In the Still of the Night

by Samantha Lucas

  She looked away. Mica couldn't, however, stand for her to doubt him. He cupped her cheeks in his palms, dragging her gaze back to him. “We will."

  She stared at him for so long he swore he felt as if they'd merged. Then her body trembled and tears filled her eyes. Mica did the only thing he could think of—he swept her from her feet into his bed and held her close while she cried her heart out.

  Jayden couldn't remember the last time she'd cried, but it had to have been at least ten years ago. Crying was a waste of time, a luxury she never allowed herself. Now, though, in the safety of Mica's arms, her walls crumbled and seven years’ worth of tears fell all over the poor man.

  In the three years since she'd lost her ability to speak, not once had she even cared. She hadn't wanted to say a word to anyone, so not being able to had been convenient. It wasn't convenient now. Now there were things she wanted to tell this man who'd rescued her, needed to tell him for his own good, but the damn words wouldn't cross the threshold of her larynx.

  He wanted her. Even now, while she emptied her soul of tears, she felt his cock, deliciously hard, prodding her. God help her, it turned her on. She wanted him.. Yearned to have sex this one time, simply for the joy of it. But how could she do that to him when she had to leave in the morning and they'd never see one another again?

  Of course, he was a guy. Maybe he'd be relieved when he awoke in the morning to an empty bed, his stupid mute girl gone. No hassles, no strings. She snuggled in closer to him, as if she could somehow climb right inside him and be safe for a while.

  While this was a nice interlude, not for one second did she forget they were looking for her. She wasn't even so stupid as to think she could outrun them forever, but she wasn't going back, no matter what. She had one thing she had to try and do. After that, they could kill her.

  Fuck Lorenzo. Fuck all of them.

  She wouldn't go back, and tonight ... Her hand ran up alongside his neck into his hair as she breathed in his inebriating, masculine scent. Tonight she'd give herself one last time. This time to someone of her own choice.

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  Chapter Three

  "Christ, honey, you need to stop.” Mica took her slender fingers in his to end her cock-hardening tantalization of his neck. “More to the point, I need you to stop.” He rubbed his neck as a short bark of nervous laughter escaped him. Kissed her fingers and tried to remember all the reasons why intimacy at this point—in what any sane person wouldn't even begin to call a relationship—was a bad idea.

  Mica tipped her chin up to dab tear remnants from her cheeks. His heart ached even as his penis jerked and begged for freedom. In his imagination, her hand gripped the thickness of his still-stiffening cock and stroked and squeezed, driving him to the brink of madness. He groaned and made an attempt to leave the intimacy of the bed.

  Her whimper undid him.

  She clung to him, her free hand cupping his cheek. Her gaze met his, heavy with desire and a need that mirrored his own.

  "Honey, we can't. As much as I want to, we can't."

  Her eyes took on an edge of desperation, but he pulled away. Moved off the bed before she got to him completely. She sat up, his shirt sliding from one shoulder. Mica bit back another groan, barely restraining the urge to sink his teeth into her perfect skin. To suck and bite and have them both so hot...

  No.

  Facing the windows didn't help. The soft lilac scent of the bath oil still lingered. He couldn't stop picturing her in his mind. Her ass outlined by his tee, one pale shoulder slipping free. Her naked on top of him, eyes closed in pleasure as she rode him, long hair covering her breasts. He held back a groan.

  Oh God, I'm such a goner.

  Delicate fingers touched his shoulder, hesitated. Mica bit the inside of his cheek to keep from taking her right there on the floor.

  Breathe. Slowly. In and out. In and out. Wait. ‘In and out’ not the mental picture I need right now.

  Mica swallowed hard and attempted to dismiss the images and rein in his furious lust. He turned to find that an angel stood before him. He swallowed harder.

  To say innocence shone in her eyes would have been wrong. For whatever reason, Mica would not call his angel innocent. Still, she seemed good. In a pure-of-heart sort of way that made him feel like a beast wanting to defile her. He laid his hand alongside her neck. She leaned her cheek against it. Her eyes begged him. It couldn't be just male ego making him think that.

  He had no idea what she'd faced—what she was facing—only that she seemed to need him. With any other woman, he wouldn't have a problem providing a little comfort in a purely physical sense—a night could be very long when a person was in pain. But everything about her—about this whole situation—seemed so complicated. He hesitated, second-guessed everything, and that wasn't like him. He was unsure. Adrift. Far from solid ground. His gut told him one thing, his brain another, and he didn't even want to think about what his dick was saying.

  He pulled back, releasing her from his tender hold.

  God almighty, she smells good.

  Mica swallowed again and lowered his gaze to the thick gold carpet. “I won't take advantage of you, honey. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I inadvertently added to your pain.” He raised his eyes to look at her. “I won't risk hurting you."

  She stood there, blinking incredible blue eyes that looked somewhere between the blue of the Aegean Sea and an Austrian crystal. So clear and pale, yet stormy and full of turbulence. Mica did all he could not to notice her hard nipples poking against the fabric. He refused to take more than shallow breaths, lest he inhale her scent once too often. He was just a man, after all, and could control his baser impulses for only so long. For her, he would walk through fire. Making love to her wasn't the right thing to do.

  Control yourself, he silently snarled. For her, he would.

  He would except that with one slow, sultry movement, she slipped the tee from her body. “Holy shit.” Long hair tangled, then slowly reappeared from the fabric to fall around her shoulders—her only cover. The sight of her completely, beautifully naked awed him. No tan lines marred her perfect skin. Full breasts culminated in large, dusky pink nipples, erect and begging. The curve of her hip made his hand twitch; the dark curls which hid her pussy from his lecherous stare were trimmed, but still full enough to be womanly. His breath rasped, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

  Oh fuck!

  After all, he was only a man.

  Jayden appreciated his show of chivalry. The impressive bulge in his pants gave some idea of how much it cost him, but she wouldn't let another man decide for her ever again.

  It's my body and my heart. If I choose to give them to someone, it's my business. All I want tonight is a little comfort, a little security, and a whole lot of pleasure.

  She wanted a memory to take with her for the next few days or weeks while she made her last stand. She wouldn't be denied based on stupid, misplaced male chivalry. Inability to speak didn't equate to stupid. She was in complete control of her mind, regardless of what others thought or what the doctors said, so Mica could just give his knight-in-shining-armor routine the night off.

  She knew her body pleased men; the flare of his eyes told her it pleased him ... It was the only thing she had confidence in. As his hungry gaze stole over her naked body, an answering flame of desire ignited inside her. In the depths of her mind, the girl she used to be laughed for joy.

  Wasn't this always the dream?

  To be wanted, loved, by a handsome, good man. A man who would protect and treasure not just her, but what they had together. It was all a naïve young girl had dreamed about on countless nights, so many years ago that the girl herself seemed almost like a dream.

  Looking into Mica's eyes she tried, with every ounce of will she possessed, to communicate that it was all right, that it was a gift freely given, and how much she needed him to accept.

  Please. I need you. I'll bring you so much pleasure.


  She took back the few steps between them, touched him softly. Breath left her as sparks flew over her nerve endings. She grew wet, heated, bold—wanting this more with every second. Her body longed to be touched by his hands, but they were clenched in death grips by his side. She took one of his hands in both of hers and eased open his fingers, then pressed her lips to his palm. Their eyes locked. She sucked one long finger into her mouth.

  "Oh lord, woman.” The tremble in his tone told her he was weakening. “You could be the death of me."

  I don't have to be, if you just love me. Fuck me, my Lancelot.

  Tenderly caressing his jaw, she brought her lips within a fraction of an inch from his, but he'd have to come the rest of the way. She wanted him, and he wanted her, but she wouldn't force him. She wanted this night to be a memory he'd hold in his heart for the rest of his life. She held her breath. Pressed her body against his.

  No regrets, my hero. Kiss me.

  She needed his touch, but hadn't been at all prepared for the overwhelming sensations of it. His palm seared the skin of her lower back. With his free hand, he yanked the shirt over his head. Skin to skin, in a savage embrace, he crushed her mouth beneath his own.

  She wasn't certain whether she lost her breath, or he took it. He encompassed her in a fiery reality so intense she wouldn't be surprised if he left burn marks. His kiss scorched her, inflamed her from mouth to soul, and insisted all the while that she was his. Resistance never entered her mind. For tonight, she belonged to no other, only him.

  Only you.

  Masterful hands braced her face. He tipped her head back, deepening the kiss that was already threatened to overpower her. Taking his tongue deep into her mouth, Jayden greedily consumed it with her own. He moaned against her lips as she sucked on him. She grew more and more wet with raw lust and earthy need. The scent of her arousal became more obvious as she reached for his pants and shoved them over his hips. His guttural sound was a sure sign of approval.

  Mica sank his teeth into her shoulder like he'd fantasized, but fantasy was nothing compared to the reality of this naked woman in his arms. He held her head in place while his tongue plundered and perused her willing mouth. She had started this, but his need was too great to let her stay in control. He hoped she wanted it hard and fast, because he knew that was about all he was capable of at this point. He kicked off his pants, cupped her ass in his hands, and lifted her with ease. Turning, he pinned her to the full-length window as harsh laughter rippled in his chest.

  "My neighbors are gonna love me tonight."

  But she didn't seem to want words. She grabbed his face and forced his mouth back to hers, legs wrapped his waist, ankles locked in the small of his back. This was straight out of fantasy. He half expected to awaken at any moment and find himself asleep at his desk in Amaris. Training his thoughts, he realized he was so close to exploding he could feel his semen start to drip. Breath ragged, he pulled away again.

  "Protection.” Another hard scorcher of a kiss. “Over there.” He started to put her down, only to have her clamp her legs so hard around him she almost broke his dick in half.

  "Aaah. Careful, love.” He repositioned himself at the edge of her opening. “I haven't had unprotected sex since the eighth grade and that sex talk about how it falls off if you didn't use protection."

  This was not the time for this discussion. Protection was a fine idea in the light of day, but in the heat of the moment it got fuzzy. She wriggled in his arms, sinking his cock just inside her wet passage. Her muscles clenched around him and then it was no longer up for discussion. He thrust inside her twice before he felt himself lose control and, like it or not, he sent his hot, thick semen inside her slick pussy.

  He dropped his forehead against her breasts, ashamed, confused and—for the first time in his life—honestly afraid. Afraid of all these emotions, afraid of whatever danger she faced, afraid of how she was able to move him to the point of recklessness. Around this woman, his brain didn't work right, and his control was seriously threatened. He'd just proved himself to be the worst lover on the planet, spilling his seed like a green kid taking his first look at a porn mag.

  "I don't plan to apologize, angel.” He deliberately caught her gaze with his own. “I plan to make it up.” He carried her to the bed and dropped her playfully on the suede coverlet.

  "If it takes me all night, I'll make you forget that first time.” Laying down on top of her, he kissed her deeply, thoroughly. She responded with hunger. “You might break a world record tonight, honey, ‘cause I'm gonna make you come until you can't see straight."

  Jayden lay back in complete surrender. She didn't care what he did to her, as long as he didn't leave. The touch of his skin on hers alone was enough; she didn't care if she came—or if he did—she wanted to feel him, kiss him, until the dawn. She felt a twinge of guilt from forcing him to go bareback, but what difference did protection make to a woman who'd be dead within a month, anyway? Greedy though it might be, she wanted to feel him inside her. All of him, skin to skin.

  God, how I crave it.

  Kind, loving touch had been non-existent in her life. Now, like a dam bursting, she couldn't get enough.

  Touch me.

  She closed her eyes, arched her back, and dragged his rough palm along her breast and belly, pressing it firmly atop her navel. She didn't know if her desperation fed his or not, but he touched and loved her like he knew this would be their sole night together and he wanted to burn himself on her memory. His mouth covered one nipple with heat so intense her breath hissed at the contact.

  God, yes. More.

  She cupped his face, dragged his mouth back. Lip to lip, she stared into his eyes.

  Give me everything.

  "I'll give you my all, angel. Take me."

  His kiss dissolved her into a puddle on the mattress. She arched and whimpered, begged with all that she had. It seemed he understood her every need. His tongue pressed against hers, wet and hot, needy and demanding. She fought him back, ran her hands over his back, and dug her nails into his ass. He laughed, growled, then rolled them so she sat atop him.

  "You're feisty."

  Damn straight.

  She smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

  "And damn beautiful."

  She melted and leaned in for another drugging kiss.

  Kissing. Mmmm.

  They locked fingers. She held his hands beside his head and slid her body down the length of him, then released his hands when she could no longer reach. Her eyes met his, taunted him, as her lips stayed an inch above his impressive cock. She could smell the cum on him from their last joining and it set her on fire. Slowly she took him into her mouth. His low groan accompanied her movement.

  He was thick and so hard her inner muscles clenched at the thought of it. She wanted it inside her in every way possible all night long. But for now, pressing her hands into the mattress beside his hips, she used her mouth alone. Jayden drew him in as deep as she could take him. She adored the feel of him in her mouth as she slowly, gently dragged her lips and teeth over the length of him and released him wet into the cool air.

  At times their eyes met and held until, on a groan, he'd roll his head back into the mattress. She sucked the tip, ran her tongue along the length underneath, and finally took him in her hand and squeezed. Pre-cum gushed to the surface and she licked it off, devouring every last drop of him, loving every last inch of him with all that she had.

  "Fuck! Stop.” Even as his breathing was shredded, he pulled her up and under him fast and smooth. She laughed with the sheer ecstasy of taking him to the edge of his control. “Stop.” His voice quieted, deepened. He brushed a kiss to her nose. “Stop, before I cum again. It's your turn."

  He began a torturous path of soft touches and kisses from her forehead. He nibbled her earlobes, brushed her nipple with his thumb, suckled at the curve of her neck while he breathed deeply against her skin until she thought she'd scream.

&nbs
p; "You smell so damn good."

  His mouth brushed her lips which felt a bit raw. But she took the opportunity to suck his lower lip into her mouth, gave him insignificant resistance when he pulled away, then tugged on it just long enough to show she still had some fight left in her. He lay beside her with their legs entwined, his cock prodding her hip. His gaze bathed her skin with heat before his tongue slowly ran over her tight, pebbled nipple.

  Jayden shivered, smiled shyly, and ran her fingers through his hair, encouraging him to give her more. His smile was wolfish right before he licked her again, nibbling at the last moment before he lifted his head to meet her stare.

  "I think we communicate just fine, angel."

  He took her nipple back into his mouth, suckling, flicking his tongue over the tip until she writhed and bucked him. Then, laughing, he brought his head up. He sucked the underside of one breast as he continued his journey over her body.

  Jayden watched as he dipped his tongue into her navel. He held her as he pressed his face into her mound, then inhaled deeply. Feeling unclean, Jayden squirmed away. Sitting up, she curled her legs beneath her and wished she had something to wrap around herself.

  "What?” He crawled toward her. “Don't freeze up on me now."

  No.

  She shook her head, pointed toward the bathroom, and rubbed her skin with an imaginary cloth. Lower lip tucked between teeth, her brow furrowed, she felt ridiculous.

  He touched her cheek with two fingers. “Did you think it would bother me that my cum's inside you?"

  She blushed, lowered her eyes, and nodded.

  "Honey, if I expect you to swallow it, why should it bother me to eat a little of it?"

  As if to prove his point, he maneuvered a finger between her legs and slipped it inside her. Jayden's gasp soon became a groan. Her legs seemed to have a will of their own as they opened further to admit him. Before he could put his finger in his mouth, she stopped him. He watched her for a long minute.

  "Fine. We'll shower together, ‘cause honey, tonight...” His smile grew roguish. “...I'm eating pussy."