by Jaci Burton
She rested her head against his hip and wound her fingers around his shaft, slowly stroking from base to tip. He fought for breath.
Then she replaced her hands with her mouth, slowly covering the head of his cock with her lips.
“Christ, Lara!” he hissed.
She sucked him like she was a master, varying her tempo, taking him to the brink and then pulling back to make eye contact with him.
It was the most erotic experience he’d ever had. She definitely wrote the book on blowjobs.
“Enough,” he said, pulling away, afraid he’d come in her mouth and then pass out in delirium. “I want to come inside you. I want to feel your heat around my shaft.”
Her eyes had darkened, her lips swollen. The wicked dress she wore had buttons all the way from top to bottom, driving him crazy with the desire to have her like that, still wearing that dress.
He intended to chase that desire. He pulled her upright, then wound his arms around her waist and lifted her. Moving around to the side of the bed, he deposited her on her back. Then he climbed up and knelt between her legs.
“That dress,” he said.
She frowned. “What about it?”
“I want to fuck you while you’re wearing it. It turns me on.”
Her eyes widened. “It does?”
“Yup.” The few buttons he’d undone earlier only made him crazier. So damn sexy.
He started with the button below her breasts, slowly popping it open so he could spread the material to the side. “You have gorgeous breasts, Lara.”
“They’re small.”
He laughed, then showed her how much he liked them by leaning forward and capturing one tip in his mouth, laving it with his tongue until she was panting. Then he did the same to the other, squeezing the globes together so he could lick both nipples.
She grasped his hair, tugging him closer. Sensing she needed more, he grazed his teeth over her nipples and she cried out.
“Please, Mark, now.”
He agreed. He couldn’t wait any longer. He searched his jeans pocket and found a condom, quickly sliding it on. Pushing her legs apart, he slid her dress up over her hips, admiring her glistening sex, then settled over her.
He slipped inside her with one thrust at the same time he took her mouth in a searing kiss. She moaned against his lips and wrapped her legs around him.
Christ, she was tight. Virginal-tight, squeezing his cock in a vise of pure pleasure. He stilled, afraid he’d embarrass himself by coming immediately. But his balls were rock-hard and tight against his body, ready to shoot a huge load of cum inside her. He fought for control, breathing deeply through the sweet pulses of her pussy contracting around his shaft.
Being inside her was heaven and hell, sublime and torturous. She moved against him fluidly, perfectly, her moans taking him higher and higher. With unashamed abandon she touched him, caressed him, pulled him close and kissed him with such passion he was afraid he might go crazy.
How could a woman he clearly had no intention of keeping be so damn perfect?
Lara gasped at the unfamiliar sensations, emotion tangling with the purely physical reaction to Mark’s lovemaking. With every thrust, he touched her deeply, drawing a response she’d never known she could give. She let it all go with him, like she never had before. Allowing herself the freedom to respond to his every movement was a liberating experience.
She’d fight the questions and doubts later. Now she just reveled in her body’s response to this fabulous man making love to her.
“Harder,” she commanded, pleased when he eagerly responded by quickening his pace and thrusting deeper. Whatever she asked for, he gave, time and time again.
“You keep talking to me like that, urging me to fuck you faster, I’m gonna come,” he warned.
She grinned and kissed him, loving the feel of his heart racing madly against her breast. “Then do it. Fuck me harder, Mark. Make me come with you.”
She’d never been this wanton, this open, this willing to tell a man exactly what she wanted. And yet with Mark, she was so at ease it almost frightened her.
So many thoughts ran through her mind. Thoughts of how it felt to have Mark inside her, what it meant to her, wondering what it meant to him.
Too many things to think about now. She’d deal with all that later. Now was the sensation, the culmination. “I’m close, Mark. I want it deeper.”
With a dark grin he complied, his movements relentless as he pulled back and powered hard and deep, grinding his pelvis against the tight knot of her clit. She cried out his name as her orgasm washed over her, the pulses squeezing his cock tight, pulling him even deeper inside her. With a loud groan he followed along with her, clutching her tight while he jerked in release.
The room went silent, save for their rasping breaths. Mark moved to the side, still inside her, and threw his leg over her hip to keep her close. Lara rested her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat go from raging fast to normal.
He didn’t speak, just held her and caressed her back. Lara started to worry when the minutes ticked by and he hadn’t said a word.
It had been monumental for her. But what about for him? She hated to ask. Wouldn’t ask. That would be too needy and she wasn’t about to start their relationship requiring constant reassurance that she’d been acceptable in the sack.
Okay, maybe she was that needy. “Mark?”
“Yeah.”
“You doing okay over there?”
“Yep.”
“Anything you wanna talk about?”
Silence. She chewed her bottom lip, waiting for a reply.
Finally, he spoke. “This is one of those woman things, right?”
“Woman things?”
“Yeah. That whole afterglow thing where we’re required to dissect the sex and talk about how good it was for both of us.”
“Uh, no, not really.” When would she learn to keep her big mouth shut?
“C’mon, Lara. It was great. I came, or didn’t you notice?”
He couldn’t really be serious. She lifted up onto her elbows and peered at his grinning face. Then he winked and she smacked his arm. “Jerk.”
Laughing, he tickled her ribs. “Couldn’t help it. You got all serious on me for a second.”
“Oh please. Like men don’t ask if it was good for us.”
“This one doesn’t. I heard your screams.”
“I could have been howling from the agony of boredom.”
He shifted, moving her onto her back and holding her arms up over her head. “You lie. You were in the throes of ecstasy.”
Tossing out a snort, she shook her head. “I was on the verge of falling asleep.”
He kissed her, his tongue torturing hers until warmth spread between her legs.
“Wanna bet? I can make you yell again.”
If this was foreplay, she was all for it. “What’s the bet?”
“Loser cooks dinner.”
“You’re on,” she said, then sighed as his mouth covered hers.
Good thing she liked to cook.
* * * * *
Mark watched Lara laboring over the stove, feeling supremely satisfied with his ability to please her. Yeah, he’d made her scream all right. Long and loud, howling like a wild animal.
Damn, it had been good. So good it scared the shit out of him. Now, sitting here all domestic-like and watching his woman fix dinner, he was almost…dare he even think it? He was almost comfortable.
Visions of nightly dinners and him doing the crossword puzzle while gazing longingly at Lara over the table had him shuddering.
He shook his head to clear his wayward thoughts. This whole thing with Lara was a means to an end, a scam, and nothing more. He’d try to keep it as low-key as possible so that when the time came for him to end things, they’d have both enjoyed some fun and that would be the end of it.
“What are you cooking?”
She turned her head and smiled, warmth emanating from her cl
ear green eyes. “Spaghetti. You like it?”
“Hell yeah.”
How could watching her stir sauce be so arousing? He adjusted the growing bulge in his jeans. “So, about the differences between men and women…”
She frowned. “Huh?”
Great. And he called himself a writer? About as subtle as a bomb drop there. “Remember what we were talking about after sex? That need for women to be reassured?”
She sipped the sauce off the edge of the spoon and then nodded. “Oh yeah. What about it?”
“What do you think?”
“I think men like to be reassured about their prowess in bed as much as women do. They just approach it differently.”
Now they were really cooking. “How do you mean?”
Lara leaned her hip against the counter. “Women want to know that we’ve pleased our man. We also want to be held, stroked and cuddled. To know that we matter to the man who just made love to us. That he wants to be there, that he isn’t already thinking of the football game that starts in ten minutes.”
Good thing there hadn’t been a game on today. Not that he’d have cared. What man in his right mind would trade great sex for sports?
“For a man, he wants to be told that he made the earth move for us, that we came. Other than that, they don’t need anything else, and in fact they would prefer we just shut up and not say a thing.”
“I don’t agree.” Even though he did. But the article would have to be a difference of opinion and how the different sexes think about things. This was as good enough a starting subject as any. “I think men worry about all kinds of things after sex. They just aren’t as vocal as women.”
“Men want to hop out of bed and forget about it as quickly as they possibly can,” she countered.
“And women want to talk about every sexual episode for weeks on end.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “You may be right there.”
Aha, agreement at last. He pressed the issue. “In fact, women will share every sordid detail of the sex act with their friends. How big was his dick, how long did he last, what he did with his hands, his mouth, how many times he made her come. Men just say they got laid and leave it at that.”
“Wrong, bucko. Men are just as descriptive as women. They just don’t couch it in flowery terms. They’ll talk about her tits, her ass, her pussy, whether it was tight or loose, how good she is at oral sex, how much she participates when fucking.” She pointed the spoon at him. “So don’t give me that crap about how men just tell their friends they got laid. I’ve done my homework on that subject.”
They argued throughout dinner, then washed the dishes together and argued more. But at no time was she irritated or angry. In fact, Lara seemed stimulated throughout their entire debate. She smiled, she laughed, she pushed her point home but always listened to his side.
Hell, if there were more women like her maybe he would think about settling down someday. And that thought made him want to run like hell.
It was late. He had to get out of there, regroup mentally, and then press home his attack tomorrow.
He planted a kiss on her nape, loving the way she purred against him when he touched her. “I need to go.”
She wiped the suds from her hands and grabbed for a towel, then turned around and offered a bright smile. “Okay. I know you have family stuff to do. Sorry to take up so much of your time tonight.”
“Hey. Would you knock that off? I loved being with you. Quit apologizing.”
“Bossy as hell, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. And I like you when you show a little sass, too.”
She grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She opened the door for him. A summer breeze had picked up, signaling rain. The wind whipped her dress and lifted the skirt up to her thighs. She fought the dress and her hair. God, he wanted to grab her, kiss her and carry her to the bedroom. For a guy who rarely had sex with a woman more than once or twice, the desire he felt for Lara unnerved him.
He’d better leave and now, before he changed his mind and ended up staying.
Forever.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, wildcat.”
When he kissed her, she jumped back. “Oh, not tomorrow. I’m giving a lecture at the college.”
He arched a brow. “Oh yeah? Where and what time?”
“Biology department’s lecture hall. Room four twenty. At seven.”
“Maybe I’ll pop in.”
She gazed at him as if he were some giant puzzle she couldn’t quite fit the pieces to. “I’d like that.”
After she shut the door, he nearly ran to his car, feeling safe once he’d gotten inside and locked the doors.
Lara McKenzie had woven some magical spell around him and turned him into a lovesick idiot. Already he missed her. He couldn’t wait to see her again, to inhale her sweet fragrance and listen to the sound of her voice when she spoke. He wanted to touch her skin, feel her long legs wrapped around him and sink so deeply inside her that he’d never surface again.
Christ! He’d known her a week and he was pussy-whipped already. If it weren’t for the articles he had to convince her to write with him, he’d be running as far away from her as he could.
Chapter Seven
Lara tried not to scan the crowd for Mark’s face, but couldn’t help herself. Unfortunately, the bright lights of the auditorium hid most of the faces from her view.
She cleared her throat and answered the question that had just been asked. “Human sexuality has always been a mystery. Both objective in the biological aspect and subjective in the personal or emotional aspect, you can look at a subject from ten different angles, ask any man or woman the same question and you will never get the same answer. Sexuality is an individualistic as appearance. No one short of twins looks the same as anyone else, and no one’s sexuality can be summed up by any expert or study. The best you can hope for is an average. The experience itself is unique for every individual, every time.”
Her answer reminded her of yesterday’s lively argument with Mark. Heat raced through her body as she recalled every intimate moment they’d spent together. She’d even found herself dressing tonight to please him, hoping he’d be here. Where typically she’d wear ankle-length flowing skirts and a loose blouse, tonight she wore one of the trim designer suits Nancy had insisted she buy.
“Any more questions?” she asked, glancing up at the clock. Two hours of lecture, questions and answers. Not bad. And the room was filled to capacity.
When no one else responded, she said, “Thank you so much for your time.”
Applause rang out and she smiled, spoke with a few people, then began to gather her presentation materials.
“You look sexy as hell in that suit.”
She whirled around to find Mark grinning at her. Her palms began to sweat and her heart jackhammered against her ribs. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I figured wolf whistles during your speech would be inappropriate.”
She couldn’t hold back her smile. “Probably.”
“But I thought about it.”
His compliment warmed her. “So, how did I do?”
He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. “I disagreed with most of what you said.”
She smirked. “Then I must have done well with my presentation.”
He laughed and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. “I missed you.”
“I just saw you yesterday.”
“Ah, casting me aside like a used rubber already, are you?”
Lara threw her head back and laughed. Who was this woman who laughed with a gorgeous man, who felt sexy as hell in her short skirt and thigh-high stockings? This wasn’t the Lara McKenzie she knew.
And yet, she felt okay. Better than okay. Fantastic. Desirable, even. For the first time in her life.
“Hey, I need to ask you a question,” Mark said.
“Sure.”
“Have you told your boyfri
end about us?”
Boyfriend? What boyfriend? “Huh?”
He rolled his eyes at her. “You know. Bob.”
Oh, God. “Uh, don’t worry about Bob.”
“Oh, but I do. I don’t want to be rolling around in your bed and have Bob storm in and catch us.”
She choked back her snort. “That won’t happen. Trust me.”
“I think you should at least tell him you’re dating someone else.”
Dating? They were dating?
“I need to tell you about Bob,” she said, wondering how she was going to explain this, and hoping he had a sense of humor about the whole thing.
Mark let go of her and sat on the desk. “Okay, tell me.”
Where to begin. Should she laugh it off, or approach it seriously followed by an apology for misleading him? “There is no Bob.”
He arched a brow. “Huh?”
“There is no Bob. He doesn’t exist.”
“You made him up.”
“No. Well, sort of.”
When his eyes narrowed, she knew he wasn’t finding this amusing. Might as well get it over with. “Bob is an acronym.”
“For?”
This was going to be painfully embarrassing. “Battery-Operated Boyfriend.”
It took him a few seconds, then he threw his head back and laughed so loud she was afraid the other lecture halls were going to hear him.
“Your boyfriend is a vibrator?”
He laughed like a damn hyena, and wouldn’t stop. Glaring at him, she said, “Really, it’s not that funny.”
“No, it’s not just funny, Lara, it’s goddamn hysterical! I can’t believe you told me that. His, or rather, its name is going to be in the article, too.”
Oh, hell.
“Care to explain why you told me you had a boyfriend?”
Not really. “You asked. I didn’t want to seem, I don’t know, like a loser.” Which she really was and now he knew it.
“Just because you aren’t dating anyone exclusively doesn’t mean you’re a loser, babe. I’m not involved with anyone, either.”
Which meant he didn’t think what was between the two of them could be classified as involvement. “I see.” She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but she could tell from the way he tilted his head that he read her body language.