Chasing Eden

by Kristin Daniels

  She closed her eyes, arched against his mouth again and latched on to the only portion of the leather belt her bound hands could reach. She wanted to touch him, needed her hands on him, craved the warmth of his skin under her fingertips.

  “You. I need you.”

  Branches and leaves rustled at the edge of the tree line. She lifted her head to look in the direction of the commotion, but instead fell victim to Shane’s hot mouth as he kissed his way to her hip while inching her jeans and panties lower.

  “Maybe we should go inside…” she started, her breath reacting to the seduction of his lips and tongue. If she could get him to release the belt, if she could touch him…

  His words puffed soft against the skin of her upper thigh. “Why? I’m nowhere near done with you yet.”

  Reconsidering the decision to lead him to the open balcony, she said, “We’re just a bit exposed out here is all.”

  He worked her pants over her ass and sat back to peel them off her legs. “I live my life in a fishbowl, Eden. Trust me, we’re alone out here. It’s just you and me, and probably a few lazy owls hiding in the trees.” He tossed her jeans aside and caressed her inner thighs, pushing her legs open wider. “Maybe I can ask good ol’ Mr. Owl how many licks it’ll take until I get to your candy center.”

  She chuckled, loving his wicked sense of humor. But more than that, she loved the grip of his large hands on her legs, the moist warmth of his breath as it blew across her sex and the slick heat of his tongue when he finally drew it through her depths.

  “Oh, yeah. Sweet like candy, and just as addicting.”

  Lost in his words, she arched her back while he licked and sucked until she damn near exploded. Her fingertips burned when she flexed and fisted her hands as he drove her crazy with his gifted tongue. Each dip into her body had her panting, tightening.

  Passion surrounded her, a voracious need overwhelmed her. When he licked higher and his tongue at last covered her clit, she cried out and tugged desperately on the belt binding her wrists.

  Relentless, he flicked at the tiny bud over and over. Her pussy clenched, her legs shook—she couldn’t stand it any longer.

  “Please…”

  He licked one final time before closing his lips over her clit, sucking gently in time to a beat that could only be in his head. Tension escalated inside her, her heart raced. When he slid a thick finger inside her, every cell within her burst and she blew apart. She bucked in an attempt to bring her thighs together—the sensations bombarding her were too much, or God, maybe they weren’t enough—but the width of his shoulders prevented any movement.

  “There she is. Let that wild child show, love. Let her loose.”

  His fingers were still inside her, pressing, finding that perfect spot. He nuzzled the crease of her leg, the top of her thigh. “Another one. Come on, baby, give me another one.”

  The pad of his thumb on her over-sensitive clit joined the foray as he kissed his way up her body. Hot lips inched over her mound, a searing tongue dipped into her navel, sharp teeth grazed the edge of her ribs. He flicked the clasp of her bra with his free hand and finally released her to his hungry mouth.

  A rough tongue caressed the underside of her breast. He pressed his thumb harder. He was pushing her, driving her higher—too high. Too out of control.

  “I can’t…”

  “You can. You will.” He captured her nipple between lips designed for sin. Shock waves raced through her when he replaced his lips with his teeth and bit. “Give me what I need. Set yourself free.”

  He inched to the rise of her breast and licked a path of fire over the hollow of her neck before blowing her mind by taking her mouth in a starving kiss. She moaned and he swallowed every sound. His fingers danced inside her, his thumb tortured her. Her thighs ached, her breath burned from holding it inside her lungs.

  Another stronger, more powerful orgasm bulldozed over her, but he never stopped. Faster, harder, he kept going. Seconds passed, or hell, maybe minutes—time held no meaning then—and she continued to come, to writhe, to…to…

  “That’s it. So beautiful, Eden. So amazing.”

  Air finally escaped her lungs and she sucked back another deep breath. The wicked tingles inside her started to dissipate, but the harsh need for him at her core had only grown. When he slid his hand from her and gripped her hip, she met his stare and shivered at the desire and longing in his eyes.

  “Let me go,” she whispered, her throat dry and raw. “I need to touch you. I’ll die if I don’t touch you.”

  Without a sound, he reached up to loosen the belt. Once free, she ignored the pins and needles at her wrists and instead grasped his shoulders, pushed to roll him on his back and straddled his thighs in one fluid move. She dove for the button of his jeans while his hands fisted in her hair. Niceties were no longer required, rampant need drove her actions now.

  Jeans unbuttoned, she yanked his zipper down, and they both lifted up so she could push them past his hips.

  “Condom?” she asked and wriggled the fabric down to his thighs. One look at his cock, long and thick as it lay over the tight muscles of his belly, had her groaning. “Oh, mercy… Better make that magnum-sized.”

  She lifted her eyes to his. The smile on his lips melted her heart. “Teenage habits die hard. In my wallet,” he answered.

  She dug in his back pocket and handed the wallet over. Not in the least hesitant, she wrapped her fingers around him and stroked. His hips shifted under her, his eyes drifted closed. While he blindly searched his wallet, she reared back to lie between his legs. She nuzzled his length with her cheek, breathed in the manly, spicy scent of him and then took a lick.

  Hard and soft. The dichotomy of the two textures warred with each other, like the finest of silks covering a steel beam. She licked again, then drew him into her mouth. He thrust upward, weaved his fingers in her hair. “Eden…”

  She didn’t answer, didn’t want to let him go long enough to utter even a single word. All she wanted was to please him, to taste his saltiness on her tongue, to feel the harsh grip of his hand at her nape.

  “Ah…fuck. Eden. Stop. You have to stop.”

  She stilled as he reached for her. He grasped under her arms, pulled her over him and rolled with her until she once again lay under him.

  “You drive me crazy.”

  “Then why did you stop me?”

  “I want… God, I need to be inside you. That mouth of yours is heaven, but in another fifteen seconds…” He ripped the condom packet with his teeth and covered himself. “Well, let’s just say I don’t want my command performance to be over too quickly.”

  With an elbow under her knee, he lifted her leg, looked into her eyes and thrust, inch by luscious inch, until he settled himself deep inside her. She clutched his biceps, broke from his stare and bowed into him as he pressed into her again and again. When he kissed her, they moaned as one, their mouths and tongues dancing in harmony as unexpected sensations exploded between them.

  They fit together perfectly, her and this rock-star bad boy. Breaths melded, sighs and groaned words of passion merged until she had no clue of up, in, down, or out.

  Bringing her higher all over again, he palmed her ass with his free hand and shifted slightly as he ground against her, pumped harder. The angle—oh God, the angle was… just… right.

  “There’s another one in you. I feel it, I feel you. So hot, so tight. You’re gripping me so fucking tight. Let it have you. Let me have you…”

  Once more, she stared into his eyes through the silvery light and gave herself over to the feeling, gave herself over to him. He kissed her again, claimed her in every way. She tightened around his cock before breaking away to blow out an explosive cry. Every inch of her body vibrated from the raw power as they climaxed together.

  He buried his face in her neck, kept a death grip on her thigh and ass as he incoherently muttered beautiful phrases in Gaelic, teasing her now with slow and tender strokes. When he stopped and ease
d his hands from their tight holds, she wrapped her arms around his neck. In turn, he worked his underneath her back and rolled them to their sides.

  “That, sweet Eden, was worth every torturous second of wondering about you for the past eight years.” He rose to his knees, pulled his jeans over his amazing rear and then stood to lift her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. “But we’re not done yet,” he said leaning close and brushing his lips against hers. He kissed her hard and carried her toward the French doors. “That,” he grinned, “was merely the opening act.”

  Chapter Four

  Hours later, they lay together in a tangle of sweaty arms and legs amongst the remnants of rumpled covers on the king-size bed. Pillows were strewn here and there, the top sheet and blanket had long ago been tossed off the end into a heap on the floor. The bottom sheet had even come loose and was now bunched in a wrinkle of elastic and fabric above her head. Eden felt empowered, sexy—sensual—remembering how she fisted and pulled on the soft cotton, ripping it off its corner as Shane tongued her into another erotic frenzy. The fierceness of that last orgasm, and her heady reaction not only to it but to him as well, only further added to the disarray of the bed.

  Face to face now and slightly breathless, he held her firmly within his muscular arms and was dropping sweet and chaste kisses on her cheeks, chin, and eyelids when a quiet stomach rumble broke through the silence.

  She smiled, wrapped her calf around his to draw him closer and draped her arm over his waist. “Was that you, or me?”

  He skimmed his fingers over her shoulder and into the hair at her nape and gently traced the outline of her ear with his thumb. “Probably me. I’m starving.”

  Eden laughed and snuggled further into the warmth of his hold. “God, me too. But I suppose a few hours of great sex will do that to a person.” When she met his gaze, his lips tilted into a seductive smile that all but screamed irresistible before he leaned in and kissed her lips, all the while massaging his fingers at a relaxing and languid pace into her scalp.

  “That it will.”

  “I could run to the kitchen, get us something.”

  “Mmm…food,” he said between kisses. “Food would be awesome right about now. Then after we eat, you can do that thing with your tongue again.”

  That earned him another laugh. “Again?”

  He rolled to his back and tucked his hands under his head as she left his arms to get out of bed. Lord, he was one gorgeous man, lying there in all his naked glory, so furiously uninhibited. What a prime spectacle to behold.

  “Yes, again. Repeatedly. Often. Over and over.” Through the moonlight streaming in through the thin organza drapes, she caught the wink he tossed in her direction. “Stamina, babe. It’s all about stamina. And that’s something I have in spades.”

  “Oh boy.” She couldn’t help but laugh again. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

  He brought one hand out from under his head and lazily scratched at the center of his chest. When he opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hand.

  “Wait, don’t answer that. I’m not sure I want to know how much trouble I can get into with you.” And with that, she spun and headed to the kitchen.

  She grabbed a container of leftover grilled chicken and a small bowl of red grapes from the fridge, set them on a tray along with napkins, a bottle of wine, an opener and two stemmed wineglasses. By the time she’d gotten back to the room, Shane had put the bed back into some semblance of “made” and was leaning back on a heap of pillows propped against the headboard, still deliciously naked. The top sheets were folded down to his feet and he’d flipped on the small bedside lamp.

  “Stop,” he said after she’d taken a few steps into the room. Mid-stride, she halted beside the foot of the bed.

  “What?”

  “Christ, just look at you.”

  She set the tray on the bed and glanced into the dresser mirror. “Yeah, just look at me,” she retorted, pulling her mass of unruly hair away from her face and into a make-shift ponytail. Shane scooted to the end of the bed, stood in front of her and lowered her hands from her hair to fluff up what she had just tried to tame and flatten.

  “Bed head. On you, I love it. It’s sexy,” he whispered next to her ear.

  Amazing how simple words like those, coming on a quiet breath from his lips, could make her react so strongly. With heat. Longing. Such a strong desire she wanted to moan.

  “You look wild. Untamed. It fits you.”

  Fit her? Really?

  He spoke with such sincerity, completely laced with sexual overtones of course, but even at that she had a hard time believing him. The word “untamed” wasn’t part of her vocabulary, the mere idea of it a completely foreign notion.

  “I’ve never been untamed in my life. Until tonight, that is.” She averted her gaze and studied his chest, traced under the cut of his pecs before sweeping her fingers over the light dusting of fuzz running down the center of his tight belly.

  He continued to play with her hair and when she looked up at him, he blasted her with another killer smile. “Like I said, it suits you. You should let go more often.”

  Yeah, maybe he was right. Maybe she should.

  She leaned over and reached into the bowl, plucked a couple of grapes from the vine and popped one into her mouth before she fed him the other. He chewed, still smiling, and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her to him to straddle his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him until another stomach growl interrupted the moment. “We should eat.”

  She felt the puff of his chuckle as he nibbled along her jaw. “I am.”

  Instead of pushing him away like she should’ve, she held him tighter and lost herself in the gentle meanderings of his mouth, now moving on to her neck and shoulder. “Not me. The food.” The swirl of his hands as he rubbed them along her back and then massaged his way down to caress her ass only distracted her more. But it all felt so good. At that point, she honestly didn’t care if she ever ate again.

  “But you taste better.”

  It was her stomach’s turn to grumble, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get away with that not eating idea after all. “Hmm… Chicken first, me later. Deal?”

  A teasing growl rose from his chest, but his hands and shoulders dropped in acceptance. “You can count on it,” he said, then flopped back on the bed and raised his arms over his head in a big stretch. “What’d you bring?”

  She kissed his belly, rose off his lap to sit next to him and scooted the tray of food between them. “Cold grilled chicken and grapes. Here, open this for me.”

  He leaned up on one elbow as she handed over the bottle of wine and the opener. He cut off the foil and started twisting the corkscrew into the top. “So…” A lazy lift of his lips led to an inquisitive gaze shot in her direction.

  “So?” she countered, cracking open the container of chicken.

  The cork popped when he pulled it free. He grabbed one of the glasses, filled it halfway and held it out for her. “Tell me more about Eden.”

  She accepted the wine he offered and tried her damndest to ignore the uneasy flutter his simple statement created. All of a sudden, she wasn’t too keen on cluing him in on what she did.

  “Like?” The prompt was stupid, only because she already knew what he wanted to know. But she was also willing to say anything in order to stall, even if it was only for a minute.

  Pouring a glass for himself, he said, “You know, general stuff. Like how you know Greg and Ava. And what is it that you do for a living?”

  And there it was, the one question she’d been waiting for. Funny how a few hours of being tangled in his arms changed the answer she originally wanted to give. Any other time she would’ve jumped on the question and spouted off her perfectly planned sales pitch. But now? Well now, doing so just didn’t feel right.

  By midnight—or maybe it had been even later than that, she wasn’t sure since she’d lost all track of time—she’d already begun to have second
, and third…oh hell, even fourth thoughts about mentioning her career or her company, let alone all the ideas she had for the band’s next cover. After the unbelievable sex they’d shared and the instant connection she knew they both felt, she honestly didn’t want to come across as some sort of letch who’d use such a powerful link as a way to further her career.

  She’d worked damn hard for every professional accolade she ever received. Earned every contract with professionalism, an acute knowledge of her craft and the business surrounding it. She’d never—ever—stoop to sleeping around in order to move ahead. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she had.

  She went for ambiguous with her response—answering, but not really answering. “I met Greg right after college. He was just starting in the music business, the assistant to the assistant of a major record producer, I think. He and Ava had only been dating a few months. She and I hit it off, connected. Been best friends ever since.”

  She tugged on a strip of chicken breast and tossed it into her mouth. He followed suit, swallowing before his next question.

  “So, you met him less than eight years ago?”

  “Seven,” she clarified.

  “Seven years. Long time. What have you been doing since then to keep busy?”

  Ugh. How am I going to dance around this?

  Even that she wanted to surprised her. Eden wasn’t known for giving in or giving up. That she worried now about what Shane may think once she told him about her company, like all along she’d planned this big seduction scene just to sign his band, well what did that say exactly?

  “Art. I, um… I’m into art,” she hedged.

  He plopped a couple grapes into his mouth, followed by a sip of wine. “Broad subject. Art, as in?”

  Okay, she hated this. She was never any good at being coy, and deception irritated her to no end. “Graphic design,” she blurted. “I design advertising pieces. Specializing in book and CD covers.”

  He stopped chewing for a moment, nodded noncommittally and then continued. “Covers?”