by Jayne Rylon
“Don’t drown.” Concern for Luke, submerged between her thighs, distracted her for a second. “I don’t want to kill the best boyfriend I’ve ever had. This would be hard to explain.”
His laughter blew bubbles against her swollen vulva. He lifted his head, grinning like a fool. “You’re hysterical, Ms. Norris. Don’t you worry about a thing. I can hold my breath a really long time.”
He stole any rational comeback she might have levied when he dove beneath the rapids to continue his demonstration of all she’d been missing. The novelty of his hot, silky tongue and the slightly cooler water rushing around it—not to mention the foreign concept of a man concerned about her pleasure above all else—had her straining to contain her orgasm.
Any other day, she’d have been struggling to achieve climax, not the other way around.
Damn, Luke turned her inside out too.
Her heels drummed on the tile ledge at the end of the waterfall, which cascaded over her. He picked his head up for another breath, grinning when he caught her expression. “I can feel you getting tighter. Hotter. More slippery. Why not just give in?”
“And miss out on this? Hell no.” She gritted her teeth, willing herself to last a bit longer.
“What if I promise to eat you every night before bed? Remember the conditioning I mentioned? Would that help erase the worry bugging you as you’re falling asleep?”
“Yes!” Brielle hadn’t meant to shout. Streams of water combined with the potential for more of this overwhelming ecstasy. The mixture drove her beyond inhibitions or rational thought. Hell, after a release as powerful as the one she felt building inside her, lick by lick, she’d probably crash straight away.
She hoped he wouldn’t be offended by her snoregasm. It was really a compliment.
At least she’d decided to always take it as one when Brad did it to her, leaving her unsatisfied.
“Luke.” Trying to get his attention, she tugged less lightly than she intended on his hair.
“Careful, sweetheart.” He grinned up at her. “I might like that.”
“You’re going to make me come.” She panted.
“I hope so.” His grin was infectious.
Had she ever laughed during sex before? “Soon.”
“Good.” Luke licked his lips. “Because I’m dying to make love to you. And my balls are getting even more wrinkled than usual in here.”
“Is it okay?” She clamped her eyes closed, hoping.
“What? I’m just cracking bad jokes. I have no idea if they’re extra-wrinkly. Though you’re welcome to inspect them and let me know when we’re done here.”
“Luke!” What the hell was he rambling about? In between sentences he continued to caress her with all the skill and agility of a world-class lover.
This time he rose more slowly, his eyes narrowing. “Are you asking me for permission to orgasm?”
“Yes. Please.” She quivered, trying desperately to hang on. Disappointing him was at the very bottom of her wish list.
“Come whenever you like, Brielle.” He laid his face on her belly for a second. “Not just now but always. My goal is to give you as much pleasure as possible. You never need to ask. Take what you can. As much as you can. And then I’ll figure out a way to give you more.”
The paradise he described loomed large and beautiful in her mind. Could he be that different? That generous?
Endless possibilities lured her beyond control. She shattered as she rode Luke’s face. He followed every jerk and thrash of her hips, sucking hard at first then gently when she began to drift back to reality.
Tingles spread to each extremity.
She slid into the pool beside Luke, floating as every bit of her relaxed utterly.
The extreme highs and lows of the day overwhelmed her, and she took the coward’s way out, allowing Luke to tend to her as she wallowed in the ecstasy-induced coma he’d put her in. He gathered her to his chest, humming “What a Wonderful World” to her as he laid her on the area rug and dried her off then wrapped her in the plush hotel towel that had to be as big and thick as all of hers put together.
She pried one eyelid open, grateful she had when she spied him ridding himself of millions of droplets of water. They glistened on him, making her smile softly. Everything about him brightened her world.
“How are you doing down there?” He winked in her direction as he finished up.
“Better,” she mumbled. “Way, way better.”
Luke laughed. “You’re fucking adorable, you know that, right? I hope you don’t mind making out with me for a little while. If I don’t kiss you, hold you, I think I’ll go nuts.”
She held her arms open to him.
After collecting her from the floor, he cradled her in his arms then strode through the living area to a bedroom. “Is this a suite?”
“I was trying to impress you,” he admitted.
“Totally working.” She kissed his pectoral muscle, the perfect cushion for her cheek.
Chapter Ten
Luke stared down at the woman in his arms. A hot mess, she was so ideal for him he could hardly believe he’d stumbled across her. Twice. Engrossed in counting his blessings, he didn’t realize she’d stiffened when he laid her on the enormous California king then covered every inch of her with his body, which hummed from pleasing her and the possibility of doing the same for himself.
At least, he hadn’t figured it out before she whimpered, “Lines.”
“What?” He rose onto straight, locked arms, short-circuiting his little head before his brain disengaged completely. Flooded with the total joy of being close to Brielle, it was hard to think straight.
“Crossing a line.” Quick, shallow breaths mashed her breasts against his chest in a too-fast rhythm. Her eyes widened and darted toward the skyline in the window. “Can’t move. Can’t breathe.”
“Oh shit.” He rolled off her so fast he nearly fell out of bed. Super suave, dumb ass. “I didn’t think. It makes you claustrophobic to have a man over you?”
She nodded. “So sorry. I want to. A lot. It’s just…”
“You don’t need to explain.” He settled for lying beside her, tracing her softly arched brows then the prominent cheekbones that highlighted her eyes and finally her lips. By the time he finished, she seemed to have calmed again. “I understand.”
“I’ve only ever been on top before. Like last night, on the couch. I hope you don’t mind.” She frowned. “I know most men would rather be in control. Brad never objected to letting me do the work.”
“Oh no, I slaved away—long and hard—to put a smile on that gorgeous face. Let’s not go jacking it up now. I think I have a line too. No more Brad in our bed. I might have fooled around with a few guys in my day, but he’s not my type. Really not.”
Brielle didn’t laugh, not even a little. That’s when he knew things were bad.
“Hey, look at me.” He nudged her chin so that she faced him. Still she kept her eyes closed, focused in on herself. This had nothing to do with her and everything to do with the people who had failed to protect her. That was a trend he didn’t plan to continue. “Please?”
Thick, dark lashes batted as she fulfilled his request. Languid from her orgasm, she remained mostly relaxed despite his unintentional misstep.
“Damn, you’re pretty.” He nuzzled their noses together. “I look into your eyes and I forget everything I mean to say. If you watched me at work, you’d know that’s not a usual occurrence. Believe it or not, I’m pretty articulate. Have my shit together when it counts.”
Finally, she smiled. “You seem to be doing fine to me. And no, I don’t suppose they make the screwup the boss.”
“Good point. So… Can we try this again?” He hopped from the bed to turn the lights low. The indirect glow rimming the trey ceiling provided enough illumination to permit him to observe her reactions, but left them huddled in a more intimate ambience. One they could sleep in if things went the way he hoped. Then if she woke in the m
iddle of the night, she’d know where she was.
Safe.
With him.
After pulling back a corner of the plush duvet, he lifted her, depositing her slight form on the luxurious cotton as though she was priceless. To him, she was quickly becoming precious. On paper, his obsession might have been diagnosed as unhealthy. Inside, he knew it was right.
The mountain of pillows swallowed her. She looked like a child curled on her side. Unsure of herself, unaware of her allure, oblivious to the impact she’d had on his life in a few short days. Because now he had goals.
Her—happy, healthy, confident and all his.
Getting there wouldn’t be easy. Luke had never shirked responsibility before. He just hoped he’d learned enough along the way to his penthouse office to help the one woman who mattered most. Was he up for the challenge?
He sure as hell would give it his best try.
Goose bumps rose on her arms. Avoiding a look at her tight nipples was impossible. A peek had to suffice before he drew the covers over her. He paused when a series of darkening rings around her upper arm caught his attention.
“Wexford put his hands on you?” Luke kissed each of the finger-shaped bruises that marred her flawless skin. Why hadn’t he gotten in a few more punches before Kurt had stopped him?
“Only for a minute.” Despite her swagger, she shivered. Her knees pulled closer to her chest.
Luke concentrated on suppressing his fury to be sure her wounds were tended to properly. Most of them weren’t visible, but that didn’t mean her scars weren’t there. The total damage today had wrought far exceeded two fistfuls of purple marks.
“Brielle, I’d like to lie down with you.” He kept his statement soft. “Would it bother you if I stayed on the other side of the bed?”
“A little.” She peeked up at him through those lush lashes.
“I can take the couch then.” Had he read her signals wrong? Pushed her too far, too fast? He should have known better than to complicate matters with sex. But physical contact had seemed to alleviate her mental suffering.
“That would be worse. I’d wonder why you didn’t want to snuggle with me after all we just shared.” She gnawed on her lip.
“Ah, okay.” He crawled in from the opposite side, meeting her in the middle. “Where can I come to without encroaching on your space? What’s comfortable for you?”
“You don’t have to walk on eggshells, Luke.” She patted the spot beside her. “I have a problem with being confined. As long as you don’t pin me down, I’ll be fine. Better than, actually. With you nearby, I’ll be great.”
Staring directly into her eyes, he noticed the slight shift in them. “What is it?”
“Hmm?” Odd, was she pretending to misunderstand him?
“That little flicker of regret. What was that all about?” He held his hand up, palm out and she laced her fingers with his. Dusting his thumb over her knuckles seemed to soothe them both, so he kept going.
“Wow, you’re not kidding. You’re good at this.” Her admiration hardened his cock despite his best efforts to will it flaccid. Of course, at the worst possible moment the contrary organ was raring to go.
“Do you want to answer me?” Only now was he realizing how often she deflected conversations when they hit too close to home. “You don’t have to, but I’d prefer if you’d respect me enough to say that instead of dodging.”
“You won’t get mad at me if I don’t feel like sharing?”
And like that it clicked for him. Even she didn’t realize how often she evaded heavy topics. It was simply a tool she’d adopted to avoid difficult situations. When faced with an irrational man, no answer was likely to put her in a good position.
“Nope.” He progressed to kissing their layered knuckles. “Your feelings are yours to disclose or not. I’m just being nosey I suppose.”
“I guess it’s only fair, since you treated me so well.” She practically purred. “I was thinking it sucks that I didn’t bring any condoms, and that if I ask you and you have some, it would mean you planned to sleep with someone else tonight since you didn’t know I was coming. Then I decided it was better not to ask because I didn’t want to look like a jealous bitch.”
“Oh. That’s a lot of thoughts in a nanosecond.” He grinned. “And yes, I have condoms. But only because I was intending to drive over to your apartment and seduce you as soon as I could sneak out of the award dinner.”
“Does that mean you still hope to use them?” She gripped his hand tighter.
“It depends. You’ve had a rough evening. Will sex help or hurt?” He kissed her cheek. “I was banking on it calming your mind. If I’m right, you might already be relaxed enough to sleep. So, there’s no rush. Our first time can happen whenever it’s right.”
“I can’t imagine sex with you being detrimental. Ever.” When she leaned forward, taking initiative to kiss him, his heart stood up and cheered.
“I’d like nothing more than to make love with you, Luke.” She stared straight into his eyes as she admitted her need matched his. “At the same time, I’m embarrassed that it scares me. You know, to be beneath a man. Even you.”
“Brielle, I know plenty of positions. There’s a lot more to sex than missionary or cowgirl.”
“Show me?”
Resisting an offer that sweet would have proven impossible.
Luke dove beneath the covers, heading straight for her toes. He had a promise to keep. With a kiss on each of her arches, his massage began.
“What are you—? Ohhh,” she moaned.
His thumbs pressed into the pad of her foot then rubbed down to her heels, working out all the sore spots that were a side effect of her sexy shoes. While he tended to her, he couldn’t stop himself from tasting her skin again. Nibbles, licks and kisses on her legs had her mewling in less than five minutes.
By the time he worked his way up her fine ankles to her calves, her fingers twitched on the sheet above his head and the smell of her arousal perfumed the air beneath the sheets. If it was up to him, he’d go for a rematch, teasing her with his mouth until she unraveled.
It seemed she had something different in mind when she wrapped her fingers in his hair and tugged softly. Jesus, he loved it when she did that. Only thing better would be when she dug those sharp little nails into his back while he fucked her.
He stared into her eyes as he lifted his mouth to hers. Kissing Brielle was like nothing he’d done before. She anticipated where he’d go, and what he wanted. Or maybe they needed exactly the same things. Their lips locked. Her hand wandered from his sideburns to the major stubble now filling out his facial hair.
“Prickly,” she tried to mutter into his mouth.
“Should I shave?” He smiled. “It was part of my dark period. But I think those times are over, now that you’re with me.”
“It just doesn’t seem to fit with you at all. I think you’d be even more handsome without it.” She scratched his chin, nearly making him groan. If he had a tail, it’d be wagging. The damn beard was uncomfortable. Tomorrow, he’d surprise her. Then he’d show her the difference, his smooth chin less abrasive as he went down on her again.
For a long while, they enjoyed simple pleasures—kissing, touching, laughing. But all too soon, the need for something deeper prodded him to action. His hand slipped lower, cupping her breast. He pinched her nipple gently, rolling the hard peak between his fingers.
Brielle squirmed against him until their legs intertwined. Her pantyless pussy rode his thigh, spreading evidence of her arousal along his quad. Tentatively, she reached out to stroke his side. Though somewhat ticklish, he held still for her exploration. He loved that she felt comfortable enough to seek the sensations she craved.
The light drag of her fingertips over his muscles had them both ramping up.
After she’d petted his abdomen, she advanced. Her wandering hand gripped his ass, holding him in place as she shimmied closer until they were pressed together for the full length
of their bodies. His erection nestled into the softness of her belly.
“You feel…substantial.” She nipped his lip when he laughed. “Hey, that wasn’t some make-your-head-bigger bullshit.”
“Keep biting me and the head’s going to get bigger for sure.” His hips flexed, showing her just what effect she had on him.
“Then maybe you’d better put it inside me.” Reaching between them, she cupped her hand around empty air, a tiny fraction of an inch from actually grasping him. “Maybe I’ll have a chance at taking all of you if we expand together.”
“We’ll make it work, Brielle. However we have to.” Silent promises arced between them.
“Let’s start tonight,” she whispered.
“Are you sure?” Luke refused to risk injuring her further.
“Make me forget.” In the artificial twilight, her eyes glimmered. Pain, loneliness, fear and sadness radiated from her. For a hint of time, her shutters flew open and he could see just how badly she hurt. Screaming in agony, his empathetic nature whisked her away from the present and everything in the world that would dare to fuck with her happiness.
He slipped his hand beneath the pillow and removed one of the foil packets he’d stashed there earlier.
“Does that make-a-wish pillow work for winning lotto tickets and ice cream too?” Attempting to peek under the cushion, she exposed the pale column of her neck. “I might need some later. You know, since I don’t smoke either.”
“Sorry, no.” He kissed her while he ripped open the packet and rolled thin latex over his erection, a little concerned to find it didn’t fit quite as easily as usual. “But I am capable of calling room service.”
“Okay then, you’re on.” She shifted until his covered erection nudged the opening to her pussy. The contact made her clench the muscles there, which hugged his cock.
“I’d rather be in.” He flexed.
