“You’ve got him now.”
“He needs to pay for destroying my family.”
Her breath caught on a strangled sob that made him ache to ease the pain. How could you comfort someone who’d lost so much? He still hadn’t come to terms with the guilt over Margie’s death. Rianna had lost her family, plus the innocence of youth. No wonder she was driven.
“Your family would be proud.”
“You think?” she asked wistfully. “I wonder sometimes. My parents wanted to see Gregory brought to justice, but I’m not sure they’d approve of my methods. They’d never condone lying and deceit. I just didn’t know any other way.”
“How could they not be proud of your dedication and determination? You’re working on the side of the law. That’s the lesson they taught you.”
She sighed, snuggling closer. “You’re right. I followed in my dad’s footsteps when I gave evidence to the FBI. And I’ll testify just like he did, but I’m sick and tired of it. Once Gregory is convicted, I never want to hear his name again.”
“I’ll second that.” He swore softly. “I don’t care if I never hear the name again, either.”
With those words, the conversation ended and the room grew quiet again.
“We’d better get some sleep,” he finally murmured.
Rianna made a soft sound that could have been agreement, and then exhaustion took its toll. Her grip on his waist eased, and Kyle knew she’d finally drifted to sleep. He smiled slightly and dropped another kiss on her hair. The soft, silky feel of it soothed him as much as the warmth of her womanly body.
She generated a whole host of feelings he’d never experienced with any other woman, possessiveness being primary. He wanted to lay claim to her in the most elemental fashion, make love to her until she forgot every other man she’d ever known. Until her world revolved around him, not Haroldson, her job or anything else.
It was a selfish desire, but he felt it nonetheless. The admission made him frown. He’d never been the jealous, possessive type, had never wanted a woman to be solely dependent on him.
Rianna was different.
And definitely off-limits right now. He had to be patient. This wasn’t the time or place to stake a claim. They both needed sleep. He pressed his cheek against the softness of hers and gradually let his mind and body relax.
Hours later, he awakened as the warmth of Rianna’s body left his side. Grumbling in complaint, he reached for her, but she dodged his arms. He struggled with grogginess as she moved to the foot of the bed, pulling the sheet with her.
When she grasped one of his feet in her hands, her touch jarred him awake.
“What?”
He had no concept of the time, though sunshine glistened around the edges of the heavy drapes. The room was still shadowed, but light enough to see his sexy bedmate as she knelt at his feet. Her hair was tousled, her face flushed with sleep, and her expression mysterious.
She took his right foot into her hands and slowly massaged his heel, then his arch and the ball of his foot. Her hands were warm and soft, her thumbs stroking firmly. Heat arrowed up his leg to his groin. By the time she reached for his other foot, his morning arousal had surged to aching fullness.
“I owe you a massage,” she said quietly, her gaze locking with his. “Remember?”
His voice came roughly. “You don’t owe me anything.”
He wanted her more than his next breath. The blood sang through his veins in a heated rush, but he didn’t want her offering anything out of gratitude.
“You carried me too far. You’ll be stiff and sore this morning.” She moved between his legs and began to rub his right calf with long, strong strokes, her fingers working magic on the hard muscles. She gave the same slow, diligent attention to his left leg, and then both knees.
Kyle groaned with pleasure. “Damn, that feels good,” he muttered, holding her gaze. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long, breathless moment.
“Be warned,” he told her softly. “If you keep it up, I’ll want a whole lot more than a massage.”
“I’ll do my best,” she promised huskily.
He gave her a fierce frown. “Not from gratitude.” He didn’t want gratuitous sex. He wanted her as needy as him.
She smiled, a slow, sultry, beautiful smile that turned his insides to mush and made his flesh prickle with anticipation.
“The massage is in appreciation. Anything else will be strictly my pleasure.”
She trusted him. He’d finally earned her trust, and he knew it wasn’t something she gave lightly. He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted it until she offered it. Satisfaction flowed over him like warm honey.
Her palms flattened across the top of his thighs, her fingers still kneading. She spread his legs wider and inched closer. Her touch electrified him, the heat sizzling along his nerves, his muscles clenching with each new stoke.
When she slid her fingers toward the hem of his shorts, he shuddered and reached for her. She countered the move by grabbing his hands, pressing them on the bed and clucking her tongue in rebuke. Then she urged him to roll onto his stomach.
Kyle complied, turning, and muffled a moan against the pillow as she straddled his hips. Her heat seared him, her thighs blanketing him with feminine softness through the thin barrier of clothing. Blood roared in his head.
She worked on the muscles of his back and shoulders, her touch strong and sure. His hands curled into fists at his sides as his body sang with excitement. Next, she slowly slid off his hips and straddled his thighs.
“You’re a little tense, Tremont,” she teased.
His tone was hoarse with arousal. “No kidding.”
Then her hands cupped his buttocks, strong fingers igniting an even stronger reaction from his flesh. His nerves were strung taut, his muscles bunched, his arousal growing thicker and harder with every beat of his heart.
Rianna slid off his legs and urged him to turn onto his back again. This time she straddled his hips, pressing her soft warmth tightly against his straining flesh. He made a sound deep in his throat and reached for her, but she snatched his hands and pressed them down on either side of his head. He tried to steal a kiss while she nibbled on his chin.
Her next caress was a string of wet, open-mouth kisses down his neck and across his chest. She took a long, torturous time to bathe his nipples. Her tongue sent hot, primitive need racing through him. Every nerve ending in his body hummed with tension.
By the time she’d worked her way down to his navel, his breathing had grown ragged and his chest heaved. He broke a sweat as her nimble fingers reached inside his shorts.
“You’re killin’ me,” he groaned.
She cupped him and stroked him until Kyle nearly strangled on his own need. He couldn’t let her fondle him much longer. This time when he reached for her, she didn’t resist, but slid back up his body and locked her mouth with his.
Their moans mingled as he plunged his tongue through her lips and explored the sweet depths beyond. He wanted to taste every inch of her, eat her up and lose himself in the taste, scent and feel of her.
He cupped her head in his hands, clutching fistfuls of silky hair to guide her closer. Their mouths were pressed tightly together, but he still couldn’t get enough of her. He angled his head, then sucked her tongue between his teeth and molded it with his own.
His hunger for her was insatiable. The more she gave, the more he wanted. He’d never wanted anyone so desperately. Even the need for breath annoyed him. After a quick drag of air, he captured her mouth in another deep, drugging kiss.
While he clung to her head, her hands were busy tugging at the waistband of his shorts. He paused long enough to shrug out of his clothes and kick them aside. Then he helped her lift her shirt over her head.
When she unhooked her bra and removed it, he was awed at her beauty. He forced himself to take long, calming breaths while he admired the feel and shape of her. He slid his palms over her rib cage and cupped the soft, firm
mounds of her breasts, using his thumbs to bring the tips to rigid attention. She rocked against him in response, and her mewing sounds of pleasure fed his excitement.
“Kyle!”
The sound of his name on her lips had desire coiling even tighter in his groin. He pulled her up his body until he could replace his hand with his lips, and then sucked a nipple deeply into his mouth. He teased the tight bud with the tip of his tongue and felt her body arching against him in feminine demand.
Her throaty sound of hunger made him quiver like a tightly plucked bowstring. Together, they managed to get her out of her shorts and panties. Then they swallowed each other’s groans as they savored the feel of bare flesh against bare flesh.
He clutched her thighs and bucked against her as they got lost in another potent, probing kiss. He felt her hands on his cheeks, her grasp tight. Her mouth grew demanding as she rubbed her breasts against his chest, the hard nubs of her nipples spiking the heat in him even higher.
They kissed until neither of them could breathe. Their chests heaved, their bodies straining for more. Then Rianna slid down his body until his straining arousal was trapped at the cradle of her thighs. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving at the exquisite feel of her.
“Protection?” she insisted throatily.
“In the drawer,” he muttered.
She took care of that, too, and he almost came apart at her touch. Before he could completely recover, she eased herself onto his straining flesh and enveloped him with her soft, wet warmth.
So tight. So damn hot and tight. And so tense. It took a minute, but he finally realized that she’d gone really still and tense.
“Rianna?”
“I’m okay,” she whispered, but she still didn’t move.
“What do you mean, ‘okay’?” He didn’t like the sound of it or her stillness. “It’s been a while for you?” That would explain the incredible tightness.
She mumbled something he couldn’t understand, and then an amazing thought struck him. “Please don’t tell me this is your first time.”
“Okay.”
Her lack of denial sent a shudder through him and convinced him that he’d hit on the truth. A deep, possessive thrill coursed through him, quickly followed by a desperate need to be gentle.
He closed his eyes and groaned, but held completely still until she’d had time to adjust to the size and feel of him. She gripped him tightly, sending another quiver of erotic pleasure up his spine. Once she’d accepted him and begun to move, he grasped her hips, arching upward to meet her slow, careful thrusts.
The pressure built too quickly, the need too forceful. He strained to hold back, until Rianna moaned his name. Then he surged against her and felt himself exploding in one long, fierce burst of pleasure.
She collapsed against him, their chests heaving from exertion, the sound of their labored breathing filling the silence. He knew it hadn’t been all that great for her, but he silently swore to make it up to her.
For the next few minutes, all they could do was fight for air and hold each other while they recovered from the emotional and physical high.
Kyle hugged her tightly, wanting to prolong the exquisite contact. He closed his eyes, relishing the shared intimacy and the gift she’d given him. Not just her body, but her trust. He knew she didn’t give either one too freely. He’d made love to his share of women, but never to one who’d been as generous in her loving. Gut instinct told him what a treasure he’d found. She was his now, and he intended to keep her.
His partner.
His lover.
His woman.
Chapter 9
“Wow.” Rianna exclaimed in a soft, sighing whisper. She’d never shared anything so intimate, but she could understand why women enjoyed it so much.
Their chests had stopped heaving, but his vibrated again with triumphant male laughter.
“‘Wow’ doesn’t even come close,” he argued gruffly. “It gets a lot better, I promise.”
That brought a smile of satisfaction to her lips. She’d wanted their loving to be incredibly special because that’s how she felt about him—a special, unique feeling unlike anything she’d ever known with a man.
His response thrilled her and sounded so sincere that she pressed a hard kiss on his chest.
“Control yourself, woman,” he teased, running his fingers through her hair.
Then he cupped her head with his palm and lifted her face for a long, sweet kiss. She gently sucked his tongue into her mouth until a low, hungry sound gurgled from his throat.
When their lips parted, their gazes tangled. They stared into each other’s eyes, intently searching. Rianna wondered what he hoped to find in hers. The dark, possessive gleam in his sent a tremble over her. Her nipples tightened in reaction. Their bodies were still so closely entwined that she felt his muscles begin to twitch with renewed energy.
“You should have told me,” he insisted.
She didn’t want to discuss her virginity or make a big deal of it. Nor did she want to tell him that he was the first man who’d ever tempted her to part with it.
“I’m the one who did the seducing,” she reminded.
He wasn’t satisfied with her response. He started to speak, but she placed a hand over his mouth. “We have to get moving.” She wanted nothing more than to spend the day, or several, in bed in his arms. There was so much about him that she still needed to explore.
Kyle lifted his arm to check his watch. “It’s after eleven and we have to be out of here by noon.”
He didn’t mention that Gregory’s men might have tracked down Rudy and the rented Jeep by now. Given enough time, they’d eventually find them.
Rianna sighed. “First dibs on the bathroom,” she said, wondering how to gracefully extricate herself from their embrace. Even though they’d just shared an incredible intimacy, she suddenly felt shy and awkward. She had no experience to fall back on, and modesty had her searching for something to cover herself.
“How about we share a shower? It’ll save time,” said Kyle.
She blinked, and then studied his wickedly suggestive expression. His eyes had that hungry look again. Her stomach muscles clenched, but she had to resist temptation.
“You don’t really think that will save time, do you?” she admonished, laughing and wedging some space between their upper bodies.
“It could happen.”
When she started to sit up, he cupped her breasts in his hands. The contrast between his deeply tanned skin and her pale flesh gave her a feminine thrill. She watched him watching her as her breasts swelled, the tips budding. He teased them to hardness. When she felt his body hardening within hers, she cried out softly.
“Kyle!”
He held her gaze. “I know, we have to go, and you can’t take a shower. You can’t get your neck wet. But we could share a quick bath.”
So sexy. So much a man. He was so handsome and irresistible that Rianna felt herself melting all over again. She barely recognized her own throaty voice when she finally managed a response.
“A bath sounds nice.”
Kyle twisted around until his feet hit the floor, then he grasped her hips, lifting her without withdrawing from her body. She gasped at the exquisite sensation that coursed through her. His strength and obvious desire stirred hers to a frenzy again.
“Gun and condom,” he mumbled as he locked his mouth on her neck, sucking strongly, drawing another gurgle of approval from deep in her throat.
Rianna grabbed both from the bedside stand, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rubbing her breasts against his chest to ease their tight ache.
She locked the door behind them once they’d entered the bathroom, then scattered kisses over his chest while he reached down to turn on the faucets. They paused for a long kiss as water filled the tub and steam began to fill the room.
Kyle laid the gun on the soap shelf, took care of protection and brought his hands back to her buttocks. He cupped her with his big
palms, squeezing gently, then more roughly as sharp, heated passion flared between them again. He clutched her closer. She rocked against him in demand, and then swallowed his low growl.
She felt the heavy thrust of his hips as he began to move deep inside of her with renewed fervor. The fire in her belly flared like a torch to kindling. She wanted him closer, deeper. She wanted him so close that he became an extension of herself.
He turned, pressing her back against the wall so that he could free a hand to grasp her head. Then he plunged his tongue into her mouth, demanding another deep, wet, devouring kiss.
Rianna’s thighs clenched convulsively, and she hugged him with arms and legs as he rocked against her. She returned his hungry kisses while meeting him thrust for powerful thrust, until they exploded in another fierce eruption of pleasure.
Guttural sighs of completion mingled in their mouths. When Kyle finally broke the contact, he pressed his forehead against hers. They sagged against the wall, trembling from head to toe, momentarily exhausted. Their breathing was labored again, with each fighting to draw air into depleted lungs.
“Whew!” he exclaimed on a harshly exhaled breath.
Rianna didn’t even have the strength to laugh. She gave him a shaky smile, then a light kiss on the nose. She clung to his sweat-slick body with what little strength she had left in hers.
He tightened his hold on her again, turning toward the tub. After testing the temperature, he shut off the taps and slowly eased her into the water. She tried to tug him in with her, but he resisted.
“Better not,” he said, his voice still rough, his eyes glazed with satisfaction. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips, then drew in a rough breath and continued. “We’ll have an overflow and end up wasting more time.”
Rianna knew he was right. She reluctantly released him, then immediately felt naked and exposed. As soon as he’d moved back a step, she pulled the curtain to block his view.
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