Arching against him, she tightened her grip in his hair, driving him to take more of her into his mouth. He closed his teeth carefully, listening for the slightest sound of pain or hesitation from her. He liked his sex rough and dirty and tip-toeing down the line of pain and pleasure, but she might not.
He had his answer when she yanked him away by his hair…and dragged his mouth to the other side. He rubbed his stubbled jaw against her, then his lips, soft, his teeth, hard, his tongue wet, winding about her. He sucked her breast into his mouth, straining to take as much of her as possible.
Pushing against him, she forced more of her flesh into his mouth, thrusting like a man, and it felt like his bones were melting. Like she was inhaling him instead of the other way around, and he’d just puddle on the floor while she drained him dry.
She pulled his head back to let him breathe. Eyes wide and dark, she stared down into his eyes, shaken, aroused, he hoped. She wrapped her thighs around him, dragging him so close her jeans rubbed against him—rough, raw, heaven. If she’d taken him into her body, he would have died for sure.
“How close are you?”
A tremor rocked his body but he held his breath a count of five, ten, waiting for the surge to ebb enough for him to talk. “Very.”
She flashed a wide smile, dragged his mouth up to hers, and wrapped her hand around his cock. Her tongue thrust into his mouth, claiming him. He shuddered, groaning on a climax that scoured his brain with sand. He couldn’t stop. Another spasm rocked his body, another, until he was shaking, his face wet, and she held him in the shelter of her body, rocking him like a baby.
He thought he’d shamed himself by crying like a virgin, but then he realized she was crying too. The pit of his stomach sank to the floor.
He’d never ever forget that day in the park when she’d come to him, pale as a ghost, shaking and sick. He might not have known her full name or where she lived then, but he’d known that she was a formidable woman with a steel core and a heart as big as Texas. She didn’t break down. She didn’t cry and cling. She took names and whipped anybody’s ass who was too stupid to get out of her way.
But for that one sweet afternoon, she’d let him hold her. She’d sobbed on his shoulder and told him about her cop’s partner. Her terrible guilt, her fear that it could have been the man she cared about. Even though she loved someone else, Jesse couldn’t forget that he’d been the one to hold her that day. He’d allowed himself to hope. Not that she’d take him in, nothing that grand. Just that she’d care for him too. He wouldn’t have minded the streets for the rest of his life if she came to him every day.
But then she’d disappeared. It was like she’d given him a glimpse of heaven in her arms, and then she’d wiped his existence from her mind. In the cold lonely months that followed, he’d finally realized why.
She’d been ashamed of breaking down like that with him. For her, it hadn’t been a tender moment of shared compassion and simple human need, a dream come true. It’d been a weak, stupid moment that she wanted to forget.
Now Jesse barely managed to stifle the agonized pleading threatening to bubble up out of his throat. If she regretted taking him tonight, he’d die. He couldn’t breathe, terror shutting down his lungs, his will, his mind. Please, dear God, don’t let her send me away. Don’t let her be sorry for giving me the best release I’ve ever had in my life…
Combing her fingers through his hair, she let out a ragged sound that he finally realized was laughter. Not regret, and not even amusement, but a sound of joy that made his heart swell in his chest.
She bit her lip, and the flash of her teeth made his cock stir to life all over again. “I have a little problem.”
Was that a blush stealing across her cheeks? Her eyes were tight, her lips compressed, and her pulse thumped in her neck. A quick glance down and he noted her nipples were still rock hard and swollen. She squirmed a little against him and he suddenly understood perfectly.
Relieved, he grinned and licked his lips invitingly. “I think I can fix that problem if you remove your jeans.”
13
As if he knew she might hesitate if he didn’t use some sweet persuasion, he rubbed his cheek against her breast. Already abraded and fully aroused, her nipples ached so hard she shivered. Currents of electricity burned through her body, tying her breasts to something else that throbbed unmercifully. She jerked open her jeans and he groaned.
“Yes, yes, let me taste you, Vicki, please. I’m going to die if you don’t let me taste you.”
Hot and wet, his mouth pressed against her stomach in an open, tongue-swirling kiss that had her squirming and lifting in the chair to shove her jeans down. Backing away enough to help her get the tight denim down her legs, he lifted each foot and untied her tennis shoes, handling her like a priceless museum artifact. She hooked her fingers in the waistband of her panties, but he gently nudged her hands away.
“Allow me. Please.”
He looked up at her with those eyes gleaming like bottomless pools of sparkling water, and she knew he wanted more, so much more. He wanted an order, an affirmation that she accepted this pleasure from him. No, that she demanded it. Swallowing hard, she leaned back and clamped her hands on the adjustable arms. Too bad she’d chosen such an uncomfortable chair.
My bed would be much better…and way more temptation. More temptation than I’m ready for right now.
Clearing her throat, she managed to get out the words, “No hands.”
“Yes’m.” He grinned, a slow, welcoming curve of his lips that made her heart thump harder. “Might I suggest you stand long enough for me to work those panties off with my teeth?”
“I’m starting to regret wearing my usual, boring clothes.” She grumbled, her cheeks heating. Somehow she’d never pictured getting hot and heavy with Jesse in socks and basic briefs. “You deserve stilettos and a babydoll like the one you picked out.”
Sitting back on his heels as she stood, he simply gazed up at her with his heart shining in his eyes. “You’re perfect just the way you are. I wouldn’t have you take me any other way. This is real, Vicki. The real you and the real me. Finally, this is what I’ve ached for all my life but couldn’t have.”
He stared up at her, completely vulnerable, his eyes dark with need. She cupped his cheek, smoothing her thumb over his lips. She couldn’t help but wonder how many times he’d knelt like this before a man, forced to service him against his will. Her hand shook, faltering. I don’t want to hurt him.
“Make me give you what you want,” he whispered raggedly. “Drag me exactly where you need me. You can’t possibly take me too hard or scare me in any way, I promise.”
His eyes fluttered shut and his mouth opened in invitation, his lips soft against her thumb. So she pushed her thumb into his mouth, gripping his jaw with her fingers. Harder. He said he wanted…
Shuddering, he moaned and clamped his mouth down on her like he’d suck her whole hand down and swallow her whole. His tongue worked the sensitive pad of her thumb, his teeth gripping her firmly. She started to pull back but he bit harder, pushing her deeper into his mouth.
Opening his eyes, he begged silently. Take me. Use me. Please.
She fisted her left hand in his hair and jerked his head back, tipping his chin up so high his neck must ache fiercely. Pulling her thumb out of his mouth, she leaned down and showed him her breasts without touching him more than her hand in his hair. He strained forward, pulling his own hair, but she refused to let him get his mouth on her. “That’s not where I want your mouth right now.”
He growled a little, showing he wasn’t completely passive. He welcomed the pain on his scalp, just as he welcomed her show of force. She twisted her hand deeper until she gripped the back of his skull, and then she pulled his face into her groin.
Nuzzling her with his whole face, he simply breathed, heating flesh that was already so hot her legs shook. Teasingly, he gripped the material in his teeth and tugged, up, not down, adding pressure instea
d of relieving the hammering need.
“If you don’t get to it soon, I’ll be done.” She panted, barely able to speak. “And you won’t get a taste after all.”
Immediately, he moved his mouth up on her hip, seized a mouthful of cotton, and jerked so hard something ripped. The sound zinged through her, and she had to help, shoving the material down with her free hand, twisting her hips against his grip. Aching, so hot, she had to blink her eyes to focus on him. He waited, again, looking up at the flesh he’d revealed.
“Show yourself to me.” His roughened voice abraded her sensitive nerves as badly as his whiskered jaws had rubbed her breasts, but he still managed to make it sound like pleading. “Torment me with what I can’t have until you give it to me.”
Her heart was beating too fast, but a deliciously wicked pulse of lust shot through her. She’d started this for Jesse, never realizing how much it would turn her on, too. Widening her stance, she propped one foot on the office chair, opening herself wide. “What, this? Is this what you want, Jesse?”
He nodded so hard his hair whipped her thigh.
She let her hand rest on her tummy, low enough her fingers teased the dark curls. “Maybe I should just see to this myself.”
“No! No, please.” He leaned closer, letting her feel his breath hot and frantic on her skin. “I’ll make it good for you. So good.”
It was all she could do not to drag him in and grind against his mouth. He’d enjoy it, sure, but he’d enjoy it more if she made him wait. So will I. If it doesn’t kill me.
Dipping her fingers lower, she parted her outer lips, fighting to keep from stroking herself to bliss. So wet, it was embarrassing. Just the way he looked at her, waiting, kneeling, it was enough to make her quiver on the edge. He shuddered, breathing deeply. His mouth fell open in silent plea, so she gave him her fingers. He hummed out a low cry, the pressure of his mouth unbearable.
She couldn’t wait any longer. Neither could he, evidently. Maybe he saw the climax rising in her eyes. He didn’t wait for her wet fingers to tangle in his hair before burying his face against her. He nudged her so hard she almost toppled over. Grabbing at his shoulders, she held on to him and tried not to fall apart.
Climax rocked through her but he didn’t stop and she wasn’t inclined to push him away. Not when he traced her so gently with his tongue, learning every fold and curve. He didn’t use just his tongue, though—he used his whole face. His lips slid over her flesh in nibbling, soft bites. His breath was a light caress, his stubble a rough one that made her clutch his head harder. He nosed deeper, like he was trying to rub her scent all over him, like he didn’t care if he never breathed again.
Trembling, she fought to stay upright, gripping his hair, his shoulder, even throwing her leg over his shoulder instead of the using the chair. He kept his promise, no hands, but he still managed to take her weight gently down to the chair without ever lifting his mouth.
Breathing hard, she sprawled awkwardly in the chair but she couldn’t find the will to move a muscle. Spasms still rocked her, fed by his mouth. He lapped at her delicately, groaning beneath his breath as though he savored every last drop.
Loosening her fierce grip on his hair, she stroked his face, silently trying to tell him he could stop. He looked up at her through his tumbled hair, eyes smoldering, as if to say, Now that you let me here, I’ll never leave.
Still looking up at her, he latched onto her clit, sucking it into the heat of his mouth, firm, hard, and she exploded again. Panting, she finally gained enough sense to realize she was probably killing him. Her thighs were clamped around his head, one hand tangled in his hair, the other clawing his shoulder. She loosened her thighs’ death grip and hauled him up for air.
“God, yes,” he purred, draped against her thigh and her abused office chair’s arm. “I could do that for hours, days, and never get enough.”
She let out a shaky laugh and managed to get her watery limbs to cooperate enough to hug him. He nestled into her arms like a happy, adoring puppy. But all she could think about was Elias, which blasted through her pleasured haze with brutal intensity, leaving her stomach churning.
How am I going to tell him about this?
14
“Hey, babe.” Elias dropped his head back against his seat. “What’s up?”
“You sound tired.” The tone of her voice instantly set his senses on high alert. His Vik never sounded so timid and forlorn. “Bad day?”
“You have no idea.” His gut burned like he’d swallowed acid. This was it. She was going to tell him not to come back—she’d settled her mind on Jesse. “That drug bust we’ve been working on all month went sour.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“Not this time.” He let the silence build, listening to her breathe. If he closed his eyes, he could see her beneath him, her eyes burning with desire. How could she want him so badly, but take the kid over him?
“Are you alone? Where we can talk a minute?”
He wanted to tell her he was busy, that his entire squad was hanging on his every word, but he couldn’t lie. Not to her. He let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sitting in my truck in the 7-11 parking lot, trying to fuel up on enough caffeine to go finish my report on why we failed to nab our target. My new partner, Colby, is still in the office and I’m all alone, so you can tell me that you fucked Jesse and give me my walking papers.”
“No!” She made a sound like a gasp. “That’s not why I’m calling. Not exactly.”
Narrowing his eyes, he wished he could see her face and body language. “What do you mean, not exactly?”
“I’m not giving you walking papers. That’s the last thing on my mind.” Her voice quivered, a slight break that made it hard for him to breathe for the ache in his chest. “I didn’t fuck him. Not…exactly.”
She paused, like she was trying to gauge his reaction. So he remained silent. Sometimes saying nothing was the best interrogation tactic of all.
“You know I’m working on a few new pieces for the show and he’s going to model them for me. We talked about it, remember? That I’m sort of flirting with bondage and dominance elements? I asked if you were okay with that, because people are going to wonder what I’m into if I’m designing that kind of clothing.”
Despite his heartache, he had to smile. Vicki never babbled. “Yeah,” he drawled out. “I can hear the jokes at HQ now about how much you must like my handcuffs. But you know I don’t care about that shit.” All I care about is you. “You decide to try him out today?”
“Sort of.” He heard a rustle, like she paged through papers, restless and nervous. “I finished his shirt and it looked incredible on him. Are you sure I can’t make one for you?”
“Just tell me what happened, Vik. Did he come on to you?”
“He didn’t say anything,” she whispered so low he strained to hear. “He just looked at me. Like I was his whole world. Like he’d die if I didn’t give him something, anything. A look. A touch.”
Yeah, he knew the kid had that gobble-me-up-whole look that she found so irresistible. In all honesty, it shocked the hell out of him that she’d managed to put Jesse off this long.
“I had to give him something, Elias. It’s been weeks since he moved in, days since you came over.”
He shifted against the leather, growing uncomfortable in his pants. “Don’t remind me, babe.”
“I was so scared.” Her voice trembled. If he’d been there with her, he would have drawn her into his arms, even though she was telling him what she’d done with another man. “He’s so…so…”
“Needy.”
“Yes. He needs so much. I didn’t know how far he’d push me.”
Elias hadn’t smoked in more than five years, but he suddenly wanted a cigarette so badly he could taste the ash on his tongue. “So you asked him what he wanted. What he needed. What’d he ask for?”
“All he wanted was to touch my…breasts.”
“That’s all?” He forced out a laugh, despite th
e knife twisting in his gut. “Well, you do have mighty fine breasts, Vik. Did you strip him first? Of course you did. He needs to feel vulnerable, naked for you. What’d you think of his size, babe? Is he as big as me?”
“Thanks for the compliment.” Now her voice would have stripped paint off the walls. Ah, there was the fiery steel core that he admired so much. “Yes, he was naked except for the shirt I made him. No, he’s not as big as you. But you already knew that, didn’t you.”
“So I’m still your top dog, babe?”
“You know you are.”
“Did he touch you, Vik? Did he suck those delectable tits?”
“Elias!”
He laughed at her shocked gasp. “Come on, Miss Priss, tell me all about it. How long did it take him to figure out how hard you like a man to bite and chew on those nipples?”
“Not long. Not long at all.”
His balls ached and his erection threatened to bust his zipper. Loosening his pants, he sighed with relief. “I bet he didn’t last five minutes.”
“He lasted longer than you did that first night you came over.”
Elias grunted a gruff acknowledgment. “I wasn’t at my best because you made me sleep on the couch the night before.” Unfortunately, he then remembered how turned on she’d been that night, how mad she’d been at him for finishing too quickly. Wondering what she’d done to get her own release, he felt his cock swell another couple of inches. “Did you take him to your bed?”
“No.” She laughed, a dry, mirthless chuckle. “My office chair will never be the same.”
Elias tried to laugh too but it sounded more like a growl. “Did you take him into your body?”
“No. Even when he was kissing my breasts; it was so weird, Elias. It was like I was inside him. I was possessing him. I owned him. I started wondering what it feels like for you to be inside me.”
He swallowed to get some moisture back in his mouth and slipped his hand down to squeeze himself. “It feels damned good, babe. I like conquering you first and then sliding into you, staking my territory.”
The Connaghers Series Boxed Set Page 59