Hot Number

by V. K. Sykes

  Sadie had spent her life doing healthy. Now she was finally ready for some cake.

  She sighed with pleasure as Nick slipped her dress from her shoulders, letting it pool around her waist. When he kissed her throat, pausing to give her a tiny nip with his teeth, her pulse hammered and a beat of arousal pulsed between her thighs.

  Slowly, so slowly she thought she might faint from some form of physical overload, Nick trailed hot, open-mouth kisses down her throat and collarbone while gently easing the dress down past her hips so she could step out of it. Every inch of skin came alive under his touch, heated with the brand of his calloused fingertips and his questing tongue as he tasted and explored at a leisurely, maddening pace.

  Sadie clutched at his shoulders. She should probably be doing something, at least something more than moaning and going as limp as a sodden noodle in his arms. On the other hand, if she did do something and it was wrong, she’d look like an inexperienced dolt. That’s what had frozen her in his arms a few minutes ago—a short, sharp blaze of panic, and a sudden understanding that she hadn’t a clue how to handle a situation this hot and emotionally intense.

  Fortunately, like a battle-hardened soldier, Nick had taken charge. He obviously had a plan, and going along with it seemed more than fine to her, at least right now. If that made her a bit of a fraud in the wild woman department, so be it.

  He deftly parted the front clasp of her bra and eased the straps off her shoulders. Her breasts spilled free, her nipples already hard with arousal. Nick froze—just as she had a few moments ago—with one arm lashed behind her back and the other dangling the bra from his fingers.

  Oh, no! Her breasts were too big and soft, she just knew it. Sheldon had never been all that keen on her body. Even though he had never said anything, Sadie knew he preferred taller, slimmer women, women who were willowy and graceful. Women like Yvette.

  Maybe Nick did, too.

  “What...what’s wrong?” she asked, anxiety turning her voice to a squeak.

  He jerked his head up, startled. “God, nothing’s wrong. You’re so damn beautiful, Sadie.”

  Her tension eased, and she felt brave enough to give him a hesitant smile. An emotion she couldn’t identify rippled like a shadow across his hard features, then he swooped in and captured her mouth, giving her a rough, thrilling kiss. All too soon he broke away, leaving her breathless and limp in his arms. Sodden noodle is right!

  His gaze flickered back down to her body, and he dropped her bra and gently stroked his fingers down the slope of one breast, brushing lightly across her nipple. It pulled tight, stiffer and even rosier than it had been only moments ago. Sadie moaned, relaxing in his embrace, and yet feeling her breath catch and her inner muscles begin to flex with tension.

  Bracing her gently against the wall, Nick let go of her body to cup both breasts in his hands, dipping down to take one of her nipples into his mouth. She jerked at the hot slide of his tongue and pressed her hands flat against the cool, silky wallpaper at her back. He licked and teased the taut bud while stroking the other with his fingers. The contrasting softness of his mouth on one aching nipple and his calloused fingertips on the other sent a flare of heat down through her stomach and low into her pelvis, releasing a slick of moisture between her thighs.

  She clutched at his shoulders, reeling from the storm of sensation. Nothing had ever felt so good.

  Nick gave a particularly deep, hard, and delicious suck on her nipple, drawing her back into an arch. “Oh...oh!” she gasped. “That’s, so, so...” Her voice trailed off as her head fell back against the wall with a gentle thud. It kind of hurt, but the party going on between her thighs more than made up for it.

  Nick huffed out a laugh, his warm breath drifting over her wet skin, then he dragged the flat of his tongue slowly and firmly across her nipple. She stood on her tiptoes to follow every torturous millimeter, barely able to breathe. He cast up a very quick, very wicked glance at her face.

  “Don’t tell me I’ve finally rendered you speechless, Ms. Bligh,” he murmured. He rubbed his cheek—obviously unshaven since the morning—over her nipple and she had to bite back a pathetic whimper at the prickling, arousing sensation to her hyper-sensitive flesh.

  He flashed a grin at her helpless response. “I’ll have to make a note of this event for the history books,” he said, his voice warm with amusement.

  She sucked in a breath to berate him but, instead, let it out with a sigh of pleasure when he switched over to nuzzle her other breast.

  “Ah, I’m simply taking my time composing an appropriate response,” she finally muttered.

  “Hmmm. Also noted,” he said, keeping his attention firmly on his task.

  And thank goodness for that.

  Nick took his time savoring her breasts, licking, teasing, and sucking each one in turn as if they were the sweetest things he’d ever tasted. Sadie considered collapsing on the floor at his feet, but it all felt much too wonderful to miss, so she forced herself to remain upright. Fortunately, Nick had obviously decided to help by inserting one brawny thigh between her legs, propping her up by pressing tight against her cleft. That in itself was a revelation. It took all her discipline not to push down, rubbing herself against the rock-hard muscle—almost as if she could ride him to orgasm. He probably wouldn’t mind her doing that but it did seem a little forward, even under the present circumstances.

  After a few minutes, his wonderfully rough hands began to roam her body even as his mouth continued to suckle and—oh, yes—nip at her breasts. He made smooth strokes, somehow both soothing and exhilarating, down the long muscles of her back and over her behind. Then he continued down the backs of her thighs, trailing around the front and then up to trace the edge of her panties. He dipped one long, tickling finger under the skimpy fabric, brushing through her hidden nest of curls. Sadie jolted up on her toes again as an aching hunger awakened deep inside, making her feel edgy and restless and strangely vulnerable.

  Disconcerted, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to control the almost frightening sense of need surging through her body. Need for physical release, yes, but something more. Something she couldn’t name but that she wanted Nick—and only Nick—to give her. She sucked air into her lungs, fighting for breath. Fighting to remember that this was just a Vegas fling, and not something that really mattered.

  He nuzzled once more then lifted from her breast. A hand came up under her chin, gently forcing her head up. Warily, she opened her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” His deep, dark eyes were narrowed, but his voice sounded amused.

  She blinked as she stared back at him, letting the simple yet surprisingly complicated question sink into her bones. Sheldon had never asked her a question like that during sex, nor had she expected to engage her brain in emotionally analytical exercises with only her panties on. And nothing was wrong. Not really. After all, how could something that felt so right have anything wrong about it?

  Damn. Sadie had hoped her anxiety had finally taken a long overdue sabbatical, but it rippled down her spine like bone-chilling Chicago sleet.

  “I’m not exactly sure what you mean,” she hedged. The wall suddenly felt cold and unforgiving against her back, something she hadn’t noticed until now. “Um, am I doing something wrong?”

  His easy smile provided some measure of reassurance, the warmth of it drifting over her like a soft mist. He brought his face close, leisurely tasting her lower lip before kissing her with a tenderness that made her heart clutch. A few hot moments later, he drew back.

  “Not at all,” he said, sweeping a slow, possessive hand down over her chest and stomach. Her knees practically buckled on the spot. “But there’s more tension in this little body than in a fishing line with a marlin on the hook.”

  Her anxiety made her seek reassurance in a joke. “Are you saying I’m a cold fish?”

  Nick laughed. “Hell, no. Baby, I’m so hard right now I want to throw you on the bed, spread those pretty legs wide, and ride you ti
ll I make you come at least three times.”

  Mercy! Sadie swallowed, both wildly excited and a little unnerved by that particular image.

  He ducked his head to look her in the eye. “Am I going too fast for you?”

  She repressed a groan. Was it that obvious? Hell, this was one time she wished she were like Cassie. Her friend would know exactly what to do to make sure a man never had to ask that particular question. “I’m sorry. I’m trying hard to relax, but I wasn’t this nervous when I had to make a presentation before two thousand people in Stuttgart last year. Stupid of me, isn’t it?”

  He gave a laugh that sounded more like a hum while he slid his index fingers into her panties and tugged them until they fell to her ankles. “What kind of presentation was that, Ms. Bligh?”

  Oh, great! That would certainly kill the mood—confessing to the sheriff that she was a math professor.

  “Oh, you know. Just business,” she said vaguely, sucking in a tight breath as his hands moved up her body. “Nothing you’d be interested in.”

  To her relief, he let the subject drop. His hands drifted up until they rested on her shoulders, cradling her with a gentle, stroking touch.

  “There’s only me here, Sadie, and I’ll never judge you. Besides, didn’t we agree that I’m in charge, at least for now? I’ll take care of you, I promise.”

  Though a hint of amusement still colored his deep voice, Sadie also heard understanding. The coil of tension inside her started to slowly unwind. Somehow, even standing totally naked in front of a man she’d met only yesterday didn’t feel quite so risky.

  He studied her, his gaze patient and his hands gentle on her body. “We don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to. Just say the word and I’ll stop. But if you want me to keep going, you’ve got to try to let go. Do and say whatever feels right. You can trust me.”

  A quiet sincerity rang through his words. She did trust him, more than any man she had ever met. But if she let herself think about that stunning fact, the anxiety would come screaming back in a heartbeat. What they were doing couldn’t possibly be anything so serious. It was supposed to be about fun, about being outrageous and sexy and silly. She needed to lighten up and, like Nick said, just let go.

  Pretend to be brave and you will be brave.

  She switched on a bright smile. “All right, then. Fair enough. And along the lines of saying and doing whatever I want, I think it’s time for you to unholster your pistol, Sheriff,” she said, reaching for his belt buckle.

  “Oh, Jesus, Sadie.” Nick groaned at her lame joke. But he shucked his jacket and attacked his shirt buttons as she pulled the black leather belt from around his waist. She unzipped his slacks and they dropped to the floor, revealing tight, white briefs that contrasted sharply with the bronze skin of his taut abdomen and muscled thighs.

  But it was his erection, straining against the cotton fabric that transfixed her. Never had she imagined, much less seen, a penis of such, well, epic proportions, for lack of a better phrase. The broad, dark head had breached the waistband, obviously eager to be released from its confinement. The fact that she had put Nick in such a state of heightened arousal was both thrilling and more than a bit terrifying.

  Then, in one swift move he shucked his briefs. Sadie let out a startled little gasp.

  Fortunately, Nick either didn’t notice it or decided to ignore her ridiculously clichéd reaction. He wrapped his arms around her and walked her backwards toward the bed until they fell together onto the smooth surface of the duvet. His big body came down on her in a mass of smooth, unyielding muscle.

  He didn’t lie on top of her for more than a few seconds. Instead, he eased up onto his hands and knees, straddling her as he took possession of her mouth. Sadie curled her fingers around the back of his head, stroking into the thick hair at the nape of his neck as she opened up to him, melting into the wet and hot open-mouthed kiss. But Nick didn’t stop with her mouth. He moved over her, planting slow, passionate kisses on her forehead, between her eyes, on her nose, on her lips, on her chin, in the hollow of her collarbone.

  When he reached her nipples she groaned, trying to draw her legs up and open to relieve the ache building between her thighs. Without lifting his head from her breasts, Nick shifted his body so she could spread her legs wide. Feeling more than a little wanton—and, she was happy to note, enjoying it—Sadie tilted her pelvis and brought her damp cleft directly into contact with Nick’s naked thigh. Contractions rippled through her lower body, arching her back with a shock of pleasure.

  He made a satisfied, growly noise low in his throat, tonguing her nipple as he pressed his leg onto her now-aching clit. She had to clamp down hard on the throbbing deep between her legs, or else she’d pitch over into a climax before they even started. This was too good—hell, it was better than anything she’d ever experienced—to let it end so soon.

  She let out a long, hissing breath, trying to settle her pounding heart as Nick lifted his head from her breast. But when he gave her a hard nudge with his thigh, she almost lost it, throwing her head back with a strangled cry.

  “You like that?” His voice was dark and rough.

  “Um...yes,” she managed as he continued to move against her. Lord, if he kept that up, she wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

  As if he’d sensed that, Nick slid away and began moving down her body, trailing kisses of fire from her breastbone to her belly. He stopped just above her damp curls.

  “Do you want more?” he murmured.

  Was that a trick question? Sadie raised her head, doubt penetrating the haze of lust that had turned her brain into a bowl of oatmeal. Of course she wanted more, but what exactly was he talking about?

  “More would be good,” she said cautiously.

  He gave her a wicked, utterly masculine grin before dipping his head between her legs.

  Oh! That.

  Sheldon had never much liked oral sex—certainly not giving it, anyway—and Sadie had never felt comfortable pushing him. But she had always wondered what it would be like to experience that particular thrill at the hands of...well, at the mouth of a man who really knew what he was doing. Lucky her, it looked like she was about to find out.

  Settling between her thighs, Nick eased her legs farther apart. Even in the dim light she could see the hungry look on his face. The hard angles of his cheekbones and jaw seemed set in stone, and his eyes focused on her body with so much intensity that it made her dizzy. No one had ever gazed at her like that, like she was a truly sexy and desirable woman, not just some geek from the math department. God, being so open and exposed before him and seeing that expression on his face was almost enough to make her come right then and there.

  Slowly, drawing out the moment, Nick parted her tender flesh. He slid one finger into her sheath, now so creamy wet and so unlike any other time she’d had sex that she wondered if this really was her body. When he withdrew the slick finger and massaged it over the hard little nub at the top of her cleft, Sadie finally and completely let go all the words and emotions she’d been bottling up inside.

  “Oh, yes. Oh, God, that is so amazing,” she gasped as luxurious surges of pleasure rippled out from beneath his stroking finger. She squirmed in delight as he dipped two fingers into her this time, stretching her with a delicious ache before returning to play with her swollen clit.

  “Yes, Nick! Just like that, with both fingers. It’s wicked what you’re doing down there. In fact, it’s downright sinful. But for God’s sake, don’t stop or I’ll have to kill you.”

  Oh, dear. Worst time ever for her bizarre sense of humor to surface.

  Nick rose up for an instant and fixed her with a bemused frown. She gave him a weak smile. “Sorry. Just kidding,” she murmured.

  With a slow shake of his head, he resumed his efforts, this time with his tongue. Sadie grabbed a fistful of duvet in each hand as rough velvet pressure stroked through her folds, sending electrical shocks rocketing through her body. Desperate
to move, eager to ride the building wave, she tried to arch her back but big hands planted on each hip held her down. Some distant part of her mind told her to reject his control, to resist her growing vulnerability to a man who was all but a stranger, but her body knew better. Her body, all on its own, had come to trust him.

  Already, tiny spasms were layering one on top of the other, contracting the muscles deep in her pelvis. It had been so long. For years, she’d convinced herself that sex didn’t matter, relationships with men didn’t matter. Mathematics was her true lover, a lover she understood. One she could count on until her last breath on Earth.

  But as much as she loved math, it had never given her an orgasm. Nothing and no one had ever given her an orgasm like this.

  Nick shifted his hands from her hips and slid them beneath her, tilting her bottom up off the bed as he claimed her with his mouth. His tongue licked a scorching heat over her clit, circling it and teasing it for what seemed like endless minutes until finally he took mercy on her and sucked directly on it.

  Something detonated deep within her. Sadie let go of the duvet and dug her fingernails into the iron muscles of his shoulders. “Yes! Yes, that’s it, dammit, dammit, dammit! Oh, God, Nick. I’m coming. Now!”

  Shudders racked her body as she writhed in bliss, holding his head tight against her as she sobbed out her climax. He rode her through it, stroking his tongue softly through her heat until the contractions began to fade. Eventually, she fell back onto the bed, gulping air in an effort to catch her breath.

  Nick raised himself onto his elbows and moved up beside her, dropping kisses in a reverse path from his earlier descent—up past her bellybutton to her breasts, neck and face. When his lips touched hers, they were still slick and hot with her essence. It was unbearably erotic.