by Cathryn Fox
“You’re too far.”
He steps up to me like a predator marking its prey, drops to his knees, wedging my legs open with his big body. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, and my stomach flutters.
“And you’re overdressed.” His hand goes to the hem of my T-shirt, and I lift my arms as his touch ignites a shiver. He chuckles at my eagerness as he peels the shirt over my head. He goes back on his heels and scrubs his face as he takes in my half-naked body. I grow antsy under his long inspection, and, a little self-conscious, I begin to cover myself with my hands.
“These,” he says, as he takes my hands away and settles them at my sides. “are perfect.”
He bends forward, takes one hard nipple into his mouth. I moan against the delicate slide of his soft tongue as he licks gently. My thoughts scatter, my breathing changes, and my heart beats erratically against my ribs.
“That is so good.” I throw my head back, and my hair tumbles over my shoulders as anticipation builds inside me. He licks, nibbles, and sucks so hard that sweet pressure builds deep between my legs. I rake my fingers through his hair and hold him to me, but his lips soften against my flesh. My nipple chills in the cool air of his bedroom when he breaks the kiss, inching back. He shapes my breasts with his palms, warming me again—inside and out—and I arch into his touch.
Long lashes fall over intense eyes, and when they lift and I become his sole focus, I swallow a gasp. No one has ever looked at me like I was their lifeline in the storm.
“You’re so perfect, Kira.”
Appreciation mingles with want as his encouraging words swirls inside my belly. But it’s the warmth in his eyes that spears the last remnants of tension in my body.
“I’m going to need to spend a lot of time with these,” he whispers.
“I’d be okay with that.” I take his head, tugging until his mouth closes around my other nipple. He chuckles around my quivering nub, treating it to the same pleasure until I’m a trembling mess.
“Nate,” I moan and touch his body, wanting my mouth on him, but he seems to have other plans. He gives my shoulders a little nudge until I’m flat on my back, then he stands up. I go up on my elbows as he hovers over me. His hands grip his boxers, and he tugs them off. His cock springs free, and I practically salivate at the erotic sight before me.
He takes his cock into his hands, strokes firmly, and a half cry, half moan catches in my throat, and my mouth dries. With muscles born from a hard day’s work, the man is simply gorgeous, and everything about him consumes me, pushes back any coherent thought. Desire bombards me, takes full control of my body and brain, and my thighs clench with want, eager for the weight of his body.
He lets go of his cock, tucks his finger into the elastic band of my pajama bottoms, and with agonizing slowness, drags them down my legs. I suck in a fast breath, and my pulse skyrockets. He tosses the pajamas aside, grips my thighs to widen them, and takes a long look at my nakedness.
His eyes leave my body, go to mine, and I swallow. Hard. I’ve had intercourse before, it’s true, but now I get the sense that I haven’t really had sex. Hot, dirty, orgasmic, inspiring sex that this man is sure to give me and I might never to come back from. On edge with excitement and nervousness, I take in the rock-solid man before me, the intensity burning in his eyes as they admire me. I let that intensity fuel my body with need.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” he murmurs.
I’m about to tell him he is, too, but he sinks to his knees, hooks my legs over his shoulders, and leans into me, burying his face between my trembling thighs. The words dissolve in my mouth as that first sweet touch of his tongue to my sex has my hips coming off the bed. I suck in another fast breath, my head light, slightly dizzy as I curl my fingers in the bedsheets to hang on.
“Nate,” I murmur, my head going from side to side as he swirls his tongue over my center. My dormant sex thrives and quivers, not at all use to this kind of attention. His low deep moan of want vibrates through me, and I shut my eyes against the intense pleasure. Never in my life has anything felt this good. A burn sizzles through me when he slides one thick finger inside, lightly stroking the bundle of nerves the frat boy could never find.
“Yes,” I cry out, and move my hips in a shameless plea for more…for everything. What is this man doing to me? I don’t know, but I hope he keeps on doing it. Giddy, I chuckle inwardly at that thought.
He works his deft finger inside me, his mouth performing miracles on my sensitive cleft, and the dual pleasure takes me to the highest mountain, leaves me teetering on the edge. I give a desperate, needy moan, my chest falling and rising with each labored breath. He changes tactics, tries different techniques as he learns my wants and needs through my sounds and movements. I’m inexperienced, but I’m pretty sure few men are this attentive, this interested in rocking their partner’s world.
I resist the urge to scream hallelujah.
He slides another finger in for a snug fit, and my body heats up. Small clenches begin at my core. He groans as my sex squeezes his finger, and the pressure on my clit changes, as my orgasm mounts. His tongue presses harder, laps faster, and it’s everything I need to send me free falling. My body gives in, completely lets go, melts beneath his perfect touch.
“Nate,” I cry out, and grab a fistful of his hair. “I’m…” Pleasure centers between my legs, each pulse harder, stronger than the previous as I come and come and come some more. Breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh, and the room closes in on me. Nate stays between my legs, his tongue drawing out my release until I finally stop spasming and exhale a soft, satisfied moan. His fingers bite into my thighs as he stands, his beautiful cock dripping with desire. My pulse pounds a little faster. I love the ravenous way he looks at me. Maybe a little too much. Using the back of his hand, he wipes the moisture from his mouth, and his vision narrows in on me. God, when he looks at me like that…
“Middle of the bed. Now,” he orders, every muscle in his body taut, ready to snap.
Limbs weak and warmth spreading through me, I shimmy to the middle of the bed, and he grabs something from his nightstand before climbing between my legs. He strokes his cock again, and I stare, mesmerized as my body heats up all over again.
“You like looking?” he asks.
I nod.
“I like looking, too,” he says.
“I know.”
He lightly pets my sex. “I need in here.”
“I need that, too.”
His eyes search mine. “I want you so fucking bad, I’m not sure I can promise to go slow, Kira.”
My pulse jumps in my throat as my breath hitches. “Who says I want it slow?”
He grunts out a laugh, rips into the condom, and before I can touch him, feel his weight and girth in my hand, he sheathes himself and falls over me. The tension in his face, the tightening in his jaw are telltale signs that there’s a new kind of desperation urging him on. Do I really affect him like this?
His mouth finds mine, and I wrap my legs around him as his crown presses against my opening. A bubble of need wells up inside me, and I practically vibrate.
“Please, Nate,” I moan into his mouth. He buries his face in the crook of my neck and powers his hips forward, filling me in one hard thrust. As he seats himself high, my lips part, but no sound comes as he fills me in a way I’ve never been filled before.
“You’re so hot and tight,” he murmurs into the hollow of my throat. The heat of his breath sizzles through me, and I move my body, eager for him to fuck me.
“So good,” I cry out as he tugs my hair to expose my entire neck. He kisses my flesh, and his hips move, slow, easy thrusts that have my eyes rolling back in my head. His girth pushes against my tight walls, strokes the cluster of nerves that are once again alive with pleasure. “Nate,” I whisper, and his name on my lips seems to do something to him.
His thrusts become fast
er—hard, blunt strokes that drench me in desire. I glance between our bodies, unsure and uncaring where his starts and mine ends. I just don’t want this to be over. Ever. His pelvis bangs mine, rubs my cleft, and before I know it, pleasure races through me and I’m coming again. I gasp and tremble against the pressure, my toes curling in ecstasy.
“Fuck, yes,” he murmurs, and I reach around him, run my nails over his back with each glorious pulse that squeezes around his cock. “You’ve got me right there,” he groans. His mouth finds mine, and he pulls out, slams back in again.
I lose myself in the depths of pleasure as he moves inside me, pulling almost all the way out, only to slide back in again. I rock against him, meet each delicious thrust—thrusts that are for him now as he chases his own release, and I want nothing more than to make this as good for him as he did for me.
He thickens inside me, and his nostrils flare as he throws his head back and comes on a loud groan. His face twists, and I’m fascinated by the look. I touch his cheek and concentrate on the spasms as he depletes himself.
“I feel you,” I murmur.
“Jesus, Kira,” he mumbles and falls over me, pinning me with his weight. I touch him lightly as moisture seals our bodies. He rolls off me, and his eyes search mine. His slides a hand between my legs, pets me lightly.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “I kind of lost it there.”
My body shudders as his concern taps at my heart.
Easy, Kira, this is just about sex.
“I’m better than okay,” I say, a little—lot—overwhelmed. Nate seems a little shaken up himself. Then again, I have no idea what he looks like after sex, so this could be his normal.
“Same.” He pulls my boneless body to his, and I rest my face on his chest, breathe in his scent.
“You were wrong,” he whispers.
“Wrong?”
“You are good at this.”
I chuckle, riding high on my post-orgasm bliss, the easy intimacy between us making me warm and sleepy. My God, I’ve never experienced such contentment. I smile and snuggle against him, a strange need to get closer pulling at me.
“And you were right,” I murmur as I take pleasure in his strong heartbeat beneath my cheek.
“Normally I am.” I smack him, and he laughs and asks, “Okay, what am I right about?”
“Since you’re such a smart-ass, now I don’t know if I want to tell you.”
“Vee haff VAYS of making you tok!”
I laugh hard at the bad accent. He must have watched a lot of TV as a kid. “Okay, okay. You were right. You rocked my world.”
He rolls over me, takes my hands, and pins them above my head. “Did you think I was done?”
“I was hoping you weren’t,” I say, and his laugh rumbles against my chest as his lips find mine again.
Chapter Ten
Nate
We decided to close our eyes for a second, but when mine spring open, I take a quick glance at the clock. Shit, everyone will be up soon, and Kira needs to get back to her own bed. I turn to face her, find her mess of hair spilling over the pillow as well as her face. My heart lurches in my chest. She’s so goddamn beautiful.
Her soft breathing noises whisper around me, and I hate to wake her. My gaze moves down to find the blanket twisted at her waist and the top half of her body exposed. I cover her up, my hands touching her soft skin, and a streak of protectiveness curls around me. Yeah, I’d definitely been fighting a losing battle when it came to Kira. With this insane pull between us, sooner or later she would have ended up in my bed. I wish I could have been stronger, because a sweet girl like Kira deserves better than me. I wish I could be the man she needs, but I’m not.
She mumbles something, and I grab a strand of honey-blonde hair, running it through my fingers. Silky soft, like the rest of her. Leaning in, I drop a gentle kiss onto her forehead, and she stirs.
“Hey,” I say softly. She might be a bit startled to wake up in a strange room, strange bed.
She blinks, and I can tell the second awareness creeps in by the way her eyes widen. “What time is it?”
“Five in the morning.”
She sits up, tucks the sheet around her upper body, her inhibitions back now that it’s morning. “I need to get to my room.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I’ll come with you and check the trap.”
She slides from the bed, sheet still wrapped around her. I tug on my boxers and help her find her clothes. With her back to me, she hurries into her shirt, and I stand there and admire the subtle movements of her hips as she darts for the door, but before she can unlock it, I turn her around and press her against it. I can’t seem to let her go just yet.
“Last night,” I begin as I cup her cheek, study her full lush lips. “You rocked my world, too.” That brings a small smile to her face, but from the way she avoids my eyes, something is troubling her. “You’re not feeling awkward about it, are you?” She opens her mouth, then closes it. “Hey, Kira…” I hate for her to feel shame in the morning. Last night was incredible, and if she has regrets, it will gut me. I’m the one who practically attacked her. “Tell me what’s on your mind. I think we should be honest with each other.”
Her chin lifts slowly. “I don’t mean to make this awkward, but I don’t really know how to do morning-afters.” Her grin is wobbly, unsure. “Do I just make a run for it?”
I chuckle, worry easing out of my bones. “While I’d really like to see your sweet, bare ass hustling down the hall like you’re being chased by Eddie…” I stop and brush my lips over hers, lightly at first, then deepen the kiss and drag her into my arms until she’s relaxed against me. We kiss until we’re breathless, and I inch away, look into her lust-glazed eyes, and say, “That’s how they’re done.”
Her lashes flutter rapidly, her chest rising and falling almost as fast. “Okay.”
With our bodies still touching, and in no hurry to break the contact, I say, “That’s how we’ll do them, anyway.”
She pushes her hair from her face. “Wait, that’s not how you usually do them?”
I brush her cheek with my thumb. “I asked you to be honest with me, and you deserve the same. So, it’s like this: I never do sleepovers. I’m usually gone before morning. This morning-after is new to me, too. So let’s just enjoy this while we’re both still here.”
“Oh,” she says. “I guess we’re morning-after virgins.” She looks down briefly, a smile touching her mouth. “I think I might like that.”
I chuckle as my heart bangs a little faster, feeding off her happiness. “Come on. Let’s get you to your room before anyone wakes up.” I open the door quietly, listening for noise. When silence reaches my ears, I take her hand in mine and we pad softly down the hall. In her room, she jumps in her bed. With her hair a tumbled mess, she looks so warm, cozy, and inviting, it takes everything in me not to climb in there with her. How can I want her again so fast? I step into her bathroom, but the trap is intact.
“No mouse,” I say.
She frowns. “I was sure I heard it.”
“Maybe you just wanted to hear it so you could sneak into my room,” I tease and get a pillow thrown at me in return.
“Ego much?”
“Only because I can back it up.”
She rolls her eyes, and I laugh and toss the pillow back. “You don’t have to get up early, do you?”
She thinks for a moment. “Realtor is coming at noon.”
“Try to get some sleep, then. I’ll make sure the house stays quiet for you.”
Her smile of gratitude squeezes my heart, and okay, fine, I want to take care of her, even though she’s capable of caring for herself.
Shit.
“Night, Nate,” she says and snuggles into her bed, a warm, satisfied smile on her face, one I put there. Christ, I feel as smug as I did back in high school when I made
that touchdown that won us the game.
I close her door and go back to my room. No way am I going to get back to sleep. Not with the way my brain is buzzing and my body is aching. You’d think after a couple of rounds, I’d be sated, but nope. Good thing we’ve got more time together. I’m sure by the end of the fishing season, we’ll both have slayed the tension between us. Because when the season is over, this is done. Christ, she still doesn’t even know who I really am, although it doesn’t appear that she wants to, or that it matters—a good indication that she doesn’t want more, either.
I flop into my bed and bring Kira’s pillow to my nose to inhale her sweet vanilla scent. I really wish I could close my eyes for another hour. The extra sleep would do me good. A day out on the fishing boat is exhausting at best, and today I scheduled myself to go with Albert McMurtry’s crew.
Every now and then I have to get out of the office and go with the guys to hear their concerns and to connect with them on another level. Unlike my father and brothers, I don’t rule with an iron fist. I’ve always lived by a quote I read when I was getting my MBA. “A boss invokes fear, a leader inspires confidence.” Lame? I don’t know. My family would certainly think so. But as long as I get the string of cottages purchased and the facility built, with profits to show for it, differing philosophies shouldn’t matter. It’s the end result that counts.
I lie down and stare at the ceiling, thinking about Kira until my alarm finally goes off. I slip from my bed and make my way to the bathroom. I shower quickly and meet Sam in the hall as he waits for his turn.
“Kira came to get me to check on the mouse trap late last night. She didn’t get much sleep, so let’s keep it down this morning.”
