Lone Star Secrets

by Cat Schield

  Did he not want her? Was he gripped by regrets? Maybe she wasn’t good enough. Pretty enough. Desirable enough.

  And just as she reached a crisis of insecurity the likes of which she hadn’t felt since high school, he grabbed the lapels of her pajama top and ripped it wide-open. She gave a sharp gasp. The abrupt move held desperation and shocked her to her toes. But the sight of his dilated pupils and flared nostrils quieted her brief spike of anxiety.

  “Will?”

  “Dear Lord, what are you wearing?”

  Despite the paralyzing self-doubt she’d been feeling moments ago, her lips twisted in a wry smirk. “Your pajamas.”

  “Not those. I’m talking about this.” His fingertips dusted across the lace covering the upper swell of her breast, setting her skin to tingling. “Have you had this on all night?”

  Megan couldn’t help herself. She let loose a breathy laugh. “Yes. You didn’t seriously think I put it on so I could come in here and seduce you, did you?”

  “A guy can hope.” He tore his attention from her breasts and met her gaze. One corner of his lips kicked up.

  “Well, okay,” she conceded. “Maybe I had you in mind when I got dressed tonight.”

  He hummed in appreciation. “Tell me more.”

  “You make me feel sexy all the time. It’s not anything I’m used to and I don’t really know what to do about it.”

  “I guess then we’re even because I’m taking cold showers at least twice a day.” He cupped her face in his hands. “And I don’t know what to do about it, either.”

  “Maybe we should stop fighting and go with it.”

  “That sounds like a great idea to me.”

  She tugged at his shirt, freeing it from his waistband, desperate to run her palms along his bare skin. He shuddered as she skimmed her fingers along his abs, riding the waves of hard muscle, and she smiled as his teeth nipped at the sensitive joining of her neck to her shoulder. She gulped in air, her protesting lungs warning her that long moments had passed where she’d forgotten to breathe.

  Will skimmed his hands up her rib cage, claiming each bump and dip until he reached the underside of her breasts. Megan was almost afraid to move. She certainly wasn’t going to speak. But a small noise rumbled in her throat, a moan of need and longing she couldn’t contain. As if that tiny sound was all he’d been waiting for, Will eased his fingers over her breasts and claimed them.

  Megan pushed into his hands, driving her lower half into him, rocking against the hardness restrained by his zipper. Words were beyond her, so she used her body to communicate everything she was feeling.

  Will’s mouth found hers again. His tongue plunged deep before retreating and diving back in once more. At the same time he bent and gripped the back of her thighs, hoisting her off her feet and moving her deeper into the room.

  Megan wrapped her arms around his neck and let her knees fall open so that by the time he settled her on the bed, his erection was tight against where she needed him most.

  Mindlessly determined, her hands stroked over him, plucking at his shirt buttons, tugging at his belt, needing him naked. Steely muscles tightened and relaxed beneath her ministrations. Everywhere she touched him drove her longing higher.

  When they’d made love the last time, they’d come together in a raw, frantic coupling that had been about loss and the need to offer solace to each other. This time Megan’s hunger didn’t feel any less frenzied but, having spent these weeks with Will, she wanted more than a quick tumble into his bed followed by a banquet of recrimination.

  Almost as if he sensed where her thoughts had taken her, Will once again eased away. His fingertips, firm and even a little rough on her flesh until now, trailed sweetly down her cheek and across her passion-bruised lips.

  “Will?”

  Megan stared at his face, desperate to discern his thoughts, but found his expression inscrutable. A muscle jumped in his jaw, mirroring the tension in his body as his gaze moved over her features with a fondness that drove a spike through Megan’s heart. She wanted to cry out, demand that he not look at her like that unless he meant it, but feared that her words might push him away. Instead, she brushed aside the narrow straps of her bra and reached behind her to unfasten the hooks.

  The black lace fell from her breasts, igniting emerald fire in Will’s eyes. She thrilled that he wanted her and at this moment didn’t care if she was merely a convenient woman in his bed.

  “I need to taste you,” Will murmured, lowering his lips to her neck.

  “Oh, please do.”

  If she thought she was turned on before, Megan was about to discover how badly she’d misjudged because as Will stroked his tongue over her nipple, she went up in flames.

  * * *

  As he drew Megan’s nipple into his mouth, Will’s muscles contracted, his body tightening with need that pushed him to the brink of pain. He guided her backward, easing her down until her spine rested on the mattress. All the while he danced his fingers over her flesh, forging a trail for his mouth, divesting her of the blue pajama top.

  She quivered beneath his touch, her hands busy with an exploration of his shoulders and face. Chest heaving with each ragged breath, Will marveled at her luscious form. All too often in the last few days he’d found himself struggling to maintain his distance. Tonight that wasn’t going to be a problem.

  “You are gorgeous,” he growled. Mouth dry, he guided black silk over her hips as his lips grazed the flat planes of her belly.

  Damn, she was incredible. Her smooth skin was a beacon for his lips, hands and tongue. He couldn’t wait to taste every inch of her. Before hooking his fingers into her panties and stroking the fabric down her thighs, he molded the curve of her hip with his palm, thumb skimming along the sensitive skin beside her belly button. She gasped and trembled, her eyes squeezing shut as she tipped her pelvis, pushing into his touch.

  “I love the way you respond to me,” he said, playing his fingers over her torso.

  She shuddered, her breasts shifting with each quavering breath. “Your touch makes me feel things I’ve never known.”

  Her words intensified the ache that always assailed him whenever she was near. Will leaned down to brush his lips across her inner thigh. The scent of her drove him wild. An intoxicating blend of feminine arousal and the signature floral scent that incorporated shampoo, lotion and perfume. It spoke to a primal part of him.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet,” he promised, drawing his tongue along her skin, delighting in every impassioned whimper issuing from her parted lips.

  “I can’t wait,” she replied, throwing her arms above her head in an overture of surrender. The move stretched her lean body, thrusting her breasts forward as she yielded like a willing sacrifice.

  Will was happy to accept all she offered and pledged that no woman would be as sweetly plundered as Megan tonight. As fast as he was able, Will divested himself of the rest of his clothes. Dipping into his nightstand drawer, he pulled out a handful of condoms and scattered them across the mattress. Megan had lifted onto her elbows to watch him strip and now arched an eyebrow.

  “Ambitious,” she remarked, her gaze chasing the foil packets as they bounced and skidded in all directions.

  He merely answered with a bold grin as he stepped out of his boxer briefs before easing onto the mattress and between her legs. He kissed the inside of her knee and trailed his tongue up her inner thigh, noticing her shaky exhale as he skipped past her hot center and deposited a series of kisses around her belly button.

  Her beautiful breasts begged for his attention and he obliged, lashing his tongue over her hard nipples and making her moan. Ever since their night together, he’d been dreaming of sucking the tight points into his mouth and delighting in the telling hitch in her breath.

  Fierce, frantic emotions spilled through him. Excitement. Arousal. Fear. L
onging. Each raced beneath his skin, the tumult making him growl. His gaze raked over her naked body, devouring her tempting curves then returning to her flushed face. Her eyes were open, lids heavy as she watched him.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, meeting her smoky gaze.

  She smiled dreamily as he palmed her breast and rolled her tight nipple between his fingers, tweaking gently to make her pant. Her hips rocked and her thighs shifted restlessly.

  “That you know how to drive a girl crazy.”

  “How crazy?” He wanted her desperate and needy.

  “To the point that it hurts, I ache so bad for you.”

  He liked the sound of that and trailed his fingers down her body. Skimming across her hip, he cupped her butt in his hand and lifted her until she rested tight against him.

  “I ache for you, too,” he declared, ignoring the relentless need building with each second.

  “Then what are we waiting for?”

  “I need to taste you first.”

  “So taste.”

  Her impatience made him smile. He set his mouth on her again and savored her muted moans that washed over him as he swirled his tongue against her slick, heated core. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as her breath shifted into a faster, irregular rhythm. Sucking hard, he grazed the perfectly groomed strip of hair above her sex and then curved his hand and slipped his fingers into her slick, feminine heat.

  Hot and wet.

  It was the sweetest torture to listen to the soft, impassioned noises she emitted and try to maintain his tightly coiled restraint.

  “Will.” She huffed out his name and tipped her hips to facilitate his intimate touch.

  Her body strained as he slipped his fingers through her wetness, bracing for the instant he made contact with her clit. He shifted higher on the mattress and brought his mouth into contact with hers. He pushed his tongue past her lips even as he slid one finger inside her. Her tight, wet walls closed around his finger as he stroked in and out, driving her close, so close. She shuddered and rocked into his hand, writhing for him, pleading, panting.

  “Make me come.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Please... Will. Please.”

  Her body grew to bow-string tautness and he played her like a master. Any second and she would come apart for him. Only this wasn’t how he wanted her to climax. He had a much different plan for that.

  Slowing his pace, he kissed his way down her body, feeling as well as hearing her groan of dismay as he eased her back from the brink of an orgasm.

  “Patience,” he commanded, sliding his shoulders between her thighs and opening her wide.

  Using his thumbs, he spread her folds and inhaled the scent of her. Hot, slick heaven awaited him, but he took his time adjusting his breathing, listening to her agitated pants as she anticipated what he intended to do.

  “What—?”

  He interrupted her question by applying a small amount of pressure to her clit. She bit down on her hand, blocking a cry even as her hips bumped forward, eager for more contact. Gathering her butt in his palms, he drew his tongue along her center, holding her tight as her hips jerked in reaction.

  Incoherent words spilled from her lips as he set the flat of his tongue against her clit, feeling it twitch as he licked her. Last time they’d been together, he hadn’t had the chance to get to know her like this, plying her with varying flicks and strokes to see what she liked best.

  Her head was thrashing side to side, hips moving restlessly as she rubbed herself against his mouth. Her actions turned him on, drove him on. Too hard. Too fast. Before he realized what he’d done, her breath stopped as she reached the brink. And then she exploded. Shaking, keening, rocked by the pleasure he’d brought her, Megan climaxed with all the power of a sun going nova.

  And Will watched it all happen, humbled and enthralled that she’d given herself over to him and to the gratification he could provide.

  “That was amazing,” she murmured as he came to lie beside her. “I’ve never...”

  “Never?” he teased, his body screaming for release. Will stroked a damp strand of hair away from her face and smiled down at her.

  “Well, yes, I mean, I’ve done that before. But it’s never felt like that before.”

  He chuckled as he reached for a foil packet. To his surprise, she sat up and plucked the condom from his hand, sliding it on him with eager dexterity. Sheathed, he rolled her beneath him and kissed her deeply. She bent her knees and shifted so he lay between her thighs, his erection pressing against her soft core.

  Tongues tangling, Will stroked his fingers over her body, starting the process of arousing her all over again. She was quick to respond, her teeth nipping at his lower lip, hand reaching between them to caress his hot, hard length. He ground his teeth to stop himself from slamming into her.

  “I need you with me,” he said.

  The last time they’d come together, it had been wild and hot. They’d both been in search of oblivion, fleeing pain and loss. He was looking for a connection this time.

  “I’m right here.”

  “Not just your body.” He set his hand beside her shoulder on the mattress and pushed his weight off her. “But also your mind. Be here, in the moment.”

  Her hands came up to cradle his cheek while her eyes met his in soft understanding. “You’re crazy if you think I’m anything less than one hundred percent yours.” Her voice wavered in a manner that told him the admission frightened her and, by the last word, fell to a mere whisper as she finished, “There’s no one else.”

  Satisfied that she meant every word, he leaned down and sucked her lower lip between his, running his tongue along the delicate flesh. Their breaths blended and quickened as they gave themselves over to desire.

  He entered her in a long, smooth thrust that claimed her inch by torturous inch. The prolonged slide of flesh against flesh, as her snug inner muscles slowly enveloped him, challenged his mastery of the situation. Yet even as his nerves screamed at him to slam into her as deep as he could go, Will resisted the frenzy assault on his willpower.

  But as her inner muscles clamped down on him, he felt his emotions tearing free beneath the onslaught of pleasure. He clenched his jaw and held tight to his slipping restraint. Her tightness and heat felt so good around him. The wet friction made his steady withdrawal torturous. Worse was her shattering response, the delicious keening torn from her lips, as he pushed forward with another full-length thrust into her impossibly tight body.

  “Yes,” she moaned as he drove hilt-deep, his body claiming hers. “Again.”

  As if he needed encouragement to repeat the mind-blowing movement.

  Mine.

  The thought popped into his head even as he pumped forward once more. She bore his name. Belonged to him. No matter that she’d fallen for Rich’s masquerade.

  Her lips parted as she panted in pleasure, body quaking as she climbed higher. She clutched at his back, her nails driving into his skin, communicating her hunger.

  The minor pain drove him on. He changed the angle of his thrusts, taking himself deeper. His pace quickened as need seared his body. He didn’t grasp that he’d closed his eyes until a wild sound burst from her lips and he realized he was no longer watching her reaction. Recognizing the flush and focused tension in her face, he knew she was close.

  “Come for me, sweet Megan,” he crooned, tangling his fingers in her hair and tugging until her lashes lifted and her wide blue eyes locked with his. “Come hard for me.”

  And then she was going off like a rocket, her release a thing of beauty that inspired his awe like nothing had ever done in his life.

  “Will.” His name on her lips was part exultation, part prayer. “Oh, Will...”

  As much as he wanted to be with her at this moment, Will held back so he could watch and savor. He continued hi
s steady strokes, drawing out her climax as wave upon wave of pleasure shattered her. Despite his own need pulsing insistently inside him, Will waited until he’d wrung every last thread of pleasure from her body before he let himself go.

  Eight

  Flat on his back, heart thundering in the wake of their explosive passion, Will rolled his head in Megan’s direction in time to catch her knuckling a tear from the corner of her eye.

  “What is it?” he demanded, searching her expression. “Did I hurt you?”

  She buried half her face in the crook of her arm before replying. “No.”

  He tugged at her arm, needing to see her whole face. “Then why the tears?”

  “You can’t possibly understand what it’s like...” Her voice had thickened with each word until speech failed her.

  He noticed her throat working and wondered what had gone wrong in the seconds between her climax and this moment. “Help me understand.”

  “I’m just so happy right now.”

  At her words, Will’s emotions soared and then dipped.

  “Most people smile when they’re happy,” he said, pulling her closer, striving to keep his tone light.

  Despite her assurances, his chest ached. He kissed salty wetness from her cheeks, unsure how to reassure this beautiful, complex woman.

  “It scares me,” she said.

  “Being happy scares you?”

  She burrowed her nose against his shoulder, once again hiding her expression. “I’m not afraid of being happy, but of how I’ll feel when it stops.”

  “Why does it need to stop?”

  “We live in complicated times.”

  Her reluctance to let him glimpse her face warned him there was more to her fear than her tone revealed. She had something important to tell him, something that was eating away at her. Earlier that night they’d confronted their playacting and agreed that the danger they found themselves in had led to confusion about what was real.

  Now that Megan was echoing his earlier concerns that their current intimacy had an expiration date, Will found himself all the more determined to tread carefully. There was no reason to think they couldn’t enjoy each other’s company both in bed and out of it as long as they both understood that it might not—probably wouldn’t—go anywhere.