by Shayla Black
tight and stunningly sensitive, as her stranger grabbed her hips and plunged inside her swollen sex in one ferocious stroke.
Lauren cried out at his invasion. In this position, her channel seemed smaller, and he felt enormous. And utterly perfect.
She shook as he withdrew almost all the way in a slow retreat that had her gritting her teeth. A moment later, he pushed back in with a quick thrust that ripped a strangled sound from her chest and sent a jolt of sensation straight to her clit.
“That’s it,” he crooned in her ear as he slammed her again, gripping her hips with insistent fingers. “Now, let’s make you come again.”
After one more pounding stroke, Lauren clawed at the table, gasping for air. Three later, the vise of need tightened into a harsh knot under her clit, spreading unbearable heat between her legs. She reached under herself to stroke it.
“Touch yourself. That’s good. I want to feel you come.”
Another two strokes of his cock, and he swelled inside her, pulsing against her walls. He was on the edge, too. Lauren felt it in the bite of his fingers on her hips, his labored breathing on her neck. She tightened on him. He cursed and slammed into her one more time, scraping over her G-spot, shoving right into her cervix.
She screamed as the dam of sensation burst inside her and pleasure shocked through her system, cascading down to her fingertips and toes. As his hoarse shout erupted in her ear, a wave of dizzy rapture washed through her veins, and Lauren had to hold on to the table to steady herself.
Mr. Mysterious planted hot-breathed kisses on her shoulder and held her against him. Like the last time, she sensed his effort to bring her close, keep her beside him. It wasn’t a simple postcoital thanks. It wasn’t an attempt to get her ready for another round of demanding sex. The way he held her, it was like she mattered. A lot.
The possibility thrilled her…even though it shouldn’t.
“God, you’re amazing,” he gruffed in between harsh breaths in her ear. “No woman gets to me the way you do.”
His admission surprised her. “Really?”
“Really.”
She frowned. “How can that be? With your…skill, it’s obvious you haven’t been lacking partners.”
“I haven’t.”
And yet she alone made him feel this way. Elation soared through her. Why should she be alone in this madness? Pride followed. She got to him. She made him burn.
“Why am I the only one who makes you feel this way?”
He hesitated, masking the pause by withdrawing from her body and righting his jeans. “Because my heart is in this, Lauren.”
His heart? This was sounding suspiciously…heavy. Nervous, she turned, smoothed a hand down her hopelessly wrinkled skirt, then crossed her arms over her bare breasts self-consciously. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t a casual fuck for me. Surely you can feel that.”
Yes, she could. Lauren’s thoughts raced back over their encounters. The fact this meant something to him was evident in every touch. Each was infused with lust and longing and something more than just the momentary need to screw. She hadn’t thought about it much before. But now…it gave her pause.
“What are you saying?”
He grabbed her arms, pulling her closer. “I love you.”
Love? He thought he loved her?
She stiffened and jerked out of his grip. “You can’t.” Panic set in. “It’s impossible. I don’t know you. You don’t know me.”
“Bullshit,” he spit out. “We know each other, heart and body. I’ve watched you for years, wanted you forever. You feel it. Some part of you knows me and wants me, too, or you wouldn’t respond to me with such abandon. You’re going to love me.”
Panic swallowed her whole. “No. I don’t want to love anyone again. I’m done with love.”
“You’re not made to be alone for the rest of your days. I’m going to be the man who fills your life.”
She shook her head, edging away from him. “Get out.”
His hands bunched into fists. Shoulders tensed. He looked ready to argue as he snatched his black bag up from the floor near his feet and sent her a terse nod. “Think about what I’ve said because you haven’t seen the last of me.”
Chapter Seven
Early Tuesday morning, Noah spotted Lauren stirring her coffee. Alone and somewhat distracted. Perfect for what he had in mind.
He sidled up to her, discreetly inhaling her female, vanilla-tinged musk—and his memory transported him back to the previous night, having her spread out like a buffet across her dining room table with her ass in the air and her wet, swollen pussy completely open to him. Her little pants and cries as he toyed with her lush body, then filled her with his aching cock, had nearly destroyed his self-control. Just thinking about last night, desire roared to life despite the fact she did nothing more enticing now than stare at the speckled Formica counter.
Not the time or place to start sweating, Reeves.
The only thing that would have made the previous night better would have been to sleep next to Lauren all night and wake up to her kiss in the morning.
Soon… He promised himself that.
“Good morning.”
At the sound of his voice, she started, then sent him an embarrassed smile. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in. I was off in space somewhere. Morning.”
Weariness surrounded her eyes. They looked a bit puffy. Red and tired.
“You didn’t sleep well.” Noah frowned in concern.
“No.”
“Something wrong?”
Lauren hesitated, like she was weighing whether she should say anything about her evening with her stranger.
“Just…a lot on my mind. You?”
Noah kept his disappointment that she didn’t open up to himself. “Yeah. I didn’t sleep, either.”
But for an entirely different reason, he was sure.
Last night, Lauren had given him everything he’d asked for, responded so completely it had blown his mind. Certainly, a woman like her wouldn’t give herself with such abandon without feeling a damn thing for her lover, right? That assumption had led him to vomit out the contents of his heart.
Mistake number one.
Noah himself should be slowly wooing her into “I love yous.” Mr. Mysterious shouldn’t be spewing them. Yes, he’d felt so connected to her after making love that he was sure his heart was hard-wired into hers. But he had to keep remembering her emotions. Her reluctance. Her fears. And stop being an impatient bastard.
After sleepless hours tossing and turning and wishing Lauren’s soft, sweet curves were curled up beside him in slumber, he now had a refined strategy for wooing and winning the skittish, stubborn woman.
“Sorry to hear you didn’t sleep well.” She offered him a consoling smile, then lifted the coffee to her glossy lips and took a deep drink of her caffeinated heaven.
Noah smiled when she groaned. The woman loved her coffee.
She’d barely finished groaning when she said, “I came in a little early to get started on the focus groups, since we have limited time to complete them. Do you have a few minutes this morning to review some of the action items with me?”
“Sure. Meet me in my office in five?”
Lauren nodded. “Thanks.”
Grabbing her cup, she disappeared around the corner, heading toward her cubicle. Noah poured his own cup and mentally reviewed his strategy as he wandered back to his office.
A few minutes later, Lauren entered, setting her files and laptop down on the little round table in the corner. “Ready?”
“Can I ask you a question first?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
Noah paced closer, leaned in, bracing his hands on the little table between them. He waited, watching as she regarded him with passing curiosity. As his stare continued, her regard changed. Awareness. Wariness. Now he had her attention. Now she wasn’t all business. He held in a smile.
“The woman I told you about t
he other day at lunch, the divorcée,” he began.
Lauren looked away but not before he saw her face change. Cool. Struggling to collect. A flash of pain.
Oh, sugar… I’ll kiss everything and make it better once you let me.
“What about her?”
He pretended he didn’t notice how guarded her voice was. But it was damn hard to miss.
“I’ve been trying to tell her how I feel about her, how serious I am.” He paused, waited for her to look his way again with those soulful brown eyes. “It’s not going well.”
She hesitated, like she was wrestling with herself. Answer? Don’t answer? Noah understood. If she wanted to ask his advice about another man, he’d be weighing her happiness against his need. In this case, he was convinced they were the same. But if their situations were reversed and he had to watch her pine for another man…he’d be none too happy, either.
Finally, she spoke. “You really think she’s going to make you happy? You’ve never been the sort of man for just one woman.”
“I’ve wanted to be. I was just waiting for this woman. I need to convince her she’s the one.”
“But if she’s been hurt, like you said…”
Noah nodded. He was pretty sure Tim had shaken Lauren’s confidence as a woman and her belief in a happily ever after. He made a mental note to wallop his old pal upside the head next time they played poker.
“I can almost guarantee she has been.”
“And how long ago was her divorce final?”
Noah tried to be vague. “At least a year.”
“Still, I’ve been divorced for nearly two. And emotionally, the marriage was over shortly after Cass was born. If this woman has only been divorced for a year, then talk of love and marriage is too much too soon.”
With a sigh, Noah sat in the chair right across from her. He’d known she would say that. He just hoped now that she’d listen to a different perspective.
“I’m trying to respect that. Honestly. But I’ve waited so long… It doesn’t have to be a serious relationship today, and I wouldn’t push so hard, except that she’s shutting me out to everything but casual friendship. I do want to be her friend—but so much more.” Noah closed his eyes. In no way did he have to feign his frustration, fear, and heartache. “It’s tearing me up. I don’t know how to coax her into compromise. I don’t know how to convince her that I won’t hurt her. Ever.”
“You really mean all that.” She sounded surprised, nearly shocked. A dawning realization peppered her tone, laced with shades of pain.
Noah gritted his teeth again, hating the fact all this fucking subterfuge was necessary. Damn the willful woman. Damn Tim for marrying her without loving her in the first place. It chapped his hide that he couldn’t just grab the woman, tell her he loved her, and kiss her until she melted in his arms and agreed to stay there forever. He’d never hurt Lauren, just love her.
“I do mean it. Men don’t always express their love easily, and to be thwarted so utterly is tough.”
“Love?” She’d definitely morphed from surprised to shocked.
“I’m not going to marry someone I don’t love.”
Lauren swallowed, her face pale. But she sent him a businesslike nod, clearly trying to hide her upset. “Of course not.”
“Suggestions on how to deal with this situation?”
“Well…no.” She sat across from him, worrying her hands into a knot and looking anywhere but at him. “I’m afraid I’m the last person you should ask. Something similar happened with me last night. I didn’t handle it—”
“Mr. Mysterious?”
“He really shocked me. I handled it badly. I probably hurt his feelings. But that’s different. I don’t even know who he is.”
“True, but given his single-minded pursuit, I’d say the guy has feelings for you.” He shrugged, trying to play it casual. “I guess I’m asking what it would take for you to start looking at someone as a potential lover and mate.”
She sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it much. I mean, he’d have to be good with the girls. He’d have to be steady. I’ve got enough on my plate, so I don’t need to be supporting a grown man. I’d have to feel a spark. I think that was my mistake with Tim. We married because everyone expected it and I let my mom convince me that steadiness was way more relevant than spark. This time, I’d want both.”
“I’m steady and I’m pretty sure this woman and I have spark.”
Lauren chewed on her lip. Noah could tell she didn’t like this conversation. Good. He didn’t want her liking the thought of him with another woman. He didn’t want anyone but Lauren, and the sooner she accepted the two of them together, the faster all this would end.
“Make her laugh,” Lauren went on, amazing him.
She was putting what she thought were his needs above her own? That had to say something about her feelings for him…
“Laughter is good,” he concurred.
“Make her feel good about herself and about being with you. Press a little, but not too hard. If the spark is really there and you truly care about her, she won’t be able to resist forever.”
Bless her for the straightforward answer…and the means to help him tackle her reluctant heart. “If I do all those things, do you think she’ll hold out more than another few weeks?”
She sent him a lost expression with so much sadness in her eyes. Noah knew she could have no idea that her heart was written all over her face. “Knowing your persistence, your charm, and not to mention your ability to plan any situation just the way you want it, she may not last another ten minutes.”
“That’s exactly what I want to hear.”
* * * *
“Kat, I’ve really screwed up,” Lauren spoke over her sedan’s Bluetooth as she clutched the steering wheel and navigated the five-o’clock traffic from downtown Dallas to the ‘burbs north. “You’ve got to help me.”
“You’re not the dramatic one,” Kat teased. “That’s my job. So whatever you did couldn’t be that bad.”
“No?” she challenged. “Remember Noah Reeves?”
“Oh, yes. Yummy bachelor. Tim’s buddy, the one you work for now, right?”
“Yes on all counts. And I’ve got this…crush on him. Which is crazy. He’s a total playboy, and I don’t need a broken heart. I’m trying to forget it. All the while, he’s asking me advice on how to get some other woman, a divorcée, to give him the time of day.”
Kat whistled. “That sucks.”
“Completely.
“Is he totally insensitive?”
“Not insensitive. Clueless. I’ve tried really hard not to let on…”
“At least I don’t have to kick his balls in for being a jerk on purpose—yet.”
“Listen to me. He wants to marry this woman. He’s never thought the word marriage in thirty-nine years, much less said it to anyone else. The minute I get interested in him, he’s all into white lace and promises with someone else.”
“I’m sorry, honey… You win some, you lose some.”
“Wait, it gets worse. I can’t forget Noah because, in the meantime, some stranger keeps coming into my house—”
Kat gasped. “Are you okay? Did he attack you? Did you call 911?”