His Temptation (X Enterprises Book 4)

by Tanya Gallagher

  Inside her apartment, Avery grabbed a few paper towels from the roll on her kitchen counter and led Geoff to the couch. He took the spot next to her, shaking his head when she offered him a spoon. He was too nervous to eat, but what he wouldn’t give to be her ice cream right now, the plastic spoon sucked clean in her mouth.

  “So, what’s up?” Avery asked around a mouthful of dessert.

  “I’ve got a problem.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

  He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. “I miss you, Cheese. I keep wanting to pick up my phone and call you, and then I keep feeling like I can’t. Like the other day, I caught the Sounders game and wanted to pick up the phone just to say ‘Will Bruin’ and hear you laugh. But you ran off on me the other night.”

  She lowered her spoon uncertainly. “We’re friends, Geoff.”

  He shook his head. “We’re not.”

  She blinked at him. “Oh.” A drop of melted ice cream splashed onto her coffee table, leaving behind a pale pink circle.

  “I mean that’s not what I want.” He held her eyes, needing her to see how much he meant this. “I want to be with you, Avery. For real. Not for the show. Sometimes I feel like there’s a whole layer of my life that I don’t need to explain to you because you were already there. I can be comfortable with you, Ave, like we’re picking up in a new place but we’ve got a lifetime of history between us.”

  It was the truth his mind kept spinning back to at home without her, at the bar without her, anywhere without her.

  Her mouth dropped open. “But after the virginity thing…” She shook her head. “I thought you were just being nice about it after that.”

  “No, Avery, I was trying to be respectful.” His hands trembled against his thighs. “I’d love to strip every piece of clothing off of you right now. Get my hands and mouth on you and not let go.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “I thought you didn’t like me. That you were playing along because you had to.”

  “Nothing could be further from the truth. I more than like you, Avery.”

  She winced. “I’m sorry. I’m so bad at reading the signs.” She shrugged. “Guess that’s why I’m still single.”

  Geoff took a deep breath and looked into her clear, beautiful eyes. “Do you want to change that?”

  Chapter 15

  Geoff looked so sincere, sitting on Avery’s couch in his dark jeans and a button-down shirt, asking her for something more. His eyebrows drew together with the question, his voice so vulnerable and full of hope. Avery’s heart leaped at the offer he held out to her, and the memory of every kiss with him stirred in her belly.

  He wanted her.

  He more than wanted her.

  Her mind flashed back to all the little moments with him—those kisses, his arms around her to protect her from the crowd at the Sounders game, the look on his face when she’d flirted with the guy at the kayak rental stand.

  He wasn’t indifferent. He was jealous.

  How could she have been so stupid?

  “Are you sure?” she asked him with trembling lips. “Because there are probably a lot of girls out there who actually say the right thing at the right time. Unlike babbling when they’re nervous. Which is what I’m doing now.”

  Oh, god, she was going to blow this.

  Geoff just grinned. “You’re perfect, Avery. And I love your mouth, no matter what it’s saying.” She snorted, and his smile widened. “I especially love it when it’s calling my name. So what do you say, Cheese Girl? Yes or no?”

  She smiled up at him. “Yes, Rock, yes. I really, really want this.”

  Geoff’s features softened with relief, and he pulled her against him. Avery’s hand landed over his heart, and his strong arms banded around her back. “God, Ave, you have no idea how much I wanted to hear that.” He slanted his mouth over hers and pulled her so close she could feel his heart hammering in his chest, matching the beat of her own.

  In Seattle it rained all the time, but real, huge thunderstorms—the kind with lightning and big, black clouds—were rare. This kiss felt like thunder rumbling before a summer storm, like the sky was going to break open and bring all the rain and relief that the world needed.

  Avery leaned into Geoff’s touch and moaned against him, opening her mouth and letting him in. Her mouth was cold from the ice cream, but he filled it with heat, his tongue demanding and dangerous as it explored hers. She let her eyes fall closed, shutting out the world and all the stupid reasons she’d run away from him before. He was here now, and for whatever reason, he’d picked her.

  She wasn’t going to walk away again.

  Geoff deepened the kiss, controlling it while he tangled a hand in her hair. He guided her backward gently until she was spread on her couch, hot and needy. Avery hadn’t worn a bra tonight, and her nipples tightened under her tank top. His eyes skimmed over them, landing on her face with a reverent look that made her feel desired and cherished at the same time.

  “I like those glasses,” he whispered. “But we should probably take them off.”

  “Mmm,” she agreed. “Probably.” She slipped them from her face and placed them on her side table, then brought her gaze back to Geoff. He looked so damn good, his eyes dark with arousal, his lips full and kissable.

  And hers.

  The thought made her chest heat, and a wave of desire washed over her. “Anything else you think we should take off?” she asked, shooting him a teasing look.

  His voice came out low and surprised. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Ave. You set the pace.”

  She licked her lips and swallowed hard, then reached for the hem of her tank top. She lifted it up and over her head, then wiggled off her shorts. She lay there in only her underwear, her body an offering.

  And Geoff looked at her like she was a prize.

  “God, you’re so beautiful.” His voice was full of heat and awe. “Where have you been my whole life?”

  She smiled back at him. “Right here.” The perfect symmetry of the moment felt exactly right—Geoff who she’d always wanted, who she knew without starting from scratch. At least, she knew him in so many ways except this one. But this way—his tongue on her body, his hands in her hair—might be her favorite way of all.

  Avery ran her fingers over the buttons of his shirt, pulling them open one by one. His shirt revealed inch after inch of tan skin, his toned chest beckoning to her. She’d follow that trail wherever it led.

  Geoff helped her slide the material from his shoulders, then he reached for the button on his jeans. Avery’s eyes widened as he unbuttoned them and slid them over his feet. He was left in just his boxers, his erection straining against the material. All for her.

  She grinned and pulled him down to her, her hands roaming over the tight, firm muscles of his back. He was built like a statue, like someone had dreamed up the perfect man and delivered him right to her doorstep. Clothing optional.

  “Lucky me,” Geoff whispered into her hair.

  He kissed her like the world was ending, his body on hers. This skin to skin sensation was so very, very good, and she was lost to him.

  Avery groaned as Geoff’s erection pressed against her hip, moving her body so she could grind against it. She arched her back, pressing her chest against his, the soft hair on his chest brushing against her nipples.

  He pulled back, breathing heavy. “Jesus, Ave, what are you doing to me?”

  She laughed. “You tell me. Pretty sure you’re the one who’s got more experience here.”

  “Tempting the hell out of me, Ave.”

  She bit her lip. “You don’t need to hold back, Geoff. I’m yours.” It was true even when she’d pushed him away, but here, tonight—together—she’d never meant it more.

  Geoff smiled, but rather than reaching for her again he picked up one of the plastic spoons from the coffee table. Avery rolled up onto her elbow, breathless, and narrowed her eyes. “You’re hungry now?”


  He gave her a dark, sensual look. “I’m starved.”

  “Oh.” The air puffed out of her, and she giggled as he pushed her gently back onto the couch. Then he reached for the ice cream and scooped out a spoonful.

  He dropped it into her bellybutton, licking the spoon before setting it back into the pint of ice cream. Avery shrieked at the cold and wiggled her hips, causing a trail of melted ice cream to spill toward the couch.

  “Catch it!” she squealed.

  Geoff held her still with a hand on the opposite hip, dropping his mouth to the ice cream and licking it clean. The heat of his tongue replaced the cool ice cream, and sensation spiraled across her skin—heat and cold, the gentle tickle of the ice cream and the steady insistence of his tongue. The stubble on his chin scraped across her tender skin, and every nerve in her body lit on fire.

  Oh.

  “Are you going to worry about your couch?” he growled. “Or are you going to let me eat my fill?”

  She shook her head and smiled, her heart trying to burst free from her chest. “Ruin the damn couch for all I care. Just keep going.”

  “Good girl.”

  Geoff swirled his tongue into her bellybutton, lapping at the ice cream, and Avery’s body sang with awareness, her clit begging for attention.

  He sat up and spooned another scoop of ice cream. This time he drew the spoon lower, dripping a trail of melting ice cream from her belly button south, the final spill pooling just above the elastic of her underwear.

  He lowered his mouth, kissing and sucking his way down, then finally pushing her underwear down her thighs.

  He drew in a deep breath. “So beautiful,” he murmured. His words were warm on her clit, and then so was his tongue.

  Avery gasped as his lips grazed her most sensitive skin. “That feels so good, Geoff.”

  “Good.” He stroked his tongue over her, and her hips bucked for him. “You deserve every bit of pleasure I can give you.”

  He kept up his sweet attention, licking and sucking like he really was getting his damn fill, and her apartment filled with the sound of her heavy breathing, her moans as he coaxed her higher and higher.

  Avery scraped a hand through Geoff’s hair, pulling him closer, her hips churning shamelessly now. Her body tingled, so very close to the peak of this mountain. She was going to jump off the top. She was never going to touch the ground.

  “I’m going to come, Geoff,” she whispered, and he smiled against her clit, pushing a finger inside her.

  Then two.

  The dual sensation—his tongue outside of her, his fingers inside—pushed Avery to the edge, and her heart was in her mouth, and her body was pure sensation, and there was nothing in the world except his hot, skilled tongue, stroking her into oblivion.

  “I’m going to—” and then she was crying out wordlessly, her body wracked by an orgasm so strong there were no thoughts anymore, nothing but pleasure. It tumbled through her like an avalanche, reverberating all the way into her heart.

  Oh god.

  Oh, holy shit.

  Geoff.

  He pulled his hands from her, smoothing a kiss high on her inner thigh before drawing up on the couch alongside her. He pressed a kiss against the arch of her neck, then whispered in her ear. “You’re right, Ave. Your orgasm face might be my very favorite.”

  She felt flushed and wild, so beautiful and adored.

  She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her. “Imagine that.”

  Her body was looser, more relaxed now, but Geoff’s erection still pressed against her side. Avery reached a hand down, skimming a finger along the waistband of his boxers. Then further down, underneath the fabric, until she could wrap her hand around him.

  “But what does your orgasm face look like, I wonder?” Her voice came out so breathy, still so aroused.

  Geoff groaned and closed his eyes, the pleasure and concentration on his face making her feel like a goddess. Powerful. His beautiful eyelashes pitched dark against his skin, and when she and Geoff were like this, so close and wrapped up together, his features transformed into bliss.

  This was going to be the face she remembered for the rest of her life.

  This secret side of him that she hadn’t known before.

  She wanted it.

  She wanted him.

  Avery stroked her hand around him, pulling another groan from him, his body hot and hard in her hand.

  “I’m pretty sure you’re making every one of my high school fantasies come true right now,” he confessed.

  She couldn’t help her proud smile. “You fantasized about me?”

  “All the damn time.”

  He tugged her mouth toward him, kissed her so deeply that he left her breathless, her mouth so tender it was almost bruised. All the blood in her body raced straight back between her thighs, and she squeezed him gently, flicked a finger over the soft velvet head.

  He groaned again and pulled away, breathing heavy. “What do you want?”

  “You,” she whispered. She needed him—needed this connection—and she wouldn’t be satisfied until she’d had everything he could give her. “More of you.”

  Geoff stroked a hand over the side of her face. “Then come to the bedroom, Ave. I want you to be comfortable.”

  She nodded, her throat suddenly dry. “Yes.” This was what she wanted. “Okay.”

  Geoff stood and pushed his boxers to his feet, and the full sight of his erection made her swoon. He had a huge, perfect cock—strong and thick—something even better than the toy design team at work could have dreamed up.

  Avery’s eyes widened, and she bit back a grin.

  “Like what you see?”

  “Very, very much. Guess I should have been calling you Rock all along.”

  Geoff’s low, pleased laugh rumbled in her stomach. He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, Cheese. I need to get my hands back on your body as soon as I can.”

  She giggled and led him to her bedroom, anticipation clenching every muscle in her body tight. Geoff kissed her at the foot of her bed and then on top of it, tangling his limbs with hers. Then he helped her toward the pillows and stroked a hand between her legs.

  “So wet for me, Avery.”

  “Yes,” she panted, wrapping a hand around him. “All for you.”

  He dipped a finger inside her, drew her arousal onto her clit and circled his finger so all the sensation in her body swirled onto that tiny bundle of nerves. “You’re going to be sore, Ave.”

  “I can handle it. Please, please come inside me.”

  He held her eye, so sincere she lost her breath. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  He nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth. “Condom?”

  She nodded her head toward her bedside table, and as he reached for a foil packet and rolled the condom over his length, she couldn’t help but want to laugh. This was not how she’d seen tonight going when she’d opened the door to him, but this is exactly how she wanted it now.

  Geoffrey Carter.

  No longer untouchable, unattainable. Just hers, tonight, here and now.

  Geoff returned to the bed, balancing on his forearms above her, and his solid knee nudged hers apart.

  She parted for him, sighed as he rubbed himself at her entrance.

  “This okay, Ave?”

  “More,” she whispered, her heart in her mouth, and he eased inside.

  Geoff moved slowly, entering her inch by inch. He was bigger than any toy she’d ever brought home from work, and the fullness was almost overwhelming. He stroked her from the inside, bringing such perfect pleasure that her eyes fluttered closed. Why had she waited so long for this? It was magic, it was fire, every plane of their bodies connected, just sparking together.

  She was claimed.

  She was his.

  And he was hers.

  Geoff reached the end, so fully inside of her, breathing heavy while he allowed her to adjust. Avery rocked
against him slowly, feeling for the edges of this sensation, finding her comfort.

  “Okay?” he asked again, and she nodded. “Good girl. Just remember to breathe. It makes everything better.”

  She opened her eyes and laughed against him. “I’ll try.”

  Slowly he made love to her, his face buried in her neck, his hands holding her, protecting her, his mouth whispering how very much this meant to him.

  And as they moved together, rocking faster now, Avery realized it wasn’t just her surrendering. It was both of them coming undone, making something fresh and whole with their eager bodies. Something beautiful and new forming in the space of their breath.

  She slipped a hand over his shoulders and pulled him tighter, closer, and he pushed her higher with every stroke. She could feel the heat gathering again, her body quickening.

  “I’m going to come,” Avery whispered, and he lifted his head, stared into her eyes.

  “I want to see your face again.” Geoff churned his hips, cradled the back of her head. “Keep your eyes open, gorgeous.”

  It was so damn hard not to close them, but she made herself stare into his dark brown gaze, so warm and familiar, but so different now, too.

  “I’m going to come, too, sweetheart.” And he was pumping now, faster and faster, all his restraint from before gone as he chased this orgasm. Geoff’s forehead creased in concentration, and each stroke plunged deeper, hit every nerve ending inside Avery’s body.

  She came before she could warn him, calling out his name. “Geoff!” she cried as he brought her over the edge, her body exploding with light.

  He came along with her, a low groan, and his eyes so open and honest. “Oh, god, Avery,” he moaned, pumping, extending her orgasm, making her vision fill with stars. “Thank you.”

  He kissed her gently, then searched her eyes. “Was that okay for you?”

  “More than okay.” Her heart raced as she grinned back at him, tapped a hand against his chest. “When can we do that again?”

  Chapter 16

  Geoff woke in Avery’s bed with her hair tickling his cheek and her soft body pressed against his, all heat and promise. Her eyes were already open, sleepy but satisfied, and for the first time since he’d moved back to Seattle, he had the feeling that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.