by Shayla Black
“I know. I have no doubt you’re calling in favors and doing everything you can. It’s more than you should have to do.” Especially because she’d likely end up leaving to start a new life soon.
“Protecting you is my first and only priority now.”
“I believe you, but that’s not what I meant.” Suddenly she couldn’t quite look him in the eye. She felt a flush crawl up her face. “Are we all right after last night? I left you hanging without . . .”
“Finishing me off?” He smiled dryly. “I’m fine. I’m more than fine because I got to see you in pleasure. Like I said, great spank-bank material.” He winked.
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it.” She dared to touch his cheek, trailing a finger down the hard, slashing plane, feeling the remnants of dark stubble. “I know I’m not easy to be with. Last night if you’d been with another woman, you would have had sex with her and—”
“I’m not fifteen anymore, so my life goal is no longer to get laid. C’mon.” He took her hand. “It’s barely nine a.m., but if we don’t find the air-conditioned comfort, I’m pretty sure we’ll roast out here soon.”
He was probably right, and she allowed him to lead her inside. Once he shut the door behind them, he sat her at the kitchen table and poured them both fresh cups of coffee before he took the chair beside her. He stared as if he was working hard to figure her out.
Lily didn’t think it was that difficult. His unwavering attention unnerved her a bit. “Where’s your shirt?”
Not that she was complaining he’d gone without one.
“I don’t have any luggage. I found a few extra toiletries and a fresh toothbrush, but this is day three wearing these pants. I figure by tomorrow they’ll be dirty enough for me to justify spending the day naked.” He winked.
The thought that he’d spend the whole day without a stitch on made her feel tingly, fluttery—alive. The sight of his bare shoulders with the intricate ink distracted her. What would having all that power under her hands and body, intently focused on pleasure, do to her? What would it be like to feel as if she had become one with him? God, she wanted to know.
She screwed up her courage and met his gaze. “Maybe sex isn’t your life goal anymore, but . . . it’s kind of mine right now. I want to do more of what we did last night. I’m feeling things I’m not used to, things I’ve never felt. Things I think normal women experience. If we try again, maybe I’ll respond like I should.”
“Baby, I’m all for that, but however you respond is how you’re supposed to,” he argued.
“No, I need to be like other women.”
“I’m not interested in them.” Stone scowled. “Listen to me. There’s no ‘normal.’” When she sent him a skeptical stare, he went on. “You like Thorpe, right? Think he’s a good guy?”
The question surprised her. “Yeah, the best. I mean, he pisses some people off by being a hard-ass, especially when he’s right—which is most of the time. But nearly everyone likes him. Even if they don’t, they respect him.”
“Right. But by most of society’s standards, he’s a freak. Legally he fucks another man’s wife, and her husband not only lets him but participates. Together, he and Sean tie her up and spank her and . . . who knows what else? Do you think less of him for not being ‘normal’?”
She pondered that. “No. Thorpe does what’s right for him. And Callie and Sean, of course. That’s just them.” She sighed. “I get it. You’re telling me that however I behave, sexually speaking, that’s just me.”
“Pretty much. Our experiences all shape us, right? Mine were pretty common. Look, I don’t have anything traumatic in my past, except the shit I brought on myself. I can only imagine what you went through watching your friend be brutalized and killed. Has it contributed to the way you react to sex? The way you react to me? Yeah. Does that make it bad or wrong? No. You cope however you need to. I’ll play along and just be happy to touch you.”
Lily caught her breath. She’d hoped he would say something like that. It went hand in hand with pretty much every other answer he’d ever given her—kind, understanding, accommodating. Lily almost pinched herself because she kept thinking he must be too good to be true. Why on earth had she been avoiding him all summer long? Yeah, her fears. The ones she was determined to overcome now.
Heart racing like a jet engine, she stood and held out her hand. “Will you come touch me now? Will you let me try to give you more?”
Stone zeroed in on her hand; then his gaze zoomed up to her face. He stood so fast that his chair scraped across the old hardwood. A glance down proved he was already erect. “You sure?”
She nodded. “You were my first thought this morning. I fixated on you in the shower. I pondered you when I sat outside, when—”
“Baby, I fixated on you in the shower, too,” he assured her with a sly grin.
Lily knew he meant to lighten the mood and smiled. “Yes, but I wasn’t touching myself.”
“That’s a shame. But the day is young. And maybe that means I get to watch again.”
“Actually, I was hoping you would touch me instead. And that we could . . . have sex. Or try.”
His face softened. “You don’t have to hope. We’ll try whatever you want. You’ll find I’m a persistent bastard. I have no doubt we’ll get there.”
When she smiled at him, he whooped loudly and scooped her up in his arms.
“Stone!” she protested, holding in a giggle.
Everything about being with him felt so different. She and Axel had never laughed when they’d decided to be intimate. He always asked her questions, kept track of her mental and emotional state. Depending on her answers, he’d try something different. She would respond. Or not. Then the process started all over. When they’d been together, she’d sometimes felt as if they were engaged in a medical exam, not sex.
Being with Stone was more like being in the middle of a parade—always something new and bright and amazing every time she took a breath.
“Hold on, baby. We’re gonna take our crazy chemistry out for a test drive.” He strode to the bedroom, laid her across the bed, then set his phone on the nightstand. “One minute.” He dashed back up the hall, leaving her frowning in his wake. Where was he going? When he returned, he gripped a box in his hand, which he plopped next to his cell.
Condoms.
“You on birth control?” he asked.
She shook her head. She hadn’t been sexually active enough to bother. But as an adult, she’d always been careful.
“Then it’s a good thing Jack is prepared. I found these yesterday when I first checked out the playroom. Sex might not be my goal but I sure as hell want it, so I remembered where to find them.” He swayed closer with a grin. “Can’t help it if I’m an optimist.”
Just like last night, his obvious desire for her was both a balm and a turn-on. “You have a lot to be optimistic about. I’m feeling strong. I want this.”
He sauntered to the side of the bed and shucked his pants, leaving himself clad in only his briefs. They outlined his rigid cock, which looked a little intimidating now that she was paying attention. Without thinking, she trailed her fingers down the valley that bisected his washboard abs and disappeared into his waistband. This man clearly believed in a good workout and had massive amounts of core strength.
As she fondled him, he sucked in a breath. “Touching me like that could be dangerous. You nervous?”
“Excited,” she corrected. Anticipation jumped inside her, revving her heart. But mostly the desire to feel him everywhere, touching her, filling her, did that. “You?”
“Both. Don’t get me wrong. I’m looking forward to this, baby. But I want it to be a good experience for you, not a scary one.”
Lily knew that, and it was one of the things she most liked about Stone. “Me, too. I’m hoping we’ll both be satisfied this time.”
&
nbsp; “You’re overdressed,” he pointed out. “Can I help you fix that?”
A warm flush swept through her body and heated her cheeks. But nerves crept in, too. Would he like what he saw? Would he ask questions? “In a minute. First, I want to explore.”
Lily sat on her knees, balancing on the mattress. She hovered so close it made her breathless. She reached out, skimmed his shoulder with the tips of her fingers.
His steely muscles lay just under his soft skin. Just touching him made her blood churn. Her breathing wasn’t quite steady. With his perceptive dark gaze, he studied her every move. No doubt he saw her pulse pounding. She placed her palm on his chest, over his heart. It raced, too. She smiled.
“You get to me,” he assured.
“That makes me feel better. I shouldn’t be the only one affected.”
He shook his head. “You’re not, but you really are overdressed for the occasion. Let me look at you, baby.”
“Last night was all about me.” She deflected. “Let me make right now about you.”
A big smile broke across his face. “How can I say no to that?”
Now that she had such an expanse of man spread out for her taking, Lily almost couldn’t decide where to start. She caressed her way up his chest, encompassed his massive shoulders, her fingers trembling as they skated over his skin. Axel had been ripped and masculine, too. But Stone affected her in a way she couldn’t explain. And she didn’t want to sit around dissecting it. She merely wanted to enjoy.
Leaning closer, Lily pressed her lips to the hard stretch of his pectorals just below his collarbone. She followed the trail of ink there before flitting up to his neck. He swallowed. The muscles of his throat worked. His Adam’s apple bobbed. His jaw tightened as she pressed more gossamer kisses along the hard line.
Finally, she feathered her lips just below his ear. “Just touching you turns me on.”
Lily could hear the trembling of her own voice. No way he’d miss that.
“Baby, when I touch you, I get so fucking excited.” He caressed her arm, his palm, warm and arousing, drifting down her back to rest on her hip. “The second I put a hand on you, I just want to feel you everywhere.”
She might have disputed that or chided him for overstating his arousal but when she caressed her way down the wide expanse of his chest, her fingers grazed his male nipple. It puckered tight. She felt a fine shudder roll through him.
His palm trekked lower until he cupped her ass.
“Baby, I need to get these clothes off you and—”
“You’re being impatient,” she chided with a sassy wink.
The truth was, she wished the room were darker. Why hadn’t she waited to start this until the sun had set? Sex would be more romantic in the moonlight. And he wouldn’t be able to see the rest of her body.
“I was impatient to be inside you the moment I laid eyes on you,” he admitted.
Lily really had no idea why but she wasn’t going to argue. She was, however, going to distract him.
Letting her fingers drift down his torso, she brushed her body against his, then retreated a step, looking his way with a bat of her lashes. Being this near him was such a thrill.
She wet her suddenly dry lips with a swipe of her tongue. “Kiss me?”
He groaned. “You’re teasing me.”
“A little.”
“A lot. There will be consequences, Lily.”
If it involved sensual torment and pleasure, yes. Despite her nerves and worries, she was game. “Kiss me.”
Stone slid his fingers into her hair and tilted her head precisely where he wanted it. Then he dove into her mouth. She knew better than to expect a mere brush of his lips over hers or a peck. He went for total possession, fingers tangling in her tresses, lips nudging hers apart as his tongue swept deep and demanded her response. Melting against him, she glided her fingers up his arm, drifted a barely there touch up the side of his neck, all while opening wide and surrendering to his kiss.
In retaliation, he climbed onto the mattress and flattened her to the bed. The weight of him pressed in on her, startling her and inciting a curl of fear. Lily forced herself to breathe through it and ignore her apprehension. She did her best to give in to him.
I’m clothed. My legs are free. I’m fine. This is Stone.
She concentrated on his musky scent, the hard rasp of his stubble, his urgent moan as she closed her eyes and slowly drowned in his kiss, opening her senses to him. He wasn’t hurting or forcing her, just making her dizzy and tingly. How did he do that by merely melding his mouth to hers?
When he rolled between her thighs and pressed against her female flesh already dampening and softening for him, he gripped her hips. His chest eclipsed hers. He buried his face into the crook of her neck. His hot, heavy breaths heated her skin. Biting her lip, Lily tried to find a little wiggle room or daylight.
None.
Stone thrust, shoving his unyielding cock roughly against her mound. Suddenly, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t take a breath. She felt too pinned, too confined. Even with clothing separating them, his touch overwhelmed. Panic rose. She tried to breathe past it and keep calm. God, she didn’t want to stop him because she was a head case. Despite her snap judgment of him when they’d first met, he was a good guy.
Last night, he’d been such a giving lover. He could say that her hesitation and fear didn’t matter, but Lily knew better. They were never going to make it if she couldn’t give back to him sexually in any sort of reciprocal way.
Wrapping her thigh around his hips, she gave him a shove and urged him to roll to his back. He complied, breaking their kiss, then settled her on top as she straddled his hips.
The relief she felt was instant.
“Oh, you look pretty up there.” He clasped her hips with firm fingers, gyrating her down on his iron-hard erection. “I’m going to enjoy watching you ride me.”
That’s exactly what she wanted. She laid her palms flat on his bulging pectorals, sighing at the way he tensed, flexed, and rippled under her hands. “I want to do that. Right now.”
When she reached for the waistband of his briefs, he grabbed her wrists. “You’re nowhere near ready. What’s going on? You’re in a big hurry to get on with it.”
She hadn’t fooled him at all. Lily sighed and closed her eyes. “I’m just unsteady with . . . weight on top of me, with not being able to move.” Or get away. “But I want you. I need to believe we can do this.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. All you had to do was say so. We’ll work with it. We’ll get there. It’s fine.”
“But I’m frustrated! How many accommodations should you have to make for me? It’s been years. I wasn’t the one raped.”
“Physically, no. Mentally, you were. You saw something really ugly when you were still a kid and it lingered. It disturbed you. It affected you. I don’t blame you for that. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
Maybe not, but blaming Canton didn’t make her feel any less frightened or more normal.
Lily cast the thought aside. “You’re so patient.”
That almost made her feel more guilty. Tears pooled in her eyes. One or two even hit her cheek. As usual, though, she couldn’t seem to have a gut-deep, heartfelt sobfest. That frustrated her as well.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be worth it.” He sneaked a hand up under her shirt, caressing the curve of her waist and wrapping his arm around her. “Where were we? Wasn’t I kissing you?”
Slowly, Lily nodded. Obviously Stone didn’t see the point of dwelling on what she couldn’t change right this instant. He would never enjoy sex with her if she kept worrying and whining about it, too.
She forced a smile. “I think so.”
Lowering herself against his chest, she took his big face in her small hands, her pale skin a sharp contrast to his bronzed cheeks, and layered
her mouth over his.
Unlike the way he kissed, she hesitated, at first barely more than a sharing of breaths. It wasn’t enough—not even close. So she tilted her head and laid her lips over his, pressing her breasts against him, reveling in the way he cradled her against his more powerful body and moaned.
“Open to me, baby.”
Lily didn’t think twice about complying. She felt safe now, so she parted her lips to him with abandon, seducing him with a slight curl of her tongue and a coy retreat. He surged deeper, stalking her, forcing his way into her mouth as he grabbed handfuls of her shirt, ensuring she couldn’t pull away this time.
Beneath her, he bent his knees, spread them apart, and surged up. His thick erection prodded her slickening flesh, causing her to gasp.
“That’s it.” He trailed his lips down her neck, making her shiver. “I want to see you come apart for me. I want you unraveled and tousled and out of your mind with desire.”
“I’m halfway there,” she panted.
“Good. Now let’s get to the other half.” His fingers snaked around her back. A couple of strokes later, the band of her bra loosened. The garment fell away from her body.
“How did you do that with one hand?”
Stone grinned. “Determination. I’m going to touch you everywhere, baby. You tell me when it’s too much.”
He didn’t wait for her to say anything more before he sat her up straight again and reached into the short sleeve of her blouse, then pulled one bra strap over her elbow and off her arm. He did the same with the other, his dark stare focused on her, watching carefully. When he eased his fingers under her shirt and up her abdomen, he pulled her bra away and tossed it across the room. She gasped at the sudden freedom, at the friction of her nipples against the starched cotton.
Through the fabric, Stone cradled her breast in his hand, lightly pinching her nipple. “This sore?”
She panted and arched into his hand. “A little. But it feels so good.”