by JC Harroway
“I know so.” She grinned. “But let’s be honest—there’s only one kind of exercise we’re interested in right now, and it doesn’t have a single thing to do with a bike. Now, stop teasing me and take off your pants.”
CHAPTER TWO
BECKA COULD BARELY breathe at the look on Aaron’s face as he ran his hands over her body. Learning. Reveling. Worshipping. It left her feeling off center, as if this was more than some horny wedding sex between two single people who’d never see each other again. She covered her uncertainty the only way she knew how—brazenly charging forward. “You’re still wearing pants.”
“Don’t rush me.” He lifted her farther onto the bed and lay next to her, his head propped on his hand. She started to protest, but Aaron cupped her pussy and she forgot whatever she’d been about to say. He stroked her over the silk of her panties, his blue eyes arrested on the spot he touched her. The slick fabric lent an erotic edge to the slide of his fingers. “Spread your legs.”
She obeyed instantly. Becka normally preferred to take charge of her sexual encounters. She knew what she liked and had no reservations with demanding exactly that. Most guys found it sexy as hell and—more importantly—it ensured they both had one hell of a good time.
Aaron wasn’t going to let her lead this encounter. She’d known it from the second he commanded her not to drink any more that night. And the kiss... God, that kiss had been claiming in a way she wasn’t prepared to deal with.
Doesn’t matter. I’m a grown-ass woman. I knew what I signed up for. I can handle it.
That didn’t stop a shiver from working its way through her body as he traced her opening through her panties and moved up to circle her clit. This wasn’t the rushed fucking she’d prepared herself for. He touched her as if she meant something beyond a mutually satisfying night. “Stop that.”
Aaron met her gaze, his hand stilling. “Problem?” There was no anger in those blue eyes, just a kind of knowledge that said he already knew what her protesting was about and didn’t give a damn.
“Don’t make this into something it isn’t.” He didn’t respond other than to slide his hand back down to cup her again. Possessively. She swallowed hard, fighting not to rub against him like a wanton thing. Focus. “I’m just here for the sex.” For the desperately needed distraction.
He raised his eyebrows. “You’re just here for the sex.”
“That is literally what I just said.”
“I heard you.” His thumb dipped beneath the edge of her thong. “Becka, if you think this night is going to end before I’ve stroked, tasted and fucked you until we’re both damn near comatose...” He shook his head in mock sympathy even as he kept up that teasing stroking beneath her panties, not quite where she so desperately needed him.
“I signed up for that.” She gritted her teeth in an effort to keep still. “I didn’t sign up for this.”
“Do you want me to stop?” The arrogant tilt of his lips said he already knew the answer. She hated that he was so sure of her, hated even more that he was right.
Becka smacked his hand away from her and shoved his shoulders, well aware that he allowed her to tumble him onto his back. She was strong for her size, but he had a good six inches and fifty pounds on her. She grabbed his wrists and pinned them over his head, and he let her do it. “I don’t want you to stop.” She shifted, dragging her breasts against his bare chest. God, he’s breathtaking. All I want to do is rub myself all over him like some horny teenager. She pressed down against his cock and had to bite back a whimper.
“Come here, Becka.” The way he said her name was almost a purr, a soft coaxing that was no less a command than all his others tonight. “Give me your mouth.”
She kissed him, telling herself she did it because she wanted to and not because part of her quivered with need at the rough growl in his voice. He tasted like the scotch he’d been drinking at the reception, and it went straight to her head. She forgot she was supposed to be in the dominant position, to be driving this encounter, to be the one calling the shots. Instead, she released his wrists and cupped his jaw on either side, losing herself in the feel of his tongue sliding decadently against hers, his lips hard and unyielding and yet giving her everything she needed.
It was too much.
He kissed her like this meant something.
She didn’t want him to be right.
She leaned back, desperate to put some distance between them, to remember the purpose for that night.
Her plans disappeared through her fingers like smoke when his lips curled into a wicked smile. “Let me taste you, Becka.”
* * *
It took everything Aaron had to leash himself, to hold still as Becka considered him. The first impression he’d gotten of the wild thing on the verge of fleeing was only reinforced by the skittish look in her eyes. She’ll run at the first hint of a cage. He filed away that information, but the truth was that he didn’t want to cage her.
That isn’t what tonight is about.
She worried her bottom lip even as she shifted deliciously against him. “I can’t think straight when you say my name like that.”
Good. He didn’t say it through sheer force of will. “This thing with us has nothing to do with thinking straight.” He’d accepted the offer of a nightcap because she was beautiful and interesting, and it had been a long time since he’d let himself indulge in anything resembling a one-night stand. But this bold and slightly brittle woman intrigued him despite himself.
She sat up a little, pressing herself down against his cock. “That’s a good point. A brilliant point, even. I’m overthinking things.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t usually bring this much baggage to banging. Sorry. The wedding has me all twisted up for various reasons.”
“Becka—”
She charged right over him. “But that’s neither here nor there.” She gave a brilliant smile. “You wanted a taste.”
He kept himself perfectly still as she sat up fully and stretched her arms over her head, showing off her body. And, fuck, what a body. Aaron wanted to pin her down, to lick and kiss every inch of her until she felt the same desperation coursing through his veins. I do that, she leaves.
Unacceptable.
Becka moved up until she straddled his face. He could see how wet she was against the silk of her panties, and he ran hands up her thighs, urging her to spread a little farther for him. “Perfect.”
“Hey now, remember who’s in the driver’s seat.”
He shifted his hands higher so he could hook a thumb into her panties and tug them to the side, exposing her. “Let me know if I miss the mark.” He lifted his head, still holding her gaze, and flicked his tongue out to taste her.
She braced her hands on the wall over the headboard and bit her bottom lip. “More of that, please and thank you. Suck my clit, Aaron.”
Fuck me.
His control snapped. He obeyed her hoarse command, sucking her clit into his mouth and rolling the sensitive bud against his tongue. Becka let loose a whimper that sent a bolt of lightning to his cock.
Getting her to make that noise again shot to the top of his list of things to do.
He lost himself in her taste, in the way her thighs went tense beneath his hands when he licked her just right. It didn’t take long to find the blend of rhythm and pressure that had her rocking against his mouth, her whimpers turning into gasping cries. Higher and higher he took her, driving her ruthlessly into her first orgasm. She let loose a breathless giggle when she came, as if overtaken by sheer delight the same way she’d been overtaken by pleasure.
He fell a little bit in love with her right then and there.
“Safe to say you didn’t miss the mark.” Becka laughed again and slumped to the side, letting one leg sprawl across his chest as she blinked at him from beneath a curtain of blue hair. “I was right—it is good with y
ou.”
“Happy to live up to expectations.” For the first time in so long, he wasn’t thinking about his next business move or the future, beyond the moment when he got inside this woman. Tonight. Even if it’s only tonight, it’s worth it for the reprieve she’s offered. Aaron rolled onto his side and smoothed back her hair. “I like the blue.”
“I live to please.”
He lightly pinched her nipple. “So snarky.”
“Hmm, you know it.” She stretched from her fingers to her toes, her body perfectly on display for one breathtaking moment before she relaxed and grinned at him. “That was a great appetizer, but I’m more than ready to move on to the main course.”
He dug his wallet from his pocket and fished out the condom he’d stashed there earlier that week. Aaron always carried one with him—the better to be prepared for any given situation that arose, so to speak—but he switched it out regularly to avoid any mishaps. He took her hand and pressed it to her palm. “Do the honors.”
“The honors.” Becka smirked. She ripped the foil packet open. “Someone’s got a high opinion of themselves.” She took her time rolling the condom on, teasing him, prolonging the moment when this reached the point of no return. As if she wanted this to last as much as he did.
“That’s enough.” He cupped the back of her neck and towed her up so he could take her mouth. Aaron rolled them without breaking the kiss, loving the way she moved with him as if they’d done this a thousand times. She stroked her hands down his sides and gave his ass a playful squeeze as he settled between her thighs. He chuckled against her mouth. “Cheeky.”
“Just call me a saucy little minx.” She nipped his chin and pressed an openmouthed kiss against his neck. “I don’t want to wait anymore, Aaron. I need you.”
“Next time we go slow.” He reached between them to position his cock at her entrance. “Ready?”
“Baby, I was born ready.” She hooked a leg around his waist and arched up to meet him.
He’d expected the move, so he countered it, letting himself sink into her a single inch and no more. “Slow, minx. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Her laugh seemed to vibrate her whole body, and her blue eyes shone with true amusement. “That giant cock of yours is impressive, but I can take it.” Becka grinned. “Do your worst.”
Impossible to resist the playful challenge in every line of her body. He didn’t really want to hold back any more than she seemed to want him to. Aaron slammed into her, sheathing himself to the hilt. She jolted, that delicious whimper slipping free again. He ate the sound, kissing even as he began moving. His leash had snapped without his realizing how close he was to losing control. This woman, this wildfire in his arms, she brought out something he’d fought long and hard to tame within himself.
Something savage.
He tried to pull back, tried to regain control.
As if sensing his withdrawal, Becka wrapped both legs around his waist and grabbed his hands, lacing their fingers together. She stretched her arms over her head, guiding him to pin her down. “I’m not breakable, Aaron. You don’t have to be careful with me.” She squeezed his hands. “I want everything.”
He could no more resist her command than he’d been able to turn away from her at the bar. Aaron put his weight onto her hands and pounded into her, each thrust making her breasts bounce and drawing a cry from her lips. He watched her face the entire time, finding only a mirror to the delirious pleasure spiraling through him. Feeling more animal than man, he shifted his grip to her wrists, and her splayed fingers only drove him to fuck her harder.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Becka let loose another of those intoxicating giggles, her pussy clenching around him in climax hard enough to pull him over the edge with her. He thrust into her roughly, his grip on her the only thing that kept them from sliding right into the headboard, his orgasm hitting him with the force of a tidal wave.
Aaron dropped his face to the curve of her neck and pressed a careful kiss there. “Fuck, minx, nothing could have prepared me for you.”
* * *
Becka shouldn’t let a comment like the one Aaron just made stand, but she couldn’t work up the energy to remind him yet again that this was a one-shot deal. Not with his big body pinning her to the bed, his hands still holding her down in a way that had her squirming despite coming twice in quick order. Aaron made her feel... She didn’t know how to put it into words. She wasn’t submissive—not really—but being at his mercy while he fucked her within an inch of her life?
Yeah, that moment was going into her hall of fame.
She stroked a cautious hand down his back and shivered as he thrust into her a little. He was still half-hard, which had her glancing at the clock and doing a quick calculation to how much time was really left in this one-night stand. More than enough. It doesn’t really end until the sun rises, right?
Aaron kissed her neck again and then took her mouth. There was no other way to describe his mouth claiming hers, his way of controlling the kiss that made her head spin. He thrust again, and she clenched her legs tighter around him. “More. I need more. Again.”
He set his teeth to her bottom lip, but just when she thought he’d give her exactly what she wanted, he cursed and retreated. “We’re going to have to go back to my place for that nightcap. I have exactly one condom on me, and we just used it.”
Disappointment threatened to sour her good mood, but she shoved it aside. What would it hurt to catch a cab back to his place and keep this thing going for a few more hours? He’d already more than proven he could give it to her better than ninety percent of the guys she’d hooked up with in the past. Letting a tiny technicality get in the way of more orgasms wasn’t her style.
Becka reluctantly uncrossed her ankles so he could move. “I suppose you’ll make it worth my while if I suffer through a cab ride.”
“You know it.” Her heart skipped a beat at his answering grin. His buttoned-up attitude hadn’t lasted past their first kiss, but there was such mirth in that expression she couldn’t stop herself from grinning in response.
Aaron pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Let me clean up and we’ll get out of here.” He slid off her...and froze. “Fuck.”
“What?” She scrambled back, her stomach doing a slow flip at the sight of the broken condom. Fuck, indeed. “Shit.”
“I’m clean.”
It was too much on top of everything else that had happened that day. Becka shook her head and edged around him to get off the bed. “Thanks for the memo.” She believed him, even though she had no right to take his word for anything at this point. She reached the edge of the bed and hesitated. Think, Becka. Don’t be a jackass. “I’m clean, too. I get tested regularly.” He deserved to know that, at least.
She pushed her hair back, hating that his face had immediately fallen back into the cold lines he’d worn when she first caught sight of him. This was never going to work. Get out now before it gets even more awkward.
“Becka—”
Becka. Not minx.
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’m on birth control. If you’re clean—”
“I am.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” She grabbed her dress from the floor and tugged it on. “This has been fun, but I need to go home now.”
He disappeared into the bathroom for a few seconds, and then he was back, unabashedly naked and stalking across the room to her. “We need to talk about this.”
“Actually, we don’t. Clean.” She pointed at him. “Clean.” She pointed at herself. “Birth control. End of story. This has been fun, but it’s over now.” Becka didn’t see her panties, but she wasn’t about to stick around to search for them. Instead, she grabbed her shoes and ducked under Aaron’s arm.
“I’d like to see you again.”
She reached the door and paused. It had been fun. A lot
of fun, right up until that shitty ending. Becka closed her eyes, letting herself picture—just for a moment—what it would be like if she said yes. Maybe he was talking about just sex, and they’d spend a prolonged one-night stand blowing each other’s minds until he got tired of her and decided to try to let her down easy, bruising her in the process. Or maybe he’d try to take her out on a date, and they’d end up fucking again, and it would end exactly the same. Even if things did work for a while, eventually they would explode in her face, just like every other relationship she’d been in.
Historically, men looked at her appearance and assumed one of two things.
They figured that she was some kind of manic pixie dream girl who would help them find themselves. Or, more often, they assumed that she was a kinky sex fiend who’d be down for everything and anything and not be bothered by days gone by without communication as long as the sex was on point.
Becka wasn’t about to play prop to a man, and she might like sex, but she had more respect for herself than to be some guy’s one A.M. booty call while he was trying to date other women. As a result, every single time she’d tried to actually date someone, it had gone down in flames sooner rather than later.
Like mother, like daughter.
She straightened her spine, but she couldn’t look at him. If she met those gray-blue eyes, she was a goner. “It’s been fun. Really fun. But let’s leave this on a high note. I want to be a fond memory, something that will never get a chance to lose its shine.”
His bitter laugh made her stomach drop. “Sounds like you already have the narrative set.”
Better me setting the narrative than playing supporting role in someone else’s. “I do.” She forced her hand to turn the doorknob and open the door, because if she didn’t move right then, she’d go back to him and let him spin whatever pretty fantasy until she actually believed it. It wasn’t the truth. She knew that, even if he wasn’t willing to admit it. “Have a nice life, Aaron.”
Becka walked out the door without looking back.
