by Lori Foster
She turned her face so that her cheek nuzzled his chest and mumbled an incoherent reply. Noah carefully turned her, then lowered her to her stomach beside him on the bed. Other than a deep sigh, she didn’t move. He reached over her for another condom, rolled it on, then knelt behind her.
“I’m going to take you again, Grace,” he told her as he looked at her naked back. “God knows I shouldn’t be hard again this soon, but you affect me.”
The fingers of her left hand fluttered, as if giving permission. If it hadn’t been for that small movement, Noah might have thought she slept, she was so still.
He shook his head, delighted with her, then picked up a fat bed pillow, slid his forearm under her to scoop up her hips and shoved the pillow beneath her until she was practically on her knees.
Having her bottom in the air pulled Grace from her lethargy real quick. Alarmed, Grace looked back at him. “Noah, what…”
He held her still with a hand flattened on the small of her back. Seeing her so provocatively posed made Noah’s muscles cramp. With a groan, he laid down over her and easily pushed into her body.
“Tell me if I hurt you, honey.” Though Grace was wet and tender, she was unused to physical excess, and Noah knew it was too soon to be taking her again; he just couldn’t seem to moderate himself around her, not his thoughts, not his emotions, not his sexual need.
Still, she quickly got into his cadence and within ten strokes Noah was ready. He drove harder, faster, enjoying the slapping sound of his abdomen on her behind, the way her back arched and her hair flowed around her shoulders.
Just as he felt the churning pleasure start, Grace tensed and she, too, came with a long, low, lazy moan.
They collapsed together. The position was awkward, but neither of them was anxious to move. And that suited Noah just fine.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so sexually satisfied.
Amazing—and somehow special—that he’d found that satisfaction with Grace.
Chapter Six
“Are you hungry?”
Grace bestirred herself, trying to gather her numb wits. Little ripples of unbelievable pleasure continued to pulse through her body. Places she’d never before noticed, very private places, were tingling. Her heart felt heavy and full to bursting.
Noah had made wild, passionate love to her. Her mind could hardly grasp the fact of what had just happened, what she’d done—with Noah.
Oh God, she wanted to hug this moment to her and keep it forever.
She drew a deep breath and became more aware than ever that Noah was a warm, hard weight pressing onto her back. Because he hadn’t withdrawn, he was still a part of her, still inside her body. They were connected, and for Grace it was so much more than just physical. She loved him so much, it almost hurt.
His breath, more relaxed and even now, teased her ear, and his body hair tickled her prickling flesh. It was wonderful.
And then she realized something else.
Her big backside was propped up with a pillow!
She froze, picturing how she must look, and there was a moment of real worry, of acute embarrassment. But then she shook off the worry and mentally shrugged. Really, she should have at least blushed, but it had been too incredible to regret in any way.
She could easily get used to this sex slave business.
“Gracie?” Noah leaned up and brushed her long hair to the side so he could kiss her nape. Goosebumps rose in the wake of his mouth.
She shivered in bliss. “Hmm?”
“You hungry?” He stroked his hand down her side to her waist, lingering, exploring.
Her waistline wasn’t trim and toned, but Noah didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he appeared to be luxuriating in her skin, opening his big hand wide and kneading her. Not that she was an expert, but she liked to think she could recognize disgust if she witnessed it. And Noah was far from disgusted. He sounded almost…tender.
“Grace?” He kissed her again, then again and again, lingering here and there, tasting her. Her toes curled as he licked a sensitive spot on her nape. Grace sighed and squirmed against him.
“Oh no you don’t,” Noah scolded. “No more tempting me to unreasonable levels of lust. We need nourishment, woman.” And to punctuate that, he gave her hip a swat. “What would you like to eat?”
Grace was actually famished, but since she was overweight, she denied it. Eating in front of others always made her feel self-conscious. “I’m fine.”
His lips were still touching her skin and Grace felt his grin. He must enjoy kissing her, she reasoned, since he did it so often.
She definitely enjoyed it.
“You’re better than fine, baby.” He put a tingling love bite on her shoulder. “Hot. Sexy as hell. You’re a regular wild woman.”
“Me?” Now Grace blushed—more with pleasure than embarrassment. No one had ever accused her of being wild. As to that, no one had ever called her sexy either. “All I did was lay there.”
“And moan and gasp…and come.” Noah nibbled his way down her spine until he rested on her legs, pinning her in place with his chin touching her bottom. Then he added in a gruff voice, “I loved it.”
Grace smiled in contentment. “I loved it too. I had no idea sex could be so…”
“Explosive?” He gently bit one buttock, then kissed the small sting.
“Yes.” She wiggled again, getting more comfortable beneath him. Thoughts swirled through her mind, and she asked, “Noah?”
“Hmm?” He wedged a hand under her breast and held her while he continued to nibble on her behind.
Grace had never in her life imagined any man kissing her there. It would take a little getting used to.
She cleared her throat. “Will I get a turn to touch you?”
Noah went still a moment. “Now that I’ve come twice, yeah. I think I can muster up the control for that.” He bit her again, a soft love bite, then rolled to the side of her with a groan. “But first we have to go eat. I’m starving.”
Without Noah covering her, Grace felt more on display than ever. Suffering a distinct lack of coordination, she scrambled to get off the pillow, then sat up at the side of the bed and eyed her clothing. It was now well past wearing, in her opinion. The zipper on her skirt was ruined. Her sweater was baggy.
She heard the bed creak and turned to watch as Noah stood and paced naked to the closet. He pulled out a white oxford shirt and handed it to her.
Grace eyed the proffered shirt. “Umm…”
Grinning, Noah caught her hand and pulled her upward. Grace could do little more than look him over. She was inexperienced, no denying that, but she knew Noah was a gorgeous man with a body that would excite any woman. There was no fat on him, just muscles over more muscles, sleek skin, long bones, and masculine angles.
While he stuffed her arms into the shirt, she looked at his wide shoulders, flexing with casual strength as he moved. He was a dark man, and crisp black hair covered his chest, his legs, his forearms. Grace wanted to stroke him everywhere.
There was even a narrow, silky trail of sexy hair that angled down his body and bisected his abdomen. It swirled around his navel, then continued downward to his groin, where it grew thicker.
His penis was soft now, and Grace stared, thrilled, enraptured, curious. She wanted to touch him, but he’d already finished buttoning up the shirt and turned away.
His backside was muscled and sexy, too, as were his long hard legs. Even his big feet were appealing to her.
Noah strode to the dresser and pulled out two pairs of boxers. He tossed one pair toward her and they hit Grace in the chest.
By reflex, she caught them and then stared at the expensive, silver-and-black-striped silk underwear in confusion.
“Put them on, sweetheart. If you stay bare-assed there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.”
Grace looked up at Noah. The implied compliment was wonderful, but she had a bigger thought on her mind. “You wear sil
k underwear?”
Noah laughed. “Those were a gift.”
“From who?” Agatha surely didn’t buy her grandson underwear.
Gently, Noah asked, “Do you really want to know?”
Oh. She shook her head even as she suffered a stab of jealousy. She couldn’t imagine Kara being risqué enough to purchase men’s underwear, so it must have been one of the other women always vying for Noah’s attention.
Women of all ages gravitated to him. The ladies who attended the same social functions were forever eyeing Noah with lewd intent, as were their secretaries and housekeepers. Even waitresses and clerks gave him double-takes and tried to catch his eye.
Grace knew Noah well enough to realize he hadn’t been swayed from his commitment to Kara. He was too honorable to cheat on a fiancée, but now…now he was a free man again.
He could have his pick of women.
Watching her, Noah said, “I prefer good old cotton.” And he added with a teasing wink, “Like you.”
Grace’s face flamed. She knew her underwear was utilitarian to the point of being outright ugly, but since no one had ever seen it before she’d never cared.
She could only imagine what Noah’s other lovers had worn. Kara, she knew, would own the finest, most delicate lingerie money could buy. And being that Kara was slender and toned, she would have looked stunning in it.
Grace frowned in thought.
As if he’d read her mind, Noah said, “We should go shopping. I’d love to buy you some lingerie.”
Mortification rolled over Grace, nearly taking her breath away. Never, not in a million years, would she stuff her overweight, overblown body into some slinky little concoction meant to entice. Just the thought was appalling.
She’d seen underwear models plenty of times. They were tall and willowy, not lumpy with large breasts and hips and a barely there waistline.
Grace shuddered in telling reaction, then thrust her chin in the air. “You said you only wanted sex,” she reminded Noah. And, Grace told herself, all she could realistically hope for was that Noah would want it with her for a while, before he decided to take advantage of his newfound freedom to seek out more attractive companionship.
Noah paused, then stepped into his snug cotton boxers. They hugged his hips and thighs and…his sex. Grace couldn’t help staring. She wondered how it would feel to cup him through the cotton.
Noah stared at her with a closeness that bordered on scrutiny as he approached. “Let me help you get these on, Gracie.”
Grace pulled back, clutching the silk boxers to her chest. “I can manage.”
His blue eyes heated and his lush lashes lowered suggestively. “We’re still in the bedroom, sweetheart.”
Grace, softening at the endearment, looked around. “So?”
“So in here what I say goes, remember? And I said I’m going to help you dress.”
Grace propped her hands on her hips. “I think you’re using our agreement to unfair advantage, Noah.”
He cupped the back of her neck, drawing her a tiny bit closer. “But,” he said, his voice warm and rough, “if I told you to go down on your knees right now, you’d do it, wouldn’t you, Grace?”
An image of her kneeling before him, her mouth even with his boxers, filled Grace’s mind. Her toes curled in delicious expectation, and her stomach flip-flopped, leaving her breathless. She licked her lips and bobbed her head in ready agreement. “Yes.”
“Good. That’s what I thought.” His rough-tipped fingers rubbed her nape, then he lowered his arm and held out his hand in undeniable demand. “Now give me the boxers.”
Grace held on to them. “Do you want me to, you know, go down on my knees?” Please, please, please.
He flicked the end of her nose and treated her to a half-smile of blatant satisfaction. “Not just yet.”
“But…”
Noah wrestled the boxers from her, bent to hold them, and said, “Step in, Grace.”
And like an obedient little sex slave, she did.
Grace merely nibbled on her cheese sandwich and corn chips, even though they were delicious and she felt ravenous. Having sex had really worked up her appetite.
Of course, since she was sitting on Noah’s lap—as he’d insisted—hunger was her second most prominent urge.
The dual assault of embarrassment and wantonness was new to her. She was embarrassed because, really, she was too big to sit on anyone’s lap. Not that Noah was complaining. No, he just kept touching her and kissing her, and that was what accounted for her wantonness.
She’d led a sexually repressed life, but now all those feelings, so long buried, were bursting free. Her previous state of virginity hadn’t been so much by deliberate choice but because no man who’d appealed to her had ever shown an interest.
Noah appealed to her in a big way—he always had—and he appeared fascinated with her body, which she took for interest. It amazed her, but Grace didn’t want to question it. She just wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.
“Open up.” Noah enticed her mouth with a pickle chip and Grace obligingly accepted it. Pickles had never tasted so good.
“I should have taken you out someplace nice to eat,” Noah grumbled. He reached for a frosty can of cola and took a healthy drink, then offered it to Grace.
“This is nice.” Better than nice. They were in Noah’s living room, cuddled together in a large cushioned chair. Music played from the stereo. The sun wasn’t quite as bright through the patio doors now, but a nice breeze wafted in, bringing with it the scents of spring.
Grace could feel the hard strength of Noah’s muscled thighs beneath her, the heat of his solid chest behind her. And he was being so affectionate.
“Besides, I don’t have anything here to wear. Somebody,” she said, eyeing him so he wouldn’t misunderstand, “was too unreasonable to let me stop and pick up a change of clothes.”
Noah cupped her breast through the white shirt. “Not unreasonable, Grace. Too horny.”
Grace laughed. She couldn’t remember ever having so much fun. She even liked it that Noah drank straight from a can, just as she did when no one was around to see her. Though she’d never have admitted it to anyone, she liked the metallic taste and hated the way ice watered down the pop.
She also liked sharing the can with Noah, drinking where he drank.
Noah was different from most men of his station. He had money now, and he’d learned how to spend it, but it never seemed that important to him. His life wasn’t about money or acquisitions. He was…more real than that.
He cared about others, and it showed.
Noah teased her throat with a knuckle. “Want me to send someone over to your place to pick up some of your stuff?”
“No!” Grace patted her mouth with a paper napkin and relaxed against his shoulder. “I don’t want anyone rummaging through my things, Noah.”
Noah stared at her, then nodded. “All right.”
As Grace watched, his bright blue eyes heated. He looked at her mouth. “Did you want the rest of your sandwich?”
Sensing the change in his mood, Grace shook her head. “No.” At the moment, food was the last thing on her mind. She felt a solid ridge suddenly pressing up against her bottom, and the knowledge that Noah was again aroused had a similar effect on her. Her breath caught and her nipples puckered. “But I would like the rest of you.”
His gaze shot to hers, and a slow smile spread over his handsome face. “You want your turn to tease, Gracie?”
Grace fought her blush and nodded. “Yes.”
“What will you do?” he asked low, and shifted to bring her closer, turning her so that she was more or less cradled in his arms. He touched his nose to hers. “Tell me.”
Heart fluttering, muscles going liquid, Grace whispered, “I was thinking—”
A knock at the front door made them both twist around. Noah frowned, then looked back at Grace. “I’m waiting.”
“Um…” She eyed the door. “Aren’t you
going to answer that?”
“Hell no.” He playfully kissed her throat. “I’ve got a sexy broad on my lap and she’s about to tell me all the wicked acts she wants to inflict on my poor body. All things considered, I don’t give a damn who’s at the door.”
“But…”
Noah cupped her head and tipped it up, then kissed her hungrily. Against her lips, he said, “Hey, I’m on pins and needles here, Grace.”
The knock came again, this time more impatient.
“Uh…”
“Ignore it. Or better yet, let’s go back in the bedroom where I’m in charge and I’ll make you forget all about the damn door.”
Noah began to stand with Grace held in his arms, and she squealed, pushing him back in the seat and laughing out loud. “Okay, okay! I’ll tell all.”
Suddenly the lock on the door clicked, and a second later, the door swung open.
Their laughter died a startling death. Noah and Grace both stared.
Kara, impeccably dressed, her hair neatly styled, stepped in. She dropped her key in her purse, closed the door, and turned. The second she saw Noah and Grace her mouth fell open. “Oh dear.”
Noah plopped back in his seat with a furious scowl. “What the hell are you doing here, Kara?”
Face hot with embarrassment, Grace started to scramble off Noah’s lap. But as if he’d anticipated her move, he laced his arms around her middle and held her tight. Unless she wanted to indulge in a scuffle—which she’d obviously lose—there was no way for her to remove herself.
That being the case, Grace was forced to improvise.
It was awkward, but she pinned on a bright smile and greeted their unexpected guest. “Hello, Kara.”
“I knocked.” Kara looked at Noah, then Grace, and back again. One brow arched high. “Twice.”
“We ignored it,” Noah rudely told her. And with a sarcastic smile: “Twice.”
“I assumed you weren’t home.” Kara frowned and folded her arms. “I was going to wait for you.”
Both Noah and Kara sounded hostile, and Grace couldn’t bear it. There’d been enough hurt already. “We were just…having brunch. Would you like a cheese sandwich?”