by J. H. Croix
So much for control. I clung to the thinnest thread. My eyes on her, I loosened my hand where it had been tangled in her hair and dragged my finger down along her neck, tracing her collarbone and dipping down to circle one of her nipples—it was a tight little bead, begging to be touched.
Her breath hitched and a gasp escaped. My cock, already so hard I might’ve come just standing there, swelled a little more. I had to taste her. I traced up along the flimsy silk straps of her camisole and pushed them off her shoulders, shoving her camisole down until her breasts plumped over it. Yet again, I realized proper Zoe had a serious weakness for silk. Her bra was the sheerest silk imaginable with her dusky pink nipples easily visible.
I dipped my head and circled one and then the other with my tongue. She tunneled her hands into my hair and murmured my name. Did I mention I meant to take it slow? My intentions were pathetically weak when it came to Zoe. The moment she arched into me, I forgot what I meant to do. Everything blurred into the lust pounding through my body and the feel of her against me.
I drew away and flicked my thumb under the clasp between her breasts. The thin silk gave way and her breasts tumbled out. Tiny freckles were scattered here, there and everywhere on her skin. I wanted to follow where they led me. Palming her breasts, I let my lips meander wherever they wanted to go.
With her camisole shoved down and her skirt riding up as she twined around me, I cupped her bottom and yanked her to me as I drew a nipple in between my teeth again. The sounds she made drove me fucking wild. Breathy pants interspersed with husky moans. None of this was enough. I needed to taste more of her. Never once breaking my lips free from her skin as I toyed with her nipples, I maneuvered us away from the windows to her desk. Her hips bumped into it just as I dragged my tongue up along her neck. She gasped.
“Ethan, what… Oh my God. What are we doing? You have to…”
Her words ran out on a moan when I rolled a nipple between my fingers and caught her earlobe between my teeth.
I drew back. Hell, that made it seem like I was being a gentleman. I wasn’t. At all. I needed to see every inch of her more than I needed to breathe. Just as powerful as that was the need to make sure she wanted this as much as me.
She was stunning. With her hair—fuck, her hair alone made me hard—tumbling down in a wild tousle around her shoulders, her skin flushed pink everywhere I could see, her lips swollen and her eyes dark with desire, she nearly brought me to my knees.
“Yes, luv?”
Her eyes slammed into mine. After a beat, she gave her head a little shake. Meanwhile, I trailed the backs of my fingers over the lush curve of her breast, savoring the hitch in her breath when I brushed over her damp, taut nipple. I beat back the urge to rush and kept going over the soft curve of her belly. Her bunched up skirt left her thighs—those glorious thighs—exposed to me. Her skin was like silk. I eased my hand under her bottom, a bottom she disguised quite well. Her skirts were so nondescript, you didn’t notice she had a full, lush bottom. I could sink my hands into it and did just that as I lifted her and slid her onto her desk.
Right about now, I appreciated how tidy she was. Aside from her computer and phone in one corner and a few papers on a small table beside it, there was nothing else on her desk. She let out a gasp when I stepped between her thighs and arched into her. I could feel the wet heat of her through the silk and denim. She’d yet to reply to me.
“Luv, what was it you meant to tell me to do?”
Oh, perfect. Her gorgeous hazel eyes flashed. “We can’t…”
Another low moan from her when I arched into her again.
“We can’t what?”
“This, I told you. You’re my client, and I can’t…” She bit back a moan when I arched into her again. I couldn’t keep this up, or I’d lose what little control I had.
“I’m your client, and I don’t care, so that’s a useless argument. Might I point out that it’s quite obvious you’re enjoying yourself?”
Her eyes flashed again. If she wanted to press the point, she elected against it. She held my gaze. The moment went from teasing to intense inside of a second. I could hardly breathe and wanted her so badly, it was a bloody miracle I hadn’t taken things further yet. I’d lost all sense of time and had no idea how long it had been since I’d walked into her office.
She bit her lip. Oh hell. I was barely hanging on as it was, but she had to go and do that. She gave her head a shake and shocked me with a half smile. “I suppose I’d look foolish if I said I wasn’t,” she finally said. “I just think… Ugh. I don’t do this kind of thing, and I’m not sure it’s a good idea because I know I’m not the kind of woman you’re usually, well, usually interested in. I already told you I’m a virgin, and I’m pretty sure that’s a deal breaker unless you’ve lost your mind.”
I could tell she was forcing herself to hold my gaze. Her chin tilted up, and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. When we weren’t lost in each other, she started thinking. That didn’t seem to be a good thing. I didn’t like the uncertainty flickering in her gaze.
Annoyance flared. It chafed at me that Zoe didn’t have a clue how amazing she was. Aside from the fact she was flat out gorgeous, she was brilliant to boot. That she’d try to compare herself to anyone and think she came up short, well, it rankled. It also chafed because I knew what she was getting at. I didn’t particularly enjoy the media attention that came with my role, but I generally ignored it. Otherwise, it’d drive me bats. But I knew my alleged reputation as a player and had never minded it. I liked women, I liked fun, and I liked it with no strings attached. Zoe didn’t fit the mold of woman I usually found myself with. Yet, I wanted her more than anyone and didn’t like to hear her question that.
“I think it’s bloody obvious you are the kind of woman I’m interested in. As for the other, I made it clear that was no deal breaker.”
I meant my last comment to be teasing, but it came out fierce. Zoe’s eyes widened, and her breath drew in sharply. She was quiet, the silence broken only by her shallow breath and the beat of my heart echoing through my body.
“Oh.”
Her word fell into the quiet. Staring back at her, I lifted a hand and sifted it through her hair, my eyes drawn to how bright her hair looked against her bare shoulders where her skin was creamy and white and dotted with tiny freckles. I couldn’t believe what came out of my mouth next.
“Do you want to stop?”
The air felt taut—weighted with desire and need. Inside my head, I couldn’t believe I’d fucking asked that. Yet, once I did, I knew I had to. No matter how much I wanted her, and I was about out of my mind with need, I wasn’t an asshole, and I wasn’t going to push her past boundaries she didn’t want to cross. She stared at me, her eyes searching mine. After a few beats, she shook her head the tiniest bit, shocking the hell out of me.
For maybe the first time ever, I was at a loss for words. I stared back at her, scrambling to gain a foothold in my mind—bloody hard to do when my cock was rock hard and nestled right against her damp heat.
Chapter 10
Zoe
With my heart beating out a wild rhythm, liquid need sliding through my veins and the heat of Ethan’s hard cock against me, I could hardly argue I had the capacity to think. All I knew was what I wanted. Him. More. Now.
I should’ve entertained a few of the doubts that tried to shout their way into my conscience. But I’d apparently lost my mind because the desire clenching my belly tight overrode everything. My mind took a backseat to the sensation beckoning me.
When I shook my head, Ethan’s eyes widened. He held still, his dark green gaze searching mine. Caught in his gaze like that, I felt exposed. The doubts I’d kicked to the curb got their groove back, and I started to feel restless. This was crazy. I started to wiggle back. His hand dropped from where he’d been toying with my hair and cupped my bottom, pulling me tight against his arousal again. Pleasure spiked through me, and I gasped.
“Okay then.
Here’s what I’m going to do,” Ethan said, his taut voice sending shivers over my skin. “I’m going to make sure I don’t leave this office until you’re begging me for more. But there won’t be more. Not today. We’ll save that for later.”
I should’ve thought he sounded cocky. I should’ve been mortified. I should’ve latched onto what little sense I had and found some way to untangle myself from him. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. None of that happened. His gruff, haughty voice left me leaning into the moment. I was flushed inside and out.
When I didn’t say anything, his mouth curled at one corner before he dipped his head and nipped at my neck. What followed were the most intense, maddening moments I’d ever experienced. He proceeded to drive me wild with his hands, lips, teeth and tongue meandering down along my neck, over my breasts, teasing my nipples, and down over the curve of my belly. I was so wet, my panties were soaked and my thighs were damp.
He curled his hands over my hips and tugged me to the edge of my desk. In a distant corner of my mind, it occurred to me I had my skirt shoved up around my waist with my camisole shoved down to meet it. I wasn’t just making out with a client, I was practically naked in my office on my desk and I didn’t care. At all.
All I knew was I needed more than this. My channel was throbbing, and I needed release. As if he could see into the muddled, passion-addled haze of my mind, Ethan dragged his fingers over the silk between my thighs. A soft cry escaped and I arched into his touch. I didn’t want any more teasing. In fact, I’d decided now was the ideal time to get rid of my pesky virginity. Right when I was about to speak up, he hooked his fingers over the edge of my panties and yanked them down. My hips lifted of their own accord and the black silk slid down my legs. I kicked them free and looked toward him.
His eyes had gone even darker, and his face was tense. I was awash in nothing but sensation and need and instantly restless from the brief interruption. Before my brain came online, his hands curled over my ankles and slid up my legs in one long, smooth, maddening stroke. The calloused surface of his palms lit fires under my skin and sent pleasure streaking through me.
He slowed to a stop at the juncture of my thighs, his eyes flicking up to mine. My hips shifted restlessly, and his eyes flicked down. Just when I thought I might die from need and melt into my desk, he eased one hand away and stroked his fingers through my folds. I was so close to release, I almost came right then. I couldn’t hold back a ragged moan.
Ethan’s eyes flicked up to mine and meandered down my body, striking sparks under my skin where they landed. Meanwhile, his fingers teased me, lightly dallying. My hips rolled into his touch, and his eyes whipped back to lock with mine.
The intensity of his gaze was too much, and I closed my eyes in reflex. I wasn’t accustomed to being so out of control, so lost in nothing but sensation.
“Zoe.”
My eyes flickered open. Just as I met his, he slid a finger into my channel, knuckle deep. I cried out, yet again so close to the edge of release, I almost tumbled over right then. I should’ve known only Ethan could drive me wilder.
Another finger joined the first. My hips bucked into the stroke of his fingers, and I gripped the edge of the desk to keep from sliding off. Next thing I knew, he brought his mouth to join his fingers. Dear God. His touch was wickedly, dangerously good. The exact right amount of teasing and pressure kept notching me higher and higher.
My channel clenched around his fingers as he drove inside me, while his tongue explored me so thoroughly I thought I might die from it. I kept thinking I’d topple over the edge, yet he kept pushing me right up to it and drawing back. I felt coiled tight inside. My hips rolled into him. Restless and needy, I murmured his name and begged him.
That’s right, I begged. It did the trick when I gripped his hair with one hand. He swirled his tongue around my clit and sucked it into his mouth.
Pleasure uncoiled with a snap, whipping through me hard and fast. My channel throbbed around his fingers as he drove deep one last time. I felt him pull away and lift his head. I hadn’t realized I was practically yanking his hair out until he moved. I loosened my grip and opened my eyes.
His hair was a rumpled, sexy mess thanks to me. I was pretty much useless. He held my gaze for a long moment and dipped his head to drop a few kisses right where my neck met my shoulder, promptly sending a shudder through me. Aftershocks of pleasure were still reverberating through me.
He straightened and slowly drew his hands away. I instantly missed his touch. He was quiet, exuding an intensity. I didn’t know quite what to say as the reality of the moment sunk in. Next thing I knew, he’d snagged my panties off the floor and was sliding them up over my legs. In reflex, I shimmied off the desk, startled at how intimate it felt to have him tug them up over my hips and pull my skirt down.
He paused then, his eyes flicking up and back down. “I hate to make you cover your lovely breasts, but I suppose you have an appointment sometime this afternoon,” he said, his voice coming out gruff and tense.
I don’t know what I expected. I mean, what was I supposed to do when I’d gone flat crazy in my office? Ethan was solely responsible for any restraint we’d exercised. If he’d wanted to fuck me right there on my desk, I wouldn’t have even tried to stop him. In fact, I was slightly let down he had.
My desk phone rang, which jolted me out of my haze. I looked to the phone and back to him. “Let it ring,” he said softly.
I wasn’t one to let a call go to voice mail when I was perfectly capable of answering. But Ethan had me transfixed, and I didn’t want this moment to end. The phone kept ringing as he stepped away and gathered my bra and jacket before returning. The ringing stopped, and there was nothing but the soft rustle as he helped me back into my bra, pulled my camisole into place and settled my jacket over my shoulders. I was coming to realize why women chased after him with such wild abandon.
Aside from the fact he was devilishly handsome and a teasing flirt, he was dangerously good at driving me wild and now I was discovering he had a gracious, warm side, bordering on protective. It felt sublime, and if I were anyone other than me, I might’ve been able to let myself savor it more. As it was, I started to get uncomfortable with how good it felt. I had no idea how to navigate what had just happened. I might’ve been a virgin, but I wasn’t untouched. I’d dated enough to have plenty of pretty heavy-duty makeout sessions. In all honesty, that had been far enough in my past that I couldn’t recall anyone making me feel as Ethan just had—not even close. I did know with certainty, however, men didn’t tend to appreciate one-sided pleasure unless the pleasure was theirs.
As far as I could tell, Ethan was planning to leave. He even hunted about for the button that had flown off my jacket and handed it to me.
“You should put your hair up.”
His voice filled the quiet space and made me jump.
“I should?” I asked, slightly confused by it.
That dark look entered his gaze again. “Yes, luv. You should. I’d like to think only I get to see you like this,” he said gruffly.
I’d later wonder why that didn’t annoy the hell out of me. The ridiculous tendency for men to be high-handed usually chafed at me. I dealt with it so frequently in my professional life, I had a well-honed tendency to strike back at it. Yet, here and now with Ethan, I liked it. Alarm bells rang distantly in my mind. Next thing I knew, he strode over to the windows, his eyes scanning the floor, and returned with the two bobby pins that had held my hair in place.
“Are you leaving?” I asked, unsure what else to ask.
It didn’t seem quite right to ask if he expected me to blow him. Nor was that the kind of thing that would sound right coming from my mouth. One look was all it took for me to know he was still plenty hard. His cock was outlined against his jeans.
He eyed me and nodded slowly. “I am. I’d like to stay, but I promised myself I wouldn’t make your first time anything other than perfect. It won’t be perfect on your desk with Jana just outside the d
oor.”
My eyes flicked down to his cock and back up. “But…”
He grinned. “I’m not a selfish man, luv. That you should know. Today was all about you. Now go put your hair up and then sit behind your desk and tell me about the message you left Coach Hoffman.”
His sly grin sent my belly in a slow somersault. I bit my cheeks to keep from grinning right back at him. I was so utterly off kilter. Flustered, I spun around and ran my hands through my hair and swirled it up into a knot. I paused in front of the mirror on the wall and slipped the pins into place. My cheeks were flushed, my lips were swollen, and my eyes were bright. I looked as stunned as I felt. Somehow, I needed to get my shit together. Ethan was still here and had the ridiculous expectation I’d sit down and act like we were having a normal meeting.
With no other good idea of what to do, I surmised I might as well. I smoothed my skirt and turned, just then noticing I’d kicked off my shoes when I almost tripped over them. I slipped my feet into the simple black flats and strode behind my desk. Ethan was seated in the chair across from me. His expression was carefully bland, but I could see the gleam in his eyes and it made me flush. I ignored it and forced my gaze to my computer, quickly pulling up the email from the officer handling the charges related to the silly fight Ethan had literally walked into. I’d admit to doubting him in the middle of the night when I went down to the police station, but I’d watched the security tapes myself. He had truly barreled right into the guy’s fist.
I gave myself a shake and spun back to him. His dark green gaze was waiting for me. Our eyes locked and electricity sizzled through the air between us.
