“About that favor,” he said, stepping closer, not touching her, but towering over her. “I have to go to dinner with a guy who retired from the game thirty years ago, and as much as I like and admire the dude, he has a tendency to babble on and on about all his glories in the good old days, and how the game isn’t as good anymore.”
She sucked in a breath and swayed closer. “Okay…”
“So, to be honest.” His fingers brushed the smooth plastic of her glasses as he tucked her hair behind her ear. It was as soft as he remembered. “I could really use a wingman. Someone who can loudly announce we have somewhere else to be when I nudge them under the table discreetly, and then we get out of there at a decent time.”
She nodded. “Okay, yeah, sure. I’m your girl. When is it?”
“Tonight, in two hours.” He’d been planning on making excuses to get out of it, citing the big game this weekend as an excuse, but now… “Are you free?”
After licking her lips, she shook her head, nodded, then shook her head again. “I, well, I kind of had plans.”
He cocked his head and moved a fraction of an inch closer. Her nostrils flared in response. “What kind of plans?”
“Well, you see, I’ve never tried online dating before. I’ve always been too nervous to meet some dude I’ve never even seen, and to just blindly trust the internet to know what I might like in a guy.” She licked her lips. “So, when I matched with this guy on eHarmony right away, and he messaged me…I didn’t ask questions. I just said yes when he asked me out. He seemed funny enough, and he didn’t talk like a serial killer, so, long story short, we’re supposed to go out later today.”
“How do serial killers talk?” he interjected.
“I have no clue.” She made a stabbing motion with her hand, holding an imaginary knife. “Like, sharp?”
He cracked up, holding his stomach, bending over.
“Anyway. I let him pick the place. Otherwise I’d have to figure out the perfect spot, and it would take forever, and then I’d back out, and probably say something came up, like the old me would have, and—”
He straightened at that, his laughter dying. “Where did he pick? You can tell a lot about a guy from the place he chooses for a first date,” he stated, trying to ignore the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach at the idea of her going out with some other dude instead of him. Maybe this dude would have sex with her, instead of respecting her enough to wait. Maybe he would stick around longer than a night. Maybe she would fall in love with him. Get married. Have adorable kids. Live happily ever after.
He was going to hurl.
“Costello’s.”
He winced and brushed a strand off her cheek, burying his fingers in the hair on the back of her head. There was no way he was going to stand by and watch her fall in love with some other guy while they had this…this…tension between them. “Sounds like a serial killer restaurant to me. If they have sharp knives, don’t walk. Don’t stop. Don’t pass go. Run.”
She half laughed, half groaned, her lids drifting shut. Her lashes were unadorned with mascara, yet they were the longest he’d ever seen. She ran her hands down his shoulders gently, making his body tense and flex with the undeniable need to have her. “You think he’s a killer?”
“Oh, he’s definitely a killer.” He pressed his lower body against hers, showing her just how badly he wanted her. Hell, she’d touched him, so he got to touch her, too. And she’d made him promise… “You’re risking total dismemberment if you go out with him.”
She didn’t say anything. Just gripped his biceps, digging her nails into his skin. Lifting her chin, she licked her lips and locked eyes with him, smiling slightly. “So, what should I do?”
“If it were me, and I had to choose between a serial killer and a peaceful dinner with a guy I knew wasn’t going to kill me…” He slipped his fingers under her chin, lifting it and lowering his head until his mouth was a breath away from hers. “Why bother with a blind date from hell, when you could spend the night with me instead?”
“Why indeed?” she said cheekily.
“Hey. Did you mean what you said when you said if I wanted to come back…?” he started to ask.
She nodded, a small whimper escaping her. “Yes.”
“That you wouldn’t ask me for more than I could give?”
She nodded again.
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you. About how right your body pressed against mine is, and how badly I want to find out how good you taste everywhere.”
Trembling, she swayed closer. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. And you.”
“But the thing is, I respect you, and more than that, I like you.”
“Same.”
“I can’t offer you love, or forever. I couldn’t even say if I’d be back after tonight or not. You deserve more than that.” His grip on her shifted, and his hand slid lower. “But the idea of you going on a date with someone else…I don’t like it.”
“Then I won’t do it,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t even know the guy.”
He shook his head, trying to talk himself out of this, as well as her. “But I can’t offer you any—”
“You know, you’re probably right about the serial killer thing, and I enjoy being with you, so…” She wrapped her arms around his neck and rose on tiptoe. “It’s cool. I’ll cancel to help you out.”
“Are you sure?” He caressed her cheek tenderly, seconds from giving in and taking what she offered because there was no way he was walking away from her twice.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said, her voice breathy. “Kiss me, Wyatt Hamilton.”
He groaned and lifted her onto the counter and stepped between her thighs, pressing against her intimately. She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes…so he kissed her.
And, in that moment, everything was right again.
Chapter Ten
Kassidy tightened her fists on his shirt, all doubts and breath leaving her the second his mouth touched hers. Part of her was convinced this was another dream, and the other part was all too aware of how very real this was. With his hands on her, and his thighs between hers, there was no imagining how right this felt. She’d tried.
But her dreams always ended up falling short of perfection.
He ran his hands up her thighs, stopping an inch from where she ached for him most, and kissed her like the world might end if he didn’t. And for a second, she thought it had, as his tongue slipped between her lips, touching hers. The room around them started to spin. He’d knocked her off her feet last time, but this time was proving to be even more amazing than before, and they’d just started.
That hadn’t seemed possible.
Arching her back to get closer to him, she squeezed him with her thighs, needing more. Needing him. He seemed to understand what she wanted without her having to say the words. He removed her leggings with surprisingly little effort, considering the fact she was sitting on the counter. Her shirt went next, and soon enough she wore nothing more than a pair of panties, while he was still fully clothed. She shivered, lifting her arms to cover herself, oddly vulnerable until he stepped back, his heated eyes skimming her body.
Flexing his jaw, he stepped back between her thighs, resting his hands on her bare skin. “Even better than I imagined.”
Shivering for a different reason, she said, “Wyatt, I—oh my God.”
He kissed her neck, leaving a trail of fire in his wake as his hands slid upward toward her core. When his fingers brushed her intimately, she gasped again, clinging to him desperately. He’d barely even done anything, and yet she was already madly frantic for him to do more.
To make her his for the day.
“Wyatt,” she breathed, biting her lip as he bit her shoulder.
He moved lower, over the curve of her bare breast. “Yeah?”
“Why do you still have all your clothes on?”
With a small laugh, he whispered: “Patien
ce, my dear. Patience.”
Then he closed his mouth over her hard nipple. He sucked the bud into his mouth, swirling his tongue over her. She threaded her hands through his hair and moaned, closing her eyes slightly. “But—”
“If I undress, nothing will stop me from having you.” His gaze collided with hers, and he moved to her other nipple. “I want to take my time with you. Make you scream. Taste you…everywhere.”
She licked her lips. “Everywhere?”
“Everywhere.” He smirked. It was the sexiest smirk she’d ever seen. “Then, and only then, I’ll undress and let you have a turn.”
With that, he took her other nipple into his mouth, giving it the same treatment as the first. She let his mouth take her on a ride, losing herself in the slow stroke of his tongue. When he released her nipple and kissed lower, and lower still, she stiffened. Her ex had never…he hadn’t liked…but would she?
He’d dropped to his knees, bringing his face level with—well, with her. He nibbled on the spot right above her knee, then went higher, dropping a kiss midway up her thigh. One more had him right below her panties. He paused, studying her. “Are you okay—?”
She nodded, biting her lip in anticipation. “Go ahead.”
Without hesitation, he lowered his mouth to her core, rolling his tongue over the thin satin of her panties. Moaning, she threaded her hands in his hair, urging him closer.
Oh, yeah. She liked.
His tongue brushed over her relentlessly, driving her higher and higher until she was moving against him erotically, everything else lost in her mind except for her need to come. And when she did orgasm, she flew higher than ever before, and he was right there to pull her safely back to the ground again.
Standing back up, he pressed his mouth to hers as he undid his pants. He set a condom on the counter before he let them hit the floor. He broke off the kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head, and then he was back on her, running his hands down her back smoothly. When his hands closed over her breasts, she gasped into his mouth, rocking against his erection wantonly and letting him take control like he’d said he liked to do. Every nerve in her body was still alive and humming, and the pressure of him against her was almost enough to send her over the edge again. So, she kept doing it. Moving against him.
Pleasure shot through her, making her move more impatiently.
More rushed.
He groaned into her mouth and thrust against her. Pleasure rocketed through her, and she dug her nails into his shoulders before letting herself explore the inches of bare skin he’d given her when he’d removed his clothes. He was as hard as she remembered, if not harder, and every inch of skin she touched was more addictive than the last.
He groaned, kissing her and pulling back. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.”
He caught her hands, holding them firmly. “You don’t understand what that means. I want you to understand that you’re special to me. That this…”
She nodded, her heart picking up speed. “I know.”
Slowly, she ran her fingers down his back, then around his waist and down between them. When she closed her hand over his huge erection, he froze and drew in a ragged breath. She jerked on him, and he kissed her again, more frantically this time. When she continued moving her hand over him, trying to bring him as high as he’d brought her, he grabbed her wrist and held on tight. “Enough.”
She shook her head. “Not enough. Not even close to enough.”
“You’re right, it’s not enough,” he growled.
As he ripped open a condom packet, he locked eyes with her as he rolled it into place, pinching the tip. He mesmerized her. Hard abs. Harder erection. Heated eyes. Messy light brown hair. “And that scares the shit out of me.”
She blinked, confused.
Was he implying…?
Before she could ask questions, he stepped between her legs, lifted her hips slightly, shoved her panties to the side, kissed her passionately, and thrust inside of her.
At last, he was inside her.
And it was incredible.
Crying out into his mouth, she wrapped her legs around his bare hips as tightly as she could and held on for dear life. He moved inside of her, bringing her higher with each thrust of his hips until she was sure she couldn’t go any higher without dying.
But then she did, and she didn’t die, but still went to heaven.
Every nerve, every muscle, tightened in awareness as he thrust inside her, harder and smoother with each stroke he made. Each movement was like taking a step up a staircase, until she was at the top, trembling and calling his name wildly, and then bam. She couldn’t see anything but pleasure bursting into flares of light.
And he was right there with her, calling her name.
He dropped his forehead to the cabinet beside her head, groaning, and she clung to him, half on the counter, half off of it, the world slowly coming into focus again despite the fact that her glasses were crooked and hanging off her left ear, and he was still buried deep inside her.
She’d just had sex with Wyatt Hamilton.
Letting out a soft laugh, he positioned her more firmly on the counter and pulled back, meeting her eyes. Smiling, he pushed her glasses back into place, that tender moment sending a pang of something almost painful through her chest. “That was…wow.”
Biting down on her lip, she smoothed his hair off his forehead. “Yeah.”
He smiled and withdrew from her body, and it took all her control not to grab on to him and pull him right back where he’d been. “Are you okay? I wasn’t too rough with you, right?”
“Not at all.”
“Good.” He kissed her again, his mouth lingering over hers. “So. What do you say? Want to go to this dinner with me?”
As if he even had to ask. Honestly, he could ask her to go to hell for him, and she’d probably say yes, as long as he asked her after making her visit heaven first. “I’d love to go to dinner with you.”
“Excellent.” He grinned. It was, hands down, the sexiest grin she’d ever seen in her life, and she’d never forget it. Not in a million years. Her heart picked up speed as he gripped his cock, peeling the condom off carefully. “Do you have a downstairs bathroom?”
“Yes. Down the hall, to your left,” she called out.
While he cleaned up in there, she washed her hands, freshened up with paper towels, and quickly redressed. It was one thing to be naked in her kitchen while having sex, but it was quite another to stand there in the light of day, all alone in nothing more than her black underwear. If Mrs. Corgin saw her through the window, she might just have another heart attack.
As she tugged her shirt down, Wyatt came walking back into the kitchen, butt naked and clearly not caring about it. He took one look at her clothed form and frowned. “Too many clothes.”
She snorted. “Sorry, I’m not walking around naked all day.”
“And why not?” he shot back.
“Because I’m not that adventurous.”
“That’s a shame,” he said, stepping into boxers. “You’ve got the body to be a nudist.”
She laughed, saying nothing.
Honestly, she had nothing to say.
“So how am I doing?”
“Huh?” she asked.
“Are you living right now?”
She cocked her head, watching him step into his pants. “Is that what you’re doing? Making me live?”
“Maybe,” he said, winking.
“And here I was thinking you moved furniture for me out of the goodness of your heart.”
“That, too,” he said, grinning crookedly.
“Well, either way, I’d say you’re doing very well.” She wrapped her arms around herself, her attention on those abs of his. She’d never been much of an abs girl, but for him? She totally was. “I’m alive right now.”
“Good.” He came over to her and pulled her into his arms. “Now that you mention it, so am I.”
&nbs
p; “Weren’t you already living life to its fullest?” she asked a bit sarcastically. “I’ve seen the news about you. You’re hardly living the life of a hermit.”
“That might be true, but I guess I’m learning there’s a difference between having fun with someone for a few hours, and learning to enjoy someone’s company on a different level.” He skimmed the backs of his knuckles down her cheek, swallowing hard. “With you, I find myself acting a little more…free. More like myself.”
She tucked her messy hair behind her ear, her heart skipping a beat. “I get what you mean. I’m myself, too, with you.”
“The question is,” he curled his hand behind the nape of her neck. “What the hell does it all mean?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.
“Yeah. Me, either.”
They remained silent, both studying each other.
She couldn’t help but think that he was measuring her, trying to figure out her weaknesses, and part of her wanted to hide them from him—while the other half wanted him to see them all.
It was frightening…and confusing.
“What’s your favorite meal?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Uh…” She laughed a little uneasily. “Homemade chicken parm, I guess. It has to be pounded really thin, and then fried, and then baked with sauce and mozzarella cheese. I make it, and to be honest, I’ve never had any at a restaurant that is better than mine. It’s a science to get the sauce to cheese ratio right, and you need to match it to the thickness of the chicken. It’s gotta be just right.”
He nodded, looking far too serious for such an unimportant question. “That sounds delicious.”
“It is.” She tightened her grip on his shoulders—which she’d forgotten she was holding on to until now. “If you win against the Giants, I can make it for you.”
He turned his head to the side. “And if I lose?”
“What’s your favorite meal?”
“Grilled steak, marinated onions, and mashed potatoes,” he answered immediately.
“Then you have to make me that,” she said, biting her lip as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Was it too much? Too forward of her to assume he might want to see her again after tonight was over and she’d returned the favor due him? Yep. It was definitely too much. Fool. “Never—”
Catching the Player (Hamilton Family) Page 8