“Better?” he asked, a smug question but a curious expression in his eyes.
The scone was delicious, the raspberry jam a fine compliment to the cinnamon in the batter, and the flavor did lighten her mood a little bit. But then her anger hadn’t truly been directed at him.
“Thank you, it’s very good.” She sipped her coffee, finally drinkable. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, pretty girl. Everyone has their own issues. And I’ve pushed your inhibitions beyond your comfort zone.”
Kerri gave him a murmured reply, not really agreeing or disagreeing, because she didn’t want to commit one way or the other. Yes, he’d manipulated her into a position or two that was far removed from her usual pursuits, but she’d enjoyed it more than she’d imagined. However, admitting it wasn’t something she was ready to do.
* * * *
Hunter watched Kerri eat. She was pensive, careful, her mind working on overload to process last night’s memories. He could see the struggle in her ever-changing expression. Perhaps he’d been a little premature by including Richard in their experience at the club, but it was too late to worry. She’d deal with it in her own way.
Damn it, but he’d been hard from the minute she appeared at the door with his shirt hanging half off her shoulders and dangling around her legs. She was gorgeous, tousled curls of blonde hair falling almost to her breasts, sleepy eyes, and all those soft freckles calling to him. He’d never seen her without makeup, and apparently she used enough to cover a lot of spots across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. She looked like a kid barely out of high school, but he knew for a fact she wasn’t.
The desire to spend the rest of the day making her scream his name pulsed through his mind, but he suppressed the urge. After last night, she needed a little rest and a little time to think…but not too much. He worried that if she thought too much about her time with him, she’d balk.
Hunter wasn’t ready for that to happen. She’d gotten under his skin, made him want more than he’d had in years in the way of a relationship. He hadn’t been able to pin down the why of this attraction, but something about her reached out and grabbed him by the throat. He wasn’t ready to let her walk away from whatever this was they were building together.
It wouldn’t be permanent, nothing ever was for him, but he wasn’t ready for it to end.
“What would you like to do today?” he asked, enjoying the surprise in her eyes.
“You’re asking? I assumed you had something planned.”
“I did have a few ideas, but I’d like to hear your suggestions. I’d like to spend the day with you, get to know you a little better.”
“Oh.”
She sounded surprised as hell. Had he been that dominant? And here he’d thought he was suppressing at least half of his usual controlling spirit.
“Can I think about it?”
“Sure, just don’t take too long. We have a dinner reservation at eight.”
“I need a shower,” she sighed.
“How about a swim first? Most of the pool is in shade this time of day.”
“Okay, but I didn’t bring a suit.”
His wide grin was the only reply he gave her while he watched her face flush. Hunter stood, offering her his hand. Silent and blushing, Kerri placed her fingers in his palm and stood. In one swift movement, he pulled the shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor.
“Don’t hide your body from me. It’s beautiful, perfect.” Taking her hand, he led her out the glass doors and onto the covered patio. “No one can see into the yard, so the only person enjoying the view is me.” A quick tug brought her flush against his chest and within range of his mouth. Her tense body screamed panic at her nudity.
Hunter pressed kisses across her shoulder, nipping at the bend where her throat rose to her ear. When he reached the sensitive spot just under her ear, he finally felt her relax against his chest. He nipped and teased until her arms came around his waist, her body beginning to tremble with pleasure.
“Go swimming, feel the water caress your body, relax while I watch. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
He set her back from him and watched her face change. She’d been expecting him to fuck her first. He could see it in her eyes and in her body’s reaction. Her nipples were tight, her lips slightly swollen and ready for him to take. Hunter smiled.
“Go on, swim for me. Play in the water. Imagine it’s me touching your body instead of the water.”
He moved to one of the padded lounge chairs on the patio, his eyes never leaving hers. Finally, she turned and found the beach entrance to the pool, slowly working her way down the slope until she could sit in the water and let her feet dangle in the deeper section. Water lapped at the globes of her breasts, her nipples tightening even more with the water temperature. It was a hot day, but the water was always a few degrees cooler than the air. Kerri shivered, then slid off the ledge and completely submerged. Surfacing on her back, one hand swiped at her hair, pulling it out of her face as she floated through the dappled sunlight.
Hunter shifted in the lounge chair, rearranging his pants to accommodate the erection that kept enlarging as she moved in and out of shadow. She was breathtaking. He’d been with other women, many other women, and he could honestly say he appreciated the female form in its many and varied dimensions. But watching Kerri float across the pool, sunlight kissing her skin in a few of his favorite spots, made Hunter’s heart beat harder, faster than it had in years.
Maybe it was her innocence.
He knew she was of age, an intelligent woman near the end of a law degree. From the few facts she’d given him about her past, she’d been on her own for quite a while. Even if not financially, emotionally she was alone. From her earlier irritation, he could surmise that she was uncomfortable with the relationship they were beginning. And it was a relationship, even if he hadn’t planned it to be. Fuck, he couldn’t imagine walking away from her now. Or letting her walk.
He’d waited long enough. Shucking his clothing, Hunter stepped to the edge of the pool.
* * * *
A shadow crossed Kerri’s closed lids, a man-made shadow unlike the dappling sunlight from the trees, and she knew he’d finally joined her. Quick from years of swim team practice, she flipped to her stomach and stroked hard for the other side of the pool.
A rough hand closed over her ankle and yanked her in reverse. She kicked out, connected with something, and she was free. Three strokes later, strong hands clasped her waist, rolled her onto her back and under the water. She flailed against him, pushing against his chest as the need for air warred with her temper. Steel arms encased her and she was suspended above the water.
Kerri gulped in air and shouted, “Are you trying to drown me?”
“Are you trying to crack your head open?” Hunter spun her around and pointed in the direction she’d been swimming. “Another stroke and you’d have barreled into the ledge of the beach entrance.”
Free of his hold, Kerri slipped back into the water, trembling. He was right. She’d been stupidly trying to out-maneuver him and put herself at risk. “Thanks,” she whispered.
A gentler hand than she’d known skimmed from her crown to her shoulder and she shivered. “Why were you in such a hurry to get away from me? Have I hurt you in some way, Kerri?”
The denseness of his voice smoothed across her senses. His hand stroked her again, this time sliding to the small of her back. The heat from his palm warmed her skin.
“It was never my intention to hurt you.”
“You haven’t.” Please let him drop it. “It was just a reflex.” The press of his hand lessened and his breath brushed across her shoulder before he spoke again. Rather, growled.
“Who hurt you, Kerri?”
His arm eased around her, moving inches at a time until she was wrapped in the heat of his body, his hand carefully placed on her belly. No force, no pressure from his hand or body, not even the feel of skin on skin across her back. H
e was comforting without dominating, and even though she couldn’t explain her reaction when he jumped into the pool, her heart lifted to his gentleness as he tried to classify her instinctive flight.
“I can’t explain it. I just moved away from you. It didn’t mean anything.” Kerri held her breath for a long moment, hoping against hope he’d let it go. She’d been floating, her mind adrift in a sea of fast-pitching emotion, all of it revolving around how Hunter made her feel. The compulsion to turn away from those feelings was overwhelming. She didn’t want to put those emotions into words, slide them into the mix of Hunter’s lifestyle, into the morass of whatever relationship was developing between them.
“No one will ever hurt you again, Kerri. I won’t let it happen.” Pain and promise were in his tone, the baritone flavor of his voice, and finally, the warmth of his chest pressing against her back as he enveloped her.
Chapter 14
Her lungs burned with the stagnant air held tightly inside as she fought to make sense of his words. What did he mean? No one would hurt her while he was around, meaning she was safe for the next week or two? Or did he mean no one except him would hurt her while he was around?
Forcing the stale air from her lungs, Kerri sucked in enough fresh oxygen to push away from him, taking a little comfort in a single foot of space. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” She turned, letting her body sink into the warm water, unable to face him. She wasn’t ready to give him more than her body even though her heart was rapidly becoming his, too.
“Don’t.”
He was behind her, hot hands encircling her waist, pulling her into his arms. He cuddled her against his chest, one hand cupping her head as his mouth sought the tender skin beneath her ear. “Don’t ever apologize for your feelings.”
Kerri relaxed into his arms, unable to control her physical reaction. Damning her weakness where he was concerned, she gave in to her need. In less than a week, she’d become wanton, craving the touch of a man who would surely walk away in a matter of days. But the pleasure was too alluring to resist.
“You don’t have to tell me what’s bothering you. I won’t push, but when you’re ready, I hope you trust me with whatever is hurting you.”
“I’m not hurting, just confused.”
“Tell me. Maybe I can clarify.” His words were clipped, interspersed with sharp kissed and bites along her jaw, and Kerri fought to keep her brain engaged in the conversation. Her senses were rioting with each nip and suck of his mouth on her skin.
“Too much to process right now.” A low moan passed her lips without thought. “What am I doing here today?”
“You’re with me, making love in the sun, enjoying the moment.” His mouth took hers in a scorching possession. Strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her onto the shallow ledge of the beach entrance.
Water lapped at the sides of her body and the feeling of floating on the edge of the world enveloped Kerri. Hunter’s body came over hers, trailing wet kisses along every unknown erogenous zone in existence. Fire pulsed across newly branded skin, sending heat straight to her core. The hot Texas sun beat down on them, but Kerri couldn’t feel anything except Hunter, his fingertips trailing along her cheek, the soft rasp of his palm as it caressed her hip, the delicious slide of his tongue across her skin. His hand paused to cup one breast, lifting it skyward to be consumed by his eager mouth. She trembled, her body aching with pleasure as he coaxed her higher.
She held back a sob, trying to stay focused enough to protect her heart. But this moment in his arms was unlike anything she’d experienced before, unlike the pleasure he’d given her this week. His hands, hard and in control, were now gentle. His mouth, while still consuming, dealt passion instead of lust.
He was working her, weakening her resolve to distance her emotions from the pleasure. Every taste, every dip of his tongue against hers, every brush of skin against skin sent jolts of fire along tightly stretched nerves.
Kerri’s hips lifted of their own accord, instinct overriding conscious thought, and she recognized the probing of his cock, steel encased in smooth silk. With one slow, bewitching thrust, he was embedded within her. And her response was immediate. Her head dropped into his waiting palm as she sobbed, her depths clenching around him as pleasure poured through her system.
“That’s what I like to feel, Kerri, your climax pulsing around me. I want you to feel me deep inside you, taking you places you can only reach with me.”
She cried out as he began to move, gently at first, then harder, deeper as he worked toward his own release. Every pulse pushed her higher, building another climax until she was shaking with the need to finish. Kerri could feel the explosion rolling through her body as Hunter’s cock lodged deep within her, stretching her with each pulse. The heat of his release triggered her own, and she drowned in the sensation.
The return of his mouth to hers wiped her mind of all reservations she had about him. She was his whether she wanted to be or not.
They lay entwined until their breaths evened. Hunter rolled to his side, keeping her close, wrapping her in the heat from his body while cool water lapped at their flushed skin.
* * * *
Hunter pulled himself upright and reached for Kerri, lifting her into his arms. Her limp, wet body nestled against his chest, he walked up the slight incline and into the shade of the patio, settling her on a lounge chair. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment, drowsy blue eyes touching his soul before drifting closed. She shivered and he cursed himself for letting her get chilled. Retrieving two of the large towels he kept in the pool closet, Hunter draped one over Kerri then wrapped the other around his waist.
She continued to sleep, her breath a whisper across her swollen lips as he patted her body dry. Gathering her in his arms, Hunter carried her through the house and up to his bedroom, smiling as she cuddled against him while he moved from room to room. He laid her on the rumpled bed and pulled the sheet over her breasts, watching her sigh and snuggle. Hunter watched her sleep, amazed at how quickly this little slip of a woman had wormed her way under his skin. A wave of protectiveness rushed through him.
Kerri shifted in her sleep and rolled to her side, the sheet slipping off her shoulder. A clearly visible bite mark spoiled the fair skin just under her earlobe and Hunter cringed. His legendary control had abandoned him in an overwhelming wash of desire. Not even in his teen years had he so indelicately marked a woman. Kerri wouldn’t appreciate the bruise in the least, since it would be clearly visible for several days. A wicked little voice in his subconscious began to shout with glee, reminding him that everyone would know he’d claimed her.
Regret didn’t enter his mind, but fear did. He’d lived thirty-three years and never openly claimed a woman. At least not emotionally.
And therein lay the problem.
He didn’t want a permanent relationship. He needed to be free to move around the country, taking care of his business interests and his hobbies. He needed his freedom. He needed to be curled around her sweet body every chance he could get.
Reconciling those needs would take time he didn’t have.
Hunter stepped into the bathroom for a shower and discovered his biggest mistake. In his rush to possess her, he’d forgotten to protect her. He wasn’t concerned with disease, sure he was clean and felt certain Kerri, in her innocence, was healthy. But the possibility of pregnancy was worrying.
Knowing he couldn’t change the circumstances and willing to deal with the consequences, he showered, dried himself, and returned to the bedroom. Kerri was dozing, her eyes fluttering open to watch him. One hand snaked out from the covers and reached for him. It was all Hunter needed.
Chapter 15
Hunter lifted the coffee cup to his lips, his eyes focused on the play of sunlight across the smooth surface of the pool. The warm water of the pool mixed with the hot beverage swirled inside him, a morass of unfamiliar emotions bombarding him. He felt restless and edgy in his own skin, a feeling he hadn’t experience
d since high school. Kerri was creating complications he wasn’t ready to deal with, situations he never expected to encounter.
Possessive. Protective.
Two words he never imagined would apply to him.
In a few short days, Kerri had inspired both of those urges in him. His plan for tonight’s foray into the club included an opportunity to share her with Richard, but just the idea of another man’s hands on her soured his stomach. It was a pleasure he thought she’d enjoy, but he couldn’t handle it tonight, not with his need for her raking his control into the gutter.
The patio door opened and he turned to see Kerri, gloriously naked for his benefit, clad only in the mark of his possession, the silver collar sparkling in the sunlight. She stood just outside the door, watching him. Waiting. Her lips parted then pressed together as if she couldn’t decide what to say. Hunter held out a hand to her and she immediately moved to his side. When he patted his leg, she turned and sat across his lap, tucking her head under his chin.
A sense of contentment swept through him, chasing away the edginess. His palm stroked from her crown to the base of her skull, then down to curve around her waist and pressed her to him. He relaxed into her.
“Can I ask a question?”
“You just did.” He smiled at her huff. “I won’t stop you.”
Kerri tensed against him, a slight show of nerves. “Are you really investigating a case, or was that a line you used to involve me?”
His hand lifted to her chin, raising her head so he could look into her eyes. “Yes, there is an investigation. Human trafficking. Several young women have gone missing from Richard Menton’s clubs—not just Velvet Glove. He owns five others in the United States, one in England.”
“You really work for the government, not the firm?” she asked, her eyes watching every nuance of his expression. He knew he couldn’t lie to her any more than he had.
Daye, Lavender - Bound By Trust (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 10