“Oh. Good.” He leaned back against the headboard, and now that her eyes had adjusted to the light—or darkness—she could see that he was naked, at least to the waist, and that he was watching her with interest. Until she reached the side of the bed, close enough that he could get a good look at her, even without his glasses, and then she saw him swallow. “Kaylee?”
“Yes?” Her voice was serene, even in her own ears. She wasn’t worried anymore. Not with that kind of response. And anyway, if he was thinking of kicking her out of his bedroom, he would have done it by now.
“Are you...” He had to clear his throat. “Are you naked?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why?” His voice cracked, and Kaylee grinned.
“Why do you think?”
He hesitated. “You’re hot?”
Was she ever. “Definitely.”
“It’s... um... hot in here, too.”
“Yes,” Kaylee agreed, with a look at him he couldn’t mistake, “it is.”
“You want...” He hesitated, “sex?”
“Definitely.” But it wasn’t just sex she wanted, although her hormones were going crazy and she definitely needed release. But it was more than that. “I want you.”
There was silence. Owen swallowed. “Me?”
“There’s no one else here. Please, Owen. Don’t make me beg.”
The bed dipped when she got on.
“No,” Owen said hoarsely. “Of course not. Just...” His hands were fisted in the blankets, probably so he wouldn’t reach for her.
“Just?”
His words tripped over themselves on their way out. “Are you sure about this? Because I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you, and if you tell me I can have you, and then you change your mind, I don’t know if I can come back from the disappointment.”
Kaylee smiled. He’d wanted her from the first time he saw her. And he still did, pregnant stomach and all. “I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. I’ve been thinking about doing this for weeks. By now, I’m so turned on I’d do you in public.”
She tugged at the blankets. He let go, a little reluctantly, and she pulled them down and pushed them to the side. And sat back to look at him.
He slept naked. And what she’d expected, from seeing him in a suit and tie and in a towel, he more than delivered in the buff. He was beautiful, his muscles hard and defined, limbs long and lean, and he was already aroused, his shaft big and thick and hard, rising out of a thatch of dark hair.
“Oh,” Kaylee said faintly. “Wow.”
He choked back a laugh. “You don’t have to stroke my ego, Kaylee. Just the fact that you’re here is enough to do that.”
“I’m not stroking your ego.” Not in any but the most basic, physical sense, anyway. He was smooth as silk in her hand, pulsing hot and hard against her palm. And for the record, if it had been Owen with her five months ago, she wouldn’t be pregnant now. The condom wouldn’t have gone anywhere if he’d been wearing it.
When she bent her head to taste him, he caught his breath raggedly. “God, Kaylee...”
Kaylee’s lips curved. “Just let me take care of you.” She went back to licking and tasting. Up one side, down the other.
“You’re not supposed to take care of me.” His voice was hoarse. “I’m supposed to take care of you.”
She lifted her head, but kept her hand wrapped around him, moving it slowly up and down, enjoying the slick wetness coating her palm and the way his breath caught in his throat. “You’re always taking care of me. It’s my turn.”
He had no answer for that. Or maybe what she was doing had just stolen his breath for a moment. Eventually he managed a question. “If I let you take care of me now, will you let me take care of you later?”
“I’m counting on it. I can’t wait to have you do this to me.” She bent her head and took him in, bathing him with wetness, feeling him pulse against her tongue.
It wasn’t long before his hips flexed, thrusting up involuntarily, and one of his hands tangled in her hair to stop her motion. His voice rasped in her ears. “Enough. You gotta stop, Kaylee.”
She did, but not without a pout. “What if I don’t want to stop?”
“Much better if you do.”
“Why?”
He grinned. “Because then I can return the favor.” He tipped her over, gently, onto her back, and made sure she was comfortable. And then, without any preliminaries, he pushed her thighs apart and licked into her.
“Oh, my God!”
It was Kaylee’s turn to knot her hands in the sheets, her eyes rolling back in her head and her hips arching helplessly as Owen chuckled and went to work.
She flew off into orbit quicker than she ever had in her life, her body dissolving into waves of pleasure, magnified by the baby inside her. And Owen, being Owen—always giving more than he took—kept his mouth on her, working her, making the orgasm last, and last, and last—until she collapsed in mingled sobs and pants, her limbs boneless. Only then did he sit up on his knees and look at her, splayed and spent in the middle of his bed.
Chapter Twelve
SHE WAS GORGEOUS, spread out like a banquet before him, naked and wet and open. Absolutely mind-blowingly gorgeous.
And speaking of blowing... for a few seconds there, with her mouth on him, Owen hadn’t been sure he’d make it to this point. The possibility of exploding in her mouth had been all too real—not to mention tempting.
It had taken everything he had to tell her to stop, and when she’d pouted, he’d come within an inch of letting her have what she wanted anyway. If she’d insisted, he would have.
Now he was glad he hadn’t. Maybe denying himself and putting her needs first would weigh in his favor the next time she was horny and wanted to jump someone. And meanwhile he could enjoy looking at her, all that smooth skin and soft breasts and round belly, waiting for her to come back to life.
Waiting to hear that she was done and on her way back to her own room. Thanks very much, Owen, that was just what I needed tonight. Now I’ll be able to sleep.
She stirred, and rolled her head to look at him. For a second neither of them spoke, as he searched her face for any clue to what she was thinking, what to expect now, and while she was probably doing the same.
Then she smiled. “Thank you.”
Here it comes.
“You’re welcome. That was... nice.”
Her smile dimmed. “Nice?”
Shit. “I didn’t mean...” He shook his head. “You were great, Kaylee. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Kaylee said. She sat up, with a little bit of difficulty as her stomach got in the way. “What did you think, I was going to leave now? Go back to my own room and go to sleep?”
Since that was exactly what he’d thought, he kept his mouth shut.
She got up on her knees in front of him. “I said I wanted you. That didn’t mean I wanted you to go down on me so I could get off. It meant I wanted to make love with you.”
Make love? Had she really just said she wanted to make love? With him?
“We’re not done yet, Owen.”
Obviously not, because she launched herself at him. He got his arms up just in time to catch her, and then her mouth fused to his, and those soft breasts mashed against his chest, with their hard points stabbing him. Her round belly poked his flat one, while her hands fisted in his hair. The sting kept him grounded in reality, which might have been a problem otherwise, because—oh, yeah—while she was doing everything else, she was also straddling his lap, and all that soft wetness between her thighs, the soft wetness he’d just had his mouth all over, was now drenching him. And not just that, but she was rotating her hips, rubbing against him, squeaking and moaning against his lips. She wasn’t faking it either, because she was getting wetter and wetter down there, and as a result, so was he.
At this rate, she was going to make herself climax a second
time without him, and he wasn’t sure he could survive that. So he reached down and grasped her hips, doing his best to keep her still, even if that meant pushing her down against him so hard he thought he might give himself an orgasm right then.
“Kaylee.”
“I need to come,” Kaylee gasped.
“I know, sweetheart. Just wait for me.”
“I can’t.” Her body was almost humming with need, and the tiny movements she managed to make under his hands were driving him crazy. Her too, by the sounds of it. “Oh, God. I need you. Inside me. Please, Owen!”
No problem. He lifted her slightly, adjusted, and slid her back down on him.
She cried out when he filled her, her head falling back, and he was tempted to do the same. Being sheathed in her was beyond wonderful. He didn’t know why it should be a surprise—she hadn’t had sex in five months—but it surprised him to feel how tight she was. Somehow, he’d thought she wouldn’t be, maybe because of the baby. But she was deliciously slick and tight, and already spasming inside, her inner muscles clenching and unclenching in soft flutters.
“Wait.” He gritted his teeth and kept her still, his fingers digging into the soft skin of her hips. “I need a minute.”
“Not sure I have one,” Kaylee gasped. “God, Owen. This is...”
“I know.” It was beyond anything he’d ever experienced with anyone else, and he hadn’t even begun thrusting yet. “Just hang on. Wait. I’ll make it up to you.”
“You’d better.” But she tried. Her head dropped so that long blonde hair fell forward over her face, and her hands flexed on his chest, her nails digging into his skin. Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to leave marks. The tiny pricks of pain helped to distract him from the imminent explosion down below, and was just what he needed to take his mind off his desperate need to move for a crucial few seconds.
When he arched up into her, shallowly, she cried out. “Oh. Oh, God, Owen. More...”
He gave her more. But he kept his movements gentle, never quite as much as she needed. It was driving her crazy: she was whimpering, moaning, begging for release and clawing at him. “Please, Owen... I can’t stand it...”
He spoke through gritted teeth. “Just wait, Kaylee. It’ll come.”
“I can’t. I can’t... Oh, God. Please...” She moved restlessly against him, almost sobbing now with need. He was lodged deep inside her, and he could feel her flutter helplessly, the tiny quivers massaging him.
She was so close, if he thrust hard, even once, he’d probably tip her over the edge. And he wasn’t ready yet. He wanted this to last. The rest of his life, if he could.
“I can’t stand it,” Kaylee moaned. “Please, Owen! It’s so good, and I want it to last, but I can’t wait anymore...”
Fine. He supposed he’d tortured her long enough.
He tightened his hips and thrust hard, at the same time as he pushed her hips down. The movement was rewarded with a cry. “Oh! Oh, yes! Oh, God... again!”
He did it again, feeling his own climax begin to build. Kaylee was already coming, her insides clenching hard around him, then dissolving into spasms, as long shudders ran through her body. He braced her with his hands on her shoulders, all the while driving hard into her, pushing himself higher...and then he came too, crying out, the release beyond anything he could have asked for or imagined.
When his arms gave out, she collapsed on his chest, her face buried in his neck, breathing hard. He let himself catch his breath, and then he caught her and rolled, gently, to the side, so the baby wouldn’t be squeezed between them. Her hair was covering her face, so while he was at it, he reached out and smoothed it behind her ear.
Her eyes opened. For a second she just looked at him, as he looked at her, and then she smiled. “That was incredible.”
Yes, it had been.
“Is it always like that, for you?”
He shook his head. “There’s no such thing as bad sex, I guess—”
“It’s obvious you’re not a woman,” Kaylee informed him.
Ouch. Not that she was referring to him, but still. “Sorry. But no, that was especially good. Almost epic.”
She pouted. “Almost?”
Honestly, they could probably do better once they got used to one another. He was just beginning to find out what she liked, how far he could push her or how long he could keep her teetering on the edge before she needed release. When he’d gotten to know her body more intimately, he could make it even better for her.
If he ever got the chance. She might just be looking for a one time thing. Enough to take the edge off for now.
“Bet you I can make it better next time.”
She blinked at him. And then she smiled, slowly. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
“You should. I’m great in bed.”
The smile widened. “You don’t have to tell me. I just don’t know if you could be better than you already were. Because that wasn’t just almost epic for me. That was off the charts.”
“You must have been sleeping with the wrong guys,” Owen said, and immediately wished he hadn’t, when a shadow crossed her face. Way to go, dumbass.
“Sorry.” He reached out and ran his hand down her arm. Her skin was silky soft and warm, and she stretched like a cat.
“Just keep doing that, and I’ll forgive you.”
No problem. He’d be happy to pet her to sleep every night. But for now, he’d take tonight. So he kept up the gentle caress as her eyes got heavy and she drifted off to sleep, curled up beside him. Only when she was sleeping did he stop what he was doing and close his eyes, listening to her soft breaths and feeling the warmth of her naked body next to his.
HE WAS GONE by the time Kaylee woke up, snuggled in his bed, with the smell of him still lingering in the sheets, along with the scent and evidence of sex. Love stains, as her mother used to call them.
She should do laundry today.
But first she’d lay for a while and think about last night.
She stretched luxuriously, enjoying the feel of the crisp sheets. The ones on her bed were the same way: nice, high quality Egyptian cotton. Owen hadn’t spared any expense when he outfitted her room, just like he hadn’t spared himself last night. All for her.
Her body felt pleasantly loose and tingly, and a bit sore in all the right places. The baby seemed fine. So much amazing sex after such a long abstinence didn’t seem to have upset him at all. He was awake, and she could feel the little flutters inside that told her he was moving around.
They weren’t anything like the much more intense flutters from last night. And the flutters combined with the baby—Good Lord! She’d heard that sex was better during pregnancy, but she’d had no idea it’d be that much better.
Or maybe it was just Owen. She’d assumed he’d know what he was doing. He was almost twenty-eight, after all, so she had been pretty sure he wasn’t a virgin. And she’d wanted him with a need that approached desperation, so even if he wasn’t the best lover she’d ever had, she’d expected to enjoy herself, just because she wanted it—wanted him—so much. But she hadn’t expected to have all her doors blown off. She certainly hadn’t expected it to be the best experience of her life, bar none. The fake Gil Norris hadn’t been anyone to write home about, but there had been others before him she had considered to have been good in bed. Now she couldn’t remember their names.
Owen, on the other hand, was a god in the sack. He was also a prince in every other way. And he was hers: signed, sealed and delivered. Her husband. At least until the baby came. Maybe even longer. He was a nice guy, so he might not tell her to leave even after she stopped needing his financial support. If she made herself irreplaceable, which might not be too hard to do—she’d like to see him react to snobby Laurel the way he’d reacted to Kaylee last night...
No, on second thought she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t like to see him react that way to anyone else. But if she made herself irreplaceable, maybe he’d want her to stick around. Even
if she had another man’s baby.
It was probably too much to expect, even from someone like Owen, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Already, the idea of leaving him—of having him divorce her and marry someone else, for love next time—felt a bit like stabbing herself in the heart with a dull knife.
She hadn’t gone into this thinking she’d fall in love. Now that she had, she’d do whatever she had to, to keep him. She’d become the perfect wife. Keep the place clean, have supper on the table every night when he came home. And seduce him as often as he’d let her. Contrary to what people said, the way to a man’s heart wasn’t through the stomach. It was farther south.
And she’d start with washing the sheets. So they could make them dirty all over again tonight.
OWEN WASN’T QUITE sure what to expect when he came home. Would he meet the wife he’d left in bed this morning, the woman who had come to him last night, ready and willing—eager—to take their relationship to the next level? Or would he meet his roommate, who’d had an itch he’d helped her scratch, and who was all set for a while now?
The look on her face when he came into the hallway gave him no clue. She was setting the pub table in the dining room with plates and glasses—there was the smell of something tasty in the air—and when she heard the door open, she straightened and turned toward him.
She was fully dressed. Jeans, sweater, socks. So obviously the fantasy he’d had, about being met at the door by a naked Kaylee, was just that, a fantasy. The question now was whether she was tacitly trying to tell him something—no, Owen, you will never see me naked again—or whether it was just a concession to the fact that it was almost December.
He managed a tentative smile. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She looked a bit nervous, with her teeth sunk in her bottom lip and her eyes big.
He shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the rack. “Smells good.”
“Pot roast,” Kaylee said.
“My favorite.” Was that a sign, then? Was she cooking his favorite meal to try to make him happy? Or to soften him up for the blow?
Friends With Benefits Page 10
