by A. C. Arthur
“I should check the locks and stuff before we go to bed,” she said in a nervous whisper. She didn’t know what she’d expected at his suggestion of a nightcap in front of the fire, but this cozy, intimate setting was definitely not it. The entire house was dark save for the orange glow coming from the indentation in the living-room wall surrounded by a brick ledge. That ledge was lined with linen napkins, a crystal bowl full of strawberries and a bottle of champagne accompanied by two flutes. This was more a romantic setup than a casual nightcap, and she was instantly alarmed.
“I’ve checked them already.” He stood in the center of the blanket, his hand extended to her.
He looked so damned good standing there in the midst of that intense blaze. Her heart hammered and she took a step backward.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she heard herself saying. “I mean, I don’t think Yolanda would approve.” She lifted her head defiantly. How dare he try this evening of seduction on her after she watched him kissing another woman?
Renny gritted his teeth, wanting to yell that there was nothing between him and Yolanda, but then he resisted. If she wanted to play that game he’d play along until she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Yolanda understands.”
Appalled, Bree could only stare at him. “She understands what? That you’re a careless womanizer? That she means nothing more to you than the next passing piece of ass?”
Her eyes sparked and Renny swore at any moment one of those fierce flashes would land directly at his feet. Was it possible that a woman could be even more attractive when she was angry? “It’s not the next passing piece. I’m very selective.” He held back a grin, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Bree threw something at him. Her chest heaved with her growing anger, her breasts moving enticingly.
“Selective?” Bree yelled as she took a step closer to him. “You are despicable! My brother was so right when he warned me against you.” She drew nearer to him with every word she spoke. “You think every woman is just ready to bow at your feet and do your bidding. Well, Mr. Lorenzo Bennett, that’s where you’re mistaken! I wouldn’t bow at your feet—”
Renny lifted a finger to her lips to silence her. “I don’t want you to bow at my feet, Sabrina.” Then he dropped a quick kiss on her lips, on her neck, on her cotton-covered breasts and down to her stomach. “I’d much rather kneel at yours.”
He’d buried his face in her stomach as he fell to his knees in front of her. Every other word flew out of Bree’s mind as his hands held her waist. “I don’t play like this, Renny.” Then she moaned as he lifted the hem of her shirt and kissed her bared belly.
Renny paused, looked up at her darkening expression. “I think we both know I’m not playing.” His tongue found her navel and delved inside.
Bree held on to his shoulders, closing her eyes to the wonderful sensations. Then with every ounce of control she had left she pulled away and walked closer to the fire before taking a seat on the blanket. She stared at the flames even as she heard Renny come to sit beside her. He didn’t touch her this time. He simply waited.
“I’ve never been into casual sex,” she said bluntly.
Renny reached around her, pulled the bowl of strawberries from the ledge and set it between them. He took a particularly plump one off the top and with a finger on her chin turned her to face him. “It might surprise you, but neither am I.” He held the strawberry by its stem and traced the edge over her lips.
“But? I don’t understand?”
“Shh. Just listen to me for a minute.” He continued rubbing the fruit over her lips and felt a lurch in his groin when her tongue snaked out to lick it before she captured it between her teeth. Juice streamed down her chin and when she would have wiped it away with her fingers he leaned forward and licked it off. She didn’t move, only watched him intently until he pulled back. “Here, drink this.” He offered her the flute full of champagne.
“Over the years it seems my reputation has preceded me. I’ve often found that when people don’t know enough about you, they begin to make stuff up. And because I’m not in the forefront of the family business with my father and brothers, they’ve never really heard enough about me.”
The champagne was cool and refreshing going down, highlighting the sweetness of the strawberry. Bree cradled the glass in her hands and watched the man beside her transform yet again. No longer was he the gorgeous billionaire with the tarnished reputation. Now he seemed to be more the vulnerable man wounded by some circumstance of life. “So they made up what they wanted and are determined to have everyone believe it’s true.”
He gave her a wry grin. “Something like that.”
Bree completely realized that this could be a ploy. But something told her it wasn’t.
Bree lifted a strawberry from the bowl and mimicked his previous movements on his lips. When juice spilled from his mouth, she smiled as she leaned in closer to take care of it for him. But he wasn’t as restrained as she was; he grabbed the back of her head, slanting her mouth over his and thrusting his tongue inside.
Bree was drowning in the sweetness of the kiss. While his tongue was persistent, his hands on her demanding, the fruity taste of the berries mingled with the sense that this was more than just a kiss…more than just a seduction had her eager with anticipation. He must have moved that bowl from between them because the next thing she knew—and without pulling his lips from hers—she was lying on her back, his toned body stretched atop hers.
Every part of her tingled, from her ankles to her knees that were now tangling themselves around his legs; to her thighs and her pelvic area that thrust simultaneously with his. Renny’s hands moved from her hair and neck to her breasts, kneading them both with a fluid expertise she’d never experienced before. He invaded every part of her, his words about not being the playboy the public made him out to be floating through her mind, even as his tongue mastered hers. She ran her hands up and down the back of his head, to his strong shoulders, then finally beneath the hem of his shirt to touch the muscles beneath. She whimpered when her skin made contact with his.
The moment he felt her hands on his bare back, Renny’s body went into overdrive, taking his mind right along with it. He’d admired her for the past week, had watched the motions and gyrations of her body as she moved around him. He’d tasted the sweetness of her kiss and knew he’d never be able to stop there. A few feet away the fire crackled, champagne grew warm, the scent of strawberries wafted through the air, but none of that mattered. All he could concentrate on was her, the feel of her softness beneath him, the beat of her heart against his chest, the sensations her fingers erupted in him.
He trailed moist kisses across the stubborn jawline he’d become so familiar with, down her neck until he reached the hollow at her shoulders. Her shirt stopped his downward progress and with a savage growl he grabbed the hem of it and pulled it over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra, her unbound breasts pert and glowing in the dim light. With a move so slow, so tender he almost moaned, Renny dipped his head and took one pebbled nipple into his mouth while cupping the other breast in his hand. She wasn’t too big that her small frame was disproportioned, nor was she so small to seem boyish, but her mounds fit perfectly in the palm of his hand and he kneaded in rhythm with each breath she expelled.
He touched her breasts as if they were priceless gems that he didn’t want to break. He licked them with featherlike strokes of his tongue, then squeezed them until her center throbbed. With the pads of his fingers lightly passing over each nipple, Bree was in heaven. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she should proceed carefully with him, her last relationship having ended badly, but she couldn’t stop him and didn’t really want to.
Renny devoted all his attention to her breasts as she squirmed beneath him, unable to sate every desire she felt creeping through her system. She struggled only momentarily to get his T-shirt up and over his head, but when she did, she did not hesitate in lifting slightly so she coul
d take each of his beaded nipples into her mouth. His hands threaded in her hair, steadying her movements, and she felt his ragged breaths firsthand.
“Sabrina,” he whispered.
Bree loved the way he said her name, the S sound sending marvelous chills up and down her spine. She rubbed her cheek over the hardness of his chest, for once in her life feeling a safety that she couldn’t explain. His shoulders were broad, his muscles toned and delectable; her hands and mouth couldn’t get enough of him, and her motions became frantic. When her hands roamed lower she felt his bulging desire and jerked away.
Renny still had his fingers entwined in her hair and noticed the moment she began to retreat. He pulled her head back gently, looking down into her eyes. What he saw there had him clenching his teeth in anger. She was afraid.
His brave little bodyguard, the mouthy spitfire that kept him on his toes daily was afraid of his desire for her. Only another man could spark that type of fear, and for a moment Renny thought he could actually kill a human being. He tamped down on his temper and asked her quietly, “What is it, baby?”
Bree had never felt such conflict in her life. On the contrary, she’d always been so sure of her decisions, so clear on her goals. But now, this time, in this man’s arms she wasn’t sure. Her track record proved her decision-making skills were dulled when it came to men, yet she felt this overwhelming sense that Renny was different. “I…I can’t. I mean, this is probably a mistake.” She tore her eyes away from his because he looked at her with such concern, such soul-shattering compassion that she wanted to cry for the mistake she’d made in the past and the one she was probably making again.
Renny slackened his hold on her hair, let his hands fall to cup her face. “I won’t hurt you, Sabrina.”
That’s what they all say. Bree shook her head. “I just don’t think I can do this, Renny. It would be a mistake.”
Her voice hitched as she spoke and he knew he could never pressure her, could never push her to do what she simply wasn’t ready to do. Though the throbbing in his pants was persistent, he was in control and as he pushed her onto her back he vowed to find out what had spooked her so and drive it from her mind. “You don’t have to do anything, baby. Just lie here and let me relax you.”
Those big expressive eyes looked at him as if he’d just spoken a foreign language and he couldn’t help but smile. This was the Sabrina he knew. The intelligent one, the careful, no-nonsense one that took her job seriously. But as he touched her, as he’d kissed her, he’d gotten a sense of the other Sabrina. The passionate one, the desirable one, the one that made his blood simmer and boil. “Trust me, sweetheart.”
She shouldn’t. Trust was something earned and not to be given haphazardly, she’d learned that already. Yet he hadn’t lied to her, his past could be easily checked out if she really wanted to, but she felt inclined to just believe him. She lifted a hand to his face, her fingers outlining his lips, feeling the tickle of his new growth. “You are not what I expected,” she whispered.
He captured a finger between his lips, drew it into his mouth and suckled. Her eyes grew dark and he knew that she was allowing herself to feel the heat between them again. Whatever had scared her earlier was losing this battle. He wouldn’t push her, but he would give her a taste of how things could be. “Stop expecting so much. Just feel.”
He kissed down the length of her arm until his lips found her breasts again. He didn’t spend a lot of time there, though he could have entertained himself with those twin mounds all night. Instead he moved to her belly, kissing her navel and lavishing moist kisses to each side. When her breathing increased, the subtle movements of her hips turned more frantic. Renny slipped his fingers beneath the elastic band of her pajamas. Lifting her hips slightly off the floor, he removed the pants first, leaving her panties in place just in case she grew afraid again.
He pulled her foot up toward his mouth and licked the heel, then her arch, and finally moved his tongue eagerly over each toe. He stole a glance at her to make sure she was okay. She’d lifted her arms until they had fallen on the pillows above her, her eyes slightly open. Taking that as a good sign, he kissed all the way up to her inner thighs, lavishing each side with long strokes of his tongue. He could smell her scent and all the blood in his body moved quickly to one spot. He was harder than he’d ever been in his life and thought for sure he’d embarrass himself at any moment.
“Oh, Renny,” Bree whispered.
The sound of his name so soft in the air made him more eager to please her. He spread her legs, licked her center one time through the cotton of her panties and heard her immediate intake of breath.
Her panties slid down her legs quickly and he touched her with a finger first, opening her swollen lips, spreading her essence throughout her center. He lifted that finger, looked down at her, then placed it into his mouth.
Bree was watching every move he made, not wanting to miss a thing. She’d never felt this way before, never had a man do the things to her that Renny was doing. Somewhere in the back of her mind Bree realized that allowing this intimacy was wrong, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
Renny lifted her legs, placed them on his shoulders, then looked up at her one last time. “I would never hurt you, Sabrina. But I am going to make you scream.” With that said his tongue slipped between her legs, moving with long, bold strokes from top to bottom and back again.
Bree gripped the blanket beneath her trying to hold on to any scraps of dignity she had left. This…what he was doing now…had most definitely never happened to her in all her thirty-four years. The sensations ripping through her now roared at a rapid pace and she felt as if a tornado had settled deep in the pit of her stomach and was just starting its spiral out of control.
“Oh, Lorenzo.”
She was calling him by his full name. His tongue moved quickly, still stroking her moist folds. She was almost ready for the true assault. Her thighs shook on his shoulders the second he took her tightened bud between his teeth.
His name tore from her mouth faster. “Lorenzo. Lorenzo. Lorenzo!”
She lifted her hips to meet his thrusts and Renny slipped a finger inside her opening. She moaned, a long guttural sound that signaled her release was near. He’d told her he would make her scream and dammit, that’s exactly what he planned to do.
He slipped another finger inside her even as his mouth continued to work her. Bending those fingers inside her in an upward motion, brushing her upper walls, he summoned her release.
Bree could hear her voice, heard his name rushing from her lips in an ultrafeminine tone and couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it. He probably thought she was a raving lunatic. But then, if he but stopped this sweet torture, she wouldn’t be acting this way. His fingers were so deep inside her she would swear they were in the vicinity of her lower stomach. And his lips tightened, then released the hold on her only to allow his tongue to take over the torment.
Her pitch grew louder as her thighs tightened around his head. She was so sweet, so responsive to him. Renny would give anything to sink his manhood inside her depth, but that would have to be for another time. Right now it was all about Sabrina and winning her trust. His fingers moved faster, his tongue keeping up the pace when she groaned again, his name wrenching from her almost as if it were painful.
“Lorenzo. Ooooohhhh, Lorenzo. Yeeeeesssss!”
Bree shook uncontrollably as that tornado grew and took shape, whipping about everything inside her, swirling until she was dizzy with bliss, then blowing away just as abruptly as it started, leaving her floating slowly back to earth.
Renny slowed his movements, her climax melting over his lips and fingers. Her thighs stilled and he let them fall from his shoulders slowly. He kissed her now-trembling thighs before moving upward to her navel, then to her breasts again. She wasn’t moving, but her breathing was erratic. For a moment he laid his head on her heart, wondering what it would feel like to have his own special place there.
&nbs
p; He moved until he was level with her face and dropped a soft kiss on her other swollen lips. Bree stirred, opening her eyes as if she were in a drunken stupor. Looking at him was different now. Amazingly, she wasn’t embarrassed by what had just happened between them, but she was baffled by his unselfishness. They both knew he could have had his way with her and she would have been powerless to stop him. But he hadn’t. He’d stopped himself. That one action proved to her above any background check she could ever perform that Renny Bennett was no playboy. He was a man. A man any woman would be lucky to have. But was he for her?
Renny saw the moment questions began to race through her mind and held back a frown. “No. Don’t do that, baby. Don’t question yourself or me right now. Just feel.” He kissed her lightly again. “Just feel.” His lips, more persistent now, parted hers until his tongue touched hers again.
Chapter 6
Bree was warm, and she snuggled back against the source of heat. She’d been dreaming a wonderful dream of swimming in clear, blue water, walking on white beaches, eating exotic foods…and making love to a gorgeous man. A smile played over her lips and she moaned as that man came up behind her, lifted her hair and dropped a kiss on her shoulder, then moved to her neck. “I love you,” he whispered over and over again, filling her with such joy and contentment that she wanted to cry.
