by Cathryn Fox
Shivers of excitement raced through her as she caught the gist of his innuendo. As though leaving his mark on her, his hot thumb brushed roughly over her bottom lip. Her tongue followed behind his finger, tasting his warm, salty essence.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she had a chance, he snaked his hands around her waist and anchored her to him once again.
His lips hovered inches from hers as he pushed her coat off her shoulders. His hungry gaze seemed to bore through her clothes and touch every inch of her naked body. As his glance moved over her, liquid heat poured through her body. A tingle skipped down her spine.
His eyes were full of emotion. “You look gorgeous.” His voice was deep, intimate. He ran his finger over her cheek, her throat, and then lower to sculpt the pattern of her curves. His murmur of appreciation made her wet. Had she been wearing any panties, they’d have been soaked.
She drew a breath as she felt her resolve to keep this relationship impersonal weaken around the edges. She feared if she spent too much time in his arms, or his bed, she’d lose her heart to him forever. Then and there she knew it for certain, she’d never be able to be with him more than once.
“Kale, this can only be one night.” Because heartbreak wasn’t an option.
She heard a sound low in his throat. “Then you shouldn’t have worn that dress.” He guided her inside, shut the door, and draped her coat over the sofa.
“Then maybe I should take it off.” She toyed with the thin spaghetti straps.
He gave a slow side-to-side shake of his head and removed her hands. “I don’t think so.” He brushed his thumb over her shoulders, using the same sensuous, stimulating circular strokes he’d used earlier on her clitoris.
She furrowed a brow as her body throbbed. “No?”
Holding her gaze, he slid his hand between her opened legs. “Uh-uh. I’ll be doing that for you.” When his fingers connected with her damp, silky curls, his eyes opened wide. His breath stalled. His nostrils flared. “Shit, Erin, you’re not wearing any panties.”
She shrugged innocently. “Laundry day, and I gave you my last clean pair.” Liar. More like she wanted him to show her how he punished naughty girls. Of course, she wasn’t about to admit that to him. At least not yet. Maybe later, though. She bit back a breathy moan as her body shook with anticipation.
The cords on his throat tightened as he swallowed. “How the fuck am I supposed to make it through dinner knowing you’re naked under that dress?”
Her eyes opened wide, puzzled. “Dinner?”
He shifted his stance, obviously uncomfortable. He looked like he was in total agony. It really shouldn’t have pleased her as much as it did. She just loved the way she affected him.
“Yeah, dinner. I cooked for you.” His voice sounded strangled.
Her face softened. “You did?”
He drove his hands deep in his pockets. He looked so boyish, so adorable. An invisible band tightened around her heart.
“Yeah.” His expression softened when his gaze fell over her.
She looked past him and noticed the dining room table. It was beautifully set for two. The sweet gesture tugged on her insides. Christmas candles burned in the center of the dinner table and perfumed the air. The flames flickered in the dimly lit room, casting mesmerizing, alluring shadows on the terra-cotta–colored walls.
“But I thought we were just going to have sex. Casual sex,” she stressed, worry tugging at her insides.
Amusement pulled at the corners of his eyes. “Oh we are, Erin,” he assured her. “I just thought you might need fuel first. Now that I have you here, I don’t plan on letting you go for a very long time.” The deep timbre of his voice made her tremble. “I plan on beating that five-minute record of yours by at least two hours, maybe more.”
“Oh,” she said, her eyes opening wide.
He reached for her and guided her to the table. His large palm practically covered her entire hand. Keeping pace, she followed him into the dining room. She glanced around and couldn’t believe that he’d gone to so much trouble to set the mood for seduction. Cloaked in semidarkness, the ambience was cozy, romantic, designed for lovers.
Lovers!
Her heart raced.
Suddenly that word made what they were about to do seem so personal, so intimate.
“Are you hungry?” He pulled her chair out and she graciously accepted.
She fought to recover her voice. “Yes.” She neglected to tell him she’d grabbed a bite at the mall. He’d obviously gone to a lot of effort, and things were so perfect, she didn’t want to spoil the moment.
The flames on the candles wavered as he took a seat beside her. His piercing blue eyes caught the light and shimmered. Everything about the room, about him, created an instant intimacy. The band around her heart tightened as she watched him settle next to her. She felt so warm, so close to him. She leaned into him and smiled. Something inside her compelled her to touch his hand. She needed the physical contact, as if her very next breath depended on it.
“Thank you for dinner. It smells delicious.”
A wide grin split his face. His voice was low, mellow. “Do you like to cook, Erin?” He brushed his thumb over her skin with agonizing gentleness and gazed so deep into her eyes, she was sure he could touch her soul and read her every secret. Heat radiated from his hands and stirred her insides. It wasn’t the way her body reacted to his touch that had her concerned, it was the way her heart reacted.
She pulled back, cursing herself for feeling so emotional. Taking a moment to regroup, she reminded herself this was just about casual sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“Not if I don’t have to.” It wasn’t a complete lie. All-talk-and-no-action Erin Shay might be a closet domestic, but this new version of her, bad-girl Erin Shay, didn’t enjoy making quiche, omelets, or even breakfast frittatas. The less personal things were between them, the easier it would be for her to walk away.
“Then I guess I’m in charge of breakfast too.”
Comprehension and unease hit her at the same time. She realized what he meant. He wanted her to stay over.
Oh hell!
As Kale gazed at her from across the table, tightness settled in his chest. It was almost impossible to look away from her beauty. There was no denying that Erin stirred him both physically and emotionally, and was everything he’d been looking for. Everything he needed.
Sure he could have skipped the meal and jumped straight in the sack with her, but he wanted more. He wanted to talk with her, to get to know her on a deeper level, and to find out why she kept herself so guarded. He wanted to discover what horrible incident from her past had left her so jaded when it came to men and relationships.
“Everything looks beautiful, Kale.” She glanced into the living room. “You even put up a tree. It’s gorgeous.”
Her voice pulled his mind from its wanderings. “Thank you.” He glanced at her, his gaze moving over her features. The candlelight emphasized her sculpted cheekbones and bronzed skin. Her nutmeg hair was clipped at her nape. Dark hooded eyes brimmed with unleashed passion.
He could lose himself in those eyes. Come to think of it, he already had.
The love he felt for her suddenly blew over him like a gale force wind, leaving him feeling unstable and light-headed.
He drew a quick rejuvenating breath and poured her a glass of white wine. As he watched her take a small sip, it took all his restraint not to swipe his arm across the table, clear it of its contents, and make sweet love to her right there. All night long.
“Delicious,” she said, licking the last drop from her plump lips. She looked past his shoulders into the kitchen. “What smells so good?”
He cleared his throat. “I thought we’d start with a shrimp appetizer.”
She twirled her glass in her fingers. “What, no oysters?” she teased playfully.
He chuckled, loving her playful side. “I don’t need them.” He drained the wine from his glass and leaned i
nto her. He glanced pointedly at her pert nipples. “Do you?”
“No,” she admitted honestly.
“Good.” Standing, he turned his back to her and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Do you need any help?” Erin called out.
“Nope. Stay put.”
A moment later he came back carrying a shrimp platter and dipping sauce. He positioned them in the center of the table and reclaimed his chair.
“Looks great,” Erin said.
After he seated himself, Erin reached for a shrimp but he quickly stopped her. He closed his hand over hers, the pad of his thumb rubbing her flesh. The sweet friction almost made him skip the meal and give in to his urges.
“Allow me,” he said, trying to keep his voice level.
She tucked her hands into her lap as he dipped the shrimp into the seafood sauce and slowly carried it to her mouth. She parted her pretty cinnamon-painted lips, and he placed it on her tongue.
“Mmmm. Delicious.” She nibbled and moaned a sweet, sexy bedroom moan that made his groin ache. It was the same noise she’d made when she orgasmed in the elevator and in the research room. Fuck. If she kept it up he’d never be able to think coherently or hold a civil conversation.
He lowered his voice and sidled closer. “What we did on the elevator today was really incredible, Erin.”
Her eyes glistened. “Yeah, I know.” Her voice was breathy, intimate.
“You were such a bad girl.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “You were very wild. And hot.”
Her eyes darkened with heat and passion. “You too.”
She reached for the platter. “My turn.” She dipped the shrimp into the sauce and seductively carried it to him. He leaned into her and drew it into his mouth. As he chewed, he watched her reach for another shrimp. She covered it in a generous amount of sauce and poised it near her sensuous lips.
Kale’s gaze dropped to her cleavage. “You dripped sauce on yourself.”
Her eyes glistened and caressed him with sultry heat. Her chin lifted a notch, challenging him. “Maybe I did it on purpose.” She popped the shrimp into her mouth. Her pink tongue slid over her fleshy lips as she chewed.
He cocked his head, intrigued. “Yeah?” He watched her pulse beat at the creamy base of her neck. That’s where he wanted his mouth.
She stared at him for an endless moment, then spread her legs in a silent message. “All that talk about licking today got me thinking.”
Oh hell, forget the meal. He could no longer stave off the urgent demands of his body or fight the inevitable. They’d talk later, after he’d made love to her, when they were snuggled under the sheets.
Deciding to play along with her seductive game, he let his eyes leave her face and slowly track downward to settle on her distended nipples. Oh yeah, shrimp was the last thing he was interested in popping into his mouth.
“What are you thinking about?” He watched the seafood sauce trickle down her flesh as sparks shot through his body.
She looked at him with pure desire. “That maybe you could come over here and lick it off.”
His heart almost failed as a jolt of desire fired through his blood. He could hardly believe how bold, how wild she really was.
She pushed the plate away and arched into him. One sexy brow rose. “I’m hungry, Kale. But not for shrimp.” Her voice had taken on a raspy edge.
His body moistened. His cock throbbed. He was on his feet in less than a second. His chair went clattering to the floor. Damned if he didn’t love a woman who knew what she wanted.
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, dipped a hand under her dress, and stroked. “I believe you promised to make me scream.”
Chapter 8
With predatory movements, Kale kicked his chair out of the way and came toward her. Erin’s pulse leaped in her throat as he inched closer. She braced herself against her seat. God, he was so hot, so feral. His every movement was seductive, arousing, and heart-stopping.
He gripped her wooden seat, eased her chair away from the table, and sank to his knees until they were eye to eye. He urged her thighs farther apart and insinuated himself in between.
“Maybe we’d better get this dress off you before you spill sauce on it.” Equal amounts of fear and excitement coiled through her when she heard the dark desire in his voice.
Without breaking eye contact, she reached up and touched her fingers to the thin spaghetti straps. The quick shake of his head stopped her.
“Don’t,” he commanded in a gentle voice. “Like I said earlier, I’ll take care of that for you.”
Kale twirled the straps in his fingers and slowly drew them down until he exposed the milky swell of her cleavage. She listened as his breathing hitched.
“I’ve lost sleep over your gorgeous breasts,” he said. He tugged the dress until it fell to her waist. Sitting back on his heels, he took his sweet time to gaze at her dark, engorged nipples.
Erin cupped both her breasts, kneaded them gently, and ran her fingers over her hard, protruding nipples in an effort to ease the sexual ache.
A deep growl sounded low in his throat as he watched her pleasure herself. “You are so naughty, Erin.” Grabbing both her hands, he held them hostage at her sides. A shudder rippled through her as he nuzzled his face close to her cleavage. She threw her head back and moaned. Her skin grew tight as she waited for him to close his mouth over her puckered mounds. The first touch of his velvety, talented tongue sent fire spiraling through her.
With excruciating gentleness he licked one plump nipple, tasting it, savoring it, teasing it until it tightened painfully in his mouth. He ran the puckered bud across his teeth, nipping until she gasped in pleasure and pain. She squirmed, wanting more, wanting him to answer all the urgent demands in her quaking body.
The ache between her legs grew until the sensations overtook her. She pulled her hands free from his and tore at his sweater. Kale lifted his arms, allowing her to pull it off. His chest was magnificent, just as she knew it would be. She stroked and massaged his hard pectorals. Edging closer, she flicked her tongue out and circled his tightening nipple. His muscles convulsed and bunched under her tongue. She could feel his heart pound against his chest. The fast, erratic rhythm matched her own.
She’d never been so hot, so turned on, in her entire life. She put her lips over his and whispered, “Take me to your bedroom. I want to have sex with you on the bed you’ve been sleeping in.”
“Follow me.” He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. It took a moment for her to figure out how to walk again. Kale hustled her down the hallway, pushed open his bedroom door, and pulled her inside. The light from the hallway spilled in, bathing the bed in warm, sensual hues. The scent of his aftershave hung in the air. As she stepped over the threshold, her gaze was drawn to the unmade bed. Visions of herself writhing for him, the way he liked, on those unkempt sheets made her ache deep between her legs.
He circled his arms around her waist and pushed his erection against her. “Do you know how much I want you?” His voice was tangled with emotion.
“Yes.” She reached out and placed her hand over his impressive bulge and massaged. “I’d say about as much as I want you.” She positioned her pelvis against his, right where it counted.
He groaned and gyrated against her. “You are so fucking wild.”
“You make me this way.” She’d never before been so bold or aggressive. She liked this side of herself. She liked the confidence he brought out in her.
Kale gripped the sides of her dress and dropped to his knees. He tugged, pulling the dress to her ankles. His face was only inches from the seat of her desire.
He trailed his fingers over her calves. “Lift your legs for me, babe.”
She stepped out of the dress, and Kale tossed it aside.
His gaze locked with hers as his large hands touched her inner thigh. His blue eyes were so very dark, so richly seductive. She instinctively widened her stance.
“I’v
e been dying to taste you. It’s all I could think about since the minute we met.” His warm breath caressed her swollen folds. He buried his face between her legs and licked all the way from the back to the front, lapping at her syrupy arousal. She moaned and quaked as his thumb climbed higher and higher until he stroked her swollen clitoris.
He eased back, licked his lips, and groaned appreciatively. “You taste better than candy.”
Her heart beat in a mad rush as her whole body turned to liquid. She raked her fingers though his hair. “My legs. I can’t stand anymore.”
Kale stood and gathered her into his embrace. She wound her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bed. With smooth efficiency he laid her across his tousled cotton bedding. His masculine scent permeated the rumpled sheets. She inhaled deeply, basking in the arousing aroma as it filled her with anticipation.
He stood beside the bed and went to work on his jeans. After he removed them he tore off his shorts and kicked them aside. His huge cock sprang free, clamoring for attention. Her gaze moved over his awe-inspiring body. He was so beautiful. An equal measure of excitement and nervousness rushed through her as she watched his magnificent arousal throb and thicken. Her mouth salivated. She swallowed. Hard.
“Come to me.” She reached for him, urging him to join her on the bed.
Balancing his arm beside her head, he pushed his erection against her hip and sank into her mouth. She drew his tongue in to mate with hers. His hot velvet tongue moved inside her mouth, hungry, restless. She could taste her creamy essence on his lips.
She wrapped her legs around his thighs and rubbed her damp sex against him. Reaching down, she sheathed his cock in her hand. He moaned when she slid her hand up and down the length of his shaft. He pulsed in her palm, his veins becoming engorged with blood.
He sucked in a breath and flinched. “Don’t.”
“Why?” she asked, feigning innocence even though she already knew the answer to that question.
“I’ll lose it, and I’m not ready to. I haven’t finished with you yet,” he rasped.
