BarelyBreathing

by Lacey Thorn

  She could feel his cock flexing and filling the condom, felt the heat of his semen through the thin layer of protection he wore. His hips flexed, lifting her just a bit higher and then her knees met the bed again and his weight collapsed over her. He adjusted just enough so he wasn’t crushing her chest but was still on her, buried in her. His head was beside her on the pillow and she could feel his breath fanning her hair.

  She couldn’t have stopped herself from turning to look at him if she’d wanted to. And she didn’t. His blue eyes were bright and warm reflecting the smile that spread across his lips. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the tip of her nose.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning.”

  “My mornings have never been so good. Waking up next to you. A man could get addicted to having you in his bed.”

  Her eyes widened a bit in surprise and Griff pressed his lips together. Shit. Was he uncomfortable with what he’d said? Or had her response prompted it? She was so out of her element here. He just took her feet out from under her.

  She cleared her throat.

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” She tried for a playful tone, then worried for a moment about her breath. Christ, she didn’t do mornings after. She had sex. She left. She woke up alone in her bed. The end. Now she was not only with someone, but in his bed. It left her uncertain of what to do or say.

  “Who’s Vince?”

  “What?” She jerked a bit, wondering where that question had come from and felt his cock slide out of her. She grit her teeth and hissed as he slid free. She hadn’t had sex in a long while and twice within twenty-four hours had her pussy reminding her of that fact.

  “Did I hurt you?” He moved and a hand smoothed down her spine while his eyes did a visual scan as if searching for bruises or damage. Her research had hit the bull’s-eye with him. He was as great a guy as it seemed.

  “No, it’s just been a while.”

  She didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up and she almost snorted a laugh. What was it with guys getting all macho if they thought they were the cause of you doing something you hadn’t? There was no missing he was happy she hadn’t been with anyone in a while. But what about him?

  “Thanks for thinking of protection. I’m on the Pill and my last checkup showed I’m good. No diseases or anything.” She couldn’t help the blush that stained her cheeks. This was important though. Hell, life and death even with some of the things people shared now. Pregnancy was often the least of a modern girl’s concerns. “It’s been a few months since I had sex.”

  “Glad I could persuade you to break the dry spell.” He grinned, looking cocky and unbelievably gorgeous. “I’ve got a clean bill of health as well.”

  She could tell him it was just because she’d been so busy lately, but why deflate his ego? “I can’t imagine many women tell you no.”

  He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

  “A gentleman wouldn’t be cocky about breaking my dry spell.”

  “Touché.” He laughed. “I guess I can’t imagine a woman as beautiful and sexy as you not having men beating your door down to get to you.” His gaze ran over her appreciatively. “Especially if they’ve ever seen you like this.”

  “I don’t do mornings after.” The confession was out before she could bite the words back. His eyes flared and held hers captive.

  “You’ve never spent the night with a man?”

  “No.”

  There was no missing the cocky smugness that filled his eyes again. She did snicker this time and sent an elbow to his side as she shifted out from under him.

  “Don’t get any ideas, Romeo. I don’t exactly have anywhere to go right now.”

  He didn’t seem to like that reminder and her heart beat a little funny. She was not going to fall for him. She refused. She didn’t need the heartbreak, which was certain to come as he got to know her better. They all fell for a pretty face, but show them the substance and brains beneath and it was a different story. Better to understand that from the get-go.

  He cleared his throat, eyes all over her as she rose naked from the bed. She could grab at something, but he’d explored every inch of her already. What was the point? And she didn’t play coy. Ever.

  She cleared her throat and his eyes lifted back to her face. She could feel her nipples tingling from the heated look he’d been giving them. She smiled when she saw the flush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

  “I’d like for you to stay with me while you’re here.” She had to give him props for holding her gaze as she moved around the bed to sit beside where he still sprawled. And she had to give them to herself for not letting her eyes rake over him from head to toe. “I like you. You said you like me. And we already know the sex is amazing.”

  “Amazing?” She couldn’t help the smile.

  “Fantastic.” He nodded. “I want you.” He nodded down at his cock and she gasped when she saw it was already hard again. “Even when I’ve just had you, I want you.”

  “I want you too.”

  His eyes flared and he reached down, gingerly pulling the used condom off. His cock shone with the residue of his last release and she licked her lips. Before he could do more than tie it off, she turned and took the tip in her mouth. She heard his hissed breath and let her tongue slide over the head. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and pumped him while she took her time exploring with her tongue.

  His fingers tunneled in her hair and he moaned low and long. “Fuck, Honor. You feel so good.”

  He tasted good. Not salty, not sweet, but some unique combination of the two. He smelled of them and sex with a little of the scent of the condom he’d been wearing mixed in. It was good. She shut her mind off, refused to think of anything beyond this moment. When the end came and it was time to move on, she’d deal with it. But for now, while she was here and alive, she would indulge every moment, every act he desired.

  He hissed. “Fuck, baby, it’s so good. I love the way you suck my cock. The way your hot little tongue strokes. Yesssss!”

  She took him deep, matching the stroking of her hand to the up and down suction of her mouth. She took as much of his length as she could and still there was so much left. His cock was certainly proportional to his size and she was just the girl to take it. Every inch of it. He’d said even after having her, he wanted her. Truth was she felt the same. Hell, she’d wanted him when he was nothing more than a picture in a file. The flesh-and-blood man was almost more than she could handle.

  She swirled and sucked, used her hand to squeeze and rub. She moved her other hand down to fondle the taut sac of his balls. He lifted his hips into her and she felt the tangle of his fingers in her hair. She’d given her fair share of blowjobs. Usually it had been because she didn’t want sex. So she’d give a little blow and go. Guys liked that and didn’t seem to care what you did once they got off.

  But Griff… Damn, he tasted so good. She would suck him off any time. Hell, she even wanted to swallow him, wanted to give him the ultimate pleasure, and that was something she never did. She couldn’t share it with him though. He’d looked cocky enough earlier after her months comment. Which reminded her, she should torture him a little bit for that. She reluctantly pulled her mouth off his cock and switched her hand movements to include the head.

  “Ummmmmmm,” she purred, licking her lips. “You taste so good.”

  “What?” She felt a little pride at how out of it he sounded. There was no way for him to hide just how much he was enjoying her.

  “So good, Griff, that I want to swallow you whole.”

  “Fuck.”

  She didn’t miss the mutter or the way his hips fucked his shaft up into her pumping hand. She squeezed, gave the head a light twist and stroked back down to his balls.

  “You like that idea? Want me to swallow that cock, baby?”

  “Anything,” he groaned. “Anything you want if it gets your mouth back on my cock.”

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nbsp; She bent her head back down and let her mouth consume the head of his cock. Her tongue found the notch just under and rubbed him. She loved the way the broad head rose over the shaft of his cock, so much wider, like a crown. His cock had a mushroom shape to it, which her pussy thoroughly enjoyed.

  Her hand sped up, working and rubbing his shaft. She sucked hard and flicked her tongue. She felt the flex of his ass, the jerk of his cock and knew he was close to coming. She slid the hand working his balls down to the skin just behind his sac and rubbed him there, pressing her fingers into him.

  His fingers clenched in her hair, sending tingles of pain through her scalp. His hips surged high and the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat, making her gag just a bit before she adjusted the angle and eased back a little. She sucked hard and tapped the tip of her tongue against the slit as his cock flexed and jerked.

  The first wash of his cum hit her tongue and filled her mouth. She swallowed him down, not having the time to savor as he spurted again. He filled her mouth three times before it dwindled to a tiny drizzle of cum. Now she rubbed her tongue over him, finally able to fully taste and savor his unique flavor. She’d never enjoyed giving a blowjob so much in her life.

  She’d never swallowed. The few times a guy had managed to spurt in her mouth, she’d quickly spit it out. But Griff… Damn, she could suck his cock every day. She was afraid she might build up an appetite for his cum, a craving. She eased her mouth away at the thought. Not smart.

  “I think you may have just killed me.” Griff’s groan had her smiling as he panted. He slid his hands to her shoulders and the next thing she knew she was plastered against his chest. “You could become an addiction for a man.”

  His comment mimicked her unspoken one far too closely and she felt a shiver go down her spine.

  “Are you cold?” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tighter to him. His body was a furnace. There was no way she was cold but she’d let him think so.

  “What time is it?” Focus on the day. She’d never had to remind herself before. Griff Daniels was fucking up her world and knocking it off its axis. And if this was her response with less than twenty-four hours with him… How was she going to feel tonight when they returned to his bed? Or tomorrow? Shit. She was in big trouble here. It said a lot when you feared the man making you feel things more than the one trying to kill you.

  “We’ve got another hour before we need to head in to meet Jack.” His hand was running up and down her spine, brushing over the curve of her ass before running back up.

  “I should probably hit the shower.” He shifted beneath her. “Alone.”

  His sigh made her chuckle against his chest. No man should have so much energy. He’d come three times.

  “Go ahead.” He cupped her ass to him and held her close as she began to push her upper body off the bed. “I’ll get coffee and start some breakfast.” He leaned up and nipped her jaw before kissing her softly on the lips. “Thank you, Honor.”

  She was befuddled for a moment. No one had ever thanked her for a blowjob. What did she say?

  “Maybe later, I can return the favor.” His brows wiggled and he gave her a smack on the ass before lifting her off him and getting out of the bed.

  His cock hung soft between his thighs but he did nothing to cover it. He just opened the bedroom door and went out whistling something. She was so out of her element with him. She recalled her last thought before falling asleep last night. It had been about how she could easily fall in love with a man like him. But who was she kidding? There were no other men like Griff. And she was already falling.

  Chapter Six

  “I did a little research last night.” Honor didn’t miss the exasperated sigh Jack Madigan gave at her words.

  “Research that’s going to bring more trouble?”

  “No.” Vince was already after her.

  “Let’s start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know and be honest. I have to know all of it if I’m going to help you out.” Jack crossed his arm and sat back in his chair. She let her gaze dart around.

  When she and Griff had walked in she’d expected to be led straight to Jack Madigan’s office. Instead Griff had taken her to a conference room, got her another cup of coffee and left her there to get comfortable while he “rounded everyone up”. Everyone was apparently Mr. Madigan, Griff, Chetan Donavan and Roman Davis. It was a little intimidating. Especially when they were all looking at her so intently. Plus, she wasn’t sure how comfortable she was talking about a man she’d been duped by and almost slept with in front of the guy she was currently having sex with. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough.

  “When Stace left my dad, I was forced out as well.”

  “Why?” Roman Davis was the one who asked the question.

  She shrugged. “Daddy decided it was a good time for me to have a normal life. Date, get married, have kids and all that shit.” She would not look at Griff sitting beside her. It was bad enough she could feel the heat of his body washing over her.

  “Your dad wanted you safe.” Jack Madigan nodded his head as if it made perfect sense to him. Which, considering he had a daughter of his own, it might.

  “You can’t raise a person to be one way and then expect them to change because you’ve decided they should.”

  “Very true.” Mr. Davis again.

  “Thanks, Mr. Davis.”

  He chuckled. “Roman. No one calls me Mr. Davis.”

  “Roman.”

  “Let’s deal with names first. I’m Jack, or Midnight if you prefer. Chetan, Roman and you met Griff last night.” She fought not to blush as Jack made quick work of the introductions. Oh, she’d met Griff last night all right. And again this morning. Twice. She bit her tongue to hold back the sigh. Fuck! She would not sigh about it.

  “Thank you.” She managed to get the words out and ignore the way Griff’s hand had found her thigh under the table. His fingers were making lazy circles over her jeans and it took all she had not to purr and shift closer. Double fuck. The man was absolutely lethal.

  She cleared her throat and nonchalantly shifted her legs, knocking Griff’s hand off and crossing her legs away from him.

  “So Stace leaves and my dad decides I need to as well. I helped close out a few open files, put some new ones together and he cut me off.”

  “I’ve seen how good you are.” Roman met her eyes.

  “You made the virus that hard killed my desktop?”

  “Yes.”

  “It was amazing. I’d love to see how you put it together.”

  “Honor.” Jack cleared his throat. “Back to what you were telling us. Probably not best to remind me of your little breaking into secure files when you’re asking for help.”

  Roman winked at her and she bit her lip. Griff’s hand was back on her thigh. She glanced toward him but it was as if he was unaware he was even touching her.

  “Right, sorry. I tried. I went into town. I tried to hang out, to meet people, but I’m more of a computer person. I’ve never been real great in crowds. I tend to get a little clutzy. And my mouth. It’s always getting me into shit.”

  “I can imagine.” The way Jack looked at her made her realize she was cussing. But hell, what did they expect from a woman who was raised around a dad like hers and his motley crew?

  “I met Vince.”

  Griff shifted beside her and she let her gaze casually skim over him. He smiled at her and gave her thigh a rub.

  “Is Vince the one chasing you?”

  “Him, and I suspect a few others. I overheard him on the phone.”

  She didn’t have to admit she’d been close to having sex with him. There was no way she’d admit that. She was going to sound foolish enough as it was. “I met him in the pool hall. We had a few beers, talked a bit. I gave him my number.”

  “Did you sleep with him?” The first time Chetan opened his mouth and those words were what he asked. She wanted to kick him. Her eyes met his and she would swea
r he knew exactly what was going on between her and Griff. It was disconcerting to say the least.

  “No.” At least that was the truth. Kissed him. Heavy petting. But he’d not seen her in her skin. Something had always held her back. Now she understood what.

  “Go on,” Jack urged.

  “We were together. He went out back. I stepped out front and was going to circle around the back to see if he was ready to go when I overheard him talking to someone on his phone.”

  Jack leaned forward. “What did you hear?”

  “He said, ‘Nah. I’ve found his weakness. When I’m done playing with her, she’s going to die nice and painfully. Let him see what it’s like when you’re not around to protect the ones who mean the most.’ I wasn’t sure who he was talking to at the time but I knew who the she was.” Honor glanced up. “I have no intention of dying nice and painfully.”

  “I’m assuming he was the research you were doing.” Roman shrugged his shoulders, which she interpreted as an I’d do the same thing kind of comment.

  “Yes. I didn’t before and I’m kicking my own ass for it now. But dad is constantly telling me I can’t put a file together on everyone I meet. Funny, since I learned how to do them from him.”

  “Not everyone can be defined by a file of information,” Jack said softly. “There are depths you can’t breach compiling facts.”

  “But at least it’s a start,” she countered. Had she just dug a little into Vince, he would have never got close enough to access her records.

  “I let him into my house. Invited him in.” There was no way she was even going to try to hide her disgust over that information. “I’m pretty sure he hacked into my system.” It still burned he’d been able to. “Opened a few older files. I didn’t understand why. Those files were closed cases. But I used them to do a little digging last night and I hit the jackpot.”