“Anything?” His husky words touched her deep, deeper than anything she’d ever heard before, and she was surprised at the shock of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.
“Anything.” He thrust again, the base of his cock nudging against her clit, and she bit her lower lip. She wrapped her legs around his waist, anchoring herself to him. “You belong to me.”
She did. She was his and no one else’s. Though his words confused her, made her wonder if he would admit more, she couldn’t deny the truth.
He owned her body, he owned her mind and he owned her soul. They were perfect together. It would be stupid, useless to deny it.
“I want to please you, Austin.” She wished she could touch him, but he held her hands above her head. His hips circled, his cock slid in and out of her and her legs clung to him, her body ripe and edgy, needing him. “Tell me how.”
“Let me come inside you.” He thrust, deeper into her body, deeper into her heart and she couldn’t resist, didn’t want to resist.
He reared up, released one of her hands so he could touch her face, his fingers gentle. He stroked her cheek, stroked across her lips and she sucked his finger into her mouth, twirling her tongue around him.
“Come with me, Michaela,” he urged, and he withdrew his hand from her mouth, slid it between their connected bodies to brush against her clit.
Austin increased his pace, his cock pounding inside her, again and again and again. She moved with him, strained toward her orgasm much as he strained toward his. His fingers worked her clit, his cock worked her pussy and then he exploded, his semen gushing inside her, filling her, triggering her own shattering orgasm.
And when he held her close, her cheek pressed against his chest, his racing heart made her mind race as well. Over what he said, how he consumed her, possessed her, told her she was his.
Was she? Was she really? Could they take what they shared and turn it into an actual relationship? Did he want to?
She was too afraid to ask.
“I can’t believe you’re even asking me this.” Brad shook his head, the look on his face almost comical. Austin would’ve laughed if he’d found this situation even remotely funny.
But he didn’t.
“It’s what she wants.” Austin shrugged. “I want to give her what she wants.”
“Hey, that’s great but me, you and her? That’s what she wants? Really?”
“Really.”
It was a Saturday afternoon and Austin had called Brad earlier, asking him to come over with virtually no explanation. Knowing that Brad would balk once he found out the real reason for his visit.
“Where is she?”
“Down at the pool.” It was hot, late August always was, and she was hanging out at the complex pool, soaking up the sun and reading a book.
She’d been acting odd lately. Not totally withdrawn from him like in the past but she was quiet, subdued. They spent every night together, even when he worked late but she was holding back, he could tell. A piece of herself she wouldn’t give up no matter how hard he tried to find it.
And he’d been trying damn hard.
It had been a week since she admitted she wanted them to experiment with Brad. It had taken him seven days to work up the nerve to even approach his friend.
“And so she wants to get naked and get it on.” Brad laughed, slapped his hand against his thigh. “This is fucking unreal!”
“Are you interested?” Austin was nervous, on edge. This was not going like he thought it would. Of course, he really had no idea how it would go.
It didn’t help that Brad seemed to be making fun of the situation.
Brad sobered. “I’ve never been with a woman, you know that.”
“Still?” Austin found it hard to believe. Even the gayest of gays had messed around with a girl when they were younger or at the very least made out with one in a club or at a party.
“Still. I haven’t even kissed one with tongue.” Brad paused. “I don’t know if I really want to either.”
“Broaden your horizons,” Austin suggested though the thought of Brad kissing Michaela made his stomach churn.
“And I definitely don’t want to lick a girl’s pussy.” Brad shuddered. “Just the thought of that freaks me out. Gimme a fat cock and I’m happy. Girl parts scare me. I don’t know how you switch hitters do it.”
“Well I guess everyone has to draw the line somewhere. Jesus, Brad.” Austin could not believe they were having this conversation.
Brad cocked a brow, his lips pursed. “Do you want to do this, Austin? You don’t sound very enthused.”
“I want to make Michaela happy,” he mumbled.
“At your expense?”
Austin shrugged. “It’s what she wants. I created this monster, you know.”
“I do know. Have you two gone back to Tom’s?”
“No.”
“Gone to any other clubs lately?”
Austin shook his head.
“Been seeing each other nonstop then I take it? I haven’t heard a peep out of you until this morning.”
“Yeah.” Austin shrugged. “What with work and spending time with Michaela, I haven’t had time to do much else.”
“Uh huh. Right. Sounds like you two might be in a relationship then, hmm?”
“I’d like to think we are,” Austin admitted. But he wasn’t sure if she wanted it. Again the withdrawing, the holding back on her part, her behavior made him nervous.
Made him believe she really didn’t want him. Not for the long haul at least. He wasn’t ready to put his heart on the line and admit he was in love with her. Hell, he’d never done it before. The possible rejection scared the shit out of him.
“Have you told her that?”
“Not really. I thought she’d figure that out by now.”
Brad sighed. “Did you not learn anything when we were together? Listen, you need to tell her this stuff, she needs to hear the words from your lips. Words of love or commitment or whatever else you’re ready to spill, you need to say it all now.”
“I don’t know if she wants to hear it.”
“Trust me, she wants to. She needs to if you want to take this further.”
The front door opened, cutting Brad off, and they both turned to see Michaela enter the apartment, clad in only a pale blue bikini, a beach towel slung over her arm, dark sunglasses on top of her wet head. Her eyes went wide at the sight of them and she shut the door behind her with a quiet click, a nervous smile on her face as she slowly approached them.
“Hi, Brad. What’s going on here?” Her gaze lit upon Austin, questioning.
“Ah, Brad just dropped by.” Shit. Austin did not want her thinking they were about to jump into this now. He figured she’d spend most of the afternoon at the pool. That’s what she normally did.
“Yeah.” Brad smirked. “I just dropped by.” He opened his arms to Michaela. “Come here and give me a hug, gorgeous. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
She went to him willingly, setting Austin’s teeth on edge. Her barely clad body pressed against Brad, her lips pursed for his quick kiss. Brad shot him a knowing look over her shoulder, his hands smoothing up and down her bare back in a quick caress, and Austin swore steam just poured out of his own ears.
He clenched his hands into fists. It infuriated him, seeing Brad with Michaela. He knew it was a platonic hug, he knew Brad was putting on a show for his benefit but it didn’t matter.
He was pissed. Damn it, he was jealous. And he didn’t want to share Michaela. With anyone.
Seeing her hug Brad just confirmed it.
“Maybe we could all go out together, grab some dinner, a few drinks?” She smiled at Brad before turning that same smile upon Austin. “What do you think?”
He thought the idea sucked complete ass. He wasn’t in the mood to pretend anymore. Brad was right. He needed to tell Michaela the truth.
“I don’t know…” Austin started and Brad disengaged himself from Michaela, his
gaze meeting Austin’s.
“Listen, doll, sorry to say but I have to go. A very important date tonight with a big stud named Renaldo.” Brad wagged his brows, making Michaela giggle. “You two lovebirds have fun tonight, okay?”
“Thanks, Brad.” Relief flooded Austin and he walked Brad to the door, helping him making a quick escape. He shut the door, paused for a moment to gather courage—damn what a wimp he was proving to be, all over a freakin’ woman—before he turned around to face Michaela.
She didn’t look disappointed that Brad left. No, she looked smoking hot in that little bikini. It emphasized her feminine curves, her pretty little breasts. Her nipples poked against the sky blue fabric, her skin flushed from the sun, hair damp from the pool.
“Too bad he couldn’t go out with us.” She watched him, her expression guarded. As if waiting for him to say something about it. The Brad situation.
“I have to go to work in a couple of hours anyway.”
“Oh, right.” Her smile was faint. “I’ll miss you tonight.”
“Michaela,” he started but stopped when she approached him, her hips twitching with her every movement, drawing his attention to her delectable body clad in practically nothing.
His skin sizzled just looking at her.
“Do you have to get ready for work soon?” She nuzzled herself against him and his arms automatically went around her. Her skin was cool to the touch, almost cold, and she shivered when his hands slid down her back.
“In a little bit.” She was going to distract him with sex, and he couldn’t have that. Well, he could but he needed to tell her how he felt first. “Listen, Michaela, we need to talk.”
“Talk about what? Brad? Forget Brad. I realized a while ago it wouldn’t work but I didn’t know how to tell you.” She reached up on tiptoe, pressed her lips right at the base of his neck. “I got nervous, seeing him here. I thought you might’ve planned something and didn’t tell me.”
“You don’t think it will work?” Her words tripped over themselves in his fuzzy brain. Damn it, her mouth on his neck, her hands on his chest was obliterating brain cells by the second.
“No. You and Brad have too much history. I can’t expect you both to forget that and indulge my whims.” Her hands went to and then beneath the hem of his T-shirt, her fingers skittering across his stomach. “There. We talked about it.”
He grabbed her by the crook of her elbows and literally set her away from him. If he was going to get anything said, he needed at least a few inches between them. “I don’t want to talk about Brad.”
“Oh.” Her brows drew down in that cute way of hers when she was confused. “What do you want to talk about then?”
“What’s going on between us.” He needed to just get this out in the open, spit it out and dwell on the consequences later. If he hemmed and hawed over it too much, he’d never admit how he really felt. “How much I…care for you.”
Chicken shit.
Her eyes softened, and she wrung her hands together. “I care for you too, Austin.”
He took her hand and led her over to the couch where they both sat. “Do you want to continue this? Make this exclusive between us?”
She blinked, licked her lips. As if she didn’t know what to say. “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Ah, it sounded a little corny but he had to admit, it also sounded damn good. He’d only had one real relationship and that had been with Brad. He’d been a shitty boyfriend, had only agreed to be with him anyway because Brad had forced him. Not a good way for a relationship to start.
With Michaela, he wanted to be there for her. Wanted to support her, enjoy her, love her like she deserved.
“Yeah.” He still held her hand and he drew his thumb across the back of it, her cool skin like a balm to his heated emotions.
“I thought you didn’t do relationships.”
“I’ve been waiting for the right person.”
“And I’m the right person?” Was that hope in her voice?
“You are.” He cleared his throat, squeezed her hand. “I’m in love with you, Michaela.”
“What?” Her voice was the barest whisper, her hand clutching his, her body leaning toward him.
He knew right then he had her. She was his. And he was hers. Nothing was going to change that.
“I love you,” he murmured, hauling her onto his lap and settling back against the couch. She wrapped herself around him, her arms circling his neck, her legs straddling his thighs. “And I’m hoping like hell you can return the favor.”
She giggled and kissed him, her lips cool and damp. He clutched the back of her head, his fingers threading through her wet and tangled hair, holding her to him. “I can return the favor.”
“You can?” He kissed the tip of her nose, the corner of her mouth. One hand slipped down to the center of her back, where he slowly drew the tie of her bikini top undone with one tug.
“Austin.” She gave a little gasp, feigning shock as his other hand undid the tie at the back of her neck, her top falling into his lap. “What are you doing?”
“Undressing the woman I love.” He cupped her breasts, his thumbs playing with her nipples and she arched into his touch. “Hoping that she’ll eventually say the words I want her to.”
“Maybe I should string it out. It’s kind of fun this way, no?”
“No.” He schooled his expression, going for stern disciplinarian. Just how she liked it. “It’s not fun this way. If you keep this up, I think I’m going to have to punish you.” He pinched her hard, pink nipples for good measure.
“Promise?” Her voice grew husky, her stomach quivering beneath his fingers as one hand slid down to tease inside her bikini bottoms. Her pussy was hot, unbelievably wet, such a contrast to her cool skin and he groaned at the first contact.
“You feel so good, babe.” He searched her folds, flicked her clit and she moaned, her hips thrusting toward him. “But before I take this any further, you’re going to have to say the magic words.”
“Pretty please?” She fluttered her lashes at him.
He withdrew his hand from her, brought his cream-covered fingers to his mouth. Salty sweet, just like the woman. “Not quite.”
Her green eyes flared as she watched him lick her juices from his fingers. “Do it now?”
It was his turn to laugh. “I don’t think so.”
“Well then, how about this.” She pressed her bare breasts against his chest, leveled her mouth close to his. “I love you, too, Austin. How’s that?”
“Perfect,” he said just before he took her lips in a sweet kiss.
Epilogue
Nerves flitted in Michaela’s stomach and she checked herself in the mirror one more time, smoothing a hand over her already neat hair. She didn’t look different from any other day. She wore a simple white sundress printed with delicate yellow and green flowers, the cut and color emphasizing her lightly tanned skin. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail since it was hot and she had kept her makeup simple so she wouldn’t melt outside in her parents’ backyard under the intense afternoon sun.
But her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed, not from cosmetics either. It was happiness, pure and simple. Pure, unadulterated joy at having found a man who understood her needs, her desires, everything about her.
A man who loved her. A man like Austin.
She flicked off the bathroom light and went out into the living room, glancing at the clock that hung on the wall. They had plenty of time to get to her parents when the annual Labor Day gathering started, but she still wanted to leave soon. Wanted to make sure they got there in time.
Then again, she also wanted to stay home, stay away from her family. They’d been asking a lot of questions, her parents, about her new beau. Her father had called him that, embarrassingly enough, and they’d insisted she bring him to the barbecue. They wanted to meet Austin, find out what all the fuss was about, and one part of her wanted to share him with her family, show him off.
> Another part wanted to hide him away and keep him all to herself.
And yet another part of her wanted him to dress in full on crazy Austin attire and scare the shit out of everyone. The uptight banker wish didn’t just extend to her, her entire family was filled with bankers, corporate heads, attorneys.
Her theatre-working, edgy-looking boyfriend would be just the ticket to send them into horror.
“You almost ready?” she called as she sank into the overstuffed couch.
“Gimme another minute,” he yelled from his bedroom. Their bedroom. She didn’t know what to call it.
She hadn’t slept in her bed since they had declared their love for each other, the both of them much preferring his since it was so much larger. Oh and the things he did to her in that bed. Just last night he’d tied her to the posts with scarves so she lay sprawled across it, a blindfold covering her eyes. He’d touched her, licked her, drove her absolutely crazy, and when he’d finally rewarded her for the torture he put her through by sliding deep inside her body she’d been beyond frantic to touch him. He’d untied the scarves, lifted the blindfold off and the love that had shone in his eyes when she first saw him had been a revelation.
It had been wonderful. She wanted to do it again. Tonight. Only he would be the one tied up and she’d do all the torturing.
Michaela smiled and squirmed, trying to push the forbidden thoughts from her mind. Now was not the time to get all worked up. They needed to leave soon. She couldn’t get distracted by sex right now.
“I’m ready.” His deep voice pulled her from her thoughts and she glanced up, a gasp escaping her when she saw him standing before her.
He looked downright…normal. Clad in dark blue jeans and a simple button up shirt, he was an everyday guy. He’d recently gotten a haircut and his hair was short, almost too short for her tastes though the top still had some length, enough to run her fingers through again and again. He wore absolutely no makeup, his beautiful blue eyes clear, the thick lashes dark and blinking at her in question. The only thing he clung to were the earrings, tiny black studs in each ear. He wore nothing she had expected him to.
Forbidden: Playing With Fire, Book 1 Page 14