by Valerie Mann
I underestimated him though when he pushed me back against the wall again and held my hands above my head so his body made full contact with mine. Firm lips tickled kisses along my neck while hips and a very promising erection prodded me.
What would I like to know? “More than your name and occupation would be nice. But make it quick,” I urged.
“Mmm,” he nuzzled, “Is this like speed dating?”
Damn, the man was adorable.
“More like speed foreplay.”
He kissed me. “I was born in Nicaragua.” His tongue rolled the R in an extremely sensual way and I had naughty visuals of what else he could do with it. He nipped the tender skin at the base of my neck then used his tongue to ease the tiny pinch. Shivers raced over me and I molded tighter against him. “I grew up in Atlanta.” He nibbled my lower lip and slid his tongue along its sensitive border. “I have two brothers.” A knee moved up to gently rub my sensitive core and I moaned. He chuckled. “I don’t like tomatoes and I’m allergic to cats.”
By that time, I’d wrapped a leg around his probing knee, moved in time with him and I knew neither of us would last much longer. Beautiful Spanish words whispered in my ear, then he translated, “I want to make you come and hear you scream my name.”
That sounded like a great idea . “Make it happen.”
He let go of my hands and in the faint light, he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, then pushed his boxers and jeans down and kicked them away. Opening his wallet, a condom magically appeared. Handsome, sexy as hell and prepared? There was very little room for improvement with this guy.
“You must have been a Boy Scout.”
“Nope,” his white teeth flashed in the dark, “just hopeful.”
I held out my hand and he paused before handing the little packet to me. Shaky hands gripped my waist as I sheathed him, taking my time, lingering on the task longer than necessary, knowing it drove him crazy. When I was done, I ran my hands over his tight ass, the muscles tensing in response.
With a grunt of impatience, he pulled away and ordered, “Wrap your arms around my neck.” I obeyed and he gripped my thighs and pulled me up until I straddled his waist. Once again, he braced me against the handy wall, only this time, we were eye level. His gaze locked on mine as he slowly lowered me until the tip of his erection probed me but didn’t go any further. I was so wet, so hot with the need to be filled by him, the wait was unbearable and I wasn’t averse to honest begging.
“Please.”
Bit by bit, he slid me down over him until we were one. He rested for a moment, let me adjust to his size and the position. Just like his kisses, the feel of him, stretching and pushing into me, was indescribable. I wiggled around him and he began to move, his hips moving in short thrusts, my bare skin scraping against the rough wood of the closet wall, creating a pleasant friction. The erotic scent of sex swirled around us, heightening my arousal. He plundered my mouth, his tongue moving in time with his body. I clung tight and gripped him with my thighs to bring him even deeper and he groaned his approval. Strong fingers clutched my ass and our harsh breathing filled the closet while he ground into me.
When he muttered something in Spanish and trembled, I knew his release was close. His strong thrusts came harder and faster and my own orgasm built in response. His mouth skimmed over my ear before claiming my mouth with one last, soul-searing kiss before he exploded with a shout. He buried his face in my neck and the tidal wave of bliss rolled over him, his hips continuing to roll gently against me. There’s nothing sexier in the world than hearing your lover come and when he did, it blew me apart as well. I screamed his name and I still don’t know how we stayed upright but the man obviously had enormous reserves of strength because he never let either of us fall.
“Jesus,” he shuddered and continued to twitch inside me. “Holy shit.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
He slipped free of my body then let me down gently, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders and resting his chin on my head. Wordlessly, we stood in the dark, hot closet for several moments, enjoying the quiet and lassitude of post knock-out sex.
The clang of the bell and laughter in the distance broke our reverie and he tipped his chin to stare down at me. “Ready to head back?”
I wasn’t. Once the closet door opened, reality would intrude and I wanted to make the short time we had together last longer. “I guess so,” I said instead and he dropped his arms.
The closet was big enough for tight sex but unsuitable as a dressing room. We laughed awkwardly as we straightened our clothing amid “excuse me” requests and “oops, sorry” apologies.
He gave me soft, lingering kiss before we left the closet, his lips sweet and gentle as they brushed over mine. “You are incredible,” he murmured.
I wanted to get undressed and start all over again.
The air outside was damp and cool when we left the workshop and goose bumps rose on my arms. My hunky fireman put his arm around my waist as we walked. After the darkness of the shed, the cheerful chili pepper lights strung around the patio and porch seemed to light up the entire yard. Most of the guests were gone or in departure mode, carrying party favors and take-home containers of leftovers and saying their goodbyes to Jen and Drake.
“How long were we gone?” Nick stopped, his eyes scanning the thinning crowd.
Not long enough . “Longer than we thought.”
I wasn’t sure how we’d part—the tryst we’d shared became more surreal the farther we walked from the shed. As we neared the house, his hand left my waist and the space between our bodies widened until, by the time we reached the patio, we looked like friends instead of the lovers we’d become. His apparent emotional retreat took me by surprise, but then again, I didn’t really know him. Just his body.
“Where have you been? You get lost or something?” Jen asked, tossing plastic cups and plates into a large bag. Her gaze flickered between Nick and me. I prayed neither of us had that I just got laid look. “Here, make yourself useful, otherwise I’m going to be at this until dawn.” She tore another bag from the roll tucked in her hip pocket and handed it to me.
“Barrantes, get your ass over here and help me with these lights.” Drake balanced precariously on a stepladder at the far end of the porch.
Nick waved in reply then turned to me. His dark brown eyes lingered on mine, lowering to my mouth, then up again. I fought the urge to lick my lips, still swollen from the steamy kisses we’d shared. They already seemed like a dream.
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” he said and turned away.
My cheeks stung and my heart fell. Don’t leave without saying goodbye? What did that mean? It’s been fun, I’ll see you around? Had a great time, let’s keep in touch?
I stared at his retreating back. This is why I don’t do casual sex. I started picking up trash the guests hadn’t bothered to throw away themselves, feeling worse by the second.
Stomping across the paver bricks, I stubbed my toe and bit back a curse as Nick’s laughter drifted across the evening breeze. I rubbed the injured foot and glared at the men, wondering what was so funny, letting my imagination run overtime, calling myself all kinds of names. Stupid. Gullible. Wanton. Slut. All of the above. No matter how gorgeous and damnably nice Nick Barrantes was, I never should have let my hormones dictate my actions, that was so unlike me and I knew I’d regret what happened.
I already did.
Jen plopped down on the wide wooden steps leading up to the porch and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. “That was fun, but I’m glad it’s over.”
I sat down next to her and drew my knees up to my chest, wishing the dull ache around my heart would go away. “Your parties are always fun.”
Crickets chirped, frogs croaked.
The ache remained.
More laughter from the end of the porch followed by the hiss of caps being pried off beer bottles made us glance over at the men. I drank in the sight of the tall, d
ark man I’d just shared my body with and seriously hoped he wasn’t the kiss-and-tell type.
I had to get out of there. Abruptly, I stood up. “I’m going to head out,” I said and gave Jen a kiss on the cheek.
She frowned and began to stand. “Wait, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“No need, you sit and relax. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Before she started asking the questions I wasn’t prepared to answer, I walked away and didn’t look back.
Except for the lights from the porch, the front yard was pitch black and being so far out in the country, eerily quiet. I couldn’t wait to get in my car, drive home, put the party behind me and forget about a certain man who’d lit my fire.
The electronic lock on my door had just popped when a hand clamped around my elbow. My shriek shattered the still air.
“Hey,” an angry voice growled in my ear. The hand turned me around until I was nose to chest with its owner. “I thought I asked you not to leave without saying goodbye.”
I refused to meet his eyes, instead watching the fire station emblem on his T-shirt move with each agitated breath he took. “Thanks for a good time,” I murmured.
The emblem paused for a few seconds and then he bent down until his face was level with mine. “Thanks for a good time? What the hell does that mean?”
Speechless, I stared back, shocked at the raw fury in his eyes. All I could do was shake my head.
“What happened back there?” he demanded, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the workshop. “Was I the only one involved? Because if I recall correctly, about an hour ago we were fucking each other silly.”
Okay, speechless didn’t begin to describe me at that moment. Struck dumb maybe? My useless mouth opened and closed. Then, damn it all to hell, I felt the prick of tears.
He froze, his eyes narrowed on my face. After several long seconds, he blew out a breath. “Ah, damn, I shouldn’t have said that.” He proceeded to gently wipe the tears away with his thumbs, which made me want to cry harder.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For leaving without saying goodbye,” I shrugged and met his beautiful eyes. “I didn’t want you to feel the need to make promises to call or whatever. I figured I’d leave quietly and let you off the hook.”
“Too late, babe.” He shook his head. “I’m definitely on your hook.”
I couldn’t believe it. The hot fireman really wanted me and for more than just a quick romp in a closet? “No regrets?”
He leaned in and kissed me, his warm tongue teasing and tempting me with promises of future naughty things. “Not one.”
About the author…
Valerie Mann has lived from sea to shining sea and currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has her own romance hero husband, five children, three beloved fur friends and a full-time job as a dental hygienist. In her free time, she enjoys RV camping, going to rock concerts, reviewing books, reading and dreaming up more stories. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to email her at [email protected].
Visit Valerie Mann at
www.valeriemann.com
Also available
Lights Out
by
Ann Campbell
Spending time with your best friend makes life on the mountain perfect. But when your best friend is the man who stars every night in her most erotic fantasy--and has a girlfriend--what’s a girl to do? Forced to spend the night alone with Caleb and trapped by a snow storm, Payton finds herself yearning to do much more than talk to pass the long hours.
Caleb has spent the past four years harboring secret fantasies about Payton. When the lights suddenly go out and they find themselves surrounded by candles, will they realize they could be more than just friends?
To purchase Lights Out and other erotic titles, visit www.thewilderroses.com.
