What she wanted—craved—to hear was him shattering, coming apart and losing that control he seemed to cherish so much. Just the thought of rendering him mindless sent white lightning surging through her veins.
She grasped his thighs, her greedy mouth and tongue clinging, enjoying every gasp and jerk he made. Only the bittersweet pain throbbing at the roots of her hair as he forced her head farther back awoke her from the depths of ecstasy that had gripped her.
His grip loosened. “Baby.” He dragged air into his lungs like it was the most difficult thing to do, before he released it slowly and continued to speak. “Come here.”
Helping her to stand on rubbery legs, he supported her by pulling her into his embrace. Their mouths were so close. When they fused together, he kissed her as if she were the only woman on this earth. Lips so soft—yet firm. His mouth devoured her as his tongue left no place untouched.
Tess gave back with a hunger to match his. Her tongue slipped into his mouth. Tasted. Captured the moan that rose in the back of his throat.
When they parted on a gasp, he rubbed his stubbled cheek against hers. “I want to fuck you until you can’t breathe. Until you feel me on every inch of your body—inside and out.”
The resolution in his voice made her tremble. With each inhale and exhale, her nipples rasped his chest and set her heartbeat to drum in her ears. She couldn’t wait—didn’t want to wait.
“Promise,” she hissed.
“Yes.” Fuck. Yes.
The burning desire in her eyes nearly undid Clancy. His cock thrust eagerly against her hip, aching with the need to be buried deep inside her. He started to shuffle them toward the couch, but his jeans around ankles stopped him. He cursed, glancing down at his feet.
She giggled, the soft sound so innocent and sweet it squeezed his chest. He released her. “How ’bout I take these damn things off and you do the same?” He didn’t have to ask her twice. While she undressed, he fished a condom out of his pocket and donned it.
Within seconds she stood before him as naked as he. Once again he found himself spellbound, unable to touch her. She was perfection. Too good for the likes of him.
“Are you sure?” His jaws tightened.
She cocked a brow, and then placed a warm palm against his chest. With her sight locked on his, she took a step forward, pushing him backward until the back of his knees struck the couch. Then she gave him a shove. He fell upon the soft cushion. Without speaking, she straddled him, lowering herself so that her moist heat cradled him.
“Does this answer your question?”
Blood rushed to his groin, forcing his teeth together. He couldn’t have responded even if he wanted to.
As she leaned in to him, he fought to calm his arousal. When her mouth closed on his throat and she sucked, long and hard, he had no doubt she left her mark on him. The thought elicited a groan from him. Then her teeth scored him, the sharp nip playful and seductive at the same time. A burst of pleasure filled his veins and coursed through his body. He raised his hips and she began to rock against him.
Her hot core caressed and teased him to the point he couldn’t hold back. He grasped her hips and raised her. Controlling her movements, he rubbed her clit across his dick once, twice. Her ragged moan urged him to do it one more time before he eased her down upon his shaft. Inch by delicious inch, he pushed into her tight, wet pussy, until he was seated deep inside.
He slowly lifted her, feeling her glide like silk over him. As he eased her back down, he held his breath. Damn. He had never felt anything so fuckin’ good. He repeated the process, again and again. When her fingernails dug into his shoulders and her pupils darkened, he held their bodies together and rotated his hips. Her lips parted on a cry. Her breathing was short, airy pants, and then her inner muscles clamped down on him and squeezed.
From out of nowhere a tremor raced up his spine like a high-speed elevator going upward at the same time a blissful sensation released a wave of pleasure that built at the base of his penis. The head of his cock became so sensitive he nearly lost it a couple of times.
Holding on by the skin of his teeth, he sought the bundle of nerves between her thighs. He stroked, moving his fingers in a light circular motion that made her gasp.
A flush of color spread across her cheeks. “Clancy!” Her hips moved wildly against him. Her breathing more pronounced.
He kept thrusting. Faster. Harder.
Her thighs tightened around his. “Oh.” Her body shivered. “God. Clancy. Oh Clancy.” A deep, wrenching moan followed her cries as pleasure washed over her.
As he watched a multitude of emotions ripple across her beautiful face, his own release rose like an imminent wave, nearly blinding him and throwing him into a world of sensations. His butt cheeks clenched, his anus clamped up, as a surge of electricity shot from his ass to his dick. The overwhelming pull gripped, contorted and twisted everything from his head to his toes. As his cock jerked and his seed burst free, an unexplainable energy coursed through him, leaving him feeling more sated then he had ever felt before.
She dissolved against his moist chest. Their flesh was slick and clammy. He rested his forehead in the curve of her neck, attempting to regulate his breathing, but she had done a job on him. Clancy knew he’d never be the same.
For several minutes they simply held each other. No one spoke. No one moved. When the coolness of the night swept over them and she shivered, he raised his head, holding her at arm’s length. Her rosy nipples beaded, small rises pimpled across her areolas, inviting him to warm them up.
“Cold?” He ran his palms up and down her bare arms, feeling her pebbling goose bumps. “If I had you at my place, you’d be buried beneath a mound of blankets. The least I can do is start a fire.” He glanced over at the hearth, dreading the knowledge he’d have to release her to do so.
“I—”
He didn’t like the concern waging in her eyes. “What?”
“As much as I’d like to continue this upstairs, I’m not sure when Levi and the girls will get home once they discover I’ve left the barbeque. I’d hate for them to find us in a compromising position.”
Damn. He’d forgotten all about her siblings, but she was right.
She placed her palms on each side of his neck, a smile twinkling in her eyes.
“What?”
She bit the right side of her bottom lip, fighting a grin. “Sorry,” she chuckled.
“Sorry? For what?”
“Uhm… I left a hickey.”
He glowed inside like a damn fool. “I’ll wear your mark proudly.”
“It’s not small. And—” She bit her bottom lip, again fighting a grin. “It’s already purple.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He pulled her to him. “Maybe I should return the favor.”
She laughed. “You can’t.” She struggled when he attempted to kiss her neck, but he held her tightly. When his mouth found the tender skin of her throat, she shrieked, “No! What would I say to the girls? Levi? My class?”
“Say that you had a wild night tumbling in the hay with a useless cowboy.” It was just an offhanded joke. Still she went rigid in his arms. “Tess?”
Her brows dipped. “Useless? No.” For longer than was comfortable, she studied him, hard. “I’ve seen shadows in your eyes, Clancy. Behind that bad boy persona, I see sadness. Why?”
With her still straddling his lap, they were too close for him to avoid her, even turn away. His pulse sped. Trapped. Staring into her eyes made him feel raw and exposed, vulnerable. His chest ached. But what made it difficult to breathe was the knowledge that he had finally dared to take a chance on a woman and push his past aside. After he confessed to the demons inside him, she would walk away. What woman wouldn’t?
“Talk to me. Please.”
“What is there to say? I come from defective genes.”
“Defective genes? I don’t understand.”
“My father, grandfather and great-grandfather, they were all t
he same. Mean as hell, drunks and abusers.” He shrugged, even as his throat narrowed with emotion. He tried to swallow, but like always it lodged midthroat making it hard to continue. “You see, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Her eyes grew misty.
Dammit. Clancy recognized sympathy when he saw it, because he’d seen it before in those who knew the truth, but he didn’t deserve Tess’s compassion, because he hadn’t taken the brunt of his father’s anger. Sure, his old man had knocked him around from time to time, especially when he attempted to protect his mother, who had been the true object of his father’s fury. He wasn’t able to save her any more than he could save himself.
“My mother didn’t leave on her own accord. She left before my father killed her.”
Tess’s expression of horror made his stomach clench. Then she did the unexpected. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
“I’m so sorry, Clancy.”
As she continued to murmur comforting words in his ear, he grabbed her wrists, peeling her away from him. “Tess, don’t you understand? I’m my father’s son.”
She slowly eased back, her arms dropping to her side. “What?” As she stared at him, his heart threatened to burst from his chest. “You can’t believe that.” When he didn’t speak, she shook her head. “This is what Jessie was talking about?”
“Jessie?” She couldn’t—wouldn’t have betrayed him. Not after all they had been through.
“She said that you don’t see yourself as a caring, loving man. Clancy, you are that and so much more. Look what you’re doing for Milo, for Julie, for me and my family.”
“Julie is a child. It was the right thing to do. And I haven’t done much for you and your family besides be a decent neighbor. Neighbors help neighbors.”
“That’s not true,” she said adamantly.
God help him, she had to understand. “You don’t know anything about me. What would you say if I told you that my sexual taste runs a little rough?”
She licked her lips. “How rough?”
“Remembered the D-links in my bedroom ceiling?” He paused, waiting for a response.
“Y-yes.”
“Would you let me blindfold you, bind your wrists, and do whatever I choose?” The image he painted of her in his mind made his softened cock firm. Since he remained partially inside her, her eyes widened at his bodily reaction.
Her chest rose and fell on heightened breaths. “Whatever you choose?”
“Hot and cold play. Ice. Wax. Nipple clamps. Paddles. Whips. Spurs.” When he cupped her ass she startled, but didn’t show disgust. Slowly he pulled her cheeks apart, before he ran a finger between them to her anus. “I’d take you here.” He applied pressure against the puckered skin.
Tess gasped. Her breathing more pronounced.
Shit. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was aroused. When her nipples beaded and she softened into him, he knew he was in trouble.
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Don’t you know it’s dangerous to put yourself in that position with someone you don’t know? That’s why the ménages. I don’t trust myself.”
She leaned so close that their lips brushed his. “But I trust you.”
Every tendon and muscle in his body tightened. “Dammit, Tess, you shouldn’t.”
Chapter Sixteen
Naked and straddling Clancy’s hips as he described the vileness that had raged through the male population of his family should have scared Tess. Instead trepidation and excitement collided inside her. If she hadn’t firsthand witnessed how caring Clancy could be, how tenderly he made love, she would be screaming and running for the hills. But Jessie was right. Clancy was a man worthy of love, if he only believed it.
“So what would you say if I told you that I fantasize of being bound and taken by a strong man, one who knows what he wants? Who takes what he wants.” Just the thought of allowing him to dominate her sent her heart racing.
“Damn you, Tess.” He sank back against the couch as if he attempted to put distance between them. “You’re making this hard.”
She glanced down where their bodies came together. “Yes. It is.” The musky scent of their lovemaking surrounded them.
The vein running down his forehead protruded. He growled, low and long, before he brutally smashed his mouth over hers. Their teeth clinked, his tongue pushing between her lips to ravish her. If he was trying to frighten her, this was a helluva way, with his cock buried inside her while he kissed her mindlessly.
His large hands smoothed up her back, until one tangled in her hair. He yanked her head back, breaking their caress and exposing her neck to him. She half expected him to give her a hickey. Instead he trailed featherlight kisses down her neck, chest, pulling on her hair to force her back to arch into him.
Gliding a palm over a breast, he teased a nipple with his fingers and then squeezed with enough pressure that she gasped at the pleasure-pain radiating through the globe. Then he replaced his thumb and index finger with his moist mouth, flattening his tongue against the hardened peak and flicking it several times before he began to suck. Her eyes closed in ecstasy, springing open when he pinched the other nipple, hard.
Every pore in her body ignited into flames. Desire pooled between her thighs, her arousal soaring as if it had wings.
“Clancy.” His name came out a breathy plea.
“Do you like this, darlin’? Like a little pain with your lovin’?”
She thrust her hips back and forth. The movement rubbed her clit against him as his cock stroked the back of her pussy. A handful of spasms burst in all directions, taking her closer and closer to where she wanted to be.
“Yes. God. Yes.” She staggered on the verge of release when bright car lights beamed through the parted living-room curtains. “Crap! They’re home.” As she sprung from Clancy’s lap, she almost fell back. “Oh. Shit. Shit. Shit.” His fingers were still wound in her hair. Frantically they worked to untangle themselves. When they were successful, both of them moved at once.
As she snatched up her clothes and shoes, Clancy did the same.
“You take the hall bathroom.” She was already running for her bedroom when she heard a car door slam. She stepped into her room, turning to lock the door behind her. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it would leap from the walls of her chest. When the doorknob twisted, rattled, she nearly swallowed her tongue.
“Tess?” Rose’s muffled voice bled from beneath the door. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’m just changing my clothes.”
“Why?”
“Because I sat in something at the Peterson’s.” The lie came easily, but she still hung her head in shame.
“Clancy’s truck is outside. Where is he?”
He’s naked, hiding in the hall bathroom.
“Hell, I don’t know. Try the kitchen or bathroom.” She regretted barking at her sister the second the snippy words left her mouth. Taking a breath to steady herself, she added, “Keep him occupied. I’ll be out in a minute.” Then she tossed her clothes in a corner of the room and hurried toward her closet.
After donning a fresh pair of jeans and a soft, thin, pink sweater, she glanced at the clock and noted that it was only seven thirty. Her siblings must have been worried about her. That alone made her feel horrible. As she exited her bedroom, she heard laughter coming from the living room. Clancy fit in with her family. In fact, he seemed to fit everywhere. Only he couldn’t see the truth.
Dressed and wearing his Stetson, Clancy stood when she walked into the room. When he raised his gaze to meet hers, mischief danced in his eyes. She couldn’t help grinning. They had almost gotten caught. Not to mention, he was so good looking. She wanted to go to him, put her arms around him, but she didn’t.
“Ready?” Levi got to his feet, their sisters following.
“Ready?” Tess repeated.
He shot a questioning look at Clancy and then back at her.
“W
e’re going back to the Peterson’s,” Clancy clarified. “You’re riding with me.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He stepped forward and placed a palm at the small of her back. His touch spread warmth throughout her. For a moment she marveled at how things had changed so quickly between them. One minute she was cursing him, the next screwing him.
As they walked out of house and headed to his truck, he never stopped touching her. If Levi or her sisters noticed, they didn’t show it. The three of them seemed self-absorbed, even excited, laughing and chatting, apparently eager to get back to the barbeque. She watched as they got into her brother’s vehicle and pulled away.
When she turned around, Clancy had the passenger side door open. She climbed inside and he shut the door before moving to the other side and sliding behind the wheel.
He started the engine. “You’re smiling.”
Was she?
Midway through buckling her seatbelt she paused. “It just dawned on me that this is my brother and sisters’ first real show of happiness since before the funeral.”
He shifted the truck in gear and the truck began to move. “And what about you?”
“I’m beginning to think our move to San Antonio was a good decision.”
Growing quiet, he pulled onto the street. “Tess, we should probably discuss this thing between us.”
Not tonight. For the next couple of hours she wanted to be carefree and throw caution to the wind. She wanted to dance and sing and if the opportunity arose, make love to the sexy cowboy sitting next to her.
“Fine, but not this evening. Tonight is about fun.” She reached over and turned up the radio and Tim McGraw’s voice filled the cabin.
“Fun?” A boyish grin spread across Clancy’s handsome face. “I can do fun.”
He was a man of his words.
The second his truck stopped behind another one in front of the Peterson’s, he reached over the console, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Not a friendly peck, but one that held strength and desire and a promise of something better to come.
A bang against the window tore them apart. Tess jerked her gaze around to come eye to eye with her brother and he didn’t look happy. Face beet-red, he scowled.
Bound by an Angel Page 15
