by Ava McKnight
I had to give him some credit, especially since he was being so open and forthright. “I know you can be faithful. That I know of, you’ve always dated one woman at a time. The real question is, can you be faithful for longer than four or six weeks?”
That wasn’t the only concern I had. I turned away and started to pace as anxiety washed over me. I said, “Maybe that’s not the real issue. Can I even hold your interest for longer than four or six weeks?”
“Well, it’s been three years so far, sweetheart.”
I whirled around, my finger pointing at him. “That’s because we haven’t had sex yet.”
Despite the tension that filled the room, one corner of his mouth lifted in a sexy grin. “Yet?”
I’d just made it a foregone conclusion, when I’d told him emphatically in the hallway this morning I had no intention on acting upon the admission I’d made about wanting him to fuck me.
Backpedaling would make me a hypocrite, so I said, “I wanted you last night and I was willing to do exactly what I’ve been accusing you of—having sex without any real commitment around it.” Of course this led to the extremely disappointing revelation that I truly was a hypocrite. With a groan, I added, “Christ, that makes me the bad guy. Geez, what is wrong with me?”
He shot to his feet and grabbed my wrist before I could turn away. I was suddenly too ashamed to look him in the eye, but he forced me to by hooking his finger under my chin and lifting it.
“Hey, slow down a sec,” he said, his blue irises shimmering under the soft glow of my chandelier. “First, you are definitely not the bad guy in this scenario. Sometimes I’m too cocky for my own good. And you know I wanted you too. The way you looked at me when I stepped out of the shower… Hell, how could I not have capitalized on that when I’ve fantasized about you for so damn long?”
“Don’t let me off the hook,” I told him as my stomach twisted. “Here I’m always preaching about fidelity and whining about the fact the men I choose—who have reputations for cheating and having one-night stands—can’t be faithful and continually break my heart, and I’m no better.”
“We didn’t sleep together last night, Lace. You didn’t have a one-night stand when you adamantly oppose it.”
“I would have,” I told him, “if you hadn’t been thinking more clearly than me. If you didn’t respect me the way you do…” I shook my head. “It all would’ve gotten out of hand, and the worst part is, if you’d have taken advantage of the fact I wanted you, I would have loathed us both come morning.”
He sighed. “I know you’re struggling here, Lace. And let’s face it, I’ve never been in a real relationship, so I don’t have much reason to expect you to trust me. Casual dating is the biggest commitment I’ve ever made.”
Aha. He’d just painted the big picture right in front of my face and it made me sigh in sheer torment.
“I can’t just casually date you, Mike.” It wasn’t in my nature. But was more than casual dating even in his DNA?
In a low tone, he said, “Yeah, I know.” The finger under my chin skimmed over my jaw and then he tucked a loose curl behind my ear. “And I don’t have longevity on my side. No positive track record to prove I can do what I say I intend to do. I get that.”
“I’m not putting this all on you,” I insisted. “My fear of taking a leap of faith is because I do have a track record. A dismal one I don’t want to keep repeating.”
“So we both have some work to do. I can handle it, Lace.”
I stared at him, wanting to believe him because he was so genuine. And trying so hard.
How could I shrug him off? The guy was pulling out all the stops and he wasn’t attempting to disguise or minimize his flaws. He was throwing them out there for me to scrutinize and even balk at, which I couldn’t, given his direct approach. Nor could I deny accountability for my own shortcomings. Still… I was at a loss for how to proceed from here.
“Where does that leave us?” I asked.
He reached for me and pulled me into his arms. I wasn’t hesitant to go. My arms wrapped around his neck as he held me in a tight embrace. The feel of his hard body against mine was heavenly. His cologne was an earthy, woodsy scent that made me think of making love in a meadow on a warm spring day, the sun caressing our naked bodies.
It did not escape my attention I couldn’t be this close to him and not think of sex. He inspired erotic fantasies without even trying.
His thoughts were a bit cleaner than mine. He said, “We take our time, but agree to exclusivity.”
The meadow melted into oblivion. Tension gripped me as a warning sign flashed in my head.
This is how people get hurt!
“Come on, Lace,” he whispered in my ear. “Take a chance on me.”
“It’s not just you,” I murmured back. I had to take a chance on me too.
“We can do this.”
With his fingers gently stroking my spine and his muscles surrounding me, his scent arousing me as much as his touch, it was impossible to say no. So I didn’t.
My lips grazed his neck and he groaned. My fingers tangled in his hair and I lifted my face as his head dipped and his mouth crashed down on mine. He kissed me with the kind of red-hot passion that made my pulse race and my head spin.
Eventually, I dragged my mouth from his. “I don’t know how we’re going to take this slow.” I was breathless and my heart hammered in my chest. “You kiss me and I want to rip your clothes off.”
He gave me the cocky grin that had ensnared me from the very beginning, the one he’d flashed me after he’d punched Brandon in the nose for humiliating me at Sharon’s wedding.
“I wasn’t ruling out all physical contact,” he said with a wink. “I can restrain myself from jumping your bones, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to touch you.”
“How ironic that you’re more controlled than I am.”
“Well, you haven’t had sex in three years.”
“Sad to say.”
Suddenly, he scooped me up in his arms, startling me. “I have an idea.” That wicked glint returned to his eyes and it turned me on as much as his passionate kiss. So much so, I couldn’t argue with him as he carried me into the bedroom.
Chapter Five
May I Have Another, Please?
Mike set me in the middle of the bed and then toed off his boots before joining me. He stretched alongside me and I admired his hunkiness as the moonlight seeped in between the narrow gaps of my blinds.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I already like it,” I told him. I grabbed fistfuls of his T-shirt and tugged the material from the waist of his jeans. He reached behind him, at the nape of his neck, and hauled the shirt over his head, tossing it aside.
A soft moan fell from my lips. He was positively mouthwatering.
The image of him standing naked and wet in my bathroom flashed in my mind, causing me to reach for his button fly. He stopped me, though, his hands closing over mine.
“You’re the only one getting naked tonight, sweetheart.” His tone was low and sensual, sending a ripple of excitement down my spine.
He slipped my tank top over my head, sending it the way of his shirt. My bra followed and he let out a sharp grunt as he gazed at me. A large hand palmed my breast and he massaged it with just the right amount of pressure to set off fireworks inside me. His head bent to my chest and his tongue flicked over my hard nipple before he sucked the taut bud into his mouth.
“Mike.” I gasped as my insides lit up brighter than a Fourth of July night sky.
His mouth moved to the other nipple while he still kneaded my breast with his hand and swept the pad of his thumb over the tight center. My fingers plowed through his hair and my back arched as I attempted to get closer to him. His hand left my breast and skimmed down my quivering stomach to the drawstring at my waist. He pulled the bow apart and slid a hand past the band. His fingers grazed my pussy lips through the satin material of my thong panties and my body jolted from the intimate touch.
His head lifted and he kissed me with a raw intensity that told me how much he wanted me. Passion arced between us like an electrical current. His fingers at the apex of my legs brushed aside the material covering my crotch and the pads swept over my sensitive skin. He stroked my labia, then two fingers worked their magic on my clit. His touch was aggressive and skilled.
I ripped my mouth from his. “Oh God, Mike.” One of my hands shifted to his broad shoulder and I gripped it tightly as my body started to tremble.
A fiery sensation raced through my veins and an insistent throbbing built in my pussy, making me restless and in desperate need of him.
I knew he wouldn’t fuck me tonight. He’d said as much and he was the type to stick to his guns. But he was certainly determined to get me off.
His lips and tongue teased the skin on my neck, nipping and sucking softly, driving me wild. He kissed me just below the ear and whispered, “I want to make you come, Lace.”
“Yes,” I said in a strained, breathless voice. My short pants echoed in the quiet room, then turned into throaty moans when he eased a long finger into my pussy.
Mike groaned. “Jesus, you’re tight. And so wet.”
The erotic invasion was welcomed and oh so needed. He pushed deep and I writhed beneath him. He worked a second finger into my slick cunt and pumped them in and out of me as the heel of his hand rubbed my clit. His lips closed around a puckered nipple once more and I seriously wanted to scream in sheer ecstasy.
My hips gyrated and jerked and my fingertips pressed into his shoulder. Flames seemed to dance along my skin and tremendous sensations swelled within me, a blazing mix of passion, desire, lust and carnal cravings. I couldn’t hold on to them. Mike’s tongue whisked over my tingling nipple and I was a goner.
“Come for me,” he whispered, his warm breath teasing the beaded center of my breast.
“Yes,” I said again, at a loss for substantial words.
“Now,” he demanded in a low voice as his fingers fucked me a little faster, a little harder. Giving me everything I needed.
The balloon of sensations burst wide open and I cried out his name as a powerful climax exploded within me, sending vibrant sparks shooting in every direction.
“Oh holy cow,” I said on a sharp breath. “Oh God.” My arms encircled his neck and I clung to him as the strong waves of pleasure washed over me and my trembling body turned into a quaking one.
He withdrew his fingers from my pussy and wrapped his arms around me, gathering me close to him. My breasts pressed to the spot just below the hard ledge of his pectoral muscles and our legs tangled. We were a perfect fit.
I felt his erection against my belly and wanted to slide a hand between us and go for his fly again, despite the fact he’d stopped me last time.
But he had something else in mind as he mumbled in my ear, “Which drawer, Lace?”
A wicked thrill shot through me. Though I cautiously asked, “You’re not serious?”
“Oh hell, yes.”
Maybe it was my naughty side that attracted bad boys. I looked sweet and innocent enough. Was a classic good girl. Until I was in the bedroom. Maybe that was why I’d been incapable of walking away from the studio when Biel and Piper had been going at it.
Thinking of them caused my pussy to throb again, because it made me deliciously aware of what Mike had in mind.
“Nightstand on your side. Top drawer,” I said.
He released me and shifted on the bed. Yanking open the drawer, he didn’t have to rummage through any goodies. I only had the one.
Holding it up, he said, “Not much for bells and whistles?”
It was a very simple and even somewhat boring vibrator. So underwhelming, I think it only took one battery. My usage was so low, I hadn’t swapped the double-A out in years.
“What’s the point of bells and whistles, really?” I asked. “Still just a substitute for the real thing.”
“We’ll get to the real thing,” he assured me. “In the meantime…” He surveyed the sparsely filled drawer and said, “Won’t be needing the lubricant. I’ll take care of that.”
He rolled toward me and set the sex toy on the bed, then reached for the waist of my pants and dragged the material down my legs. My panties followed. I wore no socks, generally skipping them during the spring and summer months. While I lay naked on the plush, chocolate-colored duvet, he took me in from head to toe, his jaw tightening briefly as fire lit his eyes.
“Jesus, Lacey.” He only ever used my full name when he had a point to make. “You are insanely beautiful, sweetheart.”
That lump of emotion swelled in my throat again. I managed to say, “I’m no supermodel.”
“You could be.”
I appreciated his vote of confidence, delusional though it was.
“What are you planning on doing with the vibrator?” I asked to get him back on track. My body hummed with high voltage and I was suddenly in need of more of what he had to offer. Floodgates opened and all of that…
He grinned at me, a bad boy smirk with a lifting of one brow. Devilish and so very sexy.
“We’ll get to that.”
I wondered what ideas had popped into his head when I’d said earlier that I wasn’t inhibited sexually. And instantly hoped a whole slew of possibilities appealed to him.
His hands roamed my body, cupping and squeezing my breasts, rolling and pinching my nipples. Then sliding lower as he moved between my parted thighs and settled into the vee they created. His thumbs slid along my pussy lips, stroking them with an assertive, tantalizing touch. I had a feeling he could make me come just from touching me this way and gazing at me with such heat and desire in his eyes.
He spread my lips and bent his head, his tongue taking a long, languid swipe over my swollen flesh.
I practically melted into the mattress. I caressed my breasts and toyed with the hard nipples, picking up where he’d left off.
The tip of Mike’s tongue flicked over my clit with a slow pace at first. As I squirmed on the bed, he increased the pressure and quickened the tempo.
I moaned softly as my back bowed and my eyelids fluttered closed. “That’s so good,” I told him. One hand left my breasts and tangled in his thick, silky strands of hair. “Lick my pussy. Make me come again. Please.”
He masterfully alternated between flicking and suckling the knot of nerves, sending my entire body into a sexual frenzy. It’d been so long since I’d experienced this sort of bliss, but I could easily say I’d never felt such intense sensations and such a soul-deep arousal. Mike knew exactly how to touch me, exactly how much pressure to apply, what rhythm to set, how assertive to be. Like he had a blueprint to providing me pleasure. I responded instantly and vehemently, my pulse soaring, my heart thundering, my insides snapping and sizzling.
“Fuck me, Mike,” I whispered on a harsh breath. “I want to feel you inside me.”
It was more than a dark desire. It was an unrelenting need.
He pushed two fingers into my pussy and stroked my inner walls as he continued to lap and suck. He hadn’t given me what I’d asked for, but he sent me barreling right to the edge, nonetheless.
His fingers twisted inside me and I let out a strangled cry as I came. I was trapped in a gloriously wicked undertow, but Mike didn’t let up. He withdrew his fingers and used the vibrator instead. The head of the toy pressed to my opening for all of two seconds before he thrust it into me, pushing out a hard breath of air from my lungs. The shaft was thick enough to fill me, but not the way I knew Mike would.
He flipped the switch and the vibrating feature sprang to life. With one hand on the toy, he used the other to lift my leg and place the back of my thigh against his hard, bare chest. As he leaned into me, the vibrator sank deep into my pussy and my knee bent, the back of it hooking over his shoulder. His palm flattened alongside my head as his other hand fucked me with the toy.
The vibrations and the deep thrusts had me moaning and writhing on the bed. I cupp
ed my breasts again, squeezing them roughly.
In a tight voice, Mike said, “Watching you makes me hot.”
“You could be fucking me.”
“I am fucking you.”
His strength allowed him to do it forcefully, which satisfied the erratic pulsing inside me. I needed the intensity he provided because I was so sexually deprived—and so turned-on by him, especially as he stared down at me, his own need and desire stamped across his chiseled features. He was forsaking his release for mine and I could see that both excited and taxed him. My hand instinctively moved to his crotch and I palmed his balls through the denim covering them.
“No, don’t,” he ground out.
“I won’t unbutton your jeans.”
He gave a sharp shake of his head. “This isn’t about me. It’s about you. And…I don’t want to come when I’m not inside you.”
It was as though he was torturing himself for being with other women. I said, “We weren’t together before tonight.”
He swallowed hard. “Too soon.”
I got it…but then again…I didn’t. Likely because my lust-induced haze skewed all rationale. I dragged my hand away. He released my leg and lowered himself down to me, his chest pressing to mine as he kissed me and fucked me harder.
The scorching sensations within me multiplied and expanded, once again bursting wide open and making me cry out as another beautiful orgasm rocked my body.
“Oh Christ, Mike,” I said on a harsh breath as the heated euphoria rushed over me, making my skin tingle.
He kissed my throat as my insides hummed and I trembled from head to toe.
Finally, he whispered against my sensitive flesh, “That was as satisfying for me as it was for you. God, you get me going, Lace. Like nothing I’ve ever known.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine.
