She was totally and utterly exposed to Brandon. As if he sensed a moment of hesitation, he said, “Relax.”
Then he was there stroking her with his tongue like he’d done with his fingers in the limo. He played her like a master, opening her up to his ministrations as he demanded her total capitulation. When he found one of her zones, he lingered there and sucked until she gripped at his hair. She bucked against his mouth and choked out her release as a powerful orgasm struck.
Instead of relenting, Brandon’s tongue only thrust deeper inside her. Sasha sobbed and panted out his name yet spread her legs wider. Like a god, he rose over her. His eyes were dark, his pupils dilated but no less possessive and in control as they scoured her body.
“Condom.” He reached downward for his jeans and then he was back, tearing open the foil packet with his teeth. Sasha watched in amazement at this version of Brandon and his utter maleness.
She clasped her arms around his neck and kissed him madly and deeply. She rubbed herself against him, desperate for the scrape of his chest hair against her nipples and longing for him to be inside her. So she reached for him. He pulsed hot and thick against her hands, and this made her guide him to exactly where she wanted him. He braced himself over her and thrust deep inside, filling her to the hilt.
For long minutes, they stared at each other. Sasha couldn’t believe it was Brandon buried inside her, but her body knew and her hips lifted of their own accord. He understood and began moving within her, deeper and harder with each thrust. Sasha was lost in a maelstrom of sexual bliss, caressing Brandon and moaning with joy at each thrust. She licked his mouth and sucked on his tongue as she offered herself to him completely and without reserve.
Was it any wonder that her body pulsed and ached?
She was with Brandon. A man she trusted. A man who’d always known her, loved her regardless. Love?
Had she just thought love?
No, it couldn’t be.
Yet the word kept repeating itself over and over in her head as Brandon quickened the pace. His eyes glowed with a fierce possessiveness as he moved heavily and purposefully. She tried to deny it, but maybe it had always been there and she’d refused or been too blind to see it.
A fresh wave of pleasure caught Sasha just then, and she had no choice but to ride the wave as it broke and crested. She felt boneless because this climax was bigger and stronger than the first two or any she’d ever experienced. She wrapped her legs around Brandon, her ankles crossed over his back as his powerful body flexed into hers, and then he too shouted his culmination and they both fell apart, engulfed in sensual bliss.
Chapter 5
After such a mind-numbing orgasm, Brandon’s head fell back against the pillows. He tried to soak in what had just happened, but he still couldn’t quite process that Sasha was in his bed. After all these years of hoping, wishing, and wanting her, it had finally come true. They’d made love.
At least for him, it had been monumental. It wasn’t just sex. He’d never been the type of man to have indiscriminate sex just to get off. When he was with a woman, he usually had feelings for her. And Sasha, well, she was the woman, the only woman he’d ever really wanted but could never seem to have.
Until now.
He turned on his side to face her. Her beautiful tendrils were spread across his pillow, and her angelic face was relaxed and appeared content. Her eyes were closed, but from the sound of her breathing, he could tell she wasn’t asleep. She was faking it.
She was probably just as shaken as he was, but he wasn’t going to let her sweep what had transpired between them under the rug. It had been very real indeed, and if he had his way, he would make love to her all night long.
“I know you’re not asleep, Sasha.”
One of her eyes popped open. “How could you tell?”
He chuckled. “I’ve slept beside you before, Sasha. I know your breathing.”
Whoa! Had he given too much away just then, letting her know how in tune he was with her?
She stared at him. Brandon swallowed the lump in his throat, but he didn’t look away. Instead, he took what he wanted and reached behind her head to pull her toward him. She didn’t protest and instead curved into him, pressing her hips against his. His hands and mouth roved the length of her, worshipping and arousing her. When his hands found her breasts, his fingers toyed with her nipples and then his mouth fastened on to them. He used his tongue to work them faster and faster.
Sasha began rocking up to him, and soon she was shattering into a climax. His desire for her was already renewed, and quickly, he donned another condom and pushed inside her once more. He totally invaded her, claiming her like she’d claimed him all those years ago when he first spotted her in the college quad.
She arched into him, opening up, and he gave it to her. Deeper, harder, faster, longer.
They slept for a couple of hours, entwined in each other’s arms, but Sasha didn’t let him sleep long. She was determined to seize every second the anonymity of darkness brought her. So while Brandon slept, she reached out to touch him again. She curled her fingers around his steel-hard shaft. She loved the way he filled her hand and how hot he felt against her palm.
She continued running her hands up and down his erection until he was moaning and quickly awoke. Brandon tilted his hips upward in quiet supplication, and Sasha understood what he wanted. She leaned forward and licked the tip of the head. Pearly liquid had formed, and she flicked her tongue to taste him. Brandon groaned, so she took things a step further and opened her mouth to take all of him inside.
Her head bobbed up and down on his shaft, and Brandon grasped chunks of her curls and held on for dear life as she sucked him first with light pressure and then harder and faster.
“Yes, Sasha, oh yes. Like that, baby,” he groaned.
It thrilled Sasha that she could give Brandon this pleasure, and he loved it even more afterward when she straddled him and rode him hard.
Eventually, he led her to the walk-in shower accentuated with blue mosaic tile and started a soapy massage that ended with him taking her from behind before spinning her around and dropping to his knees so he could focus his attention on the center of her – sucking and licking. She allowed his tongue to delve deeper, seeking the very essence of her, proving she was addicted to the carnal passion between them.
Unbearable heat flooded her and all Sasha could do was toss her head back and give breathless yeses, especially when Brandon rose to his feet and thrust inside her. He slipped his hand beneath her bottom and pulled one leg over his waist to widen her more fully to him. Then they began the sensual dance all over again.
Brandon kept it slow, drawing it out so that every inch of her body craved his. Then he brought the pleasure right back. Her mouth sought his kiss again as the hunger built back up, and then his fingers slid between them and found that most sensitive spot. Sasha screamed, and Brandon gave a loud shout as satisfaction slammed into him.
Sasha lay burrowed deep into his chest, and Brandon had to admit he loved having her warm next to him. During the night, they’d taken liberties which each other that he’d only dreamed of but never expected would happen in his wildest imagination. But now that they had, the desire for more raged inside of him. They’d opened up a chasm, and the hunger was wide and deep within him.
But that wasn’t the only thing because his stomach growled. They’d burned up a lot of calories throughout the night with vigorous sex.
“Is someone hungry?” Sasha said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she glanced up at him.
Brandon grinned. “Apparently.”
“I know a great breakfast spot not too far from here. Some might call it a dive, but they make the best French toast.”
“You’re on.”
After showering and getting dressed, Brandon in jeans and a pullover sweater and Sasha in his sweatpants rolled up
at the ankle and one of his T-shirts underneath her leather jacket, they were off to the diner.
The host seated them in a small booth, which allowed Brandon plenty of access to stare at Sasha. Her face was free and clear of makeup save for the bright red lipstick she favored. Fresh-faced, she was stunningly beautiful. He wondered if she had any idea.
After the waiter brought them coffee and took their orders, a meat lover’s omelette with a side of pancakes for him and an order of French toast with strawberries for her, Sasha brought up the elephant in the room.
“What time is your flight?”
“Six thirty,” Brandon said, sipping his coffee.
“I could stick around until then.” Her eyes met his over the top of her coffee mug. “If you want.”
“Of course I want. I’d love to spend the day with you.”
She smiled. “I’m glad.”
He sensed she wanted to say more, but she was more reserved than the tigress she’d been hours earlier when she’d taken charge and given him the best blow job of his life. Brandon thought he’d died and gone to heaven. Afterward, she’d slid on top of him and ridden him until they were both gasping for breath.
She eyed him suspiciously. “What’s that smirk for? What are you thinking about?”
He grinned unabashedly. “Just remembering the wee hours of the morning.”
“Oh that.” A blush stung her cheeks, and Brandon smiled because sometimes Sasha wanted everyone to think she was tough and unfeeling but she was more sensitive than most.
“It was incredible,” Brandon praised.
Sasha was about to comment, but the waitress brought their very large breakfast plates, which they consumed rather quickly. A half hour later, they were on their second coffee and Sasha suggested they take the subway to Rockefeller Center, where they could see the Christmas tree and go ice-skating.
“Lead the way,” he said after he paid the tab. On their walk to the subway, Brandon thought about their limited time together. It was already noon and after bopping in and out of stores and skating for a bit, he would have to head back to the hotel to pick up his luggage and go to the airport.
He was hoping before then that he and Sasha could have a serious conversation about what would come next. He knew how he felt, which was that he was half in love with her already, if not fully. He’d never felt this way about another woman and doubted he ever would. He wanted to explore what he and Sasha could have.
Does she want that?
With that question in his head, he followed her to the onsite box office to get ice skating tickets. After gaining access, they walked to the skating hut to rent skates.
“I can’t believe how big your feet are,” Sasha teased when he obtained a size 13 skate. “But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised after what I had to work with last night.”
“Sasha Bennett!” Brandon laughed and glanced around to make sure no one overheard her.
“What?” She grinned, her smile completely deadpan.
After donning their skates, they joined the public fray and skated onto the ice. It was a busy day with lots of couples and families out for New Year’s. It made Brandon wish he and Sasha were official.
Officially a couple.
He didn’t want to spoil their remaining time, so he attempted a figure-skating move that promptly had him falling on his ass. Sasha laughed, but he could see that her smile was strained. Time was winding down before his flight to his next book tour stop, and they were going to have to have a hard conversation.
Eventually, when their hour was up and they’d turned in their skates, they headed inside for a latte and a hot chocolate.
“So, why the grim face?” Sasha asked after they sat down at a two-seater table in the atrium.
Brandon glanced down at his watch. “C’mon, Sasha. Don’t be obtuse.”
She didn’t look at him like she had last night or this morning. Instead, she fidgeted, looking inside her coffee cup as if it held the secrets of the universe.
“Don’t treat me like a stranger, Sasha, or like one of your men. Not after what we shared.” His voice was harsh. He could see that he got her ire because when she glanced up, her eyes held fury as well as dampness from tears.
“Brandon, you know this can’t go anywhere. You live in LA, and I live here.”
“So, what was this? A one-night stand? Because it wasn’t a one-off for me, Sasha.”
“What do you want from me, Brandon?”
“I want you to tell me how you feel.” When she began to speak, he interrupted. “How you truly feel and not some bullshit answer.”
“Don’t presume you know me, Brandon, just because we hooked up. You haven’t seen me in over a decade. You don’t know what I’ve gone through. Am going through.”
“I know enough to know that you’re at a turning point in your life, Sasha. You can choose to keep doing the same thing and having the same result, or you can try something new. Take a chance.”
She turned her brown orbs on him. “I did that. Last night. You’ve been one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and we crossed the line last night.”
“I know.” Brandon reached across the table and grasped her hand. “Which is why we can’t go back to how it was before, and I wouldn’t want to. I want to be with you, Sasha, and not just for one night. I want to see where this goes.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?” Brandon peered at her intently. “You’re not working right now. You could come with me on my tour. We could have a great time exploring the next seven cities. We can figure out what happens next when it’s over, whether that’s you moving to LA or me moving here to New York.”
“Slow down,” Sasha said, motioning with her hands. “This is moving too fast.”
Slowing down wasn’t for him. He knew what he wanted, but apparently Sasha didn’t.
Was he going to lose her all over again?
The conversation had veered so off course that Sasha didn’t know what to do. She didn’t have her life figured out like Brandon did. Brandon was talking about moving to New York like it was that simple.
“Last night was amazing, but that’s all it was — a magical night.”
He stared at her as if she’d sprouted horns.
“Why are you relegating what we shared to something insignificant?” he asked. “Or are you happy being in those endless relationships to nowhere?”
“Don’t judge me,” she snapped, “you with your perfect career and fancy hotel and limos. You don’t get to do that.”
“Life hasn’t been easy for me either, Sasha. I told you that, but I also know that when you find something good, something worth fighting for, that you don’t turn your back on it.”
She shook her head. “You’re making too much out of this.” What they shared couldn’t be real. Those feelings of love she thought were there would vanish. Tomorrow, after he was gone, she’d see it was merely infatuation and the newness of it all that had made Brandon seem so perfect.
So perfect for her!
She stood to her feet. “We should really get you back to the hotel. I wouldn’t want you to miss your flight.”
Brandon sat there staring at her for several moments, but then he stood. He didn’t say a word as he took her empty cup and his and tossed them in the trash — just as she may have done to their relationship.
There were no lively conversations about New Yorkers, traffic, taxis, or anything nonsensical on their way from Rockefeller Center. Instead of taking the subway, Brandon raised his hand and hailed a taxi. Sasha could never have afforded it and when it arrived, she thought about not getting in and ending the day right there in a blaze of glory. When she hesitated, Brandon looked so mortally offended that she had no choice but to follow suit and climb in. Folding her arms across her chest, she resolutely glared out the window.
She didn’t know why she was angry. Was it because having Brandon here had shown her what it could be like if she had someone in her corner? Someone who truly cared for her? Loved her?
No, no, she shook her head. She was being fanciful. It was one day. They were both full of endorphins and chock-full of dopamine. Once Brandon was gone, Sasha would go back to her normal grind. So why did that hold little appeal?
The ride to the InterContinental was short. Sasha wished traffic had been worse so she could have a bit more time with Brandon, but at last, it wasn’t to be. Brandon paid the driver and helped Sasha out of the taxi. They walked inside the hotel in silence just as they had done while on the ride over.
Sasha stood back from the front desk as Brandon spoke with a clerk about retrieving his bag from storage. A few moments later, the clerk glided Brandon’s suitcase toward him. “It was a pleasure having you, Mr. Cobb, and we look forward to you staying with us again. Your driver is available to take you to the airport when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” Brandon nodded and then walked over to Sasha, who was perched on one of the expensive chairs in the lobby. She rose as he approached.
“So I guess this is it.” She offered a half smile that she knew didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Sasha ...” Brandon searched her face.
“Yes?” She held her breath. For what, she didn’t know, but she waited.
He let forth a smile that did reach his eyes. “I want you to know that last night meant something to me.” He reached out and caressed her cheek with his palm, and she rested on it. “I’d hoped we could parlay it into something more, but I guess that was my wishful thinking.”
Her heart sank. She’d dashed his dreams.
Hers too.
Why couldn’t she take a chance on them?
Fear.
She was paralyzed and afraid of screwing up one of the best friendships she’d ever had. She may already have.
“Give me your phone.”
Two Hot Kisses Page 4