Ivy sighed with pure pleasure as his mouth subjected hers to a passionate exploration. His tongue playfully teased hers into a sexy tango, one of his hands coming up to cradle her face, the other to hold the back of her head, his fingers splaying through her hair. Desire flared and flamed in her lower body, longing coursing through her flesh like lashing tongues of flame. She was pressed so close to him she could feel every hard ridge and contour of his body, the heat and potency of his arousal against her stirring her female flesh into a frenzy of want. She could feel the secret preparation of her body, the dewy wetness of female arousal and the low, deep pulse in her core.
Louis raised his mouth off hers and led her to the bed. He whipped off the covers, then his shirt and trousers, and drew her down beside him on the bed. He was still wearing his underwear, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his aroused length tenting the fabric, but was too shy to reach for him. What if she did something wrong? What if he didn’t like her touch?
‘You can touch me if you want.’ His voice was deep and rough with desire.
‘What if I don’t do it right?’
He took her hand and placed it on his erection over his underwear, a ripple of pleasure passing over his face at her touch. Then he peeled his underwear out of the way and placed her hand on him, skin on skin. ‘You won’t hurt me. That’s it, hold me in your hand.’
He was so thick and strong, like velvet-covered steel, and her intimate muscles quivered at the thought of him entering her. She stroked him harder, enjoying the guttural sounds he was making, enjoying the power it gave her to tantalise him with her touch.
‘My turn now.’ He removed her hand from his body and gently pushed her back down on the mattress, propping himself up on one elbow, the other hand stroking her from her breasts to her belly and back again in long, slow strokes until her back was almost arching off the bed. He went lower with his hand, cupping her mound over her knickers. She moaned against his hand, wanting more but unsure how to ask for it. He left his hand where it was and kissed her mouth again, long, slow and deep. It gave her time to get used to feeling him touching her, holding the most sensitive part of her body without pushing her to go any further. But she wanted to go further, she wanted to go all the way. Her body was hungry and aching for his possession.
‘I want you.’ Her voice came out breathless.
‘Patience, ma petite.’ His tone had a sexy, raspy edge that made her shiver all the more with longing. ‘There’s no rush.’
Ivy took his hand and placed it on her female flesh. ‘I want you to touch me. I need you to.’
His eyes darkened until there was only a narrow rim of grey-blue visible around the bottomless black of his pupils. ‘How about we take these off, hmm?’ He peeled away her knickers and she lifted her hips to help him, way beyond shyness with her body raging with such unstoppable lust. He stroked the seam of her body, slowly, torturously slowly, and every nerve in her pelvis fizzed like a firework. Hot streaks of sensation ran down her legs, a warm pool forming at the base of her spine and spreading to her core. He brought his mouth down to her and stroked his tongue where his finger had just been. It was shockingly intimate and yet she didn’t flinch or shy away from it. She was too far gone for that. She whimpered, gasped and throbbed with longing.
He lifted his mouth off her and separated her folds with his fingers, his gaze devouring her female form as if it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. ‘You’re gorgeous...’ His voice was husky, his touch exquisitely gentle.
Ivy sucked in a much-needed breath and instinctively spread her legs wider, her heart racing with excitement. ‘Are you going to do what I think you’re going to do?’ Her voice was so breathless it came out like a strangled whisper.
‘Only if you want me to.’
She swallowed. ‘I want you to.’ Never had she wanted anything more. Her body was on fire and flickering with delicious sensations.
Louis brought his mouth to her again, his lips and tongue playing with her female flesh, finally triggering a powerful rush that seemingly came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Waves and ripples of pleasure washed through her pelvis, making her writhe and cry out as if she was possessed by a paranormal entity.
Ivy gasped and flung her head back against the bed, her chest heaving, her body limp as the aftershocks gradually faded. ‘Oh, God, that was... I don’t know how to describe it.’
Louis came up on one elbow and smiled down at her. ‘It will get better.’
She had no idea how it ever could. She had never experienced anything so earth-shattering. She tiptoed her fingers down his sternum all the way to his rock-hard abdomen. ‘Aren’t you going to...?’
He captured her hand before it could go any lower and pressed a kiss to the middle of her palm. ‘Not right now.’ His expression became unreadable and she could sense him pulling away as if an invisible drawbridge had come up between them.
She blinked at him in surprise. ‘But aren’t you...?’
He pressed a finger to her lips to halt her speech. ‘This is about your pleasure, not mine.’
Ivy brushed his hand away and grasped him by the shoulder. ‘But isn’t making love meant to be a two-way thing?’
‘Yes, but there’s plenty of time. We’ve got all night.’ He rolled away and picked up his shirt and trousers from the floor and proceeded to put them back on.
Ivy pulled the bed sheet up over her nakedness, wondering why he’d called a halt when it was so obvious he desired her. We’ve got all night. But wouldn’t most guys want to make the most of it?
She was starting to wonder if one night was going to be enough for her. He had awakened needs and desires in her that thrilled and delighted her. But what was going to happen when this night was over? Back to being friends only. ‘Is this about your one-night-only rule? You can’t bring yourself to sleep with me more than once? Why do you even have such a dumb rule?’
Louis’ jaw tightened. ‘I’ve always been a fan of the casual one-nighter—hence my moniker, Mr Amazing One-Night Stand. Brief hook-ups are less complicated, given my work commitments. I don’t like being tied down in a relationship when I have other demands on my time. But a few months ago I allowed a hook-up to stretch out to three weeks. Big mistake. The woman became increasingly attached and started dropping hints about moving in with me. I broke things off as gently as I could but it didn’t go well.’
He speared a hand through his hair and blew out a breath before continuing, ‘She was clearly heartbroken and I felt awful about causing her that much pain, especially as we’d both agreed at the beginning it was only a short-term fling. She stalked me for weeks on end. I had to block her on my phone and email, to stop the bombardment of calls and texts and emails. It was embarrassing when she’d show up at work in tears, desperate to talk to me. Once she turned up in another city where I was presenting at a conference. Since then, I made a promise to myself never to date anyone longer than twenty-four hours.’
Ivy got off the bed, bringing the sheet with her as a sarong around her body. ‘So, you’re letting one woman who didn’t know how to deal with rejection ruin your chance to ever be in a proper, fulfilling relationship?’
‘But I’ve never wanted anything more than casual relationships.’ His tone was curt. ‘I’ve seen the way fulfilling relationships change over time into full-on war.’
She frowned. ‘Your parents?’
His lip curled. ‘My parents and yours and numerous others.’
Ivy could hardly argue with that. Her parents had seemed happy enough until her father’s affair had been uncovered. The affair had been going on for close to a year. No wonder her mother had gone off the rails once she’d found out. ‘I know not everyone ends up happy forever, but at least it’s worth a try. Falling in love with someone and building a life together is all I’ve ever wanted.’
‘Good luck with that.’ Cynicism laced hi
s tone.
Ivy chewed her lip for a moment. ‘So, why did you date that woman for as long as you did?’
Louis blew out a breath, his brow creased in a frown. ‘She was good company, easy to get along with and—’
‘Good in bed?’
He gave her an unreadable look. ‘It’s not a habit of mine to discuss previous lovers with other people.’
‘That’s very reassuring.’
His eyes held hers for a beat or two. ‘What happens between us stays between us. You have my word on that.’
Ivy went up to him and placed a hand on his forearm. ‘Thank you. I sometimes lie awake at night worrying what those guys I dated are saying about me to their friends. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t gone on any other dates.’
He placed his hand over hers, his fingers warm and strong. His grey-blue eyes drifted to her mouth and back again. ‘You don’t kiss like a Victorian prude.’ His other arm came around her body, drawing her closer to his deliciously hard frame. Every female cell in her body rejoiced at the contact, her breasts tingled, her lower body contracted and her heart began to pick up its pace.
Ivy reached up and stroked her hand over the prickly stubble of his lean jaw. ‘How many Victorian prudes have you kissed?’
His eyes became sexily hooded, his hand going to the small of her back, bringing her even closer. ‘I don’t kiss and tell, remember?’
‘Good to know.’ Her voice dropped to a whisper, desire beating with an insistent pulse between her legs. She breathed in the male scent of him, the salty hint of perspiration and the sharp citrus notes of his aftershave. ‘Louis...about the Victorian prude thing...’
She glanced up at him again. ‘Remember when my parents got divorced in my early teens? Well, Ronan probably told you how crazy our mother went, although he didn’t see a lot of it, as he was at boarding school and then university. She had so many boyfriends coming and going. It was like she was trying to outdo my father, to punish him for having that affair for so long. She wasn’t choosy in who she brought home either. It was terrifying at times to suddenly confront a strange man on his way to the bathroom or in the kitchen, helping himself to stuff.’
Louis frowned. ‘Did anyone touch you or...?’
She shook her head. ‘No, thankfully not, but I felt creeped out by it all. And then, I’d visit Dad at his flat, where he was living with his new girlfriend. He would act all lovey-dovey, the way he used to act with Mum. I felt so angry, but I couldn’t say anything, as I didn’t want to lose him out of my life. But I did in the end, anyway.’
‘It must have been a terribly confusing time for you,’ Louis said, still frowning.
‘It was... I feel a bit silly about it now. I mean, I’m almost thirty and I’ve let something that happened so long ago stop me from living the life I want to live. But I truly couldn’t bear the thought of having sex with someone I didn’t know and trust like my mother did after Dad left.’
His look was long and thoughtful, as if her words resonated with his own situation. ‘You coped the best way you could. Don’t be so hard on yourself.’
She gave him a crooked smile. ‘But all that’s going to change now you’ve helped me embrace my sensuality. I don’t know how to thank you.’
He brought his mouth to the right side of her forehead, his lips moving against her skin in teasing little brushes that made the hairs on her head stand up and a warm, treacly sensation flow down her spine. He moved his lips down her face—the sensitive spots in front of and below her ear—and she shuddered with the tickling pleasure of his touch. He kissed the edges of her mouth without actually touching her lips, ramping up her desire for his kiss to a frenzied, fiery ache in her flesh.
Ivy gripped him by the shoulders, her body so close to his she could feel every hard ridge and solid plane, sending a wave of intense longing through her. ‘Kiss me, Louis. Don’t make me beg.’
He framed her face in his hands, his eyes as dark as outer space. ‘If I kiss you, I might not want to stop.’
She licked her lips and held his gaze. ‘Why would that be a problem if I don’t want you to stop?’
He leaned his forehead on hers, their breaths mingling intimately in the space between their faces. ‘I thought I had the willpower, the self-control, to talk you out of your crazy plan to lose your virginity to me.’ He eased back to look down at her. ‘But it seems I overestimated the limits of my control.’
Ivy traced the outline of his mouth with her finger, her heart beating a tattoo in her chest. ‘I want you to make love to me. I want you to be my first lover. It feels right for it to be you and not someone I don’t care a fig about. Or someone who might talk about me to their friends.’
He brushed her hair back from her forehead, his eyes dark and serious. ‘It’s only for tonight. After that, we go our separate ways. I can’t offer anything else.’
‘I don’t want anything else.’ Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe as his head came down. His mouth covered hers in a fireball kiss, sending sparks shooting through her body. She opened to him and his tongue teased hers into a dance that mimicked the most erotic of connections two humans could have with each other. Desire leapt and burned and blazed in her flesh as he increased the pressure of his lips on hers. She pushed herself against him, hungry for his touch, aching for his possession.
His hands skated down the sides of her body, peeling the bed sheet away like a skin and covering one of her breasts with the broad expanse of his hand. His touch was gentle and yet electric, sending hot sparks through her flesh. Her nipple went to a tight bud, the soft flesh of her breast tingling. He removed his hand and replaced it with his mouth, exploring her in intimate detail. He rolled his tongue over and around her nipple, then took it into his mouth, gently sucking on it, releasing a shower of pleasurable sensations through her body. He moved to her other breast, subjecting it to the same passionate exploration until she was gasping and writhing with the need to feel more.
Louis brought his mouth back to hers in another drugging kiss, his arms going back around her body, one of his hands cupping the naked curve of her bottom. He groaned against her lips, his kiss deepening, his breathing as hectic as hers. ‘God, I want you so badly. How did I ever think this wasn’t going to happen eventually?’
Ivy stroked his jaw and leaned into the throbbing pulse of his lower body. ‘I want you too.’
He held her from him and locked gazes. ‘By the way, are you using any contraception?’
‘I’m on a low-dose pill.’ She twisted her mouth in a rueful manner. ‘Not that I’ve needed it until now. It was just wishful thinking on my part.’
‘I always use condoms in any case but it’s good to be doubly sure there won’t be an unwanted pregnancy. That’s a complication both of us could do without.’
‘Okay. Sounds good.’ Ivy had wanted children since she’d been a child herself. The thought of never having a family of her own was her worst nightmare. But she could hardly tell Louis that. He was so adamant about not settling down and she was not going to compromise on something so important to her. Besides, she was not involved with him with the goal of happy-ever-after. Louis wasn’t the answer to her fairy-tale fantasy—he was just the answer to her V problem. She was engaging his services to help her get in the dating game with more confidence. Why would she be interested in a future with a renowned playboy? That wasn’t a future—that was a recipe for heartbreak. And she wanted no part of it.
Louis sourced a condom from his wallet in the pocket of his trousers and then, stepping out of his clothes, led her back to the bed. The moon had risen and cast the room in a silvery glow. Strangely, her shyness about being naked in front of him wasn’t an issue. All she could think about was finding release from the tender ache between her legs. An ache he had triggered with his magical touch. Ivy drank in the sight of his fully aroused body, all the strong planes and
contours of male flesh in its prime. Her desire for him rose again like an unquenchable thirst. ‘How many condoms did you bring?’
‘Enough.’ His eyes glinted and he tore the packet open and applied the condom.
Ivy stroked him with her hand, enjoying the sensation of his powerful flesh quivering from her touch. ‘I never thought I’d feel comfortable doing this but with you it feels so...so right.’
He pressed her back down on the bed, his expression clouding. ‘It feels better than it probably should, given our situation.’
Ivy frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
His eyes went back and forth between each of hers and then drifted to her mouth. He drew in a deep breath and gave a half-smile that looked a little forced. He brushed her hair back from her face, his eyes dark and unreadable. ‘Is one night going to be enough for you?’
Ivy licked her suddenly dry lips and aimed her gaze at his chin. ‘That’s what we agreed, right? Those are your rules and I’m fine with that.’ Was she, though? A niggling doubt wormed its way into her mind. The exquisite pleasure he’d made her feel so far had made her hungry, ravenous, greedy for more. How was one measly little night going to satisfy her?
He lifted her chin with his finger and meshed his gaze with hers. ‘Yeah, that’s what we agreed. One night and one night only.’
Ivy pulled his head back down to hers. ‘Then we’d better get on with it.’
He covered her mouth in a kiss that spoke of desperate passion only just held in check. His tongue flickered against hers, erotically mimicking the full possession of her body she craved so much. Ivy moved against him, silently urging him to assuage the throbbing ache of desire in her flesh. One of his legs hitched over hers, the sexy tangle of their limbs arousing in itself.
‘I want you so much.’ He groaned the words against her mouth, his body hot and hard against her.
‘Me too.’ Ivy could barely speak for the rapacious hunger vibrating in her body.
Louis brought himself to her entrance, nudging her with his tip but not going any further. ‘If you don’t feel comfortable at any point, let me know.’
One Night On The Virgin's Terms (Mills & Boon Modern) (Wanted: A Billionaire, Book 1) Page 9
