by Fiona Archer
By the time they made it to her apartment’s rich, dark timbered door, she was desperate for something to say, anything to dispel her crazy nervousness.
“Harper.” Seth turned her to face him and curved his hands over her upper arms.
“What—”
He pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her. Taking command. A delicious tremor triggered low in her belly. “I can practically feel your panic.” Lifting his finger, he brushed a tendril of hair back off her face. “I’d say we need an ice-breaker, but since we’ve already had nearly three hours of each other’s company, I’m going to use a more enjoyable way of pushing past those nerves.”
“What would that be?” She concentrated on the angular lines of his jaw.
“I’m going to kiss you.” He waited, a couple of seconds, all of which time she held her breath, but issued no protest. Then he dipped his head, and the next moment, her eyes were closed and his lips were on hers.
Seth took his time, teasing her with a light pressure, drawing her in. She leaned close, needing to feel more, touch more. Raising her hands, she spread her fingers over the hardness of his chest. Strong. Manly. An arrow of heat fired deep inside. How would it feel to have that strength holding her, containing her?
He didn’t keep her waiting. Seth’s powerfully muscled arms wrapped her up tight. His kiss grew harder and more demanding as he thrust his tongue into her mouth.
Whiskers scraped her face. She loved the roughness, the way it seemed at odds with his stylish shirt and dress pants. He was a caged animal covered in a veneer of respectability.
Heat pooled between her legs. Her nipples tightened. She wanted to grab at his hair, tug it, run her fingers through the waves. She tested his grip, but his arms bound her against him with the strength of iron bands. Desperate, she moaned against his mouth. Being helpless was…so, so fucking hot, driving her desire to break free and touch him even higher.
As the pressure of his mouth left hers, she opened her eyes.
His ocean-blue gaze swept over her face. “Consider the ice broken, baby.”
Broken? He’d freaking melted the polar ice cap.
She licked her lips. “I, uh, think we’ve achieved our goal.”
His mouth twitched as he loosened his arms and interlocked his hands against the small of her back. “Just saying, sweetness, I’m a grown man who has self-control. But as much as I like chocolate cake, if you want to take this kissing further, there’s a good chance those two slices will stay untouched once we step inside your apartment.”
Her breath stayed locked in her chest. He’d laid it out there. The next move was her decision. She searched his face, seeing his hunger in the force of his gaze. The same need must be reflected in hers. Hadn’t she returned his kisses with as much passion?
Here was a gorgeous man she had laughed with and shared stories with in such ease the time had flown.
And he wanted her.
Life was made up of moments big and small, brave and timid.
Wherever things might go after tonight she had no idea and wasn’t about to make any assumptions or entertain hopes. Right now, it was time to seize the moment.
She gripped her clutch in one hand and curled the other around his neck, brushing the tips of her fingers through the ends of his hair. “Didn’t you know chocolate cake tastes even better in bed?”
The fine lines at the corners of his eyes creased with his smile. “You can feed me, and I’ll find out for myself. Where’s your key?” He waited for her to dig it out of her bag and hand to him. He worked the door’s lock, and stood aside as she entered.
She turned on the light in the living room and entered the code to turn off her alarm. After dropping her clutch on the side table, she turned back to face Seth. “Would you like—” She broke off as he lifted her up in his arms, holding her against his chest. “Hey, what are you doing?” Slinging her arms around his neck, she tried to overlook the giddy sensation in her belly at being carried, but damn it felt good that he seemed to hold her with ease.
Ignoring her question, he asked one of his own. “Bedroom?”
He sounded so calm and in control. Christ, that was hot. “Hallway, first door on the right.”
Seth strode down the hallway, and as they entered her bedroom, Harper remembered to flip on the light switch at the doorway. Her heart was beating against her ribs and Lordy be, the usual calming influence of her bedroom, decorated in shades of lilac, white and sage, failed to materialize as he lowered her to her feet at the end of the bed.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, gaining a few moments to steady herself.
“Look at me, Harper.” His low voice caressed her like a velvet-covered hand stroking her skin.
She faced Seth. He’d set his jacket and wallet on the winged chair near her wardrobe, and now stood less than a foot away. He cupped her face, stroking his thumbs over her cheeks.
“Been thinking about doing this since the first moment I laid eyes on you.” Seth’s voice was rough, his gaze heated.
“Doing what?”
“Claiming you.” He crushed his mouth onto hers, his tongue pushing past her lips to explore and taste. He moved one hand to the back of her head, holding her in place, while he cupped her bottom with the other and dragged her up against him.
She lifted her hands and wrapped her fingers around his forearm, feeling the strength there, reveling in the way his hands—large, scarred from old nicks and scrapes she’d seen earlier—held her captive.
The urge to push back against his hold on her bottom proved too strong, but so was his grip. Definitely caught. A current of excitement flowed through every nerve in her body at the proof he was in control.
Seth relaxed his grip on her hair and trailed his fingers over her shoulder and down her body to stop at the dress’s zipper above her right hip. Without breaking their kiss, he slowly dragged the slider down. The silky material loosened against her skin a moment before his knuckles stroked in a sweep up her side. A flutter of pleasure skated over her as her heartbeat quickened.
Seth raised his head. “Lift up your arms.” His deep, unbending tone forced her instant compliance. With deft movements, he had her dress off and slung over the chair, leaving her in nothing but her bra and matching high-cut lace panties both in the same deep aqua as her dress.
Gorgeous lingerie was her weakness. Well, one of them. And from the heated look on Seth’s face and the way his gaze made a lazy study of her body, she was damn grateful she’d splurged yesterday and snagged the matching set from Nordstrom’s.
He grasped her hands and pulled her arms out and to the sides of her body. “Christ, woman, you know how to rev a man’s engines.” He gathered her up and threw her gently on the bed.
She bounced twice as her shoes fell off her feet and rolled over the edge of the mattress. Her yelp died in her throat as Seth removed his shirt, revealing the powerful build of his wide chest and muscled arms. She had felt that hardness, but seeing his tanned bulk without clothing was something else. Six pack abs in a hard belly tapered to narrow hips, that—she swallowed as his pants and briefs joined his shirt on her winged chair—led to a long, hard cock and athletic legs.
A part of her brain registered they’d got to this point fast, and yet it wasn’t fast enough for the excitement overwhelming her.
Seth stalked forward, dropped a knee to the bed and leaned in, all big and strong and masculine as he forced her to lie back on the bedcovers.
He grasped her chin in a firm grip.
“You’re a mixture of naughty and nice. That’s intoxicating, and I aim to discover more.” He kissed her hard and fast, establishing his authority in the most basic of ways. Lips still locked, he moved his hand from her jaw to under her back. Further solidifying his status as Master Seductor, he worked her bra free of its clasp with notable ease. The straps were pulled down her arms and the garment whipped away. Only then did Seth end their kiss.
Reaching up the ma
ttress, he swept the collection of cushions used to decorate her bed off onto the floor. Now probably wasn’t the time to tell him of the precise way she stacked them each night so they’d be easy to re-lay in the morning. A quick glance at the determined hardness of his jaw confirmed her guess. Yeah, she’d give that a miss.
With impressive ease, he scooped her up and laid her high up the bed with her head on the pillows. Leaning on one elbow with his body pushing against her side, his deep voice issued a devilish threat. “Now, let’s see how quickly your engine overheats.” His hand gripped the sides of her panties and pulled them down her legs, leaving them bunched around her ankles like a pair of silken cuffs, keeping her legs together.
Holy shit!
He moved over her, still resting his weight on one elbow as he forced her back deeper into the mattress. Harper raised her hands to his shoulders, intending to do…what? Once her fingers touched that warm, sun-kissed skin whatever plans she had evaporated. A need to explore, touch...hell…taste him overtook all other thought.
She kissed his shoulder, breathing the scent of his leathery aftershave and a faint muskiness. Her hands explored his back, loving the feel of his muscles and the strength they represented moving under her touch.
Seth kissed her in the curve where her neck met her shoulders. Her happy sigh was followed by a low moan as he bit gently then harder, before kissing away the sting. He swept his hand up the length of her body to cup her breast. With a firm grip, he squeezed, harder than she was used to, harder than any lover had before. The roughness stood in stark contrast to the soft brushes of his thumb on her nipple. She closed her eyes against the conflicting sensations of hard and soft, her senses swirling in a haze of pleasure.
He kissed her, his tongue pushing past her lips. She answered his demand, slanting her head to get a better fit. The pads of his thumb and finger strummed her nipple as their kiss deepened. A thrill sliced through her. Then another as he pinched the sensitive bud, this time harder, longer.
A hot stab of pleasure flared from the hardening bud outwards, over her breast to travel down and settle deep between her legs. She curled her toes and whimpered under this new onslaught.
Seth lifted his head, his gaze all the more powerful, more intimate, with the partial weight of his body pressing down on her.
“Like that, sweetness? Pain brings pleasure in the right dose.” He pinched again, drawing the throbbing tip up between his fingers. “Tempts a good girl to test her limits, get dirty in ways she didn’t think she’d want.”
A tremor of need fired in her core. God, his words were a dark promise of things yet to come. He was teasing her in ways no other man had before. She was a good girl. And wanted so, so much to get dirty, in all the sinful ways he could think of.
His fingers pulled harder on her nipple, forcing her mouth open. Hot, building pressure morphed to a zing of desire so sharp she could only stare back.
“You want to get dirty with me, Harper?”
“Fuck, yes.” She grazed her teeth against his shoulder, nipping at the hardness underneath.
Her clit, swollen with need, ached for his touch. She wiggled her hips against the cotton sheet, wanting more. Wanting it harder. Wanting it now.
Trying to widen her legs, her ankles were caught in her panties. She kicked her feet, finally swinging them free with a decidedly un-lady like grunt.
Seth’s answering chuckle, full bodied with satisfaction, pushed her stretched patience to the limit.
“Show me how dirty you can get, Seth.” Lifting her hips, she brushed against the hardness of his cock.
The glint in his eyes should have been warning. “Getting impatient are we? Makes spanking your arse even more fun.”
Er, what?
Leaning back on his elbow, he pulled her up on her side and popped the cheek of her bottom—hard.
Shock rendered her speechless—if only for a few seconds. She opened her mouth to yell, but her outrage spun to confusion as the pain turned to a molten heat and went deeper, grew darker and raced to her clit. What did this mean? She liked being spanked?
The words to beg him to do it again were on the tip of her tongue. She pressed her lips together. No freaking way she’d give him the satisfaction. And she needed that determination under his unrelenting gaze.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Her gaze flew up to meet his. Hell, could he read her mind?
Seth pushed a thigh between her legs, forcing hers wide apart. Instinctively, she curled her hips, holding herself open for his body to brush against her pussy. A faint scratch of his chest hair on her belly and a whisper soft touch of skin on her mound wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.
She clenched her hands, clawing at the bottom bedsheet, but found no purchase, only adding to her frustration.
His tongue licked the same nipple he’d tormented earlier, the wetness on her skin turning cool as the pebbled bud tightened. He switched targets to its twin, pinching, licking and teasing, before he moved lower, kissing her belly, the top of her thighs, her mound.
A hand under her knee forced one leg higher, wider, opening her further to him. She held herself still, not breathing as his fingers pulled her lips apart. Warm breath caressed her folds. Surely, any second he’d—
The tip of his tongue flicked over her clit. A jolt of pleasure shot through her body. She bucked her hips, her fingers slipping against the bedsheet. Another flick and a long, languid lick over one side of her pussy then the other. Seth showed no mercy as his tongue circled her clit, drawing closer without touching the pulsing bundle of nerves, turning her desire blazing-hot with urgency.
She lifted her head, her neck muscles straining as she stared at his head between her legs. “Please, let me come.” She didn’t care if she sounded desperate. Need clawed away her pride, leaving her defenseless against his sensual assault.
Seth glanced up. Did his mouth just twitch? Jerk. “Harper, we aren’t even close to dirty yet.” He ran his fingers the length of her pussy, spreading her wetness.
Fuck dirty. She wanted him in her. Now.
“Another time. Like, in five minutes.” She could so do dirty then.
“I don’t think so.” Seth thrust two fingers inside her. He smiled at her gasp. No, make that grinned, a slow, arrogant grin that said he knew he had the upper hand and was determined to make the most of it.
No, no, no. Would he actually deny her?
Her cry of protest evaporated the moment he curled his fingers and stroked inside her. Slow. Firm. Then faster, building up her yearning to a feverish pitch as the muscles deep inside her quivered under his expert touch.
Her breathing grew shorter, harsher as he toyed with her.
She sunk her fingers into his hair. The thick strands weren’t long enough to twist in her fist but she could still get a firm grip. One hard tug down had his mouth mere inches from her goal.
“No, sweetness, you’re not in charge.” Seth’s low, commanding tone forced her to loosen her hold as he pulled his head free. She dropped her hands to clench them into fists at her sides.
He glided his fingers deep inside her warmth, right over her sweet spot.
She raised her arms, wanting to drag his head back in place.
“Keep that up and I’ll tie you to the bed.”
Her pussy clenched around his fingers so, so hard.
“Well, now.” Seth’s gaze smoldered with heat and...was that approval? “Maybe we can get dirty in other ways.”
Oh, my God.
She’d never... Of course, she’d fantasized, but still... She’d been too shy, or likely not trusting enough to ask, but...
His voice dipped lower. “But that’s for later. Right now, I have other plans.”
He stroked there once, twice. She felt her insides tighten. Heck, she was close. “That’s right, luv.” His gaze travelled over her. “Christ, you’re gorgeous you know that? Face flushed, breathing hard. There’s no guessing with you, Harper. Your face and body show
every emotion, every sensation you’re feeling.” Another slow, firm stroke. “Fucking brilliant.”
She closed her eyes. One more touch. Just one more and she’d be—
He sucked her clit and gently flicked his tongue over the hard nub of nerves.
Her eyes flashed open. She cried out as a rush of intense sensation overwhelmed her. Her mouth opened wide. Reaching out, she gripped Seth’s shoulders, needing an anchor as his touch, both with his mouth and fingers, kept her locked on a tidal wave of pleasure that crashed with each shuddering spasm, only to reform over and over again.
Only when he released her clit, giving the pulsing bundle one last feather-light lick that sent a shudder straight to her warm center, did she draw in much needed air.
Soft kisses covered her stomach and up her chest. Seth moved over her, his weight settled on his elbows at her sides. “Give me your mouth.”
She obeyed, at first shocked and then reveling in the taste of herself on his lips. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she loved the sensation of his weight pushing her into the mattress. There was something about holding onto Seth, feeling his strength combined with his dominant persona that fulfilled a basic need within her.
She’d never felt that satisfaction with another man.
Her body stilled for a moment as that knowledge pierced her foggy brain. What did that mean for her?
Seth broke off their kiss and looked down. “You okay, sweetness?”
“Yeah, I—” How did she word this? Seeing the encouragement in his eyes, she tried again. “You like to take control.” Those same blue eyes flared with recognition. She pushed out the last words as if confessing a sin. “And I like that. I like it when you take charge.” Oh, but, hang on. “In the bedroom, I mean.”
Seth’s mouth kicked up at one corner, and he quickly rose from the bed, grabbed a condom from his wallet and sheathed himself. “Good thing you made that distinction.” He rejoined her. Lying on top of her, he transferred his weight to one elbow as he lifted up her thigh and wrapped her leg around him. “But as you’ll learn, there’s unlimited possibilities to what we can explore”—his voice lowered to subterranean level—“and what I can do to you in the bedroom.” He entered her with one deep thrust, forcing her shoulders back into the mattress.