Penelope’s hands curled around the edge of the tub, her knuckles white as she leaned back slightly and let me taste her. And taste her I would.
Everywhere.
My hands made their way to the tops of her thighs as my mouth reached her navel, my tongue tracing around the rim of her belly button, feeling the muscles of her stomach contract as I did. Pulling away, I glanced up from where I was, kneeling on the bench between her legs, to find her staring at me, her lips parted, breath coming in heavy pants. Her eyes tracked my movement as my hands moved farther up her legs, over her hips, finally landing on the draw string bows of the bikini bottoms. Moving slowly, watching her face for any negative reactions, I found the ends of the strings and pulled. As the bows came undone, Penelope sank her teeth into her full bottom lip, swollen from our kisses, and simply stared at me. I waited, my thumbs tracing gentle circles on her hip bones, while she considered what I was offering. When she again didn’t seem to be able to make the choice on her own, a raised my hand and used my thumb to pull her lip out from between her teeth.
“Penelope,” I said, sucking her battered lower lip into my mouth and laving the dents her teeth had made with my own tongue. “I want to taste you,” I said, watching her pupils dilate at my words. “I need to taste you. Will you let me?”
For a moment, I thought she might have stopped breathing. But then she exhaled a shaky breath, swallowed heavily, and looked me dead in the eye as she said, “Yes, please.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Penelope
It felt like my heart was going to explode in my chest. Like my lungs were in a vice and my brain was completely gone.
Staring down at Stone, his intense gaze on mine, I couldn’t remember having ever felt this way. Like I was burning up and shaking apart all at the same time. My whole body felt hot, and as his eyes roamed over me, I swore I could feel his gaze like a physical touch, electric and alive everywhere he looked.
I never wanted it to end.
Stone moved between my legs, his broad chest pushing my knees farther apart, the delicate skin of my inner thighs dragging over his ribs, and a tingle of electricity settled in my core. I could feel my inner muscles clench in anticipation as his hands slowly peeled away my bathing suit bottom, exposing my hot flesh to the cool air of the desert night.
As Stone ducked his head, his tongue again slowly dragging down my stomach, I held my breath, afraid that any noise I made might shatter this moment before it started. I watched as he bypassed my sex, moving his mouth to my inner thigh where he pressed soft kisses and light nips, increasing my anticipation as he worked his way north again. He switched sides to my other thigh, repeating the process and driving me out of my mind.
“Stone,” I breathed, desperate for him to touch me where it counted. He paused his kisses, his fingers digging into the flesh of my legs as he looked up at me from under his dark lashes. He met my eyes, gave me a grin that set my insides alight, then descended on me with a hunger I had never experienced.
Stone pressed his mouth against me, his tongue darting in and circling my clit with rapid licks. Pushing my legs even further apart, he flattened his tongue and dragged a long, slow sweep from bottom to top, moaning when he reached my entrance and pressed his tongue inside. He continued this way, alternating the quick flicks with the slow licks, until my head started to spin. Finally, my arms couldn’t hold me up any longer, and I leaned back, resting on my elbows on the cold tiles. From this angle, I could see everything, watching as Stone’s fingers squeezed indents into my skin, knowing that tomorrow, light purple bruises would remain as evidence of everything he was giving me right now.
I relished the thought.
As I continued to climb higher, my muscles shaking the closer I got, Stone moved one hand off my thigh and slowly slid one thick finger inside me. My inner muscles clenched around him, and he groaned into me. Involuntarily, my hips began to rock, thrusting up against his face, desperate for that little bit that would push me over the edge.
I whined in protest when Stone withdrew his finger, but gasped when he replaced it with two, curling them upward as he did, pressing against my upper wall in the most delicious way.
The sounds coming out of my mouth were desperate and needy and I couldn’t even think to be embarrassed about them. I needed this, and I needed Stone to give it to me. All the tension that had built between us over the last month had created a powder keg within me, the pressure reaching dangerous levels, and this was most definitely the best way to release it.
As I watched him work, his dark hair stark against the pale skin of my abdomen, he lifted his eyes and met my gaze. The heat and desire I saw there floored me.
“Penelope,” he ground out, barely moving his mouth far enough away from my body to get the words out. “You taste so fuckin’ good.” I gasped again as he replaced his lips around my clit and began the thrust his fingers in earnest. “Come on, Blondie. Give it to me.”
I laid there, spread out on the tile, Stone’s eyes boring into mine, but I couldn’t quite get there. I was close, so close. I just needed…something. My breaths were coming in shallow pants, my swollen lips parted and my eyes wide. Finally, when it seemed I would never reach the peak, I reached up, supporting my weight on one elbow, and yanked down the top of my pink bikini, exposing my breasts.
Stone’s eyebrows shot up, but he never stopped his ministrations, continuing to pump his fingers in and out while his tongue danced circles around my clit. Keeping my eyes on his, I took one of my nipples between my finger and thumb and squeezed, twisting and pulling hard.
The quick shock of pain was exactly what I needed, finally flying high into the climax I had chased after. As I soared, my vision an explosion of colors, I heard Stone’s voice, as though from a great distance, as he exclaimed, “Fuckin’ hell.”
After what seemed like hours, but was likely only a matter of moments, I blinked to clear my vision, seeing Stone staring at me, his fingers still inside me, but his head up high, mouth open as he looked at me.
“Holy shit, Penelope,” he said in awe. “That was hot as fuck.” I blushed, averting my eyes and replacing my bikini top, feeling a bit insecure now that the moment was over. “No,” he said sliding his fingers gently out of me and resting his hands on the tile on either side of my hips. “Don’t you do that. Don’t be embarrassed, because that was the sexiest thing I have ever seen.” He leaned over me and pressed a kiss to my mouth, his warm skin dragging across my sensitive nipples, causing them to stiffen all over again. I moaned softly as his tongue met mine, realizing he tasted of chlorine and wine and me. It was dirty and erotic and I couldn’t get enough.
Dragging my hands up his back, I threaded my fingers into Stone’s hair, holding him against me as I eagerly met his kiss. My mind was a mess, overcome with the multitude of sensations assailing me; the fire of Stone’s kiss, the warmth of the hot tub still bubbling away over my calves, the cool tile against my skin, and the sizzling electricity of his touch as his hands roamed over my body, exploring like he had all the time in the world. He was all I could feel and see and smell and taste. He was everywhere, and I loved it.
Suddenly, Stone stood, leaving my heated body bereft of his weight and warmth. Sliding his hands down my arms, he grasped my hands and pulled me back to sitting, his hooded eyes on mine the whole time.
“We should go inside,” he said quietly, releasing my hands and heading for the stairs. I dipped down below the water line, hiding my naked bottom half in the darkened water. I watched, wide eyed, as Stone moved to the lounge chair and retrieved my robe. Holding it out to me, he waited patiently for me to exit the tub, then continued to hold it while I inserted my arms and drew the soft fabric closed around me. Tying the knot again, I stood awkwardly while he gathered the wine glasses and turned off the tub. I tried not to let my mind get away from me, but I couldn’t help it. What now? What was he thinking? More importantly, what was I thinking?
Stone was my boss, and the son of the
owner of the company. The last thing I wanted was to be seen as that girl, the one who tries to sleep her way to the top. Never mind the fact that we lived on opposite sides of the country. How could this possibly work?
Telling myself to take a breath, I tried to reel in my chaotic thoughts. It was too soon to be thinking about any of that. I needed to remind myself to take this for what it was: a short-lived fling. I could keep this casual, and remember that emotions were unnecessary. The were certainly unwanted. Regardless of how tender he had been on our date, making me feel special and desired, or how he made me come alive when he touched me, I could not let myself get in over my head with Stone Pennington.
“Penelope?”
I snapped my attention away from my deranged thoughts and back to Stone, who stood by the door, waiting to go inside. Flashing what I hoped was a convincing smile, I moved quickly past him, noting once again how incredible he looked without a shirt. I had known he was fit, but seeing his muscles on display, the golden tanned skin still damp and the water running down his carved chest in little tempting rivers, just proved that my imagination had been woefully inadequate when it came Stone.
We moved through the kitchen, Stone depositing the glasses in the sink as he passed, then headed for the stairs. Side by side, we made our way to the second floor, where he would normally go right and I would go left. This time, we both paused, uncertain and slightly awkward, as we considered our options. Taking my lip between my teeth once more, I looked at Stone, seeing again the way his eyes simmered with desire. He reached up, and using his thumb, plucked my lip out from between my teeth with a soft smile. My heart raced as he stepped back, afraid of what it meant if this was where we ended things.
Afraid of what it meant if we didn’t.
Without saying a word, Stone held out his hand to me, a silent invitation for me to choose.
I thought about everything we had been through in the last month, all the tension and stress, and finally the simple beauty of the last two days. How Stone had shown me a side of himself that I thought very few people ever got to see. I considered the consequences if this went badly; my career could be damaged, but if I wasn’t careful, my heart was in danger as well.
All my adult life, I had worked hard to remove feelings from any interactions I had with people. It was simpler that way. People couldn’t let you down if you expected nothing from them. And they certainly couldn’t leave you.
But since coming to Las Vegas, I had made that mistake not once, but twice. Both Stone and Daphne were working their way into my heart, for very different reasons, but the result was still going to be the same; when these next three months were over, we would all go our separate ways and I would be alone again.
Did that mean that the inevitable outcome was not worth the experience? My mother had told me to keep my eyes and my heart open. Perhaps it was time I followed her advice, regardless of the pain I might be facing when it was all over.
Taking a breath, I met Stone’s eyes and placed my hand in his.
I could see the relief in his face and posture, and he wasted no time in closing his fingers around mine and pulling me to him, wrapping me in his arms and delivering another scorching kiss. I clung to him, breathing in his delicious scent, wanting to cover myself in it and be sure that I remembered what this moment was like with every sense I possessed. How his arms banded around me tightly, how each sound he made walked the line between agony and ecstasy, and how I would forever associate the smell of clean pool water with how Stone was making me feel right now.
Pulling away slowly, Stone drew me guided the hall behind him, drawing me into his room and closing the door. I had just a moment to take in the space with its huge bed and dark wood furniture, before Stone was on me again, pressing me back against the closed door and kissing me, his forearms bracketing me with one on either side of my head, his chest pressed against mine, holding me in place. Starting at his shoulders, I ran my hands over Stone’s chest, finally feeling for myself all the strong planes of his body. I drug my fingers down the sides of his ribs, feeling every delectable indent, then moved around to his back, sliding back up again, splaying my palms against him and pulling him against me.
“Penelope,” Stone ground out, his hands going to the knot of my robe, his mouth moving to my neck where he once again found the spot that made my knees go weak. I moaned loudly, my hands pressing against the door as I tried to hold myself up. Stone pulled the cotton robe off my shoulders, leaving it puddled on the floor, then ran his hands down my back and under my butt. I squealed when he bent and hauled me against him, my arms flying to his shoulders and my legs going around his waist without thought.
“Stone, I-” but he cut me off with another kiss. I didn’t realize we had moved until my back hit the bed, the cool sheets a shock against my heated skin. Stepping back, he flicked on the bedside lamp and I watched as his hands dropped to his waistband, pulling the swim shorts off quickly and revealing himself to me. I couldn’t help but stare, seeing him naked and hard before me, knowing that, at this moment at least, he was all mine. Meeting his eyes once more, I smiled as I reached behind my neck to untie the bikini top, pulling it off and tossing it across the room. Stone ran his eyes all over me, his hands clenching and un-clenching by his sides, as if it took everything he had not to touch me.
But that was exactly what I wanted. Moving myself farther up the bed and settling on to the mountain of pillows there, I bit my lip motioned him to me. Stepping to the bed, Stone gently placed the tips of his fingers on my ankle, slowly dragging his fingers up my leg. The familiar electric sensation was back, shooting through me from where he touched my skin, raising goosebumps and all the little hairs along my body.
“So soft,” he muttered as his gaze followed his fingers. I tried to hold still, but the sensations he caused made me want to move, to squirm and wiggle and arch against his touch like a contented cat. When Stone reached my breast, he spread his fingers wide, engulfing as much as he could in his palm and squeezing. We both hissed out a breath at the same time, loving what we were doing to each other.
Stone released my breast, leaning down to the night stand and withdrawing a foil packet. He tossed it on to the bed beside me, the placed his knee on the mattress and climbed up, straddling my body at my hips. Leaning forward, fists pressed into the pillows beside my head, Stone kissed me again, this time there was no mistaking the possession he was communicating. He didn’t just kiss me, he conquered me, and the press of his lips and the thrust of his tongue left no doubt as to who I belonged to in that moment.
Arching up into his kiss I slid my hand down between us, taking him by surprise when I wrapped my hand around his solid length and squeezed gently. Stone released a groan into my mouth, thrusting his hips slowly against my palm, allowing me to work him at my own pace, learning the feel of him, the heat in my hand and the heat of his body against mine stirring something deep inside me.
We continued like that, just enjoying the feel of each other, when suddenly Stone pulled away, moving backwards and kneeling between my open thighs. Not taking my eyes off of his heaving chest, I reached beside me for the condom, tearing it open and sitting up. Looking to him for permission, I held the condom between us, waiting for his nod before placing it over his tip and slowly rolling it down.
Once we were protected, I laid back down on the pillows, my mind a chaotic storm of lust as Stone hovered over me. “You are so beautiful, Penelope,” he whispered reverently. I looked into his gorgeous hazel eyes, seeing so much in their depths, and placed my hand on his cheek, leaned up and kissed him. Stone sank into the kiss, pressing the entire length of his body against mine, as one hand traveled down my side, caressing each curve as he went.
When he reached my hip, he squeezed, then slid his hand under my thigh and tugged, drawing my knee up against his ribs and opening me wide for him. When I felt him at my entrance, I arched my head back, moaning again as Stone trailed his lips down my neck and placed gentle bites along my
collar bone. I felt his breath hot against my throat as he pressed in slowly, my muscles giving way to his steady pressure, the slight twinge of pain testament to how long it had been for me. But Stone went slow, giving my body time to adjust to him and when he finally pressed his hips tight against mine, we both paused, our eyes meeting as we took in the moment. Stone gazed at me, his mouth open as his eyes roamed my face. Finally, I couldn’t wait anymore.
“Stone,” I said breathlessly, drawing his eyes back to mine. “Please,” I said, wiggling my hips in a vain attempt to gain some friction. “Please, move.”
He began slowly, drawing out almost all the way, then thrusting back in, bottoming out with a grunt. Stone gradually increased his pace, holding my leg tightly against him and running his lips over my body wherever he could reach; my chest, my neck, even up to my ear where the sound of his harsh breathing only increased my enjoyment.
Kneeling up, Stone released my knee, instead drawing both my legs around his waist and placing his hands on the mattress on either side of my chest, allowing him to continue to pump steadily while also having access to my breasts, where he ran his tongue around each nipple in turn and caused my entire body to light up with sensation. Digging my fingers into his dark hair, I held him tight against me, wanting more of his warm mouth as he worked us with a steady rhythm. When Stone took my nipple between his teeth and bit down, I was surprised by the orgasm that hit me seemingly out of nowhere, crying out his name and clenching down on him tightly. His responding curse only heightened my own pleasure, knowing that I was the reason he was swearing.
The Cowboy and the Bombshell Page 17