“If I pierced your clit, I’d have you forever.” He bent close to her ear. “Every time you got horny, every time you thought about fucking another man, you’d feel that piercing. And the first rush of your arousal would belong to me.”
His fingers played with her sex again, so gently. Closing her eyes felt scary. Already mute, she couldn’t bear to be sightless as well. She stared up at his hard, handsome face—and tried to tell him, without words, that she still wanted him. That she still trusted him.
All she could do was nod.
“You wouldn’t—” His mouth twisted. “You’d let me do it, wouldn’t you?”
No, she wouldn’t. Not if he gave her a choice. But she shrugged a little in answer.
He looked stunned. His gaze wandered down her chest, along the path of wax that he’d poured. His expression changed, his eyes turning soft. Between her legs, his teasing hand went still. “Kate…you’re so beautiful.”
Suddenly his hand was gone. Fingers plucked at her belly, her chest—peeling the cool wax off her skin. His hand skimmed down her flesh in a zig-zagging line, probably tracing the marks left by the wax.
Jake left her completely, left the bed. Even turning her head, she couldn’t see him. She heard a tearing noise—ah, a condom. At last.
He joined her again, his body coming down on hers, his breath whispering in her ear. “I want you so damned much.”
And she wanted him. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t hold him, couldn’t tell him. She nodded instead.
He thrust into her, groaning. His body didn’t pause, didn’t miss a beat, setting a strong, steady rhythm, driving into her deep and hard. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even lift her hips, not with the heavy weight of his body pinning her to the bed.
But she didn’t need to move. Jake moved perfectly, as if he knew exactly what she needed. Every thrust, every brush of his chest on hers, every groan in her ear took her higher. After all his teasing, she was ready to explode. She bit down on the scarf and moaned, straining toward release. She let him take her there, let the frustration and fear burst into a heady orgasm.
Jake!
The gag muffled her scream, but he threw his head back as if he heard it, shouting out her own name as he gave a deep thrust that pushed her hands against the posts of the headboard. He dropped his lips to her neck, his forearms trembling with the force of his release.
He nuzzled against her skin as he moaned and shook, pumping with the last throes of his climax.
So much passion in him…so much anger. Tears came to her eyes. She’d never wanted to hold a man more in her life.
He couldn’t quite face her yet. So he lay on top of her for long, breathless moments, panting for air, trying to wrap his mind around that volatile experience.
She’d given him everything. Everything he’d ever imagined, everything he’d ever wanted. And no matter how nasty he got, how far he pushed her, she wanted more.
She wanted him.
He shifted, raised his head and looked down into her face. The scarf, wrapped tight around her mouth, muted her expression, but her eyes were wet.
Tears.
Oh, God.
What a fucking brute. He’d very nearly raped her. Taking away her ability to say no…Hell, it was rape. He was no better than an animal. What had prison done to him? He didn’t deserve to be out. He sure as hell didn’t deserve Kate—and he’d proven it in spades.
What could he say? I’m sorry? Lame.
The least he could do was take the gag off so she could scream at him. He fumbled with the scarf that gagged her, finally got it untied. As gently as he could, he pulled the cloth away.
She looked beyond angry. She looked shaken. Traumatized. “Alcatraz,” she said quietly.
What the hell? Wasn’t it too late for that?
“Untie my hands, Jake.”
Oh, shit.
He pulled out of her and sat next to her on the bed, untying the scarf that bound her wrists with shaking fingers.
He wanted to stroke her arms, hold her, comfort her. What the hell kind of comfort could he provide? He’d brutalized her.
She brought her hands down from the headboard and shifted to a sitting position. Would she hit him? Call the cops? Throw him out? He deserved the worst punishment she could give him.
She launched herself at him—and wrapped her arms around his chest, burying her face against his neck.
He held her close, baffled. “Kate? You’re not mad?”
She shook her head. “That was wonderful.”
What the hell? He tilted her back against his arm so he could see her face. “You liked it?”
A delicate blush covered her cheeks. “The only thing I didn’t like was not being able to tell you how much I liked it.”
Would he ever understand this woman? Maybe he’d at least have some time to try. “I thought I was forcing you, Kate.”
She smiled at him and cupped his cheek with one hand, as if he was the best lover in the world. “I know. I’ve never had so much fun.”
Fun? Where had this kinky woman come from?
From his dreams.
No. Dreams didn’t come true. Not for him. “Why are you slumming with me?”
“Slumming?” Her voice lilted with amusement. “We’re both from the projects, Jake.”
But she’d spent the last ten years making a decent life for herself, not scamming, getting arrested, and doing time. “You’re not from there anymore. Kate…”
She smiled at him, so sweetly, and he completely lost his train of thought.
“Kate, I’m living in a twenty-dollar-a-night hotel. We don’t have anything in common.”
She shrugged. “Well, we both like kinky sex.” Then she grinned. “And thanks to you, now I know it.”
He couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She was kinky, beautiful—and far, far too good for a man like him.
She stroked his hair with one hand. “You know me as well as anyone, Jake. I won’t have to pretend with you, because you know exactly where I came from. You know what I used to be.”
“You used to be one of the sexiest girls I’d ever seen.” And now you’re one of the sexiest women.
She pushed against his shoulder in a playful gesture. “You didn’t even know I was alive back then.”
“The hell I didn’t. On prom night…”
Did he really want to share this with her? Expose himself? Her face was all green eyes, all curiosity and trust. She trusted him. Maybe…maybe he could learn to trust her, too.
Had he ever trusted a woman? Hell, he could barely remember any other women. Only Kate seemed real.
He took a deep breath. “I saw you on prom night. Senior year. You were out with Tom Nicholson. And the dress you had on…just a simple pink thing, but it made you look—”
“It was all I could afford. I got it at a thrift store, and it showed.” She sounded embarrassed about it, even after all these years.
He brushed her hair back, remembering exactly how she’d looked. Proud, innocent and untouchable, all at once…with just a hint of the confident, full-breasted woman she’d become. He’d wanted to take her and violate her in every way his adolescent mind could imagine. “You looked totally hot, Kate. I wanted to beat the shit out of that asshole Nicholson and fuck you in the backseat of his Chevy.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes luminous—as if he’d just paid her a great compliment. “You did?”
“Hell, yes.”
“I wanted you back then, too.”
She didn’t have to lie to him. “Bullshit.”
“I did. You were so…I don’t know. Dangerous.”
So she liked to live dangerously. Before tonight, he’d never have guessed. Not in a million years. “You kept a good secret.”
Her fingers tickled his chest. “I was afraid.”
He grinned. “Afraid of me?” That thought should not be so exciting.
She nuzzled her face against his shoulder. “A little. But mostly I was
afraid of winding up pregnant and stuck in the projects. I was afraid of my own desires, I think.” When she tilted her head back and flashed those green eyes at him, blonde hair spilled over his wrist. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
“Why not? I’m worse now than I ever was in high school.”
She laughed. “I know it. And you’ve shown me there’s nothing left to fear.” Her foot slid up his calf. “No more vanilla for me. From now on, all of my men will be dangerous.”
Men? Plural? He gripped her shoulders. “You’re not going to have any other men, Kate. Not as long as you’re with me.”
She tossed her head and frowned at him. “You can’t control me.”
His hands tightened on her shoulders. He saw red.
And then he saw the gleam in her eyes, the little curve at the edge of her pouting lips. What a tease.
He gave her a gentle shake. “You’re playing with fire, baby.”
She wrapped her arms around him again and giggled—the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. “Yes, and I like it.”
Too good to be true. This was all too good to be true. “I’m not nearly…”
I’m not nearly good enough for you.
He cleared his throat. “I’m not the right man for you, Kate.”
Her smile faded. “You’re really saying that I’m not the right woman for you. Aren’t you?”
God, how a woman could twist a man’s words. He hadn’t missed that aspect of women. Not at all. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”
She looked down at his chin. “You’re dumping me.”
Christ. As if he didn’t want her with every fiber of his body. “Kate…you’re beautiful, smart, and very successful. You probably make more money in a month than I’ve ever made in a whole year. Someday you’ll figure out that you can do better than an ex-con who never went to college.”
Her head tilted to the side, all thoughtful. “And someday you’ll want a wilder woman than I am.”
A wilder woman? “A wilder woman would kill me.”
She laughed, then grew serious again. “You have some good qualities yourself, you know. You’re funny and sexy and…masculine, and…I can tell you’re a good man at heart.”
He snorted. “That proves how little you know me. I just got out of prison, baby. Remember? I held up a gas station.” Not to mention what he’d done to her tonight. Any other woman would have had him arrested.
She bit her lip, looking indecisive. “Well…well, you did your time. You’re going straight, aren’t you?”
He sure wanted to. And with Kate’s help, he could find a way. He took a deep breath and made her a promise. “Yes, I am.”
Her smile looked like sunshine. “I knew it. No man who was wholly bad would give a damn what happened to a kid like Scott.”
He did care about the kid. And about her. God, he cared about her. He stared down into her lovely face, staggered, suddenly short of breath.
Before he could speak, she did. “Jake, I want this to be more than a one-night thing.” She looked away, then back at his eyes. “But only if you want that, too.”
She had to ask? “Yeah. I want that.” Smooth, Monroe. Real smooth.
Her head tipped to one side. “You look worried. There’s no need to be. I’m not going to…I won’t…” For once she seemed at a loss for words. “No strings attached,” she finished.
No strings? He wanted to put all kinds of strings on her. Strings, ropes, chains…tattoos. He wanted to tie her to him as tightly as he could, using every bond he could find.
He’d settle for silk scarves. For now.
“No strings.”
They sealed that agreement with a light kiss. Had he really bitten these soft lips? Had she really liked it? He kissed her again, just because he could. Then he leaned against the headboard, holding her on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder.
He felt a sharp nip on his earlobe. “Hey! I do the biting around here, woman.”
She laughed softly. “Is that so?” A little bite stung his neck. “Maybe you should punish me. I’m such a bad girl, you know.”
He gave her ribcage a gentle squeeze, made her yelp in surprise. “You’re a very bad girl. And I’m an even worse man.”
A thief.
No, not anymore. He’d only take what Kate was willing to give him. What he could persuade her to give him.
And he’d be very, very persuasive.
“You’re not as bad as you think you are, Jake.”
That sounded like a dare. He slipped a hand over the round curve of her luscious ass. “Are you begging for some proof?”
He felt her smile against his shoulder, felt her fingers curl in his chest hair. “Sure. First you prove that you’re a big, bad, nasty man. The worst man I’ve ever met.”
Little teeth scored his nipple, and his cock twitched against her hip.
She chuckled. “Then I’ll prove that I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
*
In Loving Memory of Geno M
Has it been a year already, paesano? I can’t believe how much I miss you.
Chapter One
Jake leaned one hip against the sparkling marble counter and glared into his mug. Even her dishes were out of his league. Delicate and creamy white, intricately painted with floating leaves and some sort of exotic, cup-shaped pink flowers. Lily pads, maybe? A thin, perfectly even band of gold ran around the rim and down the sides of the tiny handle. In his big rough hand, the cup looked like it came from a doll’s tea set. A rich doll. Each of these little china cups probably cost more than he’d ever made in a whole day’s work.
The coffee was probably top of the line, too—not that his taste buds were refined enough to tell the difference. He took a slurp. Hot, strong, and just a little bitter. Perfect. One of the top two things he’d missed while he’d been in prison.
The shower turned off in the other room. Ah, there was the other thing he’d missed.
Women.
He imagined Kate emerging from the tub, all wet and warm, her peachy skin glistening. Would her hair be up in a towel, baring the long curve of her neck? Would she put one foot on the edge of the tub to dry her leg, sliding the towel between her thighs to surreptitiously rub her pussy? Would her clit tingle when she remembered all the ways he’d touched her…taken her…violated her…just a few hours ago? Maybe she’d play with herself for a minute, remembering.
He set the mug down with a clink and took a step toward the door, then stopped. What was he thinking? She’d been too guarded earlier, when he’d woken up to find her standing next to the bed, nudging his shoulder. Get up, Jake. We have to leave in an hour.
She’d been nice about it, but the meaning was clear. No way was she gonna let an ex-con she hadn’t seen in ten years hang out alone in her upscale apartment all day. And from the way she’d high-tailed it into the shower without even giving him a kiss, odds were good he wasn’t going to get a quickie before she went to work.
Work. He should be thinking about getting a job, not the classy lawyer in the other room, not her coffee, and not her tiny expensive cups.
His parole officer had been full of useless advice. File an application at the unemployment office. Go to the Salvation Army and apply for job training. Like he had time to wait around for bureaucrats to get things in gear. Without some fast cash, he’d be out of his by-the-week hotel at the end of the month.
Who’d be desperate enough to hire a guy fresh out of prison? He had no real work experience, no education but a few community college classes, no vocational training…nothing to recommend him but his muscles.
Construction, maybe. He could sit on the wall over at Unemployment and wait for someone to drive by looking for cheap, strong day laborers…and hope that there wasn’t already a group of guys waiting who’d staked their claim on the same gig.
He wouldn’t be a day laborer for long. All he needed was a foot in the door. He wasn’t afraid of a little hard work, and any foreman would appreciate th
at attitude.
He polished off the coffee in one swallow, then rinsed his cup and left it on the little rubber mat in the bottom of the sink. A decent guest would wash it, but with his luck he’d chip the damned thing.
Clicking heels approached the kitchen. Kate dressed faster than any woman he’d ever known. It didn’t show, though—she appeared in the doorway, neat and tidy in a crisp white blouse and navy suit. The regulation length skirt covered her knees, and her shoes were plain low pumps. Sensible shoes, his granny would have called them. Her damp hair was pulled back in a familiar neat little bun—a French twist, she’d informed him last night, seconds before he’d yanked the pins out and thrust his hands into her hair, pulling her head up to his for a deep kiss.
Had it only been twelve hours ago that he’d kissed her for the first time? Seemed like they’d kissed a thousand times—but still not enough to satisfy him.
He got a quick glance from her and a half-smile on her way past him to the table. She picked up a maroon purse from a chair and then looked over in his direction, her gaze assessing. Shit, did she think he’d stolen something from her bag? He could feel himself scowling and didn’t do a damned thing to stop it.
The purse strap went over her shoulder as she bent to pick up a briefcase, notching it into the crook of her arm when she straightened. “Are you ready?”
At least she didn’t sound suspicious. She’d probably wait until she dropped him off before checking her credit cards and cash.
“Yeah. Thanks for the coffee.” He put air quotes around the last word, making it sound like he was thanking her for a lot more than the coffee.
A tinge of pink stained her cheeks. Good. She deserved it for looking at him like a thief. What, she trusted him to tie her up and fuck her, but she didn’t trust him alone with her wallet?
Hell, what did he expect? He’d robbed a gas station. Badly, which led to his three years in prison. But this was Kate—the woman who’d let him act out every kinky fantasy he’d honed during those three long years, the woman who’d smiled up at him like he was a rock star after he’d fucked her in the ass. The woman who’d curled naked against him, all trusting and warm, while she slept. After everything they’d done last night, now she had the nerve to treat him like a criminal?
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