He crushed his lips to hers and pushed his arousal against her thigh as he raised her leg and placed it around his waist. She tasted just as sweet as she always had. The essence of dry martinis and salt air lingered in her mouth, and he forced his tongue farther to drink it in.
A cacophony of passionate gasps and moans mingled with the sounds of passing traffic as they explored once familiar, yet now foreign grounds. Dropping his mouth to the skin behind her ear, Ivan sucked and nipped a trail of kisses down her neck and across her shoulder until he found the curve he knew all too well, the V between her breasts. The familiar fragrance of lavender and coconut triggered an indescribable reaction, one he hadn’t felt in so long. This was what he craved: her touch and her smell.
His hands trailed over her body and ravished her breasts. He raised her other leg, hooking it around his body and pinning her harder against the wall. His cock, now at full attention, pressed more urgently into her thigh.
He ground into her, and Jaden matched his movements, swaying her hips from side to side and eliciting a guttural moan from deep within his chest. This was the ultimate fix. This was his cure. She was it. She was his.
Jaden grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back, forcing him to look at her as she seemed to search for something he wasn’t communicating. Her breath heavy and unsteady, she ran gentle fingers across his face and jaw. Ivan brought his hand around to the back of her neck and tilted her head, his teeth ripping at her bottom lip. Her body responded as it always had, and she clutched his hair with both hands.
Releasing her bottom lip from his teeth, he held her face between his hands, studying her face, her reaction as he held her against the bricks with his body. She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered, but he could not look at her now without feeling the pain of having been ripped in two. But this was not the time for feelings. He looked her up and down and marveled at her beauty as the freak within trembled in excitement. Satisfaction.
Jaden tried to pull back and speak between kisses, but he kept cutting her off. He kissed her hard as he yanked the teal dress up around her waist, exposing her lacy, black panties, moist with intent. He watched her reaction as his fingers pushed aside the fabric and came to rest between her legs. He could feel the wetness mounting, her body readying itself for him.
“Ivan,” she mumbled between gasping breaths, but he silenced her again with his touch.
He plunged two fingers into her, and she squirmed beneath him. The feel of her warmth illuminated the dim alley in a medley of sounds and colors. Faster and faster he worked his fingers in and out of her and reveled in the sensation of power. He held her against the wall and had his way with her, smiling as she writhed and bit her lip in ecstasy.
He felt her legs begin to tremble as they always did when she was ready to come, and he picked up the pace, curling his fingers inside her to rake against the sweet spot. Her mouth dropped open as she clamped around his fingers and convulsed with orgasm, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he continued to thrust his fingers into her, the palm of his hand rubbing against her clit with every stroke, and driving her straight into another orgasm.
As Jaden felt the last orgasmic tremors subside, Ivan withdrew his fingers from her body and released her. He backed away to lean against the opposite wall. She was taken aback by the feral glint in his eyes, but now was not the time or place to analyze anything. She wanted him to be in her.
She closed the gap between them and pressed her body against his. But he didn’t respond, not the way he usually would. His hands were knotted in his hair, his eyes raised to the sky above them. It was clear he wasn’t interested in talking, but at that moment neither was she. Moving into hardcore seduction mode, she brushed her breasts against him. He moaned, but when she tried to kiss him, he dodged her lips and offered his neck to her. She took what he gave. As she bit his neck, she reached between them and ran her hand across his hard cock, still tucked away. When she pulled back to look at his face, his eyes were closed and a tense wrinkle knit across his brow. She unzipped his pants and heard him hiss as she took him in her hand. She stroked the length of him once, twice, and on the third pull, his eyes flew open and locked on hers.
Ivan’s breathing was heavy but controlled as she continued to manipulate him. Then finally, he ran his hands along the sides of her neck and tangled them in her hair. He studied her as he held her face in his hands, then pulled her roughly to his lips and moaned loudly in her mouth before he broke away.
Jaden quickly found him again and moved her hand in a steady motion while she rubbed her body against his. His stomach flexed and twitched with every stroke, and as she watched, his eyes rolled back in his head and the veins and muscles in his neck strained under the intensity.
“Wait,” he said sharply, glancing over his shoulder.
She did as he asked but didn’t back away or let go. Ivan reached between them and moved himself out of her grip with a bit of a groan. He stepped back and zipped up his pants.
Jaden smoothed her dress, and when they both looked somewhat presentable, she took his hand and led him to the street. “Follow me.”
Cars sped past in a blur as they stood on the sidewalk. Jaden signaled for a taxi. When at last they were able to hail one, they fell into the backseat.
“Where to?” the taxi driver asked.
Jaden could feel Ivan’s stare. Her place was farther, but she was making the decisions, at least for the moment. She gave him her address and the car raced toward her apartment. Silence settled over the backseat, and Jaden had no idea what to say—or if she should even speak. It had been six months since Ivan had even really acknowledged she existed, and what happened in the alleyway had certainly taken her by surprise. So much needed to be said, and yet there were no words.
She looked over at him sitting beside her and watched the lights from passing stores and streetlights dance across his face. The illumination accented his elegant features, and she longed to lean over and kiss him. But he didn’t hold her hand or snuggle up beside her. Instead, he sat wordless and motionless, a stranger of sorts. He offered her no more than the occasional casual glance, wearing a poker face she’d never seen and couldn’t read. It intrigued her sexually but worried her all the same.
It was undoubtedly him, but he was different, and not just because he’d let his hair grow out and grown a beard. There was a hardened edge to him now. Jaden stared at him as they rode in silence. She drew her hand to her swollen and tender lips, remembering the feel of his mouth on hers and the tickle of his whiskers against her cheeks. Her eyes drifted from the top of his head, past the cowlick in his hairline to his beautiful profile, the small scar above his left eyebrow, and the curve of his ear. Her hands were desperate to touch him. And yet she didn’t dare.
What did this mean? Why had he done this? Did he want her back? Did he forgive her, or had her actions changed him, and changed them, forever? But the answers didn’t really matter. She needed him, and she wanted this—whatever this was. No matter the consequences, she’d pay them just to have him back, even if for only a moment in time.
“You can stop here,” she called to the driver and threw a ten-dollar bill onto the front seat. Without a word, she reached for Ivan’s hand and pulled him from the cab.
Chapter 18
“Hold On”
AS THE ELEVATOR ASCENDED, Jaden’s mind raced. What did this mean? Did she have the right to be hopeful after what she’d done to him? To them? God, she hoped so.
In the light now, she studied him more carefully than the dim alley and taxi had allowed. When her focus shifted from his sharp jaw and lips to his eyes, slightly obscured by the errant strands of hair that hung over his face, she found him staring back at her. He seemed to look into her soul in a way he’d never done before. Or maybe she’d just forgotten. It was as if he searched for the answer to a question that hadn’t been asked out loud.
The tension between them grew ever thicker, and their silence more and more awkwar
d. But what should you say to a man who’d just had his way with you against a damp brick wall after you refused his proposal months ago? “I’m sorry” just didn’t seem like enough. “I’ll do whatever it takes” was a start, but based on the way he looked at her from across the elevator, she suspected he already knew that. The question was: Would it be enough?
Goose bumps pricked at her skin, and she shivered with anticipation as his lips curled into a seductive smile. She watched his face as he studied her. She could tell he was in to this, but was he in to her? That was harder to say. Jaden bit her lip and waited for his reaction, which was pretty much instantaneous. He tried to conceal his mounting…interest…by shifting his stance, but she knew him too well. She smiled, feeling more confident, but then the heavy-lidded gaze he turned on her went dark, sexy, and dangerously raw—not like the Ivan she remembered at all. She could feel her heart beating in her throat. Evidently a little danger and a whole lot of sexy was one hell of a turn on for her. Good thing too, because the shadow that darkened his eyes seemed to be setting the mood for the evening.
With a ping, the doors to the elevator slid open, but neither of them moved, their eyes locked in a lusty stare. The old Ivan would have guided her out of the elevator with his hand at the small of her back or by taking her hand in his. However, after a moment, this new Ivan gestured to the open door and tipped his head toward the corridor with a smile.
Jaden grabbed his hand as she passed, towing him out of the elevator behind her. She tried to steady her breathing as she walked down the hall. If she hadn’t been able to feel the warmth of his hand in hers, she might have been convinced this was all a dream. And even so, if she glanced over her shoulder or closed her eyes too tightly, she wondered if he might disappear as he had so many times in her fantasies. She dared a look behind her. He was here now, and she was going to make tonight amazing for as long as he wanted. And after that, if he ever let her speak, she’d fall at his feet, repentant for her sins, and hope he believed there was something between them to salvage. For her, there was no doubt.
Resigned to whatever lay ahead, she gripped his hand tighter and picked up the pace. When Jaden stalled at the door, fumbling for the key, he grasped her waist, warming her hip bones with grip that screamed eroticism and need. Her body reacted immediately as a hint of the old Ivan rushed through her. His closeness behind her made it impossible to fit the damn key into the lock. The feel of his breath on the back of her neck was intensified by his beard as it raked across her spine. She arched her back and pushed her ass into his crotch, relishing the hardness that pressed back against her.
Finally managing the lock, she flung the door open and the two plunged inside. She turned in his arms and met his eyes, silently pleading for what her mind, body, and soul craved. Without words she grasped his shirt, pulling him into her darkened apartment and back into her life—at least for tonight. She would take it. She’d take anything he offered.
Ivan gathered her roughly in his arms and searched her face with that unfamiliar gaze. He kicked up his foot and slammed the door behind them, then pulled her close to kiss her hard. Jaden dropped her bag and keys at their feet and put everything she had into kissing him back. Her relentlessness matched his aggression. She guided him toward her bedroom as they ripped at each other’s clothing like wild beasts. She sent buttons flying as she exposed his chest and stomach. Ivan grasped her waist and threw her onto the bed in a fury of passion and want.
In the pale moonlight she watched as he pulled his tattered shirt from his body and threw it to the floor beside him. He slid his hands up the sides of her legs, beneath the hem of her dress, and grasped her lacy panties, ripping them from her body. He looked down on her, breathing heavily, as if he were considering something. Jaden searched his face, quietly trying to reach the part of him that might still love her—the soft part of his heart that might bring him back. But all she could discern was carnal desire staring back at her, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips in response. As Ivan bent down, she braced herself for what was sure to be pure ecstasy. He grabbed her hips roughly and dragged her ass toward him, forcing her dress up around her waist as she moved across the bed, spreading herself open for him.
She arched her back as she felt his hot breath wash over her damp pussy. Running her fingers through his hair, she shuddered as his tongue began exploring her. She couldn’t help but moan aloud as he tongued her further and further into a frenzy, pulling begging whimpers of fuck me and love me from her.
As he slid a finger into her, Jaden nearly came at just the thought of him fucking her. When he slid the second one in, she did. Exploding around his fingers and tongue, she rocked her body back and forth. God, this is it she thought as she ground her pussy against his bristled face and pulled at his long hair. She’d dreamed of being back in his embrace for so long, and she was finally there, her hips held in place as his mouth coaxed her to climax. She held back tears as her orgasm subsided and her body slowed its rhythm. Returning to his feet, Ivan tossed his long, dark hair away from his face.
He looked down at her once again as he unbuttoned his pants. They dropped to the floor, along with his briefs. His dick stood fully erect, and Jaden marveled at the authority and demand that radiated from his body. Offering herself in the best way she knew how, she rolled onto her stomach and presented her ass to him. It was his. And only his.
As Jaden adjusted her position, clearly offering herself to him, Ivan felt a rush of entitlement. This was his redemption. This was his sexual justice. Except…
He knelt and reached into his pants pocket for a condom. No matter how much he needed this, there were rules. Tearing it open with his teeth, he made quick work of rolling it over his shaft. The smell of sex filled his nostrils as lust soaked his brain. He grabbed her hips and positioned his cock at the entrance of this long, lost secret that he loved so much. Mine.
Running his tongue along his beard, he savored the flavor she’d left on him—the definition of sex. Focusing his attention, Ivan steadied himself with his firm grasp on her hips. He repositioned his hands and held her tightly against him. He closed his eyes, and with a final push he entered a world that soothed his spirit, sedated his tortured mind, and brought him untainted pleasure for the first time in ages. The sensations were blinding, deafening, and overwhelming as he entered her over and over again, pushing deeper with every thrust. More, harder, farther, the freak, his body, and his own soul demanded as his fingers encircled her waist, pulling her harder and faster into his strokes. His body rejoiced as it fucked itself to contentment, and his mind celebrated being set free from the prison that had held it these past months.
“Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh, Ivan!”
He drank in the sounds as she writhed under his dick. He fucked her hard like only he knew how to do. Their bodies fell into a rhythm that no class could teach. She rebounded her ass in perfect time to his upward strokes. But he needed to feel her even more. He smacked her ass, eliciting a sound that filled the room, followed by her gasp of pleasure. He knew he was in control, and he—and the freak—loved it.
Releasing his iron-clad grip on her waist, he pulled out of her and tugged at the zipper of her dress. He yanked the soft fabric from her body, enjoying the sound of Jaden’s gasp and her low moan of excitement. He flipped her over and tackled her on the bed, falling against her naked body and indulging in the warmth that now surrounded him. He couldn’t see her smile, but he felt it as his lips closed on hers. Her lips were intoxicating—how long had it been since his lips had felt any other’s, let alone hers?— and he relished them for a moment before raising the backs of her knees to rest on his shoulders.
Stealing one final taste of her lips, he plunged into her wetness. An explosion of color burst through the darkness of the room as he penetrated her more deeply than he ever thought he could. He felt her writhe under his force. As he continued to fuck her relentlessly, his body trembled and he climbed to the highest sexual peak he could imagine. Every sense heigh
tened as if this were a drug which was laced with something he’d never tasted before. He wanted more, and she seemed perfectly willing to give it.
Whatever lay ahead for them, if anything at all, he’d earned this after the last six months of torture she’d put him through. Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her up into a curled ball of heat and sweat as his rhythm in and out of her quickened along with their breathing. Although he couldn’t see her eyes in the darkness, when she rolled her neck back for a deep groan, he glimpsed them for a moment. They looked back at him with the same ferocity as he knew his burned into her. But he was in charge now. This was his moment. His climax.
Harder and faster his cock plunged in and out as he changed his angle with each penetration. He hit every inch of her core with menacing delight. Their breaths grew unified as each inhale brought a moment of relief only to be followed by an exhale of pleasure and pain. His nostrils filled with the scent he’d longed for on so many long, lonely nights in his bed. The scent of pure, lavender-and-coconut-laced sex tantalized him, fueling a progression that, once it had begun, screamed through his body. His toes curled and his spine began its telltale loosening in preparation for an orgasm that was seconds around the corner.
The sensation of Jaden trying to free her hands to cope with her orgasm, which now tightened around his cock, was the tipping point—the beginning of the end of a six-month sabbatical from the most beautiful of nirvanas. Tightening his grip around her wrists he pulled his ass high in the air and then slammed himself back down into her. The feeling was magical. Again he brought his ass up only to drive his cock further into her. Almost. His body taunted him with a glimpse of pure heaven.
The Winemaker's Dinner: Dessert (The Winemaker's Feast) Page 9