The kiss started off slow and languorous, and he lulled her into a sweet, sensuous haze. She was hypnotized by him, forgetting everything except for the exquisite pressure of his lips on hers. His lips, firm and soft at the same time, nudged hers apart. When she opened her mouth to him, his tongue slid in and found hers, teasing it with light strokes. This was certainly not her first kiss, but it was definitely the best. She swayed, and his arms tightened around her to provide support. She made a soft, inarticulate sound of need, and he groaned in response, increasing the pressure of his mouth on hers.
“My God, you are so sweet,” he murmured against her mouth. His hands came up to cradle her face, and their breaths mingled as his mouth continued its gentle assault on hers.
Shane’s mouth dipped lower and he planted kisses along the graceful line of her jaw, then down to her throat where he felt the wild fluttering of her pulse beneath his lips. “Shh, it’s okay,” he breathed against her pulse point, alternating kissing and suckling gently.
His mouth returned to hers with a hunger that seemed just a bit out of control. She knew she should stop him, but when he started sucking at her mouth, taking small, painless bites of her lower lip, she felt her own body go up in flames. His lips coaxed hers open wide, and his tongue swept inside, stroking hers, making sweet love to her mouth.
Liquid heat pooled low in her belly, and her muscles started quivering. Her legs felt like jelly, and she didn’t think she could stay upright much longer. She was shocked by how much she wanted him. Really wanted him, then and there, more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.
Beth gasped when she felt his broad palm settle over her left breast. His hand burned through her dress and bra as he cupped her flesh and molded it to his hand.
“Your heart is racing,” Shane said. “I hope in a good way.”
“Mmm.” She laid her hand over his and pressed it hard against her flesh. She wished she could feel his hand on her bare skin right now, feel his heat, the roughness of his palm. Her nipple puckered beneath his touch, and he brushed the taut little peak through her clothing with the edge of this thumb. Even through her clothes, his touch was electrifying.
She whimpered into his mouth.
“Jesus, Beth,” he groaned, pulling her tight against him.
She felt his erection prodding her belly, hard and insistent. Wetness flooded her sex, and she felt hot and achy. Suddenly his fingers were there, pressing right through the fabric of her dress against the needy place between her legs. She cried out at his touch, her body shuddering as his fingers closed in on the apex of her sex.
Before she even realized they’d moved, she felt the wall at her back. Shane’s hands cradled her face, holding her head still as his mouth ate at hers. She gasped and slipped her arms around his waist and she held on for dear life as he kissed her like she’d only ever dreamed of being kissed. She heard desperate noises coming out of her, sounds she’d never heard herself make before.
Her body went up in flames when his hand cupped her breast again, molding it to fit his palm. He pinched her nipple lightly and she felt it all the way down in her core. When his hand returned to the junction between her legs, she pressed herself against it shamelessly, rocking herself against the pressure in an attempt to assuage the terrible ache he’d created.
He pulled up her dress and slipped his hand inside her panties, his finger slipping between the plump folds of her sex. He groaned loudly when he encountered her slick, wet heat.
“God, baby,” he groaned, his finger slipping inside her tight, wet channel. “Let me make you come,” he said, looking at her with a fiercely burning gaze. “Let me. Say yes.”
Feeling a bit desperate herself, she nodded, torn between an insane arousal and utter mortification that she was letting him touch her like this.
“Say it!” he demanded in a hoarse voice. “Say yes!”
“Yes!”
Chapter 10
“Hold up your dress,” he said, his voice rough and urgent.
Partly in shock, she obeyed, her legs shaking so badly she didn’t know if she could stay on her feet.
Shane’s finger traced the seam of her folds, and then he slipped his finger between her swollen lips and collected some of her wetness and brought it to her clitoris, spreading it on the tiny nub of flesh. He pressed the slick pad of his finger firmly on her clit and began a concerted effort to drive her out of her mind.
She shuddered as Shane alternated the pressure against her clitoris, teasing her as he stroked her with firm, relentless movements. The onslaught of sensation drove her higher and higher. The pleasure centered on her clitoris was nearly unbearable, and she could barely breathe. Her whole world narrowed down to that one little spot. She stood on wobbly legs, one hand holding up her dress while the other clutched at his waist for support. His hot mouth covered hers and he drank in her cries.
Shane released Beth’s mouth and sucked in deep breath. He gazed into her flushed face. Her pupils were dilated, and her cheeks were suffused with pink. Her nostrils flared with excitement as he continued his gentle assault on her clitoris. He was desperate to make her come. Her tantalizing scent was in his nose, and all he could think about was pleasuring her. If he had to send her home, he wanted to give her something to remember him by.
When he felt her muscles tense and her legs tremble, he knew she was close. She let go of her dress, and both of her hands clutched at the front of his shirt for dear life, and when her body swayed, he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her against him.
Her entire body tensed and she pressed her face against his chest. He heard a soft, high-pitched keening sound muffled against his shirt. As she flew apart in his arms, he felt dangerously close to losing control then and there.
“That’s right, baby,” he murmured, his lips in her hair. “Let it happen.”
Beth’s entire focus had narrowed down to that one spot at the apex of her thighs. As she spiraled higher and higher, her breath came faster, and she gripped his shirt tighter, pressing her face into his firm, muscled chest. Her climax hit her like a freight train and she flew apart into a million pieces. As she sagged against him, he held her close with one arm as he gently massaged her through her climax with his free hand.
Shane had barely done more than touch her, and it was the most thrilling sexual experience she’d ever had. She knew how to take care of herself, but she’d never experienced an orgasm with someone else before.
She lifted her hot face from his shirt and looked up, ready to take the biggest risk she’d ever taken. “I want you.”
Shane kissed her tenderly, his lips clinging to hers. He pulled back to look at her, and his gaze locked onto her bottom lip, which was slightly swollen from his kisses. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d wanted a woman this badly, when he couldn’t have her.
His expression was rueful as he shook his head. “I touched you because I had to, not because I wanted to seduce you. I told you I’d take you home, Beth, and I’m going to keep my promise.”
She took a shaky breath in an attempt to shore up her courage. “But I want this.”
“So do I, honey. Believe me, so do I. But we’re going to wait until you’re ready. Really ready. I don’t want to mess this up.”
She was torn. Part of her wanted to take the “out” he’d given her, but part of her wanted him now. He kissed her once more, so sweetly she felt like crying. By the time she realized what he was doing, he’d straightened her dress and was leading her back into the elevator, while she walked in a climax-induced fog.
She was still in a daze as the elevator began its descent. Shane smiled at her as he slipped his finger into his mouth to suck it clean. “That was incredible,” he said.
Her face burned with mortification when she detected the faint scent of her arousal in the air and realized he was sucking her juices from his finger. Oh, my God.
“There’s no reason to be embarrassed,” Shane said, watching the pink suffuse her cheeks.
“If you still feel the same way the next time, we’ll try again.” He reached out to cradle her face in both hands. “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night, here at my place?”
Her beatific smile made him catch his breath.
“I would love that,” she said.
“It’s a date. I’ll pick you up at six. If you like, we can come back here to my place and have a quiet dinner. Then we can talk and work on that ‘getting to know you’ stuff.”
“You cook?” she said, surprised.
He grinned. “No, I dial. I have plenty of friends and clients in the restaurant business. We can order in anything you like. What will it be? Italian? Chinese? French? Thai?”
“I like it all, but Italian sounds good.”
“Italian it is,” he said. “I’ll call my friend Peter Capelli and ask him to send something over.”
“Peter Capelli? Isn’t he the owner of Renaldo’s? My roommate works there.”
“He is, and he owes me some favors, so I’m going to call one in.”
When the elevator came to a smooth stop, they stepped out into the garage.
“Let’s get you home,” Shane said, steering Beth to his Jaguar.
As Shane buckled her into her seat, Beth found herself distracted by the sight of his long fingers. She watched the tendons flex and contract and thought about where those fingers had been just minutes before. At the memory of how those fingers brought her such blinding pleasure, her belly did a little somersault. She couldn’t imagine what those hands would feel like stroking her all over. The thought made her dizzy.
He tugged on her seatbelt to tighten it, and she rolled her eyes at him.
Shane leaned forward and kissed her gently, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. “I like taking care of you. Does it bother you?”
She shook her head, smiling. “I don’t mind.”
It was true; she didn’t mind. She knew a lot of women would be offended. Gabrielle would have considered it patronizing, and she would have swatted his hands away and asked him if he was insane. To Beth, it was comforting.
Shane leaned forward and kissed her again, although this time his kiss had some heat behind it. She shivered when his tongue traced the seam of her lips.
He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You take my breath away, you know that?”
She blushed. Same to you, mister.
Shane’s lips curved in a smile. “It’s late. Let’s get you home.”
Traffic was light at this late hour, so it was an easy drive south to Hyde Park. Beth sent a quick text to Gabrielle to let her know that she was on her way home.
As they sat in comfortable silence, Shane stroked the back of her left hand, which he’d laid on his thigh. Beth rested her head back in her seat and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hand stroking hers.
She must have drifted off, because suddenly they were parked in front of her house.
“Somebody’s up past her bedtime,” Shane said, smiling at Beth as she blinked under the bright light of a street lamp. Shane unbuckled his seat belt and then hers. “I’ll get your door.”
Beth watched him cross in front of the car, admiring his physique and the powerful way he moved. He helped her out of the car.
At the top of her front steps, Beth unlocked her door and they stepped inside. The front hall table light was on. The upstairs was dark, as was the front parlor to the right, but there was a light on in the kitchen at the back of the hall.
“Gabrielle?” Beth called.
“In the kitchen!”
Beth took Shane’s hand. “Come and meet my roommate.”
“Sure,” he said. “I’d love to.”
Shane followed Beth down the hall to the kitchen, hoping like hell that Ms. Hunter would keep her cool and not blow his cover. He had no idea what to expect from Gabrielle.
Gabrielle looked up as they entered the kitchen. Shane made a quick visual sweep of the room – a mixture of original 1940s cherry cabinetry, stainless steel fixtures, and top-of-the-line appliances. The exterior wall was mostly windows overlooking the back yard.
Gabrielle stood at the island counter making a sandwich, and there was a bottle of red wine and a half-filled glass on the counter.
“I’ve had a really long day, I’m starving, and it’s late,” Gabrielle said, glancing pointedly at him, as if these things were his fault. Then she looked at Beth, a too-bright smile on her face. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new boyfriend?”
He couldn’t help missing her sarcastic tone, but Beth didn’t seem to notice.
“Gabrielle, you didn’t have to wait up,” Beth said as they came into the room. “I texted you that I was on my way home.”
“Pardon me for worrying about you, Beth,” Gabrielle said, cutting her sandwich in half with a little more force than necessary. Gabrielle’s voice was tight as she glared at Shane. “It’s not like you to go home with strange men.”
Ouch. She was mad as hell at him, but at least she hadn’t spilled the beans. Yet. Maybe she wouldn’t.
“This is Shane McIntyre,” Beth said to her roommate. Then she glanced at Shane, and he couldn’t help noticing that her smile had slipped a little. She’d definitely picked up on Gabrielle’s hostility. “Shane, this is my roommate and best friend, Gabrielle Hunter. Gabrielle’s a sous chef at Renaldo’s.”
“Nice to meet you, Gabrielle,” Shane said, eyeing Gabrielle directly. Go ahead. I dare you. To his utter relief, Gabrielle held her tongue. “Renaldo’s is one of the best restaurants in Chicago,” he said, sending her an olive branch. There was no reason they had to be enemies. “Congratulations. I know those sous chef positions are difficult to come by.”
Beth was watching her friend closely, but Gabrielle was avoiding her gaze.
Gabrielle picked up her plate, wine glass, and bottle. “I’m heading upstairs, Beth, now that I know you’re home safely,” Gabrielle said pointedly as she walked away. “I’ll wait for you upstairs.”
In other words, He’s not staying long, is he?
“Okay, Gabrielle,” Beth said, a small frown marring her brow. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”
He tamped down his irritation at Gabrielle’s manner, but he certainly couldn’t complain. She’d held her tongue, even though it hadn’t looked easy for her. For that, he was grateful.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Gabrielle,” he said, as she walked away.
Beth watched Gabrielle disappear up the back staircase, at a complete loss to explain her friend’s rude behavior to Shane. It didn’t make any sense. Gabrielle didn’t even know Shane.
“I’m sorry,” Beth said to Shane. “She’s usually very friendly.”
“It’s all right,” he said. “She’s probably just tired from a long day. It’s late, and I’d better let you get to bed.” He drew her to him and kissed her.
“Maybe she had a rough night at the restaurant,” Beth said.
“Or,” he said, playing with a loose tendril of her hair, “maybe she’s just a tad protective of you. I can appreciate that.”
Shane removed the band holding Beth’s ponytail and the strands fell forward, framing her face. He kissed her again, his fingers threading through the silken strands. Obeying the gentle coaxing of his lips, she opened her mouth for him, and his tongue slid inside. She could feel his erection prodding her belly.
He broke away from the kiss, a guilty grin on his face. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it. When I’m around you, I want you.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not getting mad when I freaked out at your apartment. I appreciate that. Many guys would have gotten angry.”
“Beth.” He shook his head. “I hope I never get angry at you for expressing your honest feelings. It was just too soon. I understand that.” His hands cupped her face. “I’m in no hurry here, sweetheart. Well, actually I am in a hurry, because I want you. But you know what I mean. I told you – I want to t
ake care of you. That means meeting your needs – all of them. And if cutting the night short was one of your needs tonight, so be it. We’ll get there.”
He kissed her again, and Beth felt the heat of his palm through her blouse as his hand covered her breast. She looked down at his big hand molding her flesh, gently kneading it. Feeling a sudden pang of inadequacy, she tried to pull back, but his other arm slipped around her waist, holding her to him.
“What is it?” he said, looking into her eyes. “What just happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Beth.” His voice was even, but firm. “Talk to me.”
Well, wasn’t he master of the universe, she thought. He was patient, but she also knew he could be very persistent. She had a feeling they’d be there all night if she didn’t answer him.
“It’s just... I’m not– ” She couldn’t say it. “Never mind. It’s not important.” She tried again to pull away, but he held her.
“Sweetheart, I told you before, there’s nothing you can’t say to me. I saw that flash of panic in your eyes, and I’m not leaving until you tell me what put it there.”
“My breasts aren’t very big,” she said, nearly choking on the words.
Shane struggled to suppress a smile, and Beth wanted to hit him.
He brushed the edge of his thumb over her nipple, sending a shockwave of pleasure through her body. Then he unbuttoned the top few buttons of her dress. Before she could even protest, his fingers slipped inside her clothing and pushed aside the material to reveal her left breast. Then his hand slipped into her bra, nudging the white cotton fabric down.
Shane looked down at her bare breast; they both did. The nipple was puckered from the attention and exposure to the cool night air, a tight little dusky pink bud atop a small mound of pale, creamy flesh. He leaned down and licked her nipple before he took it fully into his mouth. He sucked on the little bud, and then his teeth tugged oh-so-gently on her nipple. She felt a corresponding rush of warmth low in her belly. She arched into him, crying out. His mouth moved quickly to cover hers and catch the sound.
Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) Page 9