by Desiree Holt
The door closed behind Avery.
“How the hell did I acquire a psycho like this?” Blake asked. “It’s bad enough he’s after me, but to half kill my neighbor in the process is just…is just…damn it!”
“Come on, Blake.” She closed her fingers over his arm, trying to ease the tension. She was afraid if he didn’t take a breath he’d have a stroke. “Why don’t you show me where I’ll be bunking? Then let’s see if your folks have some wine stashed away. I think we both deserve a little stress reliever, and we can talk about how you came to be Blake Morgan.”
She tugged on his arm and he turned toward her. When he did, his gaze locked with hers so intently she couldn’t catch her breath. Hunger and need swirled in his eyes.
“I can think of a better stress reliever,” he growled, before she could say a word. “Please don’t say no. I need you, Sam. Right now. Just you.”
She couldn’t refuse him, not when her own body responded in an instant. From the moment she’d walked into Avery’s office and seen him, from the minute he’d apologized to her and made her aware the chemistry was still there, she’d known she’d have to make this decision sooner or later. Her own dreams all these years had primed her for this.
What happened to putting things on the back burner? I think I am about to make a big mistake here and I can get hurt.
But then he pulled her body flush against his, so tight she could feel every bit of him, from the hard wall of his chest to the thick cock pressing against her mound through the denim of his jeans.
And she lost the argument with herself.
In the next instant, he was claiming her mouth with a desperation that could only have come from the pressure and tension of the day. He was like a man possessed, needing to wipe away everything, block everything out as he immersed himself in her.
If that kiss fifteen years ago had been hot, this one was scorching. Devouring. And she melted into it holding nothing back.
His tongue was liquid fire along the seam of her lips, licking the surface then forcing her to open for him as he thrust inside. He didn’t have to do much forcing, though. She opened for him willingly, knowing this was what he needed but even more what she was willing to give. She took his tongue inside, rubbing her own over it in an erotic dance that seared every part of her body. He tasted like coffee and sunshine and sin.
She dug her fingers into his shoulders, holding on to him for balance as he set fire to every nerve in her body. The hell with all the rules and regulations, all the limits of discipline. They disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The only thing that mattered was this man, now, and the way he made her feel. And his need. Something to counteract the blows he’d taken today.
With his mouth still devouring hers, he slid his hand down her back, tracing her spine then squeezing one cheek of her ass. The movement pulled her even closer to his muscular body, if that was possible.
She wanted to protest when at last he broke the greedy kiss, but then he slid his warm lips along the line of her jaw and tiny shivers raced along the surface of her skin. His kisses, as he trailed them along the tender skin beneath her jaw and down her neck, were almost frantic. He finally placed a hot one in the hollow at the base of her throat, where she knew her pulse was beating like a mad thing, taking a tiny bite before moving his mouth.
When finally he lifted his head, she opened her eyes to find his very hungry gaze locked with hers. Those whiskey brown eyes had darkened to pools of chocolate, the tiny flecks of gold in the irises like flames. With one swift move, he lifted her in his arms, cradling her against his chest.
“This has been brewing for a long time, Samantha Quenel. You have one chance to tell me to stop.” His voice was harsh with barely controlled passion and need. “Just one.”
But for the life of her she couldn’t find the strength to do it.
Chapter 6
If Avery finds out about this I’ll be out on the street or doing security on Easter Island, but I don’t care.
Sam just couldn’t make herself care. Not when the long-suppressed dream of a love-struck teenager was about to come true. Maybe it was just a foolish leftover from her teen years but the circumstances had stayed with her all these years.
Besides, she told herself, Blake needed this right now. Needed her. She could push all her insecurities into an imaginary closet for the time being. This didn’t mean anything more than the fact she was offering him comfort when he needed it.
Yeah, right! Lie to yourself much?
If only she hadn’t made so many bad choices in the past.
But she couldn’t make herself say no, so she just wound her arms around his neck and nipped his chin.
“Okay, then.”
A stairway led off the little foyer and Blake took the steps two at a time. Pressed against his body, Sam inhaled his scent, a heady combination of earthy outdoors and pure male, breathing it into her system already on sensual overload.
He nudged open the second door on the right and carried her into what was obviously his bedroom. She caught a glimpse of the room. A double bed of dark wood was centered on one wall, flanked by two nightstands. On another wall was a desk with shelves above it still holding a collection of books and high school memorabilia. She could tell Anne Morgan had chosen not to make any changes in the room her son had grown up in.
That was all she had time to absorb because Blake stood her next to the bed and began an assault with his mouth again, on her chin, her neck, behind her ears. He grabbed the hem of her shirt, yanked it over her head, and tossed it to the side. The heat of his hands spread through her as he cupped her breasts, squeezing them and pressing his thumbs against the nipples. His mouth was on hers again, hot and insistent, and this time he nipped lightly along the outline of her lips.
Sam felt the tension vibrating in him, the urgency to wipe it all away—today, the past weeks, the notes, and now the brutal assault on his neighbor. Whatever he needed at this moment she would give him, no matter how hot and hard and fast.
But then, abruptly, he lifted his head and took a step back.
Sam frowned, searching his eyes, seeking a clue as to what was happening. “What—”
He held up a hand. “No.”
She stared at him. “No?” Her insides knotted and a chill raced through her. Did he suddenly regret everything he’d said at lunch? Did he think he was making a mistake? Oh, God, it was happening again. What an idiot she was. “I don’t understand. I thought—”
“I meant no, not this way, like some animal.” He shook his head. “Not like this.” He blew out a breath. “You might not believe me, but I’ve thought about this for too many years to go at it like a dog in heat.”
“But I understand,” she protested. “You’ve had a rotten few weeks, topped off by a really rotten day. It’s okay, Blake. Really.” As long as you don’t leave me hanging like this. “If we’re finally going to do this, please don’t walk away.”
The kiss he gave her, just a brush of his lips over hers, was soft as the kiss of a butterfly.
“Oh, we’re going to do this alright. Make no mistake. But we’re going to take it slow, and easy, and enjoy every single minute.”
He sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt before her.
“One inch at a time,” he told her. “That’s how I want to see you. I’ve waited a long time for this and I don’t intend to hurry it.” Then he chuffed a short laugh. “At least I hope I can take my time.”
She noticed he didn’t offer to put her shirt back on. Not that it mattered. She was so hot anyway she didn’t need it to keep her warm.
He slipped off the short ankle boots she wore and set them to the side. Then he cradled each foot in turn, stroking the arch with his thumb, a sensual gesture that sent shivers through her. Even more so was the feeling when he slipped his hands inside the legs of her jeans and rubbed her calves with his
thumbs.
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his face and the hungry look in his eyes. Yes, hungry. That was the only word for it, as if he wanted to eat up every inch of her. Just the thought of it set up a hard throbbing in her sex and made her nipples peak. She wanted to squeeze her legs together but Blake had placed himself squarely between them.
He watched her carefully as he ran his thumbs up and down her skin.
“So soft,” he murmured. “I’d love to taste every inch of you.” He looked up at her. “Maybe I’ll do just that.”
Before she could say or do anything he rose to his feet and yanked her close to him. The heat and hunger in his eyes burned its way inside her, hitting every pulse point and every nerve. Sam couldn’t remember ever being wanted like this before, by anyone. She stood, unable to move, while he eased her jeans over her hips and down her legs, helping her to step out of them. With a very light touch he brushed his knuckles along the lace at the upper edge of her bikini panties. As utilitarian as she dressed for work, underneath it all she refused to give up her sexy lingerie. And Blake’s obvious appreciation made it all the more worthwhile.
She waited for him to slide her panties down her legs but instead he focused for a long time on her breasts and the pink satin and lace bra that contained them. Her nipples were so hard she was sure they were almost poking through the fabric.
Blake cupped them in his palms and brushed his thumbs back and forth over the hard points. Her breasts ached for his touch and her sex throbbed so intensely she wondered why her entire body wasn’t one big pulse.
He moved his big, warm hands down her arms, across her midriff and then to her back. With a deft flick of his fingers he unclasped the bra and added it to the pile. Cupping the mounds in his palms, he brushed his fingers back and forth across the tips already so stiff they were almost painful. When he gave them a light pinch, she sucked in a breath and curled her fingers into her hands. Her legs were shaking and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand up much longer.
Thank the lord Blake moved his hands to her arms, then her shoulders, then to cup her face again. If she’d thought the kiss before was hot, this one was off the charts. His tongue was a live wire, setting her mouth ablaze everyplace it touched. She gave it back as strongly, absorbing the taste of him. By the time he broke the kiss she was shaking with need, and he’d barely touched her!
Nudging her gently, he pushed her back until she was sitting on the bed. With hands she realized were shaking almost as much as hers, he eased the tiny panties down her legs and off. When he parted her thighs and stared at her sex, she suddenly realized what the phrase “eating me up with his eyes” meant.
Blake drew in a deep breath. Then, parting the lips of her sex with his thumbs, he bent his head and slowly licked the length of her slit.
Oh, sweet Jesus!
She nearly came right then. His tongue was hot and slightly rough and he damn sure knew what to do with it. He stroked her wet flesh, tracing lines on either side of her clit before pausing to take a nip of the swollen bud.
“Aaahhhh.”
The sound rolled out of her mouth before she realized it. She tried to thrust her hips up at him, to silently urge him to do more, faster, harder. But it was obvious he had his own agenda.
When he lifted his head to look at her, his lips were wet with her juices and hunger was stamped on his face.
“I’ve waited fifteen years for this, Sam. I’m taking my time.”
And he proceeded to do just that, licking and lapping, nipping at her sensitive clit, running the tip of his finger around her opening. When he thrust his tongue inside her she nearly came off the bed. Blake Morgan was a man who knew how to pleasure a woman, and she didn’t even care how he’d gotten this way. She just didn’t want him to stop what he was doing.
He slipped one finger inside her, curling it so he hit that sweet spot that drove her crazy. Then he added a second finger.
More! She wanted to scream the word at him. Give me more. His slow, steady pace was driving her out of her mind. She gripped the bedclothes with her fists.
She almost yelled No! when he removed his fingers from her wet heat, but in another second he replaced them with his tongue, and his fingers went to work on her clit. God! She could feel the release building inside her, stronger and more intense, until her entire being was focused on that one thing. At that moment he pinched her clit, hard, and she tumbled over the edge, the force of her release shaking her.
He stayed with her all the way, wringing every last drop from her, slowing his strokes as her body began to ease from the grip of her orgasm. Finally she unclenched her hands, felt her entire body go lax. Blake eased his tongue from her body and placed a soft kiss on her clit before raising his head.
He rose to his feet, his eyes still glued to her naked body as he stripped off his own clothing. He paused only long enough to grab a condom from his wallet and drop it on the nightstand.
“I didn’t expect I’d need any more.” He lips curved in a half smile.
“And do you?” She watched him carefully. “Expect to need more?”
Again that heat flashed in his eyes. “Oh, yeah. A lot more. But I don’t think I’ll buy them in town here. I’m probably already the subject of more gossip than I want.”
“Blake, listen.” How did she phrase this? “We aren’t…This isn’t…”
“I wanted to see if this chemistry is real. It is. Maybe this won’t go anywhere at all, but I really want to try. Sam, you starred in so many of my dreams I wondered if I was in an alternate universe and it was real, not imagined.”
“You dreamed about me?”
Now why was that so hard for her to understand? Hadn’t he had a starring role in her own dreams all these years?
He came down over her, his face so close to hers she could count his eyelashes.
“More nights than I can tell you, and that’s no lie.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “But what if that’s all we’ve got between us?”
He brushed his mouth over hers. “Then we’ll enjoy the hell out of it while it lasts. Sam, I don’t want to push you into anything. And I certainly don’t want to screw up your situation at Vigilance. I don’t imagine sex with a client is on the usual checklist.”
She burst out laughing. She couldn’t help herself.
“No, it isn’t. But let me worry about that.” She tried to read the expression on his face. “This was a long time coming, Blake, if you’ll pardon the pun. Like you said, this may be all there is between us. We have no idea where it’s going, or if it’s going. I can still do my job while we satisfy our curiosity. I promise you that.”
“Good.” He placed a kiss on each of her breasts.
“But I don’t want you to feel—”
He touched a finger to her lips. “You let me worry about what I feel. And right now, what I feel is extremely hard and painful if I don’t get inside you in the next ten seconds.”
Naked, he was as magnificent as she’d always imagined except her teenage dreams did not do justice to the mature reality. She figured he had to do more than sit in front of a computer all day, because he was fit and toned. His pecs and abs were hard, the muscles of his arms and legs defined. The hair sprinkled on his chest and scattered on his forearms and legs was a shade darker than the hair on his head, and so soft she wanted to rub herself all over it.
She tried to slide her hand in between his legs, to wrap her fingers around his hot, throbbing cock and feel the soft sac of his balls, but he shook his head.
“Later. After.”
She stared at him, wishing he’d just get on with it. “After what?”
“After I’m inside you.”
He knelt between her legs and lifted them, spreading them wide to give himself both an unobstructed view and a clear path. He placed the head of his shaft at her opening and
slowly eased himself in.
“Look at me,” he commanded as he entered her with a slow stroke, his passage eased by the slickness of her walls.
Again she looked directly into his eyes, and what she saw there made her catch her breath—need, desire, and something else. Something close to desperation. She wanted to make that last disappear. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she locked her ankles at the small of his back. Their bodies now so tight together they moved as one.
As his strokes grew harder, as the tempo increased, she swore she could see right into the heart of his soul. Every nerve in her body fired as she met him thrust for thrust. When they came, together, it was with the force of an explosion, tremors shaking them both. She had no idea how long they lay there, connected, until she finally unwound her legs from his waist and let them fall to the side. Blake placed a soft kiss on her lips and another on the hollow of her throat. Did he feel the hammering of her pulse through the thin layer of skin? Or know how completely he had turned her inside out?
Kissing her one more time, he eased his body from hers and went to dispose of the condom. The perspiration on her skin was drying, taking her body heat with it, so she pulled up the covers and waited to see what he did. Should she get up, act like nothing happened, thank him for some stupendous sex, or what? That one night with him so long ago, that one incredible kiss, had fed years of daydreams, even as she’d hated him for the way he’d treated her afterward. She would take her cue from Blake. That would be the safest thing.
But good lord. Unexpectedly he had touched something deep inside her. If she wasn’t careful she could be in big trouble here. The last thing she needed was to fall in love with Blake Morgan. Their shared past and her personal history was a road strewn with rocky bumps. Want and need battled with common sense and a little bit of fear.
Damn!
When he came back into the room, unselfconscious about his nudity, he lifted the covers and slid into bed beside her. He pulled her against his body, spooning himself around her, one hand cupping her breast. Silence stretched between them. Finally, Blake cleared his throat.