by Elle Kennedy
She grinned back. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
A short silence fell as their gazes roamed over each other’s respectively naked bodies.
“What now?” Maddie whispered.
“Now you kiss me.” She licked her lips again, and he groaned. “Yeah, definitely lick your lips like that. It’s sexy.”
Pleasure warmed her skin. She stepped closer, happy to find that she had to tilt her head to look at him. She’d always hated her height, felt like a damned giant at five-nine, but Cooper was at least four or five inches taller. So was Owen, for that matter, but she forcibly shoved all thoughts of him from her mind. She couldn’t think about Owen right now, not when she was about to get it on with another man. And besides, now that she was here, with Cooper, she was beginning to realize that this “lesson” wasn’t even about Owen. This was about her. About feeling bold and wanton and sexy for the first time in her life.
She drew in a breath, grasped the back of Cooper’s neck and yanked his mouth down to hers. There was nothing shy about the kiss. She just slid her tongue into his mouth and kissed the living hell out of him. Desire jolted through her as he responded with fervor, cupping her bare ass in his big, warm hands and pulling her against his rock-hard body. They were both breathless when they pulled apart, and before she could blink, Cooper scooped her into his arms as if she weighed nothing more than a feather and marched toward the dark corridor.
He kicked a door open and then she was being thrown on a soft mattress. She waited for him to cover her body with his, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he flopped down beside her and lay on his back, his expression casual.
“Well, go on,” he drawled, propping his hands behind his head.
She swallowed.
“Seduce me,” he clarified. “Turn me on, Maddie.”
The mocking tone of voice made her bristle, but she calmed herself, realizing this was exactly what she’d come here to do. “Tell me how,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“Climb on top of me and kiss me again.”
She followed his orders. Straddled his muscular thighs and brought her mouth to his. This time she was gentle, brushing her lips over his in a featherlight caress. She dragged her tongue over his bottom lip and he groaned. His long fingers tangled in her hair as he arched his back. His thick erection pressed against her thigh and now she was the one groaning.
“Kiss your way down to it,” he said roughly, fingers still toying with her hair. “Bite a bit too, but not too hard, okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Nobody could say she didn’t take direction well. Using her mouth, lips and teeth, she explored his broad chest, the flat, brown nipples, his hips, the tender flesh of his inner thigh. She hesitated when she reached her destination, then placed one hand on his thigh, the other around the base of his cock. He was bigger than Owen, but not as thick, and when she planted a kiss on his tip, a pearl of moisture formed there. She licked it, savoring the salty taste.
“Now suck me,” he wheezed out, one calloused hand caressing her shoulder. “Slow at first, from base to tip.”
She took him in her mouth and did as he asked. The feel of his velvety soft flesh against her tongue made her moan. She went quiet, though, when he continued to hiss out gruff orders at her.
“Wrap your fingers around me, pump it on the upstroke…ah, that’s good…fuck, Maddie, no need to be so gentle, I won’t break, darlin’.” He groaned as she scraped her teeth along his shaft. “Yeah, that’s good…real good…cup my balls with your other hand.”
She didn’t know how long she was down there, sucking, licking, pumping. When he lifted his hips and thrust into her mouth, his pace quickening, she knew he must be close. She felt his cock pulsing against her tongue and drew him in deep, while shivers of pleasure shimmied up her spine and tickled her skin. She wanted him to explode, wanted to see him come apart, wanted to make him come apart. But to her disappointment, he suddenly yanked her up, and she found herself sprawled on her back as Cooper licked and caressed every inch of her body.
He didn’t need any direction—he simply knew exactly what to do. One hand squeezed and fondled her breasts, his mouth surrounded her nipple, sucking hard. His other hand slid down between her legs, where he palmed her wet core and rubbed until she cried out in pleasure. He pushed one long finger inside her, then a second, a third, moving them in and out and eliciting wave after wave of sheer sensation.
“Don’t come yet,” he rasped against her breast, and then he was gone, off the bed, disappearing through a darkened doorway across the room. A bathroom, she deduced, when he came back a moment later with a condom stretched over his impressive erection.
She figured he’d spread her legs and do his thing, but once more, he lay on his back and made her straddle him. Heart thudding, she slowly brought his cock to her opening.
“No,” he murmured. “Tease me first.”
She wasn’t exactly sure what to do, so she improvised. Grasping him in one hand, she used his cock to rub her slick folds, leaning forward so that her breasts were pressed to his chest. The wiry dark hairs there tickled her nipples. And what she was doing down below teased her as much as it teased him. She ground her clit against his cock and they both moaned loudly. Ripples of impending orgasm danced inside her, threatening to break the surface, and when she finally couldn’t take it a second longer, she seated herself on his cock and started to move, slow and apprehensive at first.
“Harder,” Cooper ordered, gripping her hips with his hands. “Fuck me like you mean it.”
Insult flashed through her. Fuck him like she meant it? Well, he asked for it. She rode him fast and furiously, grabbing one of his hands and placing it between them, forcing him to stroke her aching clit. A flicker of surprise flitted in his eyes, replaced by a glint of satisfaction. He rubbed her with his thumb as she rode him, fisting a hunk of her hair to bring her head down so they could kiss. As their tongues tangled, Maddie closed her eyes and threw self-control into the wind.
She came in a wild, heated rush, digging her nails into Cooper’s shoulders. She moaned and shuddered, lost in a burst of ecstasy that only intensified when she felt him thickening and pulsing inside her. His fist tightened in her hair, hard enough to bring a jolt of pain, but that only heightened the orgasm too.
“Holy fuck,” Cooper choked out when they both went still a minute later.
She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, her breath fanning over his damp skin. “So did I pass?” she asked in a muffled voice.
“I think that was an A+ effort, darlin’.” His arms wrapped around her, and a rumble of laughter tickled her ear. “I should write you a fucking recommendation letter.”
Maddie burst out laughing.
Chapter Seven
“Hey, Maddie, it’s me. Again. It’s pretty clear you’re still avoiding me, but sooner or later you’re going to have to call me back. We need to talk about what happened.” With a stroke of inspiration, he finished with, “Never thought you’d run away from a confrontation.”
Owen hung up, his jaw set in determination. She’d have to call back now, what with his insinuation that she was a coward. Nothing pissed Maddie off more than being accused of cowardice.
He supposed he could always drive over to her apartment, but he was kind of apprehensive about seeing her until he gauged how angry she actually was. Besides, the large Victorian she lived in had been converted into four apartments, and if she started hitting him or throwing things, the other tenants would surely hear everything. Which would be embarrassing.
He wondered how mad she was. Like on a scale of one to ten. Where would practically throwing a woman off him before intercourse land on the scale? A five? Seven?
Owen still felt like a total ass for the way he’d handled things. And he still craved that damn woman on some crazy primal level that had left him with a hard-on, even two days later. He just wished she would let him explain, damn it. Tell her that he hadn’t rejected her b
ecause he didn’t want her—but because he wanted her too much.
He glanced at the cell phone he’d placed on the kitchen counter, but it lay there, still and silent. She wasn’t calling back.
Groaning, he turned away. He needed a distraction. Maybe there was a preseason game on or something. He drifted into the living room, caught sight of the treadmill by the window and made a beeline for that instead. Exercise. A surefire way to clear his head and rid all traces of desire from his body.
He stripped off his shirt, shoved a pair of sneakers on his bare feet, and headed for the machine. He started with a slow jog to warm up, then changed the setting and picked up the pace, determined to run every thought right out of his head. He wasn’t sure how long he’d run, didn’t care. The burn in his leg muscles felt damn good, and he could have kept going if not for the dry voice that sounded from behind him.
“You’re going to break the machine if you keep at that pace.”
Break it, no, but he did almost stumble off the thing like a total loser. He steadied himself at the last second, quickly changed the setting, then slowed down and got off the treadmill. As he collected himself, he spotted Maddie standing in the doorway. For the first time in days, she was actually wearing jeans, but they were tighter than the ones she normally wore, and were accompanied by a snug, blue tank top that hugged her firm breasts. Her hair was loose, falling over one shoulder, and there was a flush on her cheeks and a sheen of sweat on her collarbone. She must have walked over here—Maddie was the only person he knew who didn’t own a car.
“I got your messages,” she spoke up, a smile lifting the corners of her lush mouth. “All seventeen of them.”
He felt a pang of embarrassment. “I was anxious to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I got that.” She walked over to the black leather couch and flopped down, resting her long legs on his glass coffee table. “So, let’s talk.”
Her matter-of-fact tone made him gulp, though it didn’t surprise him. Of course Maddie would get right to the point. After a few seconds of hesitation, he sat next to her, swiping his hand over his forehead to soak up some of the workout sweat.
He shifted so that he was facing her and waited for her to speak. When she didn’t, he bit the bullet and said, “I’m sorry about the other night.”
“I’m not.”
Owen’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“I’m not sorry,” she answered with a shrug. “Truth is, I’ve wanted that to happen for a long time.”
One thing you could say about Maddie—she never failed to surprise him. Gaping, he searched her face and saw nothing but sincerity. “You have?”
“For a long time,” she repeated. Catching his shock, she let out a sigh. “Come on, Owen, don’t tell me you didn’t notice. I’ve had a thing for you since the day you hired me.”
He reached up to rub his temples, trying to make sense of what she was saying. She’d had a thing for him? For three years?
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he blurted out.
“Because you were too busy going out with all those airheads.” She flashed him a grin. “You have terrible taste in women, you know that?”
Because those “airheads” were the only type of woman who didn’t expect a relationship from him, he wanted to explain, but he kept the callous-sounding thought to himself. Although he talked to Maddie about plenty of things, his love life wasn’t one of them. I can’t commit to one woman because I’m easily bored wasn’t something you wanted to share with another person. It made him sound like a total dick.
“But I’m not going to pretend anymore,” Maddie continued, fixing him with a determined stare. “I wanted you that night, Owen. I still want you.”
He swallowed. “Maddie—”
“I ran off because I was embarrassed,” she confessed in a quiet voice. “You were right—the whole thing was new for me. I was nervous.”
He managed to get out another “Maddie” before she cut him off again.
“Did you really mean what you said? That we can’t get involved because we’re friends?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”
“Well, I say it’s bullshit. In fact, I think we should get involved because we’re friends.”
She scooted closer, so that one of her firm thighs was pressed against his. His cock instantly rose to attention.
“You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy the other night,” she murmured as she placed her hand on his knee. “You were attracted to me.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “But—”
“No buts.” Her hand traveled to his thigh, then glided up his body, brushing his chest, his collar, and finally stroking his chin. “Let’s see this through, Owen.”
“We can’t,” he choked out, yet at the same time, he found himself leaning into her touch.
She traced her fingers along the line of his jaw. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I won’t let you.”
The confidence ringing in her voice did nothing to soothe the doubts running through his brain. “My relationships never work out,” he said gruffly. “The last thing I want is for us to get involved only for it to end in disaster.”
“Your relationships don’t work out because you don’t let them,” she said bluntly. “I can’t figure out why you sabotage yourself, why you won’t let yourself be happy, but that’s a conversation for another time.” She leaned closer, and he could smell the sweet flowery scent of her shampoo. Her breath was warm against his ear as she whispered, “Right now, I just want to finish what we started the other night.”
Owen’s throat was working hard as he repeatedly swallowed. Maddie could see the reluctance flickering in his sexy gray eyes, but she also glimpsed a spark of anticipation, a flash of heat. He did want her. Her gaze dropped to his crotch, which now sported a thick bulge, and a burst of satisfaction went off inside her. Oh, he wanted her, all right.
She hadn’t been sure what she’d say when she’d decided to come here. At first she’d thought of simply ripping her clothes off and seducing him, but at the last minute she’d opted for the honesty route. Why not tell him how she felt about him, that she’d been lusting over him for years? After all, she had nothing to lose. As she’d walked over from her apartment, she’d realized that, instead of sitting on the sidelines and waiting for him to notice, she should have told him a long time ago how she felt.
Now, she was glad she’d told him the truth. She might have slept with Cooper on Friday night in order to gain some new skills, but she wanted so much more from this man. Sleeping with Cooper had been fun, had made her feel brazen and sexual, but she wanted more with Owen. She wanted his heart, damn it.
She just had to convince him to give it to her.
“This can work out,” she whispered, cupping his chin with both hands. “It can, and it will, if you’d just open yourself up to it.” A pang of apprehension tugged at her gut when he didn’t answer. “Do you want me, Owen? Really, truly want me?”
Another silence, and then the word “yes” shuddered out of his mouth.
A wave of pleasure swelled in her belly. “Then let’s take a chance,” she said softly. “Let’s…see what happens.”
He didn’t respond again, but he did cover her hands with his own and stroke her knuckles. She took that as a positive sign, and, before he could say another word, she leaned in and kissed him.
He kissed her back. Hard.
Maddie gasped for air as their mouths fused together in reckless abandonment. Emotion flooded her body, heat sizzled in her veins, and the only thought running through her mind was this. This was what had been missing with Cooper. No matter how fun and dirty the sex had been, the emotional connection hadn’t been there.
As their tongues danced and tangled, Maddie grabbed Owen’s shirt with one hand and shoved it up his chest. She broke the kiss and moved her mouth to his pecs, kissing his bare skin, enjoying the spicy, salty taste of
him. He groaned when she swiped her tongue over his nipple, his head lolling to the side. He offered no resistance when she kissed her way down his body and tugged on the drawstring of his gray sweatpants. She had him naked in three seconds flat, then got on her knees in front of the couch and took his thick erection into her mouth.
She was rewarded with a low growl of appreciation, along with a rush of heat that settled between her legs. God, she loved the taste of him. The feel of his steel hardness and velvety softness. The confidence that had been missing in that first encounter now poured out in bucket loads. She wasn’t caught off guard this time, wasn’t second-guessing a single thing. A part of her suspected her night with Cooper had helped, but on another level she knew that fear had played a role the last time. Fear that Owen would always see her as an unfeminine tomboy, even during sex.
Well, she wasn’t scared anymore. If anything, she was even more determined to prove to this man that they could have something good together, if he would only open his mind—and heart—to the possibility.
Cupping his balls with one hand, she squeezed them gently, while dragging her tongue along the sensitive underside of his cock. His soft groans made her dizzy with pleasure. When her core clenched, she realized she was seconds away from a spontaneous orgasm and he hadn’t even touched her.
“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to do this,” she murmured as she licked up and down his shaft.
His fingers threaded through her hair. “Yeah?”
She lifted her head and their eyes locked. “I used to lie in bed at night, wondering what you’d taste like. How it would feel to have you in my mouth.”
She ran a finger along his sac, summoning a low curse from his lips. “So what’s it like then?” he choked out.
“Best feeling ever.” Grinning, she lowered her head and took him into her mouth, sucking gently.
“Can’t disagree with that,” he said between groans.
She loved the rough sounds he was making, the way he played with her hair and whispered her name. God, she loved every last thing about this man.