by Erika Wilde
She wrapped her hands around the warm ceramic mug as she lifted the edge to her lips and took a sip. “Yes, a date,” she confirmed, and something near the vicinity of Ian’s heart faltered until she followed that up with, “but not even close to being as hot as you were last night.”
Relief poured through him, and he had to restrain himself from taking her in his arms and kissing her senseless. “Who’s the lucky…person?” He didn’t want to assume her “date” was a guy, though the mere thought made him feel extremely territorial.
She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with her. He waited patiently for her answer, remembering his motto of No Pressure. Besides, he had no claim to her, other than her luscious body. Yet. He was still working on the rest of her, and that meant trusting her completely and giving her space if she felt she needed it.
He took his bowl of fruit to the table and sat down. “Kerri, honey, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.” The lie nearly killed him.
Another five seconds ticked by before she finally said in a soft tone of voice, “No, actually, I do want to tell you.” She joined him at the table, setting her coffee cup on the surface, then met his gaze head-on. “I’m going to the Camenson Women’s Shelter downtown.”
Confusion assailed him, before he was hit with a wave of concern when he realized that the Camenson Women’s Shelter took in abused and battered women. He lowered the piece of cantaloupe he’d speared on his fork that had nearly reached his mouth and searched her face, looking for signs of distress. “Is everything okay, Kerri?”
Her eyes widened when she realized he was thinking the worst. “Oh, not for me,” she clarified quickly. “I’m going to meet with one of the women who’s been staying there. Her name is Tori, and she has an adorable little five-year-old girl named Janet who is also under the protection of the shelter. I promised Tori I’d come by today, and I don’t want to stand her up or cancel.”
He nodded in understanding. Intrigued with this private side of Kerri, but not at all surprised by her generosity in helping other people, he asked, “Do you go there often?”
“Usually once a week, for about the past eight or nine months now,” she said, looking into the depths of her coffee cup. “I met one of the counselors from the organization at a WTLK appearance, and she told me that they’re always looking for volunteers to help out at the shelter, even if it’s for emotional support. So, I went there one day and have been visiting ever since.”
He ate a bite of the succulent fruit, suspecting there was more depth to Kerri’s story than she was letting on. He took a guess that made his belly cramp with the possibility, but he had to ask. He had to know. “Did Paul abuse you?”
She raised her eyes back to him, seemingly unsurprised by his question. “No, not physically. He never hit me…not the way a boyfriend abused my mother,” she revealed.
He digested that bit of information, and recalled a disturbing comment Kerri had made to him that night at the station: My mother never dated gentlemen. Her mother had obviously been involved in a relationship with an abusive man. Kerri had witnessed it and it had seemingly made a huge impact on her.
He speared another piece of cantaloupe and lifted it to Kerri’s lips to take. “Is what happened to your mother part of the reason why you’ve become so involved with the women at the shelter?”
She nodded and automatically took the piece of fruit and ate it. “When I was thirteen, my mother hooked up with a guy who made her all the kinds of promises she wanted to hear—of taking care of her, supporting her and even marrying her. She believed it all, and even moved us into Todd’s apartment. But from what I remember all he did was use her as his personal maid,” she said in disgust. “He’d sit in front of the TV most of the time and drink beer, and she’d wait on him hand and foot—and got verbally degraded for her efforts. But she never seemed to care because she had his attention and Todd was taking care of her. And the more he humiliated her, the harder she’d try to please him, to the point that my sister Daphne and I were forgotten most of the time. Which was just as well since I spent most of my time in my room or at a friend’s house because I couldn’t stand the guy.”
She drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her lips stretched into a grim line. “Then he started hitting her. At first it was a slap, which he’d immediately apologize for and swore it would never happen again. But of course it did, and each time his attacks would escalate and become more brutal. One time he shoved her against the wall so hard she hit her head and the force of it knocked her unconscious.”
He stared at Kerri incredulously, unable to believe that any woman would put up with repeated assaults. “And your mother still stayed with him after that?”
“Yeah, she did.” She traced the rim of her coffee cup with the tip of her index finger. “At that point, she’d lost one husband and had been divorced twice, and I think she was desperate to make the relationship work, no matter that the guy was a jerk. My mother was so insecure that she couldn’t see past the fact that she had a man in her life, no matter how bad he was for her.”
He nudged her lips open with another bite of cantaloupe, and she absently accepted his offering, then caught a dribble of juice from the corner of her mouth with her tongue.
“So, what happened with this guy?” he asked, resisting the urge to lap up the sweetness with his own tongue and taste her deep inside.
“When he started threatening me and my sister my mother finally started getting nervous. I came home from school one day and was on my way to my room when he made a rude comment to me that I ignored. He jumped up from the couch, stalked after me and grabbed my arm so tight he left a bruise.”
Ian watched a shudder ripple through her and felt a surge of fury rise within him for what she’d endured. He remained quiet, listening, wanting to know how everything had played out.
She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear, her dark brown eyes meeting his as her chin lifted a defiant fraction. “I remember feeling so frightened and scared, but I told him he was a jerk and that I wish he’d get the hell out of our lives. My mother was in the kitchen and came out to see what was going on, and I think seeing me as the recipient of Todd’s violence finally made her realize just how bad things had gotten. She stepped between us and told him to let me go. And he did, only to take the brunt of his anger out on her.”
A pained look etched her expression. “He beat her up so badly, gave her a black eye, then stormed out, which he normally did. Knowing he wouldn’t return until late that night, I begged my mother to leave while he was gone. At first she said no, that we had nowhere to go, and I told her I’d go anywhere so long as he wasn’t there. My mother had no idea what to do. So I looked through the phone book until I found a local women’s shelter, then started packing us up. As soon as my sister came home, we were out of there.”
Ian was amazed and awed at her internal strength, even at such a young age. He saw that fortitude even now, and realized how her mother’s dependency on men, along with her own experience with Paul, had instigated that deep determination to make it on her own. It also made her very wary of trusting her own feelings when it came to men and relationships. Even when it came to them.
“We stayed at the shelter for about a week,” she continued, “and I remember thinking that all the women and kids there had suffered some form of abuse. And it was really sad to me that we’d ended up in such a place when my memories of my real father before he died were of a kind and gentle man.” She shook her head with regret. “My mother had every opportunity to turn her life around, to take control of her life and future, but she just couldn’t get past that need to rely on a man. Even after we left the shelter and moved into a place of our own, she went back to her old ways with men, though to my knowledge she hasn’t been in another abusive relationship, thank goodness.”
He silently echoed her sentiments and fed her another cube of melon. “Where are your mother and sister no
w?”
“The last time I spoke with my mom she was engaged to husband number five. He sounds like a nice-enough guy. Maybe it’ll last, maybe it won’t. I’ve quit holding out hope that she’ll marry for true happiness.” She sighed and rolled her shoulders. “As for my sister, she married a wealthy older man who couldn’t have children and needed a young hostess. But materialistically Daphne has everything she could ever ask for. I can’t say I’d make the same kind of sacrifice.”
Ian silently mulled over her comment. He didn’t think marriage should be a sacrifice at all, and agreed that if either party had to give up anything that was important to them then the union wasn’t meant to be. Yet he got the distinct impression that Kerri believed that matrimony meant relinquishing freedom and choices and individual interests. She’d obviously never known any differently.
She cast him a benevolent smile. “I honestly never intended to get involved with the Camenson shelter and the women staying there, not to the extent that I have, but after one visit I saw my own mother in so many of the women who were there, and I just wanted to make a difference in their lives,” she said, her voice infused with warmth and caring. “I felt a special connection to these women, and wanted to give them support and understanding.”
He held up another slice of cantaloupe to her mouth. “I think what you’re doing is very admirable.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, and chewed and swallowed the bite he gave her. “I think somewhere along the way I’ve adopted Tori and her daughter. This is Tori’s third time to the shelter in the past six months. I think she’s serious about leaving her husband this time. But she’s scared about starting over and finding a job to support herself and her daughter. I want to make sure I’m there for her, as often as possible, to give her as much support as I can and build her confidence.”
His chest swelled with pride for her. “You’re incredible, Kerri. You know that?”
She shrugged off his compliment, then stared at him, her gaze holding a hesitant glimmer of hope, and something else he couldn’t quite decipher. “You know…would you like to go with me to the women’s shelter today? It would really boost the women’s spirits to meet you in person since they all listen to the show. And I know that Tori would love meeting you.”
What she was asking was a huge step for her, he knew. Whether she realized it or not, she was letting him into a sacred and private part of her life. It was the first tangible shift in their relationship to something more meaningful and he wasn’t about to blow this chance to establish a deeper, more emotional intimacy between them. Even if it meant canceling his standing Sunday lunch with the Winslows.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” he told her before she changed her mind. Picking up the last cube of fruit with his fingers, he lifted it to her lips.
She nibbled on the juicy wedge all the way down to the tips of his fingers, which she then sucked clean. “You’re very sneaky,” she said, her voice tinged with husky nuances. “It just dawned on me what you were doing with that cantaloupe while I was busy talking. You were feeding me breakfast.”
He shrugged unapologetically. “I wanted to make sure you ate something.” Before she could think of his remark in terms of him taking care of her, he said, “C’mere and sit on my lap so I can have you for breakfast.”
She stood and took his empty bowl and their mugs to the sink, then returned, settling herself across his thighs. His groin tightened in anticipation, and he lifted his lips to hers. He kissed her softly at first, and once he gained entrance to the welcoming depths of her mouth and tasted the heat of desire and sweet nectar on her tongue, he turned ravenous. His fingers unbuttoned the front placket of her shirt, then pushed the material aside so he could lave her full, ripe breasts crowned with tight nipples.
He heard a crinkling sound from the shirt pocket and stopped for a moment to remove the foil condom packet. He grinned with lazy amusement at Kerri. “What’s this?”
Grasping his shoulders, she twisted toward him and rubbed her breasts across his bare chest, making his breath hitch in his throat and her grin with satisfaction. “That is your chance to make up for leaving me alone in bed this morning.”
He chuckled, and shifting them both, he stood and lifted her up to sit on the table in front of him, more than willing to atone for his earlier decision to let her sleep when it was becoming obvious she would have enjoyed waking up to a more real-life sexual dream. He kissed her again, hard and deep, and pushed her back with his upper body until her shoulders pressed against the hard surface of the table. With her fingers tangled in his hair and her eyes heavy-lidded with need, he began a leisurely trek downward, breathing damp fire on her neck and throat, filling his mouth with her breasts, grazing her stiff nipples with his teeth, dragging his wet tongue lower, until the remaining buttons on the shirt she wore hindered his progress. His fingers slipped and fumbled with the catch and release, frustrating him. Growing impatient, he lifted up and ripped the sides open all the way, sending buttons flying across the room and momentarily startling Kerri with the force of his desire.
He groaned in male appreciation when he discovered that she wasn’t wearing any panties, and groaned more raggedly when she parted her thighs for him and offered him a tantalizing view of her glistening, swollen female flesh. He pulled much needed oxygen into his lungs, and the aroused scent of her made his nostrils flare and his blood surge through his veins.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her skin flushed with excitement. “Touch me, Ian,” she whispered invitingly.
He wanted that more than anything…to caress her body, to touch her heart, her very soul. If she’d just let him.
Splaying a hand on her flat belly, he dipped a finger into her navel, then dragged the heel of his palm downward, over her mound until his thumb delved through her dark blond curls and found that intrinsic, feminine part of her that pulsed as wildly as he did. She was already wet and ready, primed for his possession…and that’s exactly what he wanted to do. Possess and brand every part of her.
His restraint shattered, crashing through him in a frenzied fever pitch of hunger he felt helpless to resist. Wrenching open the fastening of his jeans, he shoved the denim down around his thighs and sheathed his fierce erection with the ribbed condom…all the while enduring Kerri’s hands stroking across his chest, and her lips and teeth and tongue doing wicked, seductive things to his nipples. Finally protected, he pushed her back down, guided himself to her entrance and watched as her tight body enveloped the hard, straining length of his cock until he was all the way home. Mesmerized by the erotic sight of him gliding in and out of her, he slowed his thrusts, withdrawing and joining again in unhurried, languid increments.
Kerri writhed her hips restlessly and locked her legs against his flanks to pull him closer. “Ian,” she moaned in frustration. “I want faster…harder…deeper.”
He leaned over her, bracing his hands on the table on either side of her head where her hair was spread out in silky, tousled disarray, and looked into her dark brown eyes. “You’re a bossy thing this morning,” he murmured teasingly, and placed a light kiss on her parted lips. “Maybe you’d like to set the pace?”
She twined her arms around his neck and grinned brazenly. “Maybe I would,” she dared.
“Then hang on.” She obeyed his order, wrapping her arms and legs securely around him. Scooping her off the table, he took a step back and sat down on the chair behind him, switching their positions so that it was Kerri straddling his lap and he was fused deep inside her. Kerri who was in complete control of their pleasure. Kerri who held him captive with her body. And judging by the sultry heat in her eyes, she liked having that leverage.
Sliding his hands down her spine, he brought their bodies flush from chest, to bellies, to thighs. Grasping her hips and rocking her closer, he drifted his mouth across hers. “Ride me, Kerri,” he whispered urgently. “As fast and hard and deep as you’d like.”
Eyes glowing with passion, a come-hither sm
ile on her lips, she did exactly that, taking her pleasure and giving back so much more until all that restless energy between them finally erupted in a hot, scalding whirlwind of sensation. There was no holding back for either of them…not the intensity of their climax or the powerful emotions that swelled and buffeted between them.
Then and there, Ian knew he was deeply, irrevocably in love with Kerri McCree.
CHAPTER NINE
“Do tell, how was your weekend?”
Finished putting away her purse and personal belongings in the closet at the station for her shift, Kerri turned to find Carly leaning against the door frame leading into Dan’s office, arms crossed over her breasts. Her expression was expectant, and her eyes brimmed with curiosity.
Kerri smiled mischievously. “Like the rest of my listeners, you’re going to have to wait to hear the details of our sexy city night date on my show—” she glanced at her watch “—in about twenty minutes.”
“Argh! No fair,” her friend complained with a pout. A few seconds later, a sly grin replaced her sulking expression. “Just tell me this…did those condoms come in handy?”
Kerri’s entire body flashed hot, and it had nothing to do with the stifling air in the room, and everything to do with all the different, provocative ways they’d used those prophylactics. “Yes,” she admitted. “They did come in handy, thank you very much.”
“You lucky, lucky girl.” Carly sighed enviously. “I supplied the condoms, so of course that makes me privy to details.”
Kerri rolled her eyes as she brushed by Carly on her way out to the hallway to get herself a snack from the vending machine before her shift started. Naturally, Carly followed, determined to get the nitty-gritty information, and Kerri realized in that moment she wasn’t willing to dish out the specifics of her physical relationship—to her good friend, or her audience. What had transpired between her and Ian this weekend in the bedroom—and out of it—wasn’t something she wanted to taint by sharing with thousands of listeners. Oh, sure, she could insinuate what had happened, but this was one time she might leave them all guessing and wondering.