“There’s nothing generic about it.”
She gave a dismissive huff. “I’m sure.”
“There isn’t,” he insisted, leaning over her, his fists pressing into the mattress on either side of her hips. “It reminds me of the sweet center beneath that fiery outer shell of yours.”
She dropped her gaze, disarmed by the ready and entirely too charming response.
“Well, I wish you wouldn’t…”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s—” Reaching deep, she found the courage to look at him, tipping her chin in reproach. “It’s too intimate.”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“More intimate than we were last night?”
His teasing question brought the memories of their depravity back full-bore, leaving Ephie mute and flushed. Still smiling, his gaze locked on hers, David drew the tip of his tongue along the line where her lips met. Her eyelids fluttered low at the suggestive caress.
“I want you so badly,” she heard herself confess.
“You only have to ask.”
“But it’s just so…so…”
She peeped up at him through the guard of her lashes.
“So, what?” he prompted.
“Desperate.”
He drew back, as if startled, and stared. But then amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes.
“Oh, fireball.” He shook his head slowly from side to side. “How much can you say you’ve ever wanted anything if there wasn’t at least a little desperation involved?”
And there it was. She never had wanted anything, or anyone, like she wanted him. The question being was she going to let fear or guilt stand in her way, or was she going to take advantage of everything David had to offer?
“Not very much, I guess,” she admitted, reaching for the waistband of his jeans.
She tugged at the fasteners keeping him from her. His eyes widened before narrowing and going hard with need. Ephie turned her attention to freeing him, unaware of his intentions until she felt his hands firm at her waist. She gave a slight gasp of protest as he drew her down over the mattress and then playfully knocked her hands out of his way. He stripped away the sheet with such force it was torn from the bed completely, falling to the floor in a white cotton cloud. The cool morning air brought her nipples up hard and tight, and Ephie instinctually sought to shelter them.
“Don’t you dare.” He took her wrists into one of his hands, stretching her arms overhead. “This is what I’ve wanted since I walked into the room.” He angled over her until a hair’s breadth separated their lips and then whispered, “Desperately.”
Holding her in place, he kissed her, teasing and tasting as she squirmed in his grasp. Finally, he lifted his head and scanned her at his leisure, his gaze a tangible thing as it ticked ever lower. When his attention lit on the vee between her thighs, Ephie inched her legs apart in anticipation.
“Oh, you can do better than that for me.”
Aroused beyond propriety, she exposed herself to his pointed gaze. He made a slow circuit of his lips with the tip of his tongue before shifting his focus to hers.
“You are hungry, fireball.”
She could well imagine what he’d seen, the swell and slaver of her need.
“Is this what you want?”
He opened his fly with his free hand, his impressive erection springing out to greet her. She nodded in time with its gentle bob before looking up at him, dazed by what she’d been reduced to with silken words and searing kisses.
“Keep those beautiful brown eyes on me,” he told her, moving his head from side to side to emphasize his words. “And…Do. Not. Move.”
He let her go, turning to retrieve a condom from the drawer in the bedside table. Panting quietly, she watched as he removed the contraceptive from its packaging and then rolled the latex over his length. Ephie ran her gaze up his torso. His eyes had become black with desire.
Awash in the sound of blood pulsing through her veins, she waited. Her nipples ached to be touched, constricted muscles demanding satisfaction. It stood right in front of her, so close but refusing to move. A tiny whimper of protest escaped her, and David, like a predator knowing it had conquered its prey, fell upon her.
No part was spared. With lips and tongue he plundered her mouth, leaving little time for thought or breath. His hands roamed freely, delivering chilling caresses as often as biting tweaks, exciting her in either case. Her slight form no match for his toned weight and skilled movements, she could only writhe beneath him. Suddenly, he cuffed her legs behind the knees and angled her hips up off the bed. Plunging inside her, he dipped his head, catching one taut nipple in the bite of his teeth. Ephie cried out in a dizzying overload of pleasure and pain, lacing her fingers through his hair and giving a bracing tug.
“Ah!” Her nipple rasped through his teeth as his head came up. “Are you sure you want to play rough with me, fireball?”
Certain she’d meant to shake her head in denial; Ephie tightened her hands into fists. She watched with fascination as he clenched his jaw, a nerve twitching to life in his temple. He swelled inside her, his lips twisting. Fear bristled over her, but she refused to release him. She had to know what came next.
He didn’t make her wait, thrusting into her with such force the bed groaned its protest. She arched beneath him, telling herself she had to let him go. Stop the madness before things got any more out of control. Instead, she tightened her grip, her knuckles settling snug against his scalp.
Even as he retaliated, admiration showed clearly in his eyes. It washed over her, pride bubbling in her chest while the multitude of nerve endings in the scant space between her thighs were brought to blazing life by the punishing pace. She pressed her head back into the pillows, her gaze fixed on the tortured distortions of the canopy overhead.
So, this is what it feels like to be ravaged. The archaic thought prompted a giggle. The sound cut short by a gasp as a violent orgasm ripped through her. The last of her tenuous tethers to reality snapped, Ephie surrendered to the dual dictates of David’s savage passion and the shocking truth of her own dark desire.
The coffee, long forgotten, would go stone cold in its sterling silver pot.
Chapter 11
“COFFEE,” Lexi droned as she came out of the bedroom.
“Already made. Usual spot,” Ephie told her cheerfully before lifting her own steaming mug and taking a sip.
“Shh!”
Ephie smiled at her hungover friend’s shushing and watched as Lexi, dressed in borrowed fleece pajama bottoms and an oversized UMass sweatshirt, did a dead-on impression of a zombie—including the occasional throaty moan—as she shuffled around the kitchen. It took her several minutes to get her cup of coffee and settle into the chair next Ephie.
“Must. Stop. Drinking.”
“Yeah, you kind of outdid yourself last night. Is everything okay?”
“Mmm,” she hummed appreciatively. “Coffee’s good.”
“Thanks, but that’s not what I meant.”
“I know,” she conceded, considering Ephie over the brim of her mug while she took a second sip. “Don’t go all mother hen on me. I’m just acting out because the guy I’m supposed to be having hot rebound sex with won’t answer my calls.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Freeze.”
“David’s friend? But you told me nothing happened.”
“Nothing did happen.”
“So, why are you calling him?”
Instead of answering, she shifted her gaze to the side and took another gulp.
“Don’t you think you should let it go, Lexi? He really didn’t seem interested.”
“Oh…” She gave Ephie a suggestive look. “He was interested.”
“And how do you know that?”
Lexi shrugged. “I may have inadvertently brushed up against him when we were dancing.” One eyebrow jogged higher than the other. “And let me jus
t say, his ego isn’t the only thing inflated about the man.”
“Lexi!”
“Shhh!” She put her cup down and then covered her ears. “No yelling. You promised.”
“I did not. Besides, you deserve it. No wonder he was in such a hurry to take you home.” Ephie got up from the table and then crossed the kitchen as she scolded her friend. “He was doing a favor for a friend, Lexi. He probably didn’t appreciate being accosted by some random drunk woman he’d just met.”
Opening the upper cabinet next to the sink, Ephie got out the aspirin she kept on the second shelf, unlocked the top, and tipped two tablets into her hand. The bottle back in place, she grabbed a glass before closing the door. Then she turned to the sink, filling the Winnie-the-Pooh jelly jar halfway before returning to her hungover friend.
“He drove me to it,” Lexi explained as she took the pills from Ephie’s palm. “The attitude on him.” She placed the tablets, one after the other, on the tip of her tongue before accepting the glass. “Like I wath beneaf him.” Taking a swig, she pitched her head back and swallowed, looking up at Ephie with puppy-dog eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She sat down and gathered her coffee mug into the clasp of her hands. “But are you really surprised he won’t return your calls?”
Lexi’s grin of satisfaction became a sorry grimace.
“I don’t think I’ve ever made anyone quite that angry.”
Ephie winced. “What did he say?”
“That’s the thing.” Lexi looked at Ephie, her eyes wide with bewilderment. “He didn’t say a word. Just grabbed my hand and dragged me off the dance floor. Then he told the two of you he was taking me home.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you…How was that car ride?”
“Quiet.”
“I bet.”
“I just don’t get it. What kind of guy walks away from a sure thing?”
“Oh, I don’t know. The kind who doesn’t enjoy unsolicited fondling?”
“As if such a thing exists.”
“Lexi,” Ephie sighed. “They’re not a different species.”
“Well, until one of them proves otherwise, that’s the only theory I’ve got to go with.”
Ephie smiled indulgently.
“I know you’ve been through a rough patch, but…”
“More like an acre than a patch.” Lexi sniffed as she put down her cup, lowering her head to rest her chin on top of her crossed forearms. “Jarrod was just the latest in the merry band of assholes I’ve schlepped my way through over the last five years. I didn’t even bother to tell you about most of them.”
“Oh, Lexi.” Ephie ran a comforting hand over the tangled, frizzy mess of her friend’s hair. “Maybe you should give the whole man thing a rest for a while.”
“That had been the plan.” She looked up at Ephie without lifting her head. “But I can’t seem to stop thinking about him.”
“Jarrod? He cheated on you. Why would—”
“No!” Lexi sat up, pressing her palm to her forehead at her own outburst. “Not him.” Curling her fingers around her mug, she muttered, “I’m past wasting my time on him.”
“You’re talking about Philip? But that makes no sense. You don’t even know the man.”
“I know. You’re right. But, Eph—” Lexi shook her head. “He didn’t leave.”
The astonishment in her voice struck Ephie as tragic.
“What do you mean he didn’t leave?”
“He was still really pissed when we got to the house, but he walked me to the door, so I thought—”
“Oh, gosh. What did you do?”
“Nothing. I put my hands on his face and, you know, let him know he could kiss me. But he just stared.” Her gaze went beyond Ephie, as if the events were being replayed on the kitchen wall behind her. “He has the most intense blue eyes. Did you notice?”
“I didn’t.”
“Next thing I knew, I was propped against the table in the entryway staring at my keys, listening for the sound of his car pulling away. When I didn’t hear anything, I went to the window. But he…he was…”
“Already gone?” Ephie offered when she didn’t continue.
“No. That’s what I’m telling you.” She shifted her gaze, staring straight at Ephie but still not seeming to see her. “He was just sitting there. I could see him in the dashboard lights…watching…waiting.” She blinked, finally focusing on Ephie. “Until I turned on the hall light.”
“Okay,” Ephie drawled into the pregnant pause which followed.
“That’s when he left.” Lexi sighed and then rolled her eyes, as if the significance were too blatant to be missed. “He couldn’t leave until he knew I was safe.”
The awe in her voice made the toll the “merry band of assholes” had taken on Lexi’s self-esteem wrenchingly clear.
“Oh, sweetie.”
“Totally pathetic, right?” She shrugged and gave Ephie a weak smile. “But I know that’s what he was doing.”
Ephie made a mental note to ask David how much he knew about his landscaper. As smart and witty as the woman sitting across from her was, she had the worst taste in men. It bordered on the pathological. If there was a jerk within a sixty-mile radius, Lexi was on him, and if Ephie could do anything to help her keep from making another mistake, she would. If, of course, she managed to keep her hands off her own lapse-in-judgment long enough to form a coherent question—a rather large and disconcerting if.
Lexi reached for her mug as she sat up, and then leaned forward on her elbows.
“Okay.” She sniffed. “Enough about me. Any word from the P of D? At least you got a goodnight kiss.”
Ephie couldn’t do anything about the rush of blood to her cheeks, Lexi’s eyes narrowing as the blush deepened. She tried to hide behind her cup, but Lexi put her fingers on Ephie’s wrist and guided her arms down onto the table.
“Are you holding out on me?”
“No.” She slipped from Lexi’s grasp and lifted her mug. “You said you didn’t want to talk about boys last night.”
“That’s right. I did. But that was then, and this is now. So…what happened when you went to pick up your car?”
“Nothing. We talked.”
“And?”
“And?” Ephie shrugged. “That’s about it.”
Lexi chuckled.
“Oh, no, Miss Priss, that is not about it. I know guilt when I see it. What gives? Did you let him get to second base? On your second date? I mean, have you even had a date, technically speaking? What would Gram say?”
The air left Ephie’s lungs as if she’d been kicked in the gut. Lexi put her cup down, concern edging her expression.
“What did I say? If I didn’t know better…” Her eyes got huge. “Holy shit! You slept with him.”
Ephie pressed her lips together and averted her gaze.
“You did, didn’t you?” Lexi chuckled. “Leave it to you to choose an undertaker for your first one-night stand.”
“It wasn’t a one-night stand,” Ephie blurted.
“No?”
“No. We’re having an affair.”
“Oh, an affair…how very Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant of you.” Lexi lifted her cup, but not quick enough to hide her smirk. “So, how is he?”
“David?” Ephie deliberately misunderstood. “He’s fine.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“Right.” She took a drink, stalling for time. “That’s fine too.”
Ceramic hit wood with a dull thump, making Ephie jump.
“Fine? Are you serious? After ten years of serial relationships with, I swear, the most lukewarm men on the planet, you hook up with the Prince of Darkness and all you’ve got for me is fine? I don’t think so.” She wrapped her fingers around her mug, pinning Ephie with a narrow stare above the rim. “Now, spill. And don’t even think about holding anything back. You know that face of yours
can’t keep a secret.”
“It doesn’t feel right…talking about it.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m your best friend.”
“I know, but he has all these rules.”
“Rules? What the hell, Ephie? What have you gotten yourself into? I knew I should have said something. Those buttoned-up ones are always the biggest freaks.”
“He’s not a freak. And it’s not like that.”
“Then what?” She reached out and took one of Ephie’s hands in hers. “Come on. Talk to me.”
Ephie’s reluctance proved no match for the earnest concern in Lexi’s clear blue eyes. The sordid details of the last week tumbled past her lips without censor. She told Lexi everything. How she’d provoked David into sleeping with her despite his rules. How, in one short week, she’d become addicted to him, possessed by a terrible, clawing need. How she slogged through her days, impatient for the moment she could rush to the dignified Victorian on the hill and press the golden domed bell which would summon him to her.
Elegant and dashing, he’d greet her, kissing her with a cool detachment which never failed, perversely, to fan the flames of her already smoldering desire. Then he’d take her hand, politely inquiring about her day and sharing a word or two about his as he led her up the stairs. They acted as if they were filming a BBC melodrama, when they both knew what they did once they reached the private rooms would be better suited to Internet porn, David ever intent on pushing her body to its limits, and then edging it beyond.
“…until he’s wrung the pleasure from every sopping inch of me.”
Ephie risked a glance at her unusually silent friend, wondering if she’d gone too far. Lexi did appear stunned, coffee cup forgotten halfway to her gaping mouth. But after blinking a couple of times, she lowered her arm to the tabletop, giving Ephie a slow grin.
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” Ephie echoed. “Wow.”
“You’ve never talked about sex like that before.”
“I’ve never had sex like this before. When I’m with him, it’s like I become another person. I’m this woman who doesn’t think beyond being laid out on the nearest horizontal surface and not let up until she’s spent to the point of being incoherent.”
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