by Jenny Rarden
“Bedroom,” I mumbled against his lips, needing more of him than I could possibly express at that moment. I squeaked as I was swept off my feet into his arms. “I’m too heavy,” I argued as he started up the stairs.
“Hush,” he admonished, not even breathing hard as he carried me up to what I presumed what was his bedroom on the second floor.
In the dark room, with barely any light coming in between the closed curtains, he set me on my feet. When he turned on the bedside lamp, the room was lit by a soft glow, and I was able to see him well for the first time since we’d left the bar. His hair was a mess, sticking out every which way from where I must have grabbed it when he kissed me outside. His eyes were dark and full of heat as he raked his gaze over me, making my nipples perk up under my bra and my lower body clench. I couldn’t stop my gaze from falling to his chest, which was heaving—more from arousal than exertion, it seemed as the bulge in his jeans caught my attention. Reaching out, I grasped the bottom of his T-shirt, needing to see the piercings. When I looked up into his eyes, silently questioning him, he nodded. I pushed at his shirt, and he helped me by reaching back and tugging it off over his head, throwing it to the floor as I stood looking at him in wonder.
Not only was he pierced on both nipples like I’d felt, but he was covered in ink. Over his right pec was a shaded black tat of what looked to be some kind of…code—binary, maybe, with zeroes and ones made to look like they were breaking through his skin. Down farther on his right side was a clock—a pocket watch, to be more exact. I couldn’t help but reach out and trace the design, wondering if there was a significance to the time forever inked onto his skin. His muscles rippled under my touch, contracting and relaxing as I skimmed my way to his left side, over the soft trail of hair that led south, to a beautifully intricate compass sitting atop a map of some sort. Both it and the clock wound from his front to his sides, and I couldn’t help but wince when I thought of how they must have hurt going on the tender skin above his ribs.
“You’re killing me,” he groaned, and I shot my gaze back to his face, swallowing when I saw him watching me with those same dark eyes.
Unable to say a word, I did what I’d wanted to do the first moment I felt his piercings. I leaned in and slipped my lips around one, bringing my hand up to play with the other. Gently, I tugged at the cool metal with my teeth, using my tongue to flip it up and down in my mouth as my fingers echoed the movement on the other side.
Ryan slid his hands into my hair, gripping firmly but not hard, and allowed me to play for a moment. I let him slip from my lips and then blew on the damp skin, causing little goose bumps to break out on his skin, before switching sides to tongue the other ring as my other hand moved down to cup him through his jeans.
“Fuck,” he hissed low, pressing himself against my palm. “No more.” He gently pulled me up so he could crash his lips to mine, kissing me hard.
Chapter Seven
Sully
SWEET JESUS, SHE FELT BETTER in my arms than I’d expected. Her kisses were like a drug, and nothing prepared me for how she looked at me, at my ink and piercings. Nothing. She looked at me like I was something to eat, when really, I was the one who wanted to do the devouring.
I could feel that the rain had dampened her hair when my fingers sank into it at the back of her neck. Her shirt was soaked, and the poor thing gave a shiver from head to toe. Sweeping my tongue along hers, I slowed the kiss down, my breathing heavy when I rested my forehead on hers.
“Bailey…” I swallowed thickly, fighting every urge to simply rip, tear, and claim.
I wanted her, but like she’d said back at the bar, I wanted more than just tonight. I wanted all her nights…and mornings. Fuck me, I wanted weekends too.
She shivered again, goose bumps breaking out all over her arms, and I chuckled at just how adorable she was.
“I’m a terrible fucking host,” I mumbled against her lips. “Here you are, freezing to death…”
Her giggle was like music, a melody I needed to write down, and I smiled against her lips, but she pushed me back. She kept pushing until my legs hit the end of my bed. Forcing me to sit, she smiled sexily as she reached for the bottom of her wet shirt.
“Fuck, pretty girl. Wait.”
She froze, and there was a slight sign of fear in those sweet eyes. Cupping her face, I pulled her between my legs and kissed her softly, slowly.
“We don’t have to do this. I just… You’re so…” I rambled, rolling my eyes at how stupid her beautiful face and body were making me. “Jesus Christ, you’re so fucking sexy, I can’t think or…or speak!”
Her smile was sweeter, warmer this time.
I huffed a heavy exhale through my nose, frowning at my lack of verbal skills. “I’m not…this kinda guy, Bailey. I don’t go out to pick up women, and I don’t… That’s not what this is, but shit, I’ve wanted you since my first damn day at work.”
“It’s the same for me, Ryan.”
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but hearing my name fall from her lips that way just ruined me.
“Tell me you’re sure,” I begged her, gathering up the bottom of her shirt. “We’ll stop now, and I’ll make us hot chocolate while your clothes dry. We’ll just…talk, and I’ll bore you to tears with all the technical bullshit I know, which is probably the only thing I know…”
She laughed, making me smirk, but her hands covered mine on her shirt, pulling it off over her head. The breath left my lungs in a rush at the sight before me. Standing in a short little skirt and a black lacy bra was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. She dropped her shirt to the floor behind her, stepping closer, which caused me to grip her hips, to trail fingers across newly exposed skin, but my eyes stayed on hers.
“What if I said I wanted both?” she asked, tilting that gorgeous head of hers. “You…then the hot chocolate?”
“Yes,” I hissed, pulling at her until she straddled my lap. “Anything…”
She slid her fingers into my hair, pulling me back to her lips. Tongues tasted and slipped together in ways that made me moan shamelessly into her mouth. The more we kissed, the more we touched, and the clothes we were in were starting to become cumbersome and uncomfortable. My fingers toyed with the clasp of her bra, and Bailey sat up straight.
Searching her eyes for any hesitation, I found none as I pulled the straps away, adding the lacy fabric to the slowly growing pile of clothes on my bedroom floor. When I finally looked down to see her, my groan couldn’t be contained if I damn well tried. She was stunning, with tightly peaked, rose-colored nipples and breasts that were neither too big nor too small.
Spreading my fingers wide, I touched as much of her skin as I could all at once. My thumbs brushed just underneath her nipples, causing an almost pain-filled noise to escape her. When I locked back on her eyes, I could see her drinking in every inch of ink, like she was trying to decipher some sort of code.
Rolling a peak between my thumb and forefinger caught her attention, and when her eyes met mine again, she simply whispered, “You’re beautiful.”
With that said, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed all of her, every inch of skin. Rolling us, I slid her up the bed, bracing a hand by her head and toying with the side zipper of her skirt.
My eyes drank in the sight of her on my bed—beautiful hair splashed against navy-blue covers, creamy skin, and kiss-bruised lips. I couldn’t say I’d never thought about it, fantasized about having her in my bed. It would be a blatant lie. Since starting at Turcotte, I’d thought about Bailey more than I should.
“You look so fucking good in my bed,” I whispered without thinking. “I may not let you out of it, pretty girl.”
She grinned, doing that sexy-as-hell lick across her bottom lip as she grasped either side of my face and pulled me to her.
“That may prove complicated, Ryan,” she said through a giggle. “You know… Food, work…that hot chocolate you promised.”
Chuckling, I shook my head as I slowly un
zipped her skirt. “Delivery, work from home, and…I’ll figure something out,” I countered, slipping down her body, grasping the bottom hem of her skirt, and pulling.
Skirt, sneakers, jeans, underwear, and socks all topped off the pile of clothes on the floor at the end of my bed. She started to toe off her heels, but I stopped her with a hand on her ankle, wrapping my fingers around and caressing the smooth skin there. “Keep them on,” I said darkly. The fantasy I’d had since the first time I met her, of her wrapping those legs around me, the heels digging into my back, made my cock twitch.
Bailey’s eyes widened, and she visibly swallowed before nodding.
When I crawled back over her, she reached for me, a warm hand wrapping around my cock. I took shallow breaths in order to keep from losing it all right there, because it had been a while since someone had not only touched me but affected me like Bailey did.
Reaching into the drawer of my nightstand, I pulled out a condom, gritting my teeth as she moved her hand up and down, a slight twist of her wrist at the end.
“God, you fucking killing me, Bailey,” I growled out, my head falling to the crook of her neck. I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to stop or keep going.
“Sorry,” she said against my ear.
To distract myself, I braced on one arm again, my fingers slipping between her legs to find her hot, wet, and sensitive. Her hips jolted up just a little, her breath catching.
“Mmm, someone’s needy,” I mumbled against her collarbone as we both touched, teased, learned each other. “How long has it been, pretty girl? How long since someone took care of you. Really good care of you?”
A breathy laugh escaped her. “Too long. Ryan, please…”
The word please trailed off into a long, low moan when I slid two fingers inside her. My teeth dragged across her neck as I reveled in just how warm and swollen she was. I wanted to devour her, drink her completely dry, but I knew I wouldn’t last. Just seeing her writhing beneath me, so close as I worked my fingers in and out of her, I’d probably come the second my mouth touched her. Adding my thumb to the mix caused her whole body to tense, arch up, and finally shatter. My name never sounded so fucking good as I eased her down from her high.
“Sit up,” she begged against my lips as I couldn’t help but kiss her.
I sat back on my heels, watching every move she made as she followed me. She grabbed the condom but didn’t open it just yet. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to my skin, each tat, each swirl of ink on my body, only to drive me fucking crazy by wrapping those gorgeous lips around one of my piercings.
“Will you tell me?” she asked, looking up at me as she switched from my right nipple to my left, only to swirl her tongue around it, all while keeping her eyes on mine—those big, brown, sexy eyes. “About these?” She placed a flat hand on my pec, the binary code ripping through my skin, and then slipped softly over the others.
“Yes,” I whispered, nodding once, though telling her about those images wasn’t going to be all that exciting. The binary code had the most meaning—that despite my appearance, I’d always felt like the skinny computer nerd who joined the Army right out of high school. That my looks were skin deep, but my awkwardness remained true and steadfast. “Later. Over the hot chocolate,” I teased her.
She grinned, but it fell quickly as she ripped the condom open. My eyes rolled back as her mouth sank down over me, her tongue swirling, tasting, driving me fucking crazy. She popped off, replacing her mouth with the condom and rolling it down over me.
When she lay back down, she tugged me with her, and I settled happily between her thighs, not pushing, not guiding myself in just yet. My eyes searched hers, and still there was no hesitation.
“Please, Ryan…”
Kissing her, I let her guide me, her hips shifting to meet mine, and when I was fully seated inside her, my eyes squeezed closed for a second or two.
“Fuck,” I growled out through gritted teeth. “You feel way better than I imagined.”
“I know,” she concurred, sounding just as breathless as I did.
Knowing she’d thought about this, about being with me, just about caused me to pound into her…or come instantly. I wasn’t sure which. My emotions, my desires, my need skyrocketed into something almost primal. When I pulled away, only to push back into her, both of us let out a sound that, when combined, was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard.
Bailey was everything I’d thought about, dreamed about, and then some. She was sexy and beautiful as she urged me with touches, kisses, and words.
I braced my hand by her head, the other cupping her ass to lift her, changing the angle, and I grinned when I hit the spot that caused a string of curse words to meet my ears.
“Here?” I asked, doing it again, only going slower, deeper.
“Yes,” she panted, gripping at my biceps, my hair, anything she could. Her legs hitched higher around my waist, and nails raked deliciously down my back, the killer heels digging in just as I’d imagined as I got us closer and closer to the edge.
We tumbled over together because there was no way I could hold out any longer, especially when her pussy started to flutter around me.
When I came, it was a rush, with stars exploding behind my eyes. “Fuck, fuck…fuck,” I ground out. My forehead fell to her shoulder as my breathing evened out, and I smiled when arms and legs wrapped around me to keep me close. Opening my mouth to her slightly salty skin, I kissed up to her ear, across her cheek, only to meet those beautiful dark eyes. “I’m not sure I’m done with you, pretty girl.”
She smiled, and I loved that it was happy, relaxed, and sated. “Does that mean no hot chocolate?”
Chuckling, I shook my head and kissed her. “No… You, my sweet Bailey, can have anything you wish.”
She kissed me back, softer, sweeter. “Good to know, Ryan.”
Chapter Eight
Sully
“WE MISS YOU, SON. You should come for a visit,” my mother urged over the line as I made my way up the sidewalk to the Turcotte building, dodging everyone else trying to adjust to Monday morning. “Just let me know when; we’ll make a weekend of it.”
I nodded, feeling a touch guilty, because ever since I’d started work, I hadn’t had a chance to go see them. However, I could barely focus on a single thought outside of the weekend I’d just had.
“Yeah, Mom, definitely.” Suddenly, an idea hit me. “In fact, I’ve… There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
My mother’s gasp rang through the line, and I prepared myself for the onslaught of questions. “Ryan Sullivan, you’ve met someone.”
“I have, and she’s beautiful and sweet and smart. This…this is different. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.” I stopped outside my building. “And I’m at work, Mom. I gotta go,” I added quickly so that I could avoid the inquisition from my mother. “I promise to answer all your questions, but later. Okay?”
“Sure, sweetheart. And let us know when you’re coming. Bring this beautiful girl with you.”
Grinning, I said I would and then walked into the atrium of Turcotte, pocketing my phone. I was hoping to see Bailey before we went off to our respective floors. I wanted to set eyes on the girl who had not only completely taken my breath away—more than one time—but who was already starting to steal my heart. By the time I’d kissed her senseless before putting her in a cab Saturday afternoon, I was a ruined man.
“Sully!” Terri greeted, looking more like a woman dressed for a night out than the receptionist for a large company. “I’m not connecting to the network!”
Huffing a laugh, I nodded and pointed to the side corridor. “Let me get downstairs, and I’ll see who can come look at it. Okay?”
“Sure,” she sighed disappointedly.
Once I’d made it to the basement, I was still shaking my head. Chase’s head popped up from the workbench as he carefully dismantled a laptop.
“A beer! An entire fucking beer poured onto this fucker. Seriously?” he ra
nted, practically growling at the stench of old stale beer coming out of the poor computer.
“Bratty Patty?” I asked, clocking in.
“No, her damn dad.”
Snorting, I eyed the machine from over his shoulder and then carefully backed away. “That’s all you, dude,” I teased, pointing to the stairs. “Terri has a network issue. I’ll handle that first.”
He nodded, waving me away and muttering about hateful Monday mornings. I was still chuckling when I stepped back up into the lobby. Today would be long and tedious; I could already tell. And all I wanted was to see Bailey.
Sighing, I stepped around the receptionist desk to sit down at Terri’s desktop computer. I had a sneaky suspicion that she’d done this shit on purpose as I clicked away, logging her back onto the building’s main server and network, and my suspicions were completely confirmed when her arms wrapped around me and lips were pressed to my cheek. Closing my eyes, I fought my temper and my initial reaction to shove her away.
I shrugged out of her embrace and stood just as I caught sight of stunning legs, blue high heels, and light-brown hair aiming for the elevator. I also saw Miles standing there with his enormous arms folded across his chest, glancing between Bailey and me.
I turned to Terri, who smiled seductively up at me. “Sully, we should—”
“No, we shouldn’t,” I answered her before she’d finished. “I get this thing you’re doing, Terri. I’m the new guy, but I’m not…new. Okay?” I raised an eyebrow at her until she nodded in acquiescence. “I’m flattered, but…no thank you.” I tapped her computer. “You’re back up. I gotta go.” I walked by Miles, muttering, “Um, that elevator is about to get stuck.”
He barked a laugh, slapping my back as I darted toward the doors that were slipping slowly closed. I shot an arm through, making it open back up. The sight inside the elevator car made me frown, because the girl I’d been aching to see since we’d parted on Saturday wouldn’t look me in the eye. Without even bothering to see what floor I was pressing, my hand slapped down on the buttons, and then the doors closed and the car started to move. When we’d gone at least one floor, I flipped the switch, bringing the whole thing to a stop.
