Desire: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by R. R. Banks

  We both eased a step closer to one another and the front of my body brushed against his, tightening my nipples and causing my belly to tremble. He rested his hand on the back of my hip and pulled me close so my breasts crushed against his chest and the barely-there wisps of downy hair at the apex of my thighs teased his legs. I knew that he was growing harder and thicker and he tightened his hips slightly to nestle his erection into the softness of my belly. I gasped slightly and Noah deepened the kiss. I relaxed into him, wanting to bring him with me into the same euphoric desire where my mind and body were existing. My mouth opened further and our tongues tangled. I ran my hands along his arms and up over his tight, hard shoulders to wrap my arms around his neck, tightening to stabilize me as my body shivered with anticipation of more of his touch. Though I desperately wanted him, I didn’t feel urgent. We had so far to go, so much more to discover, and I didn’t want to sacrifice even the smallest detail of it.

  I broke the kiss and turned to take a bar of soap from the dish attached to the wall. I rubbed it between my palms, bringing the translucent bar into a rich, fresh-smelling lather. I touched it to his chest and ran it along his body, wanting to nurture him in a way that I had never done for anyone else. When I finished and placed the soap back in its dish, Noah stepped forward again and captured my mouth with his.

  He lowered himself to his knees in the several inches of water that had gathered in the bottom of the tub and used his hands on my hips and the pressure of his mouth to guide me down with him. As we nearly reached the bottom of the tub, he turned me so that I settled between his legs and rested back to lie on his chest. I tucked my head back against him and he leaned down to touch a kiss to my cheekbone. Wanting to feel more of his skin, I rested my hands on his thighs on either side of me and ran them down to his knees and then back up to his hips. Noah reciprocated by resting his hands on the front of my shoulders and easing them down so that the tips of his fingers brushed the swells of my breasts. He moved them down to cover both with his palms and knead into my soft flesh.

  I turned my head and pressed a trail of kisses along the side of his neck, occasionally allowing the tip of my tongue to glaze across his skin. Noah continued drawing his hands down my body, feeling the soft wetness of my skin beneath his palms. They glided smoothly and easily, promising me deeper and more luscious indulgence. His fingertips touched the valley between my hipbones and I felt my belly tremble. I parted my legs slightly and his fingers dipped lower, slipping across my tight pearl. I gasped and Noah ran his fingers lower. I was already hot and open, my body becoming wetter with each second that he touched me. He gathered some of my hot fluids and brought it to my clit, concentrating his attention in small circles that left me gasping and clutching at his thighs with my fingers, trying to hold onto my control and keep the experience going.

  The writhing of my body caused my back to rub against his hardened cock, stimulating it even further until it felt harder, only pushing me further into my nearly overwhelming arousal. His hand slipped through my delicate folds, coaxing me forward, and I grabbed his wrist to still his hand.

  "Is something wrong?" he whispered.

  I shook my head.

  "No," I said, barely able to catch my breath enough to speak. "I just don't want it to be over yet."

  Noah smiled and leaned down to kiss the curve of my shoulder.

  "It won't be," he said softly, drawing his lips up the side of my neck to nibble lightly on my earlobe. "I promise."

  For a few moments, we lay still in the water, allowing the hot stream to rain down on us. We were silent as if lost in our own thoughts of what was happening. I reached forward and turned off the shower, then pulled the stopper out of the drain. The water began to slip away, and the more that disappeared, the higher my anticipation crept.

  I stood and carefully stepped out of the tub onto the soft bathmat. I reached for one of the towels stacked on a wooden shelf along the wall. Noah followed close behind me and I drew in a breath as he stepped past me toward the towels, letting his body brush against mine. Now dry, I dropped my towel to the floor and took the one out of Noah's hand. I dried his shoulders and moved the towel down each arm. As I reached his hands I turned each over in mine, carefully drying along his fingers and kissing the center of his palm.

  I could feel his breath becoming shallower and his heartbeat against his chest as I ran the towel across it, drying the droplets that clung to his skin. His erection was pressing toward me as I dried his hips and I couldn't pull my eyes away from it as I slowly lowered myself to my knees to dry his thighs. My heart was drumming so hard in my chest that I could feel it in my throat as I dried down to his ankles and along his feet before coming up and focusing my attention on the thick, beautiful cock that seemed to be waiting for me. I heard Noah draw in a breath.

  I touched a kiss to his belly and nuzzled my nose into the trail of thick, coarse hair that ran from his navel down to the apex of his thighs. The lightly sweet smell, clean of the soap I had used to wash him mixed with the unmistakable scent of his skin. Noah's hand touched the back of my head, his fingers lightly combing through my hair. It wasn't a demand, but I craved what the touch suggested just as much as I knew he did. I rested the towel to the floor and ran my hand up the back of his leg to hold the backs of his thighs, stabilizing myself while also drawing closer to him. I stroked along his length with my fingertips, starting at the base and traveling up until they reached the engorged, shining head. A droplet of crystalline fluid had gathered there and I couldn't resist touching it. It gathered on my fingertips and I massaged it into his skin. The soft groan that escaped his lips made my desire even more intense and I rested his thick shaft on my palm, wrapping my fingers around it to hold it firmly. I glided my hand along it in long, firm strokes and my mouth watered.

  I let my tongue touch the base of his erection and drew it up along the bottom to the tip, swirling it around the head before tracing the same path back down. I looked up, expecting to see Noah with his eyes closed or his head thrown back as he lost himself in the attention that I was giving him. Instead, he was gazing down at me, watching me softly and intently. It made him seem fully engaged in me and the connection that was building between us rather than just the pleasure that I was giving him. I opened my mouth and took his cock in until I couldn’t accommodate more, then grasped the base and withdrew it slowly.

  Noah cradled the base of my head with one hand and I allowed the gentle support to guide me into the smooth rhythm that he desired. The tip of his erection touched my throat and he let out a grunt, tightening his grip on my head so that I pulled my mouth away from him.

  "Now you're the one who needs to stop," he said breathlessly.

  My body stroked his as I rose to my feet and the tips of our noses touched. Noah nuzzled mine and I ran my tongue along his lips. Beside us, our hands met and our fingers intertwined. Our breath mingled and I looked into his eyes, waiting for him to guide me further, to show me what incredible discovery he could introduce me to. Noah released one of my hands and led me out of the bathroom and into the room that had been mine for several weeks now. I relished the private world that I knew we were sharing without any other guests so that I could indulge completely in Noah.

  Noah stepped up behind me and molded his body to mine, making me feel enveloped by him and I melted into the warmth of his skin. He took my hips into his hands and turned me in them so that I wrapped my arms around his neck, catching his lips with mine. Our mouths opened and we explored each other, becoming more passionate with each passing moment. I felt Noah walking backwards, drawing me toward my pristinely made bed. I gasped as he pulled away from the kiss and turned me so that he could lay me down.

  Noah lowered himself to his knees on the floor and I felt his hand touch the center of my chest as if feeling for my heartbeat. He stroked down my body until his fingertips settled into the valley between my hipbones. His thumb dipped into the hot, wet folds of my core and he massaged my clit with the pad. T
he sensation rocketed through me and I cried out. Almost instantly Noah's mouth replaced his thumb. His tongue delved into me, then he slowed down again, tracing through each of the tender petals to ensure that the tip of his tongue stroked every accessible inch of me.

  I dug my fingers into Noah's hair, at once holding him closer to my body to create more of the delicious sensation and pulling him away to provide relief from the intensity of that same feeling. My legs shook on either side of him and I felt nearly overwhelming pressure starting to build through my hips, thighs, and stomach, telling me I wouldn't be able to maintain my control for much longer. My back arched and I let out a sound between a gasp and a scream. Noah responded to my desperation by standing and turning my body so that I lay with my head rested on the pillows. I opened my arms to him and he stretched his body across mine, pressing our skin together from shoulder to entangled feet.

  Noah slowed down again, spending a few minutes kissing me languidly, his hands stroking through my hair as he balanced with his elbows on either side of my head. I drew my legs out from beneath him and parted them so that his hips could settle between my thighs. I could feel the tip of his erection nudging at my core and I tilted my hips toward it. Noah gave a soft moan and rested his forehead against mine. I ran my hands along the firm muscles of his back until he opened his eyes to look at me.

  He gazed at me for a few seconds and then climbed off of the bed. I watched as he walked back into the bathroom and then returned holding a condom. It was already out of the package and Noah came to the side of the bed so that I could watch as he settled it onto the head of his erection and eased it down. Watching him created a stronger reaction in me than it had before and I bit down into my lower lip. He climbed back onto the bed and positioned himself over me.

  I stroked his face with mine, encouraging it upward until our eyes met again. Remaining propped on his elbows so that our bodies created a close space of indulgence, Noah flexed his hips and sank into me gradually. My eyes fluttered closed at the pure, visceral delight of my walls welcoming him. I felt Noah's mouth come to the soft place beneath my ear, close enough that I could feel his lips brushing against my skin.

  I shuddered with pleasure as my body relaxed around him and Noah started to move. He rolled his hips slowly, sinking into me a little deeper with each stroke. When he was fully within me, I could feel his hipbone grinding against mine. His pace increased only slightly as my body molded to him and my hot, slick fluids made his thrusts smooth and dizzyingly intense. The attention that he had lavished on me with his fingers and his tongue had left me just on the brink of oblivion and now he felt masterful and strong over me, starting my intense spiral upwards within moments.

  Noah's velvety, rhythmic sounds told me that he was there with me, seeming to transcend what was happening around them until it was only us, existing on a separate plane from everything else. In that moment, everything felt right. In the chaos that I felt like my life had turned into, it seemed I had found my calm.

  I dug my fingers into Noah's back as the sensations within me continued to grow more and more powerful, going beyond anything that I ever thought was possible, until I could no longer control my shaking. Noah lifted up so that he balanced on his hands to give himself more leverage. This allowed him to pump into me faster and harder. A final thrust hit the most sensitive point within me and I screamed out as my orgasm tore through my body and the tension that had built within me shattered and dissolved in a cascade of tremors. Almost immediately Noah let out a deep growl and I felt his cock throb inside me. Each of my contractions met one of his pulses, drawing him deeper as he spilled into me, corresponding our pleasure until it seemed that we were melded on a level beyond just the desire of our bodies.

  Noah lowered himself carefully so that he stretched fully over me again. His weight pressing down on me was soothing and I drew in another breath, filling my lungs with the smell of him, now mixed with the smell of our bodies together. I could feel his heartbeat reaching out to mine through his chest and it acted like a lullaby, soothing and quieting me into a blissful sleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  Snow

  I stared through the window on my oven door at the dough that was trying to rise. It didn’t look like it was changing much and I tried to figure out what I had done wrong. I gave a sigh of frustration and stomped back into the living room, tossing myself onto the couch. It had been a longer stretch between stays at the cottage because I had left immediately after my date with Noah, returning home two days sooner than I usually would have. It wasn’t the date that had made me leave. That had been the most wonderful date that I could have imagined and I had revisited it several times in my dreams since leaving. It was the conversation when we woke up that had pushed me to leave and return here so that I could hide.

  Waking up in Noah’s arms had felt incredible. It simply felt right to feel his skin against mine and to roll over and look into his face in the first moments of the day. Almost immediately, though, things had changed.

  “Tell Fawn that you don’t want to finish. Tell her that you’ve decided that it isn’t right for you and that you’d rather just go home and not come back.”

  “I can’t do that, Noah.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not? You know why not. I signed a contract.”

  “So? Just like Fawn said, this experience is supposed to be all about you. It’s not for anyone else, including her. You’re calling the shots, which means that you can leave at any time.”

  “What if I don’t want to leave?”

  “What?”

  “Noah, I didn’t sign up for this retreat on a whim. It might seem like I did, but it wasn’t an easy decision for me. I thought a lot about it and I am very serious about my decision. This is something that I need to do. I need to see it through.”

  I couldn’t stop thinking about the pain in Noah’s eyes as he got out of the bed and dressed, leaving the room without even saying goodbye. It saddened me to see the hurt in his stare, but it also made me angry. I had started this quest with a specific purpose in mind, and I felt like Noah was trying to lead me away from it. I wanted him to understand what I was doing and that it didn’t have anything to do with him.

  The knock on my door startled me and I had to look through the peephole before I realized that with all of my concentration on why I had made the right decision to start this experience and to continue it, I had lost track of the days and forgotten that it was nearly time to return to the cottage. I brought the box into my house and sat down to read the note.

  “Shine like a diamond.”

  I opened the box and found a long white dress. A slit that looked long enough to come up to my hip was accented by a glittering rhinestone brooch and the same light-catching details lined shoulder straps that created a complex web pattern at the back of the dress. The shoes that were into the bottom of the box had the stones along all of the straps, completing the theme. I carried the dress into my bedroom to hang it up and started to pack my bag for the next day’s journey to the cottage. I didn’t know what to expect when I got there. For the first time, I hoped that I wasn’t going to run into Noah.

  “Oh, no,” I murmured as the limo pulled to a stop.

  The door opened but I didn’t move.

  “That’s where I’m going?” I asked, pointing to the building in front of us.

  “Yes,” the chauffer said.

  “It doesn’t happen to say the name of the man I’m supposed to be meeting, does it?”

  “No, just the address.”

  “Great.”

  I swung my legs out of the car and let him help me stand up. The dress was tight at my waist and then grazed along my legs to my ankles, but just as I had expected, the slit was long enough to nearly reach my waist when I sat down. I adjusted it carefully, feeling incredibly self-conscious and aware of the eyes that might be on me now. I stepped onto the red carpet that led down between rows of plush velvet ropes and took a step toward
the building. As if someone had been watching, the door opened and a man stepped out. I didn’t want to look like I was staring at him, but I needed to get a better view of his face. The lights outside the building hadn’t been completely turned on yet, though I knew that soon they would be as this area filled with crowds of hopefuls wanting to get inside the exclusive, hallowed walls of The Diamond Mine.

  The man took a step toward me and I nearly sobbed with relief at seeing that it was not Anthony, the man who had dealt with me while I was building the marketing campaign for this nightclub. He came closer and I saw that this man was slightly older than Anthony and darker in coloring than Anthony’s hazel eyes and light brown hair.

  “Good evening,” he said. “I’m Damien. Welcome to The Diamond Mine.”

  “Thank you,” I said, accepting the quick, friendly embrace that Damien offered.

  “This is truly my labor of love. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.”

  He crooked his elbow and I took it to allow him to escort me up the red carpet to the door.

  “Do you own this place?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

  “Yes,” he said. “It’s only been open a few months, but it has already been extremely successful.”

  Yeah, because I created the advertising campaign for it.

  I thought back to my interactions with Anthony and realized that he had never actually said that he owned The Diamond Mine. I had just assumed that he was and never mentioned it to give him the chance to correct me. Anthony had only showed me pictures of the club as I built the campaign and it felt strange to be actually walking through those images now. I had to admit as Damien guided me through the first large room that the pictures didn’t do the actual club justice. Though he had put effort into capturing the theme and showing me the exquisite custom details that had been installed in the multiroom space, he hadn’t been able to show me just how much they had made the club resemble the network of chambers and corridors of a diamond mine. The walls were textured to look like rough carved stone and illuminated faceted glass embedded within them created the appearance of gems while casting mysterious ambient light throughout the space. I was genuinely in awe as we walked through it and felt even more proud that the campaign that I had created was bringing success to this extremely worthy venue.