by Vivian Arend
Nathan caught her hand where it lay against his cheek, kissing her palm softly before pulling her close and enveloping her in an enormous bear hug. He gazed over her shoulder at Derrick, shaking his head slightly as he stroked her hair.
“Oh, monkey. I think I’m a little bit in love with you right now. You’ve got a heart that simply refuses to stop giving, and I’m honoured beyond belief that you’d offer yourself like that. But I have to say no.” Melanie protested, and Nathan pulled away and stuck a finger in her face. “I am first, and foremost, your friend. Getting a chance to prove that you’re an extremely attractive woman was a wonderful experience, but I’m bowing out of anything else. Unless…”
Derrick froze.
She straightened. “Unless what?”
There was a moment of hesitation before Nathan spoke, and then he stared at Derrick, as if asking his permission. “I want to watch again.”
Melanie took in a rapid breath and Derrick tucked her back against him as she swayed off balance.
Nathan chuckled. “Does that surprise you? It did me, a little. Seems I’ve got a kink I wasn’t aware of before.”
“Watch? You want to watch…what?”
Nathan stood and paced toward the wall, turning slowly to face them, one brow quirked upward. “You two make love. Maybe take a few more pictures.” He shrugged lightly. “If the answer is no, I’m fine—”
“Yes.” Melanie sat upright, then stiffened, twisting to face Derrick. Her mouth hung open in a perfect O as she stared for a second. A blush raced over her cheeks and she lowered her eyes. “I mean, if it’s okay with you.”
He pulled her against his chest, breathing in her scent and feeling the tension in her body as she leaned in tighter. He spoke softly, just for her ears. “I understand why you suggested this.”
She tilted her head back to stare at him. “It’s important to me, Derrick. To be sure Nathan knows how much I trust him, but not if you don’t want to. I’m sorry I sprang this on you without asking first. That was wrong of me.”
There was no way he could remain angry, not when the expression on Melanie’s face so clearly showed her heart.
She knew what she wanted, and why, and damned if he wasn’t going to give it to her. Didn’t stop possessiveness from rising up and flooding him as well. They could give reassurance to Nathan, but at the end, everyone would know who belonged with who.
Chapter Ten
Hangdog: A climber who hangs from the rope on a route.
Derrick delicately brushed a knuckle along her jaw as he admired her dark beauty. The way her eyes flashed, mouth twisted into a smile that was one hundred percent trouble, her chin rising in challenge. He slid his fingers around the back of her neck, teasing as he leaned in to kiss her. She grabbed his head and gave back as good as she got, a heated exchange, all teeth and tongues. They scrambled each other’s brains as the air between them evaporated.
That wasn’t the only thing that had vanished. Derrick dragged his hands down her shoulders to discover she’d been busy. Her clothing had disappeared, and all he touched was sweet, hot flesh.
His knees shook with anticipation. Then she slipped out of his arms as mysteriously as her clothing, only for him to feel a tug on his zipper and his jeans being peeled off his hips.
“Holy hell.” Derrick focused downward to find Melanie kneeling before him. She was stark naked, big brown eyes staring at him as she wiggled his pants lower then leaned in to nuzzle his groin.
He was going to die, but he’d die happy.
Melanie caressed a hand over his erection, palm curving around his shaft as she dragged her fingernails over the fabric constraining his cock. When she finished by cupping his balls, stars blurred his vision.
Stripping off the final barrier between them was the work of a moment, and he didn’t feel any remorse when she wrapped her fingers around his shaft and held him tight. She wanted to give Nathan a show? He’d accept the challenge and revel in every moment.
The touch of her tongue made his spine straighten, but it was the moist heat of her mouth enclosing his cock that turned his mind to mush.
Derrick watched, fixated, as she moved in an easy rhythm over him, saliva slicking his cock as she bobbed her head. Ball-breaking pleasure wrapped him tight as she sucked hard on each withdrawal. The urge to tangle his fingers in her hair and take control hit. He wanted to slam forward, feel the soft back of her throat against the crest of his cock. But even more, he wanted to switch positions and drive into her sex. Feel her tightness and heat until he had nothing left to do but give in to his release.
He closed his eyes and savoured her touch. Whatever she wanted—he’d do it. Willingly and completely. Which meant no matter how good this felt, he couldn’t let her take him over the edge that approached at the speed of light.
He pulled from her mouth with a soft pop, the hard suction she gave at the final moment enough to make his eyes cross.
“Stand her up.”
Nathan’s gruff command brought Derrick back to reality—he stood naked in his climbing gym, as another man watched him play sexual games with Melanie. It shouldn’t have turned him on as much as it did, seeing the hunger on Nathan’s face that matched the desire in his own belly. He stooped and lifted Melanie to her feet. Their bare skin made contact, his erection trapped against her firm stomach. She wiggled, causing a fire of urgency to rain down.
It was time for him to take control. Because while Derrick’s ardour was racing upward at the thought of how hot the situation was about to get, his heart could only handle sharing Melanie, even like this, one last time. From here on, he was going to make sure all her fantasies were two-person only, with him and her in the starring roles, no audiences. And no one else directing the action.
Derrick twirled her on the spot, leaning her naked body against him. That left them both facing Nathan. If the other man wanted to watch, Derrick would make their playtime something worth witnessing. Something to claim Melanie in an unmistakable manner. Fuck if that made him a possessive asshole—she was his.
He reached around to cup her breast, his palm covering the firm mound as he massaged and teased, his fingers plucking at her nipple until her head fell back against him and she whimpered.
“What do you want, Mel? My mouth? My tongue stabbing into you until you can’t think?”
She squirmed, widening her stance. “Anything. Everything.”
“Ropes?”
Utter silence greeted him. Then her breath quickened, and her chest heaved as she fought for control.
Yes.
He kissed her nape. Soft. Gentle. Made sure she was solid on her own before he released her and made his way to the baskets where they stored the climbing ropes. He ignored the thicker weight and reached for the softest one. Once he had it in his hand, he made eye contact with her and slowly pulled the length free. In all their escapades over the past months, he hadn’t used ropes with her. One handful after another, the loops fell to the floor at his feet, their weight creating a hushed pulse with every new section. He let the strands slide through his fingers, enjoying the complete fascination he witnessed on her face. The trembling in her limbs.
He grabbed one more thing, then stooped and picked up the coil before returning to her side. His cock was so full it barely moved from its vertical position as he walked.
She flicked a glance at both his hands as he approached, examining the items he held. Her gaze landed on his groin, and she licked her lips. The tiny flash of pink tongue teased him. He wasn’t going to be able to last long once they got going.
He stopped beside her, letting the rope hit the ground with another solid thump.
Goose bumps rose over her skin, and he smiled as he knelt at her feet.
“Step in.”
Melanie raised a brow, but obediently lifted one foot at a time, resting one hand on his shoulder as he slipped a well-padded climbing harness onto her.
“Derrick? What are you doing?” Melanie brushed his fingers as h
e worked to close the buckle on the harness.
“You said you like ropes. So do I.”
Her eyes went black, pupils so wide they blurred into her dark brown irises.
Derrick threaded one of the fixed climbing ropes through her harness loops, tying off the figure eight faster than he ever had in his life. Then he reached down and got ready for the best part.
“Back on your knees.” Shit, was that his voice? He half expected her to run from the room screaming, the words burst out so gravely and harsh.
Instead, she smiled and fell gracefully to her knees. Only her gaze remained glued to the rope, and her breath hitched again.
He stepped behind her, leaning down to kiss her shoulder. He trailed the end of the rope over her back, and she arched in reaction, perfect breasts presented toward where their now-silent witness stood.
Derrick concentrated for a moment, gathering his own strength. Then he began.
Her arms he left hanging. The first loop of rope crossed her body from left to right, the strand passing between her breasts. The second loop he wound around her torso, then a mirror loop right to left, framing her torso into erotic art.
Every layer he added—slow, methodical—brought increasing noises of pleasure from her lips. Small moans and sighs. Tiny gasps as his knuckles brushed her skin. When he was finished, the waist belt he’d placed on her was covered, except for the traditional leg harnesses looped around each of her thighs. The attached belaying rope lay free, blossoming from the middle of her back.
Nothing guarded her sex. She was locked in place, unable to move her upper body, and yet her sex, her breasts—all bare for his pleasure.
And hers.
He knelt, raising her chin until he could stare into her eyes. Making sure she was fine, that she was still on board. From the happy sigh she gave him, the hint of glazing in her eyes, and the wetness painting her inner thighs, it was clear she was enjoying herself.
“Ready?”
She nodded. He touched her breast again, just passing a fingertip over the peak, and her eyes closed. “Hmmm.”
“More?”
Derrick waited for her nod, then paced to the wall where the rope of her harness fed up to the ceiling carabiner. He lifted her skyward, only a couple feet, securing the loose end to the wall. He’d chosen a fixed rope that left Melanie suspended in the center of the room, free of any entanglements.
Derrick dropped to his knees and nestled his face against her, smelling her arousal, feeling the curls damp with moisture.
“Oh God. Derrick…”
He lifted her left leg over his shoulder, bringing her that much closer. One hand he slipped upward to open her, enjoying the way her cream glistened on her lips. Leaning in closer, he licked, her instant gasp of pleasure making him smile against her sex.
Then he gave up all restraint. Nibbles and long solid laves. A teasing caress around the heated nub of her clit. When that pulled a soft moan from her, he did it again, pausing to flick harder with the tip of his tongue. He’d barely gotten started when Melanie cried out, her fingers below the ropes clutching the straps of her leg harness as her body pulsed in climax.
It was only the beginning. He dipped in for another round.
Melanie still hung suspended in the air, shaking from yet another orgasm. “Enough, stop. Oh please, I need…”
She wasn’t sure what she needed. Oxygen? It was hard to breathe, but that had nothing to do with the ropes enveloping her body. Everything to do with the man stalking her like a wild beast ready to take down his prey.
Never had any prey been as willing as she.
Derrick caught her against him, kissing her until the air thinned to the equivalent of a high mountaintop. When he finally let her go, she could have sworn the room was spinning.
“You ready?” Derrick snuck away for a moment, grabbing two more ropes from where they rested against the gym walls. Released from his hold, she twisted in an actual circle, her rope supporting her vertically, but not restricting the slow spiraling motion.
He knotted the new ropes together then passed the connected section around her upper torso. When he tugged, she tipped forward in slow motion, supported on the webbing in the middle.
The combination of ropes and harness put her on her belly in a flying position. Or, wrapped up as she was, like a fly in a spider’s web.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Am I ready for what?”
Sex and fire shone in his eyes as he ran a hand over her rope-encased back, down her naked butt. “Anything I want.”
There was possession in his tone. He opened her legs wide and stepped between them, and comprehension hit. “You made a sex sling.”
“Hmm. I did.” His cock nudged her core and she closed her eyes to concentrate fully as he pressed them together. Stretched wide, open to his invasion, his cock hot and hard as he filled her.
Each backward rock speared Derrick deeper. The sensation was physically powerful, and exactly what she wanted—to offer herself up and be unconditionally accepted. Not even once had she considered her body except for the pleasure she could give him. The bliss he was causing.
Not even once had she considered Nathan watched.
The shock that raced through her at the realization was startling in its intensity. She had offered herself to Nathan, wanting to give to him if he needed her, but it was the man she’d come to know in such an intimate manner over the past months who held her mesmerized. With his touch. His claiming.
It was impossible to feel guilt. This was what Nathan had asked for. It was what she needed.
Derrick clung tightly to her hips as he pounded into her, unrelenting strokes feeding the fires inside that were ready to burst again. Then, before she could come, he stopped the momentum of her swing. His harsh groans echoed off the walls, his body bent over her as he held himself deep. Melanie let her head hang and breathed through her nose, the smell of climbing chalk buried beneath the scent of sweat and sex on the air.
When he lifted his torso, it was to let his hands roam again. Stroking in sweeps over her bare cheeks, teasing her hips and inner thighs. He tugged her legs downward, then stroked his fingers over her hole, teasing the sensitive nerves.
“I’m going to fuck your ass.”
It wasn’t a question, but it was. He’d never taken what she wasn’t ready for, or what she was unwilling to give. He stroked again. A slippery finger dipped into her passage, and she squirmed. Where he’d found the tube of lube—she didn’t need to know.
“Oh yes. Do it.”
He worked her in a rush, fingers scrambling on her hips. Soon it wasn’t fingers touching her, but the hard and much larger tip of his cock.
Derrick pushed forward, opening her, and she squeezed her eyes tight. The fire she felt wasn’t pain, wasn’t pleasure. Somewhere between the two sensations she hovered, just as she floated off the floor of the gym. Between worlds, between realities.
With a final groan, Derrick brought his groin tight to her ass, and she sighed.
“So damn beautiful.”
Then Derrick swung her away and let her weight in the sling and momentum drive her back on him. Melanie gasped, needy moans escaping as he speared her again and again. He wasn’t gentle anymore, and she couldn’t do anything but accept his need. The nearly violent pleasure he thrust upon her.
The burning in her ass was good. Dirty and hot, and just when she thought she’d explode, he dug his fingers into the softer flesh of her hip and froze, fighting for control. Melanie let out a little scream as he pulled her upright, the move burying his cock in her ass.
There was no room. No retreat. If before she’d been between worlds, she’d traveled light years farther into outer space.
He touched her, inside and out. Her body, her mind. Her soul.
And there were no more scars there.
Time blurred, sensations shot to a tantalizing edge before rocketing her off the cliffs and setting her into freefall. Her climax tore her apart and rebuilt her
as her body squeezed tight around his shaft. Voices shouted in passion—hers? Derrick’s? They were together and one. Melanie leaned back, letting Derrick support her as she gave way to complete boneless relaxation.
Oh God, that had felt good.
She couldn’t open her eyes, she was so sated. He withdrew from her body, lowered her to a kneeling position. Even as the ropes fell from her limbs, even as the harness was removed, she drifted in some faraway place she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
How Derrick found the strength to carry her, she had no idea—she couldn’t peel her eyes open. Not when he laid her on the mat, not when a warm cloth touched her body.
And when his strong arms held her close as they lay back on the mats, Melanie gave a happy sigh and let sleep take her.
Nathan stared down from where he’d retreated to the upper galley for a better view. Melanie curled herself around Derrick, her hair strewn over his naked chest as she used him as a pillow. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, their torsos touching, limbs tangled together. Light movements of their chests revealed the easy breathing of sleep overtaking them.
They looked good together. They were good together.
For the past week Nathan could have sworn he was riding a bloody roller coaster. Steamy sexual desire followed by intense frustration. Professional advancement and condemnation. Helping a friend tear down walls that had trapped her for years, then realizing friendship was all he could offer her—if he wasn’t riding a high he’d been hitting a low, and the cumulative effect had come close to draining him of all common sense.
Kane’s outburst had shocked him, but not because he didn’t know deception occurred in his business. His intentions were clear as far as the magazine was concerned. It was the fact that for him being with Melanie was far more about sexual experimentation than long-term commitment. Kane had hit the nail on the head with that one, and guilt rode Nathan hard.
The only redeeming factor was his decision to not come between Derrick and Melanie.
