back. His skin was firm beneath my fingers. His lips were a soft, supple contrast, and his tongue was so fucking naughty. With only a couple of darting movements, his tongue had my body tingling as I could easily imagine him licking other parts of me later—worshipping my breasts, his broad shoulders nudging my legs apart as he licked my—

  I broke our kiss with a groan. I needed air. The combination of his nimble tongue and my dirty thoughts had me panting. Meanwhile Austin’s lips cruised down to suckle my neck. His teeth rasped against my tender skin just before he sucked a bit of my skin deep into his mouth. But apparently that wasn’t enough for him because a moment later he shifted his hands, grabbed me under my arms and hoisted me over his shoulder.

  “Austin! Oh my god, don’t drop me.”

  “Fuck me. You worry too much, sweetheart.”

  I wanted to laugh at that, but the position I was in made breathing kinda difficult, let alone laughter. I did, however, have a spectacular view of his muscular back and his jean-clad ass as he bounded up the stairs while carrying me. All the blood rushed to my head as the jumbled scenery flashed by. Austin’s tread was silent on the hardwood floor. He didn’t grunt once, which was honestly kinda amazing.

  Anticipation sang through my bloodstream. I was doing this. I was going to have a one-night stand with Austin freaking Burns. I’d picked up every magazine he’d been in. I’d spent so much time drooling over his gorgeous body with his hard muscles and sexy scars and tattoos. And in a few moments all that was going to be under my fingertips. All of him. Oh my god.

  A few seconds later he set me down on a white down comforter atop the largest bed I’d ever seen in my life. I was immediately enveloped in a white cloud of comfort. What was
this bed made of? Feathers from angel wings? I closed my eyes with a blissful sigh. The rich really knew how to live.

  The sound of Austin shucking his jeans had me sitting up and taking notice. And it was everything I imagined it would be. His legs were muscular and dusted with light brown hair with no tattoos in sight. But it was what was behind his boxer briefs that held me spellbound. The stark white material clung to his body and perfectly framed everything he was packing.

  And it was immense.

  Austin murmured to me, but it sounded like he was underwater or I was or something. All I could do was look at that thing in horrified fascination. Sure, it’d been a while—over three years, actually. Had I forgotten what they looked like or how big they were? I couldn’t remember being this fascinated by Jordan’s thing before.

  Austin’s laughter popped the bubble around me. “Has it been a while, sweetheart?”

  I jerked my attention away from his package and looked at his face. “I, uh, what makes you ask that?”

  “Intuition?” He shrugged slightly. “Or your fascination with my body? Or the way you are trembling right now? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman shake so much when I haven’t even touched her.”

  I was trembling. Closing my eyes, I tried to will the tremors away, but if anything, that only seemed to make them worse. Or I was more aware of them or something. Either way they weren’t stopping, and I felt like a fool. Maybe I should just get ‘inexperienced goober’ tattooed on my forehead. “It’s okay. I do this sometimes. The shaking thing, not the sex thing. Or something. You know what? I think I’m just gonna stop talking.”

  Austin crossed over to the bed and sat down on the edge. His hand hovered over my knee before settling on the bed between us. “You’re not really throwing confident, I-wanna-do-this vibes. Have you changed your mind?”

  “No.” I shook my head. My hands went to the bottom of my polo and tugged it free from my pants. “I swear, I haven’t changed my mind. I just didn’t know how this was supposed to go. I’ve never hooked up before. I didn’t know we were supposed to get undressed right away. I’ll—”

  “Rachel.” Austin put a hand on mine, stopping me from pulling my shirt over my head. “There’s no supposed to-s here. I got a little overeager there. That’s totally on me. I have a tendency to rush things. Like tasty liquor, or a steak dinner, or apparently a gorgeous woman in my bed—which is a dick move. So how about you and me do a little kissing, and see where it goes from there?”

  I melted under the power of that smile of his. I couldn’t see the room around us or Austin’s impressive muscles or his…you know. All I could see was his gorgeous smile with that dimple in his left cheek that his stubble couldn’t hide and the sexy anticipation burning in his eyes. Instead of replying, I sank back onto the bed and tipped my chin up, suddenly eager to be worthy of the fire in his eyes.

  Austin’s smile deepened as he leaned over me. His breath was hot and minty against my face as he looked into my eyes. “Shit, girl,” he whispered. “I gotta remind myself to take my time. It’s really fucking hard to do when you look at me like that.”

  I blinked, shocked that I was testing Austin’s self-control just by looking at him. Little ol’ me. I had to laugh. “Would it help if I closed my eyes?”

  “Couldn’t hurt.”

  Obediently I closed my eyes and waited with bated breath for Austin’s kiss.

  Instead he laughed huskily. “That doesn’t fucking help. Maybe if you move your hands? They’re crossed over your chest like you’re fucking Cinderella or something, waiting for your prince to wake you up with a kiss. Unconscious girls don’t do it for me, and no one has ever called me a prince.”

  “You mean Snow White?” Giggles instead of nerves shook my body. I opened my eyes and smiled at back at him. “You’re kinda ridiculous, you know that?”

  “I’ve heard that a time or two.” He still hovered over me, his face now inches from mine. The grin that stretched his mouth was full of levity with a hint of naughtiness. Then he dipped down and rubbed his nose against mine. “Whereas you are fucking adorable.”

  I opened my mouth to rebut his compliment, and Austin took advantage of the moment as he swooped down and covered my mouth with his. He swallowed my gasp, his lips moving confidently over mine. A beat later I sank into the kiss, and everything else just fell away. Austin seduced me with his mouth while his hands were busy holding his body up.

  But my hands were free to roam at will, and they did. As Austin’s tongue teased mine, I ran my fingers over his shoulders. I traced the flexing, bulging muscles, and it made me more aroused. Austin groaned and shifted so that instead of lying next to me, his body was now atop of me, his pelvis pressing into mine. My thick pants muffled the sensation some, but my legs still fell open as I unconsciously arched toward his heat.

  He broke our kiss with an uneven breath. “Fuck me. I was trying to take this slow.”

  “How about we take it at your pace this time, and we can go slow next time?”

  Austin ground his pelvis into mine. “Sounds like a fucking good idea to me.”

  I wiggled under him until I could get a grip on the bottom of my shirt. I wanted to feel his hands on me, and all this freaking material was getting in the way. After whipping it over my head, I tossed it somewhere over his shoulder, leaving me in only my bra and jeans. And shoes. Screw it. I’d worry about that part later. The heat in Austin’s eyes as he took in my chest had every worry and thought disappearing from my head.

  “Christ,” Austin groaned as he dropped his head and nuzzled at my lace bra. “You’re even hotter than I fucking imagined.”

  It was my turn to groan as his beard prickled against my exposed skin. I could easily imagine what that would feel like later between my thighs. Then I couldn’t think about anything as he dipped a finger into my bra and pulled the cup aside.

  His thumb flicked against my nipple, and I whimpered. A shot of electricity blasted through my body with his touch. Arching mindlessly toward him, I buried a hand in his dark hair and silently urged him to suckle me. I caught a hint of his smug little grin before he dipped his head and took my nipple into his mouth. He suckled deep, pulling my aching tip into his mouth before releasing it with a pop and laving it with his tongue. Meanwhile his fingers were busy preparing and teasing my other nipple. It was pure sensory overload. Between his mouth, his fingers, the weight of his body on mine, and the feel of his firm muscles under my fingers as I clutched at his shoulders, I was a mess of whimpers and thrusting hips. I rubbed my still clothed crotch against him with a frustrating lack of friction. I wanted more. More of him. More of the delicious pleasure surging through my body.

  Austin chuckled darkly as he moved to my other breast. The cold air brushed against my moistened tip, and I shuddered. Drawing my other nipple into his mouth, Austin hummed around it.

  I groaned in frustration. “Oh God, Austin. Please. I need…more. I need you. I need…fuck, I don’t know.”

  “That’s fine, sweetheart, because I know exactly what you need,” Austin murmured as he pushed away from me. Rolling to his side next to me, he propped himself up on an elbow and smiled down at me. “But first, we gotta get rid of a few of these layers.”

  7

  That was fine by me. Hell, I’d even help him. I pulled at the waist of my jeans, trying to work the button tab, but my damn fingers were so slick with sweat I couldn’t undo the freaking button. I only realized that I was making panicked little cries when Austin’s hands covered mine.

  He brought our joined hands to his chest, flattening mine against his rock-hard body. “I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath, sweetheart. Breathe with me. Innnnn. And ouuuuut.”

  My face was hot with either my embarrassment or frustration or maybe a combination of the two. I wanted to close my eyes in mortification, but Austin’s gentle eyes were burning into mine. There wasn’t any judgement or humor there, only concern and a burning fire I wanted to feel all over me. I followed hi
s command and breathed with him until the thrum of my pulse left my ears. After a minute, his hands fell away and he grinned down at me.

  “Now how about we get rid of those fucking pants finally?”

  I bit my lip and nodded a little too enthusiastically. I wanted those fuckers gone.

  This time it was Austin’s fingers that made swift work of the button tab. The sound of my zipper was harsh in the silent room, but I trembled with anticipation. Austin’s fingers skimmed down my jeans until he reached my feet. He pulled my Keds off and tossed them over his shoulder without a glance as to where they’d land. Then in one quick motion, he shucked my jeans down and off my legs and tossed them in the same direction as my shoes.

  Now it was my body that burned under the power of Austin’s stare. Because he took his time and surveyed me from head to toe. Only my bra, panties, and socks shielded me from his gaze—practically nothing. My tremors came back as Austin silently looked his fill. I was just getting ready to cover myself with my hands when he spoke.

  “Fuck me, sweetheart. Why are you hiding all this behind those baggy-ass clothes? You’re gorgeous.”

  A wave of heat swept over my face. I wasn’t gorgeous—I knew that. I still had a bit of a stomach that fortunately didn’t show when I was on my back, and I had more than my share of stretch marks that’d faded with time. For the most part I had my pre-baby body back, but still I wasn’t gorgeous. I’d seen the kind of women Austin usually had on his arm. I shook my head. “That’s sweet, but I’m not. You don’t have to say that. I’m here, I’m willing. I don’t—”

  “I know that. But it’s true. I never would’ve guessed all this was under your baggy shirt and pants.”

  “Austin,” I groaned in embarrassment.

  He smirked. “Guess I’m just gonna have to find a way to convince you. I think I know just the thing.”