Mike sucked in a hard breath. The head of his cock peeked above the suds. She passed an appreciative gaze over the sight, licking her lips. He laced his fingers together to keep from fisting his erection.
Erica eased the material down inch by inch until she could wriggle her hips free. “You realize there’s little chance we’re both going to fit in that tub?”
True, Mike was sitting upright and still had to bend his knees a little to fit. “But we’ll have a good time trying. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“If we don’t wind up in the ER.” She coiled her hair upward and secured it with a clip. “That’s one 911 call I don’t want to make.”
“Relax. I’m a professional.”
“Seeing you all splayed out like this, I don’t doubt it.” She feigned a gasp. “Oh, you meant firefighter. I was thinking—”
“Get in here, woman.” He reached for her. Water threatened to surge over the edge of the tub.
Erica squealed when he grabbed her arm and hauled her forward. He caught her before she could lose her balance. Holding tight, she stepped in. Finding a comfortable position was impossible. She wound up kneeling between his thighs after he swung one leg over the side of the tub.
“I concede,” he said with a sigh. “I’m too big to fit.”
Giggling, she looped her hand around his erection. “Poor baby. Allow me to stroke your ego.”
A grin split his face. “You may have your way with me.” He parked his fingers behind his head.
“Smart-ass.” She gave his cock a tight squeeze that had him thrusting up for more even while he gasped. “Watch yourself, or you might find I can put a chokehold on your dick tighter than any belt ever could.”
“You wouldn’t.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to be threatening, but the extra surge that pulsed against her fingers told on him.
“I gave fair warning that your turn was coming.” She reached for her towel as she stood.
“Where are you going?” He grappled for her hand and missed. “What about our bubbles?”
“They are impressive, but I think we can both agree we need a bigger venue.” Erica dragged a second towel from the linen closet behind the door and placed it on the small counter. “I’ll be in the bedroom. I expect you to join me. Don’t be long. I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
Water sluiced from his body as he stood. “But—”
“Shh.” She pressed her index finger over his lips. “Nothing ventured…” She dragged her finger downward until she reached his cock, then tickled the underside, caught the drop of precum on the tip, drew it to her lips, and licked it off. “Nothing gained.”
Heat rushed him from head to toe. How the hell did he get so lucky? She slowly blotted water from her body, watching his erection wave proudly before him. He’d yet to make a move to dry off.
“Stone-still and rock-hard. Just the way I like my men.” She took the towel from the counter and held it his way. “You don’t expect me to do all the work, now do you?”
“Heaven forbid.” He slipped it from her fingers. “You do realize this is a first for me.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” She stretched to her toes until her lips were near his. “I’ll be gentle,” she whispered.
“Not too gentle, I hope.”
Laughing, she stepped away and snapped her towel against his thigh. “The word ‘stop’ works for me too.”
Mike remained rooted in place. The thought of being completely at Erica’s mercy nearly shut down his brain. The slightest move at that point would have him coming all over himself. Sounds cut through the fog in his head. The drip of water in the tub as it trickled off his body. His harsh breathing accompanied by the thud of his heartbeat. Those distant whispers of her moving around in the bedroom, preparing for another round of hot sex play.
Only if you get moving.
Or would she come after him, show him what happened when her orders weren’t obeyed? Because that was what he’d do for her.
He grinned, pressed the lever to release the bath water, and dusted the towel over his body.
“I’m waiting,” she called out.
“I’m coming,” he singsonged back.
“Without me?”
Laughing, he tossed the towel onto the sink counter and walked toward the bedroom. He stumbled a bit when he found Erica naked in the center of the bed, braced upright on her elbows with one leg bent and slowly rocking to and fro. His mouth went dry. Words escaped him. She rolled to her knees and crawled to the end of the bed.
“Join me.” Her voice screamed hot sex. The robe belt she brandished in her hand promised untold delights.
His cock led the way. She scooted to the side to give him room, smoothing her palm over the fitted blue floral sheet in further invitation. All other bedcoverings were gone. It was him, her, and whatever toys she decided to employ. He paused at the foot of the bed, awaiting instructions. She gave him none, merely arched her eyebrow as if to say, Well? I’m waiting.
“You know how damn hot you look right now?” he asked.
Mischief glimmered in the gaze she shot to his erection. “I have a good clue.”
“How do you want me?”
One corner of her mouth lifted in a half grin. “Any way I can have you.”
A shudder of want rippled through his body.
“But let’s start facedown,” she added.
“Don’t fault me for leaving a wet spot.” He slid into place and curled his fingertips over the top edge of the mattress. It dipped with her weight when she knelt astride his waist.
“I expect control from a man like you.” She looped the terry-cloth belt loosely around his wrists.
“Expect, or demand?”
“I do like how you play.” Her breath tickled his ear. “Demand.” One tug drew his wrists closer, but the belt was still loose enough to break free.
“Putting me on the honor system?”
Short nails coursed down his back. “I am. I want you trembling with desire, not fear.”
He twisted his head around. “Seriously?”
She popped her hand lightly against his ass. “Stay in the game.”
That made him smile. So did the subtle warmth crawling over his ass. “Yes, ma’am.”
Closing his eyes, he pressed his cheek into the soft sheet. The scent of fresh-washed sweetness coiled around him. She sat on his ass, trapping his cock beneath him. The urge to thrust gnawed at his balls. He clenched his teeth to keep in place. The tension in his muscles betrayed his efforts.
“I know it’s difficult, when all you want to do is grab me and take control.” Long fingers traced his biceps up to his shoulders. She dug her fingers deep, massaging the muscles bunched at his neck into submission. “Such a turn-on to know you’re giving this control to me. To know I can give my control to you. And that together we are unstoppable.”
Damn, the things that did to his heart. Emotion choked any response he could give. He focused on her touch, marveled at how each set of muscles caved under her fingers as she worked her way down his back, laughed to himself when his erection subsided to a more manageable level. Then she nipped his ass.
He snapped his head up on a gasp. A bite to the other cheek made him groan. Erica pressed her breasts against his thighs. Her hot tongue made a circle against the small of his back, then followed the trail down his spine right to the crack of his ass. His ass clenched, pushing his cock forward. She scooted to one side, shoved her hand between his thighs, and cupped his balls. He spread and raised his hips to give her better access. She kneaded his sac, tugged at his balls, and pressed her thumb against his asshole.
Mike gripped the edge of the mattress to keep from rolling over. “You’re killing me.”
“Am I?” she casually asked.
Soft bristles grazed his buttocks. He looked over his shoulder to find her holding a wooden hairbrush.
“Like it?” she asked. “I might not have been over someone’s lap in ages, but that doesn’t mean I
still don’t like a good spanking every now and then, even if I have to give it to myself.”
Another part of his brain shut down. Each breath was dependent on the gentle circles traveling over his ass, the squeeze to his balls, the fire in his cock, the image of her spanking herself. And just when he thought he couldn’t bear another second, that one more touch of any kind would have him soaking her bed, Erica pulled her hand away. Time stood still while he awaited her next move, her next command. Wood replaced the bristles.
Though still gentle, the sensation shocked a groan from him. Her circles over his ass were harder now. Warmth swamped him, adding to the agony in his groin. His hips took over, grinding into the mattress in time with her strokes. Orgasm rushed in again. He tensed against the onslaught, struggling for control he wasn’t sure existed. Then she landed two light smacks in quick succession.
Jaw clenched, he snapped his head up.
“Roll over.” She added two harder smacks and then moved away.
Heaving breaths, he somehow managed to comply. The belt came loose. His grip on the mattress was impossible from this angle. “You need a spindle headboard.”
“Noted.” She crawled up his body, skimmed her belly over his erection, and stopped when her pussy hovered over his mouth. “I believe you know what to do.”
Did he ever. Mike locked his hands behind his head and his gaze on hers. He wanted to dive in and suck her clitoris hard. Instead, he moved slowly, lips parted, tongue seeking. Her body quivered as much as his did. No, buzzed. That was what it felt like to be together. A buzz no electricity could match.
He flicked his tongue over her clit. Her eyes closed with her groan, hips thrust closer, hands covered her breasts. The image nearly did him in. Mike shut his eyes and concentrated on her pleasure. He delved into the valleys of her pussy, tunneled into the depths of her cunt, nibbled his way over her labia. And when he thought she couldn’t bear another second, when he could feel the heat pouring off her clit, he trapped it between his lips and flashed his tongue over it.
Erica’s thighs tightened. He felt her shift, heard her palms smack the headboard behind him, then felt the force of her climax a second before it exploded into his mouth. She sagged into the aftermath. Slowly she opened lazy eyes to his. A smile crept onto her face. She traced his forearms and biceps, his hands still obediently secured behind his head.
“I’m going to fuck you now.” She moved down until his cock kissed her pussy.
“Please do.” The words came out raw and rough. That was about how he felt, stripped down to the baser instincts. Mate, come…now. If she hadn’t decreed his hands remain immobilized, he would have had her on all fours, fucking her into the mattress.
She retrieved a condom, slid it over him, and seated herself on him much too slowly for his liking. Her pussy was slick and extra tight from coming, just the way he liked it. He tried to stay still and let her stay in control, but one hard tweak to his nipples had him pushing deep into her. She countered with a hip grind that made his head explode.
He jerked his hands from position, reached for her, then forced them back into place. Erica cupped his face and gave him a soft kiss. Hands braced on his chest, she tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder and gave Mike the fucking he needed. He lost himself to the slow glide of her body over his, the clench and release of her pussy muscles, her gasps that echoed his. And when he couldn’t last another second, she dug her fingers into his ass, holding him in place for the final thrust that spelled relief and a thousand other feelings he couldn’t explain.
Erica cleared the fog from his head with kisses along his jaw and gentle caresses over his chest and arms. She laced her fingers through his and drew his arms around her. Mike rolled her to one side, combed her hair from her face, and kissed her.
“Am I staying the night?” he asked.
Erica draped her leg over his. “I would really like that. If you didn’t bring them, I think I can even manage to find a new toothbrush, possibly even an unused razor.”
He tried not to cheer at the small victory. “I do have both in my duffel. In a pinch, though, I have been known to use my finger as a toothbrush.”
She pulled back a tad, confusion knotting her forehead. He jumped in before she had a chance to overthink it.
“I can do a lot of things with my fingers. Let me show you.” He rolled her back over and made love to her again.
Chapter Ten
Erica woke to an empty bed. Cold too. She had a vague recollection of Mike’s phone alarm buzzing through her dreams, of him telling her to go back to sleep as he kissed her forehead and left the bed. Tendrils of coffee aroma beckoned to her, but a glance at her bedside clock let her know Mike had been gone for at least two hours. It was now eight. So much to do and no motivation to get anything done. But with work tomorrow, she had to get the house in some semblance of order today.
She crawled from bed, dragging her robe with her to the bathroom. As she took care of business, Erica surveyed the area. Other than the towel she’d given him the night before, there wasn’t a single thing of Mike’s left behind. Not even whiskers in the sink, though the intoxicating scent of lingering Brut churned her senses. Further checking also showed he’d left nothing, only the sensation of having been there. He’d done as she’d asked. Even the National Geographic was gone.
Damn, I was hoping to read that. Her copy of the latest issue was one of the fire’s many casualties. “You can’t have it both ways, woman,” she scolded herself and made her way to the kitchen.
The coffee waiting for her was a fresh, untouched pot. He must have set it to auto-brew before he left. That meant he hadn’t even had coffee? Hadn’t used a cup? No footprint of any kind? It sort of pissed her off, despite her decree. She almost ignored his note to call him when she woke up. Still, how could she fault him? It was her request. A stupid one too. Did she really want to live like the Stantons, where privacy and secrets were held above a deeper relationship? Keith had burned her, but Mike didn’t deserve to be penalized as a result. Keith was the exception, not the rule.
Erica poured a cup of coffee and took it to the living room with her cell phone. Curling into the red recliner—now her second favorite piece of furniture—she hit speed dial for Mike.
“Good morning.” His deep, sexy voice slithered beneath her skin.
“Good morning yourself. Thanks for the fresh coffee.”
“My pleasure. I found a thermos in one of the boxes. Took the first pot with me. Hope you don’t mind.”
It built warmth deep inside her heart. Man, she was in big trouble—falling fast and in deep. “Not at all.”
“I hated leaving you this morning.”
More twangs in her heart. “I miss you too.”
“I had to at least say good morning. Tried my best not to wake you. Plans for today?”
“Continue to put things away.” Everyone had been truly generous in helping her out. “I need to somehow find Keith’s sister and let her know what’s happened.”
“You can use my computer if you want.”
“I have my laptop.” Thank goodness she always kept it with her.
“But no Internet access,” he said. “You can go to my house if you need. Just give me a call to make sure I’m not on a run before you come get the key.”
“Thank you. I just might do that. Any word from Craig?”
“Not yet. As drunk as he was, I doubt we’ll be hearing from him this morning, which is bad, because I’m already fielding calls from reporters wanting to talk to him.”
“I’ll give him until noon, then see what’s up.” Maybe he would have heard from Betty by then.
“Thanks, sweetheart. I appreciate that. I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow. We’re ready to wow the kids.”
“It’ll be a great way to start their week. See you then.” I love you.
Ah, shit. She was screwed. Thank God those words hadn’t left her lips. After her big talk yesterday, she doubted Mike would believe her. And co
uld she trust the emotion? She’d—they’d—been through a lot since Friday. Then to discover just how very, very compatible they were in the bedroom—never, ever had she been with someone who loved the give-and-take of sexual play the way she did. Guys always took the lead. No one ever wanted to share it equally. But Mike… Damn hot, wonderfully perfect Mike did. Mike her friend. Mike her lover.
Mike the man who wouldn’t trust her one-hundred-eighty-degree turn from her rules and boundaries speech the day before. Erica knew she needed to give it—and them—time to settle into this new aspect of their relationship. She also knew the first step needed to come from her.
She hit Mike’s speed dial number.
“Good morning again.”
Erica could almost see his smile through the phone. “And to you as well. I was thinking. I would like to use your Internet. Want to exchange keys? Don’t pump your fist in victory.”
Laughter burst from him. “I see I’m not the only one with secret skills.”
“Still waters. Tip of the iceberg.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“You should be.” She kept her voice low and sultry and let Mike’s imagination do the rest.
“Damn, woman, you expect me to go back to work now?”
“I do. After all, you are a professional. I’ll give you a call before I head your way.”
She ended the call feeling all giggly inside. How was she going to hide the way she felt from the world when she saw him tomorrow?
Erica pulled in a breath. Well, she was a professional too. She could do this. Oh, she wasn’t going to feign grief over Keith’s death, but she also wasn’t going to ruin what promised to be something good with Mike by not showing the correct respect the public demanded from a widow. They had to live in this town. Rumor and gossip would hurt them both.
Her phone rang. She checked the display. Mike again.
Wrapped in Flame Page 9
