by Lynn Carmer
“What?”
“None-ya business.”
“Caelen.”
She knew he would continue down a road she didn’t want to travel, not now. Not ever. Especially not with him. “It was nothing. I’m just still mad at you for leaving me naked on the bed.” She couldn’t very well explain that she planned on reneging on the stipulation she’d agreed to. Technically, he was supposed to be able to pick one time and one place in their little agreement. If only she’d realized her relationship PTSD might kick in.
He frowned again, took a long pause, and frowned some more. “I’m going to let it go, for now. By the way, I didn’t leave you naked. What kind of douche do you take me for?
“Do you really want me to answer that question? Okay, okay,” she responded with a laugh when he made to lunge in closer. “I won’t answer your question. But then, why did you say that I looked uncomfortable?”
“I did take some of your clothes off, but I didn’t leave you naked.” With one hand he traced to outer edge of her ear.
Goosebumps erupted down her spine, and she swatted his hand away. Suddenly, Victor and his manipulations were pushed to the backburner. “So what exactly did I look like when you left me last night?”
“You had your bra and panties on. I swear.”
“Then why did I wake up naked?”
“Sounds like you were the one who had the romantic interlude… with yourself. Better have been with yourself,” he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
She snorted. “Puh-lease! I—” She paused when a sneaking suspicion hit. Could she have drunk-stripped? She’d been known to do it a time or two in her life, but usually it was just everything above the waist. Maybe because she only had her bra and panties on, it’d been easy to go the Full Monty.
She took a deep breath and finally met his eyes. God, she could just sink into them. She loved the swirls of color, light brown rimmed in black. So pretty. Yet somehow not girly. Nothing about this man was feminine.
She shook herself. The laundry room, the cold washing machine and the frowning male in front of her all came back in focus. Truly, his eyes were a lethal weapon. Perched this high, it made it easy to forget that she wore little else than a very short baby-doll dress that was bunched so high on her thighs, she almost looked pantless.
Time to talk about the real issue. Sort of. Too bad he had no idea what was really going on. She held her breath and blurted out. “What if—What if I don’t want to let you pick the time and place? What if I say no?”
One dark brow rose slowly, but he took his time in answering. Caelen could feel his eyes devouring her face, taking in every expression, every faint blush. Not that she could see him. She was too busy examining, as if her life depended on it, a piece of lint on her dress.
“Well, if I were a good guy I would tell you I was so damn grateful to be with you that it wouldn’t matter when and where.” He paused and let his words sink in. Slowly, he leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. “And that I have no problem letting you set the when and where. Just as long as there is a when and where.”
She let out a long, drawn out breath.
“But,” he said with a wink, “we both know I’m a son of a bitch, so I wouldn’t let it go without some negotiation.” He leaned back and studied her face. He smiled but the grin didn’t reach his eyes. His gaze still burned, probably from trying to figure out why she’d pulled away. But he’d offered her humor, putting himself down to make her feel better.
But she wasn’t stupid enough to give him a total pass, even though she was starting to get a sneaking suspicion he was one of the good guys. Her instincts left a lot to be desired. Instead, she rolled her eyes, feigning outrage. “Figures you’d would want to negotiate. Typical man. What would you want, you son of a bitch?”
He laughed, and this time the humor was real.
“What? Your words, not mine. So if I say no, how am I going to have to pay up?”
He rocked back on his heels, giving her some space. “That’s easy. I want another kiss.” The grin plastered on Dare’s face was very, very wicked. Too wicked.
With those four words it all came flooding back. Her desire, the warmth, and the tsunami of heat pooling between her legs. What she’d needed from him was a little reassurance that he wouldn’t repeat Victor’s manipulative games. And while Dare was the King of Verbal Volley, he obviously wasn’t interested in putting her down.
Interesting.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
Her damn phone. Again. If it was Victor, she refused to give him another second of her time.
“You need to get that?”
“Nope.” Unwilling to dwell, she focused on what was real. Dare, in front of her, with a wicked smile and a raging hard on. It was time to enjoy the few days she had with him.
“Dare, do you remember, growing up, that I was a good girl?” she asked as she traced a hand around the top ridge of his belt.
His eyes dilated. He took a deep breath in before he nodded.
“So you must remember that I’m a girl who always follows the rules.”
“Always.” He gulped.
His intensely dazed look returned along with Caelen’s sense of power. Screw talking. “Always. So if you tell me that you want to call in your—What did you call it, your ace? Then I am honor bound by my own personal code to follow the rules. I take rules very seriously,” she said with a laugh, unable to hold onto the “pouty girl” character for too long.
He stared for a minute and frowned, and she actually felt sorry for the poor man. He probably thought it was another trick. Dare didn’t know she was to blow his little head right off.
Right here. Right now.
Chapter 16
‡
ONCE AGAIN, DARE’S mind tried to quickly organize the chaos of the situation and the woman he was currently dealing with.
One. He’d been pissed, she’d been mad, he’d fucked up, he’d pushed things too fast, she’d balked, he’d groveled, she’d started lecturing about rules… and now had maybe changed her mind?
Two. He was on fire, and his blue balls had removed any hope of rational thought.
Confusing woman.
And strong! She’d had him halfway across the room with one shove. That hadn’t mattered as much as the flash of hurt he’d glimpsed in her eyes. Who the hell had made her feel that way? Something he’d said set her off, but his gut told him he wasn’t responsible for the pain. The whole thing made him want to punch something.
Or somebody.
Caelen had hinted about the “someone” who’d done a head-trip on her. Dare just wished he knew who it was so he could beat the realization into him that he was –punch– the luckiest –backhand slap– bastard –knee to the groin– on earth, if Caelen had given him even one second of her attention.
Damn, he had it bad. Always had, and even his frustration last night didn’t seem to be changing anything. Who could he talk to who would spill the beans about Caelen, and give him the 4-1-1 on the asshole he was competing against? She may say he was firmly out of her life, but if he was still taking up space in her head, he was a threat.
Dare had been trained to take out threats, fast and hard. Time to clarify. Please be reading this correctly. Don’t let her see you sweat. “Then… I call it right here, right now?” He hadn’t meant that to sound like a question.
Caelen’s soft giggle relaxed him slightly. Hopefully, she was comfortable again and was maybe, please God, going to relieve the pain that had haunted him these past twelve hours.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “Where do you want me?” He waited for her smile, craved it, hoping she remembered they were the exact words he’d used last night.
He was rewarded with a distracted laugh. “Since we started seated, why not end it that way?”
God, she was so sexy. Her loose dress gave him a sinful look at her surprisingly long legs. They were feminine and rounded and the need to touch her silky skin gripped him like a madness. His neck start
ed to heat. But wait, what had she said? “End it? What do you mean? We have three days left.”
“No, you crazy man.” She slapped a hand against his chest. “You’re always thinking the worst. I don’t mean the end to our agreement, just the end of this one encounter.”
His shoulders relaxed and he somehow peeled his hands from her warm hips. He could feel the heat of her skin through her dress, and he was now addicted to the madness. Addicted to her. He took three big steps backward, grabbed a chair from the large table, spun it around and landed hard on the wooden frame.
He refused to take his eyes from her, even for a minute. With this woman, he never knew what would happen. He wasn’t taking any chances.
Pass-outs, incessant texts, ex-boyfriends, nosy sisters, none were going to stop this from happening.
Caelen wiggled down from the machine and landed as gracefully as possible in 6 inch heels. She sashayed toward him and his fists bunched. Her body was amazing, soft curves in all the right places. She was what a real woman should look like. She didn’t possess one hard angle. Just before she knelt in front of him, a flash of guilt came from out of nowhere and hit him straight in the gut. That damn look of pain on her face, he couldn’t shake it.
Against his better judgment, he asked the question his conscience demanded, “Tell me you’re okay with this, Betty.”
“A deal is a deal.”
Thank you, God.
“You changing your mind, Goldie?”
“Never. Just thought I’d pretend to be nice.”
The whoosh of his zipper going down made his eyes go wide. Caelen knelt carefully in front of him with her small pink tongue darting out, licking her plump red lips.
His heart kicked hard against his ribcage, increasing in speed with every inch her body moved closer. Everything so far was déjà vu except, this time, he was hoping for a different outcome. No more making the mistake of closing his eyes. No way that would happen.
He needed to see the moment her lips touched him.
A slow burn went up the back of his cock, his need slowly climbing his shaft, and he gritted his teeth in concentration, fighting back the urge to come.
No,no,no,no. No!
“You okay?” she asked in a whisper.
What gave him away? Maybe the death grip he had on the arms of the chair? “Yeah, just give me a second.”
“Okay.” It took a few seconds to maneuver his pants down his legs. Finally the pressure of jeans and boxers were gone. The cool, air-conditioned breeze gently brushed against his overheated cock. She had him in hand in the blink of an eye.
“Damn it, Caelen. I asked for a minute.” The feel of her silky hands against him almost made him lose it.
“Nope. You said to give you a second. One. There, time’s up.”
He barked out a laugh, which turned into a deep moan. She sounded so damn eager.
He was doomed.
A woman who could verbally abuse him one minute and then couldn’t keep her hands off him the next was… perfection. No, damn it! He had to stop using that word. Besides, it was too simple a concept to describe her. Caelen was heaven and hell wrapped up in a modern pin-up package.
“I have so many ideas. What to do, what to do?” She was obviously talking to herself, or his dick, as she stared at his weeping erection. “Earlier I was going to start with the Rolling Pin. Then I saw the Hot Fudge Sundae with a Cherry on Top, buuut I can’t go too big, too soon. Hmmm.”
“Hot fudge… That’s… technique?” Speech had abandoned him. He didn’t even know what he was saying. All he could do was revel in the anticipation of her lips on his cock. And her warm hand gliding slowly up and down his bulging shaft.
Gotta keep your cool. Gotta—
Absently, she ran her other hand along his thigh, his muscle jumping in anticipation, and he thought he might die from the added contact. His body was over sensitized at this point. If she so much as blew on his dick, he might come.
“Don’t judge. Gonna be fast. Lotta pressure. I can’t—” he groaned low and took in the scent of her. “You smell so good, baby. Can’t wait… to feel. So ready.”
She didn’t seem to be listening to a word he said. She just continued to examine him, her red pouty mouth an inch away. “I wish I had my notes. Do you mind if I get my laptop?”
“Yes, I mind.”
“Okay, but everything I researched talked about foreplay. Should I—?”
Dare reared up and placed both of his hands on either side of her face, smooshing her cheeks together in his haste. “I. Am. Ready. No. Foreplay. Can’t… take it.”
Gently removing his hands from her cheeks, Caelen pushed Dare back against the seat. “You poor, baby, I really am torturing you. I promise I’ll make it all better. I think an oldie but goodie should do the trick. No need to get too fancy.”
“Yes. Goodie. Oldie.” He gripped her arms and immediately loosened his hold. Mustn’t rush her, idiot.
“The good ol’ Round and Round,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“I know, baby. I will, I promise.” She breathed in right before she rubbed her nose against the veined underside of his penis, nuzzling down to his base. He saw her pink tongue a second before pure, heated bliss traveled up the length of him. Her glistening lips opened above his mushroom head and she descended, encasing him in her warm, wet mouth.
Her soft tongue circled one way, then the other, only focusing on the sensitive head of his cock. Gently, and then with more pressure, her hands massaged his aching balls and the pressure built, built, feeling like it travelled straight up his spine.
Just when he was going to shout a warning, she descended, encasing his whole shaft and then, once again, shifted focus back to his head, then back down to the base.
For one painful second he felt her lips disengage, the cool air conditioning surrounding his aching member. He thought he heard her whisper, “Now, The Vacuum.”
“What?”
She sucked his full length so hard, her cheeks hollowed. His cock was encased and the sensitive tip scraped the back of her throat. Back up, then a deep long spiral down. Pleasure so intense, it bordered on pain, raced up his length, moving along his spine as his brain exploded. It was the last sharp tug of his balls that sent him splintering into thousands of pieces before he felt the strong tightening of his cock. He imagined coming over and over again in her eager mouth.
No. Tell her.
“Baby, pull back.” It was just enough time to warn her as his semen came jetting from his throbbing cock. She didn’t move. He was riveted to the sight of her drinking him in. She never flinched, never pulled away, never stopped as he came inside her mouth—the thought jacked him up and he felt his dick spasm again, hard.
As he floated down from the high, his last thought was, All that talk and I only lasted seconds.
Chapter 17
‡
I NEED A Pop Tart.
Her go-to comfort food. She would need about five to process the events of the last half hour. Blinking, Caelen exited the room and headed for the kitchen. What could have been a potentially awkward and totally embarrassing situation had been smoothed over the by the markedly “unsmooth” Goldie.
Huh.
Who knew he had it in him? He had been sweet, complimentary, nothing like his usual self. Guess orgasms put him in a better mood. And thankfully, he seemed as eager as she was to get the hell out of the room. Maybe she should feel insulted by that, but instead she experienced extreme gratitude.
Not only had he made her feel comfortable, but he’d also wrangled another date, making sure she knew how much he appreciated her.
Double-huh.
There was only one problem, the deep ache that sat between her thighs. Going down on Dare had been one of the most erotic experiences of her life. And really frustrating. What if she felt this throbbing pain all day?
The feel, the size, the taste of him had been overwhelming and intense. His focus was singular in everything
he did and she imagined what it would be like to make love to him.
Now Goldie’s blue balls didn’t seem so funny. She carefully walked toward the front office, smoothing her dress in place and then adjusting her hair. Her laptop was cradled against her side as she made her way toward the kitchen.
Someone had come in; she just prayed they hadn’t ventured too far back into the school. Dare hadn’t exactly been quiet. Hell, who was she kidding? She had no idea how loud or quiet either of them had been; she’d been too busy losing herself in the moment.
The wet, sexy, mind-blowingly intense moment.
“Did you just come in?”
Caelen screamed and spun around, ready to bean whoever it was over the head with her laptop.
Brynn stood in front of her, looking like casual elegance with tight jeans, a white button-up shirt paired with a beige cardigan and soft brown boots that came just below her knees.
Caelen straightened from her defensive stance and yelped, “You scared the hell out of me.” Caelen felt a guilty flush crawl up her cheeks. She decided to go on the defensive. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Well, I was minding my own business, just sitting in my car, checking my messages when my eyeballs were assaulted by quite a sight.” Brynn hoisted the small saddle-bag purse she’d probably purchased on Etsy, over her shoulder. Brynn lived for anything homemade.
Wait. Eyeball assault? Sitting in her car? Caelen’s heart sank. The parking lot was located smack in the back of the school, right by the rear exit… where Dare had just vacated, like a bat out of hell. Could that be why her sister looked like the cat who ate the canary? He must have looked amazing as he’d rushed through the door, his muscles flexing as he jogged toward his car and—
Shoot! It was happening again. Her mind kept wandering back to Dare. The dull throb between her legs didn’t help. “So?” she said. She put one hand on her hip, going for nonchalant.
Her sister stepped forward, adjusted Caelen’s earrings and smoothed back her hair. “That’s much better. You looked a little lop-sided like that. Now, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah. Guess who I saw jogging out the back entrance?”