Burned (Cunningham Security Book 5)

by A. K. Evans

  I worked Zara through her orgasm, let her come down, and pulled my fingers from her. Her hooded eyes were on mine as I lifted my fingers to my mouth and licked the taste of her from them.

  I didn’t know how it was possible, but the look on her face told me she was even more turned on by what I’d done. Pulling my fingers from my mouth, I leaned forward and kissed her.

  She rewarded me with another moan as her hand slid down my chest and abdomen. When she reached my cock, she ran her palm over the length before squeezing. “I want this now, Pierce,” she demanded.

  I had every intention of giving it to her, so I rounded her back with one arm and slipped my other under her knees. Lifting her from the counter, I carried her to her bedroom, where I set her down on the edge of the bed before moving to the nightstand and turning on the light.

  Zara bent over and loosened the straps on her shoes. After sliding them off, she tucked her feet under her and got up on her knees in front of me. Her hands went under the hem of my shirt, and the muscles of my stomach twitched the second I felt her fingers on me. They continued to slide up my torso until she pulled them away to remove my shirt. Once my shirt was gone, her eyes roamed over me and heated.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  She gave herself another couple seconds to look at me before she leaned forward, her hand pressed to my chest, and kissed me there. Her hands moved along my torso exploring while her mouth did the same. I kicked my shoes off as she got acquainted with my body.

  When she tipped her head back and looked up at me, I couldn’t stop myself. Wrapping my arms around her, my feet left the floor and I turned us as I fell to my back in her bed. My hand went into her hair, and I kissed her soft lips. Zara’s thighs were straddling my hips; she was working them over my cock, grinding down hard. It felt amazing to have her body on top of mine, and I knew it’d feel even better to have her under me without anything covering our bodies.

  Her mouth left mine and she began moving down my body. Her fingers went to the fly of my jeans where she worked quickly to remove them and my boxer briefs so she could free me.

  “You’re perfect,” she breathed, admiring me.

  I had a feeling that I’d be thinking the same thing the minute I had her out of her dress.

  “Do you have a condom?” she asked.

  Sitting up, I reached for my jeans at the end of the bed and grabbed my wallet out of the back pocket. “I’ve got more than one,” I answered her with a devilish grin. As I opened the packet, I ordered, “Take your panties off, beautiful.”

  Zara wasted no time in slipping her hands under the skirt of her dress and sliding her panties down her legs while I rolled on a condom.

  I got up on my knees, kissed her mouth, and brought my hands to the hem of her dress. As I lifted it up, I thought I felt Zara’s body get tense, but she had moved in closer to me, pressing all of her right up against me. We disconnected so I could get her dress over her head but quickly found one another again.

  My hand slipped down between her legs. She moaned, and I found her wet, ready to go. Wrapping one arm around her waist and curling my other hand behind her thigh, I hiked it up and pressed it to my side. I lifted her just enough so that I could position myself at her entrance.

  With my gaze locked on hers, I slid inside.

  “Pierce,” she rasped once I’d completely filled her.

  “Are you okay, baby?”

  She gave me a nod, but there was something in her eyes that just didn’t seem right.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, not wanting to stop, but also knowing I wouldn’t continue if she wasn’t okay with it.

  “Please, Pierce,” she pleaded. “Please move.”

  I did as she asked and started to move. She felt magnificent.

  After several thrusts, I gently lowered her to her back. Just before I pulled back to look down at where I was connected to her, she reached her arm out to the side and hit the light off.

  “Zara—” I got out before she cut me off.

  “Fuck me, honey,” she moaned.

  That sound.

  With the way those words reverberated in my head and the desperation in her tone, I couldn’t do anything but what she requested.

  And I loved it.

  If the sounds coming from Zara were any indication of how she felt about it, it was safe to assume that she loved what she was getting.

  My hips moved quicker while Zara pressed her thighs tight to my side. I drove in deeper; she moaned louder. My mouth was on her mouth. Then, her neck, her cheek, her jaw. Her hands were at my shoulders and in my hair.

  I shifted myself onto one forearm, ran my opposite hand along her side from her hip up to her breast, and continued to thrust into her. Once my palm had cupped her breast and my thumb swiped over her nipple, she went from moaning to whimpering.

  “You like that, beautiful?”

  “Pierce, I’m close,” she shared. “Please don’t stop.”

  I didn’t.

  I went harder.

  My forefinger met my thumb at her nipple, pinching and tweaking. Her breathing grew shallow, her whimpers coming faster. I gave her more, and I gave it because I wanted to hear more of those noises from her.

  Seconds later, with her arms wrapped around my shoulders, her head shot up as she buried her face in my neck and came apart. I slowed my pace to see her through her orgasm while my hand left her breast and moved back down her side toward her hip.

  She hadn’t quite come down when my hand slid down and over the curve of her ass and ended wrapped around her thigh. I picked up my pace again, sank in deeper, and several thrusts later, buried to the root, I came with my mouth on hers.

  Zara’s arms and legs were wrapped tight around me, my face now buried in her neck while we both sought to get our breathing under control. A minute later, I pulled my head back, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and said, “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  I gave Zara another kiss, this one on the lips, slid out from between her legs, and exited the bed to head toward the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When I walked back into the bedroom, I found the light on and Zara under the covers.

  I had to guess she enjoyed looking at me because her eyes continued to roam over my body. Once I made it to the edge of the bed, I stood there and looked down at her.

  “It would be appreciated if you’d give me the same honor,” I declared.

  Her brows pulled together. “What?”

  “To see you, beautiful.”

  Zara’s eyes went wide before she looked away.

  I reached out to the end of the bed, snagged my boxer briefs, and pulled them on. Zara still hadn’t looked back at me, so I sat down on the edge of the bed, twisted my torso toward her, and set my palm on the opposite side of the bed near her head.

  “Zara, look at me,” I urged.

  When she turned her head in my direction, I saw the anxiety in her features. I began wondering if she had a scar or some birthmark that made her feel self-conscious and embarrassed.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on? Why are you hiding your body from me?”

  “I’m not perfect,” she squeaked out.

  Shaking my head in confusion, I remarked, “Okay, I don’t know many people that are. What exactly do you mean by that?”

  Zara was clearly struggling with whatever it was, so I waited patiently for her to sort herself out. Eventually, she explained, “Before I moved here, I wasn’t exactly in the best shape of my life, but I was also coming off of a really bad break up. After I moved here, I stayed inside, didn’t exercise, and put on a good twenty pounds. With all of the hiking and yoga, I’ve lost some of it, but I’m nowhere near where I want to be.”

  I stared at her, dumbfounded by her admission.

  She went on, “You are exquisite. Your body is perfect. I have a belly.”

  No sooner did she get the words out when her eyes welled with tears.

  “Are you serious?” I
asked, still unable to believe what I was hearing.

  She nodded and continued, “Pierce, I don’t want you to be disappointed. Don’t forget I met your girlfriend tonight. She’s absolutely stunning.”

  “Ex,” I corrected her.

  “What?”

  “Hayley is my ex-girlfriend, several times removed,” I explained. “I don’t understand how she even factors here.”

  Zara’s voice was barely a whisper when she explained, “I can’t ever compete with that.”

  My hand cupped her cheek. “What makes you think you have to? Zara, you took my breath away the very first day I saw you. Since then, I’ve developed a fondness not only for the way you look, but also the way you talk, the way you laugh, and the passion you have for your work and your life. Just now, I loved finally feeling your soft body underneath mine and having the opportunity to hear the incredibly sexy noises you make.”

  Her head jerked back in the pillow as she blinked her eyes at me. “I make sexy noises?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

  I grinned at her, pulling my hand away from the bed and wrapping it around her hand. “Incredibly sexy. You moan and it’s pretty unbelievable how big of a turn-on that is. When you’re close to coming, though, you start to whimper and it takes everything in me to stay in control. It is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

  Zara was stunned, staring up at me.

  “You are beautiful, Zara. And when we’re together, I want to see you. All of you. Please don’t deny me the privilege of seeing your body when we’re sharing them with one another.”

  She pressed her lips together, considering what I’d just said. After several beats of silence, she wondered, “What if you don’t like what you see?”

  “I’ll like it,” I assured her.

  “How do you know?”

  “I just do,” I stated. “Your body isn’t the reason that I like you, Zara. It’s just part of you.”

  Zara sat up and narrowed her eyes at me. Then, she challenged, “Well, if the way my body looks isn’t important, why do you need to see it?”

  I lifted my hand from hers and curled it around the side of her neck. My thumb stroked along her jaw as my eyes searched her face. “Because if I’m going to fall in love with you, beautiful, I want to fall in love with every part of you.”

  Her lips parted, her hand left the sheet it was clutching to her chest, and she reached out to pull me toward her. I leaned in, shifted in the bed, and settled myself half on her. After allowing her the time she needed to kiss me and give me a taste of the appreciation she had for what I’d said, I lifted my head and framed her face in my hands.

  “Will you show me?” I asked quietly.

  As she bit her lip, she slowly nodded.

  My hand left her cheek, slid down along the side of her throat, and over her collarbone. Moving with a feather-light touch, my fingers continued to move down to where the sheet was still covering her chest. I slid it down to just below her breasts.

  They were perfect.

  Full and round with creamy skin and perfectly-shaped pink nipples covering a small spot in the center. I palmed one breast in my hand, squeezed, and lowered my mouth to it. I kissed the top swell of her breast and moved my way toward her nipple. Closing my mouth over it, I sucked it in deep, heard Zara moan, and teased her nipple with my tongue. I brought my other hand to the opposite breast and swiped my thumb over it.

  “Pierce,” she whimpered.

  I lifted my gaze toward her face, saw her looking at me, and smiled against her skin. After I moved my attention to the other breast and lavishing that side just the same, I started tugging the sheet further down her body.

  Zara’s stopped squirming and her body locked. The only movement came from the rapid rising and falling of her chest with each breath she took.

  “Relax, Zara,” I said softly, my hand resting on her upper abdomen. If she was this uncomfortable, I wasn’t going to continue. I gave her some time to settle down before I confirmed, “Are you okay?”

  She nodded slowly.

  I kept my eyes on hers as I began removing the sheet from her body. After I’d flicked it away, I turned my head to look down at her.

  Nothing but flawless beauty.

  My hand traced over the skin of her abdomen until I couldn’t hold back any longer. I dropped my head to her stomach and kissed her there. More than once. Zara clamped her legs together while her hands balled themselves into fists.

  I moved lower.

  She squirmed and moaned.

  Shifting myself on the bed, I positioned myself by her legs, touched one thigh, and requested, “Open for me.”

  It took Zara a moment, but she eventually parted her thighs.

  Settling myself between her legs, I looked up her body and stared in her gorgeous eyes. “You are beautiful, Zara. Every inch of you is perfect.”

  She didn’t have the opportunity to respond because I turned my head to the side, kissed the flawless skin of her inner thigh and worked my way up.

  All it took was one swipe of my tongue through her wetness.

  One taste of her.

  One taste that led to one moan from her.

  I’d already suspected it, but hearing it then, I knew for sure.

  Her ex was an idiot. There was no other explanation. He’d have to be one if he could hear those sounds from her and not do whatever he had to do to keep them coming. I knew I could live the rest of my life hearing only that from her, and I’d be a very happy man.

  So, lucky for me, her ex was an idiot.

  Because now I had the privilege of making her moan. And with the way she delivered each and every sound, there was no way I was giving her up. Mixing those noises with everything else she was, I’d be a fool not to find a way to make her happy and do it in a way that made her willing to hand over her heart.

  Cradling Zara’s hips in my hands, I worked her up and brought her close several times, never sending her over the edge.

  “Please,” she begged. She was growing frustrated by the constant teasing, but I wasn’t ready to give it to her yet. Not because I didn’t want her to feel good, but because I needed more of her. I wasn’t being selfish, though. I knew what I was doing to her, and I knew it would only serve to make her come that much harder when I finally gave in and gave her what she was seeking.

  It hadn’t been more than a few more minutes when I realized I could no longer deny her. I pushed Zara over the edge and the reward I got made it worth it.

  I didn’t know how I moved so quickly, but within seconds I had my boxer briefs off and a condom on. Then, I buried myself inside her. Even though she had barely just come down from her orgasm, Zara didn’t miss a beat. She joined in and worked just as hard to help me find my release. In doing it, she found one for herself right on the heels of the one I’d just delivered for her.

  After I’d made another trip to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, I came back to the bed and climbed under the sheet. I was on my side, facing Zara, with the fingers of one hand tracing delicately over her hip.

  “There is no reason for you to feel any embarrassment or shame over your body,” I ordered, but doing it in a gentle tone. “I think it’s gorgeous.”

  She closed her eyes, smiled, and buried her face in my chest. Once there, she got out a muffled, “Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me, beautiful. I’m just telling you the truth.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “Zara, do you believe what I’m telling you?” I pressed.

  I felt her nod against my chest before I heard her answer hesitantly, “Yes.”

  “You don’t sound sure.”

  “It’s not that,” she started. “I’m just…I’m scared.”

  “Of me?”

  “A little bit,” she whispered her reply.

  I took in a deep breath and let it out. After giving her a kiss on the top of her head, I suggested, “Give it some time, beautiful. You’ll soon realize you don’t have any reaso
n to be.”

  With that, Zara cuddled further into me.

  Minutes later, we were both asleep.

  I was in trouble.

  I thought it was impossible to feel this good again.

  Moments ago, I woke up feeling warm and safe in the embrace of Pierce’s arms. I never expected, after everything I’d been through, especially with Brad, that I’d ever want to be in such a position. But now that I was here, no matter how good it felt, I was worried.

  And while Pierce did assure me last night that I had no reason to be scared with him, that did little to ease my concerns. He didn’t know all my reasons for feeling the way I did; though, I’m not sure that would have made him feel any differently anyway.

  My reasons for feeling the way I did were good ones.

  I’d done this before.

  It never ended well.

  Now, it was worse. Because there was something different about this situation. Pierce was different. In my last relationship, I was left feeling the sting of Brad’s betrayal because I’d had ignored the signs.

  I guess I always wanted to believe the best. I didn’t want to think that people had it in them to be unkind or disloyal.

  As I laid there, my body pressed tight to Pierce’s, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do. I’d moved out to Windsor to start fresh. To get away from the hurt. I couldn’t find myself destroyed once again. I just didn’t know how to protect myself.

  My eyes fluttered open, and I stared at the wall of lean muscle that was Pierce’s chest. There was a lot to be said about Pierce’s body, only I couldn’t find the words. He was just plain stunning, and no amount of praise would ever do him justice.

  Despite the fact that he was as breathtaking as he was, he still went above and beyond last night to make me feel beautiful, even if I wasn’t nearly as perfect. The way he worshipped my body, the way he looked at me, and the words he said to me—it would have been impossible to feel anything but beautiful.

  I tilted my head back to look up at Pierce. Even though I’d expended effort to do it as quietly as possible, my movements woke him. He looked down at me and gave me a lazy smile.