Avoiding Temptation: Forbidden Series #6

by Lorraine, Tracy

  “Nothing. Just wondering what I should have done to make it amazing.”

  I pause, because I think we both know that it was amazing, even if I’m too scared to admit it. “Well...it didn’t tick off all my crazy to-do list.”

  “No one-night-stand. Right.”

  “That wasn’t on my list,” I protest.

  “Sure.”

  “How was your day at work?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from me.

  “Long. Boring. Everything that last night wasn’t. Plus, you weren’t there.”

  Looking over, my eyes find his staring back at me, and my breath catches. The sincerity in his stare is a little much to take. I’m not sure anyone’s ever looked at me with such honesty and longing in their eyes.

  “I don’t think I should have got in this van with you.”

  “Why?”

  “Shit,” I mutter. The more I try to be unaffected by him, the more he buries his way under my skin.

  He turns back to watch where we’re going, but I can’t rip my eyes away from his profile. His jaw is covered in the perfect amount of scruff, and his full lips are parted slightly, allowing his breaths to pass. His neck and shoulders are pure muscle, and his chest is rising and falling rapidly, showing me that although he seems calm and composed by this situation, in reality it’s hitting him just like it is me.

  He turns back towards me, his eyes like blue pools of desire that I really shouldn’t want to dip my toe into, I'm afraid I might not be able to stop myself. He holds my stare once again, allowing me to see exactly what it is he wants. Memories from the club last night hit me, and I feel it right in my core. What it felt like to have his hands on me. How he so easily played my body until I totally fell apart in his arms.

  “You don’t need to be afraid to ask me for what you need.”

  I suck in a surprised breath. Did I just say something aloud again?

  His hand lifts from his lap, and the rough skin brushes across my cheek, sending shudders of pleasure through my body.

  Ripping my eyes away from his, I take in my surroundings. My building.

  My heart drops that our time is over, until I see the movement of a shadow over by the bushes.

  The fear that consumed me when Joe's van pulled up in front of me is strong enough to overtake my desire. My eyes dart around, looking for anything else out of place, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I...uh...of course. Thank you for the lift.” I squash the tremble in my voice, but the concern that twists his face tells me I didn’t do a very good job.

  My hand shakes as adrenaline races through my limbs when I reach for the door.

  “Would you like me to walk you up?”

  I should say no. I’m well aware of that. But I’m also aware that if I were to come face-to-face with my past, having Joe standing behind me would be no bad thing. Not that I have any intention of dragging him into my disastrous past life.

  “N-no, I’ll be fine.” My voice cracks, and I hate sounding so weak and vulnerable.

  Pushing the door open, I climb out into the rain. A shiver runs through me as the cold surrounds me. I look back for Joe, regretting my decision, but when I look into the van, it’s empty.

  My brows pull together, but only for a second because the warmth of his arm wrapping around my waist gives me a clue as to where he is.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of the rain.”

  The beep of his van locking sounds out behind us as he guides me towards the building. I make quick work of letting us in, and he silently follows me up the stairs to my door.

  I come to a stop with my key in my hand, ready to let myself inside, but I don’t get to push it into the lock because Joe reaches out and wraps his fingers around mine.

  My eyes focus on his cotton covered chest for a few seconds as I try to muster up the strength I’m going to need to look into his eyes. When I do lift my head, I realise that no amount of time could have prepared me for the heated gaze staring back at me.

  My mouth waters. I swallow it down as I try to come up with the right thing to say. Unfortunately, when I do open my mouth, the words that come out aren’t the ones I should be saying.

  “Would you like to come in?” There are so many reasons why he should say no, but him being here feels so right. I feel so safe when he’s beside me, and I’m not ready to lose that just yet.

  He looks down at himself and pulls his once pristine white t-shirt from his body. “I should probably go home and shower.”

  He’s right. He should. But, fuck if I don’t want to demand he stays exactly as he is because he looks so damn hot.

  “I’ve got a shower,” I blurt out, then bite down on my bottom lip to stop anything else spewing from my mouth.

  “Oh yeah?” He takes a step forward, closing the space between us. His heat burns my front, making my body ache to feel him pressed up against me.

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty crap and kinda cold but...it’s still a shower.” His arm lifts and his fingers thread into my hair, pulling me closer to him. There’s barely an inch between us. My head’s tilted back so I can look up into his eyes as they bounce between mine and my lips. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to be kissed quite so badly.

  I’m a second away from throwing caution to the wind and reaching up for his lips when he pulls away and says, “Lead the way.”

  I don’t hesitate in lifting my arm, unlocking my front door and pushing it open. The sound of his heavy footsteps tells me he’s following and taking in the sparse state of my flat.

  “I’m sorry, it’s not—”

  I turn, but the sight of him standing there staring at nothing but me takes my breath. This place is tiny, but with him here, sucking all the air out of it, we could be inside a cupboard, not a studio.

  “Don’t apologise, Quinn. It’s more than I’ve got, I can assure you of that.”

  I don’t think for a moment that can be true, but I nod anyway.

  “The bathroom’s behind that door. The washing machine doesn’t work, but if you throw your clothes out, I can rinse them in the sink and pop them in the dryer for you.”

  Without even thinking about it, he reaches behind his head and pulls the fabric of his t-shirt up his body.

  My lips part and my eyes drop to take in the skin he’s revealed. It’s toned and tanned with just the perfect amount of hair covering his chest.

  The temperature inside my small flat suddenly feels scorching as he throws his shirt towards me. I just about manage to catch it, unable to drag my eyes from his half-naked body.

  His hands drop to his waistband as he toes off his boots, discarding them where they are. He drops his trousers and pulls off his socks. He stuff them back into his boots and throws the trousers on the top.

  “Leave them,” he says, flicking his eyes to the pile of clothes. “Just do that.”

  Then, as if getting almost naked in a stranger’s flat is normal, he turns and heads towards the bathroom door.

  I stay exactly where I am, frozen to the spot as the sound of the water running hits my ears and steam begins to bellow from the room. He didn’t even shut the bloody door. As if I need that kind of temptation. My need to strip down and follow him is already quite strong.

  Chapter Nine

  Realising that I can’t still be standing in the same spot when he reappears, I squeeze the fabric in my hands and will the image of water cascading down over his muscular arms from my head. I don’t need those kinds of thoughts in my mind if I want to get through this evening without making a mistake I can’t take back. I throw his shirt into the sink and slip my coat from my shoulders.

  Without thinking, I run the water to fill the sink and throw in a scoopful of powder before a shout fills the room.

  “Argh, what the fuck? Turn the tap off, it’s fucking freezing.”

  “Shit, sorry.” I can’t help but laugh as I reach for the tap to stop the water. I live here on my own; I have no reas
on to know that running the tap makes the shower run cold. I don’t tend to do both at the same time.

  Making the most of the water that’s still in the kettle, I boil it and throw it into the cold water. Forcing myself to focus on the task in hand, I set about rinsing his t-shirt and lose myself watching the water turn a dirty grey colour. When the shower has stopped, I run a clean bowl of water to rinse it out with, trying like hell to ignore the fact that he’s about reappear at any moment.

  I wring out as much water as I can when a shiver runs down my spine. My muscles ache for me to turn around, but I’m scared of what I’ll find when I do.

  Sadly, the first words that leave his lips have me moving without any thought.

  “What the fuck are you wearing?”

  I spin around so fast that water from his still sopping shirt covers me. “Shit,” I mutter, turning and throwing it back into the sink.

  Heat seeps into my back before his finger runs around the neck of my cardigan. Goosebumps prick my skin as I wait to find out what he’s going to do next.

  “I thought you wanted to banish the little old lady clothes.”

  “I-I do. B-but, they’re all I had.”

  “Then I think another shopping trip is in order, because these aren’t who you are.” He couldn’t be saying truer words. These clothes have never been me, just fabric that I hid behind for everyone else’s sake. “I think they need to go.”

  His fingers slip around my waist until he finds the buttons running down my front. As he pops each one open, my breathing increases. By the time he’s at the top, my chest is heaving, my breaths coming out in needy pants. Wrapping his tattooed fingers around the fabric at my shoulders, he slowly pulls it down my arms.

  “Joe.” It’s meant to come out as a warning, but it sounds like a needy moan for more even to my own ears.

  His heat is almost scalding as he closes the space between us, his front lining up with my back. The obvious thickness of his length presses into my arse, and my teeth sink into my bottom lip to stop me from making any more embarrassing noises.

  My heart thunders in my chest, and my veins fill with fire as his lips brush against the curve of my neck.

  “Let me take it all away.”

  “W-what?” I stutter.

  “Whatever it is that puts fear in your eyes. Whoever it is you keep looking over your shoulder for. The reason you’re hiding.”

  “I-I’m n-not—”

  “Shhh...don’t lie to me, Quinn. I can see it all. I can feel it. Allow me to make you forget, just for an evening.”

  “Oh god,” I moan as his lips continue their trail up my neck. How am I supposed to say no to that?

  “I haven’t been able to forget about you. Just the memory of you melting in my hands last night has kept me hard all day.”

  “We can’t.” My words are barely a whisper, showing just how weak my argument is.

  “Says who? Mr. Boring?” His hands move from my waist and find the hot skin of my stomach as he lifts my cami. There’s no way he misses my body’s tremble when our skin connects. “Get out of your head, Quinn. What does your body want? Listen to what your body needs.”

  “Fuck.” As I turn in his arms, he takes one look at my face and his lips are on mine. He wastes no time in sliding his tongue past my parted lips and seeking my own to dance with.

  One of his hands splays out across my back and ensures we’re pressed as tightly together as possible while the other dives into my hair as he devours my mouth like he’d die without it.

  It’s the single best kiss of my life. He makes me feel needed, wanted and desirable—all things I’ve never experienced before on this kind of level.

  “I need you so fucking bad, Quinn. You’re driving me fucking crazy,” he mutters against my jaw as he kisses along it and down my neck.

  “So take me. Do what you promised. Make me forget.”

  He walks me backwards until I bump up against the counter. His fingers grasp the hem of my cami, but before he pulls it up and over my head, he looks to me for permission. My chest swells that he’s thoughtful enough to do so, and heat floods my core at the dark and dangerous look in his eyes. But it’s not the bad kind of dangerous. It’s the incredibly sexy and full of wicked promises kind.

  I nod, and he wastes no time in pulling it off me and throwing it over his shoulder. His lips drop to the swell of my breasts and he kisses, licks and nips along the edge of my bra. My breasts swell with my need for more and strain against the fabric, desperate for more attention. Slipping his fingers inside the lace, he pulls the cup down and wastes no time in feasting on my puckered nipple.

  My head falls back as sparks of pleasure shoot to my core and threaten to buckle my knees. Sucking my peak deep into his mouth, his teeth bite down so just the right amount of pain mixes with the pleasure. My fingers grip the counter, my nails digging in the underside of the wood.

  “More. I need more.”

  His eyes flick up to mine, desire and delight shining back at me. The fabric around my ribs is released, and in one swift move my bra joins the collection of clothing on the floor.

  “You think I can get you off like this again?”

  I don’t get a chance to respond, because his large hands cup my breasts and he sets to work.

  In no time, my core is clenching as his ministrations on my breasts bring me closer and closer to my release. He’s alternated between pinching my nipples with his thumb and forefinger and teasing with his tongue and teeth.

  “You taste so fucking sweet. I can’t wait to discover more.”

  “Yes,” I breathe, desperate for everything he can give me. “Yes, yes.” He ups the ante, pinching harder, biting deeper, and I fall. I fall into a mind-numbing bliss, but it only lasts so long because I need him inside me, surrounding me, everywhere.

  Lifting up, his fingers wrap around my neck as his lips land on mine. The move is possessive, and I can’t get enough. At this very moment, I can’t think of anything better than being his.

  His tongue plunges into my mouth as my hands find the sculpted skin of his back. My nails run down until I hit the towel that’s somehow still wrapped around his waist. The need to pull it from his body is all consuming, and just as I’m about to do it, his hands drop to the waist of my skirt. The feeling of the zip being lowered has my thighs clenching.

  I should be embarrassed about my utterly unsexy underwear, but, just like my bra, Joe doesn’t even bat an eyelid as my skirt drops around my ankles and he quickly pulls my tights in the same direction, dropping to his knees before me.

  When he sits back on his haunches and looks up at me, all I see is lust and need reflected back at me.

  My chest heaves as our eye contact holds, a silent conversation passing between us. I start to think he’s not going to move until he quickly stands and lifts me so I’ve no choice but to throw my arms around his shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist.

  His length that’s tenting the towel presses between my legs and gives me just a taste of what’s still to come. My core clenches with anticipation.

  “Bed?” Joe asks, spinning on the spot.

  “Sofa. It unfolds.”

  “Fuck it.”

  He drops me onto the sofa and pulls me so I’m practically hanging off the edge. Landing on his knees, he drags my knickers down my thighs and throws them into the room. His eyes zero in on my centre and my thighs close under his close scrutiny. If I’d have known this was going to happen, I might have spent a little longer pruning down there.

  “Don’t,” he barks, pressing his large, calloused hands against the soft skin of my thighs and pushing my legs as wide as they’ll go. “You’re beautiful. Every inch of you.”

  Heat hits my cheeks and makes its way down my neck and onto my chest.

  “Don’t believe me? Let me show you.” His lips hit the inside of my thigh and he kisses up from my knee until he’s at my core. He licks at my seam before finding my clit and teasing it with the perfect amount o
f pressure. It’s like he knows exactly how to play my body, despite this being the first time he’s touched me.

  My back arches and my toes curl when he dips his tongue inside me.

  “Holy shit.” Why haven’t I experienced this before? I force the thought from my head, not wanting any part of my past tainting this.

  His tongue finds my clit again, and his finger teases at my entrance. He circles and dips inside just enough to have me pleading with him for more. I’ve never begged a man for anything in my life, but this right now feels so natural.

  He sucks hard on my clit, his fingers diving inside me until he hits an undiscovered part of me that has me barreling towards the most intense release I’ve ever experienced. Lights flash behind my eyes as my fingers grip his hair with such strength I swear I’m gonna rip it from his head.

  “Joe,” I squeal, not giving a crap how loud I am as wave after wave of pleasure takes over my body.

  He continues until my body stops pulsating before sitting back on his heels with a smug as fuck smile on his face.

  I push up on my palms, ready to say something about it, but my naked body catches my eye and I realise I’m sitting here with my legs spread, everything on show while he’s still got that damn towel around his waist.

  He glances down at what’s holding my attention before standing directly in front of me, his crotch right in my eyeline. His excitement is obvious with the tenting of the fabric, and my mouth waters to see all of him.

  “Go on then.” One side of his mouth curls up. His arrogance is enough to have me reaching out and wrapping my fingers around the towel.

  In one quick movement, I pull it from his body.

  My eyes fly to his cock and my chin drops. Jesus. My mouth waters, and I’m powerless to stop my tongue sneaking out and licking my bottom lip.

  It’s not the first time I’ve seen one, but fuck, it’s the first time I’ve seen one quite like that. He’s pierced.

  My hand moves to reach out, but my insecurity gets the better of me.

  “Uh…” My eyes fly up to his, but I find no hesitation. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a turn on.