by Jaci Burton
She felt weak in the knees, but also heady and powerful with desire. And now it was her opportunity to use her hands to clutch his shoulders, to feel the awesome strength in his muscles as he held tight to her.
And then she was shocked when he scooped her up in his arms. She wasn't a small woman. She was five ten, so when he started up the stairs, she gave him a look.
"Are you crazy, Flynn? I can walk and you might hurt yourself."
He laughed at her. "I think I can handle you."
He was certainly doing that. Her ex had never been able to pick her up. They had been the same height, and, granted, Flynn was a lot taller and more muscular than her ex.
And okay, she wasn't going to think about her ex-husband any more tonight. Not when a gorgeous man held her against him. This might be the first time a man had ever held her in his arms, much less carried her up a flight of stairs. It was a little disconcerting. But it also made her feel very female and, for the first time in her life . . . small.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing to feel cared for in this way, even if the independent side of her balked. It was also extremely romantic, and when he laid her on the bed, she sat on the edge, still a bit overwhelmed by this unexpected turn of events.
"Change your mind?" he asked.
"No. Just a little surprised."
He cocked his head to the side. "Why? I think I made it clear I wanted you. And by the way you responded downstairs, it seemed reciprocal."
"Oh, I definitely want you. I'm just waiting for my head to get in line with my body."
He leaned over her, giving her shoulder a slight shove so she was lying back on the mattress. "Too much thinking can ruin really good sex, Amelia. How about we just let our bodies do the work?"
He was right, of course. The logical side of her brain was trying to pop in and interrupt what her body wanted.
There was nothing going on with the two of them other than a one-night stand. Nothing wrong with that. She needed it, she wanted it and she was going to let herself have it.
Then he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his gorgeous tattoos and his rather outstanding chest.
Logic fled the room and desire took over. She rolled over onto her side. "Please continue with the unveiling. And I'm going to warn you now that I'm going to map every one of those tattoos."
"With your tongue, I hope."
She watched as he dropped his pants, and saw the tattoos continued into his boxer briefs. Her sex quivered.
"Visually and tactically. Most definitely."
He dropped his briefs and his cock sprang out. She couldn't resist a smile of pure feminine appreciation. He was built rock hard, all muscle that spoke of what he did out on the football field.
"Your turn," he said.
She started to pull off her shirt, but he came over and grasped the hem, drawing her shirt over her head.
She had to admit it was a little daunting to have a man watch her undress. But Flynn seemed to be appreciative of the unveiling, so she tossed her shirt on the bed, then wriggled out of her jeans--with his help.
"I'll never understand women and their tight jeans," he said as he tugged them down her legs.
"You appreciate our asses cupped in them, though, don't you?"
He lifted his gaze to hers. "That I do. And your ass is very nice."
He rolled her over onto her stomach and smoothed his hands over her butt. When she felt his lips there, she giggled.
"I've always wanted to have a man kiss my ass."
He gave her butt a light smack. "I could do a lot of fun things with your ass, Amelia."
Oh, the images that swirled in her head. She swung around to face him. "Could you?"
"Yeah." He placed his hands on the mattress, pressing them flat on either side of her shoulders. "But we'll table that thought for another time."
Before she could absorb that he thought they'd have more than just this one night, he leaned in and kissed her. She felt the heat emanating from his body and arched up, needing to feel his skin against hers. She still wore her bra and panties, but when he skimmed his body on top of hers, all that delicious heat sizzled between them.
Plus, his cock, nestled between her thighs, hard and surging against her sex, made her quiver with a desperate need to feel him inside of her. It had been such a long dry spell for her and she was unashamedly anxious to have him buried balls deep.
Flynn, on the other hand, must be having lots of sex with many women, because he took his sweet-ass time rubbing his lips against hers, flicking his tongue against the tip of hers and generally driving her bat-shit crazy. All in a good way, of course. She had no complaints about the kissing. He was very good at it. It was just that she desperately craved an orgasm and he kept rubbing his cock against her clit, which made her incessantly needy. She was certain that once she had an orgasm--or two--she'd settle down.
She palmed his shoulders and he lifted.
"Am I too heavy for you?"
"Not at all. I like your weight on me. I'd like it even more if your cock was inside of me."
His lips curved in a knowing smile. "You in a hurry?"
"A big damn hurry for an orgasm. I haven't had one in a while. So feel free to cut the foreplay down to like . . . nothing."
"I see." He lifted off of her. "You know, Amelia, I'm a big believer in giving a woman what she wants."
Then he unhooked her bra and she pulled it off, tossing it to the floor. He reached for her panties and ever so slowly slid them off her hips and down her legs. She wasn't sure if Flynn was giving her what she wanted or tormenting her further. Because he didn't immediately grab a condom. Instead, he parted her legs and then . . .
Nothing.
"What are you waiting for?"
"I'm just . . . looking at you. You're very beautiful, Amelia."
"Thank you. Now fuck me."
He laughed. "And they say guys only think about fucking. How about we slow down the train a little? We have all night."
"I don't want the damn slow train, Flynn. I want the bullet speed train to orgasm-land."
"Are you sure?" He crawled between her legs and shouldered her thighs apart. "Because I can give you a mind-blowing slow ride."
She lifted up on her elbows, arching her brow. His breath was hot on her sex as he smiled up at her.
"You're a teasing bastard, Flynn."
"Yeah. But I'm the bastard who's going to make you come over and over tonight."
Before she could come up with another retort, he put his tongue on her sex.
Her head dropped back and all she could do was close her eyes and feel how hot his lips were as he surrounded her clit, and how wet his tongue was as he bathed her sex with slow, easy strokes.
She'd wanted a quick climax. What she got instead was nirvana--a delicious ride on the ecstasy train. She felt his movements in every nerve ending, wading out from her sex and encompassing her entire body like a warm bath of electric currents. And when he slid his finger in and began to pump slowly in and out of her along with the timing of his mouth, she wanted that sensual train to take a long, unhurried trek to the far reaches of the universe and back.
Her nipples puckered. She reached up to grasp them and rub her fingers over them, only heightening every delicious sensation.
Her orgasm wasn't a quick release, it was a leisurely tumble that left her poised on the edge, unable to catch her breath as she felt it near. And when he hummed against her sex and sucked on her clit, she and the train jumped the tracks. Her entire body shook with her climax--over and over and over again, an endless fall of ecstasy. It felt like a lifetime before the tremors subsided. When they did, Flynn kissed his way up her body, lingering long enough at her breasts to lick and suck her nipples, revving that locomotive's speed up all over again. By the time he took her mouth, she wound her leg around his hip and arched against him. He groaned against her lips and she knew he was right there with her.
This time, slowing the train down would not be a
n option.
Apparently he felt the same way, because he rolled over and grabbed a condom out of his nightstand drawer, tore into the wrapper and slid the condom on, then parted her legs.
"You ready for me?"
She swept her fingers across his brow. "I've been ready for you."
The curve of his lips when he smiled at her had a devastating effect on her.
"You have no idea how much I like hearing that."
He inched inside of her and her entire body shuddered as he entered her fully.
She'd forgotten how damn good it felt to have a cock buried inside of her. And Flynn's was exceptional.
When he began to move inside of her, she realized he didn't simply excel at having extraordinary anatomy. He knew what to do with it. He moved with his entire body, rubbing his chest over hers, then leaned in to kiss her.
It was a full-body experience, and she immersed herself in every sensation. When he rubbed his pelvis against her clit, she moaned.
Flynn lifted his lips from hers. "I like that sound, Amelia. It makes my balls quiver."
She met his gaze, drowning in the blue depths of his eyes. "You make my everything quiver."
His lips curved. "Yeah, I can feel your body vibrate, squeezing my cock."
He surged against her, and a tremor of pure bliss quaked within her. He rolled to his side, taking her with him, lifting her leg and draping it over his hip so he could slide deeper into her.
Oh, yes. This was so good.
When he cupped her breast and brushed his fingers over her nipple, she thought she might die from the pleasure of it.
"You're sensitive here."
"Yes. Touch me more."
He was good at taking direction, too, because he moved his fingers all over her, giving her just what she needed to elicit arcs of pleasure.
"I like the way you touch me," she said. "I like your mouth, too."
He kissed her, then pulled back. "So I heard when I made you come."
She shuddered, her pussy tightening around him. "Keep talking like that and I'll come again."
"That's the idea."
He surged against her, rubbing his body against her clit. She moaned, gripped his arms and held on as he took her right to the edge.
She didn't have words for him because she was too busy breathing him in, feeling him, being so aware of this moment she couldn't do anything but feel. And when he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked, she gasped.
"Yeah. I like to hear those sounds you make," he murmured, then licked her nipple before sucking it between his teeth as he continued to thrust into her.
She grasped his upper arms, raking her nails over his skin as he pumped into her with slow, easy thrusts. She felt full and ready to burst but she wanted to hold back, needing to suspend this moment for a while longer.
But her body had other ideas and as she began to whimper, control was no longer hers. Flynn began to drive into her with earnest, deep strokes. She lost it then, coming powerfully with a loud cry. She felt that sweet free fall of bliss as she clenched around his cock with deep, forceful contractions, each one more intensely pleasurable than the last. Flynn took her mouth in a hard, penetrating kiss that left her dizzy until, finally, he groaned against her lips and shuddered against her.
It took a few minutes of heavy breathing on both their parts, but finally, she settled and Flynn rolled over onto his back, then off the bed. He disappeared into the adjoining bathroom for a few seconds, then came back and drew her against his chest.
She waited for that weird, awkward after-sex moment. It wasn't like she was used to having sex with other guys. The last man she'd had sex with was her husband, and they hadn't done it for at least a year before their divorce. She was out of practice. What did couples do after first-time sex? Talk? Fall asleep? Flynn couldn't just leave since they were at his house. But he could get up and get dressed so he could take her home if he wanted to get rid of her.
Though he didn't seem to be in any hurry to do that. He held her against his chest and drew circles on the skin of her back.
"You okay?" he finally asked.
"I'm fine. Uh . . . you?"
"Yeah. Though you seem tense."
She tilted her head back to look up at him. "I do?"
"Yes. And it kind of pisses me off."
Uh-oh. "I'm not tense. And why are you pissed off?"
"Because I just worked hard to relax you. Obviously I didn't do a good enough job."
She laughed. "Oh. First, you did a phenomenal job. I came twice. Second, I might have been a little tense. I'm sort of out of practice with the post-coital thing."
"Really."
"Yes. My ex and I hadn't done it in a really long time before the divorce. And you, lucky guy, are my first since then."
He smiled down at her and didn't seem at all nervous or upset about what she'd just revealed to him.
He smoothed his hand over her back. "Now I do feel lucky. Thanks for choosing me."
She didn't know how to answer him. A "you're welcome" seemed weird.
"So why were you tense?"
She rolled over onto her back. "I don't know. I guess I don't know how things are done now."
He laughed, then shifted to lean over her. "First, I highly doubt it's been so long for you that some unnamed rules of sex have changed. Second, there aren't any rules. We'll do whatever feels right for you and for me, okay?"
That did make her feel better. "Okay."
"Now tell me. What feels right for you about now?"
"I'm a little thirsty."
"Me, too. You want some wine, iced tea or ice water?"
"Water sounds great."
"Good. I'll be right back."
He hopped off the bed, giving her a wonderful view of his amazing ass as he made his way out the door and down the hall. She propped herself up against the headboard using the pillows. When he came back, he handed her a glass of water.
"Thanks."
"I see you managed to hog all the pillows while I was gone."
"Hey, you left. You snooze, you lose."
He took several long swallows of water, giving her ample opportunity to ogle his incredible shoulders and abs while he did. Then he set the glass on the bedside table and climbed onto the bed, situating himself right beside her.
When she gave him a look, he said, "You have all the pillows, remember?"
"Yes, I do."
"Besides, you want my hot body keeping you warm, don't you?"
She wasn't going to complain about that. "Absolutely."
After taking another sip of water, she set her glass on the table, then shifted to face him. "What I'd really like is to explore your tattoos. They're intriguing."
"Sure. Touch me all you want to."
She let her fingers map a trail over his shoulders and down his arms, as if she were reading a treasure map. There were scrolling patterns and sharp points, but no words.
"What do they mean?"
"Nothing, really. I just like the ink. At some point I might think about putting some literature on here. Maybe something that inspires me."
"They're beautiful."
"Thanks."
She sat back and looked at him. "So nothing like 'Mom' or some ex-girlfriend's name on here?"
He laughed. "No. I'm not a momma's boy, and so far no woman has inspired me enough to ink her name on my body."
"So far."
"Yeah. Maybe when I get married I'll do something permanent like that."
"You do realize that fifty percent of marriages end up in divorce."
He frowned. "Mine won't."
"So sure of that, are you?"
"Yes."
She leaned back and he shifted, moving down the bed so he could pick up her foot to massage it. He really did have great hands. She thought about what he'd said about marriage.
"While I admire your confidence, I can assure you that everyone goes into marriage thinking it's forever. It doesn't always work out that way."
He lifted his focus from her foot onto her face. "While I can appreciate you're coming from a point of cynicism since you've gone through a divorce, I only intend to get married one time. And I intend for it to be forever."
"I'm sure the guy who had 'I Love Patty for All Time' tattooed on his body and then had to have a giant Chevy truck tattooed over it thought his tattoo would last forever, too."
He arched a brow. "You know this guy?"
She laughed. "No. I made it up. I'm just using it as a random example."
He picked up her other foot, and she couldn't resist a moan when he dug his thumb into her sore arch.
"I think your ex made you lose faith in love."
"Maybe. I'd think all those women who prefer camera time over their interest in you would make you lose faith."
He shrugged. "They just weren't the right one."
"And you still think the right one is out there for you."
He wasn't focusing on her foot. He was looking at her. "Yes, I do."
His gaze was warm. Intense. And she had to admit, she felt relaxed with him, all that tension and after-sex weirdness completely gone.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you believe in love, Flynn?"
"Because I've seen it in action with my parents. They've had difficult times and through it all, their love for each other has never once wavered. I've seen it with my brothers, who've all found amazing, smart, beautiful women who love them unconditionally. And believe me, my brothers aren't easy guys to love. If they can find it, so can I."
This was a new side to him. She'd seen the business side of him and the sports side of him. In both, he was driven. She'd seen him be funny and fun. But she'd never seen this serious side. This was a man ready to fall in love.
Too bad she wasn't the woman for him. Because she was never going to give her heart over to a man again. She'd had it crushed once by someone she trusted, and it had hurt horribly.
Flynn was a nice guy, and she liked him. She was sure there was a woman out there who deserved him. It was really too bad it couldn't be her.
Unfortunately, tonight was just that. Just this one night. Because a man like Flynn could be habit forming. She'd fallen down that rabbit hole once before, and she'd never allow that to happen again.
She gently extricated her foot from his grip. "It's probably a good idea for you to take me home."
He gave her a quizzical look. "You don't want to stay tonight?"
She wanted to. And that was the problem. She shook her head and slid off the bed to stand.