by Sarina Bowen
Bear planted an elbow on the sofa’s edge and kissed her again, this time on his terms.
“Oh,” Stella whimpered between kisses, and the sound of her seeped through his veins like a drug. They went at it like teenagers again. He chased each kiss with another, and then another, slanting his mouth over hers, perfecting their connection. Each dive into Stella’s mouth was deeper than the last.
Unbidden, his free hand skimmed under her slinky top, finding the silky skin of her stomach. Ever since teenaged Stella had begun wearing bikini bathing suits, he’d been tortured by the question of how it would feel to touch her. And now he knew the answer.
Addictive. That’s how it felt.
Meanwhile, her hands slid all over his bare chest. And then her legs wrapped around him, her heels digging into his ass, suddenly yanking his groin against hers. Jesus. He was raring to go, and it was partly because Stella was still trying to assert control over him. On another girl, that would have been a turn-off. From her, it was hot as fuck.
With a growl, he grabbed both her hands, holding them over her head. Then he hiked his body up a few inches, pinning her hips in place with his own. Breaking their kiss, he stared down at her.
Beneath him, Stella’s face was flushed, her dark eyes lit with lust. Their eyes locked and their chests heaved from exhilaration.
But… Goddamn. How did he end up here, with Stella? This wasn’t part of tonight’s plan.
“Let me up, Bear,” she said softly.
Chastened, he released her immediately, rising to his knees on the sofa.
Her face pink, Stella scrambled to a kneeling position, too. For a second they just stared at each other. He didn’t think he’d misread the situation. But he’d had a lot to drink tonight, and where Stella was concerned, he didn’t trust himself.
What was she thinking right now?
The answer came as Stella scooted closer to him again. Surprised, Bear held his body still, watching her. Her hands went to his waist. When she slid her fingers across skin, just north of his waistband, he had to bite back a moan. Her ambitious fingers found the button of his jeans, which she popped open.
That sobered his ass up. Fast. “Stella,” he breathed. “You shouldn’t do that.” It’s what he’d told her all those years ago. And it was still true.
She threw back her head, looking up into his eyes. “Bear,” she chided. “I haven’t been sixteen for a long time.”
“No kidding.” He blew out a breath. “But we’ve been friends for a long time, and…”
“Bear?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could just shut up right now?” Her questing hand found a new place to stroke, just over the bulge in his jeans.
Jesus Christ. He couldn’t even answer her, he was so turned on. Slowly she eased his zipper down. Then one of her exquisite hands ventured beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs. Bear’s breath stuttered in his throat.
Stella chuckled. “Now I know how to silence you.”
That was a second wakeup call. Stella obviously believed she’d bested him, rendering him defenseless. He planted a foot on the floor and grabbed her with both arms. Stella squeaked with surprise as he hoisted her into the air. He stalked around the sleek fireplace, tossing her on the bed. On her back, with her mussed hair spreading out on the duvet, she looked up at him with surprise.
He stood back, holding tightly to his control for one crucial moment longer. He could not get this wrong. “Am I getting on this bed with you?” he asked.
She licked her lips, and the anticipation made him so hungry he forgot to breathe. “Only if you lose the rest of your clothes first,” she answered.
Well then. There was no way to misinterpret that. And, as Stella had pointed out, she was an adult, capable of making her own decisions. If she wanted this, he did not have to refuse.
Apparently he wasn’t moving fast enough for Stella, because she came after him. Sitting up, she tugged on the waistband of his jeans. Bear shoved the denim down his ass, his legs, and off his feet. Stella divested him of his boxer briefs next. Whisking away any remaining shreds of higher-order thinking, Stella grabbed him by both hips, tilted her head down, and began dropping wet kisses onto his shaft.
Before he could even catch a breath, Stella took him into the wet heat of her mouth. The sensation caused his muscles to lock up tight. Lifting his eyes to the ceiling, he dropped his head back, fighting for a little self control.
“Mmm,” Stella hummed.
The sound made Bear pant. All the tequila he’d drunk tonight was supposed to make him numb. Instead, his body had accelerated from a standstill to crucial velocity in a matter of minutes. If he didn’t put on the breaks, the entire ride would be over before he was ready.
Bear reached down, skimming his hands over Stella’s hair. He grasped her silky shirt in his fingers. With a tug, he raised the fabric, forcing Stella to release him. She relented, raising her arms. He whipped the shirt over her head and tossed it onto the floor. With a gentle shove, he tipped her back onto the bed, then climbed on with her.
She reached for him. “I wasn’t finished.”
“Patience,” he scoffed, holding her off in a way that kept her questing hands from reaching his dick. Holding her still with a hand to her shoulder, he freed up his other hand for some very necessary work. He undid her jeans, then gave them a tug. She lifted her hips, and when the fabric fell away, he choked out a laugh. Stella wore nothing underneath.
Stella Lazarus went commando. That was just so her.
And now she was spread out on the bed before him, her skin smooth and inviting, in nothing but a sporty little black bra. Not that he could keep his eyes up there. The temptation was just too great to run his gaze down her olive-toned curves. He bent over her body, skimming his lips along her hip bone. She tasted even sweeter than he’d imagined. Kissing his way across her body, he paused to nibble the top edge of the tiny triangle of black hair between her legs.
“Ohhh,” Stella moaned, her hips shifting underneath him.
Bear braced himself over her, forearms aligned outside her sleek thighs. She was more muscular than the women he usually went to bed with. Hell. Just the idea of how she might use those muscles on him was almost more than he could take. Drawing his elbows closer to her body, he pressed her legs together tightly. Then, lowering his head, he began dropping light kisses onto every inch that was still accessible. With his mouth, he cruised the juncture between her inner thigh and her mound, pausing to let his breath ghost over her body.
“You’re… ohh…” she whimpered, flopping back onto the bed. He raised his eyes to see her chest heaving. He nosed between her legs again, the trace of a sweet, musky scent of her turning him on even further. If that was possible.
She fought his grip on her legs, but he would not budge. Smiling now, he placed a single slow kiss about an inch north of the place where she would rather have it land. Again she wriggled, trying to enhance the connection to suit her.
“You’re impatient, buddy.” Without releasing the hold his elbows had on her, he lifted a hand to smooth from her belly button down to the crux of her thighs. He gave her nothing else but a wicked grin. Bear was desperate to escalate the situation. But it was too much fun to tease her.
“I’m impatient?” she huffed. “You made me wait ten years.”
Christ. When she put it that way, he didn’t feel half so guilty about this. He turned his face to the side and chuckled.
“So freaking bossy!” she complained.
“But you like it.” Even as the words came out of his mouth, he realized how true they really were. That challenge in her eye when they argued? There was something more there than simple stubbornness. He’d always known Stella enjoyed challenging him. He’d just never allowed himself to wonder whether he was one of the challenges on her to-do list. Or to dream about how hot their long-time rivalry would feel in bed.
Jesus, he was a goner.
Above him, Stella proppe
d herself up on her elbows. Bear, who probably had eighty pounds on Stella, still had control over her lower body. Since there was nothing she could really do to hurry him up, he dropped his head once more to graze the triangle between her legs with soft kisses. Then he raised his head to give her his cockiest grin.
Narrowing her eyes, she reached between her breasts and unhooked the clasp on her bra. The cups sprang apart, her breasts breaking free with a bounce. Her nipples were larger and darker than he’d expected. He’d been tortured by the question of exactly what lay beneath Stella’s bikini tops ever since he was a teenager. Suddenly, Stella looked far more naked than she had a minute before. As he stared, she dropped back on the bed, arched her ribcage, and cupped her own breasts in two hands. With a breathy little moan, she began stroking them.
Bear was not even conscious of his decision to move. It was only after he found himself scaling her body, catching those soft swells in his own hands that realized that he’d been had.
Quick as a striking serpent, Stella’s legs wrapped around Bear’s ass, her heels digging in to pin him close to her body. “Men,” she cooed, squeezing his body with strong legs. “So predictable.”
In answer, Bear said: “Hrrmhaah.” Because it wasn’t possible to be eloquent with a boob in his mouth. He sucked the tip into a pebbled point, his tongue swirling around the wine-dark nipple. Stella gasped and held him even more tightly.
He lifted his head, and then they were kissing again. If he could, he’d stay forever in her sweet mouth. For the first time tonight, she relaxed into the kiss, letting him take the lead. Bear tried to slow down. He made an effort to appreciate each languorous slide of his tongue against hers. But his pulse was racing, and Stella’s curves underneath him were more than he could withstand. She’d parted her legs a little ways, which meant that the base of his shaft settled between her legs. The slick softness he felt there was making him half mad with desire.
Finally, Bear’s self-control was dragged right to the brink as Stella slipped a hand down between their two bodies, gripping him with her fingertips.
For the second time tonight, he grabbed her hand away from his dick, pinning it over her head. Then he caught her other one and did the same. Securing both of her wrists with one of his hands, he propped himself up on the other elbow and looked down to watch her face. What he saw there did nothing for his patience. Stella’s cheeks were flushed a deep red, and her swollen lips moved as she panted for him. “Bear,” she groaned.
He tilted his pelvis, the tip of his dick teasing her entrance. “You want this?”
“Right now,” she whimpered.
Again, he teased her with a glancing slide of his aching cock. “I don’t know. Let’s do rock, paper, scissors to decide.”
But the joke fell flat. Because there was no way to disguise how badly he wanted her. Their desire for each other was so palpable that it was hard to believe they’d avoided doing this before. Bear dropped his mouth to hers once again, giving Stella the slowest kiss he was capable of delivering. “Give me one second, buddy. I need to gear up.” He rolled off of her and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Unfortunately, his wallet felt suspiciously thin. He swore under his breath.
No condom.
“I won’t get pregnant,” Stella said quietly.
Bear did not look at her, because the sight of a completely naked Stella lying ready for him to…
The image was too much. He didn’t ask any clarifying questions, because he was not going to take chances tonight. He was already a little awestruck that they were having this conversation. And no matter how careful Stella was with the pill or whatever, taking a risk with her was out of the question.
Bear strode over to a wooden console against the wall, where he’d noticed some miniibar items. He pushed aside a wrapped package of playing cards, a six-dollar lip balm and… found a three pack of condoms.
“Hallelujah,” he grunted, ripping one open. And here he’d thought fancy hotels were overrated. With shaking hands, he sheathed himself.
Stella watched him from the bed with a gleam in her eye. “Latex covers rock,” she said.
“You did not just make that joke.” He chuckled while his heart thumped loudly against his ribcage.
“So what if I did?” she teased as he lay down again on the bed. Stella raised her arms, reaching for him. Now there was a sight to file away in his brain forever.
Bear did a horny version of the military crawl, hyper-aware of everywhere they touched. He braced himself above her. The heat of her body, the smooth brush of her breasts, the flutter of her pulse at her neck… The whole experience was something he never thought he’d see. Don’t rush, he warned himself. There might not ever be another moment as perfect as this.
“What are you waiting for?” Stella asked. “A signal from the judges?” She moved her body a crucial inch, and Bear had to close his eyes to hold on to his control. He made her wait a few more seconds. Because if he set aside their power struggle, it would change things between them too much. He needed that distracting layer of competition to keep her at an arm’s length from his heart.
She clamped a hand around the back of his neck and hauled him down for the hottest, most crazy-making kiss of his life. Stella absolutely invaded his mouth, and he let her. She wrapped first one leg and then the other around him, letting out a huff of frustration at the delay.
That’s when he made his move, pumping his hips, pushing home in one smooth go.
“Yes!” she cried out, throwing her head back.
He’d succeeded in catching her off guard, keeping one last ounce of control over the situation. The trouble was he caught himself off guard, too. She was tight and hot and so wonderful that he needed a moment to collect himself. So he bent down to kiss her again, but that only made it worse. The slide of her tongue against his own was so hot that he had to move his hips. Stella’s smooth legs gripped his ass. She was under him and around him in every possible way.
At that moment, there was nothing else in the world he needed. No sponsorship mattered. No tour mattered. There was only Stella. She held him so tightly it was possible to forget every other thing in the world.
Seven
ALL THE UNO CARDS and the backgammon set had officially been thrown off the bed.
For years she had been fantasizing about this, and the reality was almost more than Stella could take. She didn’t want to rush, but she was incapable of slowing down. Every kiss, every flex of Bear’s hips brought her closer to the brink.
The intensity of Bear’s silver gaze stole her breath. Hovering over her, the man of her dreams looked into her eyes. And then he smiled. That smile had always made her stupid, even on the best of days. Right now it was devastating. Bear lowered his beautiful mouth onto hers, and Stella was forced to drop every pretense of attitude. This was too good. It was almost too much. All she could do was put her arms around as much of Bear as she could and hold on tight.
Meanwhile, Bear picked up the pace, growling into her mouth. She’d always wondered what it would be like with him, and reality did not disappoint. She was approaching sensory overload — the scruff of his beard, the bulk of his muscle under her hands… She wished she could slow down time and memorize everything. It was all so very very good.
This was what it felt like to get exactly what you wanted. Like bathing in sunshine and sweet friction.
Bear dropped his head to take her breast into his mouth again. And that’s what ruined her. When he lapped at her nipple, she couldn’t hold back anymore. Vaguely aware that she was making a lot of unintelligible sounds, she tensed every naked muscle, as if she could stretch out the moment by sheer force of will. Then sensation clobbered her, knocking her back against the sheets. Through the haze of her orgasm, she saw Bear squeeze his eyes shut. “Yeah, buddy. Fuck, that’s hot. Aw, yeah,” he panted. Then he gave one more masculine growl and planted himself to the hilt with a shudder.
For several long moments, nobody moved. Stella could only lie
there breathing, processing the ripple effects of intense stimulation. Her skin felt flushed, and her pulse raced. With his face dropped into the curve of her neck, Bear gave a long groan of satisfaction.
Then, he rolled off of her.
A few seconds were all it took for Stella to feel a twinge of… she didn’t know what. Panic was too strong a word. But her defenses notched up to high alert, guarding her heart against whatever happened next. Even though plenty of tequila had been consumed tonight, Stella now felt as sober as a stone.
There was an unfamiliar sting behind her eyelids, too.
It didn’t help that Bear got up and disappeared. The room felt too cool all of a sudden. She heard a flush, and knew he’d just disappeared into the john to throw the condom away. But she was very alone in that bed for a moment, wondering if she’d just made a colossal mistake.
He returned, though. She felt the bed depress, and then the warmth of his body moved over to curve around hers. His big leg hitched between hers, and a broad hand came sliding around her waist. He made a satisfied sound. She could feel his muscles relaxing against her body. Men. They were such simple creatures. Give them food or sex, and they were happy.
“You okay, buddy?” he asked quietly.
Stella’s heart contracted at the sound of his familiar nickname for her. “Mmm,” she said. It wasn’t a very definitive statement, though, so she also reached a hand back, over her head, to ruffle his thick hair through her fingers. She couldn’t roll to face him, though. She didn’t trust her eyes not to well with tears. She’d gotten something she always wanted. But it was terrifying to realize immediately afterwards how much she still wanted it.
Once would never, ever be enough.
Eight
IN THE MORNING, BEAR woke up slowly.
When you spent five or more months of the year traveling to sporting events all over the world, waking up could be a confusing adventure. With his eyes still slammed shut, he took stock. The bed beneath him was comfortable and also large. No part of him dangled off the edge. It felt great, actually. It beat the hell out of waking up in his sleeping bag on someone else’s hotel room floor. (That happened, sometimes.) Much of Bear felt great, actually. There was a dull pain in his head, though. That wasn’t unusual.
