Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2)

by K. F. Breene

  “Smarter than you.” Krista turned back around and leaned against Sean again, instantly placated. She never was one to hold a grudge.

  “Yeah—yes he is. I’ll admit it.” Sean laughed. “That isn’t it, though. I don’t know. There’s something about him. I really like him.”

  “He’s sweet. He seems untouched by the worst parts of human nature. He can be friends with his roommate—me—without ever thinking sexually, even when I accidentally walk out of my room naked. He’s…”

  “Sorry?” Sean said, trying to turn her to look at her face.

  Krista started laughing. “Yup, that happens. I usually sleep in just undies, or nude, so sometimes I get distracted in the morning and hit the bathroom in my birthday suit. I’ve always been comfortable in my skin.”

  “Huh,” Sean said with a smile. He held her a little tighter.

  “Anyway,” Krista went on,. “Ben is a true find. He is the rare piece of art he creates. He’s great.”

  After a pause, Sean started talking in a gush. “So after he explained the painting, I saw what he said. I saw our first moments together. I saw that copy room in it. I saw our many struggles in the break room. It’s an abstract piece, so it lets the imagination run wild, but I saw it! Still see it. I just… I wanted it close. I wanted to see it every day. As I said, there are a great many days I don’t go into the living room. There is never a day I don’t wake up in my bedroom.”

  “Never?” Krista said disbelievingly.

  Sean sighed. “Well… Not since I got the painting, anyway.”

  “No?”

  “No, Krista. Not since then. Not since I tricked you into a date.”

  Krista relaxed in his arms and leaned her head against his neck. He kissed the exposed skin, deciding it was finally time. He led her to the bed. She laid down slowly, Sean laying the length of his body against hers.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “No sex,” Sean said softly again, hating his own rule, but wanting to avoid the worst pitfalls of himself for as long as possible. Wanting to keep her forever, but not sure it was in the cards, so staving off the inevitable for as long as fate would let him. “Last time I’ll say it, I swear.”

  “Better be. It is a mood kill every time.” She laughed. “But what about oral sex? I need boundaries, Mister.”

  “Mister? Who are you, Oliver?” He lifted her dress up to her waist slowly, loving the play of the silky fabric as it shone and shimmered up her thighs and around her waist. Seeing her shapely legs bared before him, and her lacy panties, Sean spread her legs slowly, eyeing her playground.

  Krista closed her eyes and leaned her head back, allowing him to dictate the pace this time. Losing whatever she might have been about to say as his hands felt her smooth skin.

  Sean lightly traced her thighs, taking his time, building. He got to her panty line and watched as her torso ever so slowly tilted up, unconsciously giving access. Smiling to himself, Sean moved his hand away again, loving the kitten-like mew of disappointment. The woman could drive a man to distraction. The small moves she made, the subtleness, the nuances in her desire, and then all of a sudden she’d spring like a lioness in the grass and shoot his control all to hell. She’d done it repeatedly since he’d met her, but now, as he tickled her panty line again, and leaned forward to softly lick his tongue across her taut nipple, he was waiting for it. He very much enjoyed her frustration. He very much enjoyed how much she was into this. It reciprocated his own feelings. It grounded him. It also made him so damn horny he didn’t know how he would make it through the night without digging himself so deeply in her he got stuck.

  “Maybe leave underwear on for the first time around?” Sean compromised. He didn’t trust himself with her exposed. Even just the bump and shadow he could see at that moment was driving him to distraction. He wanted to rip away that fabric and slide himself in to the hilt, grinding against her soft femininity.

  Krista’s eyes snapped open. She looked down at him aghast. “You tease!”

  Sean couldn’t help but smile as he retreated back down her thigh. “Penance for biting me without allowing me to reciprocate.”

  “So. Not. Fair. Not fair!”

  ~*~*~*~

  Krista struggled up to a seated position, trying not to laugh. Sean sat up with her, a huge smile on his face. Catching his eye, still only half believing she was here, in his bed, she reached back and undid her zipper. He watched the movements, knowing what she was doing, but it wasn’t until the dress fell down to her waist, exposing her black, lacy push-up bra, that his smile faltered. Suddenly he was a lot more focused.

  Not stopping there, because really, she had a lot more to offer than a great, also expensive, bra, she reached behind her with one hand and worked at the clasp. Then she worked at it a bit more. Turned out she wasn’t as good as guys at the one-handed-bra-removal.

  Sean’s eyes, burning now, left her breasts to find her eyes. He probably thought she was increasing the suspense on purpose. He must have seen her concentration, though, because his smile found its way back.

  “Here, let me help you,” he said softly. He leaned into her, his face coming within inches of hers. His eyes dipped to her lips as his large arm reached around her rib cage. She let her hand drop as he neared, feeling the heat from his body, his breath brushing her eyelashes. In about one second her lacy masterpiece was falling away, letting her little lovelies tumble out.

  “You have a knack for getting to the quick of the matter,” Krista said in awe.

  “I was a virgin once, too. The female genitalia is a scary thing. But boobs belong in heaven. I wanted to see them every chance I got.”

  “Unlike pushing little girls off stages, I don’t think you grew out of that last one.”

  “No, I guess not,” he chuckled, looking down to her breasts again.

  Now that her shelf life was on display, Sean took matters into his own hands. He covered one breast with his palm and kissed down her chest, finding the other nipple and teasing it with his tongue. It was like a button that, once pushed, had the effect of rolling her eyes back in her head. He suckled and fondled, bringing her body to a quick boiling point.

  He slid his hand between her thighs, tickling the edges of her panty line. Krista would’ve sighed if she wasn’t so busy holding her breath. She started to squirm now, grabbing the backs of his arms and pulling him closer. He was stronger, and resisted; dang him.

  Not to be deterred, Krista yanked at his shirt, wanting to feel skin. When he complied in haste, she paused just to look. Speaking of masterpieces! The flickering light played across his rippled chest and stomach. He was tanned, he was ripped, he was a goddamned piece of art that Ben couldn’t create on his best day.

  Though Krista would now ask him to try.

  Her eyes feasted as her mouth planned the fastest route to Candy Land.

  He put his arms down to the bed, leaning in, and slightly turning his awe-inspiring shoulders into boulders.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked as his hot breath soaked into her neck.

  “Wondering if it tastes as good as it looks.”

  He ran a warm tongue over her jugular before he said in a whisper, “I was wondering the same thing. Let’s find out, shall we?”

  Words couldn’t express the urgency she felt. She fell into him then, her body crashing against his. Her hands were everywhere; feeling every inch. She tweaked a nipple and felt up his dominating chest. She kissed and bit and sucked her way around his neck and shoulders. She moaned and writhed and twisted back to let him return the favor. He didn’t know his way around her body yet, but he was learning, and she suspected he had always been a fast learner.

  Krista was desperate now. She was teetering on the edge and wanted a push. She was so hot she was pulsing. Not to mention writhing. Not to mention a fountain in her sparkly pink panties—no she hadn’t thought to wear a matching set of underwear, what with her crystal ball being on the fritz. She did know that she needed hard, and direct, con
tact.

  She flung herself back, beyond grace. She grabbed at his shoulders, pulling his body down toward hers. She seized his mouth and sucked in his tongue. With her legs wrapped around him, she arched herself up to align his cock perfectly between her thighs, and squeezed him closer, getting a hard rub against his harder erection. The sensation made her bones feel like they were dancing in a field of electricity. She lost herself. Completely.

  She slid her hands from his back, around and under, sliding against that flat stomach, down to his pant line, and further still. He must have known where she was headed because he sucked in a huge breath and rose up a fraction, unconsciously giving her more room to work.

  And she did.

  She had her hands on his deliciously hard bulge, wanting more. Wanting the rough of his pants to fall away and reveal the smooth of his shaft. She stroked and rubbed, working her way into his jeans. His constrictive pants made maneuvering difficult, trapping her hands, so she ripped those open quickly, giving her a clear shot of the front of his boxers. She brought one hand out and moved it to his butt, pulling him closer and bringing him down on top of her, her legs spread wide and ready to receive him. The other hand wiggled into his treasure chest as if she was a pirate, just barely closing around…

  “Whoa, Pet,” Sean grunted through gritted teeth. “Stop, stop, stop.”

  Through the fog Krista realized his hands were off her body and clutching the sheets in bunches at her sides. He was gripping so hard the veins on his arms were standing out.

  She froze. She’d just gone way, way over the line. She was woman enough to admit it.

  It didn’t help her over-active libido, though. Her lady-wood was throbbing! She put her hands in the air like she was on the other end of a bank robbery and took a couple of deep breaths. Sean sat up, belt loose and pants hanging open. If he’d given her another thirty seconds, she would’ve broken his rule. Without mercy.

  Krista sat up with him, feeling the need to cover herself, and resisting.

  “Sorry,” she said, looking anywhere but at his eyes. “I got away from myself there.”

  “Not as sorry as me, I think.” Krista could hear the strain in his voice, but also the laughter.

  She did look up then.

  His eyes were still burning, and he was still breathing fast, but he was looking at her with adoration. He smiled and said, “You are so unbelievably sexy, Krista Marshall. Half of me wanted to let you take the lead. Or, uh, keep the lead, I guess.” His eyes sparked hungrily. “But I don’t want to mess this up. It’s a stupid rule, I know, but I just… I don’t want to mess this up. Sex is always the doorway to the end. I guess I just want a little time to ease into it.”

  Krista smiled sheepishly, “I don’t really have an explanation other than you’re hot, so please don’t think I’m sulking when I leave it at sorry.”

  Sean laughed and lay back down, pulling her next to him. As if by unspoken acknowledgement, they started again, only slower this time.

  He traced his fingers up the inside of her thighs. She widened her legs to allow him to go all the way up, wanting his touch inside her so bad she was desperate. But she would keep things in check this time. She didn’t need to humiliate herself twice in one night.

  A smile spread across Sean’s features as he lowered his body next to hers. He teased her nipple a little more, pushing that button. Then he dropped his hand between her legs, lightly teasing her sex, until she couldn’t control herself and was clutching onto his body, begging for him to enter her. Begging for him to end the torture.

  He must have started getting weak to her pleas, because with a jerky movement, he put his whole hand on her, covering her sex completely. She gave a mighty jolt, convulsing, her body going taut, egging him on. He started rubbing with fervor, hitting that topical spot just right, building. Riding the sensations, feeling the heat, there was a minute of harsh rocking and rubbing against that palm, shallow pants filling the room, before her world exploded. A ragged, “YES!” was torn from her throat as her whole body detonated, and then shattered, each piece hitting an arc, tinkling back down into her body.

  When Krista finally came down from Mt. Climax she kissed Sean languidly.

  “My goodness,” he said quietly with that secret smile.

  In that instant she realized the secret--it was his feelings for her. Sean seemed capable of great depth. Not for the first time, she looked at him in disbelief. She couldn’t believe she was here, with him, sharing a moment of intimacy so deep, so heartfelt, that it nearly brought tears to her eyes. If he wouldn’t freak out, she would’ve let it.

  “That was certainly torturous, McAdams. You might turn on some music so no one knows how vile you really are.”

  He got up to do just that. When he turned back, he stopped, surveying her on his bed. His eyes fell over her skin, tracing her breasts and zeroing in on her spread legs. Hunger ate at his eyes, desire raging in his pants.

  “You are beautiful, Krista. You take my breath away,” he said, breathing heavily. “I repeat it often, I know, but…I can’t think of any other lines to give. It’s just that simple, you’re beautiful.”

  “You aren’t so bad yourself,” Krista said with a satisfied smirk.

  “What accent are you trying for?” he said as he lowered himself next to her.

  “If you knew anything, you would know that that is a great interpretation of a 1950s woman. Or maybe ‘60s, depending on how forward thinking she was.”

  “Interpretation, yes. Good word.”

  He bent his head slowly to her chest. She laid back and closed her eyes, wondering what he would do next. This never-ending foreplay wasn’t so bad.

  “Touch me more, Sean,” she said as she arched her body up to connect with his.

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” he said with a smile right before his mouth took in her budded nipple. A flash of pleasure pierced her body as that clever mouth sucked and teased. Equally clever fingers traced the outline of her panties where they hugged her inner thigh. She spread her legs frantically.

  “We have all night, baby mine, no need to rush,” Sean said as he moved to the other nipple.

  Krista took it back, the never-ending foreplay was driving her mad. Time to take the upper hand. But casually so. No need to go embarrassing anyone again.

  Krista pushed Sean away from her and climbed off the bed, tired of this easy-does-it song and dance. She wanted some action. She wanted some combat. She wanted to come again, damn it!

  She rolled off of the bed and stripped off her dress with a no-nonsense attitude. She flung her hair out of her face in a flourish, and looked at Sean laying on the bed amid the rumpled sheets and pillows. His hard-on was at seventy-five percent mast, which meant he was playing God. It meant she wasn’t doing the job on him that he was doing on her. She couldn’t have that—what would the girls think of her?

  Chapter Sixteen

  All business, Krista climbed back onto the bed and surveyed the demi-god before her. He was looking at her in confusion, a smile never far from his face. One hand was under his head and the other on his chest, waiting for her to make her way back. He was relaxed and calm, confident as always. Also self-assured. He was having fun with all this, stroking his ego with how hard she begged. So far he was the one with all the rules and all the control.

  Well, that was just about to change. She was tired of being the one under the man’s thumb. She was tired to accepting someone else’s lead. Too bad Sean got Jim’s leftovers, but he’d appreciate it in the end, she’d make sure of it.

  She started soft, like he’d done with her. She was building a false sense of safety for him; he was always too calm. He was always too level-headed. A slow buildup was probably a safety net for him. She would play to that at first, get him fully hard, get him comfortably excited, then flip the switch.

  She slowly lowered her body onto him, bringing her legs to either side. She kissed his lips, not letting him deepen the kiss. She nibbled his ear and lic
ked down his neck. Ever so softly she spun her hips, barely grazing his cock, making everything relaxed and unhurried. She felt it stiffen in response, poking up at her through his boxers. Not able to resist, she positioned her body so his blunt tip prodded at her cavern, the fabric acting like a stopper. It felt so good Krista whimpered, barely hanging on to the control she was supposed to have. If she didn’t get her plan into action soon, Sean would have to take over again. Slow might be safe and comfortable for him, but it drove her mad.

  Needing to shift gears and get down to business, Krista pushed down a little harder, his tip pushing at her opening, her hands shaking, wanting to clear the way, Sean’s hands squeezing her thighs for the same reason. Krista put her face to Sean’s, lightly kissed him, then slid her teeth along his neck.

  Sean sucked in a deep breath and gripped her legs harder.

  Keeping the pace, Krista backed off in a rush, tearing his hands away, grabbing for his opened pants and yanking them down. She was rough with it, rubbing the fabric against his now-prominent erection. She gave small but forceful tugs, scraping jean against soft skin.

  His control visibly vanished. One second St. Sean. The next, Dirty Guy.

  Sean reached around her and slipped his hand down the backside of her panties, letting his middle finger feel along her slit. If he’d had any control leftover from her admissions, feeling how wet she was would’ve eaten through it like acid.

  Krista moaned loudly, backing up into those glorious fingers. They got deeper, more insistent, but not quite there. He couldn’t reach.

  She moved up his body, allowing more slack in his arm, allowing more license for those tricky fingers. She got to his waist and kneeled, his two fingers sliding deeply into her, banging her with his hand. His other hand was reaching for a breast

  Sean’s hand went from breast to shoulder, gently pushing her down his body, into position for his penis to take over for his fingers. She let him, sliding her wetness along his shaft, angling down, ready to accept him inside—then swearing to herself. She’d done it yet again.