“I’ve waited a long time for this moment.” But he wasn’t talking to her.
His gaze was fixed on her chest and she was slowly going mad as she waited for him to touch her more. It didn’t seem like her subtle hints of pushing into his hand was working. Plus it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She needed more. She would have to make the first move.
“More,” she croaked, her tongue too big for her dry mouth. “Please.”
Eyes that had always been so warm and gentle housed an animal she had never seen when they rose up and met hers. They flickered with a challenge that darkened the color in her face, but she didn’t look away.
Moistening her lips, she reached for him. Her fingers closed around the hard shaft reaching back for her through his shorts. His snarl and the jerk of it in her palms sent a thrill through her that was untamed and feral. It filled her with a drive that should have been frightening, instead it had her lunging at him. Her hand clamped around the back of his neck and she drew his mouth to hers.
It all happened so fast. His mouth ... he was too powerful for her. He kissed her with the forces of a man possessed, a man hell bent on claiming what belonged to him. He was not gentle, nor was he giving her a chance to put together the pieces of her sanity when he, with one deft move, he reached down and snapped the lock into place. The sound sparked a gasp from her.
“Too late to run now, Jewels.” The dark, wolfish growl coursed down the length of her spine in tendrils of fire. “Not until I’ve had my fill of you.”
She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t want to run, but he’d lifted her off her feet and had dumped her on the short stretch of counter attached to the sink. Her knees were parted and she was yanked forward by hands under her kneecaps. Her head struck the mirror, but she took no notice as she was pulled to him.
His hands were bruising on her thighs and continued to tighten the longer he devoured her with his eyes. The intense scrutiny had her skin warming and her self-consciousness rearing its head.
Then, without warning, he bent at the waist. His hands left her thighs to close around her waist, holding her in place as his mouth closed over her breast.
Julie made a sound between a gasp and a whine. Her fingers closed into his hair, holding him to her as he nipped and sucked on her flesh. Each flick of his tongue propelled her a little closer to the edge until she was sure she’d go insane if he didn’t do something quickly.
As though reading her thoughts, and without a shred of forewarning, his hand slid between her legs. His fingers drew apart her lips to the sticky pool in the center and plunged inside.
“Shit!” she sobbed, tightening around the digit as he worked it along her walls.
Lavishing her nipple with a final lick, he started a hot path down the center of her body to where his hand was wreaking havoc on her sanity. She was barely breathing by the time he got to her mound and gave the glistening muscle there a flick with his tongue.
“Oh!” Her breathy moan was followed by another curse and the uncontrolled writhe of her body as he traced a lazy path around her clit. His name squeaked out of her in incoherent pants.
“I want to feel you come apart for me, Julie,” he whispered between licks.
He didn’t have very long to wait. She was so close. So maddeningly close.
His mouth closed over the swollen little peak, the heart of all her suffering, as he exchanged one finger for two and delved up to both knuckles. He sucked at the same moment as he prodded something inside her that had her entire body arching off the counter as she wailed his name and grabbed violently for his hair with both fists.
“I’ve got you,” he soothed, nipping delicately on her. “Let go, baby.”
She did with a guttural shriek of his name. There was just enough sense in her head to muffle the sound by tearing into her bottom lip with her teeth as her body shattered around his embedded fingers like glass. Her ears were ringing and she was pretty sure she would never get the feelings back in her lower extremities, but hell if she cared. Everything was so blissfully numb and she felt so gloriously sated. She never wanted to get up.
“Next time,” he straightened to peer down into her eyes, “I’m going to bury myself deep inside your body when you come.”
He gave a final thrust of his fingers, drawing out the last of her tremors before sliding them out to stroke her sensitive clit, making her whimper and buck into his hand.
“Jesus...” Julie moaned, eyes falling closed.
He drew her off the counter and into his arms, even though she was sure she couldn’t trust the strength of her legs. He kissed her deeply until her head was swimming deliciously.
“Do we have to wait until tonight?” she whispered when he drew back.
“Are you hungry?”
Julie blinked, taken aback by the unexpected change in topic. “Sorry?”
“Are you hungry?” he repeated slowly.
Her hand went to her stomach where she could just feel the low rumble against her palm.
“Yes.”
Mason grinned. “Come on. I’ll make us dinner then we’ll take it to my room and watch a movie.”
Julie’s eyes narrowed. “Why your room? We’re already in my room.”
“I don’t care whose room it is. I just want to get you to myself for a few hours and since Shaun has claimed the rec room sofa as his personal domain ... my room or your room are the only places available. So, what do you say?”
It didn’t really matter whose room they went into. That much he was right on. But she didn’t understand why it was such a big thing that they eat first. Her bed was just on the other side of the door. She was already naked. But he seemed so adamant.
“Fine,” she grumbled, which made him chuckle.
“Don’t worry, love. We’re not finished.”
He made them a taco salad and led her up the stairs to his room. Julie had seen it during her tour the morning she’d arrived, but it felt infinitely different now that all his things were there, taking up room. The whole place smelled like him, soap and spices. The bed was made and the whole place was reasonably neat, except for a small heap of fabric dumped on a chair next to the wardrobe.
Unlike her room which was more feminine, his room was dark blue and the furniture was heavy. The four poster bed sat facing a dresser with a TV mounted over it and there were two nightstands on either side of the bed, but otherwise, it was reasonably sparse.
“Get comfortable,” Mason told her as he set the tray down on the dresser and hurried towards the chair with the clothes. “I’m going to change.”
Scooping up the heap of fabric, he disappeared through the door next to the dresser.
Julie watched the door shut and turned to face the bed. She took a deep breath and crawled onto one side and sat with her legs tucked under her and her back against the pillows. She was still sitting there when Mason emerged, clad in flannel bottoms and a black t-shirt. He dropped his old clothes onto the chair and crossed to the dresser. After tossing the remote onto the mattress, he picked up the tray and joined her.
“What are you in the mood for?” he asked.
Julie shrugged. “I’m not picky.”
Snatching up the remote, he flicked the TV on, then surprised her by passing the remote to her.
“I’m not picky either,” he said when she stared at him.
She settled on an episode of CSI: Vegas. It was one she’d already seen, but she left it running as they ate in silence.
“This is delicious!” she said after only a few bites.
Mason grinned. “I am a man of many talents.”
“And you can cook,” she added with a smile. “I am thoroughly impressed.”
“Oh, you would be amazed at some of my ... abilities.”
Poking a piece of lettuce between her lips, Julie glanced at him. “Yeah? Like what?”
The dark humor in his eyes when they met hers made her blush. “I play a mean game of Scrabble.”
That was not
what she had seen in his eyes, but she let it go and focused once more on her food; he was a master of teasing and she was already confused enough that he hadn’t made good on his promise.
When they finished eating, Mason returned the tray to the dresser and, after snapping the lights off, climbed back into bed. The flicker of the TV washed over the dark fabric of the sheets, just barely illuminating them.
He wasted no time reclining with his arms folded beneath his head. It took Julie longer to follow suit. They were on their third TV show before she gave into the fatigue and stretched out, tucking the pillow beneath her head and turning onto her side to watch. The pillow smelled like his shampoo, something earthy with a hint of citrus. It was nice. Soothing.
“You’re not falling asleep on me, are you?”
Julie’s eyes popped open and her cheeks burned at being caught sniffing his pillow.
“No!” she blurted. “I was watching.”
His teeth gleamed in the semi darkness when he flashed her a smile. “Are you tired?”
She shook her head. “Are you?” She tried to make out his face. “Would you like me to go?”
He chuckled. “No. I don’t want you to go. In fact, I want you to get closer.”
Following his own advice, Mason wiggled closer. He closed that single bit of space and left his pillow to take over hers. Julie tried to shuffle back, only to have her middle captured. She was pulled into him.
“It’ll be easier if you turn around,” he told her.
Heart palpitating wildly in her chest, Julie rolled onto her other side, presenting him with her back, which he instantly melded his chest into. Her hips were drawn into his. His thighs pressed into hers. She could feel his heart beating against her shoulder blades.
“Better?” he murmured, tickling her ear with his warm breath.
They were spooning. His hand expanded clear across her entire abdomen. She hadn’t realized how long his hands were until that moment.
“Yes,” she croaked.
The low chatter on the TV claimed the silence that followed. Julie was grateful for it. She wasn’t sure what she could possibly say except, do you have a flashlight in your pocket? Yet she wasn’t ignorant enough to believe it was a flashlight. It was too hot, and it was cradled perfectly against her backside. It took all her resolve plus some not to grind back against it.
Outwardly, Mason made no indication that he was fully erect. There was no change in his breathing, or in the patter of his heart. He seemed content, which baffled her. Didn’t men always want that problem looked after immediately? Now she wasn’t an expert on men, having only been with the one—two counting Mason—but she liked to think she knew what she liked and was pretty good at asking for it. Yet she had the specimen of all men in bed, curved into her warm body with a full hard-on and she was at a loss on what to do. It definitely didn’t help that she wanted to roll her hips back a notch just to see what he would do. If he would finally give her what he’d been promising her for days.
“You’re thinking awfully hard over there,” he drawled softly.
Feeling like she’d been caught doing something especially naughty, Julie flushed. She was so glad he couldn’t see her face.
“No, I’m fine,” she lied, and it showed in the breathy squeak of her voice. “I was just...” She adjusted her position to stuff more pillow under her head.
Behind her, Mason hissed. It was low. She would have missed it had it not been directly against her ear. The fingers across her stomach flexed and a thrill shot through her. It was hot and liquid coursing through her veins to flood the place between her legs. Her limbs trembled as she froze in realization and delight.
Carefully, she did it again, lifting and wiggling her body back against his in the pretense of trying to get comfortable. The erection nestled between her cheeks twitched. The man connected to it growled. His hand fisted her tank top.
“Stop,” he half hissed, half growled into the curve of her jaw.
Nipples tight with longing, Julie wet her lips. “Stop what?”
His fingers tightened on her top. “You know what.”
He gave a very blunt thrust of his hips, leaving no doubt in her mind that he knew what she was doing. Mouth dry, Julie arched back, meeting him. His guttural curse spurred her confidence. She reached around back and took him in her hand through the worn fabric of his pants. He was scalding to the touch and thick, and when she glided her fingers down along the shaft, she marveled at his length.
“Shit!” he snarled into the back of her shoulder. “Julie!”
Delighted by her power, she gave him a little jerk. His gasp elated her. She thrived on the knowledge that his shudder was because of her. The TV went forgotten as she drew out every second of torture. She was so lost in her own triumph that she wasn’t prepared when he returned the favor, for when he forced his hand beneath the hem of her shorts and cupped her mound. Her shocked gasp was met with a sinister chuckle.
“My turn.”
Without a shred of warning, he jerked away from her, and in that same violent motion, he grabbed and twisted her onto her back. She was liberated of her shorts and panties in the blink of an eye and her legs were wrenched apart to accommodate the wide length of his shoulders.
“Mason...!”
His name tore out of her in a squeak that was instantly followed by the clamp of her fingers through his thick locks as his tongue delved past her outer lips to terrorize the muscle in between. His fingers cut bruises into her thighs, keeping them from stopping him as he worked a steady rhythm from slit to clit in a clean figure eight. She was thrashing and clawing at him as he stoked the fire burning white hot inside her with his mouth, teeth and tongue.
When he switched his mouth for his hand, she wasn’t sure she liked it. There was something profoundly delicious about being licked into oblivion. But Mason proved to be equally good at building her with only his hands. He used his free hand to wipe his mouth before climbing over her.
“Nothing more than this has to happen tonight,” he told her. “I’ll stop.”
Chapter Sixteen
She wanted to laugh. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop.
“Don’t you dare,” she warned, releasing a hiss through her teeth when he inserted a finger and pushed it to the knuckle inside her.
Mason was breathing hard when he dislodged himself from her and climbed off the bed. Julie watched as he stripped off his clothes and reached for the nightstand. Items were shoved around inside the drawer before he found what he was looking for. The light from the TV danced over a silver packet. Her cheeks warmed as she realized what it was when he ripped it open with his teeth. She shivered when he returned. Her arms lifted to welcome him over her and he accommodated her. But rather than put all his weight on her, he braced himself on his forearm just next to her head and straddled one of her legs.
He brushed the knuckle of his free hand over a rigid nipple, slamming her in the stomach with a want so bad, she didn’t bother stifling the gasp that escaped her. Heat trickled between her legs, moistening her bare lips, and drawing the cool caress of air, making her shiver.
Mason clenched his jaw as he repeated the gesture, this time going so far as rolling the bud beneath his thumb. She arched her back, pressing her breasts into his touch for more. His eyes watched her without blinking as he drew down the straps of her top. Her breasts, small in her opinion, bounced free, unrestrained and painfully aroused. The cool air licked at her, goose pimpling her skin.
Then he kissed her ... hard. It was like kissing embers. Her very soul seemed to blister with the heat. She was drowning in sunlight, floating on hot, summer winds. The solid ground beneath her feet vanished and she was falling, falling, falling heedlessly into space and time, lost in the scent of musk, spices and soap.
“No!” she gasped, grabbing him, holding on tight when he began to pull away.
“Shit!” She heard him growl seconds before his lips slammed back down over hers, this time with
an angry vengeance, like he wanted to hurt her, hurt them both, like he just couldn’t get enough.
His fingers gouged into her side, bruising flesh as he crushed her violently into his chest. His teeth cut into her lips, nipping, sucking, and making them swell. Then, his tongue was invading, plundering, and conquering hers into submission, and she was gasping and moaning and clutching him to keep him from stopping, because if he stopped ... the thought, the heart-stopping, the mind numbing ... the torturous thought was just too much, too much and she’d die. She just knew it.
He started to stop doing that amazing thing he was doing with his mouth, to pull away, to open his lips to say something, but no. She couldn’t have that happen. She couldn’t let him break the dreamy hue encasing her, not yet; she kissed him, pressing her lips back to his and devouring him with all the insanity blazing white-hot inside her, all the passion he’d unleashed so heedlessly, without thought, and if she was going to crumble into ashes, she was going to take him with her.
Mason ripped free of her before she could stop him and lit a fiery trail down the length of her neck to her collarbone. His tongue dripped into the hollow of her throat, drinking the heady moan that vibrated through her very soul.
Julie tangled her fingers through his hair, fisting and holding him prisoner while he melted the skin off her bones with his mouth alone. His clever fingers were no help righting the world around her, flicking and plucking and fondling her nipples. Little bolts of electricity surged through her veins, all bursting like fireworks in her pit of her stomach. The jolts sent another sort of sensation, a sort of life that seethed deep in the V of her legs. The pang was so intense, so demanding that when he worked his hand up her thigh to cup her mound, she was opening her legs as far as they would go.
Above her, grinding his rock hard cock into her hip, Mason groaned as he parted her dewy folds and found the thick puddle of arousal waiting for him. He was breathing hard, harder maybe than even her and she felt like her lungs were going to explode and her heart was going to stop from exhaustion. His minty breath washed across her face, over her lips in puffs as he tried and failed to control the tremor in his hand as he worked the cream over her lips, her clit and prodded gently at her slit. His eyes, big, shiny, and black with hunger, bore into hers, watching, appraising every look on her face carefully.
Kissing Trouble Page 24
