Black Knight (A Black's Bandits Novel): HOT Heroes for Hire: Mercenaries

by Lynn Raye Harris

“You did.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Libby’s lips fell open as she stared at him. He probably shouldn’t have admitted that to her, but it was the middle of the night and his guard was down. Too late now.

  “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t think I was noisy. I might have flopped around in the bed too much and—”

  He put a finger over her mouth, stopping the torrent. “You didn’t make any noise. It wasn’t that.”

  “Oh, um,” she said as he dropped his finger away.

  She wasn’t wearing a bra and her nipples were poking through the fabric of his T-shirt. His T-shirt. He liked the way seeing her in his clothes made him feel.

  Hot. Hard. Ready to strip her out of them and make her scream.

  He’d told himself all the reasons he shouldn’t do it. He’d been telling himself for hours now.

  Didn’t matter, though. He wanted to. His needs were overriding his sense—and he’d been thinking about what she’d said to him the night before. It was her choice, not his. If he touched her the way he wanted to, and she said no, then he’d have his answer, wouldn’t he?

  But if he touched her and she responded, then it wasn’t ending until they were completely spent. Until he’d explored every inch of her and made her come until she couldn’t possibly come one more time.

  He was still arguing with himself because the last thing he’d expected to find when he came down to the kitchen was her.

  Liar.

  Yeah, okay, so maybe he was a liar. He’d heard the creaking of the stairs. It could have been the house settling, but he’d known it was more than that. The sound was rhythmic, like someone moving down them.

  He could see her throat move as she swallowed. “What was it then?”

  Jared put a hand on her hip, inched her forward until their bodies were nearly touching. “It was the thought of everything I could be doing with you, if you’d let me.”

  She tipped her head back to look up at him. “I thought you didn’t want to take advantage of my memory loss.”

  “I don’t. But as you pointed out, not knowing who you are and not knowing what you want are two entirely different things.”

  He thought she might step away, but she lifted the hand not holding a wine glass and placed it on his chest. The contact scorched him. Lightly, she skimmed her fingers across from one pectoral muscle to the other, over his nipples—and they were sensitive—and then down over his upper abdomen. He didn’t say a word, just let her do it. But inside he was on fire. Inside, he was molten.

  “I’m having a hard time imagining why you’d want to do this with me,” she said as she continued to lightly caress his skin.

  He was dying here. His dick was harder than he thought it had ever been in his life, and his heart was thundering in his chest. “Why would you say that?”

  She blinked up at him. “Because look at you. You’re perfect.”

  He caught her hand and pressed it to his heart because she was touching him too lightly to feel how it beat. “You’re perfect too, Libby.” He slid his hand from her hip around to her ass and squeezed one cheek. “You’ve got the kind of ass that makes men wild, and you kiss with your whole body. I can’t wait to find out what else you do when I get you naked.”

  He could feel the shudder ripple through her. “I thought I talked too much for you. What if I talk the whole time?”

  He dipped his head and nibbled her ear lobe. She moaned, her fingers curling against his chest. He whispered into the shell of her ear, “I can think of ways to keep your mouth busy.”

  He dragged his tongue down her throat, then took her wine glass and set it on the island, set his beer there too, and then gripped her hips with both hands, dragging her against him. She couldn’t miss how much he wanted her. His dick was stone, and his body was coiled tighter than a spring.

  She gasped at the feel of him. Both her palms landed on his chest. He wondered if she might push him away, but then she slid them up and around his neck and he thanked God for it.

  “If I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up,” she said as he lowered his mouth to the base of her throat.

  “Me neither,” he told her. He squeezed her ass again and she let out a low moan. “If you decide at any point that you aren’t down for this after all, just tell me. I’ll stop.”

  Libby laughed, but the sound was strangled. “What kind of fool would I have to be to do that?”

  “Nevertheless.” He ran his hands up her sides, slipping beneath the T-shirt she wore, and cupped her breasts in both hands. Rubbing his thumbs across her nipples, he fused his mouth to hers. She opened beneath him without hesitation.

  Really, he shouldn’t be this damned excited, but it’d been a long time and he was more than ready. His body was letting him know it, too. His pulse pounded, his skin was on fire, and his dick ached with the need to plunge into Libby’s body and not stop until he’d exploded.

  But that wasn’t the kind of lover he was, so he put the brakes on and forced himself to slow down. Libby’s tongue against his wasn’t tentative, but it wasn’t bold either. She kissed him as if she didn’t quite know what to expect. Hell, he didn’t know either. All he knew was he wanted this. He’d been wanting it for the past couple of days.

  Jared broke the kiss and pushed her shirt up until he could turn his attention to her nipples. They were tight, hard little points, and he wanted to suck them until she squirmed. His mouth closed over one, his teeth barely grazing her, and then sucked hard.

  “Jared… Oh hell… Oh god….”

  He would have laughed if he wasn’t so damned turned on. He sucked her other nipple, then slipped an arm behind her knees and lifted her. She squeaked, but she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “As much as I’d love some hot kitchen sex, I think a bed is better for the first time, don’t you?”

  Libby laughed, but it wasn’t a nervous sound. Or not entirely anyway. There was happiness in her laugh. He liked it. “Actually, I don’t remember the places I’ve had sex—or if I have, so I can’t say where it’s better.”

  “So maybe we’ll test out a few locations. Find out where you like it best.”

  She buried her face against his neck. He suspected she was blushing, but he didn’t ask. “Right now, I can’t think of anything I want more,” she said, her breath whispering across his skin, making him shiver with need.

  He carried her through the living room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He almost took her to the guest room, thinking she might be more comfortable there, but then decided to hell with it, he wanted her in his bed. He’d never brought anyone to this house and had sex with them before. He always went to hotels, or sometimes to a woman’s home, but never here. This was his space, his domain. And he didn’t like anyone well enough to share it.

  But Libby was different. Everything about this situation was different.

  He wasn’t going to analyze it. He was going to go by feel.

  Libby was dizzy. Not literally dizzy, but her head was reeling from how quickly everything had changed. One minute she was pouring a glass of wine because she couldn’t sleep and the next Jared was standing there, telling her he wanted her.

  Maybe she should be more careful, but the truth was she wanted him too. She was mesmerized by him, by his strength and his honor. He’d never faltered carrying her upstairs, and now he set her down and backed her toward his bed, his hands grasping the hem of her T-shirt—his, really—and tugging it upward.

  Libby didn’t resist as the fabric went up and over. He dropped it on the floor before his hands found her breasts, cupping them, lifting and pushing them together until her nipples were side by side.

  “So pretty,” he said. And then he touched his tongue to first one and then the other—and Libby couldn’t stop the low moan that issued from her throat. She had no idea what she liked in bed, but this had to be one of those things. A man who played with her breasts and didn’t try to rush everything so that he could get inside her and get off before
she’d even gotten warmed up.

  Libby clutched Jared’s shoulders, her head falling back, her hair tracing a silky trail across her naked back.

  “You like your nipples sucked,” he murmured before blowing on them, causing them to bud into tighter points than before.

  “I think I do,” she whispered. An understatement really, considering how her body tightened at every tug of his mouth.

  “If you like that, I think you’re really going to like the other place I want to suck you.”

  Libby shuddered. She couldn’t say no now if her life depended on it. Her entire body ached. She hurt. It was a good hurt, but also not one she wanted to endure for much longer.

  “Jared…”

  The backs of her knees hit the bed and she crashed to a stop, her body gently colliding with his. He was so solid, so big. And definitely in control.

  “I’m planning to strip off those sleep pants, Libby. Then I’m laying you back on the bed and putting my mouth on the hottest, wettest part of you. And I’m not stopping until you’ve screamed my name at least twice.”

  Libby whimpered. The only thing keeping her upright was the fact she was clinging to Jared’s shoulders. But he took that away from her when he dropped to his knees and tugged her sleep pants down. The look on his face as he studied her panties made her heart skip.

  “Turn around,” he said hoarsely.

  She stepped out of the sleep pants and did so, slowly. Jared groaned. Then he put both hands on her ass and squeezed softly.

  “These fucking lacy panties. I’ve thought about your ass in these things since I put them in the washer that morning. I’m glad these are the ones you’re wearing today.”

  Libby’s breath caught. Her heart beat crazy hard and her pussy was so wet it hurt. Or maybe it hurt because she needed him to touch her there. Jared dragged her panties down, his mouth finding that little dip at the base of her spine before he nibbled his way down one cheek and over to the other. His fingers came around the front of her, slipping downward until he skimmed over her clit and into the wet seam between her legs.

  He groaned and nipped her ass, and Libby cried out. Not from the pain of it, but from the excitement.

  “Was that too hard? I’m sorry.”

  “No. Lord no. Please don’t stop, Jared. I think I’m going to die if you stop.”

  “You have the prettiest ass, honey. And damn you’re wet.” He pressed a finger deep inside her and she jerked her hips a little bit, trying to find the pressure she wanted from him. He added another finger, fucking her slowly that way as his other hand found her clit and strummed it.

  Libby could barely stand.

  “So fucking pretty,” he said. “I want to stay right here and make you come like this, but there are too many other things I want to do. Fuck, Libby, you’re making me crazy.”

  She was making him crazy? She thought she would fly apart any second if he kept up that rhythmic stroking. She wanted to fly apart.

  But Jared was too in control to let her. He stood and pushed her onto the bed, then turned her over so he could look at her. Up until now, she’d been too caught up in what was happening to think about her body or the soft light from the lamp that spilled into the room. It was a dim light, but it was still light. Enough that he could see her imperfections, like the soft roll at her belly and the bruise on her hip—a temporary imperfection, but still—as well as the way her breasts were too small for the size of her butt. He would see it all, and she hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed.

  “What’s going through your mind, Libby?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

  She put an arm over her belly. “Nothing. Just waiting for you.”

  He put a knee on the bed, then came down on top of her, his body skimming over hers. Not really touching, but not so far away she couldn’t feel his heat either. He licked a nipple, then sucked it before letting go and finding the other.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said, popping the nipple from his mouth.

  His hands skimmed her body, his gaze following. When he reached the bruise on her side and hip, his touch was tender and light.

  “You should have told me it was like this.” His voice was a growl as he looked closely at her injuries.

  “It’s not too bad.”

  He kissed the bruise on her hip, lightly, reverently, and she sighed, her eyes drifting closed at the sweetness of the touch.

  “I’m not sorry I killed them. Though I wish I could have made them suffer more.”

  Libby thought she should be horrified at the violence in his voice—but she wasn’t. It was for her, his fierceness, and she loved that. A deep longing pierced her then. It was a longing for acceptance and love, and it stunned her at how strong and elemental it was. She didn’t know her life yet, but she knew down to her soul that she was searching for someone who accepted her. Who chose her and wanted her, and who would be there for her through thick and thin.

  It sounded an awful lot like love was what she sought, but wasn’t everyone searching for that?

  Her throat was tight as she threaded her hands into his hair and whispered, “I know. Thank you for saving me.”

  He rolled up her body like a wave, then took her mouth in a hot kiss that seared her to the depths. Their tongues clashed and mated, and Libby arched her body against his, wanting more.

  He tore his mouth from hers and dragged his sleep pants down, kicking them free before reaching into the bedside table for a box of condoms that he dropped on the bed beside her. Then he settled onto her, slowly, every inch of his hot skin touching every inch of hers.

  “Where were we?” he murmured before kissing her again.

  Libby wrapped her legs around him, trying to maneuver him where she wanted. Where she burned for him. He wasn’t easily led, however. He kissed her with hot, deep, wet kisses that stole her breath and her sense. His fingers slipped between them, down into the lush wetness of her, and she gasped with need.

  “Jared. Please.”

  His blue eyes burned into her as he lifted his head and watched her. “What are you begging me for, Libby?”

  “I want to come.”

  His smile was filled with wicked promise. “So do I.” His gaze stole over her body with deliberation. “But there are so many things I want to do to you first. So many ways I want to make you say my name.”

  Libby closed her eyes. She had no idea if she’d ever experienced this kind of carnal sensuality before. She was positive she wasn’t a virgin since nothing about the way he touched her or the way he felt pressed against her was foreign. But what kind of sex had she experienced before? Had it been this maddening, all-consuming feeling that made her feel as if her skin was on fire with every stroke of his thumb against her clitoris? Or had it been pedestrian and safe?

  Jared wasn’t safe. Of that she was certain.

  She decided to be bold, to reach for him and wrap her hand around his hot, hard cock. He groaned when her fingers tightened. His eyes were a little unfocused, and her heart soared that she could affect him like that.

  “I want you,” she whispered. “Now. Please, now.”

  “Yes,” he growled. “Fuck yes.”

  He reached for the condom box and tore one from the wrapper, then rolled it on swiftly. Libby watched in fascination, a part of her wanting to catalogue every moment of this experience but knowing she was going to lose the battle. The emotions and sensations were too much to remain separate, and when Jared settled between her legs and she wrapped them around his hips, Libby lost the ability to keep that part of herself to herself. With Jared, it was all or nothing.

  His blue eyes searched hers. “Are you certain about this?”

  “Do I strike you as uncertain?”

  He let his gaze drop to her breasts, then up to her face again. “No, but I had to ask.”

  “Jared,” she breathed. “I want this. I want you. You need to stop thinking and start feeling.”

  He swore softly as his cock nudged her e
ntrance. It didn’t take any effort for him to slide into her body, and she knew he had to feel a measure of relief he hadn’t encountered a hymen. No matter what he’d said about it being her choice, he wouldn’t have stopped thinking about the fact she might regret this once she remembered everything about herself. And she might (she doubted it) but it wouldn’t be because she’d broken some crazy vow to remain a virgin until her wedding.

  “You’re so fucking wet,” he groaned. “And you feel amazing.”

  She couldn’t speak. She was so full of him, and her body was simply on fire with anticipation of what came next. She wanted him to move, wanted him to drive into her and make her explode. She wanted to feel like that lucky heroine had felt when her duke made love to her—completely satisfied and utterly spent.

  Jared withdrew slowly and plunged forward again, and Libby gasped. It was a good gasp. A wondrous gasp. His movements quickened, his mouth came down on hers, and they moved together in a hot, sweaty rhythm that felt perfectly right as they strained toward an explosive climax.

  Libby got there first, stars exploding behind her eyes, her breath stopping in her throat, her limbs tightening and shaking with the force of the pleasure expanding inside her. Her voice wasn’t her own as she gasped Jared’s name over and over, as she implored him to keep moving just like that.

  Oh god, like that.

  He did as she begged—and then he found his own release with a groan and a stiffening of his body as he filled the condom.

  In the aftermath, their breathing was ragged and their bodies sated. Jared started to rise, but she wrapped her arms around him and held him to her. “Please, not yet.”

  “I’m too heavy,” he said, shifting his body so his weight wasn’t crushing her into the mattress.

  She lifted her fingers to his cheek. She needed to touch him, to ground herself in this reality. She felt more alive and real this very moment than she had in days. Her hip ached and he was heavy, but she didn’t care. This was what it meant to be alive. This pain and pleasure were opposite sides of the same coin.