by Lynda Aicher
Her soft exhale dusted over his cheek to signal his victory. “When you put it like that, I can’t refuse.”
“Thank you.” He rubbed his thumb over her lips and wondered if he was doing the right thing. His motives were honest but they were far from pure. “Let me know when you leave here, and I’ll meet you at home.”
He didn’t have time to ponder the rightness of that last statement. Instead, he stepped around Liv to grab his briefcase and caught Rock’s scrutiny. His past with Beth wasn’t a secret. The gossip and drama had spread through the leather community, much like this event had. That didn’t mean he had to justify his actions.
This thing with Liv wasn’t anyone’s business but theirs. He paused with his finger hovering over the elevator button. That was exactly what the others had thought just three days ago, and look where they were now. His years of practicing law had taught him the only things that were ever truly private were the rare ones absolutely no one else knew about.
Chapter Fifteen
The events of the night swirled in Liv’s mind, adding to the complex and unanswered questions that were already there. Doms and subs, community and support, ideals and truths—so much to consider and even more to understand.
She maneuvered Noah’s “second car” through the quiet late-night streets, snorting at that term. Second cars were supposed to be the well-used clunkers that weren’t worth the hassle of trying to sell, not tricked-out luxury vehicles with fewer than five thousand miles on them. The black SUV had almost screamed “drug lord” in the low-income neighborhood she drove through that morning to get to the youth center.
It didn’t stop her from snuggling into the heated leather seat or enjoying the thumping rhythm coming from the Bose surround sound speakers. She’d loved her Bessie the entire ten years she’d babied her along, but she had to admit this kind of pampering after the crap of the last two days was nice.
She refused to think about what else was really nice. Like Noah’s kisses or the tender way he touched her or the persistent habit he had of trying to protect her and everyone around them. Staying at his place was unquestionably bad for her heart, as she was already falling too fast and hard for him. Yet she was heading to his house with a bag packed for more than a one-night stay.
While listening to the Doms, she’d come to realize that her lack of knowledge didn’t preclude her from being there for everyone. But she was determined to learn as much as she could about the lifestyle so she could support them better—including Noah.
The yawn caught her fast and stretched her jaw until it protested. Crap, she was tired. It was after midnight when she finally pulled into the private alley that led to Noah’s back drive. A light was on over the back door, another glowing through the kitchen window.
She left the SUV parked outside, and the cool night air woke her up a bit. When she trudged up the stone paver path, he was at the door, shirt sleeves rolled up, buttons undone at his neck, hair mussed with finger runs.
She fell into his arms without thought. He felt so good. She inhaled just to catch his scent and held it until her lungs forced her to release it. Her eyes dropped closed and she swore she could fall asleep right there.
“Come on,” he urged. He slipped her bag from her shoulder and guided her into the house. The cinnamon-and-clove aroma welcomed her, and she almost sighed at how right that seemed.
She toed off her shoes and tossed her jacket over a coat hook, another yawn hitting her as she followed Noah into the kitchen. “What did Seth and Deklan say about the club?” With Jake still sedated, she assumed he didn’t check with him.
“Honestly?” He cracked open a bottle of water and handed it to her. “They didn’t have strong opinions on any of it.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “The Den barely registers on their priority scale right now.”
She rubbed her forehead, cringing. “Of course it wouldn’t. Not with Tyler and Kendra clinging to life.” There were moments when she could forget that, when she had to focus on her job and other things, but it would be the sole obsession for Seth and Deklan. “So what are you going to do?”
“First, I’m going to put you to bed.” He tilted her chin up to kiss her. “Then I’m going to finish my paperwork. And after that, get as much sleep as I can.”
She let him lead her out of the kitchen, his hand warm around hers. “I meant about the club.”
“Thank you for counting the inventory.”
“You’re ignoring my question.”
The floor creaked under his bare feet as he padded down the hall to his bedroom. He dropped her bag on a chair in the corner and turned to wrap his arms around her. His shoulder made a perfect resting spot for her head, and her eyes closed almost immediately.
“Get some sleep.” He kissed her temple and stepped back, taking her shoulder pillow with him. “I’ll try not to wake you when I come up.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
His lips quirked in a half smile. “You already are.”
She frowned. “How?”
He kissed her again, his lips soft but way too brief on hers, then he was gone. Her eyes fluttered open to catch a glimpse of his back and one bare foot before he disappeared down the hall.
It took her less than five minutes to get ready for bed. The master bath was not overly large, but it had been completely remodeled with a marble counter, double sinks and a glass-enclosed shower that looked like it would comfortably fit both of them. Wouldn’t that be fun to test out?
She shook out her hair and rubbed her fingers over her scalp where her ponytail had been. The game of find-the-clothes ended on the second drawer she opened. Stacks of Tshirts were folded into two neat piles, like all of his clothing. She chuckled and grabbed the top one, not caring what it said.
Her clothes were dumped in a semi-orderly pile by the chair before she slipped his T-shirt on, clicked off the light and crawled into bed. Every muscle in her body seemed to relax into the mattress when she lay down.
She sighed in response and was out within minutes, only to jerk awake what felt like seconds later, confused and lost. Blood, death and the acidic scent of radiator fluid clung to her senses.
She kicked out and gasped for breath, tried to focus. Her legs were trapped. Under the car. She had to get free. Something was holding her feet, and she scrambled away until her back banged against a wall.
Where was she?
She blinked into the dark, muscles tight, heart racing. She could make out the faint outlines of a long dresser next to the window and the floor-to-ceiling built-ins along the wall. She sucked in a shaky breath and caught a hint of cedar.
Noah’s room.
The present rushed up to greet her, and she flopped down, waiting for the pounding in her chest to slow. Crap. She scrubbed her hands over her face, as if that could scour the nightmare from her mind. Her skin felt flushed, sweat dampened her temples, yet she shivered.
She bounded from the bed in a jumble of twisted covers that had her stumbling to the bathroom. The bright glare of the light shocked her into the present. Hands shaking, she scooped a couple of handfuls of cold water to her face. It helped, some. The lingering images that floated in her head were fading by the time she wiped off her face with the fluffy white towel.
On wobbly legs, she shuffled back to the big bed and unknotted the sheets and blankets that were half on the floor. The numbers on the bedside clock were bright on the stand. Three o’clock? Where was Noah?
She pushed her hair away from her face and poked her head into the hall to see a faint light shining from downstairs. The hardwood was cold beneath her feet, and she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill in the silent house.
She found Noah hunched over his big desk, papers scattered around him. The computer screen provided a bright bluish glow that competed with the dim yellow light of the desk lamp.
With his face buried in his crossed arms, she couldn’t see it, but he didn’t move
when she treaded softly over. A light snore reached her when she neared him. He must’ve been exhausted to fall asleep at his desk.
His laptop displayed a document that looked similar to the ones spread over his desk. The letterhead of Bakker Law Firm was printed on the top of most of the pages. She wasn’t snooping, but it was impossible not to see the names of the various local news agencies on the pages as well. He’d been preparing for tomorrow while everyone else slept.
His hair tumbled over his arm in gentle waves, and she couldn’t resist the temptation. She slicked her fingers through the soft strands, the light curls winding around her fingers before they fell free, just like she’d imagined they would.
“Noah,” she said softly. “Hey. It’s time to come to bed.”
He jerked, going stiff for a second before he lifted his head. “What?” He squinted at the light and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times and finally seemed to focus on her. “Liv? What are you doing here?” He looked around, confusion lining his brow.
His collar was crooked, shirt wrinkled, and the curl that liked to hang on his forehead was sticking straight up. He’d probably frown at the term cute, but right then he reminded her of a rumpled kid who’d stayed up too late.
“I was looking for you.” She nodded at the desk. “You fell asleep.”
“Oh.” He groaned, stretched his back, winced and rubbed at his neck. “That explains the kink.”
She moved around to stand behind his chair. “Here.” His moan came from someplace deep when she slipped her hands beneath his shirt collar and pressed her thumbs into the tight knots.
“Oh, God.” He slumped forward, going limp. “That feels…”
He couldn’t see her smile, but his praise chased away the last of the dream that still chilled her. She worked the neck muscles, his skin warm and soft, until the knots gave way.
“Unbutton your shirt some more.” She wanted to get farther down his shoulders to the line of tension that circled his shoulder blades.
His low chuckle rumbled under her fingertips before he swiveled around to grab her hips. She didn’t resist as he tugged her sideways onto his lap. His slacks were soft beneath her bottom and her legs were bent over the arm of the chair, lifting his borrowed T-shirt high on her thighs.
One arm supported her back, and he used his free hand to run his palm up her leg from her calf to her hip in a slow glide that had her hungering for his touch. His eyes tracked the path before meeting hers. His pupils appeared almost black in the dim light, his desire so apparent it sucked the moisture from her mouth.
He was always so focused on whatever he did and the power of it, centered on her, was almost overwhelming. The intensity flushed her with desire yet reminded her of her earlier confusion. This was the element her other sexual encounters had lacked and what made Noah so different.
Her doubts vanished when he claimed her lips. The kiss was slow and lazy, like the moment. She wound her fingers into his hair and simply held on as he placed small nips on her lower lip then soothed each one with the swipe of his tongue. He dipped into her mouth to circle her tongue with his before pulling back to repeat the cycle.
His hand skimmed under her shirt to palm her hip, roam over her abdomen and eventually up to her breasts. He cupped one in his hand, his moan tumbling from his throat to be swallowed by her. Every place he touched became a source of heat that shot through her skin to enflame her passion.
“You feel so good,” he murmured between nibbles down her jaw.
She let her head fall back, neck stretching as she rolled her head to give him more access.
He sunk his teeth into her earlobe at the same time he pinched her nipple. The twin shots of pain melted into pleasure that fired down her spine to her sex. She arched into his hand, groaning at the dual assault, wanting more.
He released her lobe to circle his tongue around the shell. “You are so responsive.” His hot breath sent a line of goose bumps down her neck.
She squirmed under his touch, his fingers still squeezing and needling the same nipple that was now so sensitized it highlighted how neglected the other one was. The imbalance became her focus and she tried to twist her shoulders to get him to notice her other breast. He only followed her movement, plucking and twisting the sole point until she bit her lip to keep silent.
“I need to taste you,” he whispered right before he tugged her T-shirt over her head.
She had a second to process the swoop of cold air hitting her flushed skin and the rush of blood pooling into her throbbing nipple before his mouth closed over the bud. The added sensation of wet sucking and the sharp edge of teeth had her crying out.
“Noah,” she whimpered, lost.
Her head fell back to land with a soft thud on his desk. He was unrelenting in his assault on that single nipple. She writhed on his lap, fingers tangled in his hair, seeking escape but not really wanting it. He held her tightly, teeth clamped around the aching tip, light scrapes of his beard scoring the tender flesh around her areola. Waves of tingling pain radiated out from that point until that was all she noticed. All she felt.
Somehow, it all pulsed straight to her sex. Her legs slid apart, hips grinding up in begging thrusts she couldn’t control. Her chest heaved with each gulp of air, only to freeze when finally, finally, he removed her panties and ran his fingers through her wetness.
“Please.” The plea was half sound, half air.
He found the hard nub of her clit and swirled slow circles around it in time with his tongue on her nipple. It drove her crazy with the measured burn that built and built but wasn’t enough to push her over.
She was floating, at his mercy, and didn’t care.
“I want to do so many things to you, Liv.” His lips teased her nipple on every word. “Things I swore I’d never do again.” He thrust his fingers into the channel, thumb still moving on her bundle of nerves. She gasped, arched and lost track of what he was saying.
The pressure increased on her clit. His thumb flicked it faster and he bit down on her nipple until she sobbed. The blend of pleasure and pain was a jumbled mess of sensation that was all-consuming.
“So cl—” The word was lost in a moan. She tried to finish her thought, but her throat was too dry, the words elusive.
He released her nipple, and a sharp jolt of intense pain pierced her before her entire breast started to throb. She clutched at his neck, her nails digging into soft skin in her quest for sanity.
“Come, Liv.”
Yes. That was her only conscious thought before her world broke open in a flash of light and tensing muscles. She twisted into him, panting with each wave of sensation that crashed over her, before falling back, limp and spent.
She gasped for air, head rolling to the side on the hard surface of his desk. Slowly she became aware of his palm skimming circles over her stomach and down her thigh. The touch was almost too much for her sensitive nerve endings, yet she didn’t want it to stop.
It was another long moment before she could pry her eyelids open enough to peer at Noah through her lashes. He was watching her with an intensity that sent another wave of heat over her cooling skin. His cheeks were flushed, lips parted, their redness standing out against the darker stubble of his beard.
Her hand trembled when she lifted it to brush the curl away from his damp forehead. His eyes drifted closed for a shuddered breath before he lifted her, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. The chair creaked as it tilted back under their weight, rocking slightly. She pressed a kiss to his neck and savored the rush of his scent as it filled her.
“Thank you,” she said against his skin, the saltiness teasing her lips. “But I was supposed to be taking care of you.”
His chuckle shook her for the brief moment it lasted. “You did. You were beautiful.”
She wiggled on his lap, the rigid line of his erection pressing against her bottom. “What about this?”
He groaned into her temple and smoothed his hand down to clutch her bottom.
“I don’t have a condom and I’m too comfortable to get up.”
What a shame, but she didn’t feel like moving either. Images of being spread over his big desk with him pounding into her had her blood pumping again. Her sore nipple throbbed in time with her heartbeat to remind her of how wild she’d been in his arms. Of the things he’d said in the moment.
“What did you mean?” she asked. Her fingers teased the curls near his nape, her words slowing with the topic she was almost afraid to approach.
“When?”
She swallowed. “About the things you wanted to do to me?”
His hand stilled on her thigh, clenching. He sat up, and the chair dropped forward. Only his hold on her hips kept her from tumbling off his lap. “Here.” He handed her the discarded T-shirt, which she took out of reflex.
“What did I say?” She gaped at him, but he avoided her eyes. Not happening. She grabbed his cheeks and forced him to look at her. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
All of the fire had fled from his eyes, leaving them cold and distant, like his expression.
“It’s late. You should go back to bed.” Flatness. His shields had gone up so hard and fast she was left frozen and discarded on the outside.
As if that ever worked with her. “Not without you.”
He jerked his head away and lifted her off his lap. “Please, Liv. I need to get this stuff done.”
She stood in front of him, mouth moving but at a loss for what to say. “No,” she finally said. His head snapped up, and she glared right back. “No. You don’t get to push me away like that.” She shoved his shoulder. “I asked a simple question and I want an answer.”
“Liv…”
The warning was in his tone, and she almost laughed at it. Instead she returned, “Noah…” Mocking him like she’d done the last time he’d tried to intimidate her.
He scowled in what she assumed was his attempt at being menacing, but his lip twitched.
