by Lily Graison
The heat returned to her limbs instantly, her body aching to be touched and she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. It’s all she could do.
His hands burnt a trail over her back, his lips sucking at her own before bruising kisses and small nips were peppered across her jaw.
“I wasn’t finished with you,” Devin said. “I’m just getting started.”
His hands were everywhere, his mouth marking her flesh with each kiss and she was powerless to stop him. She was putty in his hands by the time he started pushing her jeans down over her hips.
“Devin,” she said, gulping in air and opening her eyes.
Devin raised his head, looking down the length of her body. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen a naked woman?”
Holly shook her head, unable to speak.
“Over a year. Over a year since anyone has touched me. I want you, Holly. I want to feel you underneath me and taste you when you come.”
“Oh God.”
Seven
Holly managed to get them both out of the shower and dried, wrapping towels around them both, before helping Devin back to the living room.
Awkward silence filled the room and she found it hard to look at him. He wanted to have sex with her and would have been happy to do so in the shower if she would have let him.
She convinced him it was a bad idea. He could barely stand. How in the world was he going to have sex standing up?
He’d bought her explanation with only a mere complaint and moved in on her the second they reached the living room.
She had a brief thought of spending the next few hours sweating and screaming out his name. She was sure that was exactly what he had in mind but where did that leave them then?
There was still over a week of her vacation left. Could she spend it being some wanton fangirl?
She evaded his hands, putting enough distance between them that he couldn’t reach her without taking a few steps on his own.
Her gaze swept over him. His towel hung low on his hips, barely covering what it needed to, and her mouth watered instantly.
Lord knows she wanted to. She’d spend the next week being his plaything and have only one regret. It was the regret she couldn’t get past.
“You’re thinking too hard again,” Devin grinned.
Holly looked away. “I know.”
“What’s going through your head?”
“I just don’t know if I want…”
“Want what?” he asked when she stopped talking.
“If I want to be another notch in your belt,” she said, looking up at him.
“Who says you will be?”
She laughed and shook her head, turning toward the kitchen and going straight for the refrigerator. The contents were the same as they were this morning but she needed something to do besides look at him. He was too distracting.
“I’m not so delusional to know that when I leave here, you’ll probably forget my name by weeks end. I’m just not so sure I can live with that.”
“And if I don’t?”
She smiled and looked over her shoulder. “What’s the name of the last girl you slept with?”
Devin stared at her and had half a mind to just throw a random name out. She had him, and by the look on her face, she knew it. “Does it matter?”
“To me it does,” she said.
He nodded his head and sighed. “All right, you win. I don’t know what her name was. Granted, I barely even remember it I was so drunk, but you wanted to know so there. I don’t know who she was.”
“And do you think she would care that you don’t remember her?”
He shrugged his shoulder.
“I’m not one of your groupies, Devin. I won’t be following you around the country, trying to get your attention so I can confess my love or proposition you for a night you’ll never forget. When this is all said and done, I’ll go back to L.A., back to my boring job, and that will be it. I may think about you every now and again but I won’t debase myself by chasing after you with some delusion that you actually care about me. I know what this is. It’s sex. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“People do it all the time, Holly. You can’t tell me you’ve never had meaningless sex before.” He smirked, but it died a second later when she turned her head.
Was she serious?
“Holly?” When she didn’t move, Devin tried to take a step toward her. It hurt like hell, but he made it to the sofa before stopping.
She shut the refrigerator door and turned. “I need to get dressed. Do you need anything?”
He didn’t answer her and she took that as a sign he didn’t before darting up the stairs. He stood there, staring up at the loft wondering what went wrong. One minute she was screaming his name and coming in his hand, the next, scurrying off like a scared rabbit.
He sighed and shook his head. “I must be losing my touch.”
****
Despite his mood when Holly disappeared upstairs, Devin was now on cloud nine. He’d dressed and grabbed his guitar when she practically ran from the room earlier and he hadn’t seen her since.
He took his frustrations out on the instrument, playing every hard note he could think of until his fingers ached and his raging hormones had calmed.
Now, he sat staring at the song he’d been working on. The one so much different from anything he’d ever written before and it was finished. Finished because of her. Devin had sat there, thinking of her, and the song he’d been playing with just flowed like rich wine. He thought of her face, the way she felt in his arms, and the sound of his name whispered from her lips and there it was. A finished song. His first in close to two years.
All because of her.
He looked up to the loft. She had yet to come down. He’d lost track of time, the sun setting without his knowledge, and the room had darkened.
Laying his guitar aside, he stood from the sofa, and hobbled toward the fireplace. He had a fire blazing and was just adding more wood when he heard her.
He turned his head, looking toward the stairs. She stopped when she reached the bottom and looked over at him.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry for what?”
“For what happened.”
He tilted his head to the side, watching her look at anything but him before standing. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Holly.”
Her shoulders slumped.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” he said. “I lured you into that shower with every intention of seducing you.”
She smiled. “You aren’t nearly as charming as you think you are.”
“Yes I am,” he grinned. “Worked didn’t it?”
Holly rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen. She heard him chuckle softly and forced herself not to look back at him.
“Admit it, princess. I had you.”
She laughed but kept her back to him. “Do you want canned ravioli or microwaved chicken?”
“Neither.”
“Well, you starve, I guess.” She did glance over her shoulder then. He was smiling at her and she couldn’t think of anything but how he felt pressed against her body.
She’d hid in the loft all day, listening to him play his guitar and could hear his anger. She heard it in every angry pull of the strings, the songs he was playing, and then…he stopped.
He stopped and grew quiet. Long minutes she waited. Waited for him to climb the stairs, throw her over his shoulder, and have his wicked way with her, but he hadn’t. He started playing again instead.
The song he played held her spellbound. She’d never heard it before and she found herself easing toward the railing, hiding behind the wall, and listening to every note. The song was beautiful and she’d wanted to run down the stairs and sit at his feet and just watch him play it.
She hadn’t of course. She’d already made a fool of herself and she wasn’t about to go there again.
Reaching into the freezer,
she pulled the chicken entree out and removed the top, reading the directions before popping it in the microwave.
He was still watching her when she turned around.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said.
“Then why are you staring at me?”
He grinned.
“Do I even want to know what you’re thinking?” she asked.
“Probably not,” he laughed.
“You have a one track mind.”
“Can’t help it,” he said. “I told you how long it’s been.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true. I was forced into that clinic with no way to escape. There wasn’t anyone there worth fucking.”
“God, do you even think before you speak?” she laughed.
“Not usually.” He rolled his tongue behind his teeth and she laughed louder when he titled his head and gave her a look that said more than words ever could. Turned down twice in one day and he was still trying.
“You’re impossible.”
“Impossible to resist,” he said. “Now stop torturing yourself and come here.”
“I have to watch the chicken,” she said. “Besides, I never said I wanted you.”
“But you do.” His silky voice floated over her skin and Holly forced her body not to react to it.
He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing briefly before he looked back at her. “I can almost smell how bad you want me.”
She sighed, uninterestedly. “Delusional.”
“I’ll come and get it myself.”
She laughed. “The floor is yours, hop-along. Have at it.”
Holly was mildly shocked when he took a small step toward her. She watched him, each small step taken with care until he was half way across the room.
She backed up without thought and stopped only when her back hit the kitchen counter.
That ankle couldn’t hurt as bad as he let on because he was standing in front of her before she had time to think about running.
His hands grabbed the cabinet on either side of her, trapping her within his arms and his body flush with hers an instant later.
“Now, what’s this I hear about you not wanting me?”
Holly swallowed hard, staring up into those bright green eyes. “I don’t,” she squeaked out.
“Don’t what?” he asked, lowering his head. His lips hovered just above hers. She could feel his breath on her skin and she licked her lips unconsciously. “I want to hear you say it. I won’t believe you until you do.”
She wanted to say it. Was screaming it inside her head but the words never came. She opened her mouth, tried to get what she was thinking to come out but…nothing.
He grinned, dipped his head, and and in the next second was kissing her.
The heat from earlier returned with a vengeance. His scent clouded her senses and the feel of his body pressed against her caused the tingle to start low in her stomach and spread like wildfire.
She moaned, her knees weakening when his tongue made a slow twist inside her mouth. He took his time, tasting and sucking at her lips, causing the hair on her arms to stand and goose bumps to pimple her flesh.
He kissed her near breathless, her body screaming for his touch.
The kiss was broke suddenly and she looked up, staring at him through lust filled eyes. He was grinning, his tongue caught between his teeth.
He raked his eyes down her chest, her nipples hardening as if he’d actually touched her, and she almost begged him to do it. Anything to make the ache in her body stop.
“Tell me you want me.”
He raised his hand, his knuckles brushing her cheek in a soft caress before one long finger trailed down her jaw to the top of her shirt. He pulled the material out, looking down her shirt before lowering his hand to the top of her left breast.
The ache intensified, her stomach twisting and her pussy convulsing. God she wanted him. She wanted him inside her, filling her, the warmth of his flesh pressing her into the ground.
She swallowed and moistened her lips. Something intense flashed behind his eyes and she knew. Knew when she said the words, her world would shift. She’d drown in him and never find her way back out.
“I want you.” It came out as a soft whisper but the smoldering flames in his eyes grew the minute she said it. She was in his arms the next second, gasping for breath and holding on for dear life as he kissed her stupid.
Their dinner was forgotten, hands clinging to the other as they stumbled into the living room.
She looked up at him when he stopped in the middle of the floor. Her heart pounded against her rib cage. The wood popped and hissed in the fireplace, shadows dancing along the walls, and she took a shaky breath when he dipped his head toward her.
He kissed her jaw, his tongue tasting the skin of her neck, and her eyes closed when his hand found its way inside her shirt.
She took deep breaths to calm her nerves, letting everything go except for what he was doing. The feel of hands on her, the soft brush of his lips, and the hardness of his body against hers left her trembling.
He lifted her shirt, pulling it up her body. She raised her arms and waited.
Devin pulled the material over her head but stopped at her elbows, trapping her arms inside . His fingers skimmed her flesh and left a trail of tingles in their wake. He unhooked her bra, lifted it in the same manner he had her shirt and stopped before completely removing that garment as well.
She stood, arms trapped over her head, bound within her shirt and bra.
The zipper on her jeans was pulled down; the denim sliding over her hips and Holly trembled when he pushed them down her legs, her eyes closing as her breathing increased.
Devin’s lips followed the denim, skating over her thighs. “Open your eyes.”
She did, looking down at him. He sat on his knees, his gaze roaming her flesh. She felt every sweep across her skin like a soft touch.
He buried his face in her stomach, kissing every inch of her, his hands roaming her body and Holly couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Devin Shaw was on his knees at her feet, kissing her like she was something precious.
The tremble in her legs started again when he grabbed the side of her panties, pulling them down to pool at her feet with her jeans. She stepped out of them when he lifted her leg and she stood before him, naked, and shivering with anticipation.
Her arms were still over her head. She tried to lower them but stopped when Devin told her not to.
He helped her to her knees before lying her back on the rug.
“Close your eyes and don’t move,” he said.
Holly did as asked, gasping softly when she felt the press of his lips on the underside of her left breast. His tongue lapped at it, his hot breath tickling her skin, and her body burned for more.
He sucked her nipple into his mouth, his hand trailing down her body to cup her pussy.
Devin left a trail of hot, wet kisses across her body and soft words she couldn’t hear clearly were whispered against her flesh.
He parted her thighs and she tensed.
Not a sound could be heard for long minutes and Holly opened her eyes. Devin sat between her legs, his gaze roaming over her form. He said nothing, just sat there staring at her.
He looked up, locking eyes with her and smiled. It was the most genuine smile she’d seen.
Her left leg was lifted and Devin never broke eye contact with her. He kissed the inside of her knee, his tongue extending to taste her skin. A series of languid kisses caressed her thigh, his lips moving closer to the heat between her legs.
When he reached his destination, Holly watched him. He leaned forward, blew hot air on his treasure, and sucked her into his mouth.
Holly gasped at the first flick of his tongue. Her eyes fluttered, her head falling back to the floor.
He worked her with his lips, his tongue licking at her until she couldn’t think, until time stopped and nothing was left but him, and what he w
as doing to her.
Devin brought her body to the point of rapture before he’d stop, bathe her in soft kisses, and start all over again. She was trembling with need, her breath panted out unevenly and she wanted to scream when he stopped completely.
She looked up at him. He sat up on his knees, staring at her body before he turned his head, looking toward the couch. She followed his gaze, seeing nothing but his bags, and watched him lean over, reaching for one before dragging it to him.
He rummaged through it, turning his head to her and smiled as he held up a condom.
She grinned. “Do all men carry condoms?”
“The smart ones do,” he said, crawling back to her.
He sat on his knees at her feet and unsnapped his jeans, his eyes locked with hers. Holly bit her lip as she watched him.
His hardened flesh was revealed to her moments later and she untangled her hands from her shirt and bra as he pushed the pants over his feet.
Holly sat up, running trembling fingers over his legs. She watched his face, smiling to herself when she smoothed one finger over the head of his cock. His eyes closed, a small sound coming from deep in his throat.
She stroked him, watching the pull of flesh in her hands before glancing at his face. His lips were parted, his breath coming faster the longer she manipulated him, and Holly doubled her efforts, stroking him faster before lowering her head, laying a soft kiss on his balls.
He gasped, his body jerking in her hand when she extended her tongue, licking the soft flesh and heard her name whispered past his lips.
He looked down at her then, bending at the waist and kissing her, forcing her onto her back. He fumbled with the condom and settled between her thighs moments later.
There was no preamble, no soft words. Just Devin, his cock probing her entrance and in one quick movement, he filled her, tearing a shocked gasp from her lips.
She moaned at the sensation, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as he buried his face in her hair. Small grunts, his hands gripping her hips, and he bore into her like a man starved.
It was bruising, each stroke of his cock sending shocks up her spine and pulling sounds of pleasure from her throat. She held on, raising her legs, and holding him in place with her knees.