Her New Worst Enemy

by Christy McKellen

  His fingers pushed in and out of her as he repeated the move with his tongue, each stroke firmer than the last.

  Ellie was wound so tight from the anticipation and the assault of sensations that it only took a few strokes of his tongue before she came spectacularly, shouting out in relief as her whole body shook with the intensity of her orgasm.

  As her world came back into focus, she became aware of her now-hot hands against the mirror and she gazed at her reflection. Her eyes were wide and dark with arousal, her skin flushed and glowing.

  Gideon moved out from under her and stood behind her again. He gently pulled back on her shoulders again to drag her upright, then put one hand on each hip and rested his head on top of hers as they both gazed into the mirror.

  “See?” he said. “I told you so.” He grinned at her and she couldn’t help but smile back, dropping her eyes to take in the gentle curves and strength of her own body. Her legs were shaky from her climax but she stood firm, enjoying the sight of the two of them in the mirror; the warm olive-colored skin of Gideon’s hands and forearms a strong contrast to the paleness of her own.

  She felt sexy and attractive for the first time in a very long time. She remembered how she used to feel like this, to enjoy her own body, before Paul and his subtle snide comments and put-downs, before she lost sight of herself.

  Gideon’s insistence and obvious attraction to her had given her something back.

  She twisted under his hands to face him and wrapped her arms around his strong waist, dragging him against her.

  “Thank you,” she whispered against his chest. His hands tightened on her hips in response and his still-hard erection twitched against her stomach, reminding her there was still some unfinished business.

  She pressed her mouth to his skin and kissed across his chest, her lips skimming over the dark smattering of hair and down to his left nipple. She grazed and nipped it with her teeth and heard him exhale in response.

  “Ellie, you don’t have to,” he said, his voice deep and low.

  “Like hell,” she said, moving across to draw his other nipple into her mouth and sucking hard on it, flicking her tongue across the tip with a promise of things to come.

  Moving her hands between their bodies, she found his hard shaft and began to move her fingers against him rhythmically.

  • • •

  Gideon groaned in response to Ellie’s firm hold on his cock. She was driving him crazy. The look in her eyes after she’d come had sent his senses into overload and he’d had trouble holding it together.

  He’d wanted to do this for her. To try to undo some of the damage that total dick of an ex had wreaked on her. How could someone as sexy as Ellie be made to feel so low she was ashamed of her own beautiful body? And it was beautiful — voluptuous and rounded and delicious. He’d enjoyed turning her on, taking her to the edge and tipping her over it. Deep satisfaction welled in his gut, which was rapidly being replaced with a raging need to come to his own climax as she worked her fingers over him.

  He hadn’t expected her to reciprocate, had even steeled himself for another bout of crying, but there was no way in hell he was stopping her now if this was what she wanted. And she definitely seemed to want it.

  Her little sucking kisses rained down on his chest and lower, down to his stomach as she kept up the slow sliding rhythm on his cock, making his blood zing through his body, before it accumulated in his groin, making its forceful presence known.

  Without breaking the pace, she knelt down and replaced her hand with her mouth, taking him deep into her throat, before pulling away to flick her tongue across the tip.

  His whole body sang with the joy of it.

  Her mouth was so hot and wet and tight around him he quickly reached his peak, his body convulsing in almost painful ecstasy and he ran his fingers into her curls, slowing her movements as he exploded into her.

  It took him a few moments to come out of his blissed-out trance. He stood, panting above her as she worked her way up his body, dropping soft kisses against his quivering skin.

  “Jesus, Ellie,” was all he managed to say as she appeared level with him. He dropped his mouth down to hers and tasted himself on her before pulling her against him, his face burrowing into her sweet-smelling hair.

  He didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to stay there with her soft body pressed against him until he was ready to take her again on the floor, but he knew he shouldn’t. This whole episode was crazy, unavoidable it seemed, but still utterly mad.

  She pulled away from him and he almost tightened his arms to stop her, but didn’t.

  He needed to let her go.

  He watched her pick up her clothes and put them back on, before tossing his over to him.

  “Thanks,” he said, stooping to pull his trousers on. Looking up he saw she had a sad smile on her face.

  “What is it?” he asked, unable to read the thoughts behind the expression.

  “Nothing.” She shrugged one shoulder and increased the grin, but the smile still didn’t reach her eyes. “That was fun,” she said, rubbing one hand along the top of her arm in an awkward motion.

  “Look … Ellie,” he began, still not entirely sure what to say about what had happened between them. He knew she needed more from a relationship than he did right now, and he was entirely the wrong man for her. He mustn’t give her the impression he could give her what she needed — it wouldn’t be fair.

  He’d wanted to wake her from her self-loathing stupor and he’d done that, but that had to be all this was — a fun diversion to give her the confidence to go out there and find someone new who would make her happy.

  His gut clenched at the thought of her with someone else, but he knew he had to let her go. Their needs and wants were too different, they would never work.

  He opened his mouth to say something, to try to put this into words, but before he could, she held up a hand to silence him.

  “It’s okay, Gideon, I know what this is. And what it isn’t. You and me … ” She shook her head and smiled, “We should treat this as a fling, never to be repeated.”

  Her words should have made him happy. They were exactly what he thought he wanted to hear, so why did he have this sinking feeling?

  He shook himself out of it. He was still coming down from the sheer joy of his orgasm and it was messing with his head.

  “Can we … ” Ellie shifted from foot to foot, unable to meet his eyes, “Um … call it quits at the end of the weekend though? If that’s in any way possible with Penny and Will here.”

  She looked up at him then, her eyes soft and her expression vulnerable. He didn’t think he’d be able to say no to anything she asked at that moment, and his body soared with excitement that this wasn’t the absolute end.

  He moved toward her as she stood there, biting her lip, waiting for his response.

  “Fine by me,” he said and saw the flash of relief in her face before he bent to kiss her.

  Chapter Six

  Ellie sat on her bed with her head in her hands going over what had happened since she’d got up that morning. Her whole world seemed to have been picked up and set spinning in the opposite direction.

  She’d had sex with Gideon.

  The grin that had plagued her since he’d agreed to carry on the fling until the end of the weekend broke out again.

  This was perfect. She could have her fill of him, then walk away at the end with no regrets and no messy ending.

  Despite turning her on more than she’d ever thought possible, Gideon was not the type of man she believed she’d settle down with. He was exactly what she needed right now to give her confidence a boost, to make her feel like an attractive woman again, but that’s all it would be. She knew him too well to expect anything more than that.

  They’d agreed to have an hour away from each other to cool things down a bit before Penny and Will arrived.

  Ellie didn’t want Penny to know about this fling with Gideon, so they’d agreed
to keep it quiet. She didn’t want to have to explain herself or justify her actions. She wanted it to be something special and secret between them, something she could remember fondly on cold, lonely nights, when she felt like thinking about it. Not something that could be brought up at any time and catch her by surprise. Not that she’d told Gideon any of that.

  This time away from him was good. She needed a clear head when she met Will. She wanted her judgment to be sound and unbiased by how she felt right now. Which was pretty bloody mixed up.

  An hour. To herself. With Gideon two doors down. What the hell was she going to do with herself?

  She picked up her smartphone and scrolled through her blog reader trying to find something to capture her attention. Nothing did.

  She’d only been on her own for twenty minutes but it felt like hours.

  Going to the window, she looked out at the stunning view of the Cotswold countryside. Lush green and yellow fields stretched away from her for miles. This house was really something. It was a shame it held such sad memories for Gideon.

  What would it be like to live in a place like this? It was like something from another world. Whoever Gideon ended up marrying would be in for a treat — if he ever found a woman perfect enough to commit to that was. She wondered idly what she would be like. Some svelte, striking socialite no doubt. Someone worthy of this lifestyle. The thought made her stomach plummet so she pushed it away.

  Glancing at the clock on her phone she was frustrated to see only three minutes had passed since she’d last looked at it. Maybe she should go for another shower, just to pass some time.

  A loud rap at the door sent her heart into her mouth, and before she could say anything, Gideon came striding in. The look on his face was fierce, and with a jolt of fear she wondered what she’d done wrong.

  “It’s only been half an hour,” she said, her voice shaking with sudden nerves.

  “Shut up,” he growled, walking toward her. He grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the bed, giving her a shove so she toppled backward onto it.

  He grinned mischievously at her surprise before climbing onto the bed, trapping her body under his.

  “What did I do?” she asked, as he looked down at her, his pupils large against the vivid green of his irises.

  “Nothing yet,” he replied with a bewitching smile, “but I’m anticipating some very naughty behavior.”

  Before she could get her head around that statement, he kissed her, forcing her lips open and sliding his tongue against hers. Ellie’s body exploded with lust, her carefully made plans smashed around her.

  She moved her hands up into his thick, dark hair and pulled him even tighter against her. He groaned with pleasure and dropped his hips down against her to show her exactly how much he wanted her again.

  This was ridiculous. It had been less than an hour since her last orgasm and she was already panting for more. He smelled so good she wanted to eat him up.

  “Gideon,” she managed to say when he came up for air and began kissing along her jaw line, sending exquisite tremors of feeling through her ear and down her throat. “Don’t you think we should … ”

  “I said shut up,” he murmured, pulling the buttons of her jeans open to give his hand room to slip inside her panties and find the wet heat waiting for him.

  “Oh my God,” Ellie breathed as his fingers opened her up and slipped inside, pressing into the sensitive wall of her vagina and gently stroking her g-spot. His thumb moved in rhythmical circles against her clit and she arched her pelvis toward him desperate to increase the friction.

  The slight soreness from their earlier lovemaking only increased the intensity of the feeling and she longed to have him inside her again.

  “Gideon, please, I need you in me,” she said against his lips.

  He drew away from her just enough to pull his belt open and release himself from his jeans and boxers before pressing his body against her again, his hard cock trapped between them.

  He stilled for a moment, raising his head.

  “What is it?” she groaned, frustrated at the distraction.

  “Nothing, I thought I heard something,” he said, before shoving her jeans and knickers down to her ankles and moving down the bed to pull them off completely. He picked up one of her bare feet and kissed her instep, warming the skin with his breath.

  Ellie shivered in delight at the ticklish sensation that sent thrills shooting up her leg straight to her clitoris. He kissed up the inside of her calf, moving up to the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

  “Jesus, Gideon, just come here and fuck me,” she groaned, staring up at the ceiling, as her body gave a throb of need.

  She heard him laugh as he moved swiftly up her body until he was positioned above her again. He took a moment to roll on a condom before lowering himself down, the tip of his erection teasing her clit.

  He stilled again and raised his head. “Oh no,” he groaned.

  “What? What is it?” Ellie said, frustrated to have lost his full attention again.

  There was a ringing sound coming from far away.

  “What’s that?” she asked, her heart already sinking as the answer dawned on her. It was the doorbell. Penny and Will. They were here earlier than she’d expected.

  Gideon pressed his forehead against hers. “Saved by the cliché,” he said, rubbing his nose against hers before drawing away.

  Ellie sat up and scrabbled around for her clothes, pulling them on quickly. Her face flamed at the thought of facing them in this state. She still ached to feel Gideon inside her.

  “You go down first,” he said, his voice rough and strained, “I need a minute.”

  “Okay.” She nodded at him and smiled at his pained expression.

  Walking out of the bedroom, she was about to close the door on him when he said her name. She turned to face him. His eyes bored into hers.

  “To be continued,” he said, giving her a wicked smile.

  Her insides turned over and all she could do was nod back at him in response and flee.

  She ran down the stairs, pulling her fingers through her hair, hoping she wouldn’t give herself away when Penny laid eyes on her. She wouldn’t be surprised if her debauched behavior was written all over her face.

  She needed to pull herself together. Now.

  There was another long, loud ring on the doorbell just before she reached the door and Ellie made herself take three long deep breaths before opening it up to let in her best friend and her new worst enemy.

  • • •

  Gideon sat on the edge of Ellie’s bed and stared at the wall. The little minx had taken him over.

  After they’d parted ways to “cool off,” the need to be inside her again had plagued him to the point of madness. As he’d paced his bedroom he became acutely aware of the self-imposed deadline for their fling and he decided he was damned if he was going to waste a precious hour of their time here. Now that he’d given in to his need, he found he couldn’t get enough of her. He’d never wanted to have so much sex in one day — the fact that she was out of bounds only seemed to make him want her more.

  Ellie’s obvious enjoyment at being allowed to let loose excited him and he loved seeing her lose control.

  He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Thinking about her like this wasn’t helping him get his dick under control. It was going to be tricky being with her on their own now, and they each had a mission to accomplish, which would only add to the complication.

  He cursed under his breath. If Penny and this Will character had turned up half an hour later, he wouldn’t be feeling like he was about to explode with pent up sexual energy.

  He got up and checked his reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked brighter than normal, which he put down to sexual frustration. Running a hand through his hair, he made for the door.

  The chatter of voices floated up from the hallway and he took a moment to watch them all from his vantage point on the landing.

  Will was standing back f
rom the women, his arms pulled across his chest and his head tipped down as if he found something on the floor fascinating.

  From where Gideon stood, he looked to be pretty tall and well-built with dark blond hair in a buzz cut and a square-jawed, handsome face. He wasn’t anything like Gideon had expected. Penny was so petite — and if he was being unkind — mousey. The two of them didn’t seem to fit somehow. Or was that Ellie’s influence getting to him?

  He was distracted for a second by Ellie laughing at something her friend said. He watched her lean forward and hug Penny to her, pulling her face into her riot of curls. His cock twitched in response to the sight of her rounded ass encased in those tight jeans.

  Jesus, it was going to be hell not being able to touch her.

  He knew why she didn’t want Penny to know about their fling and he agreed with her reasoning. This was going to end soon so there was no point in telling anyone else about it. His chest tightened at the thought, but he ignored the uncomfortable sensation. The sooner he got Ellie back into bed the better.

  Steeling himself, he walked down the stairs to join the show.

  • • •

  In her peripheral vision, Ellie saw Gideon walking down the stairs toward them and steeled herself to deal with his all-consuming presence without giving the game away.

  “Hi, beautiful. How are things?” he said to Penny as he drew closer.

  She turned to look at him as he came down the last couple of steps and gave him a broad smile.

  He bent down to kiss her and Ellie noticed a tell-tale flush on Penny’s cheeks as she kissed him back.

  “Um, I’m okay. You?”

  “Ah, you know … ”

  Will — who had only given Ellie a perfunctory smile and handshake when they were introduced — came up behind Penny now and wrapped an arm protectively around her.

  Penny jumped a little at his touch, but tipped her head back and smiled at him before turning to Gideon. “Gideon, Will. Will, Gideon.”

  Both men nodded at each other. “Welcome to my humble home,” Gideon said with a lazy grin.