Burned Deep

by Calista Fox

  His mouth sealed to mine, adding to the pleasure, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. He kissed me as though he knew the frenzy raging inside, like he had every intention of making me burn brighter.

  He worked a third finger in and pumped steadily. The sensations were too sinful not to give in to them. I cried his name as I came.

  Wave after sizzling wave crashed over me. My fingers curled into his shoulders and I collapsed against him, sprawled across his chest.

  “Oh, my God,” was all I could say. Finally, some of the sexual tension had eased.

  While I tried to calm my rapid breathing, Dane smoothed a hand over my hair. He withdrew his fingers and wrapped his arm around my waist. I pressed my ear to his heart and listened to the strong, steady beats. They were a bit faster than I thought was normal and I smiled.

  “Well, this is fortunate,” he murmured.

  “Hmm?” I was too spent to really speak.

  “No way for you to make one of your hasty retreats when we’re in a moving vehicle.”

  I supposed it wouldn’t kill me to admit, “I kind of like this spot.”

  His low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I’m sorry about your thong.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Another soft laugh. “No. I’m not.”

  We fell silent for several minutes. I stared out the window as we turned off I-17 and headed toward Sedona. I hadn’t even realized it’d started to rain.

  I gave a half snort. Figures.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. It’s not really funny at all. It’s just … We’re driving through another shower and I didn’t even notice until now.” Even though the rain pinged against the roof.

  A hint of anxiety encroached on my tingly afterglow. I slipped from Dane’s loose embrace and returned to my seat, pulling down my skirt and whipping off my semi-shredded thong. I stuffed it into my small purse as he zipped up, though his shirt still hung open. The sight of all that smooth skin over rigid muscles was too tempting by far. My hands burned to touch him again.

  He scowled, apparently not liking the distance I’d just put between us. “We’re still twenty minutes away from your townhome.”

  “You know where I live?”

  “Résumé,” he simply said.

  “Right.”

  “So, what’s the problem?”

  In other words, why couldn’t I handle more than a few minutes of cuddling? I sighed. “Everything ceases to exist sometimes when I’m with you. It’s like people, the rain, it all melts away and there’s just … you.”

  His brow crooked. “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “It’s dangerous,” I reminded him.

  The brow dropped and the disconcertion deepened.

  “If you’re worried about what sort of impact this has on your job, believe me when I say I can separate the two.”

  “Of course I don’t want to lose my job. But it’s more than that. I don’t want to get all tangled up in…” You.

  Yet …

  Even as he sat there brooding, I wanted him. Even though his features were darkened and there was a hard glint in his emerald eyes, I wanted him. Even though I knew this had the potential to end horrifically for me, I wanted him.

  “Maybe we should set the record straight,” he said. “I’m not interested in just one night in the back of a limo with you. I’m not interested in your type of fast fuck in a hotel room before you bolt for the door.”

  My breathing turned shallow. His eyes locked with mine and I felt his intensity to the depths of my soul.

  “This isn’t something casual, Ari. It isn’t something fleeting. I already know it. However long it takes for you to realize it, fine.” He tried to cut me slack, but I could see the impatience rimming his eyes. A certain restlessness to his entire demeanor that was now quite familiar. I felt it, too.

  The question that had invaded my mind the morning after he’d made me come with his sexy tone and dirty talk crawled to the forefront. I asked, “What exactly are we doing, Dane? Are we dating?”

  “Call it whatever you want,” he said without hesitation. He clearly had this worked out in his head, while I still bumbled along. “We’re involved.”

  Oh, God. That word.

  He continued, since I couldn’t find my voice. “I want exclusivity. No more picking up men in hotel bars.”

  “That’s not anything you have to worry about. It’s been a while.”

  “How long?”

  I shrugged. “Over a year.”

  “Good.” He seemed pleased I wasn’t sleeping around, but I also felt the undercurrent of tension radiating from him and I wondered if it had something to do with thoughts of other men touching me. He’d already proven himself territorial about that.

  In turn, I probably should have asked about his sexual history but didn’t really want to hear that he’d dated Mikaela, Kate Upton, Jennifer Aniston, or some heiress to a gold mine. I had enough to contend with at the moment.

  However, I did tell him, “I highly doubt you’ll be entertained by me for long. In fact, I’m sure you’ll lose interest quickly.”

  Sort of a painful confession but certainly an honest one.

  He leaned forward. “Don’t be so sure. You have hands-on experience of how hard you make me. Even when we’re just on the phone, you get me going in a heartbeat. That won’t go away overnight.”

  Flames flickered over my skin.

  “I don’t want you to have any inhibitions,” he said. “Nothing’s off-limits, Ari. Nothing.”

  I swallowed down a lump of panic. “What do you mean?”

  “The things I want to do to you—they’re going to push all these boundaries. And you’re going to let me do them to you. You’re going to beg me to do them to you.”

  I had begged him. Within seconds, it’d seemed.

  “Or say no.” His voice was clipped. Jaw set, eyes fixed on me. “Right now.”

  I’d just come multiple times … and now he was giving me an ultimatum?

  “Ari,” he prompted.

  “That’s a lot to ask.” From me. The woman with endless boundaries.

  “I told you,” he said, his expression a dark, compelling one. “I want you.”

  The standoff ensued. I had no idea how to react. What to say. Ask for some actual definitions or … trust him?

  My head spun. And despite the fact that we’d arrived at the row of townhomes along the seventh hole, I knew he wouldn’t let me off the hook.

  He did give me a reprieve from the mouthwatering sight of him as he buttoned his shirt. He collected his jacket, shook it out, and handed it to me. “Put this on.”

  I draped it around my shoulders, still a bit stunned at how everything had unfolded this evening. And because of his latest demand.

  He reached for my shoes. “You’ll ruin these if you wear them.”

  The door opened and he climbed out while I dug around for my keys. Then he scooped me into his arms, so I didn’t have to wade through an inch of rain flooding the parking lot. The driver held a large umbrella over our heads, having to extend his arm to accommodate Dane’s stature.

  I directed him to the end unit and miraculously managed to shove the key in the hole while my fingers trembled. I pushed the door open and he set me on my feet just inside the foyer.

  Turning to his driver, Dane said, “Thanks. You can return to the car.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  He tried to pass over the umbrella, but Dane shook his head. “I’m fine.” The driver left us.

  Butterflies took flight in my stomach. Now what?

  Dane gave another one of those steely gazes and asked, “Have you made up your mind?”

  The butterflies became more like screeching crows. I didn’t know this man. Not really. He was secretive. Mysterious. There were things happening in his world that I knew nothing about, but I could see they troubled him when I caught glimpses of his clenched jaw or flashes of consternation in his eyes.
>
  I understood what he was trying to do with me—break down my walls. But I was entitled to something in return.

  So I bucked up and said, “I can’t deny the physical attraction between us.”

  “Well, you did just come four times in an hour.”

  Ah. So he had a sense of humor. See? These were things I didn’t know about him.

  “I’d be lying if I said that was enough. It’s not.”

  He closed the scant gap between us and bent his head to mine. In my ear, he whispered, “I will give you many, many more orgasms. All delivered my way.”

  I lost my breath.

  “I’ll give you anything you want, Ari. But that means that you give me you—no holding back.”

  chapter 9

  He rendered me speechless for some time. His gaze didn’t falter.

  Finally, I told him, “I won’t regret letting you do to my body whatever you want, but—” I delivered my own ultimatum. “I want to know who you are, Dane. Who you really are.”

  A sexy grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Clever tactic. And you think I’m going to lose interest quickly?”

  “This is all new to me.” Hell, I might as well be a virgin. Except I doubted virgins had such explicit thoughts running through their minds. I knew exactly what I wanted him to do to me. But I still had doubts. “I’m not really sure how—”

  “Stop second-guessing yourself, Ari.” Heat flared in his eyes. “I’m one-hundred percent sure about this. Which room is yours?”

  “Not my bedroom,” I blurted. “I can’t—not in there.”

  His gaze locked with mine. “I told you this wouldn’t be like your hotel escapades.”

  “It could never be like that with us,” I assured him. “This is different. So different.”

  I reached out and fingered the first button he’d fastened below his collarbone. I felt the warmth he emitted through the material of his shirt. Smelled the intoxicating scent of him. My breath quickened as an intense longing seeped through my veins.

  Freeing the small disk from its hole, then continuing down the line of buttons, I said, “I don’t think about those other times. But they did happen.” Staring up at him, I implored, “Erase the memories from my mind. Completely obliterate them.”

  His beautiful irises darkened. “When I’m done, I’ll be the only one who has ever had you.”

  I nodded. “Just you.”

  He yanked the tails from his pants, undid his cuff links, and tossed off his shirt. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

  “Show me. Right here. Right now.”

  I needed this replay of past encounters because I knew he’d take it to all-new levels. I knew he’d prove those other men meant nothing and that what I’d done with them was simplistic. Nongratifying for one very specific reason—none of those men had been Dane.

  My palms flattened against his chest as he slipped the jacket from my shoulders. He extracted a small foil package from the inside pocket before haphazardly draping the garment over a chair at my kitchen table, which we stood alongside.

  Dipping my head, I left feathery kisses on his hot, smooth skin. My palms slid lower, to his abdomen.

  I loved the feel of him, the taste of him.

  His fingers twisted in my hair. “No holding back,” he murmured. “This is our deal.”

  “I won’t.” I shook my head slightly. “I’ll try.” My tongue flicked over his small, hard nipple and his fingers tightened around my long curls.

  “This is already out of control.” He released the strands he held and cupped the side of my face, tipping it up to meet his searing kiss. My lips parted and his tongue delved deep.

  He backed me up against the wall and pressed his powerful body to mine. There was no better feeling than being pinned to him, crushed against him. All of his rigid muscles, his unyielding strength, were their own aphrodisiacs. I was instantly high on his forceful claiming of me.

  My hands glided up his bulging biceps to his broad shoulders. The sinew flexing under my touch drove me wild. One of my hands slipped around to his nape and I held his head to mine, letting him kiss me senseless as I went up in flames.

  He was so right about this already being out of control. My body ached for him and, deep in my soul, I knew I had to have all of him—and give him all of me—no matter the consequences.

  My mind was a hyperactive mess. I wasn’t sure where to start with this man. All I could fully process was that I needed him. This instant. Buried inside me. Thrusting hard.

  Tearing my mouth from his, I said, “Do something. Now. I can’t wait a—”

  His lips sealed to mine again. As he kissed me passionately, he worked his belt and zipper, ripped open the condom packet. He shoved my skirt up. Then his hands gripped my ass and he lifted me. I wrapped my legs around him. A heartbeat later, he plunged deep, mercilessly, fantastically.

  I broke our kiss and cried out, “Oh, God!” A vehement reaction I’d never experienced. “Oh, Jesus, Dane!”

  He filled me completely, stretching me and pressing so far into me, I immediately came.

  “Oh, fuck, Ari,” he groaned as I erupted around him, clenching him as my orgasm roared through me. “Ah, damn,” he whispered, his voice rough yet intimate. “That’s so hot, baby.”

  I trembled and panted from the quick, unexpected release. “You feel unbelievable.” I held him tightly as the current of ecstasy raged on.

  Dane slowly moved inside me, giving me a little time to adjust to him, though that was moot, not the least bit viable. He was huge. Thick and hard. Rubbing a particularly sensitive spot that kept me charged, kept me clutching at his cock as he stroked skillfully.

  “Dane,” I murmured, a quiet plea.

  He kissed me once more, a demanding, hungry one that set me right back on course for another electrifying orgasm. He pumped into me in a masterful, commanding way. My fingers gripped his shoulder as my other hand twined in his hair, curling around the soft strands.

  Dane dragged his mouth from mine and kissed his way over my jaw, down my throat. Against my skin, he said, “Come for me.”

  “So close…” I could barely keep up with the frenetic sensations.

  He swiftly shifted us from the wall and, holding me to him with one hand, he jerked a chair away from the table so he could set me on the ledge. Hooking his arm in the crook of my knee, he lifted that leg up, spreading me wide as he thrust deeper into me.

  I lay back against the smooth wood of the tabletop and raised my hips, greedily meeting his long, full strokes.

  “Oh, God,” I mumbled. He made me so restless, so hungry for more. It was near impossible to cling to all the emotions he incited, to sort them all out and find coherent thoughts. I wanted more. So much more. That was all that registered in my head. “Fuck me harder.” The words rushed from my mouth on sharp breaths. “Dane.”

  My fingers wrapped around as much of his biceps as I could manage and I held fast to him. He drove deeper, harder. I moaned and whimpered, completely lost in the strongest vortex of all time.

  Everything inside me collided and I screamed his name as the orgasm ignited.

  “Shit, Ari.” He plunged farther and then I felt his cock swell and throb as he let out a hoarse, “Fuck, yes. Squeeze me tight.”

  My inner walls clenched and released, prolonging my climax and drawing his out, too.

  “Oh, goddamn,” he muttered as he buried his face in my hair, partially covering my neck, though mostly fanned across the table.

  I couldn’t get a single word out. Dane had set me on fire in the limo. That had all been fevered and crazed, but this … This was pure magic.

  How could I have even said I’d had sex before?

  “Ari.” His sensual voice cut into my thoughts. He stared down at me.

  I tried to focus on him but my eyes seemed to dance in their sockets. I was literally rocked to the core of my being.

  “Are you okay, baby?”

  I grinned. A loopy one, I was sur
e. “Never, ever, ever better.”

  He gave me his sexy smirk. “You’re definitely something else. I can’t believe how quickly you made me come. Christ.”

  He kissed me in his electrifying way, keeping the juices flowing, keeping me boneless and excited. It was all I could do not to claw at him, to beg him to fuck me again.

  Eventually, Dane straightened and hauled me up. I was ridiculously limp, needing to plant my palms alongside my hips to steady myself for a few seconds. He eyed me curiously and grinned.

  “Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” I teased. “You could pretend you put a little effort into leaving me dazed and spineless.”

  Thoroughly ravaged was probably the more appropriate term. My mussed hair fell over my bare shoulders. My skirt was still bunched around my waist. I had no idea what my makeup looked like. No doubt I wore a very satisfied smile on my face.

  He reached for my hem. “Lift up.”

  I did as instructed and he moved my skirt into place. Then he discarded the condom and cleaned up at the sink. I was still nowhere near in touch with myself as I finally slipped to the floor and padded my way into the bathroom. I took a quick shower, did a light blow-dry of my hair, and pulled on my Edmonton Oilers T-shirt. Then I dragged on a pair of red lace panties.

  Dane stood in my living room when I returned, his hip propped against the back of the sofa. He’d put his shirt on. He’d left it unbuttoned, the tails out. I wasn’t quite sure what the next move was supposed to be—or who was supposed to make it.

  I wrung my hands, unnerved. “That was…” I didn’t have words for what that was. Even a cool shower couldn’t alleviate the fiery sensations that still flickered within me.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” His look was a grave one.

  “Of course not. I’ll be sore in the morning, but in a really good way.” I already felt it coming on. The throbbing within me didn’t abate and my inner thighs burned. My stomach ached, too, as though I’d just done a million crunches. It all felt exhilarating. Like a nonstop reminder of how much we’d wanted each other. A constant memory that he’d been so very deep inside me. That he’d fucked me hard—as I’d wanted him to do.