Eric’s eyes devoured the sight of her kneeling in nothing but underwear and heels. “My pants,” he suggested as he whipped his shirt over his head.
But when he reached toward his waistband, her gaze dipped down, assessing. “Just unbutton them.”
He obeyed without question.
Beth moved forward and put a hand to his chest. She trailed her fingers around his nipple, making him shiver in surprise. When she put both her hands to his chest and urged him back, he laid down just to see what would happen next. Beth knelt above him like a goddess, her eyes dark and devouring his body, lips parted as breath stole hard from her throat.
“I love your body,” she whispered. “I love looking at you. Take it out.”
Eric stopped breathing entirely. There was no mistaking what she meant. Her gaze was locked on his hands as they reached to slide his zipper down. He pushed his boxer briefs slightly down, wrapped his hand around his cock and drew it out.
Beth inhaled sharply, her breasts jumping with the movement. Her nipples were so hard that they’d drawn to tight peaks.
“Stroke yourself,” she whispered.
The shock twisted around his cock like another hand. He tightened his fist and stroked.
Beth’s eyes widened. She caught her lip between her teeth and watched with fascinated intent as he worked himself slowly. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. He didn’t give a damn what it was that made her want this; all he knew was that jacking off had never felt this good, ever. His shaft got thicker in his hand, growing for her, craving her attention.
Beth set her lip free and ran her tongue over the pink mark she’d left. He wanted that mouth on him. Licking his head while he pumped his fist. He wanted her mouth open for him as he came.
But no, he wasn’t going to come like this, because Beth was moving toward him, crawling over his legs. But then she did exactly what he’d pictured. She slowly lowered her head until it hovered just over him. Eric tightened his grip and held still for her.
She licked at the liquid leaking from the tip, sighing as if the taste made her happy.
Eric closed his eyes and tried to breathe past the pressure already starting to build. She licked him once more, then twice, before easing farther up his body.
He opened his eyes when she settled on his thighs.
Beth sat straight. Though straight was the wrong word for a woman like her. She was all generous curves and softness. Even as he took in the glory of her breasts, she cupped them in her hands, and her thumbs skipped over her nipples.
“More,” she said, nearly breathless.
Obedient to a fault—the fault that he might screw this up and come too soon—Eric stroked himself again.
“You turn me on so much,” she whispered, squeezing her nipples as she watched his hand. “How do you do that?”
It was a mystery and a miracle to him. He just shook his head. Her breathing grew more rapid. He matched his pace to the rhythm she set.
He’d never done this in front of a woman before, and the depravity of it filled him with such dark joy that he could hardly breathe. That he would do this for her. That she would want him to. He could see that same darkness in her eyes as she watched.
Was this one more thing she was into? Piercings and threesomes and this? He’d do whatever the hell she wanted, anytime.
He stroked faster, watching her fingers tighten around the dark buds of her nipples. But Beth shook her head. “Don’t come.”
Fuck. He froze, squeezing his shaft in a merciless grip. Air shuddered from his lungs.
“Don’t come,” she murmured again. She put her hands to the floor and eased higher.
He let go of himself just as she pressed her satin-covered sex against him. The pale gray fabric immediately darkened where he leaked moisture against it. Eric laid his head to the floor and groaned.
“I want to watch you finish sometime, but not tonight.”
Sometime. She wanted him to do that again, another time, another night when they’d be together like this. He pulled her down and kissed her as her sex pressed against him with torturous force. She kissed him back, but she only gave him her tongue for the briefest moment before she rose up again. Her weight settled against him. She smiled, then rocked her hips, the slippery fabric dragging along his tight skin.
She slid over him, her eyes fluttering shut with pleasure. But if she was content with this, Eric sure as hell wasn’t. It was too much. He needed in her. In her mouth or her pussy, just inside.
Eric wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her, following her over, kneeling between her spread legs as she stared up at him in surprise. He yanked her panties down, shifting one of her legs over to pull them off. When she spread her legs again, Eric growled. That was what he wanted. He pulled a condom from his pocket and tore it open with fingers that weren’t quite steady.
Then he rolled it on and pulled her hips higher. “Watch me,” he ordered. It was his turn now, and she did as he asked, coming up on her elbows so they could both watch as he pressed the head of his cock into her.
“Oh,” she breathed, her stomach sucking in as she took a deep breath. He moved slowly, watching as her pussy stretched to accommodate his width. Her dark hair glistened with moisture.
She made a small sound as he pushed farther, and Eric looked up to find her mouth open and gasping for air. Her cheekbones stood out against her flushed skin. “More,” he said, pulling back a fraction of an inch before surging deep.
“Oh, God,” she cried, her back bowing, thrusting her breasts high. She fell to her back then, and Eric fucked her. The harder he fucked her the more she seemed to like it, so Eric gave up any idea of subtlety. He tucked one arm behind her knee and spread her wide so he could get even deeper. She was a tight vise around him, as if he were tunneling through her body.
“Eric,” she panted. “Ah, God. Yes.”
Yes. Yes, she wanted it hard and rough, and he was still filled with that dark joy and that jealousy and that need to have more of her. Their bodies slapped together as he pulled her leg higher and thrust hard and fast.
When Beth reached a hand down to rub her clit, Eric slowed so he could watch, but he kept a steady rhythm, watching as his shaft worked in and out of her and her fingers desperately circled her clit.
Her muscles squeezed him tighter. “Just…” she whispered. “Just a little more. Please. Just…”
One second, he told himself as his blood surged hard into his dick. Just one second and he could—
“Oh, God,” she screamed. Her hips surged up to meet his, shaking against him as he thrust. Her nails clawed into his arm, deep enough that he grunted, perfect enough that he felt himself seizing up, and then it all crashed into him and he came in a nearly painful release. The most intense orgasm of his life. It surged over and over until he could hardly breathe.
As his senses began to return, he realized that a bead of sweat was rolling down his jaw, his knees were killing him and his arm burned where Beth had scratched him. And she couldn’t be too comfortable against the cold tile of the entryway. But she looked like something beautiful and wild, stretched out, her eyes closed, sweat shimmering against her brow as she panted.
Eric leaned down and pressed a kiss to her damp neck. “Hey. You okay?”
“Mmm,” she moaned, not moving a muscle.
He slid out of her body, wincing at the sensation against his overloaded nerves. He winced again when he forced himself up, his knees screaming at the movement. But every twitch of discomfort was a sweet reminder of what they’d done.
After disposing of the rubber, Eric zipped up and crouched down next to Beth. “Come on. I’ll help you up.”
She shook her head, and what the hell could he do but smile with self-satisfaction? She still wore her shiny red heels, and not one other thing except for the finger marks he’d left on her thigh. He touched the marks carefully, but she didn’t grimace.
“You really know how to make a guy gloat, you know that?”
/> She finally opened her eyes. “You deserve to gloat,” she said as she reached up to his outstretched hand.
“Come on. I’ll tuck you in.”
“Oh.” She blinked, but then nodded and stood up as he tugged her.
“Unless you want me to stay?”
“No, you should go. You’ve had quite the evening, what with that impromptu family dinner.”
“I’ll stay,” he insisted, but she shook her head.
“Go.”
Jesus, he’d really screwed this up. But what could he do? He was still wearing his shoes and jeans. All he had to do was slip on his shirt. And Beth had toed off her heels and was switching off lights. She moved slowly, at least. Deliberately. As if her knees weren’t quite steady.
“I’m off tomorrow,” he said, his heart tripping against his ribs with the risk of putting himself out there. “Let me stay?”
Beth’s hand touched the wall and she held it there as if she needed the support when she met his eyes. “You’re sure?”
Thank God. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
“All right then. Come to bed.”
He picked up his shirt and grabbed her clothes as well, then followed her down the hallway that already felt familiar, and his body relaxed as if he were coming home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SHE WOKE TO THE SOUND of a phone ringing. Not her phone. Beth opened her eyes just as she felt the bed dip. The soft slide of fabric against skin was unmistakable in the quiet room.
“Hello?” Eric said in a low voice. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Beth thought she heard the notes of a woman talking on the other end of the line.
“No, I’m still in bed,” he murmured. “Yes, I’m alone. I’m not talking strangely…. Because I have a headache, that’s why.”
He cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder toward Beth. He looked guilty, and Beth was suddenly worried he wasn’t as single as he’d claimed. Maybe that was why he’d lied. Maybe that was why he didn’t want anyone to know.
Eric turned away again. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this right now. I’ll be there in a few minutes, all right?” He hung up and cleared his throat.
“Trouble?” Beth asked warily.
“Not really.”
Her pulse stuttered before speeding up. Did he have a girlfriend? Was he cheating? Her mind began to replay the conversation in the brewery. There’d been no indication either way, had there?
“My sister,” Eric finally said, sighing. “She thought I was talking like I didn’t want to wake someone up.”
“Oh.” Beth dropped back to the pillow. “So you were.”
“So I was.”
“Eric, you’re not involved with anyone, are you?”
He jerked around to frown at her. “Involved?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No. Of course not. I wouldn’t be here if I did.”
Beth shrugged. “You never know. And considering how all this started, I just suddenly worried that was the reason you’d lied.”
“No. That wasn’t it.”
“Okay.” She looked at the clock and bit back a groan. “It’s almost nine.”
“I’ll go,” he said, his voice still a little distant. But when he glanced back at her, his mouth quirked in a half smile. “Thanks for letting me stay. It was nice.”
It had been nice, lying in her bed together, watching TV in the dark. It had also been way over the line.
He must have seen the hesitation in her eyes, because Eric gave a careful nod and reached for his jeans. “I’ve got to go into work anyway. Problems on the line.”
She nodded as if she knew what he meant. “Thanks for…everything,” she said, stumbling over the last word.
His back tensed. “Sure.”
“I’m sorry again, about my dad.”
He shook his head and leaned over to put his shoes on.
For some reason, Beth couldn’t stand the silence. “Will you call me if something more happens with the investigation?”
Yeah, his back was definitely tense. “Is that the only reason you want me to call?”
Clutching the sheet to her chest, Beth sat up. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… I guess I don’t know what I mean. Just that this is starting to get…”
“Awkward?” she suggested.
“No.” He yanked hard at his laces, then stood up. Beth forgot that she was having a serious conversation and let herself be distracted by the muscles of his arms. “It’s getting a little intense, and it feels weird that— Hello?”
“Sorry.” Beth forced her gaze up to his eyes. They were smoky blue and pissed. She was a little startled at how intimidating he looked. Hard and nearly cruel. It reminded her of the way he’d taken her on the floor of her living room.
His jaw looked like stone. “All I’m saying is that we’re spending time together. More time. And you don’t even trust me.”
“No, I don’t trust you. I told you that from the start.”
“I know I lied to you.” He paced away. “But I haven’t lied to you since, have I?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “This isn’t about trust. This isn’t a relationship. It’s just…” She tried to think of a word that wasn’t insulting. “Casual.”
“Right. It’s so casual you don’t want people to know about it.”
“What?” she yelped. “You don’t want people to know, either!”
Eric ran a hand through his dark hair, messing it up even further. “I know. But it’s not that I don’t want people to know, I just…”
She raised a haughty eyebrow.
“I just want this to be private.”
“That’s the same thing, Eric.”
“Regardless, we made that agreement when it was only one night. But now…”
“Then we should stop,” she said quickly.
He crossed his arms and stared down at her as if she were an insolent child.
She shrugged. “What? You’re right. I don’t trust you and I never will. We only meant it to be one night. Then we agreed on two. But it’s getting out of control.”
His eyes slid toward the hallway.
“I like it out of control,” he muttered.
Beth closed her eyes. So did she. She was getting wet just thinking about how bold she’d been last night, and how wild it had made him. And how he’d fucked her on the floor like a beast. They’d barely made it through the front door. “I like it, too,” she admitted. “But I don’t know what you’re asking for.”
He sat down facing the hallway. “I don’t know. Maybe I want to feel like I can call you.”
“Of course you can call me.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “I want to call without feeling like I’m intruding on your real life.”
“Yet you don’t want to talk to your sister in front of me.”
“I was trying not to wake you.”
She lay down and stared at the ceiling. “That’s hardly the whole truth, Eric. Don’t pretend it is.”
He cursed softly and she felt the bed shift as he moved closer to her. “All right. Here’s the truth. My sister figured out who you were. Luke and I were talking about you and he said your name. She recognized it and connected the dots. She knows you’re the woman who came into the brewery. The one I…” Beth nodded.
“And as soon as it came out, they were looking at me with different eyes. Wondering what we’d done. Imagining what you might see in me. You’re almost like a celebrity.”
Yeah. She could understand that. Because it had always felt like that on her side, too. Except she lived with it on every single date. At least Eric could walk away if he wanted.
She was suddenly painfully glad he didn’t want to walk away. “It’s the same for me, you know,” she murmured. “It’s the flip side.”
“I get it.”
“You’re nothing to hide, Eric. But I want it to be private. Like you do.”
“Are you still
dating other men?”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “What?”
“Are you seeing other men?”
“I’ve spent the last two nights with you. I haven’t had time to see anyone else.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“To be honest, I haven’t thought about it.”
His jaw jumped as if he were grinding his teeth together, a pulse of frustration beneath his skin. “I’m not asking to bring this out of hiding. With that column you write…”
She felt a sudden shock of horror. He knew about the column? How? She imagined him reading it and—
“If you could respect my privacy. Not mention me by name.”
“Of course!” she said quickly.
“Everything in my life, everything I do and I am…it’s for my family. My siblings. My father. My name.”
“I understand. I’d never put your name out there.”
“It’s not that I’m embarrassed by you, Beth. You’re amazing. I just… I don’t know what this is. What we’re doing. But I need it. For me. Just for myself. And maybe that’s why I like that no one knows. Does that make any sense?”
She didn’t know why, but it did make sense. It felt…safe this way. She nodded.
Eric cleared his throat. “And I guess what I want is to know that when you’re with me, it’s just me. That it’s private. That you’re not seeing anyone else. For however long. A few days. Whatever it is.”
That was what he wanted? Privacy and exclusivity? As if she needed anyone else’s attention after spending the night with him. As if she had the least bit of interest in another man’s hands on her.
“If that’s not your style, that’s fine, but I can’t read that column and wonder if—”
“Of course,” she interrupted. “Of course I won’t see anyone else right now.”
His shoulders relaxed a little. “Yeah? I don’t want to try to change anything for you.”
“I never see more than one person at a time,” she said with complete honesty.
He arched a startled look over his shoulder. “Never?”
She shook her head, frowning at the disbelief in his voice.
“Okay,” he said.
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