She didn’t even hesitate. Holding out her hand, she said, “Stay.”
So he did.
Chapter Six
My belly trembled violently as Kelly strode toward me. Wondering from where this surge of bravery emanated, I counted the steps until he could touch me. Standing there as naked as the day I’d been born, there was no way for me to hide the way he affected me. One look at my breasts and their puckered peaks, and Kelly would have no doubts about how much I wanted him.
He came so close to me that I had to tilt my head back to gaze into those bright green eyes of his. The scent of him, that masculine mix that made everything feminine in me go crazy with desire, surrounded me. I could feel the throbbing heat of him and wanted nothing more than to burrow against his wide, sculpted chest.
Kelly traced my collarbone with his long, thick finger. “I’ve never kissed you properly.”
I laughed nervously and gestured to my naked body. “I think we’re going about this whole thing backwards.”
His sexy mouth slanted with amusement. “Seems rather fitting considering the way the two of us have gone about everything else in our lives.” He dragged his finger across my lower lip. “I want to kiss you, but I need you to be sure, Bee. I’ve been able to hold back and stay away from you, but once I taste you? All bets are off.”
Showing him I was ready, I rose on tiptoes and sought his descending mouth. Ever the alpha male, Kelly refused to let me have control over our first real kiss. I let him have this small victory, certain there would be plenty of times for me to play the aggressor in the future.
Gently, he cupped the back of my neck and brushed his lips against mine. My heart thudded in my chest, and my knees wobbled as he lovingly claimed my mouth. I clung to his arms, gripping the thin cotton of his T-shirt, and closed my eyes as a joyous chorus erupted in my head. Finally!
Our chaste and sweet kiss quickly transformed into a hungry, needful thing. Instead of stooping down to kiss me, Kelly slipped his hand around my waist and dragged me back toward the bed. Not once breaking contact with my mouth, he sat on the mattress and tugged me between his thighs.
His rough, strong hands glided over my skin. Like a spark to dry tender, passion ignited within me. The burning flames of it licked at my core and made my clitoris pulse. I squeezed my thighs together, but it was no use. The ache there couldn’t be assuaged.
Kelly’s tongue flirted with mine. Whimpering, I wound my arms around his neck and relished the feel of his brawny arms enveloping me. He drew me against his heat and stabbed his tongue between my lips, tasting me and taking what he had so long denied himself.
He palmed my soft flesh and rubbed his thumb over my dusky pink nipple. “I used to dream about this.”
His confession surprised me. My voice sounded husky as I asked, “When?”
“Over there.”
Afghanistan or Iraq? I didn’t dare ask lest the moment be ruined by dredging up the horrific memories of his seemingly never-ending deployments.
He pressed a noisy kiss to the swell of my breast. “I used to imagine the way your skin would feel. I wondered how you would taste and what sounds you would make if I did something like this.”
When his tongue started to trace my nipple, I almost crumpled to the floor. My poor legs shook so badly that it was only Kelly’s supporting arm keeping me upright. Clutching his shoulders, I exhaled a shuddery breath. “Kelly.”
He made a happy noise. “Yeah. That’s about how I imagined it.”
As he began the sensual torment of my breasts with his mouth, I asked, “What made you stop?” At his confused look, I clarified, “Imaging us like this, I mean.”
“Who said I did?” He pinched my nipple between his fingertips. The bright arc of pressure traveled right to my clit in the most delicious way. “It started over there, after the last barbecue, and never stopped.”
Placing my hand along his jaw, I commanded his attention. Even though it embarrassed me to bring up that spectacularly awkward rejection, I had to know why. “So why did you push me away on New Year’s Eve?”
He drew a shape on my chest that felt suspiciously like a K. “You can’t imagine how guilty I felt when Jeb was alive. The way I felt about you then?” He shook his head. “It’s not right. You’re not supposed to have those kinds of thoughts about your best friend’s sister. I think Jeb knew that I liked you way more than I should have. He started pulling away from me on that last deployment. I couldn’t reach him.”
Kelly talking about guilt made me think of Jeb and the secrets he had carried to the grave. My brother’s guilt over his double-life had spilled over into his friendship with Kelly and ruined the support system he had so desperately needed as our mother lost her battle with cancer.
Even now, all these years later, I had to bite my tongue. I’d sworn to Jeb that I would never tell anyone his secrets. The lies between Kelly and me made me uneasy. If anyone deserved to know the truth…
“When you kissed me at New Year’s, all that guilt came rushing to the surface. I reacted badly.” He captured my mouth so tenderly. “It was wrong of me. I should have been man enough to own my feelings.”
“You’re owning them now. That’s enough for me.” Not wanting our naughty interlude to be distracted by discussions of the past, I dragged it back on course with a playfully provocative question. “What else did you imagine us doing?”
With all the skill of a seasoned lover, Kelly expertly scooped me up and flipped me right back onto the bed. The movement made his incredibly muscled arms flex in the most deliciously enticing way. His short sleeves bunched up to reveal even more of the heavy tribally influenced tattoos emblazoned on his skin.
Placing his knees on either side of my thighs, Kelly pinned me beneath him on the bed. I grew lightheaded as he kissed me into submission. There was no doubt who was in charge here. With my lack of experience, I happily placed my trust in him, certain that whatever Kelly had planned for us would feel so good.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he murmured, his caressing hands gliding over my breasts and along the slope of my belly.
“Let me see you.” I breathlessly pleaded for him to remove his shirt. Smiling indulgently, he let me drag his shirt up high enough to bare his navel before taking over for me. In one swift movement, he ripped it over his head and tossed it behind him.
Our mouths crashed together as the years of pent-up passion exploded between us. I couldn’t get enough of his hot, sexy body. The light smattering of hair on his chiseled chest fascinated me. I’d spent so much time dating men who were more comfortable in cubicles than on the battlefield that I’d never experienced the thrill of being completely at the mercy of such a delightfully beastly man.
Kelly showed his incredible strength by sliding his hand under my back and dragging me up another foot or so on the bed. Still straddling me, he nuzzled his nose against my cheek and coaxed me to turn my face. When he nipped at the curve of my neck, I gasped and bucked against him. “Kelly!”
He chuckled softly and continued to lick and suck that sensitive spot. I worried he might mark me but then decided I wouldn’t mind carrying around the reminder of our tryst. Though I’m sure his grazing teeth left a red trail on my skin, he wasn’t harsh enough to leave a lasting sign.
Sliding onto his side, Kelly kept his leg crooked across mine as our tongues started a dance as old as time. The erotic coupling of our mouths mimicked the movements I desperately hoped would soon be happening between other parts of our super-heated bodies. His roaming hands stoked the fire deep in my core, and my thighs clenched.
“Tell me what you want, Bee.” His eyes were dark with desire.
I gulped nervously but found the courage to say, “I want you to touch me.”
“Where?” He teased his lips across mine.
My face was on fire now. “You know where.”
He caressed my hip. “Here?”
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I stared up into his teasing
face. “Um…a little lower.”
His hand moved to my thigh, bypassing the place where I wanted to feel his touch most. “Here?”
“You’re getting warmer.”
He walked his fingertips up my thigh. “Am I getting closer?”
I parted my thighs and encouraged his curious hand. “Yes.”
When he cupped my bare pussy, I thought I would die from the sheer excitement of having him touching me so intimately. I tried to avert my gaze as he brushed his knuckles up and down the seam of my sex but Kelly wouldn’t allow it. He silently demanded I lock eyes with him. With one look, he shattered the embarrassment holding me back from enjoying what he offered.
With the softest touch, he parted my pink folds and exposed the aching bud of my clitoris to his fingertip. I bit back a groan as he carefully strummed the little pearl hidden there. Though I’d never shied away from exploring my body, my own touch had never felt like this.
Every nerve ending in my body seemed electrified. I practically buzzed as the white-hot pulses of bliss arced through me. Kelly savored my mouth while manipulating my clit, rubbing small, slow circles around it until I started to dig my toes into the duvet. Emboldened by the heat inflaming me, I nibbled his lower lip and sucked the tip of his tongue. Kelly growled and stabbed his tongue against mine.
Overcome with lust, I reached down and jerked on the button and zipper of his jeans. The moment I had them undone, I slid my hand beneath the denim and followed the outline of his rock-hard cock under his boxer briefs. I had always suspected Kelly had a big dick, and he certainly didn’t disappoint.
Groping him through the cotton, I drew a low, needful groan from his throat. “Touch me,” he ordered. “Take out my cock and touch me, Bee.”
Hearing him speak so roughly made the slick heat between my thighs grow even damper. Kelly seemed curious to see how he affected me because his fingers abandoned my clitoris and gently probed my wet depths. I arched my back as he penetrated me with one finger, easing it inside me so gently and with such care.
With one finger buried inside me, Kelly worked his thumb across my throbbing clit. Hands trembling, I managed to finally free his cock from its fabric prison. I used both hands to stroke and fondle him. Marveling at the steely hardness of him, I worked my hand up and down his shaft.
“Harder,” he urged and pumped his hips. “I’m not made of glass. You can be rough with me.”
I gulped at his frank instruction but followed his advice. My fingers tightened around his cock. Using more pressure, I stroked him faster. The rumbling groan that vibrated through his chest assured me I was doing everything just right. He pumped his hips, pressing the blunt crown of his penis against my palm in search of more stimulation.
Our tongues dueled wildly now. Kelly’s skilled hand masterfully manipulated me. Deep inside my belly, that shuddering pulse began to build. The coil tightened and tightened while the panicky flutters moved like vibrating fingers through my core and into my chest. Tearing my mouth away from his, I cried out his name as the first spasm of ecstasy ripped through me. “Kelly.”
“That’s it, sweetheart.” His excited breaths tickled my throat as that wicked hand of his made me buck and rock my hips. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and kept rubbing my clit until I seriously saw stars. The blissful sensations crashing over me were so good my stroking hand fumbled and lost its grip.
Kelly didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he seemed so wrapped up in giving me pleasure that nothing else mattered. He made me come and come until I just couldn’t take anymore and reached down to force his torturous hand to stop. He curved his hand over my pussy in a protective, possessive gesture and made love to my mouth with such sensual eroticism that it left me boneless and limp.
His cock throbbed against my thigh, reminding me that he hadn’t yet found his release. Wanting to see him come undone, I shoved on his shoulders and coaxed him onto his back. Straddling his thigh, I tugged his jeans down even lower, dragging his boxers with them. Using both hands on him now, I leaned down to capture his mouth while caressing his shaft.
“Bee.” He growled against my mouth, the rough sound eliciting excited shivers from me. To know that I could have so much power over a man like Kelly did wild things to my heart. It stuttered in my chest as I watched his face with awe. When I flicked my tongue against his lips, he groaned and tangled his hand in my hair, pulling me down for a kiss that left me dizzy.
His harsh, quick breaths heralded his climax. My clit throbbed incessantly as I waited for him to come, the very act of touching him like this arousing me to the point of desperation. Proving he could read me like a damn book, Kelly slipped his hand between my thighs and found my aching clit.
Hips rising off the bed, he thrust his cock against my hands and grunted softly. As the first spurt of his blazing seed hit my belly, I followed him over the edge, tumbling head-first into the wicked sea of ecstasy with him. Panting and shuddering together, I milked his cock for the very last drop, gliding my hand up and down his hard, quivering shaft until he fell back to the mattress.
Reaching for me, Kelly pulled me on top of him and hugged me tightly to his chest. His lips drifted across my forehead. Still breathing heavily, he started to laugh. The rich, baritone sound filled the room and made me smile. “What’s so funny?”
“What the hell were we waiting for, Bee?” He wiped a hand down his face. “We could have been having this much fun together for years.”
I traced one of the tattoos on his chest. “I was starting to wonder what it was going to take to make you see me.”
“I’ve been seeing you that way since you were in high school, Bee.”
That revelation surprised me a bit. I began to understand the guilty feelings he’d harbored. “When that barbecue happened, the one with the sparklers, I was already eighteen and a high school graduate, Kelly. It wouldn’t have been illegal or skeevy. You were, what, twenty-three?”
“I was twenty-four. Illegal and unethical aren’t the same thing.” He skimmed his fingertips along my arm. “You were so young and had so much potential. The last thing you needed was some Marine boyfriend holding you back while you were at college.”
“You’re not holding me back now.”
Kelly didn’t reply immediately. Eventually, he said, “I’m not so sure about that, Bee.”
I rose up on my elbow so I could peer down into his face. “Why would you say something like that?”
He pushed wayward strands of hair behind my ear. “Bee, I barely finished high school. If it hadn’t been for Jeb, I never would have made it through chemistry or physics. College degree or not, you’re already a certified genius.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care about your high school transcripts, Kelly. I care about you.”
“And I care about you,” he murmured. “That’s why I have to be realistic. What the hell can a washed-up Marine like me offer a girl like you? I don’t know anything about writing code or making billion-dollar business deals.”
“Kelly, I can hire people to help me with those things. Lawyers, programmers, minions—they can all be had for the right price.”
“Minions, huh?”
“They’re extremely useful.” Tapping his chin, I added seriously, “The one thing I can’t buy is love and support. I need someone in my corner who cares about me. Not the company or the money or the notoriety. Just me.”
Kelly dragged me down for a soulful kiss. “I care about you, Bee. Only you.”
“I know.” Trying to suppress the giddiness threatening to overwhelm me, I snuggled up against Kelly. Here inside this master suite, we could pretend we were just like any other couple. Unfortunately, it was impossible to ignore the very real threat of my crazy stalker, two loan sharks, and the Albanian mob. “How did your meetings go?”
“As well as could be expected,” he said, playing with my hair. “Besian agreed to terms we can accept. Tomorrow we’re meeting with Hagen.”
The urge to offer h
im money again was strong, but I smothered it. “Do you think you can win this tournament?”
“Honestly?”
I glanced up at him in time to catch the barest hint of fear reflected in his eyes. “Yes.”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“Sergei is unbeatable. There’s a reason Nikolai Kalasnikov trusts Sergei to guard and protect Vivi.” Kelly wound my hair around his scarred finger. “Everyone else? I can beat. It’ll be hard but I’ll win those rounds. Unless some unexpected fluke puts Sergei down, he’ll be in the final. If I make it that far, the odds are highly against me.”
I couldn’t imagine what kind of balls it took for Kelly to walk into a cage knowing that he was probably going to get the living shit beat out of him. The thought of him being badly hurt made me want to vomit. I couldn’t let him do this. I really couldn’t. There had to be a way I could make everything okay that wouldn’t require him risking his life.
“One of the Russians is going to train me.”
I perked up at that bit of information. “How did you swing that? I figured they all stuck together.”
“They do. Vivi persuaded Nikolai to pull some strings to help me. I owe her a huge thank you over this one.”
The mention of the hauntingly beautiful artist caused my gut to twist with jealousy. “You’re lucky to have a friend like that.”
Kelly must have heard something in my voice that made him curious because he shifted our position so that we were both on our sides and staring eye-to-eye. His eyebrow quirked at an odd angle. “Are you jealous of Vivi?”
“No.”
Kelly grinned. “Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.” Irritated that he could read me so easily, I tried to squirm away from him, but there was no escaping his strong hands. Kelly held me in place and forced me to meet his intense gaze.
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