Fool Me Once

by Katee Robert

  No, that wasn’t completely accurate. She’d been strung so tightly from getting so close to orgasm and denied, and then having to sit next to Quinn while they rode into town, and then realizing she was going to spend an extra day in close quarters with a man who didn’t know if he wanted her or didn’t want her—and whom she couldn’t decide if she wanted to jump his bones or shove him out of the truck and take off…

  She’d lost it.

  Quinn had handled her panic attack, though. He hadn’t touched her other than to help her sit, and there had been no taunting or jokes, just his smooth voice anchoring her, walking her through it. If she’d had any doubts that he’d be able to stand as a wall between her and the strangers at the convention, they were gone now. He’d do what needed to be done to keep her from freaking out.

  It made her feel weird to know that, so she refused to focus on it. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to think about the fact they were sharing a room tonight—and every night from here on out, until this godforsaken trip was over.

  Instead, Aubry walked around the room one more time. It was exactly what it seemed at first glance—a lovers’ nest. Her gaze fell to Quinn’s phone sitting on the dresser and she shook her head. There was no way she would go searching for him if she needed him, half-priced margaritas or no. Not that she’d need him. She wouldn’t. What she needed was to get her head on straight.

  She grabbed a set of clean clothes and headed for the shower. It would help center her and wash away all the insanity of the day. Or that was the theory, at least. As long as she tried not to be too weirded out by the fact there was no actual door in between the bathroom and the rest of the room.

  The reality was that as soon as she got beneath the hot spray, her over-sensitized skin went into overdrive. All the pent-up feelings she’d wrestled down after they were interrupted rose to the surface, and she closed her eyes and braced her hands on the wall. She didn’t make a habit of touching herself when she was on the go—probably because she was never on the go—but maybe she could make an exception…just this once. She glanced at the doorway to the bedroom, but she was just as alone now as she’d been two seconds ago.

  She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and slipped her hand between her legs. Her body was already primed from all the near-miss with Quinn, so it was the easiest thing in the world to imagine him on his knees in front of her, hiking one of her legs over his massive shoulder, that look in his blue eyes as he lowered his mouth to press a kiss to her inner thigh. A moan slipped free as she stroked herself, following the imaginary path his mouth would take. She reached her clit and circled it with her middle finger just like he’d done. She was so close. So freaking close.

  A low curse had her eyes flying open. She froze, a deer in headlights, when she focused on Quinn standing in the doorway to the bedroom. One breath passed, and then another, with them staring at each other across the steam-covered bathroom. She’d almost convinced herself that this was a desire-fueled hallucination until he took a step forward. “Tell me something.”

  It was too late to cover herself—not that she was particularly inclined to be bashful anyways. He’d had her on edge for hours. It was only fair that she returned the favor in whatever way she could. From the look on his face, she was doing a damn good job of it. She licked her lips. “What?”

  “What are you thinking about right now while you’ve got your hand between your legs? What almost happened on the side of the road? Or about delivering some particularly violent finishing move in that game of yours?”

  Maybe it was lust curdling her brain, but she didn’t even hesitate. “You.” When he cursed again, she kept going, enjoying the intense expression on his face. “On your knees, your mouth driving me to orgasm.” It was perversity that had her adding, “Though, to be honest, I think it’s better in fantasy than it could ever be in real life.”

  His brows slanted down, a forbidding look coming into his eyes that made her nipples tighten. “How do you figure?”

  “Oh, you know.” Her voice was breathy, but she was too distracted to be annoyed by how intensely he affected her. “I know my body better than anyone else ever could. So I’d just be setting myself up for disappointment.”

  He’d closed the distance between them without her noticing, until he stood just in front of the shower door, his big frame taking up entirely too much space. “Want to bet?”

  “You can’t be serious.” He just looked at her, and she laughed. “You want to bet that, what, you’re better in reality than whatever I can dream up? Does that line ever actually work on a woman?”

  “You tell me.”

  Damn it, he had a point. She wanted to say yes. God, she wanted it so much, she was practically shaking. That’s just one more denied orgasm. Aubry trailed a hand down her sternum, her heart picking up at how intently he followed the movement. “I don’t like you.”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  No, she supposed it didn’t. She’d never done anything like this before—casual sex wasn’t in the cards for someone like her—but there was a first time for everything. And if she didn’t come soon, she might go insane. Aubry stepped back into the spray of the water, opening the door as she did. “Just this once.”

  “Peaches, I’ll make you a deal.” He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the ground. His chest was just as cut as it had been last year when she’d seen him at the swimming hole, but this time she was allowed to touch him. It shouldn’t be possible, but that made him more attractive. Quinn laughed darkly. “Are you listening?”

  Nope. I’m too busy checking you out. She took a deep breath. “I’m listening.”

  “This is going to be as good as your fantasy—better than your fantasy. And when it is, you’re going to be in my bed and on my cock for the duration of our trip.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Did you not hear what I just said?”

  “I heard, and I’m telling you that you’ll change your mind the second I get my hands on you.”

  The scary part was that she wasn’t sure he was full of it. He had such a magnetic confidence that she was tempted to believe he was actually capable of what he was promising. “And if you’re wrong?”

  “I’m not wrong.” He unbuckled his pants and let them drop to the floor, revealing that Quinn apparently walked around commando.

  Oh my God, I’m never going to be able to get that knowledge out of my head. That, or the fact he did not have a micro penis. She stared at his cock, deciding right then and there that there was no way that thing was going inside her. It was a study in impossibility. “We’re not having sex.”

  “I’ll promise you something else.” He stepped into the shower stall and slid the glass door closed behind him, and suddenly there wasn’t enough room and she didn’t know where to look because she was having a seriously hard time lifting her gaze from his waistline.

  Aubry took a shuddering breath. “What’s that?”

  “We won’t have sex until you beg for my cock.”

  She went ramrod straight. “That’s never—”

  Quinn kissed her. It was nothing like before. There was nothing polite or soft about this kiss. It was hard and dominant and every bone in her body went liquid at the feeling of his tongue sliding into her mouth. One of his hands skated up her spine, bringing her body flush against his as he explored her mouth. Because that’s exactly what he was doing, testing her, teasing out different responses.

  I am in so much trouble.

  He moved down her jaw line to set his teeth against her shoulder. “Tell me how I gave it to you in your fantasy.”

  “That’s…” She gasped at the feeling of his cock against her stomach. “That’s cheating.”

  “No, peaches. It’s really not.” He went down to his knees, perfectly replicating how she’d imagined it, right down to the look in his eyes. He ran his hands up the insides of her legs, spreading her as he did, and lifted her to pin her against the shower wall. The cold tile against her back wa
s a direct counterpoint to the hot water peppering her sensitive breasts, and the equally hot man crouched between her thighs.

  She had the sudden thought that he hadn’t been wrong—not about making it better than her fantasy, and not about her begging for his cock before he was done with her.

  Chapter Seven

  Quinn hadn’t had any plans when he came back to the room after he realized he’d left his phone on the dresser, but hearing Aubry’s moan from the bathroom had drawn him like a moth to the flame. It had broken something in him seeing her in the shower with her hand between her thighs like the best kind of wet dream.

  And now here he was, between those very thighs, about to get a little taste of heaven. He looked up the line of her body, taking in the tattoos covering her entire torso, creating a frame around her breasts that made them look like they were just begging for his attention. First, though, he had something to prove.

  Or maybe he just couldn’t stand the thought of going another second without tasting her.

  He nipped her inner thigh, making her wait for what she wanted, loving the way her entire body quivered at the contact. She wanted it as much as he did. “Tell me.”

  “You’re doing just fine on your own.”

  Hell, he knew that, but he still wanted to hear her husky voice whispering her dirtiest fantasies. “All the same.”

  “Fine.” She tried to roll her hips, but he easily held her in place. “Your mouth, my clit, tonguing and licking and sucking and driving me out of my goddamn mind until I come, screaming your name.”

  He’d thought he couldn’t possibly get any harder. He was so fucking wrong. Quinn rested his forehead on her lower stomach, trying to get control. You said she’d beg for your cock, and you meant it. But he wanted to throw all that out the damn window and take her now. Christ, he wanted to so much he could barely breathe past the desire pounding through his blood.

  He nuzzled her between her legs, gauging her reaction as he gave her a long lick. She cried out, the sound so unexpectedly sweet that he couldn’t stop himself from doing it again. He’d had every intention of teasing her until she begged, but he couldn’t stop. He licked her again. Aubry’s moan was music to his ears, and her hands coming down to cup the back of his head, holding him in place, was the hottest fucking thing. As if he was going anywhere.

  “My clit. Quinn, please.”

  There was nothing sexier than a woman who knew what she wanted, and Aubry’s breathless voice telling him how to please her was exactly that. He moved up to her clit, doing exactly as she’d described earlier, sucking and licking and tonguing her. Her hands tensed on the back of his head, and that was the only warning he got before she cried out his name and came against his mouth.

  He froze, breathing as hard as she was, belatedly realizing the water had gone lukewarm at some point. Now was when things would go sideways. He’d let her off the wall and she’d make some snarky comment, and then they’d go back to the uncomfortable would-they-or-wouldn’t-they standoff that they’d had going all day.

  Not fucking likely.

  He shifted his grip on her and stood, without ever letting her feet touch the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist, still looking a little dazed. “What are you doing?”

  Fuck, he didn’t know. He just knew he wasn’t ready for this moment to end. “I’m not done with you yet, peaches.”

  She blinked. “But…I came.”

  “Yeah, you did.” He turned off the shower and opened the glass door. “Once.” He carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, settling between her thighs. There was a lot going on behind those amber eyes as the after-effects of her orgasm started wearing off, but he wasn’t about to let a little thing like common sense stop him now that he’d had a taste of her.

  Quinn kissed her, long and slow, taking his time and exploring her mouth as he thrust against her, his cock sliding against the wetness between her legs. It was a struggle to keep his strokes short so there was no chance he’d get anywhere near her entrance. He had every intention of keeping his earlier promise to make her beg. He broke away enough to say, “You’ve thought about me before.”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Liar.” He palmed her breast, loving the way she filled his hand, the challenge in her eyes even as she arched against him. She could take anything he could give and keep coming back for more. “I’ve thought about you. Enough times that I drove myself crazy.”

  “You—You have?” It might have been the first time he’d heard her less than one hundred percent sure of herself.

  “Seeing you last summer in that old-school one-piece? Yeah, I thought about it. I thought about pulling it down so I could see your rosy nipples.” He moved down her body to suck first one nipple and then the other into his mouth, flicking each tip with his tongue. “I thought about that wicked mouth of yours wrapped around my cock.”

  “You just wanted to shut me up.” She gave a breathless laugh that turned into a moan when he pushed a finger into her. She was tight, so tight he had to work to get a second finger into her. He stroked her slowly, waiting until she lifted her hips every time his fingers entered her, urging him to pick up the pace.

  “Maybe.” He kissed her hipbone and then worked his way over her stomach, still fucking her with his fingers. “I’ve thought about you riding my cock, feeling you go tight around me just before you come.”

  “Oh, just that.” She ran her hands up her sides to cup her breasts.

  “Yeah, just that.” He ducked down and licked her clit in the same way that had driven her crazy before. “I’ve thought about this, too. About licking you until you come, and then sucking on your sweet little clit until you can’t decide if you want to beg me to stop or beg for another orgasm.”

  Aubry lifted her head, her familiar glare in place, though the affect was kind of lost by the glazed look in her eyes. “Your fantasies seem to feature me begging a lot.”

  “Yep.” He gave her another long lick. “Though if you want to give stern instructions, I’ll take that into consideration.”

  She laughed, the sound choked off when he pushed a third finger into her. “Oh. My. God.”

  “Tell me what you want, peaches. I’ll even consider giving it to you.”

  “That’s…you’re…” Her back arched, her eyes shutting and his name on her lips. “Quinn.”

  Holy shit. He could get addicted to the sight of her coming and knowing he was the cause of it. When they were like this, it didn’t matter that they could barely stand the sight of each other under normal circumstances. He liked driving her crazy. He thought she might like returning the favor if given half a chance.

  He fully intended to give her that chance.

  …

  Aubry didn’t know when her life had taken a hard left turn, but she couldn’t find it in herself to question it too much, with an orgasm rippling through her. She gasped and cursed and fought against the pleas crowding the inside of her lips. Because now, having a taste of what being in bed with Quinn would be like, she wanted the whole nine yards. It didn’t matter that it was the most awful idea in a long history of awful ideas, or that the second they had sex, it would be the beginning of the end.

  The end of what? You don’t even like the guy half the time.

  More than half the time.

  But for the first time in longer than she cared to remember, she felt alive and free and there wasn’t a single worry plaguing her. There was only this room and this man and the way he made her feel. He shifted to lie next to her, his hand still idly stroking her between her legs. It wasn’t enough to do more than draw a little moan from her, but it was clear he wasn’t done yet.

  Good.

  She stretched, the move pushing his fingers deeper into her. Two orgasms in and the size of his cock was looking more like an enticement than a challenge. All she had to do was open her mouth and say those damning words.

  If you do that, it means he wins. It means you’ll nev
er hear the end of it.

  Something must have shown on her face, because he kissed her, deep and probing, before lifting his head and saying, “The rules have changed, just for this week.”

  “Oh yeah?” She tried to smother the hope flickering to life in her chest, but it was nearly impossible. If there was a way to have her cake and eat it, too, then for once in her life she was going to jump and worry about the potential consequences later.

  “We’re supposed to be dating.” He circled her clit with his thumb. “So think of this as some really intensive practice.”

  “Practice.” It was absurd, but the word actually made her feel better.

  “We have to be convincing.” He kissed down her neck. “And you’re not thinking about slapping me right now and I’ve had my hands all over you.”

  “True.” She knew she was grabbing onto the flimsy excuse with both hands, but she didn’t care. “I don’t feel much like punching you in the throat right now.”

  “That’s good.” His laugh vibrated against her skin, but then his voice deepened. “You want my cock, peaches. Let me give it to you.”

  She pressed her lips together, trying and failing to see the pitfalls in front of her. It was impossible. All she could focus on was how empty she felt, even with his fingers still stroking her. She wanted more, and she wanted it now. Aubry ran her hand over his arm, silently marveling at the strength she could feel there. “Just this week. Then we go back to normal.”

  “Deal.” He urged her to spread her legs a little wider. “We’ll be back to sniping at each other, and we’ll never speak of this again.”

  She lifted her head and kissed him. “In that case, Quinn, you better have a condom secreted away somewhere, because I think I might die if I don’t have your cock right now.”