I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but everything in his touch, and in the feel of him, told me that if anything surprised him, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I moved my own hands lower, rubbing down his backside and upper thighs.
I couldn't stop my own soft muffled moan of anticipation, as he slipped his hands past the waist of my jeans, edging under my panties. Skin on skin. My breath was ragged with excitement, and he'd barely touched me. He gripped a cheek in each hand and squeezed lightly. "I love the way you feel," he said.
Two could play at this game. I moved my hands higher, and reached under his waistband, sliding my hands into the back of his running pants. His ass was rock-hard, with the form of an athlete. I gripped a cheek in each hand and gave a squeeze.
I marveled at his amazing physique and briefly considered that this was the same guy who'd starred in my fantasies for days, weeks even. But now, this was reality, and I gave into the flood of sensations that overcame me.
I wanted to feel his rock hard body press into me, feel his strong arms around me, and feel his length inside of me. As I felt his arousal press between my thighs, I felt in danger of bursting with excitement. I wanted to feel him inside of me, to feel him thrust in and out of me, and to feel his hips grind against mine as he filled me completely.
With reluctance, I scooted backward and sat up. Meeting his gaze, I gripped the hem of my T-shirt. Slowly, savoring the lust in his eyes, I lifted the T-shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor. I was still wearing my bra, but the passion in his eyes made me feel beyond naked.
"Damn, you're sexy," he said.
Whether it was true or not, the look in his eyes, and the sound of his voice, told me that he believed it. And for the moment, that was all that mattered.
"Now you," I whispered.
Grinning, he sat back and pulled his T-shirt up over his head, taking his time, just like I had, revealing more of himself to me. I drank in the sight of him, savoring the look of his flat, muscular abs, his tattooed torso, his muscular chest, and finally, his gorgeous face.
I'd never seen anything so magnificent in my whole life as Lawton Rastor half-naked in the firelight. I ran my hands lightly down the front of him, starting at his perfect pecs and working my way down to the waistband of his running pants.
I felt him fumbling with the clasp of my bra. When he had it free, he leaned back and drank me in with his eyes before leaning forward to take a nipple into his warm mouth. Under the attention of his tongue, the nipple came to life, growing harder and needier with every motion. I couldn't help it. I arched my back in pleasure, soft moans and sighs escaping my parted lips.
He placed his hand on my other breast, trailing his fingers over its roundness. He circled the flesh again and again until he zeroed in on my waiting nipple. He rolled the sensitive knob between his fingers, and it came to life in his hands.
Murmuring against my skin, he let the first nipple fall from his warm mouth and turned to taste the nipple that waited.
Moving with him, I knelt up on the couch, my legs slightly parted. His fingers trailed lower and lower until they reached the waist of my panties. He pushed them down inch by inch, as if savoring the feel of his rough hands on my smooth skin as he continued to tease my hardened nipple with his moist tongue.
Soon, my panties rested just below my hips. He reached lower, cupping my ass with his rough hands, squeezed tenderly as he ran circles around my nipple with his hot tongue.
His hands roamed to my sides, and he gripped my hips. My pelvis was gyrating in time to my own breathing, which was coming faster and faster as he zeroed in closer and closer to the hot, moist area between my thighs.
I ached for him. I ached for him so bad that when his hand reached its destination, I couldn’t help it. I gave a moan of encouragement and pressed against his hand. Something – his thumb, maybe – rubbed against that hot knob of desire, and I thought I'd climax right then and there.
I pressed my lips to his neck, drinking in the scent and feel of him.
He slid a long finger inside me, twisting his finger inside me and rubbing my clitoris with his thumb. I leaned my head back and sighed, murmuring incoherent words of encouragement.
He withdrew his finger slightly, and then pressed it in again.
"I love how you so sound, how you feel," he said, circling that little knob of pleasure with his thumb. "You're so responsive, so irresistible. God, I've wanted this – wanted you – so bad, you have no idea."
"Oh yes, I do," I said, gripping the waistband of his briefs. I tugged them down until he was completely free of the confining fabric. My hands found his rigid tool, stroking and caressing it until his moans matched my own.
“Oh, Chloe,” he said in a muffled groan.
The sound of his name on my lips did crazy things do my insides, even crazier that what his touch was doing, and that was saying something.
He took me in his arms and lowered me gently back onto the couch. As he looked down on me, our gazes met and held. He freed himself completely from his briefs and turned to my panties.
Slowly, as if savoring each moment, he pulled them lower and lower until I was completely naked.
"Hang on," he said.
"For what?" I asked, my voice sleepy with desire.
From somewhere near the couch, he pulled out a small, foil package and started to open it.
"Oh, that?" I gave him a sheepish grin. How had I ever forgotten? I might have blamed the vodka, but in truth Lawton was ten times more intoxicating. I took the package from his hand and pulled out the condom. "Here," I said. "Lemme do it."
He didn't argue, and I slid the sheer covering onto his substantial length, caressing him as I went, until his eyes were closed and his lips parted. When I finished, he opened his eyes and gave me a look of such unbridled desire that almost by instinct, I lay back again, my thighs parting as if they had a mind of their own.
"You're so beautiful," he said.
"So are you," I said.
With a soft chuckle, he ran a finger along my slick opening, teasing, caressing until I thought I'd go crazy with wanting him. And then finally, he lowered himself down toward me. I thrust my hips upward in anticipation and placed my hand on his length, guiding him closer and closer to my hot, wet opening.
When the tip reached its destination, I gave a moan of pleasure. Lawton held himself still, looking down on me with hot, hungry eyes.
"I want this to last forever," he said.
Trembling, I felt a slow smile build. "Then don't make me wait." I leaned back and lifted my hips, urging him onward.
Thrusting his hips slowly forward, he entered me just enough to make me want to scream for more.
"You're so hot," he murmured into my hair. "I know I should go slow, but – "
"Don't stop," I urged, my voice trembling nearly as much as my body.
To my infinite pleasure, he complied with my wishes, slowly thrusting his hips forward until inch by inch, he filled me completely. As our hips pressed together, he locked his arms around me, as if savoring the moment. His lips found my neck, and he nibbled lightly on my earlobe and caressed my neck with his tongue.
Soon, our hips were moving in unison. I reached up and ran my fingers through his thick hair, enjoying how it felt around my fingers as we moved together in ways that had me feeling more complete than I ever had in my whole life.
He knew just what to do to please a girl, thrusting in time with my motions and maintaining a pace that kept me ever on the edge of climax. As he continued to thrust in and out, I gave up trying to maintain any dignity.
The sounds I made, well, I knew they'd embarrass me if I thought about it, but I couldn't think about it. My hips rose up again and again, meeting him thrust for thrust, kiss for kiss. My hands roamed over his back, caressing his skin, kneading his buttocks, and encouraging him further.
I couldn't help but marvel at the way his sinewy muscles shifted and moved in time with his motions, at the way his rock-hard buttocks
contracted with each thrust, and the way his lips teased and tantalized her neck and earlobe.
As we continued our ride of passion, he wrapped his strong arms around me and somehow, even on the sofa, managed to roll us both over, placing me on top. With him still buried inside me, I sat up straight, only barely conscious of the fact that I was naked and wild, riding him like there was no tomorrow.
I couldn't help it. I threw my head back, letting my lips part and breasts thrust forward. My eyes were shut, but I felt him reach up with both hands and caress my fullness as I moved my hips in circular motions. Faster and faster, I ground my hips into his, making his length dance inside me until I couldn't hold back any longer.
With a flood sighs and hot wetness, I reached my peak, driving Lawton to reach his own. As we moved together, relishing the final throes of passion, our moans and sighs filled the room from wall to wall.
Finally, I collapsed in a heap on top of him, relishing the feel of his strong arms around me, and his hot skin against mine.
A few minutes later, we lay naked in front of the fire. Somehow, we'd gone from the sofa to the rug, which was a lot softer than it looked.
"Nice rug." I gave him a sleepy grin. "I bet you bought it just for interludes."
"Haven't you heard?" he said, running a warm hand along the side of my face. "You're no interlude."
I laughed. "I bet you say that to all your interludes."
"You want me to be honest?" he said. "I've wanted you, and not just like this either, since the first moment I saw you." He leaned forward to press his lips to my forehead. "But that doesn't make you an interlude." His lips travelled from my forehead to that tender spot just behind my ear. "No. You're something else, Chloe."
"So are you," I said, not bothering to analyze his words or mine. It felt too good to analyze. And when he started nibbling at my neck, and worked his way down to my nipples, then my stomach, and lower still, it felt too good to think about anything.
By the time the morning sun filtered through the blinds, I'd climaxed so many times that my stomach literally ached. And I wasn't the only one. During the night, I'd given in to almost every fantasy I'd ever had. I'd tasted and caressed him in all the ways I'd been dreaming about, and it felt so right that I knew it wasn't the vodka driving me on.
It was him.
The fire had long since died down to a bed of embers, but the heat still radiated off it in waves. And even if it had gone stone cold, I didn't want to move. And the funny thing was, he didn't seem inclined to move either.
When I made a half-hearted comment about leaving, he only gripped me tighter, pulling me toward him and wrapping his arms around me so tightly that I felt safe and wanted in a way that was utterly foreign to me. Foreign, but good.
A girl could get used to this.
Chapter 41
Slowly, I came awake, only vaguely aware that I wasn't at the Parkers'. I was curled up on a thick, gold rug, facing a huge fireplace, with a warm, hard body spooned around me.
And we were both naked.
I let my gaze drift downward and saw a muscular, tattooed arm resting around my waist, pulling me close, even in sleep.
I recognized that arm, just like I recognized the distinct hardness pressing into my back.
In a rush, memories of the previous night came flooding back to me. At the time, it had felt like a dream. It still felt like a dream. I vaguely recalled seeing the first hint of pale morning light filtering through the high windows at one time or another. But how long ago was that, anyway? Minutes? Hours?
When I tried to sit up, the arm around me tightened. Lawton's sleepy voice whispered in my ear. "Don't go."
I felt myself smile. "I'm not," I said in a voice that was probably just as sleepy. "I just need to check the time."
"Hmmm," he said, as if still asleep, and then, slowly, he loosened his hold and rolled onto his back. "M'kay," he murmured. "But if you don’t come back, I'm gonna come lookin' for you."
"Oh, I'll be back," I said, pulling away from him. Without his warm body pressed against me, I instantly felt not just colder, but more naked, and not in a good way. Sitting up, I scanned the room, but I didn't see a clock on the mantle where I'd half-expected to find one.
I looked back to Lawton, intending to ask him where one might be, but his eyes were shut and his breathing steady. Had he fallen back asleep? Or more likely, he hadn't fully woken up in the first place. Erika was like that. She could carry on entire conversations while still asleep and not recall a darn thing later.
I gave Lawton a good, long look. He was no Erika, that's for sure. As I drank in the sight of him, I felt my breath hitch as my gaze lingered on the one part of his anatomy that was decidedly wide awake.
I felt myself smile. Maybe, if it wasn't too late, I'd take a closer look, along with a much closer feel.
I bit my lip. If only I knew what time it was. If it was too late in the morning, I'd need to leave as soon as possible. Chucky needed breakfast, not to mention his morning walk. And whether I was tempted by a beautiful guy or not, I wasn't going to make a little dog pay the price for my own pleasure.
With an effort, I pulled my gaze from Lawton's naked form and got to my feet. I tiptoed across the room and found my jeans, crumpled on the floor next to the sofa. I dug in the pocket and pulled out my cell phone to check the time.
There was only one problem. I wasn't quite sure how to check the time on the thing. On my old phone, the time displayed automatically. On this one, well, I had no idea. Again, I glanced at Lawton. This was silly. I should just wake him up and ask what time it was.
Except I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. He looked so spectacular, and peaceful, just the way he was, with his eyes shut, his lips parted, and – as much as I blushed to dwell on it – a morning erection that probably had little to do with me.
Still, I'd like it to.
I was still fumbling absently with my phone when I heard a soft click. I looked down and felt my eyes widen. Oh God. I'd accidentally taken a picture of Lawton in all his naked glory.
Frantically, I searched for the delete function, but couldn’t find it, and honestly, I was afraid to mess with it too much. The last thing I needed was to accidentally text the picture to all my friends and relatives.
Granted, it was a small list, but given the nature of the image, one misdirected nakedgram was one too many. Cursing, I continued to fumble with the controls, and I never did find the delete function. I did, however, finally manage to check the time and wasn't happy with what I saw.
It was almost ten o'clock in the morning, at least an hour past the time I should've fed Chucky. Torn between guilt and the urge to crawl back into Lawton's arms, I scanned the room, spotting my panties somewhere behind the sofa and the rest of my missing clothes scattered nearby. I tugged on my undergarments and crept over to where Lawton slept.
I knelt down beside him. "Lawton?" I whispered.
"Hmmmm?"
"Sorry, but I've gotta go."
"No," he murmured, without opening his eyes. "C'mon, baby. Stay. Alright?"
I felt myself smile. Even if he wasn't awake, it was nice to be wanted. "I wish I could," I whispered. "But Chucky's waiting."
"Good dog," he murmured, and rolled onto his side with his eyes still shut and lips parted in a way that made me want to kiss him all over again.
If I had my way, that's exactly what I'd be doing later.
Still smiling, I got up, pulled on the rest of my clothes, and left quietly through the front door.
Chapter 42
The next couple weeks were absolutely crazy – and absolutely blissful. Chucky and I spent almost every day with Lawton, watching comedies and action movies in his massive media room, playing fetch on his manicured lawn, chasing each other from one end of the house to the other.
Honestly, I was worried about wearing out my welcome, but every time I mentioned spending more time away from him, Lawton found another way to entice us to stay. There was always
a new movie that needed watching, a new hot tub that needed breaking in, or a new grill that needed to be inaugurated.
Technically, none of those things were new, not exactly, but they were new to me, and from what I could tell, Lawton enjoyed my reaction to all of it.
I still hadn't quite told him I was merely the house-sitter, but he stopped pressing me about who I lived with, and I stopped worrying about pretending to be someone I wasn't.
When he joked that I was probably some surgeon's love-child, I only smiled and shrugged. Then, I distracted him the best way I knew how, and it didn't involve breaching my client's confidentiality. When the Parkers returned, I figured I could tell Lawton everything, but until then, it just seemed wrong, especially with Lawton's brother prone to entering places without permission.
When I told him about my waitressing job, he didn't take it the way I expected. For some reason, he assumed I was doing it more for the fun than for the money. I guess I could see why. The job did have a sort of celebrity status, but honestly, if Lawton had ever worked as a server, he'd know just how ridiculous that assumption was.
No one, and I mean no one, would work as a waitress if they didn't need the money. Funny too, because the job attracted more than its share of rich girls – girls who didn't need the money, but were drawn-in by the glamorous idea that it didn't require actual work.
They never lasted. Then again, who was I to talk? I wasn't going to last either. Not much longer anyway.
Lucky for me, the volcanic flu was still making the rounds at the diner, so Keith couldn't fire me just yet. I was racking up some serious hours, working double-shifts whenever I could.
With the extra money, I paid for the broken car window, along with the new cell phone, and still I managed to stash away some cash for the day the job finally ended. In the meantime, I was looking for something new.
A couple weeks after first sleeping with Lawton, he made a strange announcement. "I'm being a total ass."
We were sitting in his hot tub, soaking up the steamy warmth while the cold November air kept our faces cool and then some.
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