by Andrea Dale
“Sam had my luggage picked up already. I just have to throw the essentials in a bag.”
“Mm, I like a woman who doesn’t wait until the last minute.” He eased aside the collar of her silk pajama top. The flesh of her shoulder tasted better than anything he’d eaten. He nibbled, feeling the shiver that ran through her.
“Keep up the compliments, Fox. You may get lucky,” she told him. Her voice was breathy. He was pleased to have made it that way. He looked forward to making her even more incoherent. As much as he’d loved listening to the noises she made when aroused through the phone lines, it had been exquisite torture not to be actively touching her, not see her grey eyes go unfocused.
Nate grinned. He dipped a finger into his glass, painting a wet line down her throat. He followed it with his tongue. Hannah moaned as his teeth grazed her skin.
Soft red hair tickled his chin as she dipped her head to kiss his temple. The touch of her mouth on his skin made Nate’s hand clench into the blanket. When her mouth drifted lower, he closed his eyes, concentrating on sheer sensation. He was so hard it hurt. He wanted to grab her hand and place it on his crotch so she’d know what she was doing to him, but he made himself wait. Besides, he knew full well that she was aware of his every reaction.
Reaching out, Nate tickled his fingers along her instep, sliding her pant leg higher. She yelped, yanking her foot away, but not before he noticed that her toenails were painted a deep, sexy burgundy.
He dragged his finger through the lemony spread she’d fed him only minutes before, and caught her ankle. His eyes held hers, seeing the desire in her smoky gaze. With a light touch, he smeared the cool paste across the delicate bones of her foot. Still holding her gaze, he bent his head and slowly licked it off. He was pleased to hear her moan.
“What else is in that basket of yours?”
Hannah licked her lips. Her chest rose and fell, her nipples bold beneath the concealing fabric. “We haven’t finished the appetizers yet.”
“Yes, we have,” he told her. He licked her calf, tracing a wandering path across her flesh. Her scent was stronger here. His lips found the curve of her knee. She dotted her perfume there, in the crease of flesh he tasted so slowly. Up on his knees, he lifted his head, catching her mouth in a hot kiss.
The secret taste of her mouth filled him, more intoxicating than any wine could ever be. He chased her tongue through the slick warmth of her mouth, twining with it in an erotic dance. When her hands tugged at his shirt, he helped, not breaking the kiss until he had to. Her palms splayed flat across his chest, branding him with heat. He finished pulling his shirt from his jeans, yanking it over his head and flinging it somewhere.
When he tried to ease her back onto the blanket, though, she twisted aside.
“Dessert,” she reminded him.
Nate made a frustrated noise and sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t think he could take any more damn finger foods. Hannah straddled his thighs, and he took the opportunity to rest his hands on her legs. His thumbs stroked circles on her inner thighs, and he felt her muscles tremble.
“You’re making me crazy,” she murmured. Her palm was warm against his chest, and her teeth tugged lightly at her bottom lip as his fingers slid a little closer to their goal. Her eyes opened, the smoky grey bewitching him.
Nate yelped when she pushed him down. The blanket felt soft against his back, but the position put him too far from her lips. Hannah wiggled, moving into a more comfortable spot astride his hips. The contact was a tease, because when his hands tightened on her legs, she stopped moving. Her smile was wicked, and he wondered what this woman had planned for them next.
“I thought we were having dessert,” he said. He was having trouble focusing on anything other than the heat between her thighs, feeling it right through the denim of his jeans. He wondered if she’d replaced the underwear she’d given him earlier, or whether she was naked and wet for him under the pajama pants.
“We are,” she said. Reaching into the basket, Hannah pulled out a bowl. The sweet summer scent of strawberries teased his nose. She took a ripe berry, stroking it playfully across his lips. Nate bit the fruit, watched as she finished it.
“I’ve never eaten dessert lying down before,” he pointed out.
Hannah’s eyebrows arched. “A dessert virgin. I’ve never had a virgin before.”
He grinned. “Will you be gentle with me?” She rocked lightly against his hips, and Nate felt the ache in his groin intensify, making him catch his breath.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Hannah asked softly.
“I want you,” he told her. He caught her gaze, watching as her eyes widened. Need darkened them, echoing what she saw in his. Nate watched as uncertainty warred with desire. Her lashes swept downwards, hiding her feelings. When she looked at him again, pure mischief had replaced the doubt. She reached back into the basket again, and then tossed a foil-wrapped condom onto the blanket.
A bowl of chocolate joined the strawberries. Hannah swirled a red berry through the dark confection and held it over Nate’s chest. He watched as a fat, cool droplet dripped onto his skin. Hannah leaned over and licked him clean. He closed his eyes as she painted a stripe of chocolate down the center of his chest, using the fruit as a brush.
“I didn’t know you were so artistic,” he murmured when she continued the action, circling his nipples.
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” she teased. Hannah bit into the strawberry, using the red juice to add to the design she was creating.
Nate dropped his hands from her legs, clenching his fingers into the soft blanket. The need to touch her, to slide his hands up her thighs and drive her wild with passion was too strong. But if he continued to touch her, he would lose control. And he wanted to see what she would do next.
Chocolate pooled at the base of his throat. Tipping his head back obligingly, Nate moaned at the touch of her mouth. She nibbled his flesh, teeth drawing shivers of sensation along his skin. Her mouth moved lower, removing her artwork slowly. He felt her tongue sweep over the circle she’d created around his left nipple and he sucked in a sharp breath.
She flicked her tongue across him, and his hips left the blanket, rocking up against her. She laughed delightedly, her breath hot against his skin. Nate groaned, convinced that she would be the death of him.
Hannah dripped chocolate into his navel. He opened his eyes to watch her dip a strawberry into it. Sharp white teeth bit delicately, and the enjoyment on her face nearly did him in. He opened his mouth when she held the strawberry to his lips, taking a bite. He caught her hand, licking her fingers clean. When he tried to trail his tongue along her wrist, she pulled away.
“I’m not done yet,” she murmured. She scooted down, her braid tickling his stomach. Lightly, she tongued his navel. The sensation was overwhelmingly erotic, and his eyes closed again as he lost himself in pleasure. When her fingers found the button of his jeans he moaned again, so close to exploding that he thought he wasn’t going to last long enough to bury himself inside of her.
Nate lifted his hips, feeling her drag his jeans and briefs down. She straddled his legs again, holding him still. Unable to resist watching, he opened his eyes to see her drizzle chocolate along the ridge of his erection. It teased his swollen flesh, sending a buzz of pleasure through him that made his entire body twitch.
Hannah’s bottom lip was caught between her teeth and Nate couldn’t decide what was more erotic: the anticipation of what she was going to do next or the expression of concentration on her face.
Hannah looked up. She grinned wickedly when she saw he was watching. Nate held his breath when she leaned over, waiting, but instead of his aching cock, she touched her lips to the smooth skin of his hip. Her tongue swirled over the tattoo there, a winged guitar wrapped in a banner bearing the words “Rock & Roll Forever.”
“You’re killing me,” he informed her, his breath coming in short pants when she traced damp patterns on his skin. H
annah laughed, her teeth grazing the point of his hipbone. Just when he’d become resigned to the thought that she might never give him relief, Nate cried out as the tip of her tongue flicked against the base of his cock.
She slowly licked the hard length of him. The feeling was indescribable, and his hands finally lifted to stroke her hair, needing to touch her almost as much as he needed his next breath. Her lips closed around him, the wet heat of her mouth sliding down his length. Her tongue lapped at his flesh, seeking the chocolate, giving exquisite pleasure. She sucked, her tongue and lips stroking, tasting.
“Hannah, stop,” Nate said, knowing he wasn’t going to last much longer. He felt as much as heard her laugh, the vibrations rippling through him. He gave in, hating and loving the loss of control—and then the pleasure became too much, exploding outwards and taking his senses with it.
*
Hannah pressed her lips to his damp chest, smiling. “I always was a big fan of dessert,” she whispered. Thinking him still lost in the pleasure she’d given, she leaned closer, brushing her mouth across his.
She was wrong. She yelped in surprise when he flipped her neatly onto her back, pinning her against the blanket with the weight of his body. His sapphire eyes were dark and dangerous.
“My turn,” he said. He sat up, slipping the last few buttons of her shirt free and pushing the edges wide. She shivered, her nipples puckering harder. Nate dribbled chocolate onto the taut flesh, smiling when he heard her soft whimper. Hannah bit her lip, feeling him drag a strawberry around her nipple, scooping up the rich liquid. He tasted the fruit, murmuring his appreciation, before licking the remaining liquid off her breast. His teeth tugged at her nipple, and her clit fluttered in response.
She’d gotten incredible aroused while playing with him; she was already more than ready for him. But she suspected that he was going to tease her as exquisitely as she’d teased him.
Hannah tried to remain still while he made a gooey trail down her stomach, but he nibbled lightly, his tongue teasing until she writhed impatiently. Nate laughed. His husky voice slid over stimulated nerve endings like velvet. He moved lower, the decadent path dampening her flesh.
Thumbs hooked into her waistband and he peeled her pajama bottoms down. The pants joined his shirt somewhere in the room. She was deliciously naked beneath them.
Chocolate drizzled over her nether lips and Hannah forgot how to breathe. When his tongue tasted her, licking the chocolate and mingled juices from her flesh, she cried out, the pleasure so intense she thought she might not survive it.
Nate parted her with his fingers, and then Hannah felt something cool and faintly rough stroke across her clit. Trapped between curiosity and pleasure, she dimly realized he teased her with a strawberry.
As he circled her core, teasing her aching bud, she widened her legs and arched her back. Giving herself over completely to the sinful sensation of the fruit massaging her flesh.
The seeds bumped over her, stimulating as he circled and stroked. She cried out when he stopped. Cried out again when the heat of his mouth replaced the cool berry. He sucked her inside, his tongue flicking, and Hannah came. Waves of heat and pleasure flooded her.
Nate paused long enough to sheath himself in a condom and for her to be amazed at his recuperative ability, and then surged into her. Hannah gripped him tightly, her fingers digging into his back as he spread her wide.
He rocked slowly, and Hannah matched his rhythm, feeling him hard and thick and deep. Desire pooled in her stomach, heat gathering again. She tried to quicken their pace, but now he was the one in control.
Nate held back, murmuring soft words against her throat, forcing the pleasure to coil tighter and tighter. His back was smooth and strong, and she ran her hands down his spine and then up again, tangling her fingers in the thick dark hair at his nape. His mouth claimed hers, tongues thrusting in a dance that matched the movement of their hips. Hannah moaned.
When she came again, he swallowed her cries before matching them with his own.
Hannah didn’t know, or care, how long they lay entangled on the blanket, their breathing and heart rates slowing. Proper post-coital bliss demanded no checking of clocks or concerns about schedules.
She let her mind wander, her insides fluttering in response to the memories of their most recent clinch.
Another thought wandered into her brain. “Hey,” she said lazily.
Nate’s warm breath fluttered a lock of her hair. “Hm?”
“Would it be presumptuous of me to assume that this was the present you mentioned earlier?” She nuzzled the warm skin at the juncture of his shoulder and neck, letting her teeth graze lightly.
A slow grin spread across his face. A grin she’d lusted over in pictures and posters for years. She’d had to grow up before she understood the sensual, wicked thoughts behind it.
Amazingly, that sensual wicked grin was all for her right now.
“Ah, that,” he said. “Actually, there is something else. Have you been good girl?”
She purred, running her tongue along his collarbone. “I think you can answer that better than I.”
“In that case, I’d say you’ve been a bad girl.” The look in his eyes made her insides spasm. “And bad girls deserve presents like this.” He disengaged from their embrace and walked naked to where his leather jacket hung on the carved teak stand by the door. Hannah propped herself on one arm to admire the taut muscles in his ass.
He returned, carrying a small iridescent bag tied at the top with curly ribbon. He settled back onto the blanket, his body warm where it pressed against hers. Her nostrils flared at the spicy scent of their lovemaking. She reached out and groped for her glass, took a swallow.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot,” he confessed. “Thinking about what you might like. And, quite frankly, the fact is that thoughts of you have been driving me crazy.” He handed her the bag.
Her curiosity piqued, Hannah slid the ribbons down one side of the handles so she could part the top of the bag. She pulled out the item, wrapped in unassuming turquoise tissue paper, still entirely clueless as to what it could possibly be.
The tissue paper parted to reveal a black leather thong. But not an ordinary thong, she noted almost immediately. There was a rigid object in the crotch of the underwear. She hefted the cool, smooth panties in her hand and looked at him, head cocked in question.
He uncurled his fist to show a small, white, rectangular box. With his thumb he flicked a switch.
The thong in her hand buzzed and she nearly dropped it in surprise. “Oh my!”
Nate was watching her intently, gauging her reaction. She felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Remote-controlled vibrating underwear weren’t something she’d ever played with before. She’d heard of them, but…
Now, the very thought of putting them on, of having Nate wielding the remote, of being helpless to control the situation, made her brain short-circuit.
“Shall I go put these on, then?” she asked.
Hannah saw Nate’s shoulders relax, and felt a thrill of pride that she hadn’t disappointed him. To be honest, the very idea of wearing them was causing a resurgence of wetness between her thighs. He’d be in total command. He would be able to make her come whenever he wanted to, and she’d be able to do nothing about it.
“No.” His large hand closed over her smaller one, trapping the panties in her fist. “Not yet.” His voice was hoarse. “I want you to wear them at the first concert, in Vegas.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Mental pictures raced through her mind. She’d been to what? Ten? Twenty of his concerts over the years? Maybe more. Even as a teenager, she’d been aroused by his performance. One year, she’d finally admitted to Gina that the back of the seats in front of them had been at an awfully auspicious height…and Gina had laughed, admitting that she’d often noticed the same thing.
Nate stroked the length of her side, leaving in his hand’s wake a trail of hypersensitized flesh. “Will you we
ar it?”
She looked from the naughty present to him. To the look in his eyes that dared her to say yes. She nodded quickly and was rewarded with a kiss.
Nate claimed her mouth, sucking her lower lip between his teeth and nipping gently. “Good. I like the thought of you being in my control.”
*
Nate propped himself up on one elbow so he could peer over Hannah’s sleeping form to see the clock. The large red digital numbers showed him it was 3:16 a.m. The faint glow also showed him the perfect symmetry of Hannah’s smooth back, the sheet rumpled low on her hip. She lay half on her stomach, half on her side, the small of her back an erotic shadow.
He resisted the urge to run his hand along the curve of her hip. As tempting as she was, he didn’t want to wake her. He had another need to tend to first.
The door to the bathroom was in the short hall that led from the bedroom to the living room, but he couldn’t remember which door. He leaned into the first room he came to and found the light switch.
Not the bathroom, but Hannah’s office. He hadn’t seen it earlier, so he paused to glance around. It always fascinated him to see the details of someone else’s life, someone else’s home. Hannah, he saw, was neither incredibly neat—as made apparent by the languishing Starbuck’s cup and the flurry of green and pink Post-it Notes decorating the wall near her desk—nor astonishingly messy—evidenced by the neatly labeled file cabinets and stacked trays.
He turned to flick off the light, and that was when he saw the poster.
Mentally, he did the math, and realized she’d probably had it all those years ago when they’d first met. It was worn around the edges, but lovingly framed. It was, he mused, worth a fortune. Pity he didn’t have a few copies lying around his attic.
He scanned the poster with an impartial eye. He’d been younger then, and his career had just been taking off. He’d been caught up in the wonder of it, of being able to share his music with such a wide audience. The money hadn’t been a bad side effect, either. It was what he’d done with it. Tossing away a frightening amount on women and drugs. Lost in his own sense of self-importance.
