“Good suggestion.” She nodded, her breath hitching when his lips came down to her neck and he slowly backed her up. “Although, not to be a stickler for details, but this is a door.”
Ronan laughed and nipped at her neck. He braced one palm against the door and used his free hand to explore the hem of her camisole. The brush of his knuckles as he toyed with the soft fabric sent a shower of energy through her. She felt like one of those sparklers they’d saved for the Fourth of July, ready to light up the night.
“Sorry, I…” She gasped as his hand slid against her bare skin, finding its way under her top and up over the softness of her belly. “I never know what to say, especially with this stuff. I’m not…I’m not smooth.”
“Smooth is overrated.” Ronan cupped her breast, catching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and pinching her.
Audrey bit down on her lip and let her head roll back. Hard wood met the back of her skull with a thunk, and she let her eyes flutter shut. The sound of the rain starting up outside was a cocoon around them. She shifted on the spot, widening her legs as Ronan pushed against her. His jeans and belt rasped against her where her camisole was pulled up, and the hard ridge of his cock dug into her belly. The evidence that he wanted her as much as she wanted him filled Audrey with warmth.
She looped her arms around his neck and dragged his head down to hers, opening her mouth for him. He tasted sweet and earthy, and the scratch of his facial hair against her tender skin was like flint sparking against flint.
Ronan’s hand found its way between her legs, and his kiss swallowed her moan.
After a glorious minute, he pressed his forehead to hers. “So what’s the verdict? Bedroom, couch, countertop, or wall?”
“Can I be greedy and say all four? In any order. Maybe twice through.”
Ronan let out a strangled sound. “You’re going to kill me, Audrey. You’re going to kill me in the best way possible.”
“Actually, you can be three times more likely to have a heart attack during or immediately after sex than when not having sex.”
“Of course you have a fact for that.” Ronan cupped her face and planted a sweet kiss against her lips.
“Although to be fair, I think that was referring to a man in his fifties.”
Shut. The. Hell. Up.
“If I could live in your brain for just a day…”
“I’m sure you’d find it very boring.”
“I definitely would not.” He took both her hands in his and started walking backward, bringing her along with him. In the dim light, his eyes looked strangely ethereal, and the lines of his face were sharper. More exaggerated. “You’re far more interesting than you give yourself credit for.”
“I’d rather be…”
Beautiful. Successful. Formidable. Powerful.
Free.
“Something else,” she said.
“You can be anything and everything you want.” They were in his bedroom now, and he tugged her back toward the spacious bed dominating the room. But he didn’t immediately pull her down or start stripping her.
Instead, Ronan stared right into her eyes as if forcing her to focus and let her mind slow down. He was so beautiful she wanted to pinch herself.
Yeah, because that won’t make you seem like a born-again virgin.
But it was hard for someone like her to accept that good things wouldn’t come with a hefty price tag. Life had taught her that any time she wanted something for herself…well, it always turned out to be out of her budget.
Why wouldn’t Ronan be the same?
So long as you’re not paying with your heart, you’ll be fine.
“Like I said before, I don’t like Instagram wisdom,” she said eventually, her hands coming to the ties holding the keyhole neckline of her camisole together. She tugged on the bow until it loosened, and then she slowly pulled one end to release the knot. “If anyone can do anything, then no level of success has meaning.”
Ronan’s eyes were fixed on the bow as she slowly undid it, opening the neckline of her top more to expose the press of her cleavage. She’d worn her favorite bra—the one with turquoise lace and hints of gold that she saved for when she needed an extra boost of confidence. And it appeared to work its magic on Ronan as well.
“I’m not saying that anyone can do anything; I’m saying you can do anything. Because you’re not average, Audrey.”
Her breath stuttered in the back of her throat. “You don’t have to flatter me, Ronan. I’m already here.”
“I want you to see even a sliver of the potential you have. I want you to see a speck of what I see when I look at you.” He fingered the lengths of her bow, which now hung loose and useless. “I don’t know whether you’re afraid or if you really are blind to it, but I see, Audrey. I see all of you.”
This wasn’t what she came here for. She didn’t want Ronan touching her soul as well as her body, because that was a path that she couldn’t go down. Feeling something for him would be her undoing. Emotions would be her undoing.
This was about sex. Pleasure. Release.
Nothing more.
Even as she drew the lines in her mind, there was a niggling voice in the back of her brain—a whisper of discontent, telling her she was lying to herself. But sometimes lies were necessary for survival, right? Because Audrey told herself that everything would turn out okay on a daily basis, even though she knew that at any moment it could all come crumbling down.
Please don’t make me crumble.
“You can see more of me,” she whispered as she drew the hem of her top up and over her head. “Every last inch.”
Her hands then went to her jeans, and she popped the button slowly. In the quiet, almost blotted out by the soft drumming of rain, was Ronan’s breath. His eyes looked dark, his jaw tight, as he watched her undress. She toed off her sneakers, and then her jeans hit the floor. Stepping out of the pile, she brought her hands behind her back and released the clasp on her bra.
It felt good to shed everything. To take it back to the physical.
She didn’t feel worried about being naked in front of Ronan—curves and dimples and jiggles and all. He’d never made her feel anything but beautiful. Audrey dropped her bra to the ground and then hooked her fingers into the waistband of her panties, pulling them down, down, down.
“Turn for me,” he said with a husky voice.
Audrey did as she was told, taking her time to give him access to every angle. Then she ran her fingers through her hair, letting it filter down over her shoulders and her breasts and back.
“Touch me, Ronan,” she said. Her mouth was dry, anticipation making her heart thump like a marching band drum in her chest. “I want your hands on me.”
He stalked forward, wrapping his arms around her and lowering her to the bed. His clothes rubbed against her skin, reminding her that she was totally naked and he wasn’t. That she was at his mercy.
His lips found hers, and she drove her fingers through his hair, sliding her tongue eagerly into his mouth and kissing him with all she had. The weight of him pressed her into the bed, his knee easing her thighs open.
“You drive me wild,” he rasped, his hand sliding up the inside of her thigh. “You drive me so fucking wild that I have no idea what’s going to happen once this is over.”
“Don’t think about that.” She cupped his face, letting her gaze bore into his. “Just be here with me now.”
His hand found her sex. Letting out a harsh groan, he ran his fingertips through her wetness, finding her entrance and pressing forward. Audrey gasped as he slipped one finger inside, then two, and she arched against his hand. If she didn’t shatter into a million pieces tonight, then it would be a miracle.
“Feels good?”
“So good.” Her head pressed back against the soft duvet, shadows dancing on the roof from the
trees swaying in the wind outside.
“Can I taste you?” The words were whispered against her ear, his facial hair tickling her while his fingers worked in and out.
Audrey felt the breath leave her lungs, and she nodded, eyes locked onto Ronan’s. He pressed his lips against hers—such a sweet, almost chaste, brush that in the midst of everything else they were doing felt like him reassuring her. Or maybe he was seeking reassurance for himself. But she didn’t have time to wonder, because the second his lips started moving down her body she was lost to sensation.
He kissed her breasts again, then down the side of her ribs, around her belly button, and lower, lower, lower. When his tongue brushed softly over her sex, parting her, she let out a deep sound that came from somewhere long-buried. It was primal and human, because that’s how he made her feel—like a woman who deserved life’s pleasures. Like someone who had every right to be here.
Ronan set his mouth on her, nuzzling her sex and seeking out the tight bundle of nerves at its apex. Her clit throbbed. And when he concentrated his tongue there, flicking back and forth…Lord. Audrey flung her arm across her eyes and arched, tremors ripping through her. He kept his fingers working inside her, all the while drawing her closer to the edge of release with his tongue. The scratch of his beard against her sensitive area made it even better.
“Ronan,” she gasped, her hand finding his head and her fingers tightening in his hair. “Oh God.”
The ripples of pleasure grew closer together until she couldn’t tell them apart anymore. It was like one continuous, shimmering stream of sensation.
“I’m—” Her words were cut short as her orgasm hit for real, making her thighs quake and her sex clench. Suddenly aware that she was probably alerting every single one of Ronan’s neighbors to their nighttime activities, she grabbed one of his pillows and held it over her face, letting the down and cotton absorb the sound of her cries until she had nothing left to give.
For a moment, there was a void, sound and light and feeling all blotted out by the wave a rightness and release that ebbed through her. She discarded the pillow and looked down into the dim light to see Ronan resting his cheek against her inner thigh. His eyes were like fire. The light shifted as the rain swelled outside, showing Audrey the details of him in flashes—the lips that had brought her to the brink, the eyes that she wanted to drown in, the hand he rested on her leg.
“Good?” he asked quietly.
Audrey’s lips tilted up into a smile. “You have no idea.”
“I have some idea.”
“Your neighbors might, too.” She cringed.
He crawled up onto the bed beside her and drew her against him so that her back lined his front. The soft cotton of his T-shirt was pleasant against her skin, and the way he hooked his arm around her waist was both comforting and possessive.
How could it feel like they’d been doing this forever when it was only the first time?
“I love that you’re vocal,” he said.
She rocked back against him, teasing the hard ridge of his erection with her butt. “Are you noisy, too?”
He laughed, and the sound was deliciously raspy. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
“I hope you don’t make me wait too much longer,” she said, twisting so she could look at him over her shoulder. “I’ve been thinking about this since long before I should have.”
…
Audrey felt like heaven in his arms—her curvy body the perfect proportions for him. He loved the sensual shape of her—the curves and dips and how strong she felt, and yet how soft.
“I thought about it…shit,” he muttered. “Way too much. Way, way too much.”
There’d been a period where every night, the second he closed his eyes, she was there. But the frequent self-love didn’t do anything to dull the edges of his desire. In many ways, it only made it worse, because he could see how difficult it was to banish her from his mind, and that was highly unusual.
“And yet you tried so hard to convince me to be your student again,” she said.
“I wanted what was best for you. Not what was best for me.”
“Is this what’s best for you?”
Taking a gorgeous woman to bed was never a hardship. But being with Audrey wasn’t simply about the physical, though he appreciated that very much. He also found her complex and interesting, and he loved the qualities of who she was as a person.
“I would never want something I desired to come at a cost for you,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “But if you ask me whether I’ve wanted this from the second you walked into my classroom, even though I knew it was wrong…then yes.”
“Is this the first time you’ve…”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking if I’m a virgin?”
She rolled over so she could face him, her eyes alight with mischief. “I’m pretty sure oral sex isn’t that good without a little practice. But I really hope you have some condoms here.”
Shit. He hadn’t even thought about that when he’d invited Audrey back to his place—his mind had been too focused on the fantastical. Not the practical. He was pretty sure he had an emergency one stashed in his wallet, though.
“I think so,” he said. “Otherwise it’ll be an, uh…interesting trip to the store.”
Her lips curved into a wicked smile. “Welcome to small-town life, professor, where everybody knows your business.”
Not wanting to let his imagination wander toward something that awkward, his lips found the curve of her hip, his hand smoothing over her thighs and stomach as if he could use his touch to commit her to memory. Everything about her was smooth, soft, and yet Audrey had an inner strength and conviction that he found utterly irresistible.
She was a woman who did things on her own terms.
She scooted closer to him and smoothed one hand up along his jaw, leaning in so her lips brushed his ear. “You should get undressed.”
“You want to see what I’m hiding under here?”
“Very much so.”
Ronan rose off the bed and took a step back. Audrey looked like a goddess spread out on his bed, hair fanned out behind her and her lips parted in anticipation. He tore his T-shirt off without any finesse or teasing because, as far as he was concerned, they’d waited long enough already. The sound of his belt cut through the quiet room, and soon it joined the floor, along with his shoes, socks, and jeans. He stood in his underwear for a moment, enjoying the way her eyes roamed his body, eagerly sucking in every detail.
He drew the last item down over his hips, feeling his cock spring out and bob against his stomach. God, he was hard. So hard it was almost as if he hadn’t gotten himself off nightly for the last few weeks like some horny teenager. He went to find his wallet and prayed that he hadn’t thrown the spare condom away at some point. Victory. With a relieved release of breath, he returned to the bedroom and tore it open.
“Wait.” Audrey’s eyes were almost black now, and she reached out to him in silent invitation. “I want to touch you first.”
When he came down over her, his weight pressing her into the soft mattress, she hummed and closed her eyes. He dipped his head to kiss her, and, cupping the back of her head, he slid his tongue across hers, opening her. Allowing her to taste herself.
Audrey’s hands trembled as she ran her palms over him, brushing the dusting of hair on his chest and following the flat plane of his stomach, dipping lower.
Ronan sucked in a breath to steady himself. He never lost his wits, ever. Not with a woman in his arms or in his bed. Not with anyone. But Audrey did crazy things to him. Her hand moved lower, tentative, and her fingertips brushed the sensitive head of his cock. It was so brief and fleeting that he wanted to growl in frustration.
Heat flushed across her neck and cheeks, and she hesitated before wrapping her hand around him. The guttural noise that
came from the back of his throat was almost…animalistic. He urged her on, and she slid her hand up and down, stroking him.
“Audrey,” he moaned and pushed his hips forward into her grip. He knew that it would be a fight to hang on. “That’s so damn good.”
As if emboldened by his praise, she pushed him so that he was lying flat on the bed and she was leaning over him. Seeing Audrey take charge…shit. Her lips brushed his cock. Every muscle in his body was coiled. She drew him in, sliding him along her tongue while her hand ran up and down his thigh, nails scraping against his skin.
“That’s enough.” His voice came out strangled. Edgy. He tangled his fingers in her hair, ready to pull her back, but she eased him out of her mouth and swirled her tongue over the tip of him.
“I’m enjoying this.”
“So am I.” He grunted, sweeping the hair over her shoulder and easing her back. “Too much.”
He tore the foil packet open and rolled the condom down on himself. Then he pulled Audrey toward him, encouraging her to straddle him. She hesitated at first, but after a second, she squared her shoulders and slid one thigh over him.
“You look incredible from this angle,” he said, running his palms up and down her thighs. Her hair trailed over her body. “From every angle.”
His cock rubbed at her entrance, sliding between her slickness as he coated himself in her. Then she reached down between her legs and guided him into her. He pushed up, and, in one fluid movement, the shock of how tight she was enveloped him.
“Give me a second.” She came forward, bracing one palm against his chest and squeezing her eyes shut. After a brief respite, she left out a soft moan and started to move her hips, rocking back and forth. “Oh yes.”
Watching her take control was everything. He gripped her hips and thrust up to meet the rhythm she’d set, letting her dictate the pace. Audrey didn’t hold back. She angled herself so that one palm came down on either side of his head and her breasts brushed against his chest with each stroke. He reached around and grabbed her ass, sinking his fingers into her flesh.
Kissing Lessons (Kissing Creek) Page 18
