Ridley stood. All she had to do was snatch her thermal, zoom upstairs to gather her few belongings, and zoom out of the door. Ten seconds and she’d be away, and on her own again.
Freedom…Solitude.
That’s what she needed. Not EJ Nicolis.
So why did her thumbs hook the tight band of spandex and lycra? Why did she stretch the material? Why did she do a little shimmy as she eased the yoga pants over her hips?
She did it for the growl of appreciation rumbling from EJ’s parted lips and the hunger igniting in his icy blue eyes. This was insanity! Showed a complete lack of self-preservation. And her curse…
Fuck the curse!
For tonight, there was no curse. No headstone with her name already carved. Here and now, she lived. Had a pulse. Air filled her lungs. And the man she desired, desired her right back. Tonight might be the only night they’d ever have. She would not blow it. Free of her hips, the material skimmed her legs and pooled at her ankles. EJ climbed to his feet with more grace than she would have thought possible for a man of his size. He stepped toward her, crowding her with that sinful body.
Naked except for three triangles of black lace covering all the important stuff, she had to stop herself from covering her crotch with both hands. So much for bravado.
“Deal the cards,” she ordered in a steady voice.
Another round played, another round lost by EJ. He unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned that shiny Levis’ symbol. The zipper sounded like a buzz saw. Suddenly, crisp red hairs came into view.
Holy—he’s commando!
Her breath hitched. Her brain lurched. A predatory grin split his features, combined with the glint in his eyes, Ridley felt feminine and small in a way she’d never experienced. Blood left her head and flooded to more important areas. Areas that ached to be licked, sucked, and filled.
“Don’t.” She held up a hand and stopped him from the big reveal.
“Suddenly shy again?”
Yes. “No. Your belt is an article of clothing. Remove it. Keep the pants. And pick up the cards.”
“One final deal.” EJ picked up the deck. Balanced in the palm of his hand, he extended the cards to her. One more loss and she’d have to choose between her bra or her bikinis.
Panic swelled. Ridley shut it down. Don’t think. Live. Finally, live!
She plucked one from the top. King of Hearts. She showed him the cards.
He plucked a card. Queen of hearts. “Well aren’t we a pair.” He extended the deck to her again.
Her fingers tingled in anticipation. Why? World peace didn’t ride on this one card. But her life did. Somehow, against all rationale, her soul was intrinsically tied to the next reveal. More precious than a gem, Ridley pulled the card from the deck. She hid her disappointment beneath a smile.
He waggled his eyebrows, the twinkle in his eye wicked. One finger stroked the cards and yeah, her dirty mind went there because it wanted to. And so did her body. Moisture left her mouth and headed south.
Took a year for him to ease the card from the deck and lift it to his eyes and then show her. Nine of hearts. Twenty-two. Ridley hadn’t lost. She’d won. She could leave.
Damn it! She didn’t want to win.
“There is the door, Candy Cane. Never let it be said I kept you where you didn’t want to be.” EJ moved to the fireplace.
Her mouth opened and quickly closed. “Okay.” She looked down at her clothes piled on the floor then up at EJ.
“I thought you’d be long gone by now. You won. No reason to stay. Would take you less than a second to be on your way.”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
He touched his chest. “Moi?” A sardonic lilt to his voice. “By now, you should know asshole is my default setting.”
That made her laugh. “I know that.” Decision made, she strolled forward, unafraid, even though she shouldn’t. Not if she wanted to maintain her objectivity and save her heart. “Be an asshole later, not now.”
Lust glazed his eyes. “Damn, you’re beautiful.”
One sentence and he had reduced her to a dainty, estrogen package. She preened under the compliment. It had been so long since she’d let anyone close enough to give her one. Now she absorbed his words into her DNA even as she shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’ve done things.”
Pants hanging precariously on his hips, he closed the distance between them, cupped her cheek, and stroked his thumb across her lips. “Yeah. I know. So have I. Everyone’s a saint, and everyone’s a sinner at one time or another. I love the contradiction.” He pressed his body against hers. His breath fanned the shell of her ear. “When was the last time something other than your handmade you cum?”
Her lungs turned into a vacuum. The answer to that question: “Nine damn long years.”
“Don’t you think it’s time to end the drought?”
She grabbed EJ and spun, had his back against the nearest wall. She pinned his arms to keep him from touching her then gave in to the impulse to lick his nipples. First the left. Followed by the right. A shudder ran through him. Other than that, he didn’t move.
“I’m going to tell you exactly how this is going to happen.” The husky tone of her voice surprised both of them. “You’re going to strip me and lick every inch of my body until I cum. Nod if you understand.”
EJ swept her off her feet and took the stairs three at a time. She sailed through the air and landed in the center of the bed with a bounce. Before he could join her, she scrambled back and lay against the headboard, a huge slab of wood depicting the mating rituals of a stag and a doe.
“Stop!”
She held out her hand as if that alone would halt him. But halt he did. Bare-chested, pants half unzipped and still precariously low on his hips, his icy eyes molten with palpable desire, what a picture! This moment would forever be ingrained in her brain.
“Your pants stay on.” She would not give the curse another innocent victim.
EJ pulled his pants up. He had to adjust the hard bulge outline in the denim before he was able to zip and button it. “You have my word. My pants stay on.”
The bed creaked as he crawled across. Fascinated, she watched the ripple of his muscles as he approached. He didn’t stop until, once again, he hovered over her. He rubbed his cheek against the side of her face. The gentle abrasion of his whiskers on her skin sent a tingle down her spine, and a sigh eased from her throat.
She angled her lips for a kiss, but his mouth trailed down her neck to lick her collarbone. His teeth snagged her bra strap and tugged it off her shoulder. He followed the strap with tiny kisses then turned his attention to the other one. With no support, she had to press a hand to her chest to keep the cups from sliding off her breasts.
EJ’s eyes took on a sultry glint. Next thing, Ridley was flat on her back in the middle of the bed. An ‘ooff’ left her, then she couldn’t catch her breath because EJ had both of her legs on his shoulders, and he had settled between. His head dipped.
Ohmygod!Ohmygod!Ohmygod!
He licked the center of her lace panties. Ridley fisted the sheets. She felt it, the heat of his hot tongue through the fabric. A shudder ran through her and she moaned, couldn’t help it. EJ surged over her. His hands were on her breasts peeling away the lace cups. He had a nipple in his mouth before she could react.
Each suck sent lust twisting through her body. She arched her back, desperate for more, but he released her nipple. She nearly died in the time it took for him to lick her other one.
“EJ.” She clutched the back of his head, keeping him in place.
“I swear I taste peppermint on your skin,” he said between licks. Gently, his teeth scraped the sensitive bud. It was all too much, his lips, teeth, the scrape of his five o’clock shadow. A teasing orgasm rippled through her. She shuddered and gave herself over to the sensation.
“That’s it, baby. Yes, this is just the beginning,” EJ crooned against between licks. As soon as she went lax, EJ continued trailing his tong
ue down her body.
Her mind scrambled as it tried to latch onto a coherent thought. Yet, how could it when all of her thoughts centered on the extraordinary sensations bombarding her? Was it simply because she was starved for attention? It had to be. Any man would make her feel this way.
Yeah, any man. Riiight!
EJ eased back onto his haunches and stared at her. Just stared, his eyes so intense, they claimed her body but not her heart.
That he couldn’t have.
Liar whispered through her brain.
He touched her knee and stroked his hand up the outside of her thigh. His callused palm sent goose bumps skittering across her flesh. She giggled and moaned all at the same time—until he hooked a finger into the side of her panties.
Her breath hitched, and she grabbed his wrist. This was really happening. The enormity of her actions crashed into her. EJ paused. The intensity of his gaze increased a notch. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to read the question his pause conveyed.
He wanted her trust.
Slowly, she removed her hand from his wrist and hooked the other side of her panties. Together, they slid the lace down her hips. When she could reach no farther, EJ took over and whisked the panties from her legs.
Knees together, Ridley trembled. A leaf flapping in a gale had more control over its body. Where had her bravado fled?
“Open for me, Candy Cane.” Thick, his voice had deepened so much the room vibrated with each syllable. Or maybe it was just her.
He brought her knees up and pressed tiny kisses to each. As if of their own accord, her knees parted. EJ kissed the skin on the inside and inched his way lower. A kiss and lick followed each advance. Her few sexual encounters with Josie’s father hadn’t included oral. She was too shy and he…well…get it and go was his M.O.
The gentle pressure EJ applied on her legs asked her to open for him. Excitement and a healthy dose of fear kept her body rigid and her gaze glued to the top of his reddish buzz cut.
He nipped the tender flesh at the juncture of her thighs. She jumped, and he soothed the light sting with a sweep of his tongue. Her breath hitched.
She expected his mouth, hot and wet, between her legs not the gentle touch of a single finger gliding over her damp folds. He teased her opening with a subtle nudge until he found her clitoris. With a light touch, he stroked and rolled the sensitive nub.
She panted and alternately hissed while tilting her hips for more. A finger dipped inside, circled her opening, and traveled up to the bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. She whimpered, bit her bottom lip, and rocked against his hand. Tension wound its way through her loins. She’d pleasured herself often enough, so she knew the signs.
Just a little bit more and—he stopped.
Ridley lurched to her elbows and glared down the length of her body. She met EJ’s hooded gaze. His icy blue eyes no longer seemed cold and calculating. Their warmth suffused her as they mesmerized and said, ‘Last chance.’
She nodded once.
His breath, hot and intense, seared her much like a flame brought too close to the skin. He gripped her thighs, spread them wider. A long, slow lick blanked her mind and sent her blood singing, her head swimming, and set all of her alight. The next lick probed deeper as he leisurely explored her depths.
A scream rushed up her throat, yet only a broken whimper emerged. If she’d had the strength, she would have pleaded for mercy and called uncle, but that wasn’t what she truly desired. She wanted more and slapped her hand to the back of his head to keep him locked in.
He lapped at her opening. The sounds he made, the groans and purrs of delight. Was it him? Or her? Didn’t matter. She wanted—“More.”
His tongue flicked over her most sensitive spot, and he followed with his thumb rubbing up and her opening. A spasm rocked her.
“You like that?” he asked between licks.
“Please…” The stubble on his face teased her inner thighs, the contrast almost too much to process. Ridley held herself together, ignored the building tension in her veins, ignored the heat roaring from her core. If only this moment, him eating her senseless, could last forever.
“You taste...” Groan. Another lick. “You taste...” Groan. Another lick. “Like candy. Knew you would.”
He slid two fingers inside of her. A deep throb started within, pushing her toward oblivion. Not yet, she wanted more. EJ sucked on her clit and rubbed his stubbly chin against the sensitive bundle of nerves.
Ridley lost it. She screamed and writhed, lost in the power of her orgasm. EJ continued his assault. His relentless licks drove her higher and rung every spasm from her core until nothing remained. She collapsed in a sweaty, sated heap on the mattress. Contentment soaked into her bones. She floated in a tranquil sea, buoyed by the passion she’d finally experienced.
The soft mattress beneath her. The rough exposed log beams of the ceiling above her. The man resting between her splayed thighs. Ridley crashed back into reality.
He raised his head and his eyes—Sweet Jesus. They were molten and the deepest blue she’d ever seen with flecks of glowing striations. He didn’t just look at her, he seemed to peer into her, strip her down to her foundation and touch her more intimately than he’d done seconds ago. Those eyes, they said things to her, things she desperately wanted. They promised to take her beyond the passion and the paradise she experienced. They promised heaven.
Her heart throbbed in response, reminding her there was another space in her body that needed filling. Never had she felt so desirable…and so hollow at the same time.
Ridley scrambled backward and shot to the top of the bed, her legs crazy-glued together, her arms wrapped around her knees. Shallow pants were all she could muster. She wasn’t afraid of EJ. She was afraid of herself, afraid of what she would allow him to do. Which was everything—anything he wanted. Regardless of the consequences.
Slowly, EJ pushed himself up to his hands and knees, then eased back, his hands on his thighs. Completely non-threatening. She didn’t buy it. Any second he would lunge for her and take what she couldn’t give. He would touch her soul and own her.
So why wasn’t she grabbing her stuff and zooming away?
“Not exactly the reaction a man wants to see after going down on a woman.” Carefully, as if in the greatest pain, EJ shifted off the bed. It took forever for him to straighten, and when he did, he refused to meet her gaze. Instead, he lumbered to the bathroom.
Ridley shifted to the edge of the mattress as he stripped off his pants, giving her a complete view of his stunning ass before he stepped into the shower stall.
She scooted off the bed, covered her nakedness with a discarded tee shirt of EJ’s draped over the footboard, then made her way into the bathroom. Water jetted from several showerheads. He hissed and shuddered from the onslaught of the spray. His eyes closed. His head hung low. EJ seemed…lost…and alone.
Ridley reached through the ice cold water and touched his shoulder. With a slight pivot of his head, his heated gaze scorched. He took her hand, brought it to his lips. A gentle tug and she stepped into the stall with him.
The cold water had her teeth chattering until he adjusted the temperature. Rivulets of water coasted down his torso. A reddish gold treasure trail led the way to his straining erection.
“I want you. Badly. But I understand.” His voice shook as his lips brushed her temple and then captured her mouth in a blistering kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth, dueled with her tongue in an imitation of what he truly wanted.
EJ tore his lips away from her. His chest heaved. His body trembled. He turned away, gave her his back. One hand fisted at his side, the other flat on the tile, propping him up. “Leave … please.” Pain torqued each word.
“… No.” She wouldn’t leave him. Not like this. “Turn around.”
He angled his head, giving her his profile. Water dripped from his furrowed brow, tangled in his lashes, making his eye glitter and then slid down his sharp cheekbone. She push
ed his shoulders. He didn’t budge. She leaned close, rose to her tiptoes, and whispered. “Turn. Around. Please.”
Good Lord, he was perfect. His stomach bricked with defined muscles, taut skin, and a few faded scars. He gripped her hips.
“Nope.” She groaned when his hand slid between her thighs and cupped her. “No touching. It’s your turn.”
He took his time dropping his hand. Speculation flared in his gaze.
She placed her hands on the center of his chest, right over his heart. The warmth of his skin seeped through her palms and up her arms. She stroked over to his nipple, rubbed her palm against the rigid tip.
EJ hissed and he leaned in for more. She reveled at the silkiness of his hard pecs, his hard, flat nipples, his ripped abs, and the hitches in his breathing.
His nipples were hard, little buds on her tongue. She swirled the tip of her tongue around one while strumming the other with her fingernail. Moans fell from his parted lips while his hooded gaze captured her every move.
Methodically, she worked her way down his body until her knees touched to cool, wet tile. Ridley stared into EJ’s startled eyes as she clasped him in her hand. His body jerked on contact, and he leaned against the slick wall.
So damn hard. Was her hand so small that her fingers couldn’t encircle his width? Or was he that large?
His hand landed on her wrist, yet he didn’t shove her away. “You don’t owe me…don’t have to…to do this,” he groaned.
“Shhh.” Yes, she did because— “I want to.” Even though she had no idea what to do. But oh, how she wanted this moment for him and especially for herself.
Worried about his reaction, she carefully moved her hand up and down his shaft, exploring the dichotomy of hardness encased by soft flesh. EJ didn’t move. He was as still as stone.
Guys liked this? Didn’t they? Her heart clenched. Embarrassed, she stopped and released him. “I’m not doing it right?”
EJ brought her hand to his lips and licked the center of her palm with his velvety tongue. A tingle shot up her arm and landed in her groin with a heated flash.
He returned her hand to his erection and tightened her grip around his shaft. Then he guided her through the up and down motion faster and tighter than her previous attempt. A moan escaped him, and his hand dropped from her wrist. Ridley continued as he had shown her, her strokes steady as he rocked into her palm.
Encore (Descendants of Ra: Book 4) Page 24