by Jen Talty
“She wants to sit on it overnight and look at it with fresh eyes in the morning.”
“At least she’s smart.” He tipped his glass.
They sat on the patio for a good five minutes in total silence while they finished their wine. When the bottle was empty and the food was gone, he figured it was time for him to go. He stood, gathering the plates.
“What are you doing?”
“The dishes,” he said.
“Just stack them in the sink. I’ll do them in the morning.”
“Absolutely not.” He carried them into the kitchen. “My mother raised me better than that.”
Serenity laughed. “I’ll be right back.”
As Cove filled her dishwasher, he tried to talk himself out of kissing her when she returned.
But he failed.
It was settled. He had to feel her lips on his before the evening could be over.
“Don’t do it,” Serenity whispered as she contemplated between a pair of sexy yoga pants and form-fitting top or an oversized sweatshirt and shorts.
She opted for sexy.
She wasn’t in high school anymore. He didn’t have a pact with his sister. Hell, it had been Leah who set them up on this date.
Besides, it had been months since she’d had sex, and Cove was more than eye candy.
She pulled open her bedroom door and gasped. “Oh. Hi.”
“Hey yourself.” He looked her up and down with a smile. “You got comfortable.”
“I needed to get out of that outfit.”
“You should have told me. I would have helped.” He stretched out his arm and pressed his hand against the doorjamb. “Of course, I’m not sure we would have gotten past the removal of your clothing.”
She swallowed her heartbeat. A warmth covered her skin. Her nipples tightened, pressing against the flimsy fabric of her tank top. With every deep breath she took, heat ravaged her body. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
That never happened.
He inched closer, resting his hand on her hip. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful.”
Leaning into his strong frame, she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. “You used to look at me like I had five heads.”
“No. That was me trying not to stare at your breasts or your ass because if my sister or my mom caught me, they would have smacked me upside my head, and Tavor would have tried to beat the shit out of me, but he would have lost that fight.”
She raised her right brow. “You think you can take my brother?”
“I know I can.” He lifted the back of her shirt and pressed his warm hands against her bare skin, his fingers dancing up her spine. He tilted his head, his breath hot on her mouth. “But we were kids back then.”
“We’re certainly not children anymore.”
“No. We’re not.” He lifted her shirt up over her midriff, his thumb gently rubbing the swell of her breast.
Every muscle in her body begged to be kissed and massaged by Cove. A thin layer of dampness settled between her legs as she throbbed in anticipation.
His lips brushed tenderly over hers. It wasn’t an eager kiss, but it was a passionate one with the way his tongue glided into her mouth, stroking every crevice, finding every corner. He cupped her breast, flicking his index finger over her nipple.
Unable to handle slow and controlled, she took a step back and yanked her shirt over her head and quickly removed her skintight pants. She stood before him in nothing but her birthday suit and the light shining on it.
His eyes grew wide, and he hissed as he lifted his own shirt, tossing it to the side. He kicked off his boots and stepped out of his jeans.
“Oh my,” she whispered, backing up toward the bed. She waggled her finger, daring him to move forward.
He closed the gap, heaving her against his chest. His kiss bruised her lips. His fingers dug into her ass as he lifted her off the ground.
She hooked her ankles around his back and swallowed his harsh moans. She didn’t want soft and easy. She didn’t even want slow.
She wanted fast and hard and wild.
She wanted to be left breathless and begging for more, and she figured Cove was just the man to give it to her.
He pressed her back up against the wall, kissing her neck and nibbling on her earlobe, gently coaxing her feet to the floor as his lips made their way to her breast, sucking in her nipple. He spread her legs with his hand, rubbing his finger over her aching nub.
“Oh, Cove,” she managed, gasping for air while he continued to give her nipples all the attention they craved.
He nipped at them with his teeth and twirled them with his tongue before sucking them deep into his mouth.
The room seemed to get smaller and smaller. She clutched his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin. She blinked, trying to gain focus, but she couldn’t. She glanced down as he kissed her belly button, moving lower and lower, spreading her legs a little wider and tossing one of them over his shoulder. She grabbed the dresser for support. She could barely catch her breath. Ever since she’d found out what sex was all about, she’d enjoyed it to the fullest, but nothing in all her years of having it could have prepared her for Cove.
His fingers were an instrument of pleasure and his tongue—well, there was no describing the pleasure it brought.
Her muscles trembled, and she feared she might lose her balance as she gripped his buzz cut with her free hand. She watched as his tongue darted out of his mouth, rubbing over her hard throbbing nub, bringing her so close to climax while his fingers glided slowly in and out, stroking her insides until she wanted to cry out his name over and over again.
She slid down the wall, unable to hold herself upright.
Gently he lifted her and carried her to the bed, but he never stopped touching her intimately, teasing her, tipping her close to the edge but not pushing her over it.
“You’re driving me crazy,” she murmured.
“That’s the point.” He laid her on her back and settled between her legs, sucking and lapping at her, sending electric shocks to her brain.
She stared at the ceiling, gripping the sheets, letting every sensation roll over her body like the ocean waves crashing into a breakwall right before a hurricane. She was moments away from release. She did her best to hold on as long as she could, enjoying every stroke, every lick, every tender passionate touch that Cove gave her body. It was totally selfish of her to relish in his lovemaking, but he gave it so freely, and he demanded nothing in return.
At least for this moment.
She would give as good as she got.
If not better.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered. She rolled her hips greedily, desperate to find release. It would come hard and fast, and she wouldn’t be able to control it. “Yes, Cove. Please.” She begged as she’s never begged before.
“You like it like this,” he said, kissing her thigh, taking a brief break before sucking on her hard nub.
“You have no idea,” she managed before an orgasm ripped through her body. She gripped his head, holding it steady. Her thighs smashed into his cheeks as she convulsed uncontrollably. “Cove,” she said with a groan. She tugged at him, pulling him away from her body so she could reach for him, desperate to feel his hardness between her fingers.
He rolled to his back, letting her grip him with her hands. She stroked him, watching her fingers glide up and down his hard shaft. She cupped his balls, squeezing and massaging shamelessly. Bringing her lips to the tip of his cock, she flicked out her tongue and enjoyed the harsh curses that echoed from his mouth.
“Fuck. You’re going to be the death of me,” he said.
She glanced up at him and smiled with him in her hands. She felt powerful and feminine at the same time. It was as if she were in complete control, and yet, she had lost all restraint. “I want you inside me, now.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”
“But I want to be on top,” she said boldly.
“Oh,” she said with a moan, arching her back. She took his thickness with a bit of resistance. Slowly, she accepted his length, cupping her breast, rubbing her thumbs over her hard nipples.
He pressed his finger over her clit, circling gently as if his finger was a feather floating in the air, tickling and teasing her skin, but it was just enough pressure that she wouldn’t be able to hold back her orgasm no matter how hard she tried. He gripped her hips, thrusting upward hard.
“Yes,” she said. “Please.”
He tugged at her hair, pulling her body against his and kissing her hard while their bodies jerked and gyrated against one another in a frenzy for ultimate release.
Her stomach twitched and convulsed at the same time that he pumped hard once, arching and groaning.
“Serenity,” he whispered, nibbling on her ear as his climax spilled out into her while hers clamped down over him.
She fell over on top of him.
His arms wrapped around her tight, holding her close, rubbing up and down her back while her body continued to spin out of control. It was like no other orgasm she’d ever experienced. It continued like mini aftershocks from an earthquake.
Moments later, he rolled her to her side and pulled the covers over their bodies.
She should tell him to leave because she never let a man spend the night.
Never.
It went against every rule she had about dating.
Which she didn’t do to begin with.
But Cove was different.
She couldn’t explain it, and she wasn’t about to try to figure it out. At least not right now. Maybe tomorrow, if he stuck around, because something told her he wasn’t the kind of man that did breakfast the morning after.
4
Cove wasn’t sure what was worse, waking up alone or not even having a blow-off note.
He also couldn’t believe he slept until seven in the morning. His internal clock generally kicked his ass up at five thirty. Okay, they’d both gotten up at three and had a second round of amazing sex.
His sister was going to kill him.
He didn’t think when Leah set him up on a date that she meant for him to seduce her friend.
Well, she’s the one who took off her shirt and pants first. He was just flirting to see how far she’d let him take it.
He found a to-go coffee mug in her cabinet and made himself a strong cup of coffee while he waited for a bagel to pop from the toaster. He glanced at the clock on the stove. He wouldn’t have time to go home and change if he was going to make it to the federal building by nine, hence the walk of shame into the FBI office.
The only person that would notice would be Serenity, so it shouldn’t really matter. Only, he’d taken a shower and used her strawberry-scented shampoo, coconut and vanilla body wash, and powder fresh deodorant. He smelled like the perfume aisle in a department store.
It could be worse.
His phone buzzed.
“Hey, sis, what’s up?” He slathered the everything bagel with butter and cream cheese.
“I want to know about the date. I’ve been trying to call Serenity, but she keeps sending me to voicemail. I was half hoping you’d do the same thing so I could imagine that the two of you were together.”
“You’d want me to sleep with her?” he asked as his pulse kicked up. No woman had ever satisfied him the way Serenity had. Not only that, but he found himself concerned he hadn’t been enough. That he’d done everything he could to bring her the kind of pleasure she deserved. “On a first date? You know that I’m usually a love them and leave them kind of man, and you’d have my head—”
“Oh, just stop fucking with me and tell me what happened.”
He chuckled. “Unfortunately, her work got in the way.”
“That sucks. Did you reschedule?”
He chewed his food, contemplating his answer. Leah and Serenity might not be the best friends they once were, but they were still very close, and he didn’t want to do anything that would ruin that.
He also wasn’t the kind of man that kissed and told, but if he lied to his sister, she’d be pissed.
Fuck. Didn’t matter what he did, he ran the risk of pissing off at least one woman.
“I brought her takeout for after her work stuff was done, and we ate it on her balcony. It was a nice evening,” he said.
“Oh. Aren’t you the sweetheart. Are you going to see her again?” Leah asked.
Other than having to go to her office, he wasn’t sure if that was actually going to happen or not. He wanted to, but there were a million reasons why he shouldn’t keep this going.
The main one was as soon as he was given the green light to go back to work, he’d be deployed overseas again for months on end. Long distance relationships like that never worked. He had a half dozen friends with divorces to prove it.
“She’s a great girl, and I’d be lying if I hadn’t considered it.”
“But,” Leah said for him, “you’re not relationship material. Now you sound like Serenity.”
“Yeah, well, her job doesn’t lend itself well to a happily-ever-after ending either.” He poured a little creamer into his coffee when the front door flew open.
“Sleeping beauty is finally awake,” Serenity said, tossing a bag on the counter. “Ew. Those bagels were stale. I went to the breakfast shop around the corner and got some egg sandwiches and hash browns.”
He sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he pointed to his cell on the counter with an arched brow.
“You spent the night?” Leah’s voice bounced off the small kitchen walls.
Serenity’s eyes grew wide.
“I’ve got to go, sis. I’ll call you later.” He tapped the red button. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were coming back. You’ve been gone a long time.”
She glanced at her wrist. “Only about thirty minutes.” Her phone rang. She pulled it from her purse and held it up. “I’ve been ignoring your sister because I didn’t know what to tell her.”
“I just told her that we had dinner on the balcony and that I was thinking about seeing you again. I thought you ditched me.” He heaved her to his chest, circling his arms around her tiny waist. “I’m sorry about that. If I had known you were coming back, I wouldn’t have taken the call.”
“I probably should have left you a note or woken you up or something.”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “That might have been a good idea.” His cell buzzed. He shook his head as he sent his sister to voicemail. “She’s not going to leave either one of us alone until we answer and one of us gives her the dirt.”
Serenity rested her hands on his shoulders. “I love your sister. She means well, and last night was amazing, but we both know that this isn’t headed where Leah wants it to go.”
He smoothed his hands over her round ass as he leaned against the counter. “I like you. You’re fun, sexy, intelligent, and wickedly good at your job, but you’re right. Once my forced medical leave is over, I’ll be on a transport plane back to the Middle East where I’ll finish out another six-month tour.”
“You’ll come back for a couple of weeks—”
“Not necessarily. My team is often sent to Germany or other places to take a short break before being deployed somewhere else to knock shit down and build it back up.” Using his fingers, he tugged at her skirt, pulling it up her thighs. “And I get the impression there is no room in your life for anything other than what we’re doing right now.” His hands found bare skin. He inched higher, only slightly relieved to find the elastic of her panties. He arched a brow. “A thong under a skirt at the office. Isn’t that a little unprofessional for an agent?”
“No one there is sticking their hands up my skirt.” She slid hers down the front of his chest, flicking her fingernail over his nipple.
&nb
sp; He hissed.
“We’re going to have to make this quick,” she whispered before pressing her lips on his neck. Her hand continued down his stomach, tugging at the fabric of his shirt.
Before he could take another breath, she’d managed to undo the button on his jeans and slip her hand inside. He swallowed. Hard.
He watched as Serenity kissed her way down his stomach, rolling his slacks over his hips and pushing them to his ankles. He tossed his head back and closed his eyes, desperately trying to maintain control. Her tongue and mouth tortured him in ways that made him actually want to beg for mercy. He gripped the kitchen counter and blinked open his eyes. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” he murmured.
“Yeah? You like this?” She held him in her hands, gliding them up and down his shaft, her tongue following, circling over his sensitive skin. Her lips curled over him, and inch by inch, he disappeared into her mouth.
“You have no idea,” he said with a groan. “I want to take you right here over this counter.”
“Sounds perfect,” she whispered.
Gabbing a fist full of her hair, he tugged. “Stand up,” he commanded.
With a wicked smile on her face, she licked her lips and lifted up her skirt, shedding her thong. She twirled it around once before tossing it on the counter. Quickly, she undid a couple of buttons on her blouse, and unhooked the front clasp of her bra. She cupped her breasts, rubbing her thumbs over the hard nipples.
“You’re killing me.”
“How about this?” She slipped a hand between her legs, sliding a finger inside before reaching up and shoving it in his mouth. “You like that?”
He sucked on it, tasting her sweet honeydew flavor. “I don’t know. I might need to taste it again.”
“Be my guest.” She lifted her leg, resting her high-heeled foot on the edge of the sink.
“Jesus.” He gripped her hips, gliding his tongue across her sweet nectar. He’d been with passionate women before, but none that left him feeling as though he’d never find anyone that stole his breath the way she did.
And if he was being honest, it wasn’t just the hot, wild sex. She challenged him intellectually and made him want to find out exactly what made her tick. No woman had ever made him feel that way.
