by Tina Folsom
When Manus pushed the door inward and removed the key from the lock, she awkwardly reached for her keychain, but Manus moved, causing her to brush up against his fingers instead. She froze in mid-motion and snapped her head up to catch his look.
“Uh…” she uttered, trying to apologize, but her throat was as dry as a desert.
Manus pinned her with his eyes, and she realized in an instant that she’d caught him in an unguarded moment. Naked desire turned his eyes molten. Her heart began to pound out of control, her breath caught in her lungs, and heat shot into her cheeks.
“Kim, I…” he started, but his voice died.
She tried to move, take a step away from him, but her body didn’t listen to her commands. She opened her lips to tell him to leave, but only one word came out. “Manus…”
At the sound of his name, he pressed the keys into her palm. “You should send me away,” he murmured without conviction in his voice. “I don’t do relationships. I can’t. All I can give you is sex. And I doubt you’d be satisfied with that.”
So that was why he hadn’t taken her up on her offer the night before. He was a commitment phobic, and he feared that she would demand more than just sex. But she wouldn’t let him get out of this situation so easily. Last night, she’d felt rejected; tonight, she needed to make up for it.
Collecting all her courage, she said lightly, “So you’re saying the sex won’t be satisfying?”
His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed at the same time. “That’s not at all what I said! The sex will be more than just satisfying. For both of us. I’ll guarantee it. It’ll be out of this world, no-holds-barred, headboard-pounding, chandelier-swinging, mind-blowing, begging-me-not-to-stop amazing.”
Her lips quirked at his over-the-top description. Clearly, she’d hit a nerve by suggesting that he might not be up to the task to satisfy her.
“What? You don’t believe me?” Outrage colored his face now, and he moved even closer.
Kim shrugged. “The proof is in the pudding.” What had made her so brazen? When exactly had she decided to seduce him? Because that’s what she was doing.
Manus slid his hand to her nape and pulled her face to him. “Are you daring me to prove it to you?”
“Maybe not where the neighbors can watch, but…” She turned her eyes in the direction of the interior of her condo.
~ ~ ~
Manus slung his free arm around Kim’s waist and pulled her to him. “Oh, I’m all for privacy.” He wanted no audience to the things he planned to do with her. Certain things were just not meant for sharing.
He backed her into the apartment and kicked the door behind him. As soon as it clicked shut, he sank his lips onto Kim’s mouth and kissed her.
He’d wanted to do this since the very first moment he’d seen her in that coffee shop. He’d expected the kiss to be hot. After all, what kiss with a beautiful woman such as Kim wouldn’t be hot? What he hadn’t expected was the explosive effect Kim’s lips had on him. A flame of lust shot through his center, and his cock went from semi-erect to rock-hard in one point three seconds flat. A new world record even for him.
Kim’s response to his kiss was immediate. She pressed her body to his, molding her chest to his hard muscles, letting him feel her softness. He didn’t ignore the invitation and moved his hand up until he could stroke the side of her breast with his thumb.
He felt her gasp and stilled for a brief second, half expecting her to change her mind about sleeping with him now that she realized that he wasn’t going to take it slow or pretend he was a gentleman. He’d been here before with other women. They’d expected a slow seduction, and when he’d gone right down to business, they’d shied away, and he’d let them go.
Manus released Kim’s lips.
“Why are you stopping?” she asked, tossing him a confused look. “Don’t tell me you’re bailing again.” Her jaw tightened, her eyebrows pulled together, her hands curled into fists. “Goddamn it! If you run out on me now, I swear—”
He captured her lips in mid-sentence, kissing her harder this time, his head tilted to the side for better access. With his tongue, he explored her, tasted her, played with her. At the same time, he slid his hands down to her ass and yanked her against his groin. With a groan, he rubbed his hard-on against her, making it clear to her that he wasn’t going to go anywhere until they’d both had what they wanted.
It seemed to work because now Kim put his arms around him. She slid one hand to his nape and caressed his exposed skin with her tender fingers, making him shiver and sending another bolt of fire into his cock. Her other hand she put to good use too, placing it on his ass and grabbing him possessively. He didn’t mind. When it came to sex, he liked his women possessive. What was good for the goose was good for the gander. Outside of bed, of course, it was a different matter. But then, he was getting ahead of himself. All this would be was sex. So, her possessive grip was fine by him.
The longer he kissed her, the hotter he got. And he wasn’t the only one. Under his hands, he could feel Kim’s body heating up too. He knew just what to do about that. Shifting slightly, he got to work on the buttons of her shirt. One by one he popped them open, encountering no protest from Kim. On the contrary, she seemed to like the idea and helped him. Taking his lips off Kim’s for an instant, Manus pulled the shirt down her shoulders and stripped her of it, revealing her black lace bra.
Fuck, he hadn’t expected something that sexy under her casual clothes. But he wasn’t complaining.
Instead of capturing her mouth again, he dropped his head to her cleavage and pressed a kiss to the soft indentation. “Damn it, you’re hot,” he murmured and looked up at her face, meeting her gaze. Passion shone from her eyes. “I can’t guarantee that the first time will last long. But I’ll promise you that I’ll be ready for a second time only a few minutes later. And then I’ll last as long as you want me to.”
“You’d better,” she said and ran her hand through his hair and down his nape, making him shiver once more.
Eager to explore her, Manus brought his hands behind Kim’s back and opened the clasp of her bra, then slid down the straps and freed her from the garment. Quickly, he cupped her breasts, fitting them perfectly into his palms. A soft moan rolled over Kim’s lips. Impatiently, he licked over one nipple, sucking the little bud between his lips to taste it. Then he let it pop from his mouth and did the same to the other nipple. Kim’s breasts weren’t big, but they were perfectly shaped and firm. He sank his face between them, drinking in her scent. He’d always loved the scent of a woman right there. It made him crave more. Just like he wanted more from Kim now.
His hands were already on her pants when he felt Kim’s hands tug on the seam of his shirt, pulling it from his pants. He stopped her by grabbing her hands and backing her against the wall. “First you.”
Quickly, he opened the button of her khaki pants and pulled the zipper down. Kim helped him and shimmied out of them while kicking off her shoes. Manus dropped down, helped her with her socks, then rose. He slid his hand into her panties and gently rubbed his fingers along her cleft. Warmth and wetness greeted him. Before she could stop him, he pulled her panties down and rid her of them. Then he pressed her against the wall again, kissing her deeply.
“I can’t wait any longer,” he said while he was already opening his pants. He pushed them down, then did the same with his boxer briefs. His cock sprang free, hard and heavy.
Kim tugged at his shirt, but he couldn’t let her do it. He had to be inside her, take her right now, before she saw all of him, before she saw what he so desperately wanted to hide from her. Because if she did, she might reject him.
Before Kim could open any of the buttons on his shirt, he sank his lips back on hers and was already hooking his arms around her thighs, lifting her and spreading her open at the same time. Pressed against the wall at her back, she couldn’t move. He stepped between her thighs and brought his cock to her center. When his cockhead touched her wet oute
r lips, he groaned. This would be better than anything he’d felt in a long time. He pushed forward and upward, parting her nether lips, thrusting into her and allowing her interior muscles to grip him tightly.
“Fuck!” he hissed.
Kim moaned against his lips. “Oh!”
He took her reaction as encouragement and confirmation that she wanted what he had to offer and withdrew his cock halfway. Then slowly and much gentler than before, he thrust back in, enjoying the way her tight pussy clamped around his cock.
Manus continued pinning her against the wall, his superior supernatural strength making the task easy, while he rocked back and forth inside her. He lifted his lips from hers for a moment and looked into her eyes. He saw only passion and lust in them, no discomfort, no regret.
“So hot, so sexy,” he murmured and captured her lips once more.
He knew he would come soon, but he didn’t want to be selfish, didn’t want to leave her unsatisfied. So, he pulled out of her and set her back on her feet while releasing her lips. She opened them, presumably to protest, but she didn’t get that far. He was already spinning her around, making her face the wall, while he pulled her hips back. He was pleased to see that she braced herself against the wall.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmured at her ear before slicing back into her.
He left only one hand on her hip while fucking her from behind. The other he moved to her front, placing it over her mound.
Kim gasped. “Oh, yes!”
“Mmm.” He kissed the spot where her neck and her shoulder met, and farther down, he combed his fingers through her hair until he found what he was looking for. “There.” He rubbed over her clit and found it wet and swollen.
Kim let out a breath. “Ohh!”
“Now, be a good girl and let me work my magic,” he murmured at her ear and caressed her clit.
Kim moved with him, showing him how she liked it. He adjusted to her tempo and rhythm, while he continued to drive his cock in and out of her, his finger stroking her clit.
With every second, her breathing became more erratic, her heartbeat faster. Her body was covered with a sheen of perspiration, as was his. His shirt was getting damp, and he wished there were no barrier between them, so his naked chest would slide against her smooth back. Rough against smooth.
He grunted in frustration, but it was too late to change things now. Kim was at the cusp. He could sense it under his fingers. Another thrust, and he pinched her clit lightly between thumb and forefinger. Kim trembled, her orgasm like a volcanic eruption. The shockwaves hit his cock, igniting him. His semen shot through his hard length and spurted from the tip, his orgasm so powerful he felt his legs tremble. He slammed one hand against the wall, having to brace himself for a moment so he wouldn’t collapse.
“Fuck!” he cursed.
He pulled his cock back, then thrust forward again, and again Kim’s interior muscles squeezed his cock as if she wanted to milk the last drop of him.
“Oh God!” Kim cried out.
Manus dropped his forehead against the wall next to her head. “Yeah, you can say that again.” Because what he’d just experienced with Kim was fucking amazing.
She turned her head. “No! We didn’t use protection.” There was panic in her voice now.
“You’re not on the pill?” Manus asked. Not that he cared. As an unbonded Stealth Guardian, he couldn’t impregnate a woman, human or otherwise. But in order to keep his cover, he pretended to be as concerned as she seemed to be.
“Of course, I’m on the pill.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She pushed backward, shifting away. As a result, his cock dislodged from her. The moment was sobering. At the same time, he realized what her concern was.
“I’m clean. I just got tested,” he assured her though the second part was a lie. He’d never gotten tested for sexually transmitted diseases because as a Stealth Guardian, he was immune to them. Hence, he couldn’t pass on any illnesses either. She had nothing to worry about.
Kim stared at him, eyeing him up as if to check if he was telling the truth. “You just got tested?”
He nodded. “You can’t catch anything from me.” Then he paused for a moment. “Don’t you get tested regularly?”
She froze all of a sudden. Then she shook her head. “I, uh… I was in a long-term relationship, you know… I don’t really do…” She dropped her lids to avoid his gaze.
“One-night stands?”
She nodded.
Manus put his hand under her chin and lifted it, so she had to look at him. “Do you regret this?”
14
Kim stared at Manus. Regret? Did she regret having had sex with Manus? For the first time in a long time, she’d felt passion and desire. She’d felt lust. This wasn’t the lukewarm sex she and Todd had had in the months before the breakup. Todd had never taken her like this. Like he needed her, like he would die if he couldn’t have her. In Manus’s arms, she’d felt desired, wanted, needed.
“No. I don’t regret a single moment,” she said, meeting Manus’s penetrating look. She took a step toward him and placed her hands on his shirt.
“Good, because being inside you was mind-blowing,” Manus said with a soft smile.
Kim felt herself blush at the compliment and popped one button of his shirt open. “Well, then maybe we should repeat this.”
When she attempted to open the next button, he captured her hands. “Uh, Kim…”
Something in his tone made her breath hitch. “What?”
“I’m not perfect.”
“Nobody is,” she murmured. “Now, get out of those clothes.”
He kicked off his shoes and wiggled out of his pants, yet he didn’t let go of her hands.
“The shirt too,” she insisted.
“About that…”
“Oh, come on, what is it? You have a third nipple or something?” She chuckled and shook her head, then brushed his hand off and unbuttoned his shirt. He stood there like a statue, totally unmoving. When she peeled his damp shirt from his chest and down his shoulders, she knew why.
“Oh.” The sound escaped from her mouth before she could stop it.
Her eyes were drawn to the skin on his chest. He didn’t have a third nipple. In fact, he had no nipples at all. But she knew it wasn’t a birth defect because he’d had nipples once, she was sure of that. However, they were gone now. Burned away. In fact, his entire chest was covered with third-degree burn marks. Scars. He’d survived a fire, a devastating one. She remembered his words suddenly. It was an inferno. I got there too late. But then why…
He suddenly moved, and she realized it was to pull the shirt back over his shoulders and cover his chest. “I’d better go.”
The words sounded tight, and she recognized that sound. She’d hurt him by staring, by her shocked gasp.
She put her hands on his chest, gently but firmly, before he could cover it with the shirt. “No, don’t leave.” She lifted her head to look at his face. “Don’t you remember what you promised me? It was something along the lines of out-of-this-world, headboard-banging, chandelier-swinging sex. And what we just had was a nice start in the right direction, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think we’re done here.”
“We’re not?” he asked, his voice infused with doubt. He dropped his gaze to her hands on his chest to point out the obvious. “You can’t possibly want…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. She knew what he meant.
“That’s only on the outside.” She began to caress his chest, feeling the uneven ridges under her fingers. It was an odd feeling, something so different from what she’d ever felt before. But she wasn’t disgusted.
“You don’t have to touch me there,” he said, his voice still tight, still hesitant. “I know that it doesn’t feel good.”
“You mean you don’t like it when I touch you like this?”
He shook his head. “I do like it. But you don’t need to—”
&nb
sp; “What if I want to?”
“I guess then I won’t stop you.”
She smiled, dipped her head to his chest, and pressed a kiss to it.
A sharp inhale was the answer.
“It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“God, no,” he let out.
“May I ask you something?” She looked up at him and noticed his apprehensive look. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to tell me.”
He swallowed visibly, hesitating as if fighting with himself. “You want to know how it happened,” he stated.
How many times had he been asked that question? And here she was just like any other lover he’d ever had, wanting to know the same thing. What was it? Morbid curiosity? Mentally, she shook her head. No, that wasn’t it. She wanted to know because she wanted to know him. Wanted to know what he’d been through, what had made him into the man he was.
“If it’s too painful, then don’t tell me. I didn’t mean to open up old wounds and—”
“No, I want to tell you,” he suddenly said firmly.
She smiled and took his hand. “Come, let’s go into the bedroom. It’s a little awkward standing around in the hallway, all naked.”
Kim led him down the hallway, past the living room and kitchen and into the bedroom. She flipped a light switch. A single bedside lamp threw a soft glow over the room. When she slid under the covers of her queen-sized bed, Manus followed her. For a few moments, while they settled into a comfortable position, they were silent. Kim didn’t press him. She knew he would talk when he was ready, when he knew how to start. She had the feeling that he’d never told any of his lovers. He’d probably never thought he’d tell her either. And truth be told, she wasn’t sure why he’d decided to tell her. Had something happened between them that was different from the encounters he’d had with other women? And she was sure there’d been other women, many other women. A man looking like Manus and built like him surely got offers of sex all the time.