by Leah Brooke
Lana sucked in a breath at the feel of denim against the backs of her thighs, moaning when he pressed his cock against her bottom. “Yes!” It came out on a sob, the intimacy so far out of her realm that she struggled to accept it. “I love that you want me this way. I don’t want you to think about your other women tonight.”
J.W. stilled. “Lana, I—”
“Don’t. Please.” Lana tightened her hands on his. “I need this. I didn’t know it, but being with you this way…I don’t know how to explain it. I need this connection. I’m not asking for anything except tonight, but for tonight, can we just have this? No talk of another woman. Tonight, I just need to…pretend.”
Scraping his teeth over her shoulder, J.W. tightened his hands on hers. “Nothing in the world matters to me right now except taking you. There’s no pretending. This is real, Lana. The fucking house could burn down around us and I wouldn’t even notice. Yeah, Lana. Keep wiggling that ass against me. I’m not taking it tonight, but soon I’ll fuck you there.”
Lana giggled, nerves and happiness like little bubbles bursting in her veins. “That’s real romantic, J.W.”
Releasing her hands, he slid his under her to cup her breasts. “I’m not romantic. I want you too damned much. I already warned you that I’m raw and crude. It’s real between us, Lana.” Tugging at her nipples, he nibbled at her earlobe, immediately licking away the sting. “No offense, baby, but you don’t seem to mind it when you’re naked and under me. Romance is highly overrated as far as I’m concerned. Pretty words don’t mean anything. This does.”
Enjoying his teasing, she turned to look at him over her shoulder, surprised at the tension hardening his features. “J.W.? If you don’t want—”
Gazing into her eyes, he appeared to be about to say something, but then his eyes cleared and he smiled. “I’ve never in my life wanted anything more.”
Pressing her forehead against the pillow, she fisted her hands in the bedding, shaking harder when he slid his hands to her waist and used his lips and tongue on her back, working his way lower. “You’re gentler than I’d expected. So tender.”
The words slipped out, need and overwhelming sensations making it impossible to think clearly. Such tenderness from such a strong man proved so seductive, she didn’t stand a chance of resisting him.
Before she could think of something flippant to say to ease the sudden tense atmosphere, J.W. stilled and lifted his head.
* * * *
Her surprise made him wonder what type of men she was used to. “I won’t always be so gentle, but even when I’m rough, I won’t hurt you.”
Tightening his hands on her waist, J.W. continued his downward journey, thrilling at the feel of every soft inch against his lips and tongue.
Reaching down to unfasten his jeans and free his aching cock, he bent over her, searching her features. Seeing that she kept her eyes closed, he nipped her shoulder. “Look at me.”
She wanted to pretend, but for him, nothing had ever felt so real.
She shook so hard that he worried that she still was a little afraid of him, but one look into her eyes reassured him that she shook with need—not fear.
“I want to explore every inch of you.” He started his journey again, determined to know every one of her secrets.
Smiling, he paused at a particularly sensitive spot just above her bottom, licking and nibbling gently.
Pleased when she cried out and shook harder, he continued his journey, searching for every weak spot.
Her passion took him by surprise, so intense that he found himself occasionally pausing to calm her.
She writhed so hard and jolted as he explored her, and he didn’t want her to hurt herself.
She was far too thin and weaker than he’d expected, the effects of not eating enough and too little sleep, something he’d address as soon as possible.
Fighting to hide his anger, he caressed her, vowing to shower her with the tenderness she needed from him.
Savoring the taste of her, the silkiness of her skin against his, he ran his lips and tongue down her back and to her bottom, her response to every slide of his hands or brush of his lips a challenge to his control.
Unable to resist, he slid his hands to her hips, lifting them slightly and holding them steady while scraping his teeth over the lower curve of her bottom, knowing that she would be extra-sensitive there.
Smiling at her gasp, he tightened his hold when she began to rock her hips, his cock jumping when he slid a hand to her inner thighs and found them wet.
Straightening, he rolled her to her back and quickly covered her body with his, anxious to see her eyes again.
He was a sexual man, and had a healthy appetite, but he’d never felt such hunger.
He’d never experienced such closeness.
He could feel her, his connection with her more intense than with any other woman he’d ever known.
Cupping her cheeks, he lifted her face with his thumbs under her chin, studying her eyes.
Swallowing heavily at the trust and desire he found there, he slipped his cock between her thighs with a groan, sliding it slowly back and forth against her slit.
Encouraged by her cries of pleasure, and the warm, slick moisture that trickled from her and coated his cock, J.W. continued to rock his hips, teasing both of them.
“Fuck. I want to taste you before I take you. I want to use my mouth on you.” Slipping his thighs under hers, he changed the angle so that he could manipulate her clit with his thumb.
He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her, enthralled by the most beautiful and erotic woman he’d ever seen in his life.
Her face had become flushed with arousal, her soft, feminine cries of pleasure heightening his own sense of masculinity.
His cock throbbed with need for her, but gritting his teeth, he kept the strokes of his cock through her slit slow and even, the most incredible torture he could imagine.
Lana made him feel things he’d never felt before, but he didn’t take the time to consider what it would mean to his life.
He just knew that he wanted her.
Badly.
To his surprise, Lana shook her head, spreading her silky hair on his pillow and looking like his wildest fantasy come to life. Reaching for him with a smile of challenge, a smile that women had used for centuries to entice their men, she wrapped her legs around his hips, digging her heels into his ass and pulling him closer.
She thrust her hips at him, rocking them frantically. “Take me. Please. J.W., I need you. I need you to be inside me. I need to be closer. Please. Tonight I need to feel warm again.”
Fighting for control, J.W. cursed, bracing himself on his left hand while reaching with his right for the nightstand drawer. “Warm? I’ll give you hot! Easy. I need a fucking condom.” He glanced at her to make sure his raw, guttural tone hadn’t scared her, cursing again when she moved and his cock slipped into her. “Lana!”
“Please, J.W.!” She reached for him, tears of frustration trickling from the corner of her eyes.
The hot, tight feel of her on his cock nearly undid him.
At that moment no power on earth could stop him from taking her.
His fate—and hers—were sealed when she reached for him again, her eyes locking on his. “Please take me now. Please. Don’t make me wait anymore. I don’t know what to do for you.”
Although her last words confused him, he couldn’t fight both himself and her and deny what they both wanted.
Gritting his teeth, he slid deeper, her juices easing his way until he suddenly hit a barrier.
Stunned, he froze and stared down at her. “Lana?”
She can’t be a virgin!
A sob broke free and then another, her entire body stiff and bowed against his. “Please don’t make fun of me. Please don’t stop.”
“Make fun of you?” Offered a gift more precious than anything he could imagine, J.W. eased himself over her, holding her beautiful face between his hands. “Baby, are y
ou sure?”
“Yes. Please.” Sliding her hands into his hair, she tugged. “I need to feel closer. I need to feel wanted. Just for tonight. Please. Just for tonight.”
J.W. groaned, incredibly touched. Incredibly aroused.
Undeniably possessive.
“If I wanted you any more, baby, I’d explode. Hold on to my shoulders.” Sliding one hand beneath her head and the other under her bottom, he lifted her closer, staring into her eyes as he pushed through the barrier and thrust into her.
Her cry of pain tore through him like a knife, and he froze, not wanting to hurt her any more.
Remaining still was the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life, but the most important.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
The surge of tenderness toward her had him drawing her closer, groaning again when she began to move against him. “Easy, babe. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
Pounding his shoulders, she cried his name, the sound of her cry of need and desperation the most arousing sound he’d ever heard. “If you don’t move, I’ll die!”
Her cries echoed in his head, making it swim.
The scent of her wrapped around him, drawing him in, and he couldn’t stop touching her, his hands moving continuously over skin softer than velvet.
“J.W.? Please.”
With a groan, he gave in to her plea and his own hunger and began to move, his entire body tightening in the most exquisite pleasure he’d ever known.
Despite her cries and frantic writhing, he kept his strokes slow and even, promising himself that he’d soon have her in every way he could.
Ways that would shock her.
Ways that would have her screaming his name in passion.
If taking her this way was the most arousing thing he’d ever done, he could only imagine what it would be like to take her further.
She’d been a virgin, and she’d given herself to him.
His cock ached with the need to hold back, the fight for control painfully sweet.
“The things I want to teach you. To show you…” Using his weight to press her to the mattress, J.W. fisted his hands on the pillow and buried his face in her silky hair. “Easy, baby. I don’t want to hurt you any more than I already have.”
He promised himself he’d make it up to her in a thousand ways, and although he regretted hurting her, he could never regret being the first man to take her.
Nothing had ever felt so good.
The effort to hold back his own release soon became overwhelming.
Heat. Hunger. Fire.
Her hot pussy quivered all around his cock, the sensation a sharp reminder that nothing separated them.
Forcing back his own needs, he focused on hers.
Bracing himself on one elbow, he stared into her eyes as he slid a hand between them to stroke her clit.
She stiffened and cried out, her pussy clenching hard on his cock as she came almost immediately, her body jerking against his.
Sliding his hands under her, he gathered her trembling body close, and found his own release, his body trembling in the aftermath of the most erotic and humbling experience of his life.
He hadn’t used a condom.
The thought of Lana carrying his child sent a surge of satisfaction and possessiveness through him that made his heart skip a beat.
Smiling into her hair, he continued to caress her. “You okay, baby?”
“Yes.” She nodded against his chest, her breathless whisper heightening his possessiveness and making him desperate to see her. “I’m sorry.”
Lifting his head, he smiled down at her, capturing her face gently but firmly when she would have turned away. “For what?”
Taking in her half-closed eyes, flushed cheeks, and lips swollen from his kisses, he smiled, delighted with her and secure in the knowledge that he’d found what he’d been looking for his entire life.
A closeness he’d never thought he’d find.
“Women have been making demands of their men for as long as time. It’s very satisfying. Challenging. Erotic.” Lifting her hand, he turned his head, his gaze holding hers while he brushed his lips over the scar on her wrist. “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”
To his delight, her blush deepened.
Lifting a hand to her hair, she grimaced. “I must look awful.”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” Watching her, he brushed his lips over her wrist again. “Just the way you are. Right now.” Lowering his head, he held her gaze, his cock jumping at her sharp intake of breath when he touched his lips to hers. Taking advantage, he applied just enough pressure to keep her lips parted and delved inside.
Swallowing her moan, he poured all of the affection and possessiveness he felt for her into his kiss, groaning at her immediate response.
Opening her mouth wider, she slid her tongue against his. Her kiss was like a fantasy, so shy even after the passion they’d shared.
Easing his cock from her hot, tight pussy with a groan, he ran his fingertips over her hair. “I would love to stay inside you forever, but you’re gonna be sore, baby. Stay put. I’ll be right back with a warm washcloth.”
He dropped another kiss on her lips and slid from the bed, anxious to take care of her.
She’d be shy about it, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. She needed to learn from the very beginning that he had no intention of letting her hide from him.
As he entered the bathroom, the enormity of what had just happened hit him hard.
She belonged to him in a way she’d never belonged to another man.
He’d promised to look after her, but now that she belonged to him, taking care of her took on a whole new meaning.
She was his and he’d do whatever it took to tie her to him for life.
* * * *
As soon as J.W. closed the bathroom door behind him, Lana eased from the bed and, on shaky legs, began to gather her clothes.
Dressing took longer than usual, her trembling limbs making her clumsy.
She couldn’t believe what she’d just done but didn’t regret it for a second.
It had been the single most fulfilling event of her life.
Once she finished, she dropped to the edge of the bed to slip her shoes on, smiling to herself when she realized that she didn’t even remember when J.W. had taken them off.
She rose, grimacing at the slight sting between her thighs.
It had been the most incredible experience in her life, and she’d do it again in a heartbeat.
She’d felt connected to him, the wall that had kept her from the rest of the world open to him.
The look of surprise on his face when he’d realized she was a virgin, combined with his own arrogance, meant that he’d soon have questions for her, questions she felt too vulnerable to answer.
She glanced out the window, grimacing when she saw how dark it had gotten.
“Going somewhere?”
Gasping, Lana spun, her hand going to her throat. “I…um…” Gulping at the sight of J.W., disheveled and wearing only his jeans, holding a washcloth in his hand, Lana wrapped her arms around herself, feeling inordinately shy. “Yes. I’m going home.”
J.W. smiled tenderly. “Why don’t you stay here tonight? Get undressed and get back into bed. I’m sure you’re sore and a warm cloth would feel good.”
Turning away to hide her burning face, she reached for her sweater, surprised when he tossed the washcloth aside and helped her into it. “Thank you. I have to go.”
J.W. wrapped his arms around her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head. “Talk to me. Why are you so anxious to get away from me? You’re not afraid of me, are you? Do you regret our lovemaking?”
It seemed so easy to lean back against him, and she did it without thinking, smiling at the feel of his lips against her temple. Looking up at him over her shoulder, she met his hooded gaze, surprised at the tension she saw in his eyes. “No. I
don’t regret having sex with you, but you’re going to ask how I got to be in my midthirties and still be a virgin, and I really don’t feel like talking about it tonight. I also don’t relish walking across a dark parking lot, and I’d just like to get home before it gets any later. Besides, I don’t want to be here when Alice gets here in the morning.”
After the conversation she’d had with Alice that morning, she could only imagine what the older woman would think if she found Lana in J.W.’s bed—especially since they’d known each other for only twenty-four hours.
Moving out of his embrace, Lana smiled and started for the door. “She’d think I was trying to catch you like those other women and that we’re lovers.”
Before she could take a step, J.W. caught her arm, turning her back to face him, his eyes hard. “I’ve got news for you, baby. We are lovers.”
Lana shrugged, her thoughts centered around walking into her apartment. “Having sex is one thing. Being lovers is something quite different.”
Chuckling softly, J.W. pulled on a T-shirt and went into his closet. “You an expert on such things, darlin’?” Coming out of his closet carrying a bag and a clean pair of boots, he approached and gestured for her to precede him.
Lana paused. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want you going home alone.” With an arm at her back, he urged her down the hall. “If you won’t stay here, I’ll go home with you. You’re not sleeping alone tonight.”
Chapter Six
Walking down the hall to Lana’s apartment, J.W. couldn’t help but notice that she seemed even more distracted and nervous with every step.
She’d been warm and loose when they’d left the ranch, but her walk had become stilted, her shoulders tense.
“You shouldn’t have come.” Her hands shook as she tried to stick the key in the lock, her face turning pink when she continued to fumble with it. “I know that Daniel made you promise to watch out for me, but you didn’t have to come home with me.”
J.W. had never had much use for clingy women, but Lana’s apparent determination to put distance between them began to irritate him. “My being here has nothing to do with your brother or anyone else. This is between you and me. If I was a less confident man, I’d think you were trying to get rid of me.”
