Patience gasped as she felt his thumb tease the skin on the back of her thigh. “Abel…” she breathed, her voice sounding faint to her own ears.
“Should I check, Angel? Should I lift this sexy, but positively indecent dress and investigate whether your pussy is just as wet as I think it is?” he asked huskily, his lips ghosting over her cheek as he spoke as his thumb inched just a little higher up her thigh.
Catching his wrist when it would have scooted the silky material of her dress up her leg another inch, Patience’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you doin’, Abel?” she asked in a low voice. She knew by the glint in his eyes that the man had a plan… a devious, wicked agenda. She just wasn’t sure she wanted any part of it. “Just because you can get my body hot and bothered doesn’t mean that my mind is on board with the way you’re acting. I can handle my own body’s needs with ten minutes and my vibrator. Your assistance is neither appreciated nor needed.”
Gasping when Abel’s lips found the hollow between her neck and shoulder, she shivered when his tongue found the sensitive flesh. “I notice you didn’t say that you’d walk back out to the party and find a willing stud. Curious, isn’t it? See, I know you don’t want any of those assholes. You don’t even want your battery boyfriend. You want me, Patience. And that want isn’t going away for either of us. I’m not gonna lie and say I understand it. I just know the attraction is there. For both of us. We’re both consenting adults, and trust me when I tell you that I can explore places that vibrator just can’t reach. Relax, take down the wall between us, and let this happen. Let’s explore this pull we have between us. It’s time,” she heard him murmur against her neck. “Give me this and I swear, you won’t regret it.”
Twisting her head as his lips slid up her neck back to her ear, she nearly moaned when his tongue flicked against the shell of her ear. “I already did this - three years ago, and I can promise you, I still regret it,” she argued, biting her lip when one of his hands moved to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. His thumb slowly rolled her pebbled nipple from side to side as he lifted his head to watch her chest.
“Did you ever think that we just weren’t ready for each other then, Angel? Maybe that just wasn’t our time?”
Patience couldn’t help it. She laughed. Then she made herself turn and focus on his seriously annoyed face. “Nope, never considered it. I was a little busy… getting over what had to be the worst sexual experience of my life. Dude, no offense, but you did not make the experience memorable.”
Remorse flashed in Abel’s eyes as he met her gaze. “I know,” he acknowledged softly, moving his hands to cup her hips and pull her flush against his chest as his eyes bore into hers. “I’ve said it before, Patience, and I’ll say it again. I’ll say it as many times as it takes you to believe me. I was in a bad place that night– coming off a fucked up relationship that I should have left months before I actually did. I had no business touching you when I was angry and hurting. What I did ranks as the single most inconsiderate and stupid move I have ever made in my life. I’m not proud of it. I knew better. I was drunk. I was horny and eager and fast. You were young, inexperienced, and a virgin. You deserved better than what I offered you – a fuck of a lot better, and if I live to be a thousand, I’ll regret until the day I die that that’s how you got introduced to womanhood. I’m sorry, sweetheart. If you don’t believe anything else, believe that.”
Swallowing hard as memories of that long ago evening flooded her, Patience averted her eyes, staring over his shoulder at the shelves of whiskey and bourbon behind him. A whiskey sour would be great right about now. Hell, downing the liquor straight would be even better. Anything to dull her acute senses. Because damn it, as hard as she fought against it, Abel Turner’s genuine apology was getting to her. How the fuck had that happened?
“Do you believe that much, Patience?” Abel questioned softly.
Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Patience’s breasts rose against Abel’s chest. “You didn’t rape me, Abel. You were just a lousy lay. There’s a big difference.” And hell, she wasn’t as angry about the less than stellar sex as she was about the fact that the idiot had called her by another woman’s name.
Abel barked out a laugh. “Is that supposed to comfort me?”
Patience shrugged indifferently. “It’s just the fundamental truth. We were not good together.”
Leaning forward, he fit his body to hers and pushed his hips against hers, his hardness hitting just the right spot. “That night, Patience. We weren’t good together that night. I wouldn’t have been good with anybody that night. I should have pushed you away. I shouldn’t have touched you or anyone when I was feeling the things I was that night. But, I can do better, Angel. You deserve better. And now, I’m in a place where I can give you what you deserve. Its three years too late, but give me the chance to offer you what you should have had.”
“It’s not a good idea,” Patience denied even as her body rioted and threatened to overthrow her brain’s decision.
“Give me ten minutes to audition for you and I’ll change your mind. I promise you’ll want the entire performance after you see what I can offer,” he whispered provocatively, trailing one lean hand up and down the curve of her waist.
“I don’t do reruns. I’m strictly a one penis, one performance kind of girl,” she muttered as much to remind herself of that harsh fact as to share it with him. “You should understand, I learned that lesson from watching you. Don’t go back. Ever. It’s in the Abel Turner playbook.” She lifted her face to his, her eyes challenging him to fault her logic. Or break his own rules.
“Patience, this isn’t going to be a repeat for either of us. This is a whole new show,” Abel declared, his hand sliding back to her ass and pulling her closer to him.
“Same pretentious penis, same pompous play, Abel,” Patience returned dismissively, fighting the pull she felt toward him with every fiber of her being. “I’ve seen this episode; believe me, it will end in tears. Yours.”
“Thank God I’m not a man lacking self-confidence, Hellion. Otherwise, you’d be hell on my ego,” Abel groaned, burying his face in the crook of her neck while one arm contracted around her waist, holding her tightly.
“Oh, no. Your self-confidence is unmatched,” Patience muttered, still squirming between his hard body and the wall. “It’s your self-control that needs work.” Lifting her eyes to Abel’s she narrowed her eyes to slits. “You’re not getting this, Abel, and you really need to get me here. Since all the blood in your body seems to have gotten diverted to your dick, I’m gonna speak real slow and in terms that even Dr. Seuss could understand, okay?”
Waiting for a second, she watched one perfectly shaped eyebrow lift on his handsome face in silent askance. “I will not fuck you in the hall. I will not fuck you against this wall. You should really be a better learner. I will not fuck you, Abel Turner.”
She felt Abel’s chest vibrate against her hardened nipples and his rich laughter echoed in the tiny storeroom. Pulling her eyes away from his face, she focused on the neat row of bottles behind his head. Looking at him, his face etched with amusement...it hurt. Because damn it, she wasn’t fucking around. Playing games of the heart wasn’t her style. She didn’t play games she couldn’t win… or at least have a fair shot at winning.
And one undeniable thing had been proven to her time and again.
She’d never emerge victorious where Abel fucking Turner was involved. She’d walk away the loser each and every time.
But damn, she wished somebody could explain that fact to her vagina.
His laughter faded slowly, and he finally gained control of his voice again. Abel shook his head as he stared down at the woman he held in front of him. “Oh, Angel. That deserves some poetry in kind. How about a limerick for m’lady?” he asked against her ear. “I think you’d enjoy that.”
Clearing his throat, he began in a deep, sonorous voice that instantly made Patience squirm, rubbing her legs to
gether as she grew wetter between her legs. Christ, if he used that sexy voice in the courtroom, it was no wonder he won all his cases. A jury – especially a jury full of women – would be putty in his hands.
“There once was a man from Paradise, hooked on a woman cold as ice.
His own personal demon, she refused his semen.
She’d told him to suck it, but he wanted to fuck it.
Determined to get his ride, he ignored her snide.
If she sucked his cock, she couldn’t talk.
If he licked her clit, she’d get out of her snit.
And all would be well in Paradise.”
Patience blinked slowly as the last line of his so-called poem faded. Moving her head from side to side as her lips moved, she was infuriated when she couldn’t push words past her lips. That never happened, dammit. She always had something to say. In fact, right now, she had plenty to say. If she could just make her suddenly tight throat work!
“Cat got your tongue, sweetheart? Have I finally managed to render the biggest mouth in Paradise speechless? I think I oughta get an award for accomplishing that feat. I just wish I had witnesses. Nobody will believe me when I tell ‘em this,” Abel teased, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek.
“First of all, I’m not speechless, asshat. I’m pissed and trying to come up with just the right words to convey that fact beyond any reasonable doubt you have,” Patience finally managed to retort as she shoved his hand away from her face. “I can’t believe you just said that! Poetry, my ass. Seriously, you think all you’d have to do is lick my clit? Do I look like one of the posse of pussy that is always panting after you, Abel? Don’t flatter yourself. There’s nothing you can make my body feel that I can’t do myself with my vibrator and a positive attitude. Believe me. I know. Been there, done you. I seriously think those brainless bimbos you’ve been dating lately have been giving you an over-inflated sense of self-worth,” she informed him waspishly, stiffening as she watched his smile grow larger. “Best as I remember, you weren’t that impressive.”
“So, you’ve been keeping your eye on the women I’ve been dating, have you, love? Don’t tell me you’re jealous,” he chided, somehow moving closer – which should have been impossible since he was already plastered against her, pushing her back against the hard wall. “Would it help if I told you that none of them compare to you and I haven’t gotten my dick wet with anybody in over a year?”
Cocking her head, Patience smiled sweetly. “Your dick is none of my business, but I think dating is a real loose term for the fornicatin’ you do, darlin’,” Patience lied smoothly even as her heart did a happy tap dance in her chest. Honestly, she’d noted that Abel hadn’t been doing much dating at all lately, and that fact had comforted her on many a lonely night recently. “But I do believe one thing. I am different from those bleached, Botox-filled, breast-enhanced Barbie dolls that you usually have hanging off of you. Unlike them, I actually like using my brain and have a modicum of taste.” Glaring at him as she noted his amused expression, she snapped, “I mean it, Abel. I carry around more IQ points in my ass than those bleating sheep have in their entire bodies!”
Abel laughed again, his clear eyes dancing as they skated over her face. “Don’t sugarcoat it, Sweetness. Tell me how you really feel.”
“I feel like I’m two seconds away from separating you from your little general with a butter knife.” Patience returned tartly. “What the hell are you tryin’ to prove here, Abel? You and I – we are not a good combination. We’re like wine and beer. On their own, they’re great. Both will get you drunk, but you try drinking ‘em together and you’ll have a hangover you won’t forget for years.”
“Nice visual. But it’s not gonna work, Hellion,” he grunted softly, staring down at her mutinous face. “I want you. I want to spend the night getting drunk on you. Wine and beer just aren’t gonna do the trick for me anymore, and we’ll deal with the hangover tomorrow if there is one.”
“You want the challenge I pose,” Patience protested impatiently. “You don’t want me so do us both a favor and go find one of your other fruity flavors to quench your thirst. My bar’s closed,” she warned, pressing her thighs together as her body defied her mind and reminded her just how thirsty she was for him, too. She grunted with exertion, but he barely moved when she threw her weight against him, trying to bulldoze a path toward freedom. “Dammit, Turner,” she growled through gritted teeth, “Now you’re starting to piss me off.”
“Back at you, woman. You’ve been pissing me off for months,” he returned on a low rumble as he captured her hips and used his weight to pin her against him. “Months of waiting and wanting. Fucking aching for you so bad that even my hair hurts. It’s enough, Patience. You can’t convince me that it isn’t the same for you either. I’ve seen you watching me when you think nobody is looking. I’ve noticed the way you put an extra sway in your hips when you sashay past me. I’ve watched that hungry look in your eyes when you think nobody sees you watchin’ me.”
Patience’s jaw dropped as he busted her, spilling her well-kept secrets between them as easily as a knife cuts through butter. “Are you on some kind of new medication the rest of us don’t know anything about?” she sputtered in an effort to cover her embarrassment at being caught. “Really, whatever it is must induce some pretty powerful delusions of grandeur. You need to get somebody to check your dosage before you convince yourself you can fly, too.”
Abel shook his head and his jaw tightened. “Stop lying to me and stop lying to yourself, damn it! Whatever this is… this chemistry …it’s there. It isn’t diminishing over time. Quit trying to escape it. I know you’re scared…”
Okay, that got her attention. Scared? He thought she was scared? Like hell. The devil would be serving ice water in Hades before she’d ever willingly allow him to believe that he could actually have that kind of influence over her emotions. “You think I’m scared? Of you? Big, bad Abel Turner? Oh, puhlease! You wish you had what it takes to scare me, you conceited, pompous ass. I’m not scared of anyone. Certainly not you. I just happen not to like you.”
“Oh, you more than like me, Hellion. You want me every bit as much as I want you. But, if you really want me to believe you’re not terrified out of your mind by what I make you feel, let me kiss you. If you can keep those luscious lips from responding to my touch, I might just begin to believe these feelings are one-sided.”
“Let me get this straight. Are you actually daring me to kiss you? You think your mouth is so talented that no woman can possibly resist your charms?” she mocked, her eyes locking with his in a battle of wills.
“I think you’re stalling,” Abel returned silkily, arching one eyebrow. “What’s wrong, honey? Afraid that I’ll slip past those walls you’ve built and find a woman with actual feelings lurking on the other side?”
“You’re such a jackass. I told you. I. Am. Not. Scared. Of. Anything!” She bit off each word with a snap of her teeth, glaring at him.
“Prove it,” he challenged with a devilish smile.
She wasn’t sure if it was the taunting gleam in his eyes or the way his lips seemed to curl into a mocking sneer that compelled her to act, throwing herself against him and slamming her mouth to his. All she knew was the overwhelming need to knock him as off-balance as she currently felt. When her mouth opened over his and she swiped her tongue angrily against the seam of his lips, she felt his chuckle vibrate against her lips and anger seared through her veins, fueling her actions. She’d show him. Nipping his lower lip sharply with her teeth, she felt his lips part for her and her tongue darted forward to strike his. In a millisecond, they were dueling for dominance in a kiss that quickly blazed out of control.
Wet and deep, her tongue moved against his as her hands found their way into his short, thick hair, gripping him desperately as her body seemed to awaken beneath the roaming palms of his hands as he moved them up and down her back. Holding his head between her hands, she urged him closer as his lips slowly mold
ed to hers and his tongue explored her mouth. Tearing her lips away when she would have drowned in the pleasure that he was forcing down her throat, Patience stared at him with startled eyes. “Oh, shit,” she whispered, blinking rapidly as she tried to force her spinning mind to focus.
How the hell had this happened? She’d sworn she wouldn’t let herself become absorbed in any man – but most especially this man – ever again. Fuckshitdamnandpiss! The bastard had been right. She was absolutely friggin’ petrified of what he made her feel. And from the knowing smirk on his face, the insufferable pain in the ass had known it all along. For the love of God, this had not been the kiss she’d initially meant to deliver.
Abel’s lips slid across her cheek to her ear as he whispered, “Gonna keep lying to yourself and denying what’s between us or are you gonna give yourself permission to be bad with me?”
Moaning softly when his smooth lips moved from her ear to her neck, his tongue lapping gently at the vulnerable flesh, Patience felt her self-control slip. She’d never been good at denying herself and Abel Turner provided more temptation than her drenched panties could ignore. Feeling his nimble fingers slide up the skin of her inner thigh until they hovered just a breath away from her center, she gasped.
“Give in, baby,” Abel murmured, lightly raking his teeth over her collar bone. “Just once, let the leash on that hot little body go. I promise that I won’t leave you disappointed this time,” he vowed just as his knuckle brushed against the wet satin of her panties. “It feels like you want to say yes. In fact, evidence suggests that you’re dyin’ to say yes. So slick and hot, you’re burnin’ my hand. Give me the green light, Sweetness and I’ll give us both what we need.”
Gasping as one long finger slid past the elastic of her underwear to tease the naked folds of her core, Patience’s heart sped up as she heard Abel’s low groan of approval.
Ready, Willing and Abel (Passion in Paradise: The Men of the McKinnon Sisters Book 3) Page 4