by BJ Harvey
He smirks at me. “I walked her to her car and told her to have a good night.”
“I bet she wanted you to be the one to make it good.”
“She’s out of luck,” he says, taking a step towards me.
“Why’s that? You’re single; you’re hot. She was gorgeous—you turned down a sure thing.” I may sound nonchalant but there’s an edge to my words. Something his raised brow tells me he hasn’t missed.
He narrows his eyes and moves closer. “This isn’t going away, Gabs. You can’t give me a taste of the promise of you—of us—and deny you don’t want this as much as I do.” I open my mouth to argue but I’m silenced by what he says next. “I’ve had to stand there and watch you smile and flirt with other guys for months and tonight, I’m going to make you finally admit what I already know.”
“What’s that?” I whisper, my breathing now coming hard and fast, matching the heavy thud in my chest.
“Get your ass in my truck and I’ll show you.”
“And if I don’t?” I ask, scrounging up the last of my sass but knowing I’m a sure thing in this scenario. Bruno at his alpha best, telling me what’s going to happen, and not asking for my opinion on the matter is hot.
“You will.”
I guess I’m about to find out.
Chapter 7
The ride to Bruno’s house is silent, which I both welcome and hate in equal measure.
I have butterflies fluttering, my blood pressure rising, and my throat is dry, and that’s all before we even pull out of the parking lot.
A lot has happened since I was last in this truck. We’ve slept together, for one; we’ve kissed more than once; and lately, I’ve been the one watching him rather than the other way around.
Do I know any more about him? Nope, not unless you count knowing how he looks when he’s annoyed, frustrated, confused, and turned on.
I know he’s thirty-four, but that’s only because I snuck a peek at his personnel file. Unfortunately for me, there was nothing else in there that was particularly useful other than his address but considering I have been—and up until ten minutes ago, still was—in denial about being interested in the guy, I haven’t put that information to any worthwhile use.
Until now, that is. Knowing that we’ll soon turn into his driveway is making me anxious.
Maybe I’ll get him talking once we get there. That’ll delay the inevitable, right? Maybe I can talk his ear off until he realizes what a grave mistake he’s made in pursuing this—whatever this is—and he’ll give me an out. No harm, no foul.
“Stop thinking so damn hard,” he says, slowing down and flicking on his indicator before turning into a parking space outside his apartment building.
I spin in my seat and glare at him. He seems so relaxed. “Easy for you to say. You weren’t just kidnapped from your place of employment,” I snap.
He quirks his brow and leans an arm against the steering wheel in a move that brings me back to the first time he dropped me home. Why is that so damn hot? Then he grins and my butterflies morph into wanton hussies, sending all sensations south. “Wait there. I’ll open your door.”
There’s no question in that statement, and he doesn’t give me a chance to argue. By the time my synapses reconnect, he’s out of the truck, has rounded the hood, and is opening my door, looking every inch the gorgeous bouncer I’ve been watching for weeks now.
We stare at each other for what seems like forever, facing off in a battle of wills that I know is futile but I stick to anyway, not wanting to give in too easily.
But Bruno, being Bruno, seems to know me a bit too well. He steps forward, wraps an arm around my waist, and hoists me—purse attached—out of his truck, slamming the door closed behind us with his foot all while not letting me go.
“Put me down,” I grind out.
“You gonna run?” he asks, making me snort.
“And go where? My place is like ten miles across town.”
“Twelve, actually. I remember running home after the last time I had you in my arms.”
“Actually,” I say, wriggling out of his hold until I’m standing on the ground, “the last time I was in your arms was a month ago in the office.”
His grin gets wider and unable to control myself, my body sways toward him. “Knew you liked that.”
“Shut. Up,” I say under my breath. “You’re a good kisser. Anyone would like that.”
“Right,” he replies, not sounding like he believes me. Instead, he grabs my hand and moves up the path to the front door.
I tug on his arm, stopping him. “You didn’t have to kidnap me,” I snap. “You could’ve just talked to me anytime over the past month.”
He moves into my personal space and I grit my teeth to help me stand my ground. I have to at least fight this a little bit. I can’t have him thinking he can flash me a grin, be all sexy and broody and alpha-like, and make me melt into his arms . . . even if that’s exactly what I’m fighting against doing.
I tilt my head to meet his gaze.
“You know just as well as I do why I had to bring you here. You’ve been avoiding me for months, then stewing about it since that office kiss. Now we’re going to talk, then we’re going to bed where I’ll probably make you talk some more, then we’re going to sleep once I finally wear you out. Tomorrow, we’re going on a date and you can explain why you are determined to fight this,” Bruno says.
I jerk back and narrow my eyes. “Oh no, we’re not. If we’re going inside, it’s to do one thing and one thing only. There’ll be no talking, no dating, and definitely no sleeping.”
“Good to know. I like a woman who can keep up with me in the bedroom.”
I try to step back but again, I’m stopped by his hand pulling me back against him. “Nuh-uh, Gabs. You’re not running away from this. You want this just as much as I do. I told you I was gonna prove that it meant something and I’d hoped kissing you in the office would do that. I just got sick of waiting for you to come to me.”
“I—”
“Tonight, I had to step things up. So, when my neighbor Carla came to the bar for a quiet drink, I decided to test the waters and see whether you were watching me as much as I’ve been watching you.”
“You did what?” I screech, my voice louder than I’d intended.
“Seems I was right.” He dips his head until his mouth is less than an inch from mine. “It drove you crazy to see me with another woman.”
“You set me up.”
“Yep, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant I got you in my truck, in my house, and back in my bed where you belong.”
Well, fuck me.
“That’s the plan. Just let me get you inside first. I’m not much of an exhibitionist but if that’s something you’re into, I’ll consider it.”
Dammit, I said that out loud.
I wrench free from his hold and step back, glaring at him while he just smiles at me. He knows he’s got me where he wants me. He played me and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Normally, that would piss me off. Instead, it makes me want to jump him like a tree right here. Right now.
Deciding to mix things up a bit, I put my hand on my hip and jut my leg out. “What are you waiting for then? You told me what you plan to do—now it’s time to put up or shut up. So lead the way, Bruno. I believe we have some talking to do.”
He opens his mouth—no doubt ready to argue with me—but snaps it shut. His eyes roam my face, as if looking for a sign that I’m trying to play him this time, but there’s nothing to see. With a nod, he reaches out and laces his fingers with mine, and together, we walk up the steps to the front door of the building, and along the hall towards his apartment.
The minute we step inside, my purse is dropped, I have his back to the wall and my mouth crushed against his. Parting his lips, I sink my tongue inside and take that desperate taste I’ve been thinking about since the surprise kiss in my office. His hands grab ho
ld of my hips as I grind against his hard length.
I wrap my arms around his neck and glide up into his hair, my fingers tugging the strands and pulling him down to deepen the connection. It’s a no-holds-barred kiss. The kind you fantasize about in the comfort of your own bed when you’ve got nothing but your hand and an active imagination.
Then he’s taking over, earning a whimper from me as he pushes off the wall and starts walking me backwards, our lips not separating for a second. Soft material hits my legs and I fall back onto the couch. Bruno comes with me, swinging an arm out to catch himself before pressing his weight into me and rolling his hips with expert aim so his erection rubs hard against my clit.
I wrench my mouth from his and bury it in his neck, a desperate moan escaping my throat at the delicious friction that’s as frustrating as it is amazing.
“Talking . . . is . . . overrated,” I pant, my breaths coming hard and fast as my heart thuds, my entire body electrified from head to toe.
He drags his lips along my jaw and down my neck, nipping the sensitive juncture of my shoulder. “I’m starting to think this is the best way to communicate with you.”
“No talking. Not with your mouth anyway.” He chuckles and with a soothing lick against my skin, he lifts his head to look at me, his brow quirked in that perfect way of his that’s both sexy and infuriating.
“You don’t want me to use my mouth?”
“Oh I’m definitely looking forward to that.”
“Well . . .” I say quietly, looking up at the ceiling, unable to hide my slow-growing grin.
Bruno growls and nips my chin. “That grin is the work of the devil.”
“One could say that about your hair, your jaw, your arms, and your ass . . . that’s if we’re keeping score here.”
“You like my ass?” he says with a triumphant curve of his lips.
“I could bounce quarters off that thing and you wouldn’t feel a thing.”
“If it was you doing it, I’d feel it all,” he says roughly. “Everything you do touches me, whether you’re across the room or lying under me.”
Oh, damn. His words are more of a turn-on than I’m ready to admit. Needing to stop him from saying anything else that makes me feel things in dead places, I tug him back down onto me and attack his mouth with renewed hunger. It’s moans and groans all over the place. My back arches off the couch when his hand cups my breast, his thumb and forefinger rolling over my hard nipple. His hips grind down hard against mine when I tighten my hands in his hair, urging him to lean his weight on me.
I marvel at how such a quiet, brooding alpha type can be so demonstrative in the bedroom. He’s a perfect mix of gentle and rough, demanding and easygoing, funny and sweet, yet grumpy as hell until he gets his own way.
Then again, it obviously works for him since he got me in his truck, in his apartment, and now on his couch, itching to get naked and get him inside me.
Funny how life can take a hard left turn you don’t expect yet you end up right where you wanted to be.
His touch gentles and he eases back from the kiss, leaning into his elbow resting beside my head as his other hand cups my cheek. It’s a move that leaves me reeling just as much as the hard and heavy make-out session.
“What’s going through this pretty head of yours?” His eyes are soft, yet there’s no doubting the desire swirling in them.
“I’m wondering why you stopped, because I thought this party was just getting started,” I tease.
His brows furrow. “Why do you do that?”
I mimic his look of confusion. “Do what?”
“Use humor and smartass comments as a defense mechanism.”
“Ah . . .” I look away. “Do you know you have a crack in the ceiling?”
He pins me in place with an expression that screams frustration. His jaw ticks as he scans my face. “Gabs?”
“Yeah?”
“Is it me that scares you, or is it that you know you can’t stay away from me—from this—no matter how hard you try to resist?”
I still, wondering how I misread this man. His job is to be watchful and have his finger on the pulse. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he utilizes this skill in his personal life. It’s just unfortunate for me that he’s so damn intuitive.
Staring at him, I see nothing but sincerity. My heart pounds so hard I wonder if it’s going to make a break for it.
I’ve only ever felt this way one other time in my life, and it’s because of that—because of him—I’ve held back from anything and anyone who could do that to me again.
Bruno gives my arms a gentle squeeze and lowers his forehead to rest on mine. “Tell me, Gabs. You can tell me anything, and when you’re ready, I’d like to know what happened—who hurt you—but you’ve gotta know that when you’re with me, I promise you’ll never be hurt like that again. You’re safe with me. You’re always going to be safe with me.”
Lying on his couch, his body cloaking mine head to toe, I see nothing but him. Then I make a decision that may or may not break my heart in the future. But with everything that is Bruno, I find clarity, it’s like I’ve been living my life in a haze for the past five years.
I lift my hands to his face and stroke my thumbs along his cheeks. “I’m scared of what it might mean if I let myself have you.”
“I’ll take care of you, Gabs,” he says softly, but there’s no missing the conviction in his tone. “There’ll never be a time when you won’t feel that. Not as long as I’m around.”
Since I was always taught to make the most of everything thrown my way, I make my choice. He may hurt me, he may break me, but he could also be the key to a future I shut myself off from all those years ago.
I tilt my chin and brush my lips against his, a gentle touch to convey at least a small amount of how his words have made me feel: hopeful. Positive. Turned the fuck on.
With a deep breath and a silent promise, I drag my fingers up into his hair and pull him back so I can look him straight in the eye. This is it. This is me jumping off the cliff into the depths unknown, and hoping like hell Bruno will be there to catch me—or save me.
“Show me how good this could be. Show me what this means.” My next words are whispered. “Show me everything.”
Chapter 8
I barely get the words out before he’s crushing his mouth to mine. My lips part in surprise and his tongue dives inside, swirling around mine, deep and hard, making my toes curl in desperation for more.
My hands take on a mind of their own, my nails digging into his back, pulling him closer, needing him all over me. I hook my leg around his thighs, bringing our hips together in a delicious grind that sends shock waves through my entire body with every perfectly placed thrust against my core.
He shifts his attention to my neck, alternating between gentle kisses and hard draws of my skin between his lips. I know for sure that he will have marked me and instead of the fact bothering me, it makes me burn hotter. Desperate for more, I arch my back, my entire body aching for this man in a way I have never known before.
Gliding my hands up, I tense my fingers against his scalp while dropping my mouth to his ear to make sure he hears every word. “I want to feel where you’ve been tomorrow. Take me to your bed and make me never want to leave.”
He lifts his head and pins me with the hottest, most carnal, most possessive stare I’ve ever seen. “With fucking pleasure, Gabs.”
He pushes himself up off the couch, snaking an arm around my waist to bring me with him before hoisting me up so my legs are wrapped around his hips. Our mouths fuse together once more as he carries me from his living room and into his bedroom directly off it, turning around and falling back onto the bed with a soft thud.
It’s then that I attack, straddling his waist and grinding down against his denim-covered cock that I so desperately need to feel inside me. I jump off his lap to stand beside the bed, meeting his eyes as I rip my shirt off over my head a
nd tug my skirt down to my feet, leaving me in nothing but my bra, panties and a sexy smile that screams ‘come and get me.’
He bends at the waist, grabbing me and taking me back down over him, our lips crashing mid-fall, my tongue dueling with his as I pour everything I’m feeling into the kiss. My hands go down between us, wrenching his belt loose and ripping open his jeans. Taking my hint—yet not moving his lips away—he reaches down and helps me drag the denim and boxers to the ground. His hard cock presses into me, and I whimper into his mouth, cursing the lace barrier between us.
I lift his shirt and dip my head, peppering his chest with soft kisses, loving the grunts and groans coming out of him. Then his top is gone, his fingers are tugging my bra down, and I’m hauled up his body, bracing myself above him as his lips wrap around my aching nipple, making me cry out.
He snakes his hands around my back and unclips my bra, helping me pull it off before jerking my chest down to his and cradling my face as he starts a slow, soft kiss, the sudden change in pace giving me whiplash but allowing my libido to catch its breath. I melt into him, our touches now gentle, exploring, enjoying.
Bruno bends his leg and with an arm around my shoulders, he flips me over onto my back, his movements regaining the urgency from before. He nips my jaw and moves down my neck, his lips against my skin leaving goose bumps in their wake. My body is vibrating with need, wanting more, wanting him.
He doesn’t make me wait for long, his lips caressing one breast before moving to pay the other one the same attention. All the while, he’s easing down the bed until he’s grabbing my lace thong between his teeth and dragging them down my legs until he’s kneeling on the floor. He shucks his pants off and grips my hips, pulling me toward him.
I brace myself on my elbows and look down, spreading my legs wide in invitation. His eyes are hooded and hungry as he drops his gaze, his fingers digging into my skin. He dips his head and takes a long, languorous swipe of his tongue against my clit, sending my back up off the bed and eliciting a low desperate moan.
“Again,” I rasp, my hand diving down to grab his head, pushing him back to where I want him most. He doesn’t deny me, parting me with his thumbs and getting down to the task at hand—or mouth. He uses his tongue as a weapon, his lips and teeth licking, sucking, and devouring my pussy like a starving man.
