by BETH KERY
“You’re going to make me wait again, Emma,” he said, his soft tone highly at odds with his expression.
“For what?” she whispered, confused . . . overwhelmed by his raw, unguarded passion.
“For your mouth. I’m going to have to punish you for making me wait for what I want so much.”
“I’m not making you,” she defended, sliding her fist up and down his hard, pulsing shaft. A muscle leapt in his cheek.
“Oh yes you are,” he said grimly, breaking their close contact and forcing her hand off his cock. “You’re making me want you so much, all I can think about is taking you by storm.”
* * *
He could feel his pulse throbbing in his cock, the resulting ache making him feel a little crazed. Her taste lingered on his tongue, fueling his rabid need. He led her over to the chair, his cock flicking in the air at the vision she made, completely nude, her cheeks and mouth as vividly pink as her pussy had been, her high breasts rising and falling with her erratic breath, her nipples tight and hard. He took both of her wrists and slid her beneath his arm so that she stood before him, her back to his front.
He placed her hand on the back of the armchair gently. It was so bizarre, the way he wanted to touch her with the tenderness of something most cherished, but at the same time, fuck her like an animal. He’d never experienced the paradox before. The sharpness of the resulting friction of his clashing desires clawed at him from the inside. Tempted by the elegant slope of her shoulders and graceful neck, he planted a hot kiss at the juncture of them.
“It’s going to feel so good, being raw inside you,” he lifted his head and met her stare. “I’m going to come in you, and it’s going to feel so blessed good. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered, twisting her chin to face him, her pink lips forming the single word scoring his consciousness. Her dark eyes shone with undisguised arousal. He stepped closer, wincing slightly at the sensation of his cock bumping and sliding across the smooth skin of her lower back.
“Bend over then,” he said, his hands sliding down her ribs, waist, and hips, the sensation of those lush, feminine curves making him grind his teeth together in restraint. Too aroused to speak, he merely opened his hand on the warm, silken skin of her inner thigh. She parted wider for him at his signal. He moved closer behind her, his hands on her ass. He molded her firm flesh into his palms, opening her to him, hearing her whimper. His cock lurched at seeing such a temptation spread before him. He flexed, pushing his leaping cock against her damp, feminine warmth. She gave a surprised squeak and he spread her buttocks wider, his cock unerringly burrowing and finding home. He pierced her with just the tip and groaned.
God it was going to be so fucking good.
He flexed. Despite his almost rabid ardor and her obvious arousal, he felt her tight channel resist him. She made a choking sound, and he soothed her by caressing her silken hip.
“Shhh, try to relax,” he soothed, his hand lowering to cup the underside of his cock. He pressed with his hips, guiding the first several inches of his flesh into her tightly clasping sheath. He felt a flush of heat around him. “There we go, that’s so sweet,” he managed, still trying to comfort even though he was about to explode with lust. He firmed his hold on her ass and began to rock in and out of her, working past the resistance, loving the hot, tight glide into heaven. She moaned. “Better?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she said shakily. Her head was bowed. Her lithesome arms, the cap of golden waves, the elegant sweep of her naked back . . . the lush, round ass, all of it drove him mad. He didn’t just want to sink into her.
He wanted to sink her into him. He wanted to consume her whole.
Giving in to the gnashing jaws of need, he tightened his hold on her hips and sunk his cock to the hilt. There was no pausing then. Being inside Emma raw was an all-or-nothing circumstance. Without pausing to experience the sublime sensation of her tight, soft, gloving flesh, he began to plunge into nirvana. He couldn’t control himself. He couldn’t diminish the force of his driving hips, couldn’t muffle the slaps of his pelvis and thighs against her ass, and certainly couldn’t stop staring with a feral focus at the image of his naked cock plunging into the sweetness of her again and again.
All he could do was give in to this orgy of sensation.
He noticed a flash of color from the corner of his eye. He glanced aside as he thrust and saw that her head was turned. She’d been watching him as he stared at himself fucking her. It’d been the vivid color of her lips and cheeks that had caught his attention. Her eyes looked enormous as she watched him take her like a madman in the ornate triple mirror.
Damn her eyes for always seeing so much.
He ground his teeth together, holding her gaze as he pounded into her, her body bobbing back and forth slightly as he drove into her with the force of a typhoon.
“God it’s good, baby. You’ve got such a sweet little pussy,” he told her, still holding her stare in the mirror. “Look at you . . . so beautiful,” he said roughly, running his hand along her ass and hip up to her waist. She bit her lip and moaned, using her hold on the chair to push back against his cock. The way she followed his seeking hand in the mirror as he palmed a pert little breast from below drove him crazy. She whimpered, teeth tightening on her lip as he squeezed gently on both her breast and a buttock, using his hold to thrust her back and forth on his cock. For some reason, the image of her holding back infuriated him, even though he knew why she was doing it. They were fucking in a department store, what did he expect?
“You’ll scream later on for me, won’t you?” he stated more than asked.
Her facial muscles tightened. So did her pussy around his pistoning cock.
“Answer me,” he said harshly, his hips flexing fast and forcefully so that he drove nearly the full length of his cock into her with every stroke.
“Yes,” she squeezed out between her teeth, grimacing. Heat rushed around him, her vaginal walls convulsing around his cock.
“Oh yeah, give me that,” he grated out.
Both his hands on her hips, he sunk into her, their skin smacking together loudly. He clamped his eyes together, his body coiling tight.
He detonated. His eyes sprung open in surprise at the breathtaking flood of pleasure. When that first powerful wave passed, he lowered his head and moved, fucking her in short, hard thrusts while he ejaculated, popping her ass with his pelvis in a harsh, staccato rhythm. He knew then and there he must be an animal, to take so much primal satisfaction in leaving part of himself so high and deep inside her.
He held her to him tightly, gasping.
Please let that saleswoman hold true to her promise to keep everyone away from the large space of the private sitting room and attached fitting room.
He’d never intended to embarrass Emma.
He just couldn’t get this grinding, feral need for her in check.
Chapter Twenty-five
As they left the locked-off dressing room suite later, Vanni must have noticed her discomfort.
“What is it?” he asked quietly, pausing next to the door.
Emma gave him an exasperated glance. “It’s just so embarrassing. They all must know what we were doing in here.”
“They can imagine whatever they want. They don’t know anything. And it’s not remotely their business either way.”
Something struck her and she gasped, horrified. “Oh my God, what if there were surveillance cameras for security. Some places have those—”
“Not here,” he said firmly, giving her a pointed glance. “Trust me. I checked into it. I wouldn’t expose either of us like that. Okay?” he said with absolute certitude. She nodded.
His lips tilted as he lifted her hand to his mouth. Maybe he’d noticed her dazed expression. His lips felt warm when he brushed them across her knuckles. Immediately, the memory of what his mouth had felt like on
her sex flamed vividly in her consciousness.
He exhaled and shook his head, an amused, fond expression on his face. “You’re blushing bright red again. I’m just going to go and pick up a few items from Sophia. Go on down to the first floor by the doors and try to cool off. I’ll meet you there.”
She was thankful she wouldn’t have to face Sophia or some of the younger sales associates again. She’d cringe in the presence of their knowing glances and smirks.
Once they were in the car and on Lake Shore Drive, Emma noticed something in the bag he’d set in the backseat. She reached behind her and withdrew the signature box of the perfume she’d been trying on in Macy’s, the one she loved but could never afford.
“The perfume!” she exclaimed, grinning. “You asked Sophia to get it?” He was wearing sunglasses, so she couldn’t see his eyes when he glanced aside at what she held.
“You smelled like straight-up sex when I found you at Macy’s earlier. It might have been partially responsible for what happened back there in the dressing room,” he stated wryly, staring at the road again.
“Really?” she said, letting the box fall back into the bag. “I thought it was really fresh and light, not . . . you know, musky or anything.”
“It was you that smelled like sex, Emma. The perfume was just a nice sideshow.”
* * *
At Vanni’s insistence, she called Amanda’s cell phone and left a message, saying not to expect her home that night. As they neared the Breakers, her excitement about spending the night with him mounted, but so did a niggling doubt.
“Will anyone be there, when we arrive?” she asked him delicately.
He shook his head as he drove down the country road. “No, I called Vera while you were in the dressing room and told her to let the staff go early, and for her to take off as well.”
Emma exhaled with relief. He gave her a swift glance. “Why?” he asked.
“She doesn’t like me. Your aunt. It would have just been . . . awkward to run into her in your house.”
“Has she said something to you?” Vanni asked, scowling darkly as he pulled down the lane that led to his lakefront property.
“She doesn’t have to say anything, Vanni,” Emma said with a short laugh. “She practically oozes loathing every time she looks at me.”
His mouth clamped together as they approached the garage. “I doubt that. But if she makes you uncomfortable, just ignore her. I told you, she can be a bit territorial at times.”
“So she hated other women you’ve seen in the past?” Emma asked as they approached the garage.
Vanni shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of, no,” he said, frowning slightly. “I did notice she seemed especially irritated when I brought you to Cristina’s funeral. I just thought she was set off balance because I was late. Vera is a real stickler for schedules. I unfortunately challenge her desire for order way too often.”
“Well it’s nice to know that I’m the only one who brings out the worst in her,” Emma said lightly, determined not to let Vera Shaw—or anything, for that matter—dampen her mood on this promising, stolen night alone with Vanni.
It turned out that Vanni had asked Sophia to bag a swimsuit to go because he planned an evening swim. He led her to a luxurious shower and changing room on the workout facility floor—not the same one she’d briefly walked into that night when she searched for a washer; this one was apparently just for women. He instructed her how to get to the swimming pool from there, and then told her he’d meet her in a few minutes.
Inside the bag he’d left her she found not only the perfume he’d bought her, but a darling sky-blue bikini, a cute sheer tunic to be used as a beach cover-up, and a pair of flip-flops.
Once Vanni had left, Emma took a quick shower. She was still very wet from what had happened in the dressing room. She washed herself carefully, realizing with a rush of arousal she was rinsing away Vanni’s essence as well as her own. She’d never had a man come inside her. Colin and she had used a condom even though she was on birth control. Emma wasn’t sure why, except to say they’d started out having sex with a condom and hadn’t altered their behavior. She heard so much about safe sex, especially as a nurse. Colin had probably thought her fussy, but he hadn’t complained.
She really was crazy for allowing this level of intimacy with Vanni. As she rinsed away some of his semen from her fingers, however, she admitted to herself that she didn’t regret it.
How could she regret anything in association with him? And it wasn’t as if they hadn’t taken measures to ensure safety.
She got out and dried off. In the shower area, she discovered a vanity with several grooming supplies stored beneath it. She opened a small bottle of mouthwash and used it and applied some deodorant. Knowing it was stupid, because it would only be washed away in the pool, she opened Vanni’s gift of the perfume and applied some behind her ears and at her pulse, smiling when she caught the scent. It felt sensual and indulgent, having a bottle of the coveted fragrance all for herself.
A minute later, she self-consciously examined herself in the mirror, wearing only the bikini and sandals. There hadn’t been much opportunity for her to be in the sun yet this year. She looked far too pale, although her cheeks, lips, and chest were still pink . . . sex-flushed, she realized.
She slipped on the beach cover-up, glad Sophia had the sense to include it.
It was a beautiful summer evening when she stepped out of the changing room door. The sun glinted off the gemlike spread of water, blinding her momentarily. It hadn’t cooled off much since the worst heat of the day, but the breeze from Lake Michigan was refreshing. Clutching a small bottle of sunscreen that she always kept in her purse, Emma descended the outdoor flight of steps that led to the pool level. When she got there, she saw that Vanni was already in the water. He was swimming laps, knifing through the water, his muscled back flashing and gleaming in the bright sun. Emma shed the tunic and flip-flops and sat at the edge of the pool, dangling her legs into the cool water. She smoothed on the sunscreen, distracted by the spectacle of Vanni swimming with such effortless ease. She was rubbing some of the lotion onto her thigh, when he paused at the edge of the pool, swiping his wet hair from his face. He swam over to her in a more casual crawl.
“Don’t let me interrupt you if you wanted to get more exercise,” she said, feeling a little self-conscious in her new swimsuit beneath the hot sun and Vanni’s stare. He grabbed a hold of the side of the pool with one hand, his forearm just an inch from her thigh. Her skin looked shockingly white next to his gilded glory.
“I’m fine. Here,” he said, holding out his other hand. She realized he wanted her to hand him the sunscreen bottle. She gave it to him. His narrowed aquamarine eyes seemed to glow in his burnished face as he studied the label.
“It’s a high enough SPF,” he said approvingly. “You’re very pale.”
She blushed at his matter-of-fact assessment.
He handed the bottle back to her, placed his hands on the side of the pool, and heaved himself out of the water with a fascinating flex of muscle. A small amount of water sprayed her, but mostly she was spellbound by his show of effortless strength and male beauty. He wore a pair of black trunks. They hung very low at his hips, highlighting the full, glorious spread of his Adonis-like torso. She unglued her gaze from the image of his ridged, taut abdomen sheened by moisture moving subtly in and out as he breathed.
“I keep a bottle in my purse,” she said holding up the sunscreen. Her fingers loosened in surprise when he reached for the bottle again. “I have to be prepared at all times, or else . . .”
“You burn?” Vanni filled in when she faded off. She watched him as he unscrewed the cap and squeezed a large dollop of the white liquid into his open hand.
“Yeah, but it’s these I worry about,” she pointed at her nose, “I really have to watch out for them getting worse,” she ad
mitted wryly.
His teeth flashed in his sun-darkened face. She tightened at her core. Vanni’s smiles were like mainlining a sex stimulant.
“Your freckles, you mean?” He dipped his forefinger into the lotion and touched it to her nose. “I love these things,” he said, rubbing the sunscreen into her skin carefully. Emma’s eyes almost crossed as she watched him.
“You do?”
He nodded, his smile fading as he continued to smooth in the lotion.” Very sexy,” he said gruffly.
Her mouth fell open. His brows quirked.
“What? You don’t believe me?” he asked.
“I guess so,” Emma said, hiding her surprise. “It’s just kind of hard to imagine, I’ve hated them for so long.” He dropped his hand, apparently satisfied with that part of his task. He rubbed his hands together, spreading the lotion onto both palms. It was a very distracting sight.
“They’re as adorable and fresh as the rest of you. Twist around a little so I can do your back and shoulders.”
She did it quickly, glad for an excuse to hide her blush. He’d tease her about that, too.
“Is this stuff waterproof?” he asked from behind her as he spread the lotion onto her shoulders and the backs of her arms, kneading the muscles gently with strong fingers. The summer sun warmed the liquid. It felt wonderful.
“Yes,” she murmured, feeling a little drugged by his massaging hands. He transferred them to her back. His fingers slid beneath the strap of her bikini. Her eyes sprung open when the clasp released. In one quick motion, he drew the top over her head and tossed it aside.
“Vanni,” she said, stunned, her nipples prickling when a cool breeze swirled around them.
“What? There’s no one around,” he said unconcernedly, rubbing the lotion down her lower back.
“Oh. Okay.”
His low chuckle near her ear made the hair on her neck stand on end. “You’re blushing, aren’t you?”
