Naomi blinked with bafflement. “I don’t understand.”
“When I say I don’t know my father, I’m not saying I don’t have a relationship with him,” Lucius replied. “I mean I don’t know who he is. My mother refuses to tell me.”
“Has she told you why?”
He shook his head. “Not in so many words, but I suspect that he’s married.”
“That’s awful.”
“And no matter how much I beg and plead, it falls on deaf ears. She won’t give up his identity. Last week, when you found me on the beach, I’d just come from seeing her. You see, she comes for a visit every now and then to ease her conscience that she isn’t a terrible person and mother. And every time I ask her who my father is, she denies me.”
He could see tears well in Naomi’s eyes and knew she felt sorry for him. Lucius hated pity, but since he was going into the deep end of the ocean, he might as well go all in. “All my life, I’ve looked in the crowd, wondering if that man or that man—” he pointed in the air “—could be my father. You have no idea how demoralizing it is. I know I’m someone’s bastard, but whose?”
Naomi quickly rose, set her wineglass on the cocktail table and scooted closer to him. “Don’t say that, Lucius.” She grabbed his chin in one hand. “You’re nobody’s bastard.”
When she let him go, he continued, “I know that here—” he pointed to his head “—but not here.” He pointed to his chest. “Why shouldn’t I feel this way?” He could feel tears biting the backs of his eyes, but he never cried. “So if I’m guarded or have walls up when it comes to this subject, that’s why. And tonight, seeing your family and how much you guys love each other and show affection, it—it touched me.” His voice broke as he placed his hand over his heart.
Naomi reached for him then, pulling him into her arms. She squeezed him hard, letting him know that it was all right to feel the emotions he was feeling. Lucius didn’t realize just how much he’d needed to say the words and let out emotions he’d carried inside for years, to share his burden with someone else. What was it about Naomi that caused him to be so open? Was it that he’d finally found someone with depth, something he’d avoided his entire life?
Lucius didn’t know why. All he knew was that her hug felt good, and he held on tighter, breathing in her feminine scent. He buried his head in her neck and inhaled deeply. She smelled so good, so sweet. He liked having her against him, feeling her nipples against his chest. If someone asked him later when her embrace turned from comfort to something else, he couldn’t tell them, but it did. He pulled away from Naomi and his eyes raked her boldly seconds before they reached for each other and began kissing passionately.
Chapter 9
Naomi had to have this man. She’d imagined this moment in her teenage fantasies but never thought it would actually come true, but even her dreams were not as perfect as this moment. She swayed in his arms and they fell backward onto the couch. She knew how wrong this could turn out for her. What if he was just interested in her business and not her? The way he kissed her told her he felt something for her, even if it was just lust. A wild tingling formed in her breasts and her nipples had turned to bullets.
When he pulled away and rose from the couch, Naomi thought he might be having second thoughts, but instead, he scooped her up in his arms and started down the hall. “Bedroom?”
“Door on the left,” Naomi murmured as Lucius’s lips swept over hers again.
When she glanced up, she was in her room and Lucius was laying her down on her king-size bed. She’d always loved how large and sumptuous it was, and now she would have someone to share it with.
She watched Lucius toe off his shoes and shed his cable-knit sweater and plaid shirt until he was standing in front of her in dark jeans slung low on his hips. Naomi drank him in. He was sexy as hell and had a physique to go with it. His chest was broad and hairless, letting her know he kept up with his manscaping. His pectorals and abs were equally impressive. She couldn’t wait to see what the rest of him looked like.
Lucius was so male that it stirred every female sensation within her. She could feel her toes curl in anticipation of what was to come. With openmouthed awe, she watched him unzip and remove his jeans until he was in nothing but his boxer briefs. His erection was straining against the fabric, and her mouth watered.
He stepped forward and joined her on the bed, his weight lowering the mattress. “Did you like what you saw?”
Naomi smiled. “I loved every minute of the striptease.”
“Good,” Lucius murmured huskily. “Because it’s your turn.”
Naomi’s heart fluttered in her chest. She knew she had a nice body, but she wasn’t used to being on display. She tried to sit up, but Lucius lightly pushed backward.
“Oh, no.” He wagged his finger. “I intend to unwrap this gift, one delicious moment at a time, but first...”
She could think of nothing else because Lucius’s mouth covered hers and demanded a response. His tongue dived inside her mouth, swirling around hers in a delicious duel that Naomi wanted to lose. Feeling his warm skin against hers made her suck on his tongue voraciously, devouring him as his hands roamed up and down her body. His muscles were so hard and it fascinated her, she couldn’t wait to explore him with her fingers, but Lucius was in control.
There wasn’t an inch of her he didn’t touch. His hands outlined the swell of her breasts, her hips and the curve of her bottom. He pulled her closer into his manhood, and Naomi moaned. She wanted him desperately, more than she’d ever wanted another man. As if sensing her urgency, he unbuckled her wide belt and tossed it aside. Then his hands were at the waist of her maxi skirt, sliding it down her hips ever so slowly. He stopped kissing her long enough to ease the skirt off and let it fall to the floor.
He looked down at her, his hard, muscular forearms on either side of her. “I can’t wait to see more of you.” He reached for the buttons of her denim shirt, and Naomi felt cool air as Lucius opened the shirt to his openly admiring gaze. His fingers played with the latch of her front-closure bra until the snap unlocked and her breasts spilled out.
Lucius’s eyes darkened. “You’re beautiful,” he said. “I have to taste you.” He lowered his head and feasted on her brown globes and chocolate nipples. He took one nipple in his mouth and rolled his tongue across the sensitive tip. Naomi squirmed underneath him. Heat whooshed at the apex of her thighs as if driven by some primal instinct of being with this man.
She cupped the back of his head as he continued nibbling gently. She didn’t want him to stop. And she needn’t have worried, because he kept his attention on the task at hand, which was sampling her other breast. Lucius seemed intent on exploring every inch of her body with leisurely strokes of his tongue. All she had to do was lie back and enjoy it.
* * *
Naomi Brooks was a feast for any man, Lucius thought. Soft curves, ample breasts, long legs and a flat stomach. She was every man’s fantasy, and he couldn’t wait to take her, but he would do so slowly, reverently, because he’d waited long enough to have this woman. Taking a woman to bed usually came easily for him, but Naomi was different. She’d made him work for the privilege of being with her, and he respected her for it, which made him want her all the more.
Lucius lifted his head and looked into her passion-glazed brown eyes. Naomi was expressive and showed him she enjoyed everything he was doing.
“I-is something wrong?” she asked softly.
“Not at all. I’m just enjoying the view.” Lucius’s hand roamed from her breasts down her rib cage to her stomach and lower to her panties. He hooked his hand around the band and slid them down her thighs until she was completely naked. She wasn’t embarrassed—not when he stared at her with open admiration. Lucius allowed himself to stroke her hips, then her thighs, until he came to the heat of her. He rested his hand there for a mo
ment and felt Naomi tremble beneath his touch. How much more would she when his tongue and fingers were buried inside her?
He had to find out.
His thumb caressed her softly, playing with the soft folds of her womanhood. He licked his lips when he found she was wet for him. He lowered his head to lick and suck on her breast whilst he slid one long finger inside her. She was hot and tight. Damn.
“Oh!” she cried out.
His body thickened, tightening in painful response, but he had to wait. He wanted her ready for him. He tormented her with his hand as his mouth swept a trail of hot kisses down her abdomen to arrow in on the dark springy curls at the entrance to the intimate part of her. He could smell her womanly scent. It was heady for any man, and he was no different. He dipped his tongue into the soft folds of her sex, intent on driving Naomi to a fever pitch. He exulted in tasting all of her sweet wetness. He grasped her bottom so he could stroke her over and over with his tongue.
Naomi’s moans were letting him know that tension was building up inside her. She clutched at his shoulders and tried to tug his body over hers, but he didn’t oblige, not yet. He wanted to send her over the edge and only then would he join her on the ride. His tongue darted farther inside her until he reached to the hilt, and Naomi screamed.
“Lucius!” Her hips bucked and her back arched off the bed.
He licked all her slick juices as her orgasm hit her full force. When he lifted his head, he saw the glaze in her eyes and smiled. He slid off the bed long enough to find the condom packets he’d thrown in his pocket. He’d been sure that tonight was the night he’d make Naomi his, and he’d been right.
As he rejoined her on the bed after protecting them, she whispered, “I need you inside me.”
“I’m happy to oblige,” Lucius said, using his weight to push her legs apart. He’d been aching for her and now he would find out just how good she felt. Lucius surged into her slick passage. The fusion of their two bodies together caused a torrent of sensations to explode through him. He wasn’t prepared for it, and being with her would cause him to lose every vestige of control.
* * *
Naomi reached for Lucius, circling her arms around his neck, and he dropped his head so he could ravish her with his mouth. She’d just had a soul-shattering climax that had ripped through her body, but there was more waiting. She wanted all of Lucius and locked her legs around him, taking him deeper to the very edge of her. She clamped around him and moaned at the intense satisfaction of having Lucius buried inside her. Her hands slid up and down his back clamoring for the sensations that were electrifying her each time Lucius thrust into her.
Both were eager and impatient to go over the edge to complete and utter satiation. They moved together in unison, rocking their hips. A storm was brewing and they rode it, hurtling over and over at a breakneck speed as if their very lives hung in the balance of this one moment. Lucius quickened his pace, and Naomi could feel her body tighten, her inner muscles flex. And when he thrust inside her one last time, they both reached the peak and shattered violently, sending them both flying over the precipice.
Naomi’s arms dropped from his shoulders and flopped onto the mattress. She was amazed. Sex had never been this good. She’d never known it could be this way, but Lucius had brought out something in her she hadn’t known existed. No matter what happened between them, she would always be grateful for that. She was a sexual woman and now she knew it.
* * *
“Look who’s grinning like a Cheshire cat,” Lucius commented as he propped on one elbow and looked down at her. He wondered what she was thinking, feeling. It appeared she was happily satisfied with tonight’s outcome and that she didn’t regret her decision to be with him.
Her mouth quirked. “I’m not the only one. You seem pretty smug yourself.”
He grinned. “Mmm...that was very good.” Their lovemaking had been a fantastic journey—her response to him and how it made him feel had been a cataclysmic moment. They’d both free-fallen on a sweet cloud of ecstasy. And now they were in a relaxed embrace, with his other arm holding her against him.
He usually wasn’t the cuddling type, but he was tonight. Maybe it was the sweet scent of her skin or her wispy damp curls that he twirled between his fingers or the rise and fall of her breasts. Whatever it was, he liked it and he didn’t want to leave. Plus, he hadn’t nearly had his fill of Naomi. He’d been driven by a need to take Naomi, to possess her. And he had. He couldn’t explain the animal instinct that had taken over him, but the chemistry between them went deep. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d fully explored it and Naomi.
* * *
The next morning, Naomi was exhausted, but satiated because she’d been woken up twice by Lucius during the night to slow, erotic caresses, which instantly stimulated her all over. The first time together had been epic because they’d been frenzied, wanting to rip each other’s clothes off and come together. In the wee hours of the morning, he’d lingered, touching every curve, making Naomi exultant in her womanliness. Then they’d both begun an exploration of each other’s bodies.
She now knew every intimate detail of his muscled frame. Had even aroused him when she’d taken his shaft between her palms and heard his sharp intake of breath. She’d experimented, stroking him with light touches, then with flicks of her tongue over steel until she’d taken him into her mouth. He’d moaned her name, clutching the back of her head to help her take him even deeper. She’d loved giving him head and how it had made her feel skilled that she could arouse a man like Lucius.
He was an expert lover, and each time was more marvelous than the last. Naomi hadn’t been prepared for how incredibly exciting it was to be free of her inhibitions sexually. With Lucius, she’d discovered a world of endless possibilities and heightened pleasures she hadn’t known existed.
When she finally rolled over to look at him, he was still asleep. His brilliant dark eyes were closed, but his face was just as strong and handsome as ever. Naomi sighed all over again at how absolutely gorgeous this man was. He had the right amount of muscles to his well-proportioned body and loads of sex appeal. She didn’t have any regrets over the amazing night she’d spent with him.
Careful not to wake him, she slid out of bed.
* * *
Lucius stretched his arms leisurely as he awoke. He hadn’t expected Naomi to be all liquid heat and trembling passion in his arms, but she had been. She’d been bold and daring with him, he suspected more than she’d ever been with her previous lovers.
He’d delayed his own satisfaction several times during the night to ensure that she was completely satisfied.
“Coffee?”
Lucius blinked into focus and saw Naomi dressed in a robe and standing beside her bed—holding out an unstylish mug that looked like she’d made it. Obviously it was for him, so he sat up, pushing the pillows against the headboard, and accepted the proffered mug. “Thank you.” He took a sip of the coffee. “You’re up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“That means I didn’t do my job and tire you out,” he said with a gleam of amusement. “Perhaps I need to try again.” He placed his mug on the nightstand beside him, and before Naomi could say no, pulled her back onto the bed and into his lap.
“Lucius...” Her shock at his manhandling caused her mouth to gape open, and his tongue immediately slid inside. He kissed her slowly, confidently until he felt her sweet sigh of surrender.
He pulled at the belt that held her robe closed until it loosened and he could feast his eyes on her breasts. He reached for them, the fullness just enough for his palm, as if they were made for him and only him. Her nipples grew into buds at his touch. He liked that he had that effect on her.
He bent his head and suckled languorously on each nipple, circling the engorged tips with his tongue until they were stiff and wet. He glance
d up at her and saw that her eyes were shut tight, so he licked his way down her body. He couldn’t wait to come to her sex and once again make Naomi his.
* * *
“Inside me,” Naomi pleaded when she felt Lucius tongue swirling into her navel. She appreciated all the foreplay. Lucius was a master at it, but she wanted him inside her.
“Shh,” he soothed, reaching up to press his palm against the lower part of her stomach. “Relax, I promise to give you everything you want and more.”
Didn’t he know how impossible it was to be still when he was doing all kinds of wicked things to her? His tongue had found its way to her exposed sex and was now circling her core, and then she felt his fingers.
“Lucius,” Naomi moaned in pleasure. He was playing her like an instrument, and it was like her body knew every melody. It was responding to him, and the sensations were exhilarating, just like being on a roller coaster ride. Her belly tightened, and her thighs quivered.
He slid away from her body until her back was flat against the mattress. Then he flipped her onto her stomach. She heard the rustle of the foil unwrapping, and then his large palm splayed across her stomach, bringing her bottom into direct contact with his thick erection. Lucius’s body curved around hers as he kissed and nibbled on her neck. It was incredibly erotic and even more so when his fingers found their way inside her and began stroking her again.
Naomi sucked in a deep breath. Mercy. The man had a way with his hands.
Lucius scooped her up to place her on her knees, his hands grasped her hips and he surged into her. Holding her firmly, he began to rock back and forth, slowly at first, withdrawing slightly so as to not hurt her, brushing her curls aside so he could kiss the back of her neck. Then he would thrust in again until he was buried deep.
She could hear his heavy breathing as he pounded into her, feel his thrusts coming faster and faster. Naomi clutched at her duvet as sensation after sensation assaulted her. Pressure was building up inside her, tighter and tighter, threatening to break. She clenched her inner walls to hold him snug inside her, but it didn’t work. The dam burst, and her entire body spasmed as wave after wave of pleasure engulfed her.
Taming Her Tycoon Page 9