by Lori Foster
When he was right next to the bed, so close his naked thigh nearly touched the mattress, he said, “Look at me, Celia.”
She jumped, startled by his approach. His silent movements often had that effect on people; even Dane had commented on his stealth, cursing him on occasion for taking him unawares.
With her bottom lip firmly caught between her teeth, she slowly lifted her lashes. Heat rushed into her cheeks and her breasts trembled with small, rapid breaths, making the covers flutter.
Alec studied her, forcing himself to stick to his plan despite the gripping need to take her. “Does my body look dirty to you, Celia?”
Gaze glued to his erection, she shook her head no.
He put one knee on the bed and she rolled slightly toward him, her expression almost panicked.
“Shhh. Don’t get jumpy on me.” He caught the edge of the blankets and they went through a silent tug-of-war before Celia closed her eyes again and released them.
Very slowly, feeling every punch of his heartbeat as it resounded through his body, Alec bared her. He threw the covers completely off the bed. For now at least, they wouldn’t need them.
Stiff, nearly frozen, her only movement that of her choked breaths, she remained obediently quiet while Alec visually explored her. Her small rounded breasts were perfect, flushed a warm pink, softly upright, shimmering with her nervousness and excitement. Her nipples were drawn achingly tight, dark rose, and more than anything he wanted them in his mouth, wanted to suck on her and hear her small cries. He swallowed hard and continued his visual feast.
Her skin, pale and so smooth, would chafe easily beneath his whiskers, and he mentally cautioned himself to be careful. Her navel made a slight, tempting dent in her softly rounded belly, and below that…
His nostrils expanded on a sharp breath. Dark blond curls covered her in a small neat triangle. Without his mind’s permission, his hand lifted and he covered her, then he groaned softly. Celia jerked, a shocked, highly erotic sound coming from deep in her throat.
“Look, Celia,” he urged her. She shook her head and his fingers tightened. “Look at how my hand covers you completely. I can feel the heat pulsing off you.” He leaned down and nuzzled her belly, nearly incoherent with lust. “And I can smell your scent. You’re every damn bit as turned on as I am.”
Panting, she whispered, “Alec?”
He realized she was close, that in only those few moments with nothing more than a scattering of words and a possessive touch, she was nearing the edge. She was incredible. In a voice he barely recognized as his own, Alec murmured, “I like seeing you, honey. There sure as hell isn’t anything dirty about you.”
The sound she made drew his attention back to her face and the sight of her nearly ecstatic pain helped him regain control. He raised his hand to her cheek, then slowly smoothed her mouth, urging her to release her lip from the grip of her teeth. “Don’t hurt yourself, baby. Everything’s okay.”
Tears leaked from beneath her lashes and with a quavery voice she said, “I’m so…so easy.”
Alec lay down beside her, no longer needing an incentive to keep himself under control. Her pain had done that for him. He drew her naked body close and above the lust he felt the overwhelming need to protect, to reassure, to comfort. For now at least, she was his woman, and he’d move heaven and earth to keep her from being hurt, even from herself.
“You’re special, Celia, a gift to any man lucky enough to grab your attention.” Very deliberately, his hand slid down her belly again. He couldn’t let her stay like this, not when he knew damn well he could ease her.
Her hips immediately thrust against his searching fingers and she groaned, gripping him tight. “Alec, please kiss me…”
He did, devouring her mouth, searching with his tongue as he searched with his fingers.
Her flesh was so soft, so slick with eagerness. His fingers glided, probed, found the friction and rhythm that made her instantly wild. She wriggled against him, deliberately arousing herself further by moving her nipples over his chest, sucking on his tongue. She was hot and carnal and—oh hell—she was his.
Within two minutes she was coming apart in his arms and Alec cursed even as he fought to hold his own reaction at bay. Losing control, releasing himself on her belly, wouldn’t do a damn thing toward convincing her that sex was good and wholesome, not something to hide away from.
She bit him, his mouth, his chin, then his shoulder, and her nails dug deep into the muscles of his back, the small stings helping him keep control. When she slumped, sweaty and hot and limp in his arms, Alec kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair back.
“That was a long time coming.”
She didn’t answer, apparently too dazed to form words.
“Celia, if you act embarrassed or ashamed, I swear I’ll turn you over my knee.”
She lightly bit him again, this time on his muscled chest. “Don’t forget your gun is still close, Sharpe. I’m not afraid to use it.”
Grinning, while doing his best to ignore his own pounding need, Alec reached to the floor and snagged the top sheet. Tucking her up against his side, he said, “You’re going to sleep right here, against my body, all night, honey. Don’t even think of moving away. You got that?”
Her brows lowered as her eyes opened and she stared up at him. “But…sleep? What about—”
He cupped her cheek and kissed her nose. “We’re not finishing this little game until you ask me, very nicely, to do so.”
She searched his face and he could detect her mental shrug. “All right, I—”
He laid a finger against her lips. “Not now, Celia. Not when you’re still all soft from a nice climax.” Her cheeks turned bright pink at his frank talk and he smiled. “You’ll know when you’re ready, when you want me without all this ridiculous reserve. Then I’ll take you until neither of us can walk. I promise. But for tonight, we sleep.”
He reached over and switched off the light, then gathered her close again. Her thighs cradled his erection, making him grit his teeth. After several silent moments, she whispered, “I won’t make it easy on you, Alec.”
He shook his head. “You never have, babe.”
CELIA WOKE with her nose pressed to a hard, very warm, somewhat hairy chest. She smiled, snuggling closer and deeply inhaling the delicious scent of warm male flesh, but within the space of a single heartbeat she remembered Alec and what he’d done and what she’d done…Oh no. She opened her eyes slowly and like a zombie, lifted her head to survey him.
Breathing deeply in his sleep, more at peace than she’d ever seen him, he looked sexier than any man she’d known. He had one long, muscled arm beneath her neck and around her back, keeping her pressed to his body. His other arm was bent up behind his head, opening his body to her perusal, making him look somewhat vulnerable. She could see the dark tuft of fine hair beneath his arm, the way his biceps bulged even when relaxed. His long silky hair was tousled, lying over his brow and touching his wide shoulders. The single gold earring shone dully in the morning light.
His jaw and chin were very dark with beard shadow, and she knew when he awakened, he’d look more menacing than ever. But for now, his long sooty lashes rested on his high cheekbones, presenting elongated shadows in the dim room, and he looked entirely too…cuddly.
Saying he was beautiful would have been an extreme understatement.
A soft sigh escaped her and she felt her heart lurch. Given a choice, she would have cuddled down next to him and gone blissfully back to sleep. But she knew Alec, knew his way, and understood that she couldn’t let her guard down around him for a minute. Being the natural predator, he’d take swift advantage of any opening she gave him.
Not that she hadn’t already given him plenty, she thought, feeling her face go hot with the memory of the past night. But she wouldn’t let him win. He hoped to intimidate her enough to make her head home, leaving poor Hannah abandoned.
That would explain why he’d toyed with her so delicious
ly without actually taking her. She shivered, aware of him on every level. But while she physically appreciated his finesse, she didn’t like his motives. If he wanted to be a caveman, she couldn’t fight him, but neither did she dare give in to him completely.
Raymond had hurt her pride, but Alec could kill it.
He shifted in his sleep and her eyes were drawn to his body. The blankets only covered him as high as his navel, leaving a lot of incredible skin still bare. He was naturally dark, determinedly hard, and as much man as any woman could ever hope for.
She looked back up at the broad expanse of his solid shoulders, then gasped. High on his shoulder was a bruise, a bruise she knew had been caused by her teeth.
Last night, when the pleasure had taken her, she’d bitten him.
Her reaction was swift, the bitter reality cutting her deep and forcing her to stifle an instinctive cry of pain. She started to scramble upward, wanting to escape the proof of her own unrestrained tendencies, but suddenly found herself flat on her back. Alec, the cad, was wide awake.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was rough velvet, still heavy with sleep, but his eyes were sharply alert.
“Let me go, Alec.”
He searched her face, his dark gaze almost obsidian in the vague morning light. She could see him thinking, calculating, and it enraged her. Pushing against his chest with all her might, she said through her teeth, “Let—me—go.”
Her struggles had no effect on him. She may as well have been fighting solid granite. “You were looking me over, getting used to my body. Why the sudden panic?”
Celia froze. Had he been awake the whole time? Been aware of her scrutiny? “I did not panic.”
“No? What would you call it?” Before she could answer, he added in a low rumble, “Damn woman, but you look hot first thing in the morning.” And then he kissed her.
Celia tried to resist him, she really did. But he smelled manly and warm and his mouth had a slightly musky taste to it from sleep. His whiskers rasped her cheek as he deepened the kiss, his hands coming up to roughly cradle her breasts. She arched into him, unable to help herself.
And he lifted away. His lips still touching hers, he said, “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
Her gaze didn’t seem to want to focus and her heart was working way too hard for first thing in the morning. “I…I need coffee.”
“As soon as you talk to me.”
Damn stubborn man. He wouldn’t give up, so she had to. Resolving the problem and getting out of the bed, out from under him, was a major priority. Lowering her lashes because she really couldn’t look at him while making such an admission, she said in a small voice, “I bit you.”
She could hear his grin, felt the renewed caressing of her breasts, gentle and easy. “Several times.”
“No, I mean…” She peeked up at him, trying to gather her wits. Several times? Oh good grief, it just kept getting worse and worse. She felt almost sick with dread and tried to order her thoughts, but it was extremely difficult with him lying on her, all hard muscle and hot male.
She drew a slow breath. “You have a…a bruise on your shoulder.”
He looked over at his shoulder, then dismissed the small mark with a shrug. “So?”
Her bottom lip trembled and she tightened her mouth to still the small giveaway. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for being sexy? For having an incredibly healthy sex drive? Hell, woman, I liked it, okay? That little nibble says you were feeling everything just as I wanted you to feel it. Just as you’re supposed to feel it.”
“No.” She wouldn’t let him make light of it, not when she knew different. “I hurt you, Alec. I behaved no better than a…an animal.”
His eyes darkened more, then he nuzzled her neck just below her ear. “You had a really nice orgasm, honey, full-blown, just as I wanted you to. I liked it. If you acted like an animal, then so did I, because that little love nibble all but pushed me over the edge, and knowing the reason for it damn sure made me feel pretty terrific.” He kissed her earlobe, and his warm, damp tongue tickled over the rim of her ear, making her breath catch. And then he was looking at her again, waiting for her to accept what he’d said.
Heart racing, she thought about it, and pondered her own naiveté in sexual matters. Despite her limited experience, she asked, “Do you…?”
“What?” His slow smile came again. “Bite?”
The humor and hunger and tenderness in his black eyes made her stomach feel empty and her skin feel hot. But the room was dim and quiet, the day still early. Asking intimate questions seemed as perfectly timed as possible. “Yes.”
His lids lowered sensually and he moved his mouth to the place where her shoulder and neck met. Celia shivered, then quickly braced herself when she felt his mouth open, felt the touch of his teeth. He did bite, but it didn’t hurt. Just the opposite. The bite was wet and soft and he immediately soothed it with his tongue, making her nerves tingle.
“I would never do anything to hurt you.”
Her eyes drifted shut. “Alec…”
He scooted downward in the bed, kicking the sheet away and situating himself comfortably. His mouth stayed on her, taking small delicious nibbles all along the way until he reached the tip of her breast. Her heart thundered so that she wondered why it didn’t explode. He prepared her, plumping her breast, smoothing the nipple with his calloused thumb until it stiffened and stood turgid beneath his attention. Every nerve in her body seemed suspended, waiting. Then he nipped her.
Celia jumped, groaning at the same time when Alec held her firmly in place. He did it again and again, sometimes plucking with his lips, sometimes tugging with his teeth. It was an erotic mixture of foreplay: taut expectancy—though no real injury ever came—and sinful teasing. Her toes curled under the sheet, her hands fisted in his soft, cool hair.
The man was cruel, playing with her for long minutes and when she did finally think he was through, he only switched to the other breast. When she moaned out a protest, he mumbled something about breakfast and continued. Celia curled her legs around him and squeezed. That didn’t help, so she pushed herself against him and Alec helped by curving one large hand over her derriere and urging her into a slow, hypnotic rhythm against his body.
She’d thought herself fully experienced, even jaded after her time with Raymond, but she’d never done anything like this, or anything like last night. Alec was either the most inventive lover in the world, or her experiences with Raymond hadn’t been adequate to prepare her for Alec.
She tended to believe it was a mix of the two. Especially when she felt herself on the verge of a climax. Alec seemed to sense it, too. He lifted his head, staring at her hard, his jaw working as if he felt undecided.
His eyes narrowed, and very slowly, he pushed her back away from him. Her heart broke and she wanted to cry out in shame and disappointment, but he didn’t give her a chance. He grasped her hips and leaned down, then nuzzled his face into her belly.
Celia was genuinely shocked. He wasn’t leaving her, he was…“Alec.”
He held her firmly against the mattress, stilling the automatic surge of her body, and sought her out with his tongue, laving her much like a cat. Nearly mindless in sensation, she fought against him even while struggling to get closer. He controlled her with almost no effort, occasionally turning his face and softly biting the fleshy part of her inner thigh. Each sharp nip added to her pleasure, taking her a little higher, forcing her a little closer to the edge until she was beyond desperate.
“Come.” Alec gave his command with supreme confidence, then caught her small bud between his teeth to torment her with his tongue, and Celia screamed, fully obedient, arching her back, digging her fingers into the mattress, so overwhelmed with emotion and sensation she could do nothing more than ride along on the wave of extreme pleasure. Nothing, no past experience, no mature knowledge, had prepared her for this.
When it ended, she couldn’t exactly say. Her body buzzed, h
er mind felt blurry. One minute she’d been insensible, and the next, Alec was leaving the bed. She barely got her eyes open. “Alec?” The word was a breathy whisper.
He turned, kissed her hard right on the mouth, making her eyes widen a little, then growled, “I need an icy shower, babe. Just stay put and give me a minute. Then we’ll get breakfast and talk.”
He stalked, beautifully, sinfully naked into the bathroom and kicked the door shut. A second later the shower started.
Still staring at the closed door, still seeing that sexy, naked, hard-muscled behind, Celia blew out a slow breath. Oh wow. She wasn’t prepared for this, didn’t know how to handle it. Why did he keep giving her pleasure while taking none for himself? Did he expect her to think he didn’t want her? Ha. He’d looked ready to self-destruct when he left the bed, all flushed, hot, ready man. Any other man wouldn’t have left the damn bed.
Did this have something to do with what he’d told her last night? That ridiculous business about insisting she ask for him? Actually, she thought she had. Several times.
She may have even begged.
She’d also thought she knew about sex, but then, no one had ever told her about Alec Sharpe.
CHAPTER SIX
SHE’D EATEN NEARLY as much as he had. Alec grinned. The little lady had worked up an appetite. Or rather, he’d worked one up for her.
Damn, he could still taste her, and she’d been much tastier than the eggs and ham. Delicious, so sweet she could easily become an addiction. Everything about Celia was unique, so he wasn’t at all surprised. His own restraint was the only shocker. How the hell he’d summoned up the willpower to walk away from her was the million dollar question. But he knew. Even now, she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes, and she blushed every time he spoke to her.
She was ashamed, embarrassed, and he wanted to drag her back off to bed and keep her there until she got over her absurd hang-ups.
He hadn’t realized he’d begun scowling at her until she slapped down her fork and finally looked him square in the eyes. “What are you up to, Alec?”
