by Piper Anne
He caught her eyes as he moved the hem of her skirt up, up, revealing her thick, beautiful thighs and the triangle of white between her legs that was driving him insane. “There’s something about you… so beautiful. I couldn’t stop watching you dance. You’re like a drug to me and I had to have more.”
Her breath came in near pants. She watched him as he ran his hands up her ribs to cup her big breasts. Moaning, she covered his hands with hers, her eyelids falling halfway. Ethan knelt between her legs and leaned over her, toying with her nipples through the fabric of her dress as he took her lips in a crushing kiss. Her legs opened wide, one leg running along the outside of his.
“You know you’re meant to be mine, don’t you, Claire? You know that pussy belongs to me and you can’t wait for me to take care of it.”
“Yes,” she burst. “Yes, I want you to take care of it.”
“Good girl. That’s my girl.”
Moving back down her body, he hooked his thumbs beneath the sides of her panties and shimmied them off. Then, he unstrapped her delicate sandals and gently caressed her legs as he moved back up. He ran his palms up the insides of her thighs and pressed them open, wider… wider, her pink, shaved pussy opening for him like the prize he’d been dying for. Her fingernails dug into the tops of his shoulders as he dipped his head between her legs and took his first taste.
Her flavor slammed his senses, making him dizzy even as a well of lust doubled inside of him. Gripping her hips, Ethan pulled her down tight against his mouth as he worked her clit with his tongue, stroking and licking what was his. Making his mark. Claiming.
Needing her bare skin to his touch, he whisked her skirt all the way up and over her abdomen, baring the length of her legs and hips to his caress. He reached up with one hand and pulled the top of her dress down to bare one big, luscious breast. He rolled the nipple between his fingers as he worked her cunt with his tongue. She thrust her hips to meet each stroke of his tongue, her soft cries intensifying until Ethan thought his cock would explode just from the sound.
Slipping two finders inside her, he pressed up and stroked lightly, working her G-spot as he laved at her clit and suddenly, she cried out, her hands digging into his hair, pulling.
His name falling from her lips as she shuddered and tensed.
And her orgasm exploded beneath his mouth.
“Oh my god, oh my god.” Claire covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes clenched as she rode out the pleasure. Smiling harder than he had in recent memory, Ethan moved up her body, kissing her breasts and along her collarbone until planting his wet lips on hers.
“I want to lay you out on my bed and finish this properly.”
He watched as she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, tasting herself.
“I live in the apartment upstairs. Let’s go.”
She didn’t need to say it twice. Ethan helped her right her clothing and stand, and then hand-in-hand they went down a back hall to a stairway. He couldn’t keep his hands off her ass as they walked up, her in front, giggling as he played beneath her skirt with each step she took.
They reached the landing and took a right. “I have a feeling you’re going to be insatiable—” her voice trailed off. “Holy shit.”
The hairs at the base of his neck stood up at the fear in her voice. Pushing in front of her, Ethan clenched his hands into fists. Her door had been kicked in, and a trail of Claire’s items had been scattered into a path along the short inside hall.
“Someone broke in,” she said incredulously. “What do I… what do I do now?”
“Stay here.” Ethan put a hand to his hip automatically, knowing there wouldn’t be a gun there anymore, but it was a hard habit to break. After carrying everyday as an MP for the Marines, he still felt the phantom weight of his service weapon like a part of his body. Pulling out his cellphone from his back pocket, he typed in 911 but didn’t dial.
Slowly, he crept inside the apartment, careful not to tread on any of Claire’s things that had been strewn around. Little warning bells were going off in his head. This wasn’t a coincidence. The same asshole that had threatened her was here, in her private space. Invading her life.
Fucker!
Ethan made a sweep of the apartment, finding a mess but no sign that anyone was still there. When he was sure the place was empty, he went back for her. Their eyes locked. Her’s were filled with fear.
This fucking bastard was going to pay. Big time.
“I’m sorry, Claire. The place has been riffled through. You’ll need to see if anything is missing.”
Crossing her arms over her body, she shook her head as a single tear fell. “I don’t want to go inside.”
Ethan took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to call the police. You can walk through with them if you like. They’ll need to know if anything has been taken.”
“My privacy. My sense of security. I know for sure that those are gone.”
He thumbed tears away from her cheeks, trying to control the rage building inside him. He dialed 911, spoke to the dispatcher and then returned his attention to Claire. “Claire, I want to see the messages this asshole left for you.”
She crossed her arms more tightly around herself. “They’re very vulgar.”
He was going to rip this guy’s limbs off and then slice his dick into pieces and feed it to him with a toothpick. “I’d still like to see them.”
Claire looked at him for a long moment before slipping the strap of her purse off her shoulder. She unzipped a pocket and pulled out a wad of folded papers. “I don’t know why I carried them with me.” She held them out but pulled her hand back at the last second. Ethan kissed her and took the papers with his fingers, but she held on tight. Her reluctance to let go only made him want to see them more. Finally, she relented.
Unfolding the papers, he looked at all three images, his vision going red. The woman was definitely Claire, but the man assaulting her was faceless. The sex acts were violent, each drawing increasing in the aggression. He wanted to crumple the papers, rip them to shreds, burn them. But the police would need to see them.
The idea of someone stalking Claire like this jacked his rage to new levels. It had been a while since he’d been on a deadly mission. Time to change that. This fucker was going down. Claire’s footfalls were soft on the wood floor as she began to pace while running a hand over her mouth.
“I’m going to close Sweet Curves until we get this figured out.” Her voice was rushed, decisive. “I can’t take any chances.”
“What? No. Claire, it’s not that easy.”
She shook her head but didn’t look at him. Every line of her body was tense. “It is that easy, Ethan. My girls work for me because they feel safe at Sweet Curves. Each one of them has history that’s not been kind to them. Some of them have had violent pasts. Don’t you see? Sweet Curves isn’t just a job for them; we’re family. It’s a safe place.”
Gently taking her by the shoulders, he stopped her pacing and dipped his head so he could look directly into her grief-laden eyes. “I understand. I do. But closing Sweet Curves means we take away the one thing this guy is after: you.”
She cocked her head and crossed her arms tightly over her body. “That’s not very reassuring, thank you.”
Ethan cupped her face in his hands and narrowed his eyes. “I’m staying with you until I catch this guy. He’s going to have to get through me if he thinks he’s laying a finger on you. I’ll kill him first, Claire, and that’s a promise.”
Chapter Five
Claire held her composure when the police came, hyper aware of Ethan standing just to the side in a measure of support. From the corner of her eye, she noticed how he tensed and shifted his weight as the police looked at the sexual drawings. She wasn’t used to having anyone feel or act protective of her and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
On one hand, it was nice. Every girl’s dream, right? To find a big, sexy, protective man to take care of her. On
the other hand, she’d never needed a man to feel secure. She’d built a successful business from the ground up and lived her life her way.
But an anonymous perp changed that. She didn’t feel secure anymore or capable of going on with life as usual. He was a threat, hiding, waiting and biding his time until his next move. The police had reassured her that they’d send officers to drive by the burlesque a few times a night for the next week, have them stop in and look around. There wasn’t any evidence that that same person who was drawing the pictures had also broken into her home. Without more to go on, there wasn’t much they could do.
Ethan waited for the police to leave and made another canvas of the apartment. He patched up the back window where the perp had broken in and checked the patency of the locks on each window and door. While he talked about security cameras and double locks and bars on her windows, her mind kept straying to Sweet Curves and how she could ensure her employees remained safe. They’d been up against a rowdy patron a time or two, but this was far more threatening, and she couldn’t seem to overcome her fear.
Checking the time on her cell phone, Claire paused in picking up clothes that had been littered around her room. The burlesque opened in a couple of hours. She wasn’t performing tonight—a lucky coincidence since the thought of being on stage right now terrified her—but she was always on the premises during working hours. It was prime rib and Moscow mule night. People would be lined up down the sidewalk to get in.
Throwing a wad of clothes into an open dresser drawer, she stood and straightened her shoulders. To hell with this. Sweet Curves was her business and she wasn’t going to be afraid. Ethan was in the next room saying something about security panels for the windows. His voice trailed off as he appeared in her bedroom doorway. In three big strides, he was at her side, taking her gently by the shoulders.
She tried to smile, but it was all so overwhelming that she failed. Glancing around at her messy apartment, she shrugged. “I guess I should clean up before I go to the burlesque. It’s fine if you need to go…”
“No way. I’m not leaving you unprotected. I’ll help you. Just tell me where things go.” He looked down and snatched something off the floor, then held them up for her view. “Like, these.”
She rolled her eyes and grabbed her pink lace panties from his hand. “Ha-ha.”
He reached for them with a wink. “Maybe I’ll keep them.”
“I love those panties! No way.”
He pretended to wrestle her for them. Giggling, Claire spun and ended up in his arms with her back pressed against his chest. He hugged her tightly and popped a kiss on top of her head. Oh, this could be bad. She didn’t want to fall for him. Work was demanding and she had so much to do, so many goals yet to meet. A relationship would take up time she didn’t have to spare. Yet, her insides were melting like butter in the sun and she didn’t want this feeling to end.
Suddenly torn between uncertainty and wanting him, she pulled away and glanced at him over her shoulder. He cocked his head a little, as if he understood her inner struggle.
“Let’s do this.”
“I’ll start in the bedroom, if you want to take the living room?”
Ethan nodded and they went their separate ways, speaking only when he called out to ask her where something went. Luckily the intruder had only strewn things around and didn’t break or destroy anything. In no time, they had the apartment mostly back together.
Claire checked the time on her cell phone and gave a start. “Shoot, I need to get ready for work.” Just thinking about going to the burlesque where her stalker could very well blend in with the crowd to leer at her nearly brought her to tears again.
This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t weak like this. Yet, she couldn’t recall a time she’d ever been so intimidated, either.
Ethan tied a bag of trash and set it on the floor, his brow furrowing when he looked at her. Striding over to her, he took her face in his big hands. “What’s wrong?”
There was no sense hiding it. “I’m… I’m scared, okay? I’m scared.”
“I’m coming with you. I’ll keep watch over the burlesque. You’re safe with me.”
Emotion overwhelmed her, bringing tears to her eyes. Ethan’s brow fell and he softly swept her tears away with his fingers. He embraced her and gently kissed her brow, her temple, the curve of her cheek. And then his mouth was on hers and she opened for him with a desperation she couldn’t control.
She looped her arms around his neck and held on tight. Ethan’s hands streaked down her sides, his fingers digging into her hips and pulling her pelvis against his.
“Please, Ethan,” she urged. “I need you.”
He groaned low in his throat. “You want me to make you feel better, sweet girl?”
“I want you inside me.”
He took a huge handful of her hair and pulled her head back, his lips finding her neck, kissing and licking all the sensitive places there. “I’m going to fill you up so good, you’ll think of me all night and nothing else.”
A breath rushed out of her. She wanted that so badly.
Ethan ran his hand down to her belly, trailing his fingers over her belly before lifting her skirt. Claire sucked in a breath, anticipating her panties being whisked off, but he bared her middle and drew his fingers along her skin to trace her hip bones. A little moan of protest died on her tongue as shivers and heat rose on her skin. His lips dipped to the sensitive spot behind her ear, planting little kisses there as he stroked his palms over her hips and down her thighs.
Breaking free for a moment, he snatched her hand and led her across the mess to her bed. He gently pushed her upon it and urged her to lie back. She did, stretching her arms above head and shivering in anticipation. Ethan knelt between her legs and lowered himself over her body. Slowly, he resumed kissing her neck. A wiz of electricity shot between her legs. She bucked, her hips jerking up. She needed him so much. The way she was feeling for him was happening so fast. Maybe it was just lust, but she didn’t care.
His low, wicked chuckle vibrated in her ear. “Easy, love.”
Claire gripped his forearms. “This is crazy, Ethan.”
“I know.”
“I’ve never wanted anyone this much.” Her voice was breathy, husky. A little shocked at the sex-kitten tone, Claire smiled. What was this man doing to her?
“I’m going to make it so good for you, sweetness. You’re mine and I take care of what’s mine. Always.”
Their eyes locked, his amazing depths of blue growing darker as he nudged her legs apart. It’s like something snapped in her. The connection she’d felt with him from the first moment was full-bodied and strong. She had to have this, had to have him closer.
His lips found hers as she pulled at the button and zipper of his pants. The waist loosened and fell open. She wanted to reach in and grasp his cock, feel its hardness in her hands and stroke the soft skin. With a smile, he grabbed her wrist and shook his head. His hands and lips were suddenly everywhere. She shivered and moaned as he palmed her breasts before pulling the top of her dress down and sucking a nipple in his mouth.
Her mouth met his as a needy moan welled from her throat. He answered with one of his own as he teased her breasts. It was desperate, this rush of need. It wouldn’t wait. Panting now, Claire threaded her fingers into his hair and held him to her. Ethan moved lower between her legs, the hard ridge of his cock pressing into her inner thigh.
“Oh, baby.” He moved up and kissed her gently. “I wish we could take all day.”
Time deifinelty wasn’t on their side, but it was fine. She wanted him now!
“Please, Ethan. I just need to come.”
Claire arched against him, reveling in the encompassing heat of his hard body. She helped him whip off his shirt. She traced the dips and lines of his sculpted chest. He was so much bigger than her, yet she wasn’t intimidated. His strength was comforting, the composure of his body, sexy as hell.
She shifted a little and brought the
ir pelvises together. Ethan growled something she didn’t understand as his cock pressed into her softness. He dipped his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties, flaming her arousal higher. Lust flooded through her, soaking the thin fabric. Ethan stroked her gently, urgently, alternating pace and teasing her until her brain spun. Then, in one fast motion, he dipped between her folds and stroked her clit.
She bucked, her mouth parting in silent ecstasy. A cry threatened to burst from her mouth, but she held it back.
Ethan teased her, his expert fingers working the bundle of nerves until Claire’s entire body was on edge—the anticipation and promise of pleasure all-consuming. Grabbing his shoulders, she tensed, then held on for dear life as the orgasm burst through her.
“Claire, sweet girl. Yes, yes, sweetness.”
The croon of Ethan’s voice crept through the pleasure-fog in her head. Clinging to him, she was sure her heart was going to pound out of her chest. He moved her panties aside, then tugged his briefs down. Her eyes fluttered as he reached into his back pocket and produced a condom.
She was barely breathing, for God’s sake, but she managed to sit and motioned for him to stand. He did with a wicked smile, watching her as she grabbed the waistband of his jeans and yanked them down. His cock sprang free, glorious and thick. She wet her lips, imagining the taste of him if she sucked that fat tip into her mouth.
She didn’t get the chance as Ethan kicked off his jeans and hovered over her body again. He rolled the condom on and took her hips in his hands. He was breathing hard already, his pupils dilated and dark.
“Please,” she whispered. “I want you so much.”
Suddenly, the tip of his cock slid into her. Claire sucked in a breath, her head rolling against the pillow. He cradled her pelvis gently—so gently—as he thrust and filled her.