She gazed around the room. Several finished paintings of various sizes stood against one wall. More of his work ready for an exhibit.
“I feel like I’m getting a peek inside you,” she said, still glancing around. “I had no idea who you were.” She turned to him. He had never stopped looking at her. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“You know…” He took long slow steps toward her. “Now that you’ve seen the studio of a master, I can never let you leave.” Smirking, he reached for her, his arms circling her waist and pulling to him.
“Why is that?” she asked, playing along. “Is it top secret?”
“All artists’ work is until they’re ready to release it to the world.” He nuzzled her neck. “I’ve never let anyone up here. Not even Charlotte.”
Marion’s pulse quickened. No one? Not even Charlotte? “Then I feel pretty special.”
“You should, Marion. You are special.” He nibbled her earlobe.
Graeme sounded so sincere, she found him hard to resist. She found him hard to resist anyway but now more than ever. Her eyes drifted closed as he continued the gentle assault on her neck and earlobe, doing dangerous things to her inner psyche, turning her into a limp noodle.
“So…why am I so special that I get to see your studio?” she asked, unable to resist the question burning inside her.
“I wanted you to see where I work. Where my true passion begins.”
His hand slid up her, landing on her breast. Her nipple hardened against the delicate lace of her bra. A breath of cotton and silk separated the brush of skin on skin.
His mouth found hers, his lips parting enough to taste hers. His tongue dipped in, tracing the soft fullness of her lips. She melted against him, her arms finally able to move. She rested her hands against his shoulders, feeling the taut muscles, the curve of his bicep.
This wasn’t how she had imagined things would go. She had imagined she would be completely in control. He would resist at first then succumb to her charms. She would be the one who advanced first.
But then again, it didn’t seem like it would go any other way. She would fail miserably at her seduction attempt. And instead of doing the seducing, she allowed him to take control.
It was time to regain some of that control.
As his mouth traveled down again to pillage her neck, his hand slid behind her running along the length of her zipper.
“Take me to bed, Graeme.”
His hand stilled for a moment but his mouth never stopped.
“I want you,” she said. “I want to feel you.” As if he needed any encouragement. But she was impatient and at this rate, they could be standing there for a while.
He released her, grasping her hand and lacing their fingers. Without another word, he took her down the staircase, through the apartment to his bedroom. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She had a burning desire deep within her only he could sate.
As they crossed the threshold of his bedroom, she knew there was no turning back.
Graeme released her hand and flipped on the light. His bedroom was much like the rest of the place except for one unexpected thing—a rich chocolate accent wall. The other four walls were a pale shade of blue. His bed was wrought iron; the comforter the same blue as the other walls. His furniture was in the dark wood as the rest of the house.
She turned to him, reaching behind her and unzipping her dress. She slipped her shoulders out and let it pool at her feet. Underneath, she had planned her lingerie. She wore a lace demi-cup bra in black with thigh high stockings and lacy panties.
His gaze raked over her from head to toe before he reached for her. She stood still and let him look, despite all she wanted to do was cover up. She much preferred doing this with the lights off but something about Graeme made her want him to see her.
His index finger traced the swell of her breast. She shuddered with the contact.
“You’re beautiful, Marion.”
“Beautiful?” No one—not even Ethan—had told her she was beautiful. Ethan told her she could stand to lose a few pounds.
“Mm-hm.” His reply rumbled deep in his throat.
Marion’s fantasy of wanting to see what was underneath that shirt was about to come true. Her fingers fumbled over the buttons and she cursed their clumsiness. She concentrated on pushing each button out of the hole, waiting for the moment when her hands would land on his skin. One by one, she got closer to the bottom of the shirt, still tucked into his black pants.
Before she reached the bottom, he jerked out the tail, watching as she popped the last button, freeing it. She slipped her hands inside, feeling the warmth of his skin, the soft hair covering his curved pectorals.
Graeme striped off his shirt with a ruffle of material. His broad chest was covered with a dusting of hair. A line went down his flat abdomen, disappearing into the waistband of his pants and making her mind ignite with all sorts of saucy images.
But he had other ideas. He unhooked her bra, pulling away the delicate material. His hands landed on her breasts, cupping them and covering them. Her nipples responded as before, turning into hard pink peaks. He bent to capture one in his mouth and sucked, his tongue flicking over her sensitive nub. Desire shot down between her thighs where she was already warm and wet.
His hands went down the length of her body as he knelt, stripping away the last barrier between them. His fingers left a searing trail in their wake as he pulled down her panties. She lifted one foot, then the other, stepping out of her four inch heels. His hands cupped her calves, roamed back up over stocking-clad legs to the tops of her thigh highs, pausing to trace the outline all the way around her thigh. Graeme rolled down each stocking, slowly and methodically.
The sensation of his touch set her on fire. Her heart pounded hard, her pulse beat quickly.
He lifted one leg, placed it gently on his shoulder. When his tongue made contact with her dark wet depths, she gasped. Pulling apart her lips, he delved inside, tasting her.
Marion gripped his hair in her fists, holding on for dear life with every flick and suck. He licked her wet clit with the tip of his tongue, teasing her and bringing her to the brink of orgasm. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to think of anything to keep from coming. She wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible.
A raging fire built inside her with every taste, every lick. The prickly hairs of his goatee rubbed against her sensitive skin, heightening her arousal, chafing her. He quickened his pace, sucking harder and faster.
Marion cried out, unable to contain it any longer.
“That’s it, baby,” he said against her. “Come for me.”
The orgasm exploded inside her, making all her muscles tense. Just as she came, he inserted two fingers inside her. Her body contracted around him as he thrust, his tongue still doing a dangerous dance over her swollen clit. She gripped his hair harder, pulling him closer to her, rocking her hips against his mouth.
She cried out again, her knee about to buckle. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand before she turned into jelly and melted to the floor. She didn’t have to wait long.
Graeme stood up, his arms around her as he backed her against the bed. She fell to the mattress, her chest still heaving and her legs wobbly. She could hear the whisper of cotton against his skin as he shed his pants and another moment later, he slid on top of her.
Every inch of him covered her, his arms wrapping around her. He buried his cock deep inside her. Her clit, still swollen from his oral play, reacted to his hardened length. He groaned with pleasure when he entered her.
“God, you feel good.” His voice was a roughened whisper against her ear.
She had never imagined it would be so good. All she wanted to do now was feel. She wanted to feel him on top of her, inside her, making love to her.
Marion wrapped her legs around his hips, rocking against him, pushing against him. The length of his cock slid in and out of her, slowly at first then harder and faster.
His
mouth crashed against hers, tasting faintly of her sweetness. She moaned into his mouth and gripped him hard. Her orgasm came again, making her shudder. He pushed deep inside her as the last tremble went through her, then quickly pulled out and fell to the bed next to her.
“Why’d you stop?” she asked, suddenly feeling exposed. Her body still wanted to contract, needing more.
“Because…if I hadn’t…” He turned his head to look at her. “We might have a little problem in about nine months.”
It occurred to her then he hadn’t even bothered to put on a condom. Still, she wanted to give him a happy ending since he’d given her multiple ones.
Marion rolled to her side and dragged her fingers through the hair on his chest. “So you want to take care of that and go again?”
“Baby, I like the way you think.”
He grinned as he reached for the top drawer of the bedside table. Excitement skittered through her at the thought of a fun night ahead.
Chapter Ten
Graeme had never driven so hard and so fast to get home. But tonight was different. Tonight he had Marion next to him. And they both knew what was going to happen when they got to his place. He couldn’t wait to undress her and see her naked. Touch her. Taste her. Be with her. Run his hands over those beautiful curves.
Once inside, though, he knew he would have to take his time. He didn’t want Marion to think he was a horny bastard. Which he was most of the time. He wanted to woo her because that what she deserved.
All he had thought about was their encounter on her front porch days ago—so warm and wet against his fingers. The way she had brazenly wrapped her leg around his waist and pulled him to her. Those few moments kept his fantasies fueled for days.
Graeme never expected those things from her. Dear, sweet, quiet, somewhat shy, Marion. But perhaps there was more to her than meets the eye. He couldn’t wait to find out, the very thought driving him mad with excitement.
He followed her inside and flipped on the light, pausing at the door to let her take it all in. She looked around, appreciatively. She wasn’t like all the other girls he’d brought here. Their first reaction was one of less than interested. Not Marion.
“Wow. I love your place,” she said.
Her voice was breathy, sexy. His cock hardened, straining against the cotton of his pants. Easy, tiger. We’ll get her.
He admired the length of her from behind as she walked over and looked at the few framed photos he had sitting out. Her back tapered down into those slender narrow hips, her ass was perfectly round. Her legs were long and lean with rounded calf muscles. He knew her rigorous work-out schedule and it showed in her perfect body. Ethan was a damn fool to let her get away.
An image flashed through his mind of her naked in front of him, bent slightly at the waist and him pounding her from behind.
It made him even harder.
“I see you like to travel.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, a small smile on those beautiful lips.
“When I can.”
Still holding his keys—they were biting into the flesh of his palm—and he tossed them on the nearby kitchen counter. He walked toward her, keeping himself from rushing. It wasn’t easy with this hard-on.
“Where’s this?”
She picked up the skiing picture one of his many girlfriends had taken. They had spent a long weekend in the mountains of New Mexico. It was the only day they managed to get out of bed to actually ski.
“Taos. I went skiing there a few years ago with some buddies.”
Okay, so he lied. But Marion didn’t need to know he had been there with a model that happened to have large fake breasts. Besides, he liked real tits anyway. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on hers.
She replaced the picture as he stepped behind her and pulled her into his arms. Her soft curves molded against him and it took all his strength not to grind his hard cock into her backside.
He brushed aside the length of her soft hair that smelled sweet. His lips landed on the smooth skin where her neck met her shoulder. He inhaled quietly to take in her scent, letting his eyes close as he kissed his way up to her earlobe.
Graeme pressed his hand against her abdomen to feel her muscles tighten as she inhaled. A soft moan escaped her lips. He had to do something to distract his attention from her hot body before he ripped her dress off and fucked her right here.
“You want to see my private collection now?” He flicked her earlobe with his tongue, toying with her earring.
“Are you talking about art?”
He couldn’t help but grin. “Of course. Follow me.”
Taking her hand in his, he led her to the staircase. Prolonging the situation only made things torturous for him, but he was determined to take his time. And the only way he could do that was to show her his loft studio—something he had never shown anyone. He had never shared his art with any of his girlfriends simply because he didn’t think they’d understand.
He flipped on the light to reveal his untidy work space. He found he could only work in a disorderly space—it helped his creative juices. On the drafting table, he had left his sketch book open. The last thing he needed was Marion seeing his sketches. Most of them were of her. He had started to draw her shortly after meeting her and when he found he needed a little inspiration, he’d sketch her.
Earlier, he had managed to keep her from realizing the painting Jon was trying so valiantly to sell was of her. If she knew he painted her naked from his wild imagination, he wasn’t sure how she’d react. He certainly didn’t need her seeing his sketches.
Releasing her hand, he walked over and flipped the book closed before she could get a good look at it.
“What’s that?”
“My sketches. I usually start in pencil before I go to the big canvas. Sometimes they come out the same. Sometimes they don’t.”
It wasn’t far from the truth. He had painted Black-Eyed Girl from a sketch he did of Marion. It was one of his first paintings he’d done in oil a few years ago. The only thing he changed was the color of her eyes—an afterthought. He had painted them the same doe brown as hers but then went back later and painted over them. Just to make it not so much like the real Marion.
Frankly, he was shocked she didn’t know she was looking at herself in that painting.
Marion glanced around the room, hugging her elbows. He could see the goose bumps rising on her arms.
“I feel like I’m getting a peek inside you. I had no idea who you were.” She looked awed as she glanced around.
Perhaps not, he thought. But he knew who she was. Beautiful, intelligent, sexy. How could he let her go now that he was so close to having her? This “friends” business was nothing more than a cover up and they both knew it. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. He intended to prove that tonight.
“You know…now that you’ve seen the studio of a master, I can never let you leave.”
Graeme pulled her into his arms, gazing down into those beautiful eyes he had memorized so long ago.
“Why is that? Is it top secret?” She looked up at him through her thick black lashes, making his heart palpitate.
“All artists work usually is until they’re ready to release it to the world.” Bending, he nuzzled her neck, inhaling her soft scent again and feeling her velvety skin. “I’ve never let anyone up here. Not even Charlotte.”
He didn’t trust her anymore than he trusted Ethan…and Ethan was his business partner. Mostly he didn’t want her seeing his work and poking fun at him. She tended to do that because she didn’t understand art, nor did she understand how important it was to him.
“So…why am I so special that I get to see your studio?”
She really didn’t know, did she? She really had no idea he had been in love with her for so long. Graeme pulled her closer, feeling her body curve against his.
“I wanted you to see where I work. Where my true passion begins.”
His other passion—Marion—was in his ar
ms.
Graeme cupped her breast. She fit perfectly into the palm of his hand. Not too big, not too small. He gave her a gentle squeeze, kneading her flesh and feeling her. It seemed he had waited forever for this moment to come, like he’d waited a lifetime to hold her close and taste her.
But still, he would wait for the perfect moment to take off her dress and make love to her. He kissed her, delving into her sweet recesses. His tongue explored the outline of her mouth, reveling in the taste, the sensation, the touch. His cock strained against his pants. All he could think about now was burying deep inside her.
Kissing her neck, his hands played along the length of her zipper. He could imagine the supple skin beneath and wondered if she wore tempting lingerie. His fingers itched to pull it down, to slip inside her warmth and touch her.
“Take me to bed, Graeme.”
Graeme froze, his hand in place, hovering over the zipper pull. Her words had been breathy, seductive, making the blood drain from his head. Like she knew all along he had intended to bed her.
“I want you.” Her face pressed into the curve of his neck. “I want to feel you.”
Not wasting another minute, he grasped her hand and led her down the stairs to his bedroom.
In the past, he had bedded women because he knew they were an easy conquest. He knew he was being used just as they knew he used them…it was never serious. He wouldn’t waste a moment to strip them and throw them down for a good hard fuck. But not Marion. He didn’t want that for her. He wanted long, slow love play. He wanted to savor the moment, feel every curve of her body against his. Hear every breath, every sigh. And make it last for as long as it possibly could. He’d waited forever for this moment and there was no way in hell he would rush things.
Once inside the bedroom, she stepped away from him and turned. Her face was flushed, the color in her high cheekbones making her all the more beautiful. Her lips were still damp from his kissing. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Marion reached behind her, pulling down the zipper. He could hear the release of each one of the teeth, building the desire higher and higher inside him. He resisted the urge to reach down and rearrange despite the fact his hard-on hurt.
Take Me I'm Yours (Coffee House Chronicles) Page 10
