by JM Stewart
The awe in his voice filled her with such a sense of feminine power she was sure her chest puffed out. She’d always been the geeky girl. The smart girl. Oh, she worked out to keep in shape, but she spent ninety percent of her time at the office, in business suits. With him looking at her that way, she actually felt beautiful, feminine. Sebastian was the first man who made her feel as if he truly saw her and that was a heady, powerful discovery.
He met her gaze again and the tension between them snapped. They reached for each other at the same moment. His arms closed around her, pulling her tight against him, and his mouth settled over hers, hard and hungry. He devoured her, his warm hands sliding to her hips. She attempted the buttons on his shirt with trembling fingers, and Sebastian toed off his shoes, walking her backward.
Her knees hit the bed, and he pressed her back and crawled over her, settling between her thighs. His lean body pressing her into the firm mattress was a luscious sensation she was sure once she’d never get to experience. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her long and languid this time, his tongue stroking hers, and she abandoned the buttons on his shirt and moved lower. When his belt buckle refused to budge, his hand joined hers and between the two of them, they worked to undo his fly. He unlatched his belt, and her trembling fingers undid the button and slid down the zipper.
Finally freed, his cock settled against her stomach. A heady shiver of anticipation moved through her. She caressed her hands down his back, slipped them into his pants, and cupped his ass. She arched tightly against him. Her clit pulsed. She needed this. His cock, hot and hard inside of her, pushing into her, the luscious rush of orgasm, but mostly…she needed the connection to him. Right or wrong, whatever happened when the night ended, she needed this time with him.
“Condom.” Sebastian nipped at her bottom lip, his mouth curling against hers. “And don’t tell me you don’t have any. You were always overprepared for everything. If I know you, you’ve got some stashed away somewhere.”
She leaned to her right, reached into the top drawer, and pulled out a foil packet. He was right. Since Craig four years ago, she didn’t do commitment. She and Sebastian were a lot alike in that respect. It was a lonely way to live, but it kept men in a safe little box. Not that she brought many home these days. The thrill it used to give her had lost its appeal. She always made sure to keep condoms on hand, though, just in case.
Sebastian pushed upright and kneeled between her thighs. Her gaze was glued to his cock as his deft fingers rolled the condom down his length. She pressed her fingers to her mouth but couldn’t contain her giggle. She’d been right. Sebastian’s cock wasn’t small by any stretch of the imagination. The tip stretched clear to his belly button. He was long and deliciously thick, and her mouth watered just looking at him.
His gaze jerked up. His eyes narrowed, but one corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Never laugh at a man with his cock in his hand, Tina.”
His comment and his clear unease had the tension loosening between them. Pink rose in his cheeks, transforming Sebastian from the unobtainable playboy back to the man she’d grown up with. The boy who’d taken great pride in taunting her in primary school. Who’d broken Bobby Stalwart’s nose sophomore year in high school because he’d made a derogatory comment about her. Who spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas at her parents’ house. The knowledge eased the nervous tangles in her stomach.
“I’m sorry. It’s childish, really. I’ve always wondered how big you were. When you kissed me the other day, you had an erection. I ached to touch you, to find out.” Brave now with the ease between them, she rose to kneel in front of him. Gaze locked on his, she straddled his thighs and reached between their bodies, dragging her fingertips lightly up the length of his cock. “I’m pleased to see I was right. You are most definitely not a small boy.”
His eyes slid to half-mast. He caressed her thighs and the curve of her hips before closing his hands around her ass. Using the purchase, he pulled her farther up his lap, until the length of him nestled against the folds of her body. He nipped at her bottom lip, murmuring against her mouth. “Thought about my cock, have you?”
Those words from his mouth, the teasing taunt in his tone, had a hot little shiver running through her. She’d long wondered how it would be between them, if the teasing would make its way into the bedroom, too. She was glad to see it did.
She wound her arms around his neck and rubbed her breasts across his chest, delighting in the luscious friction of her nipples against the smattering of dark hair covering his pecs. Then she rose up, sinking down enough to allow the head to slip inside. “A few times.”
He groaned, his eyes fluttering closed, and froze. His hands closed almost painfully tight around her ass cheeks. His jaw clenched and a tremor rolled through him. “Shit…You’re fucking unmanning me, Tina. I haven’t had a hair trigger since I was like nineteen.”
She rolled her hips again, and he slipped deeper inside her. His thick cock rubbed sensitive, swollen tissues, setting fire to every nerve ending along the way. She longed to close her eyes and immerse herself in the luscious delight, but his reactions captured her attention. A mix of torment and pleasure rolled across his features. Over the years, she’d had her fair share of lovers, but his reactions were the ultimate turn-on. She wanted to give him the same pleasure he gave her. She had every intention of keeping this at one night. Tomorrow, she would end the insanity between them. Sebastian would never be what she truly wanted. But for this one night, she’d let herself enjoy him, and she wanted to make sure he never forgot their time together.
He growled, low and frustrated and aroused, and opened his eyes. Two seconds later, he flipped her onto her back and flicked his hips against hers, shoving hard into her. Her headboard knocked the wall with the force of his thrust.
Christina gasped with the impact. One thrust and he’d struck the match. Her thighs trembled and her inner muscles tightened. Pleasure rolled through her.
“Sebastian…” Jesus, he felt good. His cock filled every inch of her insides, rubbing all the right places and every nerve ending was like a live wire, lit up and throbbing.
He brushed his mouth over hers, kissing his way across her jaw. His hot tongue stroked up her neck to the sensitive spot behind her ear. “How many times have you touched yourself while thinking of my cock, hmm?”
He whispered the words and flicked his hips again, shoving into her. Her headboard knocked the wall again. His pelvis rubbed her swollen clit. Tiny tremors skittered across the surface of her skin. Her response caught in her throat, a strangled moan her only coherent reply. Instead, she opted to show him and curled her fingers around his ass, arching against him.
He began a slow, torturous rhythm then, stroking all the way in and all the way out. All the while his mouth traveled her neck, her shoulder, her ear. His warm breath whispered over her skin, his breathing harsh and erratic. She relished every sound, every twitch of muscle. Her body tuned to his, and his every reaction fueled the need burning her up from the inside out. Until she couldn’t think, couldn’t even remember if she breathed. Completely at his whim, she could only react, let him take her world and spin it beyond her wildest imagination.
“Did you make yourself come while thinking of me? Christ, I think I spent most of high school with my cock in my hand, fantasizing about you. Your sweet mouth, your tight little ass…” He groaned, his body shaking now along with hers. His teeth clamped down on the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. He reached down and hooked her knee, pulled her leg over his hip and increased his tempo, thrusting deeper, harder. “Tell me, Tina. Have you?”
She drew a shuddering breath and attempted to find her brain, to make her tongue work.
“Yes. Ohhhh, God. Yes.” Another wave of pleasure pulsed through her, and she dragged her fingernails down his back, her toes curling.
Sebastian cursed under his breath. His hips jerked. His breathing hitched, and he paused on an out stroke. His body shook in earnest no
w, his breath taking on an erratic huff, all of it telling her he’d arrived at the same place she had—lost and overwhelmed.
“You’re my favorite fantasy, Baz. That morning you answered the door in your underwear?” She wrapped her arms around him and turned her head, kissing his shoulder, his neck, scraping her teeth over his stubbled jaw. He had her riding that fine sweet edge, on the verge of rupturing, but when she went, she planned to take him with her. “I had an incredible orgasm before getting out of bed, thinking about you, about this.”
His head shot up, eyes dark and hungry. Then he bent his head and took her mouth, his tongue thrusting inside. He pushed into her hard, over and over. His lips bruised hers, demanding and coaxing a response. Her body bowed off the bed with each stroke, rising to meet him until, with one last flick of his hips, the tension ruptured. His cock hit the exact right spot inside, and pleasure exploded through her, leaving her trembling and gasping.
Sebastian’s body tensed over her and began to shake as his orgasm claimed him. “Fuck. Tina…”
When the trembling stopped, he dropped his forehead into the crook of her shoulder. They lay that way, for how long she couldn’t be certain, holding each other, their harsh breathing the only sound in the room, both trying to catch their breath.
When their breathing finally returned to normal, he rolled off her and collapsed onto the bed beside her. They lay in silence, side by side. She didn’t know what to say to him. Their lovemaking amazed her. Never had she imagined it would be that good with him. That he’d far exceeded her expectations had her grinning in spite of herself.
Beside her, Sebastian chuckled, low and still breathless. “Jesus. I always knew it would be intense with you.”
Grateful that nothing had changed, she took his playful words and ran with them. Let them fuel her need. He made her feel beautiful, wanted, and for this one night, she intended to take as much as he’d give her.
She rolled onto her side and tucked her hand beneath her pillow, arching a brow at him. “Think you can handle me, cowboy?”
He laughed again and took a moment to take off the condom, wrapped it in a tissue from the box on her nightstand, and tossed it in the small trashcan beside her bed. Then he lay back again and looked over at her. Wickedness glinted in his eyes as he took her hand, slid it down his stomach, and curled her fingers around his length. He was still hard as granite.
He arched a brow, accepting her challenge and tossing it back at her. “I think the question is, sweetheart, whether or not you can handle me.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. His orgasm hadn’t even taken the edge off his erection. She’d heard about guys like him, who could quite literally go all night. She’d never met one, had always figured they were nothing more than guys bragging.
She pushed upright, sliding over the top of him, hands braced on his chest, and straddled his hips. The now slippery folds of her body settled over his length. “What are you, the Energizer Bunny?”
“I’ve spent years fantasizing about you and here you are, straddling my cock. I’ve got a lot of time to make up for.” His hot hands skimmed her thighs, his touch so light he left goose bumps. Her skin, super-sensitive now postorgasm, came alive all over again. His gaze scorched hers. “Grab another condom, sweetheart. I’m not done with you yet.”
She did as he bade, pulling another foil packet from the nightstand and rolling it down his impressive length, then sank onto him with greedy abandon. She shouldn’t have allowed the intimacy between them, should not have crossed this line, but his sweet words by the door had done her in. Something was definitely different about him tonight. But did he mean what he’d said? That he actually cared for her? Or was that the needy playboy talking, who just wanted a distraction, like he had the other morning in his kitchen?
The trouble was, she didn’t know, which was why she would allow herself to enjoy this night with him, but tomorrow it had to end. All too soon her alarm would go off and the dawn would bring an ugly dose of reality. Sebastian would kiss her sweetly, make his excuses, and leave, if he stayed at all. Then the awkwardness would begin. He’d go back to treating her like Caden’s sister, and she’d have to pretend his casual attitude didn’t hurt like hell. Would have to go back to watching him with other women and pretend it wasn’t a knife in her heart. He’d no doubt avoid her like the plague. For every Christmas or Thanksgiving that they got together with family, the way they’d done since they were kids, the tension created would forever be an awkward wall between them. Their dark little secret. She’d fucked Caden’s best friend.
For tonight, though, he was hers, and she’d get to fulfill a long-standing fantasy. She’d deal with the consequences when the alarm went off in the morning.
* * *
“Sebastian. Sebastian, wake up.”
Whether she was real or part of the delicious dream he was having, Sebastian allowed Christina’s soft voice to coax his eyes open. She sat on the side of the bed. Nope, not a dream. In fact, she must have showered, for she was fully dressed, wearing another of her mind-blowing pencil skirts. With her white shirt left open and her hair tied back in bun, he could admire her slender throat and the nape of her neck. Beautiful. Her stiff posture and the nervous edge in her gaze, though, told him something was wrong. She looked like she was prepared to flee at a moment’s notice.
“You’re actually here. I thought, perhaps, you were a dream.” He smiled, reaching for the hand resting in her lap. “You’re entirely too dressed for this early in the morning. Come back to bed.”
Instead of allowing him to pull her to him, she drew her hand out of reach. Something flitted through her gaze, there and gone before he’d fully caught it, but it looked a lot like alarm. The same emotion sank inside of him, tightening his stomach. Okay, something was definitely off.
“Good morning, Sebastian. I’m sorry to run, but I have an eight o’clock meeting. I took the liberty of calling your assistant. She says your first meeting isn’t until ten.” She turned to the nightstand and lifted a ceramic mug in his direction. The pleasant smile she flashed wobbled. “I’ve made coffee. Strong and black, the way you like it. These are an extra set of keys. If you could lock the door when you leave, I’d appreciate it. You can leave the keys with Caden or drop them by my office. My assistant will make sure I get them.”
Oh, he got the message, loud and clear. The night was over and she’d relegated him to “morning after” mode. It was a clear but subtle “the night is over. Please see yourself out.” Whatever good mood he’d woken with evaporated. In its place, a foreign emotion he didn’t want to look too closely at seized his chest. It felt an awful lot like disappointment.
He sat up and moved around her, scooting to the end of the bed. A glance at the clock on the nightstand told him it was a little after seven thirty. He’d have time to go home and shower before his day began, though last night, he’d envisioned this morning going slightly different. He shouldn’t have come over. His intention had been to drink himself into a stupor so he wouldn’t be able to think, to ponder his father’s death. Like it or not, the hurt had settled in, and he hadn’t a damn clue how to reconcile it.
He’d never been more alone in his life and Christina had been a lure he should’ve resisted but hadn’t been able to. He had so many regrets, so many things he should’ve told his father while he was still alive and damn the consequences. He hated the thought of Christina being one of them. The liquor had done what it always did, loosened his inhibitions, and he’d decided she wouldn’t be one of his regrets. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to touch her after he said what he needed to, but he’d intended to right things between them.
Except once again, she’d responded. When he touched her, she shuddered. When he kissed her, her mouth softened beneath his. The heat in her eyes and that damn soft way she had about her had done him in. He’d needed her.
He’d hoped at the very least to spend the morning relishing the intimacy with her. Maybe they’d have br
eakfast together and talk. Maybe he’d make love to her one more time before he had to let her go.
“I’m well aware of what this is and what it isn’t, but ‘get dressed and get out’ is a little cold even for you.” He rose from the bed and gathered his clothing off the floor where he’d flung it the night before.
She didn’t move but remained where she sat, back ramrod straight. Her awareness of him prickled in the air around him. Despite her cool exterior, her eyes followed his every move, and she clenched her hands in her lap so tightly her knuckles had turned white. “It was a one-night stand, Sebastian, and it’s over. Let’s not drag this out.”
As he pulled his shorts on, he jerked his gaze to hers. Anger rose like a tide within him. He’d never be able to forget the experience. She’d left her mark on him, in more ways than one. Judging by the soreness, his back contained proof positive of the heat generated between them. It had to be ironic, really. Wasn’t this usually the man’s job the next morning?
He shot her a glance as he stepped into his pants. “As long as we’ve known each other, I hoped you might treat me with a little more warmth and respect. But whatever. You do what you need to do to separate yourself from this.”
She blinked. “Have I offended you? I would think you’d be grateful I was leaving quietly.”
Her words sank hard and cold in his chest. He’d always known that was what she thought of him, because he’d done it on purpose, but to see it in her eyes, hear the disappointment in her quiet voice, was too much. This time, he couldn’t leave it that way.
Clothing disregarded for the moment, he moved back to the bed and bent over her, hands braced on her thighs, so he had her undivided attention. “You have a lot of wrong ideas about me, sweetheart. I’ve always let you believe what you wanted, because you’re my best friend’s sister and it created a safe barrier between us. Since we’ve blown that barrier to kingdom come, I’m going to set you straight. I’ve never in my life treated a woman like she was another warm body. It’s not my style. I’m actually fond of the morning after. Mine usually end with breakfast. I make no promises, so I don’t ever need to talk my way out of anything. So, if you need some space to separate yourself from this, I can deal with that, but have the balls to be straight with me.”
