by Lori Foster
“Hold onto me, Kat,” Sam warned. Pushing away from the door and turning, he carried her to the bed.
Her eyes still steady on his, her meaning double-edged, she whispered, “Don’t let me go, Sam.”
His body went still and he stopped, staring into her eyes as if searching her soul. Kat held her breath. Had she just blown the one night she was going to allow herself with this man?
She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when he finally relaxed, grinning seductively, saying roughly, “Only long enough to get you naked.”
Sam deposited her in the middle of the bed and followed her down, kissing her so slowly, lingeringly, Kat felt cherished. Her body was lazy from her recent orgasm, but she was eager to continue their play.
His mouth made love to hers, sending his tongue deep and luring hers back into the hot furnace of his own. She tasted his passion as it built, and his hard angles brazed against her soft ones, his chest making the sensitive nipples yearn for the feel of his mouth. She tingled and pulsed, already climbing again and wanting him in ways she’d only dreamed of before. Kat ached to tell Sam how much she loved him, but she kept those words locked inside. She’d already avoided one near catastrophe.
She moaned in protest when he lifted his weight from her and swept his hands along her body as he got off the bed.
She stared unabashedly as he unsnapped his shorts, then slid the zipper down. He pushed them off, along with his boxers, and a sigh escaped her lips, her eyes devouring him as bent to his suitcase. Oh wow. That trail of hair her eyes had followed down his chest ended in a springy patch around his arousal. And he was hard, thick and heavy between those powerful thighs that had supported her when he’d brought her to such heights. Sam was magnificent in his nudity.
She came up on her elbows as he went about searching for something inside the case. She was impatient for her fingers to feel their way over his washboard abs, his narrow hips, and when he turned slightly, Kat couldn’t wait to feel his tight butt when she dug her nails into the smooth flesh there, making him thrust deep. Her body hummed with anticipation.
He pulled some condoms from a compartment, tossed them on the bed, and joined her again on the mattress, spreading her legs and kneeling between them.
He didn’t say a word as he lifted the dress over her head and she lay back on the bed, his fascinated gaze on the rise and fall of her breasts. He brushed his knuckles along the damp panel of her panties, and his eyes lowered, following the movement.
Kat reached her hand down and gripped his wrist, suddenly self-conscious.
His brow furrowed in question as he looked up and tucked a curl behind her ear. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours, honey?”
Kat felt her belly clench in uncertainty. “Please tell me you were a Boy Scout, and ‘be prepared’ is forever your motto.”
He tipped his head, not following her. “What do you mean?”
Her other hand picked up one of the foil packets. “No woman likes to be a foregone conclusion, Sam.” She hated to think that she’d been that transparent. She’d tried so hard to keep her feelings to herself when it became clear that he wasn’t interested beyond hot, hungry looks. Her trepidation was so unlike her, but this was Sam. She didn’t want him to think she really was a tramp and would sleep with anyone who came equipped with protection. She knew he hadn’t been with a woman since Patti died. Those condoms could only be for her.
A smile split his face, but it was gentle, understanding. “No man in his right mind would ever assume such a thing with a woman that he wants to make love to, sweetheart. But we sure as hell can hope for those things,” he said, leaning down and kissing away her worry. His tongue plunged into her mouth, his late-day beard deliciously abrading her chin, but he ended the contact sooner than she would’ve liked. She could kiss Sam all night, and she wouldn’t utter a single complaint.
He kissed the tip of her nose before sitting back on his heels. “And FYI, I was an Eagle Scout, babe. I went all the way. Sometime I’ll show you what I can do with knots,” he said, winking at her and grinning mischievously.
Kat sighed and flushed, her mind imagining it. She settled back and soaked in the sight of him devouring her with his eyes and it chased away her apprehension. She wanted to know everything about Sam, but that would only hurt more when they parted ways. She already knew what a sensitive, caring man he was or he wouldn’t have been hit so hard when Patti died. Kat could never come back to work for him, but she didn’t want to cause him pain either. He’d already lost one woman who was important to him. Kat had become important in a different way, but she couldn’t go back to being his assistant after tonight. He still loved his late wife, and Kat wouldn’t play second fiddle to anyone. Not even a ghost.
I’ll tell him tomorrow, she thought. She was being selfish, but she couldn’t deny herself this one indulgence of having him as hers, even if it was only for one night.
He licked his lips as he stared at her breasts, then his eyes burned a path down the length of her body, at her legs sprawled wide on either side of his hips, her panties her only article of clothing. “I could make a meal out of you, Kat,” he said huskily.
Not even having her heart’s desire could stop her smart-ass retort. “I suppose you expect me to tell you to ‘eat me’?”
He barked a laugh, but it was strained in his condition. He shook his head. “I was thinking more along the lines of ‘bon appetit,’” his voice lowered, gravelly and rough. “But I like your answer better.” His pupils darkened, looking black instead of blue as he pinned hers in his gaze.
He plucked the packet from her hand and dropped it away. But not too far, she noticed. Linking her hands with his on either side of her head, he lifted himself until he leaned over her, his sex so hard it jutted out and brushed against her stomach. Pre-come pearled at the tip, leaving a trail on her heated skin. The sensation was too exquisite; her belly sank inward as her breath caught, but Kat lifted her hips, needing to feel it again. She gulped a whimper and clutched his hands tight; his sensual torment was more than she could bear, even having had the edge taken off earlier from her first climax.
He shifted his body down, trapping her beneath him, and his head lowered to her breast.
“Ohhhh!” she sighed loudly, and he groaned in reply. He suckled hard, and his tongue batted at her sensitive nipple. Shivers ran down her spine as he brought her body to life; nerve endings clambered for his attentions. Kat didn’t know how much she could take before he went where she so desperately needed him to go. No man had ever enjoyed her, thrilled in her responses so much. He made pleased sounds as she undulated beneath him, grinned with every moan that caught in her throat and reverberated there. “Oh my God, that’s so good, Sam,” she breathed.
“I know, baby. For me, too.”
His hot mouth, tongue, and beard stubble were a triple threat. His lips released the pressure, and when her plump, swollen breast settled back, his tongue flicked and laved it until she was writhing, could hear herself begging for him to take it in his mouth again. He ignored her pleas, but continued his sweet torture, sliding his rough chin to the other peak. Sam gripped her fingers tighter, and Kat could tell he was on the ragged edge, too.
“How long are you going to keep this up, Sam?” she panted.
He chuckled and lifted his head. “Just as long as I can stand it, sweetheart.”
Kat closed her eyes. “I just hope I’m still conscious when you finally reach your breaking point,” she whispered, and ground her pelvis against his torso. He was driving her insane, rocking her world with the meticulous delight he took in her body. Her tongue darted out, licking her dry lips, the gloss she’d applied long gone.
She opened her eyes, and she saw the muscle in his jaw jump. Whatever his comeback might have been, it was forgotten as he watched her mouth.
She grinned, thinking again how typically male he was. She tugged on his hands, but he held firm. “Let go of my hands, Sam. I want to touch you, too.”
And she emphasized her meaning by biting down on her bottom lip, her white teeth sinking into the soft flesh.
Sam shuddered, his eyes never leaving her mouth.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, and he did let go of her hands, but only to breeze down her form, his fingers hooking in the elastic of her panties, dragging them down her legs. He bent her knees, tugged the skimpy material off one foot, then the other, and she sighed when he crushed the white lace in his fist and brought it to his face, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent. She never thought the gesture could be erotic until Sam did it. She felt like squirming.
He sat back on his heels and her thighs were draped over his knees. Her hands were free, but she couldn’t move. She was dazed, and more aroused than any man had ever made her. She was completely open and exposed to her lover, but she’d never felt more secure than she did in that moment.
Before she could gather her wits and take advantage of her freedom to touch, Sam opened his eyes. His burning gaze was like a hot stroke to her skin as it raked down her body until it settled at the juncture of her thighs, and the patch of tight, sable curls there. That feral look was back, and Kat groaned when his tongue passed over his lips, like she was a succulent morsel on display for him.
He pushed her up on the mattress, keeping her legs open, and she gripped the wooden slats of the headboard, needing something to hold on to if Sam was going to torment her the way she suspected he was about to. She looked down her body, past her swollen breasts, her flat belly, and there he was, his eyes staring up into hers and his mouth so close to her center, she could feel his hot breath on her flesh. Kat knew that the torment had only just begun.
Sam’s cock pulsed with the agony of waiting, but he knew the moment he sank into her body, he was done for. And he wasn’t ready for that yet. He’d been too hungry for her and he wasn’t going to rush their first time together.
He still had a few personal demons to conquer, but he couldn’t be happier that he finally had Kat where he wanted her, her eyes pleading with him to take her, her body so responsive and eager. And before this night was finished, she’d be pleading with that mouth that constantly drove him to distraction with her saucy remarks and sexy grins. But Lord, did she know how to kiss! He’d had to pull away from her earlier. Her tongue had tangled with his and he’d felt it straight to his groin. Damn, how he wanted to be buried inside her! But it could wait. His insatiable urge to taste her couldn’t.
He settled his shoulders between her lush, tanned thighs, and he wanted nothing more than to plunge his tongue into her warm, delicious depths, but the whimpers and anxious mewling sounds were driving him insane. He wanted to take his time, hear more of them.
His hand petted her, softly fluttering over her damp curls, then went lower, his fingertip brushing her slick, wet lips. He blew on the silky skin and inserted one long finger into her, sliding deep. She shuddered, a ragged, animal-like cry tore from her lips, and she gripped his finger tight. Knowing how his cock was going to feel there made Sam shudder as well.
He stroked in and out of her passage. “You are so wet, Kat,” he murmured, and her hips rolled, her body arched, communicating without words what she wanted.
He pulled his finger free and slid both hands under her warm buttocks. He tilted her hips up and lowered his head to the sweetness that awaited him.
She wailed, thrashed, and bucked against his mouth, but he wouldn’t surcease. He feasted on her, his tongue lapping at her honeyed richness as he took his fill of her.
“Ah, yes! Oh, Sam! Yes,” she cried out, one hand reaching down and tangling in his hair. Holding him to her, she writhed under him.
He had to fight his own climax! He felt seduced by her passion.
He shifted, and plunged a finger in again. The combination of sensations inside and out were turning her into a wildcat. His lips closed over the swollen bud of her clitoris and gently suckled. She screamed so loud, Sam loved it, but he shifted again and brought his other hand to her mouth, stifling her cries of pleasure as his own mouth and fingers brought her from one pinnacle to the next, pushing her past each one.
He registered the strain in her muffled pleas, the tight grip on his hair, and with one final, delicious lick, he lifted his mouth away, his hand lowering from hers. Her body went from bowed and rigid to liquid and limp as she dropped back onto the mattress, her breathing shallow and her eyes closed, and Sam worried he’d gone too far. Except for the spasms that still shook her body, she didn’t move.
He crawled up the bed, lying next to her and tucking the curls that had fallen over her face behind her ear. He wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Kat? Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.
Her eyes opened slowly, sleepily, but they shined, sated. Regardless of his painful condition, he smiled down at her, relief filling him.
She curled her body into him, and reached down to close her soft hand around his aching erection. “Have you reached your breaking point yet, Sam?” she murmured lazily.
He sighed and groaned, stilling her hand. “I got greedy, baby. I wore you out. Sleep now.”
He held her hand immobile from moving up and down, but she squeezed him so blissfully that he feared he’d come in her hand. She kissed his collarbone, her tongue licking along the bone, and slid her slick body down to their joined hands. “Sleep? Now? No way!” she breathed into his skin, sounding renewed as her mouth moved to its goal.
He hissed, and his eyes rolled back as her tongue flicked the swollen tip of his sex. “Oh Christ, Kat!” He jerked and groaned in ecstasy when her mouth sucked the bead of fluid that pearled there, and both their hands tightened around the thick shaft. Just one taste and Sam was already so close to coming.
He let go of her hand, but she kept stroking him, tasting him, moaning and enjoying the turnabout. His hand shook as he reached for the condom.
He gently pushed her off him, sheathing himself quickly, and she lay back, licking his essence from her lips, watching his hurried movements. He rolled and settled himself between her thighs once again.
Staring into her beautiful green eyes, so full of passion and excitement, he said, “I’m at the breaking point now.”
Her hands gripped his biceps. “So I gathered.” She grinned, but when he pushed her legs high and wide and surged into her, embedding himself to the hilt, her mouth opened on a gasp. They both stilled, holding their breath, savoring the mutual possession.
She broke the spell, but wrapped them in another. “Ah, yes. This is where I need you, Sam.”
Sam’s eyes closed. “Yeah,” he growled. He was exactly where he needed to be, too—deep, surrounded by her warmth, his cock full and pulsing inside her.
And then he began to move.
He concentrated hard on keeping his strokes slow and steady, even when Kat wrapped her legs around his hips, tilting her own, trying to rush them along. She wanted it fast and hard, but he couldn’t give in to her. He’d make sure neither of them would ever forget a single moment of the experience.
His rough hands cupped her face as he rocked into her, and she sighed into his mouth when he lowered his head and kissed her tenderly, his lips taking possession of her as surely as his body was. God, he loved her!
Ripples of sensation assailed him as her hands slid along his rib cage and around to his buttocks. He reared up and sucked in his breath as her nails bit into his skin. It was more than even he could stand.
“Here we go, babe,” Sam rasped. Reaching up and gripping the slats, he started them on the breathtaking climb, together this time. He thrust deep, but even that was too slow now. Harder and faster he drove into her, the friction of their tight fit sending licks of flame along his already raw nerves.
He was covered in sweat as he pumped into her, dropping his hands to the bed and leaning low, needing the full body contact as his downstrokes ground against her swollen, sensitive clitoris. “Come for me, Kat,” he urged, his voice rough as sandpaper in her ear.
She careened over with edge with a scream of completion, her warm passage seizing around him. Her teeth sank into his shoulder and he roared her name, letting his own climax take him as the blinding pleasure slammed into him.
He pulsed inside her, and they both groaned, shuddering with the long ride. She stayed with him every step of the way and welcomed him into her arms when the last of the tide ebbed and he collapsed onto her, exhausted and replete.
When he could gather the strength, Sam slipped free of her and disposed of the condom in the trash under the nightstand, then rolled back over to pull Kat’s relaxed, slack form into his arms.
With her tucked to his side, her swollen, well-kissed breasts pressed to his ribs, he stroked her head, his fingers tangling in her soft, wild curls. She still trembled, feeling the echoing swells of her freefall.
Finally settling in, she draped her arm possessively across his chest, whispering groggily, “Perfect.” Her voice drifted off as she sighed, “Night, Sam.”
He dipped his head, watched her eyes drift close in exhaustion. He smiled; he had worn her out. He stared for a long time, then brushed his lips softly over her brow.
“Good night, Katrissa. I love you,” he said quietly. But she didn’t hear, Sam knew. She’d already drifted off to sleep in his arms.
Chapter Four
Kat awoke to the sound through the open window of the surf crashing upon the beach. And it only took a moment for her to remember that she’d fallen asleep to a warm body and a heart beating a steady cadence under her ear. She was cold, despite the blanket Sam had tucked her in. But she wasn’t lying next to him anymore. His body heat was gone. She was alone. And it was nearly three A.M.
