She could feel the palm of his hand moving over the fabric of her panties and then lower, over her hips. The slacks gave way as he stroked down her skin. He followed the pants, falling to his knees before her as she revealed her skin and this time, she couldn’t drop a skirt to hide.
This time, she didn’t want to.
They felt like they were starting from the same spot—but it was different, too. She hadn’t known anything about Seth the first time she’d balanced a hand on his shoulder so she could step free of extraneous fabric. She hadn’t known if he was rich or poor, old or young. All she had known then was that she was safe with him.
She still was. “Tell me what you want,” Seth said when she had stepped free of the slacks. He grabbed them and threw them out of the way, then began to slide her trouser socks off. “I want to give you what you need.”
Her eyes fluttered shut and she tried to put words to what that was.
She wanted to be selfish. She didn’t want to swallow down her disappointment in bed to protect anyone’s feelings. She didn’t want to accept mediocre sex because Roger was incapable of putting forth the effort to get better. She didn’t want to settle because it kept the peace.
She needed to know what Kate Burroughs wanted. She needed to know that person was valuable and desirable and worth the risk.
She needed Seth to fight for her.
She needed to fight for herself.
“Anything,” Seth said as her other sock and shoe were also tossed aside. He sat back on his heels and ran his hands up and down her bare legs, warming her skin. “Be honest, Kate.”
“I don’t want to regret this,” she said, because that was the most honest thing she could think of. “I don’t want to regret you.”
“You won’t. And I won’t, either,” he assured her. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her thigh. “I had the most erotic dreams after the last time,” he whispered against her skin as he kissed his way up her leg.
“I’m different now. Everything’s changed.” She felt huge and she knew she was only going to get bigger. Rationally, she knew it was because of the baby, but it was still hard to know that an ugly black suit was the only thing she could wear for her standing date with Seth Bolton.
She didn’t feel ugly now, not as Seth moved to the other thigh and began to kiss and nip at her skin. She watched in fascination.
“You were gorgeous two months ago, but now?” Seth leaned back and began to undo the buttons on her shirt. He had amazingly long arms, powerful muscles. Everything about him was powerful and he was here with her. How did this make any sense?
“But now?” he said in such a sincere voice that even though it didn’t make any sense, she had no choice but to believe him. He got the buttons undone, and she shrugged out of the shirt, letting it fall. “My God, Kate—look at you.”
She was going to protest that there was nothing to look at—at least not anything good—but he sat forward and pressed a kiss right below her belly button. And then one below that. And then one even lower. What started out as a sweet, tender gesture rapidly became something else entirely.
“Seth,” she said, her knees beginning to shake as his mouth moved over the thin cotton of her panties, coming ever closer to her sex.
“Tell me what you need, Kate,” he said, bringing his hands up to cup her bottom—and bring her closer to his mouth. “Do you need this?”
He skimmed his teeth over her panties, pulling the fabric aside. She was so shaky that she had no choice but to bury her fingers in his thick black hair and hold on. He looked up at her and squeezed her bottom, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Come on, Kate—you have to tell me.”
“Yes,” she whispered. He was slow and methodical—and focused entirely on her. He wasn’t keeping an eye on the clock or an ear on the game. He wasn’t wishing he were anywhere else. She had his undivided attention and that, more than anything else, was what she needed right now.
That and his mouth on her. “More.” It came out half an order and half a plea.
His grin sharpened. “Good girl. I want to hear what you like.” Then he buried his face against her sex.
“Ohh...” That. Definitely that.
Somehow, he pivoted her so instead of her standing, she was leaning against a wall. He scooted her legs a little farther apart and pressed himself between them. He still gripped her bottom with one hand, but with the other, he reached around the front and pulled her innocent-looking white panties to the side. Not off—just to the side. “How about this? Do you need this?” he asked, pausing just long enough that she knew if she said no, he’d stop.
She didn’t want him to stop. “I do,” she said, her voice little more than an exhale.
He kissed the top of her thigh, teasing her. “Are you sure?”
For some reason, the question irritated her. She was tired of people not listening to her, tired of them assuming they knew best. She wanted Seth to make her feel gorgeous and sexy, she wanted the release of a good orgasm—but more than that, she wanted him to listen. She wanted to be heard.
She tugged on his hair—hard—pulling him back to where she needed him. “I said yes,” she hissed, watching as his eyes fluttered shut and he inhaled her scent deeply. “And I meant it. I won’t beg, Seth. You’re going to give me what I want and that’s final.”
He moaned. He was on his knees in front of her, his face buried against her sex, and he moaned. It was a noise of pure want and it shot straight through her. And then he kissed her, right where she needed his mouth. His lips moved over that nub of skin and nerves and then it was her moaning as she held him to her. His tongue flicked out and traced a pattern on her skin, one that she would feel for the rest of her life.
He was marking her, and she was his to be marked.
As his mouth worked her body, the rest of the world fell away. She stopped worrying about her rounded tummy or her woeful closet. Commissions and tours and kitchens—they all fell away. Even the fantasy that had been Seth—him stripping her at the scenic overlook and instead of putting her on a motorcycle, doing this exact same thing—it fell away because that hadn’t been real. It’d been a bedtime story she’d told herself, a lie to convince herself that she was still Kate Burroughs and that was good enough.
This? This was not a lie. She was Kate Burroughs and Seth wasn’t some mysterious, handsome stranger, he was a man—a warm, solid, flesh-and-blood man—who wanted her. More than that, he was putting her first. Hell, she hadn’t even gotten his shirt off. She wanted to see his body, to touch it and taste it.
She wanted him all for herself. Not for anyone else, not for a commission. She wanted Seth Bolton because he was a man she liked, a man who cared about what happened to her. A handsome, confident man.
A man who was very good with his mouth. There was something naughty about this. They hadn’t made it to a bed—no one was naked. But there was something freeing about it, too.
“God, Kate—you taste so good,” he murmured against her sensitized flesh, his words vibrating right through her. “Better than I imagined.”
Well, they were being honest. “I dreamed of you doing this, too,” she told him. The hand that was still on her bottom slipped underneath her panties so he could grip her harder. It wasn’t enough. She heard herself say, “I need more, Seth.”
The request shocked her. Had she ever said that before? If she had, she was pretty sure it hadn’t gotten the desired result. When had she learned that, even in bed, she had to be quiet and go along to get along? Whose bright idea was that?
“Mmm, something more.” He leaned back. The next thing Kate knew, her panties had been pulled down and Seth was back between her legs. This time, in addition to his mouth, his fingers began to work her. He stroked up and down and found that sensitive nub again, teasing it with his teeth as he slipped a finger inside he
r.
The relief was so intense that she could’ve cried. He thrust that finger into her in time with the movements of his tongue and his lips, and it was everything she’d ever wanted and never gotten.
Then, just when she was sure she couldn’t take another moment, he added a second finger and she was lost.
Eleven
Kate’s grip on his hair bordered on painful, but Seth wasn’t about to do anything to stop the incoming wave of her orgasm. He could take a little pain for her.
She was so beautiful when she came. Her color was high and her eyes were glazed over with lust. And her body? Damn, her body. There was something so lush and gorgeous about her that even though he was inside her, he couldn’t get enough. He had never been this hard for a woman, never this desperate.
“Seth—Seth!” she gasped as her body convulsed around him. He leaned in, putting just a little more pressure against the spot that drove her wild. The noise she made—he wanted to capture it in a kiss and hold it deep inside him, but he didn’t dare let her go.
Her back arched off the wall and then the crisis passed and she slumped, her legs giving out. He managed to catch her before she toppled them both over. “I’ve got you, babe,” he whispered against her breast as he studied her.
For a long few minutes, they stayed in this awkward pose, him on his knees, her half draped over him. She was breathing hard, and he wasn’t much better off.
He needed to move. It was torture to sit on his heels in these boots, torture to keep these jeans buttoned. He needed to lay her out on the bed and show her that had just been a preview of what was to come.
But when he shifted to stand and sweep her into his arms, he realized there were tears running down her cheeks. “Kate?”
She blinked at him. “Seth...” she murmured, sounding almost as confused as she looked.
“Oh, God—I’m sorry,” he said, scrambling to his feet and pulling her into his arms. He crushed her in a hug and then realized perhaps crushing was not the best option right now, so he shifted to make sure he was merely holding her firmly. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“What? No—no, you don’t understand.” She sniffed and pulled away, scrubbing at her cheeks with the back of her hand. “That was amazing, Seth. I don’t think... I’m sorry. I’m not upset. It’s the hormones. I’ve never—This isn’t—I...” She trailed off, looking, if possible, even more confused.
Oh, thank God. He hadn’t hurt her, hadn’t crossed the line—hadn’t misread the situation. “So you’re okay?”
She smiled—a watery smile, but a smile all the same. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ve ever been better. It was amazing. You,” she said, poking him in the chest, “are amazing. And wearing far too many clothes.”
“I can fix that.” He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt, but she batted his hands away.
“I want to do it.”
“Never let it be said that I don’t give a woman what she wants.” He let his hands fall to his sides as she began to tug at his T-shirt. She was in no hurry, her movements languid and relaxed. Her tears had dried and all that was left was that knowing smile, satisfied and ready for more. He’d put that smile on her face and by God, he’d leave another in its place.
She pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the side. “Good heavens, Seth—you’re stunning.”
She skimmed her hands over his chest, brushing his nipples and taking the measure of his waist. He fought to keep the groan from escaping. “I aim to please.”
She paused at the button of his jeans and shot him a look. “What about you? What do you want?”
The word everything popped up in his head before he could think. But he didn’t say that, not out loud. This was short-term, fun. No strings attached. He could have everything, for a limited time only.
For some reason, the thought made him sadder than he expected. He didn’t expect it to upset him at all, frankly. He expected to get lucky and have a good time and call it a day. He didn’t want anything more.
Kate began working at his button fly, drawing his attention back to her. She was simply the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He wanted to burn that ugly black suit and deliver Kate to his aunt Stella, the fashion designer. He wanted to wrap her in vibrant blues and golds and greens. He wanted to see Kate in all of her glory, instead of her beauty hidden.
He pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and sank his fingers into her locks. “Beautiful,” he said as he arranged her silky hair around her shoulders.
She shoved his pants down and he kicked out of his boots. That left him in nothing but his boxer briefs—which were barely keeping his erection contained.
Kate straightened, a shy smile on her face. He knew she was no innocent, but there was still something unsure about her. Which she only reinforced when she asked, “Now what?”
He didn’t particularly want to think about Roger Caputo right now, but again he had to wonder what the hell had been wrong with that man. Kate was a gorgeous, passionate woman and Roger had just let her go. Was he that damned blind that he couldn’t see what was right in front of him?
If Kate were his, Seth would do everything in his power not just to keep her, but to keep her safe and whole and so blissfully happy that she never had to worry about anything.
Too damned bad she wasn’t his.
“Bed,” he said, having trouble thinking straight. He was personally familiar with the concept of lust—but this? This was different. More intense. He was desperate for her, and he had never been desperate before. Hard up, maybe. But not like this.
She ducked her head and turned toward the king-size bed. But Seth reached out and turned her back toward him. “Wait for me, babe,” he murmured, drawing her in close so that he could feel her breasts pressed against his bare chest. He fisted his hand in her hair. Tilting her face to his, he brought his mouth down upon hers.
He kissed her with everything he had. She made a squeak of surprise but then she melted into him. She tasted so good—he couldn’t get enough of her. And when her arms came around his waist and she slid her hands down to cup his ass, he got even harder.
He wanted to take his time with her—he was taking his time with her—but the intensity of his desire was blinding. He began to walk her back toward the bed, never taking his mouth from hers.
She came alive against him. He could almost see the moment when she forgot to be self-conscious and nervous. He could definitely taste the sweetness of that moment. He captured her little noises and need with his lips. He let go of her hair long enough to unfasten her bra and cast it aside, and then he had to look.
“Sweet Jesus, Kate,” he groaned, cupping her breasts in his hands. They were full and heavy, her nipples a deep russet red. “Perfect,” he said, brushing his thumbs back and forth over her tips and watching them tighten.
She gasped her arousal. “They’re not usually that—oh, Seth,” she moaned as he lowered his head to one and replaced his thumb with his tongue. “They got bigger. More—oh! More sensitive.” Her hands found his hair and, just like she had held him to her sex before, she held him to her breast now.
The words were slow to penetrate the fog of desire in Seth’s mind, but penetrate they did. More sensitive—that meant he needed to be gentle. It meant that if he played his cards right, he might be able to drive her to orgasm just by playing with her nipples alone.
The back of her legs hit the bed and she sat abruptly. Seth came off her breast with an audible pop. She blinked up at him, apparently surprised as to how she’d landed where she was. “Seth,” she whispered. She stroked her hands down his chest, and his stomach—then she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his briefs and pulled.
They had all night. That was what Seth kept telling himself when his cock sprang free. He held his hands at his side, giving her the space to
explore without making any demands. Because they had all night and he had nowhere he had to be tomorrow morning and by God, he was going to make this memorable for her.
“Wow,” she said, tracing the tip of her finger along the side of his erection, making him quiver. “I had no idea.” Seth was powerless to keep the growl inside.
Maybe he wouldn’t despise Roger. True, the man had apparently never done anything good for Kate, but on the other hand, it was going to be easy—and enjoyable—to blow Kate’s preconceived notions of sex and intimacy out of the water.
She wrapped her hand around his shaft and stroked once, twice—all while staring at him intently. “Is it okay if I do this?” she asked, stroking him again.
“God, yes.” Why wouldn’t it be?
“I just...” But she didn’t finish the thought. Instead, she stroked him slowly, driving him past the point of thinking. And that was before she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his tip.
And suddenly it was too much. Before she could take him into her mouth, Seth grabbed her by the hair and pulled her away. “I can’t—Kate,” he said, not even able to get a coherent thought out. He leaned down and crushed his mouth over hers, desperate to be inside her. But at the very last second, his lone remaining functional brain cell kicked into gear—the condom. It wasn’t like he could get her more pregnant—but safe sex was good sex. He forced himself to pull away from her and went to grab his jacket, fishing the condoms out.
When he turned back to the bed, Kate was leaning on her elbows, watching him intently. There was something so right about her, about them being here together. Everything, he thought, staring at her. She was everything.
He prowled across the hotel room, kneeling on the bed next to her. He was supposed to be saying things to her, he was pretty sure—sweet nothings about how gorgeous she was, how excited he was—how great he was going to be for her.
He had nothing. Not a damned thing. And when she reached out and gripped his erection again, the need to be buried inside her was overwhelming.
Little Secrets--Claiming His Pregnant Bride Page 10
