“Yes!” they cried in unison.
“Burn! Burn!” Her passage gripped him then began convulsing.
An electric charge ten times greater exploded through him and he went rigid as stars flashed behind his closed lids. “Aa! Aa!”
When her walls released him, he slumped, spent. She drew him down, but he didn’t want to crush her. He withdrew and dropped to the covers beside her.
“Holy fuck,” he whispered. “You’re blinking amazing, you are.”
She cleared her throat. “I’ve read books and talked to people, but nothing prepared me for that. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done.”
Grinning, he rolled to his back. He removed the condom, tied a knot in it, and threw it into the bathroom where it landed atop the washcloth. “Are you okay?”
“Better than okay.” She curled into his side and rested her head on his chest. “I expected it to hurt, but it didn’t.”
“Good.” He stretched his arm down her slender back and let his hand settle atop her smooth hip. “Tell me, how does a beauty like you go twenty-four years without having sex?”
“I’m not really a beauty. I was skinny and awkward in high school, plus we never stayed anywhere long enough for me to get involved with anyone. In college, I was driven. I was on academic scholarship, so I had to maintain a high grade point average to stay qualified. There were a few girls I studied with, but no boys. I couldn’t afford the distraction.”
“I can’t believe you were never asked on dates.”
“I was asked. My answer was always no.”
* * *
Dawn light bled through the bedroom’s open door as Kendel woke. She still lay in Burn’s arms atop the covers on her bed. Taking a minute to fully gain consciousness, she replayed last night’s pleasures.
He’d blown her away. His gentleness. His care. Then his expertise and control. He’d known what to do and when. He’d shown her true ecstasy.
More than ever, she stood to lose her heart to this man. If she hadn’t already. The very thought of packing her suitcases and leaving brought tears to her eyes.
Blinking rapidly, she slowly extricated her leg from between his and rolled from the bed. She used the toilet then donned her robe and headed toward the kitchen. As she approached his closed bedroom door, however, she halted.
He’d told her he no longer hated her, and he said he believed she wouldn’t tell his secrets. Surely he wouldn’t mind if she went into his room now.
Before she could change her mind, she turned the knob and swung his door wide. The sight of so many lions made her catch her breath, and she staggered a step. The twelve he’d taken to Korea were not a fraction of his collection.
He had lion slippers, bedspread, and pillows. A painting of lions in tall grass hung on one wall. Two floor-to-ceiling bookcases displayed easily a hundred toys, figurines, and a number of showy pieces he’d clearly paid a lot to acquire.
His room was easily three times the size of hers, yet lions occupied half the space. She moved further into the room and caught sight of something from the corner of her eye that made her jump. In the corner, behind the door, sat a full-sized white statue. Putting a hand to her racing heart, she shook her head and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. She stared out the window above the sink. It looked hot outside already. Somehow, the sunny heat sapped the magic out of Christmas morning.
Or maybe it was the knowledge that she’d be leaving tomorrow.
“Happy Christmas,” Burn said in a hoarse voice. Still naked, he came and took her in his embrace. “How’s your hand?”
She inspected it. Because it hadn’t bothered her, she hadn’t given it a thought. The medicine must’ve done more good than she expected. Other than some slight bruising that had traveled along her hand toward her wrist, she couldn’t tell she’d done anything to it.
She couldn’t steel her heart from softening. He bypassed handsome and went straight to devastating.
“I noticed my bedroom door is open,” he said and kissed the top of her head.
“Are you upset at me?”
“Over that duff? Not after last night.”
“Duff?”
“You know. Junk. Rubbish.”
Kendel set her glass in the sink and turned in his arms. “Those lions aren’t junk. You wouldn’t have so many if they were.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I do have them left, right and center, don’t I? Maybe I am a nesh wimp, but I did warn you I’ve always been a bit of a nerdy bloke.”
“Does the word obsession mean anything to you?” she teased and kissed his beard-roughened chin.
He chuckled. “If you’re not otherwise engaged, may I request your presence in the bedroom?”
“Which one? Mine or the Serengeti?”
He lightly smacked her rear then gave it a squeeze. “I could simply take you on the kitchen island like I’d intended last night, but I fear you may yet be too tender for such rough play.”
Instant arousal had moisture spreading through her crease. He’d made her ready and throbbing merely by planting an image in her mind. She wondered if she could do the same.
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe I should bend over right here, and you could test my tenderness with your tongue.” She blinked innocently at him.
His penis hardened enough to apply pressure on her stomach. “Damn, woman. If not for the stain on your bedspread, I might not believe you were a virgin last night.”
A stain. She hadn’t thought to check this morning. Curious, she let him play-chase her to her room. Sure enough, a brownish red spot marked the place where their bodies had joined.
A twinge of guilt pricked her gut. Part of her had wanted to save this most precious gift for the man who would love her forever. Burn might hurt when she left, but he had plenty of beautiful women who would willingly help him get over her.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. It would be fine. They would both be fine. They’d enjoy this Christmas with each other, and tomorrow she would go.
He removed her robe and skimmed his fingertips over her ass then up her back as he nuzzled her neck. His scruff scraped her sensitized skin, and she hummed approval. Sending both of his hands into her hair, he gently yanked her head back and claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss.
Damn, the man went beyond sexy when he manhandled her. She wouldn’t have guessed she would like it, but he did it in a way that heightened her need. She moaned into his mouth.
She pulled him by the shoulders, backing toward the bed, but when she reached it, he broke the kiss and turned her.
“You wanted to bend, baby, I’ll bend you.” Planting his palm between her shoulder blades, he pushed her over the bed.
“Be gentle with me,” she said, bracing her hands on the bedspread.
“Always.” When he didn’t do anything, she glanced over her shoulder. He finished rolling on a condom then put its tip to her eager opening. Her body seemed to shift deep inside, as if readying for his length.
He entered her fully in a single plunge, and she cried out at the intense pleasure. Stretching fullness catapulted her near to orgasm. He took one of her hands and placed it on her mons.
“Find your clit, love,” he said near her ear as he grasped both her breasts and began working her nipples.
She did as he instructed, closing her eyes as currents of pure pleasure arced from his fingers straight to her womb. A tight pressure began to build.
Then he moved inside her. Tiny jerking strokes that kept him deep inside yet lit her on fire. She tried to rub her clit, but her blood had turned to lava, and all she could focus on were his hips and what he did to her breasts.
He made her want more. Release didn’t come quickly enough, so she rocked back into him on his next three thrusts, intensifying his depth.
“You want it harder, love?”
“Yes. God, yes!”
He let go of her breasts and caressed her taut derriere. “You’ve got a topnot
ch ass, Kendel.”
He grasped her hips and withdrew to her opening then drove into her.
“Yes!” she cried on a relieved sob as her pleasure increased tenfold.
He did it again and again, each time faster until he pounded into her. His testicles kissed her clit each time he drove his length home.
The tightness grew unbearable, and she clenched her teeth while grabbing handfuls of bedspread. Without warning, the tightness released like a spring, flinging her into an ecstasy so consuming she lost the world. Lost herself. Sort of went to a billion pieces for a split second.
She hung suspended in time, in bliss, with Burn’s name screaming in her voice throughout the universe. Then she reassembled on a gasping inhale.
“Kendel, my God. Fuccckkk!” He went rigid, and she felt him buck inside her. Then he folded atop her.
His arms came around her, and he placed a soft kiss on her nape.
“Burn?” she said, unsure.
“Gorgeous, you rock my world.”
“You rock my Christmas.”
Chuckling, he withdrew and urged her onto the bed. He joined her a moment later and gathered her close.
He still smelled good, his cologne having somehow managed to last through the night and two rounds of intercourse.
Snuggling closer, she closed her eyes and said, “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”
“Kendel,” he said in a quiet, deep voice. “I’ve never said that to anyone in my life.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Kendel, wake up.” Burn rubbed a towel on his freshly washed hair and shook her shoulder. She looked so delicious he wanted to take her again, but she needed time to recover.
The scent of sex hung thick in the air of her room, and he smiled. With Alexandria and Wendy, he’d been drunk, high, or both when it came to getting nasty. Probably why he’d considered it nasty. Kendel, however, made sex beautiful. He’d never had better, and he suspected intimacy with anyone else would never compare.
Down the hall, his phone pinged, and he left her to check his text. Jay had issued an invitation to Christmas brunch, and he’d accepted. In his room, his phone showed Jay’s response. He and Kendel needed to arrive at the drummer’s house in an hour and bring orange juice.
He chose a pair of boxer briefs from his dresser and returned to her room. She sat on one hip, her legs folded and the sheet covering only her breasts. Her hair appeared a little wild, proof he’d had his hands in it more than a few times, and her eyes had a lazy, sleepy quality.
Sensuality emanated from her like a beacon he couldn’t resist. Tossing his underwear at the foot of the bed as he passed, he went to her. He bent and kissed her, adoring the sweet smell of sleep that clung to her skin.
Her tongue touched his lips, requesting entry, at the same time her fingers curled around him. He inhaled a surprised breath as she created a pull of need in his loins. Parting his lips, he let her in. Their tongues began a stroking, rhythmic dance as her hand worked him to hardness.
He couldn’t deny her silent request. Breaking the kiss, he slid his fingers into her folds and found her swollen and wet. “We’re going to have to make it quick.”
“Just make it now,” she said, a seductive, needy glimmer in her large eyes.
Reluctantly, he pulled free of her hand and located the box of condoms. While he donned one, she settled back, spread her bent legs and held out her arms in welcome. Damn, the woman was sexy.
He crawled into position and entered her tight heat as she lifted and met him in a kiss. Her arms and legs entwined him. Her hips rose to match his increasing thrusts.
As they worked harder and faster, his pleasure climbing and the pressure building, he fought for breath. He had to end the kiss.
Her eyes met his, holding his gaze as her walls tightened around him. She parted her luscious lips on a silent cry, and her eyes went liquid.
On his elbows, he cupped her lovely face and surrendered to an overwhelming desire to let her absorb him. Every part of him. Her passage convulsed along his length, causing him to come with her, but he never lost eye contact with her. Even as his spine stiffened upon his explosive release. Her features reflected the pleasure-pain and effort of her own. Then he relaxed, and she closed her eyes.
The profound connection shook him, and he let her hold him until his breathing lessened and his heart slowed. Then it hit him.
For the first time, he’d made love.
* * *
Burn glanced at Kendel for the third time without saying anything, and it unnerved her. She gathered her still damp hair and twisted it over her shoulder. Readjusting the bag with a jug of orange juice between her feet, she asked, “Is there something on your mind?”
“No.” The light they approached turned yellow, and he accelerated through.
“Have I wished you a Merry Christmas today?”
A slow grin lifted the grim lines of his face. “Four times. Once in the kitchen and thrice in your bedroom.”
The memory of their Christmas activities started a dull throb of excitement, and she smiled. Would he always have her in a near state of readiness?
The direction of her thoughts stripped the smile from her. When had she begun planning a future with this man? Why would she? He didn’t fit in her dream. He couldn’t give her the security and stability she needed.
Sadness settled a lead weight into her chest, and she filled her lungs on a shaky breath, shifting her gaze out the window.
He drove them into the hills past huge mansions elaborately decorated for the holidays. At an iron gate, he entered a code then pulled onto an ochre-colored cobblestone courtyard and parked next to a water fountain at the center. She counted ten other cars and a motorcycle parked around the courtyard.
“You’re late,” said a slightly heavy and very curvaceous blonde who came from the house, her British accent thick. She met them halfway and hugged Burn. She took the orange juice from Kendel. “I’m Celeste, Jay’s wife. You must be Kendel. Come on in. We’re just now sitting down to eat.”
Inside, the young boy from Jay’s pictures ran in a happy circle then deeper into the house, shouting, “Kendel’s here! Burn’s here! Kendel’s here!”
Kendel smiled. “His name is Dale, right? He’s six? Your husband showed me pictures of him while we toured in Korea. He’s a good-looking boy.”
Celeste smiled and nodded then led the way through a large kitchen cluttered with evidence of a meal recently prepared. “We heard all about how you punched that snake in Korea. I think you’re his new hero. I think you’re everyone’s hero. How’s your hand?”
“Better, thanks.” It made her uncomfortable that they lauded her attack on that photographer. She’d acted in the heat of the moment and would certainly handle it differently given another chance. She gained no pride or satisfaction from her actions.
As if sensing her unease, Burn grazed fingertips between her shoulder blades. “Celeste, did you and Jay receive a call this morning from V’s da?”
She appeared almost stern. “We did. It’s past time for V to get clean. We’re in total support. How about you?”
He nodded, his mouth tense. “He’s on a self-destruct, and it has to stop. I told him that if V refuses to enter rehabilitation or checks out early, we’ll cancel the spring tour. This needs to happen.”
“We’re unanimous then. Good.” Celeste brushed a curl off Kendel’s shoulder. “You really have such pretty hair.”
She ran a self-conscious hand down the red polyester blouse and black pencil skirt from her business suit. Hopefully the red pumps she still had from last night’s party made her appear less stuffy. She eyed Burn’s black leather pants and black button-down under his black blazer then Celeste’s white lace dress. She held her breath.
Past the kitchen, conversation and laughter filled a long dining room. At least thirty people, some she recognized, sat at an impossibly long table laden with food.
“Kendel!” Air called and stood. He waved
a paper. “You made the cover of yesterday’s Rag Chat. Check it out.”
She let him hand her the paper, which featured a photo of her coming at the photographer’s camera, fist raised. Burn and Dan both appeared in the background. The caption read, Burn Shatterly’s newest lover out of control.
“It’s not true,” she said. Or, at least it wasn’t true at the time.
Her dismay must’ve translated into her expression because the room quieted.
“These stories are rarely true,” said Celeste, placing the orange juice next to a platter of various meats wrapped around a creamy white cheese.
“I think it’s cool,” said Dale, earning chuckles.
Jay waved them to two empty seats across from him. “Come join us. Don’t take it so hard. It’s codswollop. Everybody knows that.”
When Celeste settled to a chair between Jay and Dale, the boy climbed to his knees atop his chair cushion, a stricken look turning his innocent face comical. “No fair! I wanted Kendel to sit next to me.”
His mother shushed him and helped him sit properly.
Under the table, Burn took Kendel’s hand. Everyone’s joy and welcome in combination with his quiet support had her near to tears. She had always wanted friends like this. The kind of friendships that formed a sort of family where acceptance and open affection ruled. These people inspired a sense of closeness in her.
But these weren’t her friends. This wasn’t her family. This was the end to a job that had only lasted a week, and a once-in-a-lifetime fling that would only last a day.
Teasing and talk resumed as they began passing dishes and filling their plates. She tried to ignore the lode in her chest, but its weight refused to let her enjoy the moment. It irked her. She hadn’t intended to spend Christmas depressed. She didn’t want regrets.
After the meal, Air’s fiancée took her hand and led her to a pretty grassy area next to a swimming pool. They sat on lawn chairs and stared at ripples on the pool’s surface formed by a warm breeze.
“Doesn’t feel like Christmas, does it?” asked the woman.
Rock My Christmas (FlameSmith in Love Book 1) Page 13
