by Rachel Lyndhurst; Carmen Falcone; Ros Clarke; Annie Seaton; Christine Bell
She reached inside her bag and fumbled until the foil packet glided between her fingers.
“I’m glad you won’t make me beg,” she said with a voice so throaty it could have belonged to someone else. She was someone else. Everyday-Addie enjoyed adventures, but she’d never slept with a guy so soon and in a place where they could easily be spotted. The adrenaline from zip-lining in the Brazilian forests, or swimming against the current of a river had nothing on Bruno Duarte—he was a different sport all by himself.
“Who says I won’t make you beg?” With a disarming grin, he untied both sides of her bottoms with mastery. As the diminutive piece of fabric slithered over her skin, she pushed away any inhibitions.
“You’re shameless.”
“You’re welcome.” He grinned, inserting a finger inside her. She jolted forward. He chuckled, scrutinizing her reaction. His thumb pressed hard against her clit, and his fingers traced an invisible pattern on her most intimate flesh, branding his touch on her. If he didn’t stop… She moaned and leaned toward him to lick the salty seawater off his neck. But he dodged her touch, and her tongue, and lowered his body instead. Soon, his eyes and fingers were on the same level.
Oh no.
He pulled her to the edge of the countertop, and the rough friction against the uneven and splintery surface scratched the back of her leg. A momentary sting of pain hit her, and she pressed her lips together. He spread her legs wide and grasped her ankles, planting her feet on the edge of the countertop. She sucked in all the breath she could manage and forgot the pain.
Oh yes.
She threw her head back, expecting him to kiss her damp thighs. What she didn’t expect was the unrestrained way he separated her moist folds to go straight into licking the tip of her over-sensitized clitoris, without any warning. Straight to business.
She jerked and a sharp tingle of pleasure coursed through her. He withdrew his hand and pulled her against him. He caressed her buttocks with both hands, and finally buried his head between her legs.
He stroked her with his tongue and sucked, and each time the movement turned faster, deeper, stronger, and she bucked against him. He held her tighter in place, arousing her even more.
She threaded her fingers in his wet hair and allowed him to lead her to a land of no-instructions-needed. He knew what she wanted, and although it was the first time he tasted her, he acted as if he knew her better than anyone.
Even better than herself, she realized as she broke into hot spasms. The powerful orgasm shattered her, leaving her with the aftermath of a body-earthquake: weakened limbs and coarse throat. She crossed her still-trembling legs when he withdrew from between them. Her ragged breath prevented her from uttering more than a sigh.
But from the look on his face, he was far from finished. “Stand up,” he rasped.
He helped her reach the ground, but her legs wobbled. A smile filled with male pride broke his focused stare. He turned her so that she faced the countertop, and he stood behind her and grasped her waist. She splayed her hands on the surface, desire renewed.
When one of his legs slid between hers, she threw her head back, and her hair slapped his upper chest. With a low groan, he roughly pulled her hair to the side and exposed her neckline to his breath.
Oh, his kisses. The moment he nibbled on her sensitive flesh, she quivered, raised her hips, and bucked against him. He gave a husky chuckle and murmured something she couldn’t understand. For the moment, understanding was overrated…and unnecessary. He sucked on her skin—and ignited an awareness that spread throughout her body. Nothing else mattered.
He raised a hand to her breast and cupped her hardened nipple. She rubbed her body against his, urging for release, her fingers gripping the wood with white-knuckled intensity. She focused on the great big sea in front of her, still and scenic. Unable to resist, she moved her head to the side and grazed his sexy, stubbled chin. He groaned and dipped his tongue inside her mouth, mimicking the movements his cock would soon do to her sex. Or so she hoped, because she knew she couldn’t take much more.
“Bruno, now.” She withdrew her lips from his, her voice sounding a tad more desperate than she desired.
He squeezed her breast and moved his hand down her body to seek evidence of her arousal.
When he inserted two fingers inside her, she whimpered. Whimpered! Get yourself together, Addie… But the thought fled from her head and vanished like sand against the blowing wind.
“You are soaked,” he whispered behind her. “And it’s all for me.”
She entertained coming back with a witty one-liner just to save face, but her brain was deliciously melting like hot fudge. No questions asked. No answers needed.
He grabbed the condom from the countertop and stretched it over his length. She bent over a little, and when he finally penetrated her, she felt insanely complete. His cock filled her, and she arched with pleasure and pain, trying to get used to him. Sensing her momentary stiffness, he withdrew, which made her ache even more.
“Please,” she muttered, and she relaxed her shoulders and spread her legs wider to accommodate him inside her again.
Bruno eased his shaft in and carefully caressed her hips. “You okay?” he gasped. She nodded. She moved first, to show him she was okay with his size. More than okay. She stretched a bit more and squeezed his hard balls, her fingers cupping him. That did it. He thrust inside her, smoothly at first, just long enough to give her time to adjust.
Then the pressure of his fingers biting into her bare skin increased, and he drove himself in and out, each time slamming deeper. Besides the ocean waves, all she could hear was his heavy breathing. And, of course, the primitive sound of their sweat-slicked bodies smacking against each other. She couldn’t see his face but imagined he, too, hung by a thread.
Abruptly, he took his whole length out, and she trembled.
No. Not when she was so close. “Please…” she begged.
When he slammed inside her again, there was no holding back. He smacked her ass, and his large, heavy hand on her butt cheek enhanced the thrill, making waves inside her. This time, her pleasure scared her for a moment, and she almost wished he’d pull out again, unsure if she could experience the type of climax she had only read about. A couple more powerful thrusts convinced her to let the force finish what it had started. She closed her eyes, enjoyed the fast contractions of her body, each one more charged than the last. She called his name and let the throes of orgasm shake her inside out, and fill her with bliss.
She heard a loud, guttural sound behind her and rejoiced. She hadn’t been the only one to give in to sensation completely. Bruno acted like he was in control, but as they collapsed to the floor like two heavy potato sacks, she knew he was just as powerless. No one was in control.
The sex afterglow slowly gave way to reality as their breaths returned to normal, although her heart still slammed against her rib cage. She curled her toes against the gritty sand, which also clung to her butt.
Bruno sat behind her, his arms and legs cocooning her in such way she almost felt protected. She’d had her share of boyfriends in the past, but none of them had made her feel the way that she felt in this moment.
She sighed, and he must have sensed her tension return—Bruno gently blew on her back. If he wanted to cool her skin from the heat with the unexpectedly sweet gesture, well, the effect was quite the opposite. A charge zinged down her spine and shifted into a hot liquid at the pit of her stomach.
He planted a kiss on her shoulder before he stood and disposed of the condom in one of the old trash bins just outside the kiosk.
“Stand up.” He offered her his hand. Although he acted pretty natural about it, she knew there was no way this wouldn’t get weird.
Addie rose to her feet, and he disentangled his hand from hers. My backside must look like fried tilapia, with the sweat and the sand sticking together.
He handed the bikini bottom to her, and she wondered when he had picked it up from the ground
. With quick movements and avoiding looking at him, she put it back on, and he did the same with his suit. She tried not to focus on his glorious nakedness, a hard task.
He stepped closer and caressed her elbow, then gently steered her out of the kiosk.
“I have to get my bag,” she protested as he led her to a block of concrete located a few steps from the kiosk.
“We will.” He pointed at a plastic tub. An outdoor shower.
Cold water sprinkled on her skin, and she giggled. He joined her in the shower and gave her an intimate hug that quickly raised her temperature.
He kissed her with renewed energy, and she threaded her fingers in his hair.
“You taste delicious, Addie,” he said against her earlobe and then nibbled it. He examined her body with his hands, his fingers working hard to wipe the sand from her lower back and butt. “I can’t wait to do it again.”
Again?
He tightened his grip on her, and his length gave her the answer. Her bones started to dissolve from her body, one by one. She lifted her chin and, damn it, shimmering flecks of silver surrounded his toffee-colored, dilated pupils. For one moment, she allowed herself to get lost in that trance, and her knees weakened in response. A swarm of butterflies somersaulted in her belly, and the warm sensation floated up her throat. Crazy talk.
It was her turn to tear her gaze from his. She’d wanted him to show her more, to drop his barriers. And now that she saw a glimpse inside, was she ready? A relationship that involved more than sex was impossible. Relationship? Where did that come from? Just a while ago, he’d hid from her that Silas had contacted him. Trusting him was a liability.
He loosened his hands around her waist. “We have company.” He cocked his head to the side. A couple had just parked not too far from them.
She nodded, reached into the kiosk, and grabbed her bag, then wrapped herself with the beach towel they’d purchased in the store earlier. Then, it hit her… Crap. How could she go back to the way they were after the mind-blowing sex they just shared?
Did she even want to?
Chapter Ten
The playfulness they’d shared at the beach faded once they reached his sedan. Instead, a delicate bubble of awareness surrounded them. He fought not to smile every time he checked the traffic in the rearview mirror.
Stubborn grains of sand stuck to her shoulders, glinting in the sunlight, even after the quick shower. Glorious, wild blond curls fell carelessly on her shoulders. Just like the sex they shared. Glorious and wild.
He’d been surprised when Addie had admitted she wanted him. Well, she had before, with her body language. But this time, the woman in front of him had the confidence to back it up.
Blood rushed to his pants, making him uncomfortably hard as flashes of their lovemaking tugged at his poorly oxygenated brain. Her beautiful, pert ass. The way she’d thrown her head back and arched against him, rubbing her skin on his. Asking, no, begging for more.
Bruno wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. He ached for release again. A release only she could give him, because until Addie he’d never met a woman so special, so freaking hot, so undeniably sexy.
The Mercedes purred when he pulled it inside the five-car garage.
With two other cars parked next to the one he used, he realized everyone was home. Camila must have returned from the university, where she studied psychology. What a great way for her to look for a healthy way out of her screwed-up family.
Not family. Me. I’m the one who’s screwed.
Well, not anymore. He was screwed once; he had done things he sure as hell wasn’t proud of. But it was the past, right? Or was it more present than ever, and he just tried to kid himself?
“I’ll grab the towels from the trunk,” Addie said when the engine died.
He pressed a button, and both of their seat belts automatically rolled off, granting them total freedom to return safely inside the house.
Would she sleep in his bed tonight?
He shifted on the leather seat and propped his back against the car door to look at her. She didn’t move. She looked at her trembling fingers and then reached for the door.
His heart thudded. He didn’t want her to leave without a word after what had happened. Addie was the curious, talkative type. To have her strangely quiet made him uneasy. Did she regret it?
“What are you thinking?” she asked casually. Her sparkling green eyes held a touch of amusement.
He smiled inside. No, she didn’t regret it.
“That kiosk might be a good investment,” he said playfully, though his words unsettled him the moment they left his mouth. Why was he thinking of creating more roots in Brazil when all he wanted was to be rid of them?
“We’ve already been to the open house.” She smiled; her lips curled at the corners but didn’t part. It was the suggestive, sensual smile of a woman who didn’t want to give it all away. And it undid him.
He pulled her from her seat and placed her on top of him. With a gasp, she rearranged her body so both her legs were on either side of his. Desire surged through him with such electricity he knew it could only end one way—with him buried inside her.
He lowered his lips to hers, or maybe she initiated. It didn’t matter. The wet, passionate kiss that unfolded made his cock strain against his swim trunks. Against her thighs. Control hung by a thread when Addie outlined the inside of his mouth with the tip of her tongue. Impatient, he fumbled to push her denim skirt up.
He dipped one hand inside her bikini bottom, cupping her butt and bringing her closer. He slid his other hand inside the front. He toyed with the smooth strip of hair and continued his exploration until he reached her hot, moist core.
A sexy, tortured moan filled the car. God, he loved how she moaned—with an expression on her face of satisfaction and hunger. Exhilarated, he rubbed his thumb on the spot he knew would drive her insane, then inserted one finger deep inside her.
He wanted to witness pure reckless abandon on her face. His imagination had conjured up an image when he tasted her sweetness, but he wanted nothing more than to look her in the eyes when she unraveled.
She had other plans, he discovered. Addie lifted her legs a bit—just enough to slide her hand inside his trunks. Once she cradled him in her soft hand, a thrill of insatiable lust overtook him.
Breathing raggedly, she managed to untie his string and pull his shaft out, stroking it with her eager fingers. “Yes.”
This woman was trouble. The more he had her, the more he wanted her, and where could it lead? Shit. But all those doubts dissipated the second their mouths met. If an escape from reality was all they could have, why not indulge for a while longer?
She leaned over him to fetch her bag from the middle console and grabbed a condom. Before he offered, she ripped the foil with her teeth and slowly rolled the condom on him, pure torture. He sucked in his breath and could feel the veins on his shaft pulsating, carrying blood, hot and thick. When she shifted and at last sat positioned on top of him, he threw his head back.
Her eye color shifted to a dark green, the same color of the seawater they’d bathed in earlier. She straddled him, and her inner walls clenched his length.
Bruno fumbled her out of her shirt and clumsily pulled her bikini top to the side, just enough to look at her small but perky breasts, the pink tips demanding his attention. She quivered, and he gently bent her back against the steering wheel, as much as possible in their confined space. He licked and sucked one tight nipple until he released it with a pop, only to do the same with the other.
Addie squirmed and sprang back, gluing his mouth to hers without warning. She rode him faster, her breasts bouncing up and down. He cupped them, teasing them, and she began to lose control. Her shout of release came, and he withdrew his mouth from hers to look at her. The expression on her face was of complete bliss, surrendering herself to the sensation.
The sight of her climax ignited his own. He moved inside her, grabbing her butt a t
ad tighter against him. In response, she contracted her walls around him, and with a couple more thrusts, pleasure ripped through him. Violently. Fearlessly.
The intense shaking turned into an even, slight tremble as their breathing slowly found steadiness. He kissed her head and held her close. He ran his fingers into her hair. She made a humming sound, then sighed.
“Wow.” She opened his door and got out, her limbs deliciously rubbing against his in the process.
She composed herself quickly.
What a magnificent woman. He removed the condom and wrapped it inside a plastic bag that lay on the passenger side floor.
She smoothed her dress and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. He caught sight of her eyes. They glowed.
Addie Duarte was the kind of woman a man should give everything he had. Smart, beautiful, caring. He glanced in her direction. Gone was her open smile, replaced by tight lips and a serious expression. What was she thinking? His heart tightened. He did not want to revert back to a closed-off fake relationship; he was already too invested. With a nod, he guided her through the garage door, which led to the laundry room and the employees’ quarters.
“I have to stop by the office to check my emails.” He turned to her when they reached the stairs. “Unless you want to come, too,” he added, huskily.
She chuckled. “It’s too soon for that again.”
Images of her naked in his office flooded his mind. Her ass rubbing the polished wood desk. Her slender legs wrapped tightly around his torso as he thrust deep inside her.
“If you say so.” Bruno ran his fingers through his hair. His teenage years were long gone. He should act like a rational, self-possessed man. After he had gone to the US, he’d enjoyed sex, by all means. But he couldn’t remember the last time his body felt close to combustion whenever a woman’s hands brushed his skin. When her gaze held his. When she smiled…
