Instead of obeying, he blew a warm breath over her and sat up. “Soon.”
“What are you—” Her voice cut off when he sat back on his heels and bent her legs until her heels balanced against his shoulders. “I’m not going to survive this.”
“I promise you will.”
His fingers scissored inside of her, preparing her and whipping her into a wild frenzy. With the other hand he reached for the nearest condom packet and tore it open. As she watched, he pumped his hand up and down his length, letting her know how much he wanted her.
“Yes,” she said, more as a breath than a word.
When he rolled the condom on, he did it nice and slow, letting her see every inch. She twisted the comforter in her hands as her hips moved in time with the pumping of his fingers in and out of her. Every time he pulled out, she clenched her inner muscles against him.
He didn’t think she could take much more before she came. Hell, he couldn’t either.
“I’m going to fuck you now.”
Her head shifted from one side to the other on the pillow. “God, yes.”
“One long plunge.” His fingers mimicked his words.
She lifted her back off the bed and grabbed one of his forearms. “Do it.”
“Put your hands above your head.” He fought off a smile when she immediately complied, stretching them high and grabbing onto the bottom of the headboard. “I want to see your breasts—”
“Tits. You don’t have to clean up the language for me.”
Nice. “Yes, tits, bounce as I fuck you.”
“I love dirty talk in bed.”
“I’m happy to comply.”
“Not now. Move.”
Her husky voice licked against his balls. “The begging. Also good.”
He couldn’t tease her one more second. Didn’t want to. And there was no reason to wait. He rubbed his tip over her, letting the head of his cock slip just inside. He made it through two jolting passes before the mix of her raspy breathing and the sight of her body swallowing his cock did him in. As promised, he pressed forward, giving her every inch in one long push.
Her gasp filled the room as he pulled back and plunged in a second time. This position let him go deep and control the thrusting. The steady rhythm started a pounding in his head that matched the throbbing in his cock. He played with her breasts and caressed her flat stomach, all while a breath-stopping churning built inside him.
When she lowered one of her arms to grab onto his hand as it moved over her, he wanted to order her fingers back to the headboard. He didn’t have the breath or the will to stop.
His hands moved to her legs. He slid his palms over her calves as her heels dug into his collarbone. The slight thump of pain registered then fell away. He’d welcome the bruises if it meant seeing this response. Her skin flushed pink with excitement. Her head pressed back into the mattress. Those nails digging into his arm.
She was right on the edge and he needed to push her off. He pressed deeper, faster. The bed rocked and a floorboard somewhere near him creaked.
The building inside him threatened to explode. He exhaled, holding back his orgasm until she found hers. Not able to wait, his hand slipped between their bodies. Filling her while rubbing her clit had her toes curling against his skin. He knew he’d found the right spot when her eyes popped open and she threw him a wild stare.
“Now, Kyra.”
One last push had her body tightening to the point of shattering. Her feet pressed harder against him and her hands tightened on the underside of her headboard until the knuckles turned red. Her chest rose and fell on rapid beats as she slid over the comforter.
When she gulped in large breaths of air and the tension eased out of her, he let go. His hands went to the back of her thighs as he pushed faster and faster. He shifted his hips in a circle, letting her feel every inch. And when she tightened her body against him, he lost it.
The orgasm rammed into him, knocking the air out of his lungs. He gasped and said her name as his body emptied and his muscles went weak. Every ounce of energy ran out of him and he lowered her legs then collapsed between them.
He didn’t move. Just lay there, every now and then moving his head to kiss her breasts. He had to be too heavy for her and needed to get up. A quick look at the clock at her bedside told him the seven o’clock conference call would come very soon. He had to go home and shower and change, all before heading back to the office without even a small bit of sleep.
All he wanted to do was close his eyes and go to sleep where he was, still partially lodged inside her. His brain had to reboot first and that didn’t seem to be happening.
“I should have let you screw me in the car.” She made the announcement as she skimmed her hand through his hair. “There was no reason for us to wait.”
The comment was so out of context, he laughed. When she didn’t say anything else, he lifted his head and gazed up that impressive body at her.
Reaching over, he grabbed his glasses. With them on it would be easier to pick up on her expressions. “Uh, what?”
“In the parking lot at the club.” Her hand fell to his shoulder. “I was trying to build the excitement.”
“Mission accomplished.”
She smiled. “I meant I probably didn’t have to hold off in order to get this response. You seemed ready to pop.”
There was an understatement. “Once you made your offer, I can assure you I’ve thought of nothing else.”
“Good.”
He eased out of her and immediately wanted back inside. “Except, right now I have to leave.”
Her hand slid down his arm and landed palm up on the comforter. “Are you kidding?”
Her tone suggested he should be. Too bad reality crept in and smacked him. “No.”
“You’re going?” She poked a finger into his chest. “Just like that?”
Behind the tough words, pain flashed in her eyes. She didn’t say it but he could almost see the questions about him race through her head. He was one of “those” guys. He fucked and then bolted without ever looking back.
None of that was true.
“Look.” He slid further up her body. Balancing on his elbow so he could loom over her and look her in the eye. “I know this seems like a dick move.”
“Gee, you think?”
He trailed the backs of his finger over her cheek. “I have to go home and get washed up before heading into work.”
She glanced at the clock. “What time do you get in?”
“Early.”
Skepticism still spun around her. “Define that.”
“Before six.”
Her eyes bugged as if the thought horrified her. “I’ll barely get up that early for morning classes when school is in session. In summer, six is definitely still sleep time.”
“I can’t imagine that.” For kicks he slept in on the weekends until six-thirty.
“Not big on sleep, are you?”
“I only need a few hours and this time the exhaustion was so worth it.”
The doubt left her face. She lifted her head and kissed him, quick but firm. “Sweet talker.”
“I hate to have sex and run, but—”
“Yet you are.”
A fist of unexpected and wanted guilt punched him in the gut. “Kyra—”
“We could call it hit-and-run sex.”
They’d made a deal, had an understanding. He’s the one who blew it by jumping his own timeline. “I thought we understood each other. I’m not the guy who got what he wanted and now is moving on. This really is about work.”
She shoved him away and sat up. “Stop, I get it. You have a big, important job.”
Despite the words, he sensed they teetered on the edge of something pretty bad. “I didn’t expect to come over this morning. Hell, I haven’t
slept for something like twenty-four hours.”
She froze in the act of reaching for her tee. “Why did you come?”
“Once I touched you, put my fingers inside you, I wanted more. All of it.”
“Well then.” She took a long shuddering breath. “You should go before I forget my good intentions and have my wicked way with you. Don’t want to mess up your billable hours or have a client end up in jail because you’re sleeping at your desk.”
With those words the tension that had been revving up a second ago fizzled out. Crisis averted . . . he hoped. Next time he’d pick his words more carefully. And work on his timing.
He should have stopped there and let it go, but . . . “We’re good?”
“For now.”
“Remember every move you planned to use on me and we’ll practice them at my house tomorrow.” He slid off the bed and grabbed for his pants off the floor.
“We’ll see.”
“I’m ignoring your attempt at a dismissal.” It took two fumbling tries to get his zipper up and the belt redone. “What time do you work?”
“I’ll switch shifts.”
He had his shirt on and tried to focus enough to rebutton it. “Are you sure?”
“If you can go without sleep for me, I can shift my schedule around for you.”
“I plan on doing many things for and to you.” The list ran through his head and he almost unzipped his pants again. “There are positions I’m ready to try. A whirlpool tub I think you’ll like.”
“Maybe I should nap today.”
Damn, she made him smile. “Definitely rest up because I will never be too tired to pin you to a bed and slide inside you.”
He could see it now. Hell, he didn’t even have to dream it. The memory of how she felt and smelled, the sounds she made as she came, all played in his head.
She stood up, holding her T-shirt in front of her. “On that note, you should go before we both forget our lives outside of this room and crawl back into bed.”
Recognizing she was right, he planted a quick kiss on her sexy mouth. Locating the rest of his clothes took another minute. He felt her gaze on him. She watched it all, even him putting on his jacket and heading for the door.
Seeing her standing there tempted him to call in sick for the first time in . . . forever. “I’ll call you in a few hours—”
“After nine, please.”
“—so we can figure out a time and the logistics for getting you to my house.”
She rolled her eyes. Looked as if she’d been saving that up during most of the conversation. “I have this thing called a car.”
“And I have these things called manners.”
“Sometimes those can get in the way.” She dipped the shirt and gave him a shot of her breasts. Also sent him an eyebrow wiggle. “But I’ll be waiting.”
He couldn’t believe how long it took him to drag his gaze away from her chest and give her eye contact again. “That sounds far hotter than it should.”
But no way was he leaving her half naked and hanging out in the hall as he walked out. To keep that from happening and cut down on the temptation, he took the shirt out of her hands and slipped it over her head. But not before touching every inch of exposed skin before the material covered her. Then he kissed her again, loving the way she melted into him.
When he broke it off, she reached around him to open the door and push him into the hallway. “You’re in charge.”
“Yes, Kyra. I am.”
• • •
Kyra’s legs still shook as she watched him walk down the hall and away from her place. Confidence radiated off him and showed in every sure step. The way he looked back and winked had her insides doing a little dance. She was so lost in the memory of him and look of him that she didn’t hear the door open across the hall.
“That was quick,” Gena whispered as she joined in watching Bast turn the corner toward the elevator bank.
The sound made Kyra jump. “I didn’t know you were out here.”
With her hair in a barely-holding-on ponytail and wearing lounge pants, Gena looked as if she just staggered out of bed. “Obviously.”
Sure he was gone, Kyra eyed her friend. “And the word you were looking for is ‘spectacular,’ not ‘quick.’”
Gena laughed. More like giggled. “I can tell by the goofy expression.”
Not wanting to put her private life on display, not after promising discretion, Kyra motioned for Gena to come inside and close the door behind her.
Despite the hour and the fact her bones had turned to jelly, Kyra smiled as she slumped down on the edge of her bed. “Why are you up so early?”
Gena hovered by the door, as if coming closer might put her too close to the just-finished action. “I was pulling an all-nighter and heard voices.”
“In other words, you were nosy and listening with a glass to the wall.”
Gena grew more serious. “I heard a hot male voice, so sort of.”
Kyra refused to let her good mood be derailed by whatever was going on inside Gena’s head. Kyra liked her, had even grown to trust her, but Gena spent a lot of time overthinking. She didn’t jump in and never talked about men in terms of a raw physical attraction. Describing her relationships, they all sounded measured and, Kyra feared, a bit boring.
She wanted Gena to break out and experience something—anything—that made her gasp. Every woman should enjoy a good gasp now and then.
The thought brought her mind zipping right back to Bast. “The smooth way he talks is not even the sexiest part about him.”
Gena shrugged. “The part I saw retreating looked pretty good.”
At least she noticed. Kyra viewed that as progress. “You have no idea.”
Gena leaned back against the wall and shuffled her feet. Then she stared at her hands. A second later she peeked up again. “What about the leaving?”
Something stilled inside Kyra. “What?”
“Are we dealing with the type of guy who leaves skid marks getting out after the sex is done?”
Even though the same worry shot across her senses when Bast talked of having to leave, Kyra’s fury started to simmer. It was one thing for her to question and another for Gena to try to put doubts in her head.
Rather than yell and let her anger spew, Kyra tried to explain. “He has to go to work today. Something about a big meeting.”
“Okay.”
The anger bubbled. “Just say it.”
“Nothing.” When silence fell over the room, Gena started fidgeting again. The talking started right after. “It’s that he seemed to be in a rush to go.”
“Why are you trying to make this into something bad?” Kyra fought the urge to take a rough verbal shot. It was a defense mechanism—hurt people before they hurt her—and one Kyra had tamped down on for years, trying to stamp it out of her personality completely. It wouldn’t be cool to unload and Gena didn’t deserve to become a target.
But Kyra had to make her understand how jumping to the negative ruined everything. “I really like him and it’s working out, at least for now, so I want you to be happy for me.”
“It’s his type. The rich, connected guy who can call up any woman he wants.” Gena pushed off from the door and stood across from Kyra. “I’m worried.”
Every syllable hit Kyra in the wrong way because she shared the same doubts. “That he’s out of my league?”
Gena’s mouth flattened. “I didn’t say that.”
“Almost.”
“Are you sure I’m the one thinking that and not you?”
Well, that hit too close to home. Kyra had fought for so long to peek out from under her father’s awful shadow. The same petty criminal who viewed himself as a crime boss. He’d challenged Jarrett years ago for the run of the streets and lost it and Wade.
After being beaten down and spending some time in prison, her father somehow rose again. He ran a crew and collected on bad debts from his various loans. She had no idea what else he did but guessed none of it was legal.
The only reason she had any breathing room from him now was she played the game. Without telling Wade, she stayed in contact and didn’t close the door. Her father actually thought she’d come back and work for him, when she knew college was a way of breaking out and vowed that would never happen.
None of her father’s actions connected directly to her but she still carried the guilt. The man buried two wives without shedding even one tear and was courting another, much younger version as he flashed his money and threatened anyone who challenged him. He’d shunned Wade long ago and claimed there was a bounty on his head, for what she could never figure out.
Her father tried to marry her off to associates and drag her into his schemes. And she couldn’t hide much of the sordid history from Bast. She wasn’t sure about which facts he knew, but he’d dealt with her father back in the Jarrett days.
Bast with his fancy degrees and important family. Her with a family tree filled with decay.
Pushing all the doubt and worry aside, she said the words she repeated in her mind all the time. The ones meant to convince her as well as anyone who would listen. “We’re different. I think that’s good.”
Gena’s frown continued to deepen. “Just because he’s got money doesn’t make him better than you.”
“I know.” The response was automatic and most days she believed it, but some days the insecurities rose up and kicked her ass.
“Does he?”
“Yes.” Kyra believed that. She had to believe that.
There was a brief beat of silence before Gena delivered a wobbly smile. “Then it sounds like everything is good.”
Kyra didn’t know if that was true, but at least she’d made significant relationship progress. Her word, not his. He appeared allergic to the very idea of a relationship. “I’m supposed to go to his place tomorrow night.”
“Now that’s impressive.” Gena traced her fingertip along the edge of the dresser. “If he didn’t trust you with the silverware, you wouldn’t have gotten an invite.”
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