Perfect Fling

by Carly Phillips

  • • •

  Erin awoke, her body plastered against a hard male one. She knew at once where she was, who she was with. She shifted and registered the fact that her silky boxers had ridden up her leg and she was brazenly rubbing against Cole’s hard, muscular thigh. Mini explosions ignited inside her as she climbed a steady peak that felt so good. Mortified, she immediately stopped wriggling, and the delicious sensations pouring through her body receded.

  She wanted to weep at the loss.

  They were generating so much heat. The kind that was impossible to resist. And they were living together. More important, and as she’d pointed out to him, she felt safe here in his arms. She didn’t care if it was temporary; she wanted him and she knew he still wanted her. Even the good girl inside her accepted that something had to give between them sooner or later.

  Why not sooner?

  Her overly hormonal body craved not just sex, but sex with this man, and she no longer wanted to deny herself. Drawing a deep breath, she ran her hands over his bare chest, following the same path with her lips, hoping he’d wake up and accept what she was freely offering.

  She inhaled, breathing in the musky scent of his skin, and memories of another night assailed her, memories of him taking her hard and fast. That night he’d been in control.

  This moment was all on her. She slid her fingers beneath the elastic of his briefs and wrapped her hand around his rigid shaft. Steel covered in silk, she thought, marveling at the magnificent feel of him. This was exactly what she wanted. What she needed.

  She slid her thumb over the head and moisture slickened her finger. He jerked in her grasp and her hips writhed in response.

  “What the hell?” He bolted upright in bed and caught her gaze. “Erin.” His tone held a serious warning.

  “Mmm?” She pulled down the comforter with her free hand, then pushed at his briefs, wanting them gone.

  “We shouldn’t do this again,” he said, his voice thick with arousal.

  She paused and looked up, knowing from his gruff tone he was fighting with himself and his desire. “Why not? It’s not like you can get me pregnant.”

  His eyes darkened. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered.

  “But what a death it’ll be,” she teased, tugging on his briefs once more, urging more action and less speech.

  He held his body stiff, drawing her attention. “As long as you understand that I’m here for you and the baby, but as far as the future I don’t . . . I mean, I can’t give you—”

  “Happily ever after,” she said before he could put his own spin on things.

  “Exactly.” He breathed out, sounding relieved, and shifting his gaze away from hers. “I have a job that takes me away for long stretches of time. It’s dangerous and I just don’t—”

  Erin didn’t need to hear any more about why he couldn’t provide her with the family she craved. Instead she pulled her pride around her like armor. “What makes you think I’d want that kind of future from you anyway?” she asked, deliberately nonchalant.

  Which was true, for right now. Combustible chemistry and joint parenthood weren’t enough to base a lifetime commitment on.

  But the fact that he already knew he wouldn’t want her that way hurt.

  More than it should. So she pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on the present and on him.

  “Lift your hips,” she said, and was shocked when he complied.

  She drew his briefs down his muscular legs and tossed them aside. When she came up next to him once more, she found him propped on his elbows, waiting. For her.

  Completely nude, his erection now freed, he was hard and big and all hers.

  “Be careful what you wish for,” he said, studying her until her face flushed with heat.

  He thought she was uncomfortable? That she’d change her mind? Then he probably forgot the woman she’d become that night. Emboldened by her memories, she ran her finger down his long, hot length until he shuddered.

  She grinned and lowered her head until her hair brushed his thighs and her breath heated his skin. His groan told her she was getting to him—and she hadn’t really touched him yet. Not the way she wanted to. Closing her eyes, she licked him once, twice, and then finally slid her tongue down the same path her finger had taken. His hips bucked upward and she let out a pleased sigh. Finally, she grasped him with one hand and slid her mouth over his waiting erection, enclosing him completely.

  With his acquiescence, she gave herself permission to do the same, to lose herself in his taste, his scent . . .

  In him.

  One lick and Cole’s entire body lit up. And when she pulled him into her warm, wet mouth, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. His arm gave out and he fell back against the mattress. Apparently the surprising seductress took that as a go because she started to work his cock in the most perfect combination possible.

  Her hand cupped his length, twisting up and down while her mouth, that unbelievable mouth, took him deeper than he thought she could handle until he almost swore he touched the back of her throat. Then she eased off, her delicate tongue circling the head with an occasional hum that vibrated along his shaft. Up and down with her hand, accepting every thrust of his hips that pushed him deeper into her waiting mouth. Faster than he thought possible, his climax drew closer, his cock grew harder. His balls drew up tighter. He saw stars behind his eyes.

  Reaching down, he tugged at her hair, letting her know he was ready, but instead of backing off, she kept at it, maintaining that delicious suction. And when she grazed her teeth along his shaft, he was done for. His hips jerked up and he came, his entire being thrown into the strongest, hardest climax of. His. Life. Erin accepted everything he gave, slowing her movements but not stopping until she’d wrung every last shudder from his body and every drop of moisture from him.

  Cole lost all sense of time and place. When he came back to himself, she was staring at him with glassy eyes and a pleased smile on her swollen lips.

  Hell. Why did they have to be so damned good together in bed? He could have kept his distance if they didn’t go and do . . . this. But they had.

  And they weren’t finished. Not by a long shot. The hell of it was, Cole didn’t want to be done. What man could turn down a sexual dynamo like Erin?

  He crooked a finger her way. “Your turn.”

  “I don’t think you’re quite ready,” she said, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

  Cole closed his eyes and groaned. That cute little blush encapsulated why Erin Marsden was everything Cole should stay away from. Beneath the woman who’d given him the best blow job he ever had was a sweet girl who could still be embarrassed by what she’d done. Cole was dark where Erin was light, his past ugly where everything about her was beauty and grace. She’d remain that way long after he went under again . . . as long as he didn’t destroy her first.

  Still, he’d gotten them into this position, and he didn’t just mean in bed. They were connected by more than just sex. But as long as she knew not to build white picket fences around him, they’d be just fine. They’d already had that conversation, he reminded himself. So he could feel free to just enjoy now.

  “I said, come here,” he told her.

  Her eyes glazed a bit more at his command and she shifted until she was beside him once again. He pushed her tangled hair off her face. Without makeup, she was even more innocent-looking, more sweet.

  He’d tasted that sweetness before and he intended to do it again now. “Lay back.”

  She raised her eyebrows and complied without question. He grasped one of her legs and pulled it open, then the other, until she was spread wide for him. With shaking hands and little finesse, he yanked her silk shorts down, shocked to realize she wasn’t wearing underwear beneath.

  “You’re just trying to torture me,” he muttered.

  “Not really. I sleep like this every night,” she informed him.

  “Of course you do.” He’d already
decided to torment her the same way she’d done him and lowered his head, allowing only his hot breath to touch her bare mound.

  He took in her feminine scent and his entire body stiffened in response. In record time, he was ready to go again. But he wasn’t giving her that treat too quickly. If he was going to allow himself this, knowing that whatever he and Erin shared in bed had to be temporary, he wanted memories to keep with him in the future.

  So when they played nice for the sake of their kid, when she finally looked at him and saw the real Cole Sanders, the one his father raised, Cole would have them to hold on to.

  Right now, he wanted her begging him to take her.

  Her legs were trembling and he braced a hand on either thigh before dipping his head for the long-awaited treat, and sweet heaven, she tasted good. He slid his tongue between her wet folds, lapping at her over and over, savoring the unique flavor that was Erin. He remembered exactly what made her moan, made her writhe in need, buck her hips and call out his name. He knew where to lick, where to suckle and when to ease off with teasing flicks of his tongue.

  Only when she was shaking, straining against his mouth for release, did he give her what she wanted, thrusting one finger into her moist heat and nipping the tight bud with his teeth. Erin’s body went from trembling to stiff as she came, crying out his name long and hard. He suckled her clit through her entire orgasm, waiting for the tremors to subside before easing off her and giving her a minute to return to reality.

  “Cole,” she said in a husky voice.

  “Yeah, honey?” he asked, sliding back up on the bed.

  “As awesome as that was? It wasn’t enough. I need you inside me.”

  Oh, hell, this woman was practically made for him. She wasn’t begging, but it was damn close enough. His body was near to bursting.

  “I can do that.” He lifted himself over her and paused, calculating how fast he could get to the bathroom and back.

  “You don’t need protection,” she said softly, surprising him. “I mean, not just because I can’t get pregnant, but . . . I’m . . . you know.” That blush covered her cheeks again.

  Yeah, he knew. She was clean. In so many more ways than him. “I am too. I had a complete physical when I came out from undercover.”

  “Okay then.” She nodded, her expression dazed but certain.

  “Okay,” he said, and looked into her eyes for the first time.

  As soon as he met that wide-eyed gaze, the emotion he’d been holding at bay slammed into him hard. Yeah he’d been with her before, but this time was different, and not just because he didn’t have to wear a condom. She was carrying his baby.

  Jesus.

  He glanced at her pale stomach, mostly flat, but there was a slight bump he hadn’t noticed before. He jerked his head up and she laughed.

  “You won’t hurt me—or the baby.”

  She’d read his mind. He knew that, but for some reason it helped to hear her say it.

  “Do you not want to do this?” Her voice dipped low. Her lashes fluttered down and she looked everywhere but at him.

  He’d never been with a pregnant woman, but he’d had buddies whose wives had been pregnant, and he knew all about raging hormones, feminine insecurities over getting bigger. Cole had never enjoyed those beer-induced conversations, but he was glad for them now.

  “Honey, you are so damned beautiful. Of course I want you.” His gaze traveled from her stomach, to the breasts he intended to explore later, then to her mouth.

  Which he realized he hadn’t yet kissed. Maybe that connection would reassure her that no matter what he couldn’t give her in the future, right now, there was nothing he wanted more than to get inside her body.

  He leaned down and trapped her mouth with his, and what he’d intended to be a soft seduction flared into a raging inferno. He devoured her, knowing he was not only giving her a taste of him, but showing her what she tasted like on his tongue. She groaned beneath him and threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling at the same time she kissed him back, matching him in both desire and need.

  Unable to stop himself, he rocked his hips against hers, letting his erection swell and thicken against her soft folds, arousing her with a slow, stroking glide.

  “Mmm,” she sighed into his mouth, and arched her back up for better friction.

  He shifted his hips from side to side, giving her some of what she needed, but not everything. Not yet. Even if he was killing himself, he thought, there was more he wanted from her first.

  He trailed his lips from her mouth, down the side of her cheek, neck, throat, pausing to dampen a patch of skin that begged for a taste.

  She tugged at his hair. “Inside me. Now.”

  “Greedy,” he said, chuckling. “Not yet.”

  He slid lower until he reached her breast, licking around her soft flesh, noting she was bigger than he remembered. Not much, but enough for him to notice. He plumped one full mound in his hand, before pulling one tight nipple into his mouth.

  She whimpered. Obviously she was more sensitive too, but since she wasn’t complaining, he took advantage, flicking his tongue back and forth over her nipples.

  “Please, please,” she said, bending her knees to entice him.

  Her hips gyrated beneath him and he loved the way she cradled him in her thighs and her slick moisture dampened his cock. He grinned and moved to her other breast, giving it the same treatment, prolonging her sweet agony, only this time he used his teeth, grazing her sensitive nipples.

  She nearly bucked him off her as she writhed and cried out. “I need you inside me,” she said, her voice almost breaking with the depth of her need. “Now, Cole. Please, I need you now.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear.” He braced his arms on either side of her, readying himself.

  Her eyes were bright, her face glistening, desire making her even more beautiful. Fuck.

  He poised at her entrance, unable to tear his gaze from her face as he entered her, even as he knew he shouldn’t look. That watching her eyes soften as he pressed inside, felt her heat and warmth cushion him, would only make complicate things. As if they aren’t complicated enough, Cole thought, and thrust into her completely.

  “Oh my God,” she said, her body clamping tight around him.

  He knew exactly what she meant. It was just them. Skin to skin, no barrier. He’d never felt anything like it before. Never not used a condom. With this woman, he never planned to use one again.

  Unable to remain still, he slid out and back in and suddenly he wasn’t thinking; he was feeling. An avalanche of sensation hit him from all sides, taking him higher, faster than ever before. She met his thrusts, her moans and sighs telling him she was right there with him. No way would he come without her, but he didn’t have to worry. As quickly as his climax approached, hers did as well, her body slamming upward with each thrust he made inside. She came beneath him, her nails digging into his back, and when he heard his name on her lips, he followed her right over the cliff.

  Seven

  Erin woke up wrapped in heat, her body totally sore in the best possible way. She enjoyed every aching muscle, especially when she recalled the reasons behind each one. A glance at the clock told her it was almost time to get up for work, but she had a few minutes before her alarm went off.

  Time enough to think about last night. A night she wouldn’t trade for the world. Right now Cole slept beside her, having pulled her into his arms in his sleep, but she had no doubt he’d wake up, remember . . . and withdraw. She swallowed hard, deciding her best defense was to expect the behavior and act like she just didn’t care. If she was going to play in his league, she’d have to accept his rules.

  Even if she was developing feelings for the self-contained man who held her close in sleep and pushed her away during daylight hours. She already knew she was one of those girls for whom sex wasn’t just sex. She couldn’t help it. She’d been raised to take it seriously, and when she did sleep with a guy, it was because she
was ready to deepen the relationship.

  Cole was the one man for whom she’d broken her rule, but that had been the first time they slept together. This time she’d had time to think. And this time she knew him better. If not details about his past, she understood more about the kind of man he’d become and she’d discovered her instincts about him were correct. He had a protective streak, he knew how to take care of her, he did it without complaint, and he anticipated her needs.

  How could she not have begun to appreciate his finer qualities? But she’d agreed that this was about sex, not commitment. Their future held child custody agreements, joint parenting—when he was in town—and other things she hadn’t begun to contemplate.

  All she needed to do was act cool and remind herself his caring was about his protective streak and not anything he felt for her beyond a sense of duty. Yeah, that hurt. But it was the truth and she’d do well to remember it.

  On that thought, she lifted the covers and rolled away from Cole in an attempt to get out of bed before he woke. Unfortunately her alarm went off before she made her escape.

  “Running again?” he asked in a sleep-roughened voice.

  She shut the alarm on her cell phone. “Nope. Just getting up for the day. It’s not like I can disappear on you this time.”

  “Are you okay?” he asked, surprising her.

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “You haven’t looked at me, for one thing.”

  Forcing herself to turn over, she met his gaze. And wished she hadn’t. First thing in the morning, Cole Sanders was even more sexy than ever. His hair was mussed and stood at odd angles, razor stubble darkened his jaw, his brooding eyes assessed her through heavy lids, and all she could think about was climbing on top of his broad chest and kissing him senseless.

  “Pregnancy hormones,” she muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m hungry. I need to shower and get something to eat before work.”