by Maya Banks
Embarrassed heat scorched her cheeks. But if he could admit to his fantasies, she could definitely impart hers.
“Oh yeah. All the time.”
“Too bad we’re just getting around to this now.”
“I don’t know,” she mused. “You said you wanted me out of your system. If we’d done this before, we wouldn’t be doing it now, and right now I’m really glad it’s tonight.”
“Very good point. Let’s enjoy tonight then.”
She suppressed a sigh of unhappiness at the thought he wanted to have sex with her and be done. Not that she expected anything permanent. Steele wasn’t a permanent kind of guy. But it still stung that he wanted to exorcise her and never have anything to do with her after they had sex.
Oh well, carpe diem and all that jazz. Tonight would just have to fulfill any urges she had where he was concerned.
His tongue swept from her entrance up to her clit and then rolled teasingly, eliciting a gasp from her.
“You like that.”
His voice rumbled deeply from his chest, vibrating over her quivering flesh, sparking spasms of pleasure that coiled tautly through her midsection.
“Oh yeah, I like it a lot.”
He sucked gently with just the right amount of pressure. Her knees shook uncontrollably and her thighs went to jelly. He moved his hand down between her legs and tentatively slid one finger inside her while he continued to tongue her clit.
Her orgasm was rising, sharp, wildly out of control. She panted in an effort to stave it off. Not yet. She didn’t want it over so quickly. She wanted it to last. She wanted to savor every single minute of Steele in her bed, him touching and his mouth on her skin.
“Give me one, Maren. I want you to come in my mouth.”
She let out a moan even as she fought it.
“I want it to last,” she whispered. “I’ve dreamed about this too, Steele. I want it to last.”
A soft chuckle rumbled over her skin. “There’ll be more. I’m going to make you come many more times before I’m done with you.”
“Oh,” she breathed out. “In that case . . .”
“In my mouth,” he murmured.
He added a second finger, stretching her and softly caressing her slick passageway as his mouth continued his sensual journey, his tongue driving her to madness.
She arched upward, seeking more of his mouth, his fingers. So close. She teetered precariously, building, building.
“Steele.”
His name slipped out. A plea.
“Let go, Maren. God, you’re so beautiful. I wish you could see you the way I do right now. Flushed with pleasure. Your eyes glowing. Your skin pink. And you taste so unbelievably sweet.”
His words sent her right over the edge. Plunging hard and fast. The room blurred and spun dizzyingly around her. Her breaths were coming so hard and fast she was near to hyperventilating.
“Fucking amazing,” Steele growled from between her legs.
He licked and sucked, drinking deeply from her, until she was limp underneath him, completely sated. She lifted her hand as he rose over her and palmed his cheek as he came closer.
He turned his mouth in to her palm, pressing a kiss to the inside of her hand.
“Good?” he asked.
“Perfect.”
She could barely get the one word past her lips. She’d never felt so good in her life. She didn’t have the energy to move a single muscle. Thank goodness he seemed perfectly content to do all the moving for her.
He slid one hand between her legs, gently parting her thighs as he settled his big body over hers. He fumbled with the condom a minute with one hand while propping himself up off her with the other. Then he planted both hands on either side of her head and lowered his mouth to hers.
She sucked in a deep breath as his lips hovered temptingly over hers. She nudged her chin upward, impatient to have his mouth on hers.
She was rewarded when their tongues met in a heated clash. Hot, breathless. His tongue slid enticingly over hers, licking and sucking just as he positioned himself between her legs.
Her eyes widened when he started to push in. The head stretched her opening, sending streaks of pleasure winging through her limbs.
She knew he was big. She’d seen him. And she was dying to touch him. Wanted to know how he felt with her fingers wrapped around him. She wanted to know what he tasted like and she wanted to drive him crazy with her tongue, her lips, her mouth . . .
But nothing prepared her for the way he felt. Hot and hard inside her. Her body stretching to accommodate his width and length. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced.
“Don’t want to hurt you, Maren, but Jesus, you’re so tight.”
“It’s been a while for me,” she whispered, despite her earlier resolve not to let him know how long it had been since she’d had sex.
“Me too,” he whispered back. “Guess we’ll muddle through this together.”
She laughed. The idea of Steele muddling through sex was hilarious. The man was talented. If this was his idea of rusty, she couldn’t even imagine how he’d be practiced up. Her eyes were already rolling back in her head at the overwhelming pleasure she was experiencing.
She groaned when he pushed more forcefully into her. He expelled a long breath and she could see his teeth firmly set together. He was battling for control. It was evident in every line of his face.
Wanting to touch him, she let her hands glide up his muscled arms to his broad shoulders and then up to the thick column of his neck. He closed his eyes and moaned when she caressed him. He twitched inside her and drove deeper.
He kissed her temple, her cheek, the side of her head, and then he touched his lips to the side of her neck and nibbled at her ear.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
“So are you,” she whispered next to his ear.
He slid his arms underneath her, gathering her closely against him. Her breasts molded to his hard chest, their bodies entwined, her cradled in his arms. His hips rose as he withdrew and then he drove inward again, his body going flat against hers.
He held her several long moments, silent as his body drove into hers. Then his hold around her tightened and he rolled, carrying her with him. She gasped in surprise when she landed atop him, arms and legs sprawled.
She righted herself and planted her palms against his chest. She wiggled her hips experimentally and was rewarded by a strangled gasp from Steele and his grip tightened at her waist.
“Now this I’ve definitely fantasized about,” Steele murmured. “Number three on my top ten. You on top, riding me hard.”
“I’ll do my best to make the real thing better than fantasy,” she said cheekily.
Steele let out a grunt. “Already there, babe. Fantasy has nothing on the real thing. My imagination is good, but not this good.”
She grinned and leaned down to kiss him, letting her breasts brush over his chest. Her nipples instantly hardened, and it felt so good that she did it again, rubbing the tips over his hair-matted chest.
She began slow, rotating and wiggling just enough to cause a hitch in his breath. Then she leaned forward and lifted her hips so he began to slide out of her. When she was barely clutching the tip of his cock, she glided back down, taking him whole.
It was heady having so much control over such an intimidating man. He was completely at her mercy.
Realizing he hadn’t yet used his mouth on her breasts—and it was something she was looking forward to a lot—she leaned into him, offering her nipple. It brushed tantalizingly over his lips and when his tongue shot out and rolled roughly over the sensitive peak, she gasped.
She offered him her other nipple and stilled so he could fasten his lips around it. He sucked strongly, licking over the tip as he held it between his teeth.
She began to tremble and realized he’d been right about her having multiple orgasms. She wouldn’t have thought it possible to recover that quickly after such an earth-shattering release,
but already she was fast climbing up that ledge all over again.
“Please,” she whispered. “I want your mouth on me when I come.”
He reached up and palmed one of her breasts, molding it in his hands as he sucked the nipple into his mouth.
She moaned again, arching into him.
“I can’t last a minute longer, Maren,” Steele warned as he tongued her nipple.
She lowered her head until her hair streamed down over them both. “Come with me, then. Let’s go together. I’m so close.”
Even as she spoke, she writhed restlessly atop him, her body on fire. She needed relief. She itched, burned, from the inside out.
He clamped his hands over her ass, squeezing and molding the cheeks with his hands as she rode him. He powered his hips upward, driving into her, so she wasn’t doing it all on her own. Then he reached one hand up and delved into her hair, twisting the strands around his fingers until his fist rested against her scalp. Then he yanked her downward to claim her mouth and kissed her until they were both gasping for breath.
“Help me,” she pleaded.
Her strength was fast giving out. She wanted nothing more than to sprawl onto his chest and stay there for the rest of their time together. But then neither one of them would get off.
“My pleasure,” he murmured.
He wrapped his arms around her and rolled until he was atop her once more. He stayed firmly embedded inside her and when she landed on her back, he went even deeper. She moaned raggedly and let out a satisfied sound that made Steele tighten all over.
“You make me crazy,” he said against her lips. “You feel better than I could have ever imagined. Taste so sweet. So hot and wild. Silky soft in all the right places. You’re beautiful, Maren. Don’t ever doubt that.”
She hitched her legs higher up his back and spread herself wider so she could take him even deeper. She felt wild and insatiable. It was fiercely satisfying. Bold. Wanton. She gloried in her newfound confidence. But there was something about seeing the desire in Steele’s eyes and hearing from his own lips that he found her beautiful that was a huge ego booster.
He began to move faster and harder, his hips slapping the backs of her legs. Her entire body shook with the force of his movements. His gaze connected to hers and his blue eyes glittered in the low light of her bedroom lamp.
“Come with me this time,” she whispered. “I’m almost there.”
He groaned loud. “God, I’m there too. Can’t hold on another second.”
With a muffled shout, he surged deeply within her again and his entire body shook and spasmed against her. His hips twitched powerfully and his arms slid underneath her back, like steel bands around her, holding her tightly to his muscled frame.
Her orgasm was violent. Shattering around her like glass on concrete. It was almost too intense for her to bear. It bordered on pain and then it was the most pleasurable sensation she’d ever experienced.
She lost focus. Couldn’t see. She could only feel. And hear the sounds of a satisfied male just inches away, pressed into her body.
She inhaled sharply, savoring the scent of sex and musk and male sweat. Then she kissed and licked his shoulder and then nibbled her way to his neck. He tasted wonderful. Everything about him was sexy. His scent, his taste and the way he felt against her. Inside her.
He was still pulsing within her, his hips still moving, slower than before, but each movement over her sensitized tissues elicited a tiny spasm that quivered through her belly.
He found her mouth again and kissed her roughly, not as gently as before. His breath was ragged and each breath blew hotly into her mouth.
He let out one last groan and then went still inside her. His hips were pressed solidly to hers, arms wrapped around her, holding her against him. He lowered his forehead to rest on hers and nibbled delicately at the corner of her mouth before peppering kisses over the bow of her lips.
“Fantasy had nothing on the real thing,” he said in a lazy drawl.
He sounded like a completely satisfied male. His eyes gleamed in triumph. Then he grimaced and regret shadowed those formerly satisfied eyes.
“Need to get rid of the condom,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
As if she were going anywhere.
She lay sprawled on the bed, her entire body humming in satisfaction. She was deliciously drowsy but she didn’t want to fall asleep because then her night would be over. They still had a few hours yet and she wanted to make the most of them.
She watched as Steele rose from the bed, enjoying the view of such a perfect male specimen in the nude. His muscles rippled as he turned to dispose of the condom. He was still hard, even after his release. And so beautiful he made her teeth ache.
When he turned farther, she caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his left shoulder. She hadn’t noticed it before. She’d been too focused on everything else. Now, curious, she leaned forward, straining to see in the dim light.
He turned back after tossing the condom and cocked his head to the side.
“What’s up?”
“Your tattoo,” she said in a low voice. “I was looking at it. Didn’t know you had one.”
He paused but then nodded. “Yeah.”
When he didn’t say anything further, she sat up, trying to get a better look.
“Can I see?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and then turned so she’d get a better view.
She stared in earnest, absorbing the intricate pattern. A dove with wings outstretched as if landing, talons extended and curled around a blazing arrow. Clutched in the beak was a long-stemmed rose, and a single teardrop was falling from the eye of the dove.
Below the blazing arrow were two words. Never forget.
She reached her finger out to trace the edges of the design. There was something remarkably sad and tragic about the tattoo. A knot formed in her throat and she glanced up to check his reaction.
“What does it mean?”
He was quiet for a long moment, his gaze fixed on a distant focal point in the room.
“Just something I don’t want to ever forget,” he said quietly.
Sensing the subject was a sore one and also closed, she let it go. Instead she knelt up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She pressed her cheek to the top of his head and held him tightly.
He reached for one of her hands and pulled it to his mouth, kissing the inside of her palm.
“Like being here with you,” he rumbled. “It’s nice. The quiet. You wrapped around me. Me being able to touch and smell you. Never thought it would happen.”
“All you had to do was ask,” she said against his head.
His body shook with silent laughter. “I was convinced if you had any clue how lascivious my thoughts were that you’d have my balls. And since you’re usually in a position of power patching up our wounds, I really didn’t want to piss you off.”
She smiled. “So tell me, Mr. Badass, we’ve got a few hours until you pull out. What are we going to do with them?”
He swiveled in her hold, wrapping his arms around her as he dragged her onto his lap. He molded his mouth to hers and thrust his tongue past her lips, delving deep.
“I promised you multiple orgasms,” he said against her mouth.
“Mmmm, so you did.”
“I’m a man of my word. I never go back on my word.”
“I can see that.”
“Then know you’re going to have many more orgasms.”
“God, I hope so.”
He chuckled and kissed her again. “I like your enthusiasm.”
“Know what I want?” she asked.
“What’s that?”
She leaned in until her lips brushed over his ear. “I want to taste you. You may have fantasized about how I taste, but I’ve had just as many fantasies about having your cock in my mouth and making you wild for me.”
His entire body went rigid. He stiffened, his grip on her almo
st painful.
“I didn’t think I could get any harder,” he muttered. “Jesus, Maren. If you had any idea how long I’ve wanted my dick in your mouth.”
She grinned. “Does that mean I get to fulfill my fantasy?”
“Oh hell yeah,” he breathed. “I’m all yours. Do with me whatever you want.”
CHAPTER 6
MAREN was awake the moment Steele slid from the bed. One minute she was snuggled deeply into his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, and the next she was wide awake as he slipped away.
Her heart was heavy with regret. She so wanted to hold on to this moment forever. She didn’t want it to end. She’d savored every single minute with him, but now he was preparing to leave, and things would go back to the way they’d been before.
She would barely exist in his world. She would return to being ignored. No words and definitely none of those earth-shattering smiles she’d enjoyed for the past several hours.
“Steele?” she whispered.
She’d sworn to herself that she wouldn’t say a word when it was time for him to go. She’d sworn she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. Wouldn’t humiliate herself or make herself vulnerable. That hadn’t lasted long at all.
He turned just as he finished pulling his pants on. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat sideways, pulling up one leg so he faced her.
“You heading out?” she asked in a low voice.
Regret flashed in his eyes. Maybe he was as reluctant as she was to end their time together. She would keep that thought, even if it made her delusional.
“Yeah,” he said just as quietly. “Time to meet the team and get the girl home.”
“Be careful,” she said lightly.
“Always.”
To her shock, he leaned forward and kissed her long and leisurely. It was a slow, sensual kiss. Nothing like the heated, breathless kisses of the hours before. It was a sweet kiss, a gesture that showed tenderness and regard.
Her heart seized and a knot formed in her throat.
Damn it, she was not going to make an idiot of herself by getting all emotional. They’d had one night of sex, for God’s sake. It wasn’t like he’d put a ring on her finger and proposed. Or like he’d professed his undying love for her.
