I’d dealt with enough liars in my line of work that I knew I’d be able to tell in seconds if he was bullshitting me, so I kept my eyes glued to his—but I hadn’t been expecting the answer he gave. “You.”
It threw me for a such a loop that, even though it felt like the world’s best pick-up line, the attorney in me filled with doubt. “Really? Me in my business suit looking all prim and proper?”
“You don’t think men find smart women attractive?”
No…I just didn’t think a guy like Ryan would. But I didn’t want to scare him off by questioning his tastes. “Fair enough.”
“I could ask you the same question.” I raised an eyebrow. “Like what’s your type and how I fit into it.”
“Touché.” He grinned at me, and I fought the urge to grab my drink and down it in one gulp—but not only did I want this guy in my bed tonight, I felt the need to be honest with him. “I love huge strong men, and I’m attracted to confidence, qualities you seem to have in abundance.” Yes, his confidence was quiet but there was no missing it. As for my weakness for bad boys (even if it was just their looks rather than an indication of their character), I was keeping that secret to myself.
I didn’t know that he’d appreciate the judgment.
Running my hand along his upper arm, I reminded myself that oh, yes, his muscles were tight and lean and the colors painted on his arms drew me in like a magnet. “From the moment you walked into my office, I found you irresistible.”
Shifting my gaze back to his face, I saw an imperceptible tilt of his lips. His words seemed cautious, though. “So what do we want to do about that?”
Ooh…I loved his directness. “I know what I want to do.” He arched an eyebrow just enough that I registered it. If he said no now, I’d deal with it—but he could only give an answer if I asked the question.
But I wasn’t going to ask. “I want you to come home with me tonight.”
Ryan being a soft-spoken guy who kept everything under wraps didn’t bother me, but it made it damned difficult when I was trying to figure out his state of mind. My conscience—the part of me that remembered my dilemma—tried to get my attention one last time, but I stuffed it down deep. Instead, I prepared to make my argument to the jury. “Just tonight. No commitments, no strings. Just a little fun.”
There was something in his eyes I couldn’t translate—but he nodded. “Did you want to stay here a while or—”
“Hell, no. Let’s get out of here.” The insides of my thighs had been warm and turning to putty at the thought of this man in my bed, and I didn’t want to prolong the agony any longer. Grabbing his hand, I stood up, ready to all but run to the door.
Ryan followed like a willing lamb to the slaughter. Once we were outside in the warm but fresh evening air, he asked, “What’s your address?”
“Why don’t you just follow me there?”
“I wanted to swing by the liquor store, pick up something to drink.”
Nodding, I gave him my address and he typed it into his phone. “See you soon.” Jumping in my car, I sped home, my hands clenching the wheel in anticipation.
I drove home, feeling more excited than I had in ages, but as the minutes ticked on, I started wondering if “going to the liquor store” was his way of bailing out. Or maybe that hadn’t been the plan but being away from me gave him time to think better of it.
As I wandered around my small house picking up here and there, lighting candles and setting a mood, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I started rifling through my lingerie drawer before slamming it closed in frustration.
Now I knew for certain I was being stood up. And I didn’t know what upset me more—not having that gorgeous man in my bed tonight or having to face him in my office again. Our next meeting was going to be quite awkward.
For now, though, I was feeling like a woman rejected and, for just a few seconds, I wondered what it could be that I’d done that might have turned him off. But I didn’t need to think about it long, because I knew exactly what the problem was. Ever since I’d passed the bar, I was too confident, too self-assured, too in control of my sexuality, and most men didn’t know how to handle me. Didn’t want to handle me. A majority of males in the legal world had no issues but guys in other professions didn’t always feel comfortable around me. In particular, I remembered a cute restaurant manager who’d been pretty decent in bed. Later that night in the afterglow, he admitted that he hated the fact that I earned more than he did.
So I’d get over it.
I just had to make it through tonight.
Chapter Six
I heard the slam of his truck door long before I heard his boots trudging up the walk to my front door.
Oh, my God. I’d been wrong. Ryan Craig was not standing me up.
That didn’t mean I was going to act like a desperate eager beaver, though—especially after he took so fucking long to make it. So I walked back to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. When the doorbell rang, I was taking a sip, deciding to take a few more before walking back to the front of the house.
Exercising self-control. Because I didn’t have much left.
My breathing was calm as I made my way to the front door, but my heart rate was high. When I opened the door, he stood patiently, holding a brown bag in one of his hands. Smiling, I pulled the door open all the way, waving him in. “I was starting to think you got lost. No second thoughts?”
He shook his head as I locked the door. “That’s part of what took so long.” I raised an eyebrow. Maybe I was going to get a rejection after all. “Can we put this in the fridge?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
He cleared his throat and pulled the bottle out of the bag, glancing at the label while following me to the kitchen. “Cabernet Sauvignon.” His pronunciation was pretty Anglo as far as that goes, but he did a decent job getting the sounds right, so I couldn’t fault him for obviously never learning French. And it wouldn’t be my wine of choice, but I wasn’t about to complain.
“Yummy. I guess it was worth the wait.” Taking the bottle out of his hand, I placed it on the top shelf of the fridge. I knew it would probably be far too forward to simply invite him to my bedroom, but I could certainly seduce him with a little kissing when I was ready. “Or wait. Did you want to drink some now?”
“You’re the hostess here, so it’s up to you.”
“Then how about we save it for dessert?”
I could see the confusion on his face, almost as if he expected me to have him sit down for a three-course meal. “What’s the entrée?”
My grin was irrepressible. “Me.”
He took a couple of steps closer to me and, in the cool of my kitchen, the warmth radiating from his body was a welcome sensation. He didn’t need any other invitation, and he slipped his arms around my waist as his lips met mine. God, he was such an amazing kisser, so I knew I’d made a great choice. In my experience, a guy who was good with his lips was equally good with his cock. But his mouth didn’t linger long on mine. Instead, he began kissing my neck, so I lowered my head to the side, making it easier for him to taste more of my flesh as he slid his hands across my belly just underneath my shirt. My eyes were closed as I inhaled deeply through my nostrils.
Ryan knew what I wanted, understood what I needed, and he wasn’t going to drag his feet. I liked that about a man. Curling my fingers into his shirt, I enjoyed the moment, knowing the action was about to speed up. My hardening nipples and watering mouth promised great times ahead.
I ran my hands up his chest and then wrapped them around his neck. As he kissed his way up to the delicate flesh just below my ear, I pulled his baseball cap off and tossed it toward the table, hoping it would hit the mark. And I didn’t give a shit if it didn’t. I hadn’t noticed till now just how tall Ryan really was. In my heels, my height placed me nose to nose with some of the shorter guys I knew, but Ryan’s height was pronounced now that I was wearing flat strappy sandals.
He might have had a natural tendency to be shy when he had to speak, but here and now, there was no sign of bashfulness. The man was confident and in control, and his demeanor—not to mention his hot kisses—was fucking melting me. My brain focused on his fingers underneath my shirt, teasing the soft skin of my lower back, and a wave of anticipation charged through me as my nipples hardened again. But it wasn’t until I felt my panties getting damp that I realized just how delicious Ryan’s kisses were.
Soon, my fingers were pressing against his scalp as I tried to maintain a calm exterior. Inside, I was bubbling over—and, as his body molded itself against mine, I could feel him through his jeans, evidence that he, too, was aroused.
As his lips moved to my neck again, my breathing grew more shallow, as if I was going to faint. Goddamn, was this guy good with his tongue and his foreplay technique—yet I still had my damn clothes on. What would it be like once they were off? There was something about the slow way he moved and the attention he seemed to give every inch of my body thus far that had me tingling in anticipation, had even the tiny hairs on my arms standing at attention. How would my nerves respond to his gaze upon my unclothed body or his attention to flesh hitherto unseen?
But it was my turn.
Moving my hands down to his shoulders, I then slid them slowly down his chest over the front of his shirt. I was ready to feel his skin and the muscles he’d honed—and I wanted to feel how he responded to my touch. Once my hands made it to his waist, I moved them underneath the fabric of his shirt and then touched my hands to his flesh before running them up toward his pecs. Just as I’d imagined, he was solid—chiseled, firm, his sinew unrelenting.
Suddenly, I couldn’t wait. Grabbing his shirt, I pulled it up. Fortunately, he wasn’t intimidated by my speed, and we parted just long enough for me to work his shirt up over his head. He grabbed it the rest of the way off, tossing it to the floor. When his lips met mine again, he was rough. I loved the way my mouth felt almost bruised as my fingers explored his naked chest, and I appreciated how smooth his skin felt, even while his muscles underneath were firm. As my fingers brushed over his nipples, I felt them pebble in response to my touch, but soon I wound my arms around to his back so I could explore the flesh there.
I could have spent hours running my hands over his skin.
Meanwhile, he didn’t just stand there and take my fondling. He began lifting my tiny shirt over my head, and soon it was off and falling to the floor, just like his had moments earlier. The little lacy red bra I wore left little to the imagination, but he wasn’t looking there. Instead, his eyes were fixed on mine and he started kissing my neck again as his hands began moving down the front of my body. A breath of air escaped my lips as his hands cupped my breasts and I could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric of my bra.
“C’mon,” I urged, taking one of his hands and leading him down the hall in the direction of my bedroom. Soon, we walked through the doorway as I flipped on the light switch. When I turned my gaze back to Ryan, I salivated at the muscles in his chest and abs, knowing they felt as amazing as they looked. I would have laughed at how heavily my breath was coming, but Ryan got close and my heart began to thud at his proximity. Backing away with a grin, I moved toward the bed with a devilish grin on my face.
As Ryan made his way toward me, his smile reflected mine, but he looked hungry—exactly the way I wanted him to look. When the back of my legs touched the bed, I fell on it backward, waiting until he leaned over me. As he brought his face closer to mine, I met his lips with force, wrapping my arms around his back and pulling him down on me. Although it was difficult, I managed to refrain myself from scratching my fingernails down his taut, sinewy back.
Soon, he was reclining a bit, holding himself up on one arm so his other hand could explore my flesh. Finding the nub of my nipple underneath the cup of my bra, he tweaked it between his thumb and finger as it grew hard in response. A tiny moan rumbled my throat and I fought against arching my back, even though I was already putty in his hands. Taking his free hand in mine, I intertwined my fingers through his. And then he began an onslaught of kisses, beginning on my chin and then down my neck all the way to my bra. Finally there, he lifted and pushed the cup aside to taste my breast. The areola grew tight again and I squeezed Ryan’s hand, sucking down a deep breath. The fingers on my other hand tightened against my will, digging my claws into his back.
I could hardly stand it anymore, so I pressed up against him until he rolled over on his back, taking me with him. I sat up so I could look down on him. God, he was beautiful. I loved the way his green eyes sparkled as his widening pupils drank me in. Licking my lower lip, I slid my hands over his pecs without conscious thought. I gave him a small smile before rubbing my index finger over his lips before leaning over. My hands began playing as I brought my lips to his once more, and then I undid the button on his jeans. Sucking on his lip, I swirled my fingers against his flesh underneath the jeans, teasing for the moment rather than diving in.
That didn’t mean I was at a standstill, though.
I began kissing his chin just below that sexy soul patch as my nostrils drank in his clean, musky scent. I let my lips lead the way, kissing his chest and tonguing one of his nipples. I felt his warm hands against my back, undoing the clasp on the back of my bra. Its grip on my frame loosened as his hands slid up underneath before pulling it down my arms. Then my lips rejoined his before I unzipped his jeans.
With one finger, I traced just underneath the waistband again before reaching all the way inside. His rigid cock seemed to respond to my touch and I felt along his length while my pussy squeezed in response, eager to feel him inside me.
Not yet.
His lips sucked in a breath, paused against my mouth, as I continued giving his manhood the full attention of my hands.
He, too, wasn’t willing to wait much longer, either, and he rolled back on top of me. We searched each other’s eyes for a split second. The look on his face reminded me of a lion preparing to take down its prey, and I was more than willing. I kicked off my sandals as a slight smile crossed Ryan’s face. Leaning over, he kissed me aggressively again as I felt his fingers at my jeans. Not willing to let him do all the work, I began pulling his pants down his legs as far as I could at my angle before running my hands over his muscular thighs and firm ass to the small of his back and then his shoulders Meanwhile, he kissed my neck and ran his tongue down my chest and then up the slope of my breast before circling around a nipple. I wound my fingers through his hair. “Oh, God, Ryan, fuck me.”
He seemed to take me seriously as he began pulling my panties down. I wasn’t willing to wait, so I lifted my hips up off the bed, pulling my jeans down from the back. Once they were to my knees, I used my feet to try pulling them off. Ryan didn’t have a chance to pull them down more, because I wrapped my hand around his cock and massaged it until he groaned.
Enough foreplay already.
Opening his eyes, he took one of my hands in his, interlacing our fingers again, and he pulled my arm above my head. Moving his face right above mine, he touched his lips to mine again. This time he peppered me with teasing little kisses with no tongue until I mashed my lips into his. Then he let my hand go and ran his fingers along my cheek until he cupped my jaw. But when he slowed his motions, I squeezed his cock once more, as if to remind him what we were there for. At that point, he slid his hand down so it brushed over my breast and down my waist. He kept going until he touched my pubic bone and there he slid a finger down my slit. I gasped against his lips as he continued moving down in his search for my clit.
Ah, I loved a man who knew how to touch me.
And did he. He wasted no time massaging that compact bundle of excited nerves, bringing me to the brink in seconds. My breathing grew more rapid but deeper and my head grew light. As he stroked me with deliberation, tiny groans began to form in my throat, and I was afraid I was going to come if he kept it up. I should have told him to stop, but it felt too fuc
king good—and, after all, this kind of release had been what I was seeking. Ryan’s lips brushed my neck as I thrust my fingers into his hair, and all coherent thought escaped my brain. It wasn’t long before my soul was floating and my entire body let go, all thanks to that one finger giving me its undivided attention. Waves of ecstasy washed over me as I climaxed—and I grew louder, moaning, unable to stop myself. My body grew rigid as pleasure coursed through my veins, and I let my fingernails scratch down his back as I completely let go.
When my orgasm subsided, Ryan removed that attentive finger. I took a long, slow breath and it dawned on me that I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Reluctantly, I forced an eye open. He was half sitting up on his knees, his jeans still partially on, his wallet in his hands. He pulled out a flat square package that he began to open after setting his wallet down. I’d had a few condoms in the drawer of the nightstand, but I hadn’t thought much about it, so I was glad he was being responsible without me having to lecture. “Buying these was part of the reason I got here so late, too.”
I gave him a slight smile as he slid the condom on his stiff cock and welcomed him back between my legs.
My orgasm had subsided, but when he began to thrust inside me slowly, as if savoring every moment, another wave of euphoria washed over me. I’d been half coming to my senses but now my brain felt intoxicated, as if I was ready to pass out. I wasn’t about to be a lousy lay, though, and I wanted to enjoy feeling his thickness inside me. Pressing against Ryan until he understood what I was trying to do, he rolled onto his back without losing his position inside me. But he opened his eyes for that brief moment and, if I was reading him right, he was already close.
I knew how to bring him home.
Love and Lust (Small Town Secrets Book 2) Page 4
