When You Only Need To Ask (The House of Sin: The Beginning)

by Hadleigh Stephens

  He shakes his head. “Did Nate force you to submit against your will?” His other hand rests against the side of my neck his fingers making long, soothing strokes underneath my hair and goose bumps break out over my body and all the tiny hairs stand up on my skin. “Did he threaten you?”

  I shake my head. “I was desperate to please him.” Tears prickle my eyes because I’m mad at myself, annoyed beyond all reason. “I just kept pushing the envelope. He’d tell me to do something and I did.” The tears stinging my eyes hit my throat and I swallow them back. “My grandmother had strict ideas on how a woman needed to act. She was a wonderful woman but she was strict about propriety, rules, morals, especially when it came to me as a girl. Merrick and Colt, not so much. They were allowed to sow their wild oats.” My lips curve slightly at the phrase. “Seems decidedly unfair that a man’s allowed to explore his needs, desires, likes, dislikes and a woman’s supposed to just accept.” Even I could hear the raw frustration in my voice. “I needed more than just committee meetings and sweater sets.” A blush heats my cheeks. “I know I had Merrick and Colt, but it’s not the same as a having a lover. I don’t want to be alone with my forbidden desires. I want someone to share them with me. Someone who understands them completely.” I lower my eyes.

  His hand moves, tugging me closer and with it still firmly latched in my hair, he pushes my head against his chest and we just stand there, both silent.

  “You’re not alone anymore.” He tips my chin up and his mouth touches mine. My body does the only thing it can, it melts into him. Nothing about tonight is rough, fast, or hard. It’s gentle, sweet, quiet, and catches me completely off guard because I expected a takeover, not a gentle persuasion. His tongue sweeps across the seam of my lips but doesn’t enter. He doesn’t grab, or grind, he just holds me steady with his fingers on my chin and one arm loose about my waist and there’s no way I’m gonna fight this feeling. The feeling of being cared for. Cherished. Those things make me feel really good inside. Better than I have in a long while.

  He lifts his head and with his hands on my shoulders turns me, steering me towards the hallway.

  “Now where’s that bath, Angel?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  If you desire to be respected, keep clean

  I make a point to monitor Cooper’s reaction when he steps into the oversized bathroom. It doesn’t surprise me when he stops and lets his gaze travel appreciatively around room. It is a pretty freakin’ awesome room.

  “A little bit of heaven on earth.” He twists his neck so our gazes briefly meet. His eyes skim over everything and don’t miss anything. “Never will I think of white as a boring color again. You’ve made it a picture of sensual purity.”

  The large claw footed tub is big enough for two. The brass and ceramic handles are in the middle so someone can lie on either end. The white girly flounced lace and organdy curtain has the appearance of layers and layers of frosting hanging from the round brass shower rod. It’s delicate and overly fluffy and even more feminine with his large leather-clad body standing smack dap in the middle of the room.

  “Shit, Angel.” He turns to me with one of the biggest grins I’ve ever seen on his face before slowly backing out of the room. I give him a quizzical lift of my brows as he backs onto the hardwood floors of the hall and bends over to unlace his boots, toeing them off and removing his socks before stepping back onto the gleaming white, heated-tile bathroom floor.

  He gives me a look full of apology. “Didn’t even ask. You’re right I just pushed my way in like an ass. I should’ve removed my shoes at the door.”

  I shrug turning to face the room, working hard at gathering my thoughts. I love the boyish look that crosses his face giving him a youthful appeal that’s refreshing with all the commanding he does on a regular basis. It’s actually quite cute.

  I hear his bare feet right before his arms wrap around me from behind and I settle back against the solid wall of his chest. He places a kiss on the top of my head, his fingers toying with the belt of my robe nearly robbing me of all my breath at the thought of him pulling the tie and letting it fall to the floor and me naked. Him naked. Both of us naked. Hot flesh pressing against hot flesh.

  He pushes the strands of hair off my neck, lowering his lips to the tendons at the juncture of my shoulder and sucks my flesh deep into his mouth until it throbs beneath his lips.

  “This house makes me want to get dirty.” His hands grip my hips as he pushes the thick bulge of his erection into my bottom grinding his hips in slow, erotic circles until my sex thuds in a wild, primal beat. “It’s so white and clean looking.”

  Then he releases me, spinning me around to drop a quick kiss on my lips before stepping back. I grip his wrists to steady myself, my legs practically useless, like overcooked spaghetti noodles, completely inadequate for holding me up.

  “Bath first.”

  That’s when it gets even better. He mesmerizes me further with the play of his muscles as he reaches over his shoulders grasping handfuls of his white linen shirt. He pulls it over his head revealing more and more skin and casting it aside without a thought to where it lands.

  I shudder out a breath. “You want me to leave the room?” A raging fire spreads quickly through my body like a flash. My thighs tighten in an attempt to seal in the gushing liquid that fights to rush from my body. His chest is covered by a dark brown thatch from shoulder to shoulder like a thick pelt that arrows down the center of his body delineated by the obvious ridges of his abdominal muscles to disappear into the waistband of his pants and I can’t stop my mouth from falling open in surprise. All the air leaves the room as I take in the stainless steel nipple rings that glint in the firelight.

  Sexy as hell nipple rings that have me practically laying on the floor in utter shock. Cold-cocks me. Brushed stainless steel rings with a ball in the center. They weren’t big, or thick, or overbearing, just there and freakin’ robbing me of breath. My eyes widen; my tongue instinctively slides out to wet my lips, my pulse spikes and my pussy compresses. Oh, God, I want to play with them. Lick them. Let them slide over the tip of my tongue. I want—I shake myself out of my stupor concentrating on watching his chest and ridged abs rise and fall as he takes deep, uneven breaths of his own.

  My mouth gapes as I gasp for air, almost drooling in my effort swiping my hand across my mouth just to make sure I hadn’t. It’s then that I realize I’d never seen his chest without a shirt, only his muscular back and the sight knocked me for a loop.

  He grins revealing the two deep creases in his cheeks with the smile knowing damn well what has me flabbergasted. “Can’t bathe with clothes on,” he says simply, his head cocked a little arrogantly and flashes another sexy-as-hell grin. “Now can I, Angel.” His head dips, amusement sparks in his eyes making me speechless. “Something catch your attention?”

  My eyes linger on his chest, then skim down his ridged abdomen. My tongue flicks out sweeping over my lips hungrily. God, he’s a beautiful. I stand there fighting my nerves practically naked myself, thinking how easy it would be to just finish the job and press my body against his.

  I take a timid step forward. He looks so good, so confident, so strong, and I want him. Bad. I clear my throat, but I can’t get rid of the husky edge to my voice. “The big bad Sheriff of Edgeview, Tennessee has nipple piercings?” I know every bit of desire I feel can be heard in the words I speak. I fan my hot cheeks with my open hand.

  “It would appear so.” His eyes never leave mine even as he lifts his hands and with his fingers he tugs at both rings with a wicked smirk. “You aren’t the only one that went through a teenage rebellion, Angel.”

  My stomach churns as the butterflies nesting there flutter their wings enthusiastically. Leaning around his shoulders with brows lifted, I ask, “Are you hiding anything else? Maybe a couple tattoos?” A teasing gleam flickers in my eyes. “Perhaps another piercing?”

  He wears an amused expression. “Nope.”

  I press my lips to
gether and with narrowed eyes, I decide to do my own research. Just to be thorough. For several long seconds I circle him, the fingertips of one hand barely grazing his flesh, across his wide shoulders, down his spine, over the firm globes of his buttocks, then I make my way back around his big body to stand in front of him again. One hand lays flat against his chest but not touching the rings that garnish his body. My tongue stuck between my teeth like it always does when I find myself deep in concentration.

  I pause, giving my fingertips permission to disturb the thick layer of wiry hair. I leisurely follow the trail that arrows down the center of his body to dip into his navel like he’d done with me and hook over the waistband of his pants. I tug the band away from his body to peer into the darkness. “Sure you’re not hiding anything else, Cowboy?” My look coy when I glance up, my bottom lip gripped firmly between my teeth. Still an arm’s length away, yet he grabs for my hand, his thumb wreaking havoc as it rubs circles where it rests on the pulse at my wrist.

  “I’m positive.” He jerks me nearer. “You want me to get a tattoo, Angel?”

  I shrug a shoulder.

  He taps my lips.

  I shrug again, letting out a long groan when he taps my lips again. “I think tattoos are sexy.” No matter how hard I try, I can’t keep my eyes from his nipples. They stray back every time I attempt to look anywhere else. The rings are so deliciously decadent framed by the dark areolas and erect nipples that poke through the thick pelt of fur. A complete and utter surprise. “But so are your piercings.”

  “Your eyes are so expressive, Angel.”

  I know they’re glazed with lust. Too heavy and it takes all my power to drag them up to look into the dark, swirling depths of his desire ridden gaze.

  “Wanna touch?”

  He smiles a relaxed, yet arrogant smile that lets me know that he knows what I want to do. That he knows my fingertips are eager to grip the rings and let the metal warmed by his body slide over my tongue. His smile tells me all of that and more as my eyes tell him that I can’t resist his invitation even if my life depended on it.

  “Your pulse is racing.” He lifts my wrist to his mouth his tongue darting out and flicking over the throbbing vein and I whimper. My body stills when I make the noise. A cross between a growl and a squeak escaped from the back of my throat.

  I clear my throat. “Do you mind?” Those words are raspy as I force them from my dry mouth. Delicious tingles skitter to my pussy and my nipples tighten as my breasts swell beneath my soft robe.

  “Please do.” His mouth quirks up on the corners and I barely even notice because I’m so enthralled with the way his thick fingers keep tugging on the rings. My breath hitches when his hands lower and settle at my waist to steady me. “I touched your tattoo.” On anyone else that sentence would’ve come across smarmy, but coming from his lips it makes me want to come right where I stand.

  He tugs me to where I stand only an inch from his body. I lift both hands and plant them firmly over his bulging pecs, caressing them, relishing the feel of the heated steel rolling against my palms. I stroke over his nipples and pull slightly on one of the rings and his breath hisses through his teeth at the gentle tug.

  I glance up, startled, my eyes full of worry, my brows high upon my forehead. “Did I hurt you?”

  “Far from it, Angel,” he groans out softly. “Put your mouth on me, sweetheart.”

  I do. Leaning forward, I lift myself up on my toes balancing against his chest, sucking one of his rigid nipples deep into my mouth. I play with the ring and ball with the tip of my tongue laughing at the novelty of it all.

  “I’ve never been with a man who has piercings anywhere but in his ears.” Squirming, I rotate my hips against the bulge in his pants.

  “Shit, if I’d known you were going to turn into a pile of mush at the sight of my nipple rings, I would’ve shown ‘em to you in the hospital.” He chuckles. “God, if I’d known you were going to have this kind of reaction, I would’ve shown ‘em to you in the ambulance.”

  “Hmm…” Is all I manage, my attention riveted on the ring between my teeth and I tug again, the muscles in his chest jumping beneath my palms. My tongue flicks over his flesh and I savor his saltiness, his flavor, his piercing, his immense sexuality arousing me. I feel so naughty standing in my ultra-feminine bathroom tugging on his piercings. I feel naughty as wetness coats my flushed folds and seeps down the insides of my thighs in thick creamy trails.

  “We need to stop, Angel.” His hands land on my shoulders as he stares down at me. “Let me wash or I’m going to lay you down on this tile floor and have my way with you.”

  “Okay.” I step back, although reluctantly.

  “Okay, let me wash or okay, let me lay you down on this ingenious heated-tile floor and have my way with you?”

  “Is everything a joke to you, Cowboy?”

  “Only the important things,” he says solemnly, but with one of those sexy twinkles glimmering in his eyes.

  I laugh, then my breath rushes from my lungs when he reaches for his belt. His abs bunch as he unbuckles making it clear that he doesn’t have a shy bone in his body, but I do. Even with my cheeks heating to an unnatural shade of pink I can’t turn away as I watch the shadowing of his six-pack as he sucks in his stomach releasing the buttons down the front of his brown leather pants. With each button it becomes more and more obvious he’s wearing nothing else. His eyes hold mine captive as he slowly lowers the pants down his muscled thighs. The silver buckle of his brown leather belt jingles as his pants slide down and I nearly faint at the sight of the thick, length of his cock falling heavy in front of his body.

  His arm slides along my shoulders pulling me into his side, leaning in, his hot breath brushes past my ear sending shivers clean down my spine. He doesn’t waste any time. His hands curl around my upper arms and he turns, pulling me up on my tiptoes as his mouth crashes against mine with barely leashed desire. Tongues, teeth, lips all smash together. Saliva swaps from his mouth to mine and back again in an erotic exchange. My teeth nip at his bottom lip, biting down, eliciting a deep groan from his throat just as I draw the firm yet pillowy softness of that same lip deep into my mouth and suck.

  His hand travels down my back, over my waist and then molds one buttock with his hand. His cock lurches, prodding past the opening in my robe and rubs against my lower belly leaving a wet trail across my skin. I scrape my nipples against his chest, the softness of my robe shoots tingles skittering to my clit in rapid succession making me nearly come right then and there.

  He pushes me away when I whimper, making me whimper again and my heart pounds twice as fast. He slides his nose along the length of mine and whispers in a fierce tone, “I feel exactly the same way.”

  I grin.

  “Why don’t you grab that poufy thing over there?” He jerks his head in the direction of the shelves by the pedestal sink indicating the mound of white loofahs that I keep piled in a pretty white basket. “I’ll let you wash my back.” He returns my grin, once again revealing the two deep creases in his cheeks with the smile. “Two hands are faster than one and then we can get on to bigger and better things.” He wiggles his eyebrows as his eyes flicker down to his thick cock he’s fisting tightly. He does a quick stroke from bulb to base and I nearly faint.

  His lips twitch. “Believe me, I don’t have all night. Two days is too damn long to wait to feel your pretty little pussy squeezing my big ol’ dick.” He winks. “He missed you. A lot.”

  I know he did that on purpose so I stand there with my foot tapping on the tile with my arms crossed over my breasts. Suddenly not feeling quite so accommodating, quite so warm and fuzzy. “You’re kidding, right?” I cock my head which means I mean business. Not fuckin’ around any longer. My eyes gives off green sparks and my mouth is a thin, straight line so that I don’t smile.

  “It’s been a long ass couple of days, Angel.”

  “And…” That’s when I really look at him and see the visible lines near his eyes an
d the extra creases between his brows. “Cowboy?”

  “C’mon, Angel.” He glances up, the hint of an apology in his eyes. “I want to wash the stink off so I can wrap my body around you and sink into your goodness. ‘Kay?”

  I can’t argue with that. The sweetness of his words are exactly what I need to hear. “’Kay,” I whisper turning towards the shelf and as I turn he smacks my bottom hard enough to sting even through my robe.

  “Hey!” I pivot with a glare just in time to see him step over the edge of the tub sinking into what’s now sure to be tepid water and watch as he sighs like it’s the perfect temperature.

  “Tuck that anger in your pocket, Angel, and we can talk about it later.” He rests his head back against the pillow, sighing again. “Poufy thing, Angel,” he repeats without opening his eyes but jerks his chin in the direction of the shelves again.

  I grab one of the poufy things tossing it at him and to my surprise he catches it with one eye cracked and a grin watching my every move.

  “How’d I know you were going to do that?”

  “’Cause I’m a smartass?”

  “Yep, that about sums it up.” He closes his eyes again.

  I lower myself to the rug with my bottom to my heels and wait for him to tell me what he needs.

  “I like it when you throw that little attitude of yours around. Makes me harder than a steel pike.”

  “Cowboy!”

  He throws back his head with a laugh. “When I started this day, Angel, I had no idea I’d end up in your sweet-scented bathwater.”

  My tongue travels over my bottom lip. My eyes travel over his body. Hard, rounded pecs covered with a thick pelt of dark fur begging me to touch them. I want to run my fingers through the hair and feel it slide over my fingertips.