Rising from the couch, thankful her hip didn’t twinge at all, she closed the few feet between them.
Nick didn’t move. She’d almost expected him to evade her.
Instead he sat there and watched her every movement with that steady gaze.
“Annie—”
“Nic, don’t think. Just shut up and kiss me.”
Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth against his.
Firm and warm, his lips yielded to hers almost immediately, allowed her entrance as her fingers slid into his hair to keep him from getting away.
Which he didn’t seem want to do.
His arms wrapped around her, lifting her onto his lap without breaking the kiss.
She had a brief moment to thrill to the fact that he wasn’t pushing her away before she lost herself in his taste. In tangling her tongue with his and letting her fingernails scrape against his scalp. She felt his body tighten beneath hers, felt the hard ridge of his erection press against her thigh.
She wanted to twist around, plant her knees on either side of his hips and sink down onto him, feel the heat of his erection pressing against her sex. But he held her too tightly. As if he didn’t want her to get away.
So she wriggled against him.
And was rewarded with a deep groan…just before he took over.
His hands tightened on her shoulder and her hip then began to roam, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t touch her enough. She felt each of his fingers as they caressed from her hip up her stomach to between her breasts. She wanted him to cup her breasts, pluck at her aching nipples. Instead, he reached for the knot tying the two halves of her sweater together.
He tugged and worked until finally it released. Pushing back both sides, he stopped, breaking the kiss to pull back and stare down at her.
She froze, not wanting to risk having him come to his senses and pull away. But when she opened her eyes, she realized his expression was far from senseless.
His attention was locked on her with laser precision. His gaze narrowed as he watched his hand brush against the thin material of her t-shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra so when his fingers slid beneath the material, he encountered bare skin.
It was her turn to gasp as he pulled up her shirt to expose her breasts.
“You’re so beautiful.”
His words rasped against her skin, making her nipples pebble. And when his fingers brushed against the sensitive flesh, she shivered.
His arm tightened around her shoulders, as if he thought she’d try to get away. She had no idea why he’d ever think such a thing when right here was where she’d always wanted to be.
Instead, she arched her back, offering herself up to him, wanting him to take her in his mouth.
He didn’t give her what she wanted. Instead, he stroked his thumbs over her taut nipples. Melting heat washed through her. She trembled, her hands clenching into his biceps as her eyelids flickered but didn’t close, maintaining the intense bond between them.
Nic felt like he’d been waiting for this moment for years. To have her in his arms, at his mercy.
Begging him to strip her and take her.
They hadn’t gotten to the begging yet but, if he didn’t ease at least a little of the raging desire he had for her, he would be soon enough.
His thumb brushed against her nipple, her flesh like velvet. His mouth watered to taste her but he restrained himself, knowing when he put his mouth on her breast it wouldn’t be long before he dragged it down that flat stomach to the juncture between her legs.
And after that… Well, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he made her come with his tongue.
He needed her closer. He sat up, pulled his shirt off then dragged the t-shirt over her head. He had to bite back a groan as she lay back in his arms, naked from the waist up.
Jesus, she was beautiful. Pale skin. High, firm breasts that fit in his palms. So fucking beautiful.
Unable to wait any longer, he crushed her against him. He closed his eyes, enjoying her warm skin against his, her breasts pressed to his chest. Dipping his head, he nuzzled his nose into her hair and breathed in her scent. Her arms wound around his neck as her mouth sought his again, but he had other plans.
With his hands under her arms, he lifted her until her breasts were at just the right height for him to draw them into his mouth. The sound she made caused his pulse to skyrocket and the sweet taste of her skin made his already throbbing erection tighten even more.
Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she tried to force him back into the cushions, so he obeyed. But he refused to release her, pulling her along with him. When she resisted, he lifted her arms, causing her breasts to shift higher, quivering.
He put his mouth on her again. He could feast on her forever and never die of starvation. Every sound she made, every whimper, every shudder fed a deep-seated need that made him want more.
When her whimpers turned to moans, he released her hands and cupped her breasts before stroking from her ribcage to her navel. He wanted to follow with his mouth but she tangled her fingers in his hair and stopped his downward motion.
She tugged until he looked into her eyes.
When she made sure she had his attention, she slipped one small hand down to cup his erection through his jeans. He wasn’t prepared for the shock that ran through him and his groan echoed loud and untamed through the room.
Their gazes connected, she held him, watching his reaction.
He wanted to thrust into her hand or, better yet, rip her hand away and rub his erection against her mound. He did neither. He waited to see what she would do.
And when he didn’t think she was going to do anything but hold him, she released him to slip the button on his jeans free.
His lungs contracted, his stomach muscles painfully taut as he finally allowed his gaze to fall to where her hand worked at his jeans. Her fingers looked slim and pale and erotic as all hell on the tented denim of his jeans.
“Annie.”
She placed her free hand over his lips to shut him up and began pulling down his zipper, one tooth at a time.
Christ, he couldn’t breathe. Opening his mouth to draw in air, he caught her middle finger between his lips and sucked on it. He heard her gasp and bit down gently before he drew back.
“Annie, you’ve got to be certain this is what you want.”
She looked straight into his eyes, her gaze steady. “I’ve always been certain, Nic. You’re the one who couldn’t let all the other stuff go.”
Damn but she was right. And now all that other stuff wanted to press in on him.
As if she’d read his thoughts, she grabbed his chin and kissed him, hard, sweeping her tongue into his mouth and sweeping away his inhibitions until he was panting like a teenager.
All the gut-churning need, the emotion he’d kept locked away for so long… It was all there, burning a hole straight through him.
Seduce her. Take her. Stay and keep her safe.
Yes.
But not like this. Not in this heavy rush mixed with guilt and fear.
When he finally got her into his bed and under him for the first time, he wanted to be sure they were both on the same page.
But he wasn’t ready to stop just yet.
He soaked in the scent of her, the feel of her tongue in his mouth, the taste of her mouth when he licked into it.
Her arms locked around his neck and the bare skin of their upper bodies melded together. Her hips shifted and she brushed her sex against his, making him even harder.
She moved to do it again but he grabbed her hips, drawing back until he broke their kiss.
“Annie, slow down.”
Her eyes opened to a slit of vibrant green. “I don’t want to slow down. I know you, Dominic. You’ll overthink this and I’ll never see you again.”
His lips quirked in a smile that widened her eyes. “That won’t happen this time. But I don’t want to rush this. And I’m not going anywhere.”
S
he considered that, her head tilting to the side. “Will you sleep with me tonight? I want you in my bed.”
Lust nearly swamped him at the image in his mind. He nearly choked on it. But he also saw the blush that rose in her cheeks. Was she embarrassed by her desire for him? Or simply unused to use such explicit language?
Whichever, it reinforced his resolve to go slow.
“Yes, but it’ll just be to sleep, Annie. We don’t need to rush into anything.”
“And we certainly don’t need time to get to know one another,” she countered. “I’ve know you almost all my life, Nic. I’ve wanted you since I knew what the words meant.”
“Then another night won’t make a difference but it will allow you to become more comfortable with me.” And give him the chance to temper his response to her.
He wanted her. But he needed to keep his head on straight to keep her safe. He’d need some time to adjust.
After another few seconds, she nodded. And her blush deepened as she looked down and remembered that she was half naked on his lap.
As gently as he could he eased her t-shirt back over head, even though he wanted to keep her naked.
“I’ve got a couple of cases to clear this week.” He started to talk, more to keep her mind occupied but also to put his thoughts in order. “And I promised your girl at the center I’d teach her self-defense. I’d like to start that tomorrow.”
Annie nodded and began to inch backward. He caught her before she could get away, lifting her to reposition her on sideways on his lap. With his arms around her, he actually felt calm descend.
And when she leaned back and let her head rest against his shoulder, he realized he’d been an idiot for the past nine years.
“I usually spend a few hours at the center Saturday morning. Then I was going to practice but I want to rest my hip.”
“And I’m going to have to skip Toni’s soccer game. I don’t want this whackjob getting any ideas.”
She paused but he could sense she had something else to say. “So what do we do now?”
“Now, we’re just gonna sit here and see if the Phillies can’t manage to win one this season.”
*
Around four a.m. Nic’s eyes opened.
He registered the fact that he wasn’t in his own bed right before his brain spit back all of yesterday’s events.
Yet, his anger over the asshole taking his life into his hands by threatening him couldn’t completely dispel the lust.
Because he knew Annie slept in the next room.
He’d carried her up to bed at ten-thirty. She’d fallen asleep in his arms around ten but the game hadn’t been over yet—
Oh hell. He’d told himself no more lies. He hadn’t taken her up when she’d fallen asleep because he hadn’t wanted to let her go.
By six a.m., he had his laptop open on the kitchen table and had gotten a lead on Tiffany Jones’s ex. That bastard needed to be neutralized but so far had evaded Nic, which royally pissed him off. He wasn’t sure if the guy was just that good or if his own head hadn’t been in the job.
And that was unacceptable.
This lead required another trip to Baltimore. He’d have to leave Annie with his brother for the day. There was no one he trusted more. He’d take her along but she’d be too damn distracting.
He also had gone through a case that’d come from his dad. A local couple, friends of his parents, had a runaway teenage son. The kid had a drug habit and they were worried the boy would wind up dead on the streets.
He’d been planning to interview some of the kids’ friends today, see if he could dig up a lead. Come to think of it, maybe he’d ask Karen for a few places to look when he saw her at the shelter today.
Around seven-thirty, he heard movement upstairs. He reached over and flicked on the coffee pot he’d set up earlier. Then he turned on the oven to bake the banana-nut muffins he’d made from a mix he found in the cupboard.
By the time Annie arrived in the kitchen, the muffins were on the table and he had a cup of coffee.
Dressed in worn jeans and a loose-fitting, button-down shirt, she didn’t seem to be limping, so hopefully she didn’t have any lasting damage from last night’s fall. She’d tied her hair back in a simple ponytail and wore sneakers. Now she looked like she’d fit right in at the shelter.
She smiled at him when she entered the room but her eyes were wary. Still, she let them travel up and down his body. He wore jeans and a cotton shirt, as well, but where he’d left his shirt tails hang out, hers were tucked in neatly. Her cuffs were buttoned and his were folded back and pushed up. At least he’d shaved.
“Good morning.” She waved in his general direction. “Thanks for starting the coffee. I need it this morning.”
“How’s the hip?”
She flashed a relieved smile in his direction as she stood at the sink. “Better. I don’t think I’ll have any problems with it.” She sat across from him at the table and took one of the muffins from the basket. “Wow, you baked, too. Maybe I should keep you around more often.”
He stamped down the impulse to grab her and take the good morning kiss he wanted. Then again… He leaned forward and planted one on her lips. Fast and hard and hot. When he pulled back, he pushed back the smile forming at the dazed look on her face. “Found the mix in the cupboard. You need to eat something more than that twiggy cereal I saw.”
She shrugged, blinking, then took a bite of muffin, nearly making him salivate when her tongue peaked out to catch the crumbs on her bottom lip. “Sometimes I do. I guess you didn’t see the Pop Tarts next to the cereal, huh?”
He gave a slight chuckle. “Yeah, I did, but I wasn’t going to mention it.”
She gave him a wide-eyed look. “Why not, when we’re discussing such innocuous things like muffins and cereal?”
Looked like Annie was back to her regular self this morning. He liked her much better this way and deliberately changed the subject.
“I figure we’ll leave when you’re done eating and head over to the shelter. Don’t want to disappoint Karen.”
Her expression softened at the girl’s name. “Thank you for that. I was really worried about her but she seems taken with you. Of course, you have a way with females of any age, don’t you?”
He snorted. “Yeah, I’m a real heartbreaker.”
Idiot was more like it. He’d never had any problems attracting women but he’d never found one he wanted to see every morning and every night. Except for her.
But he’d be damned if he’d let her know just how much he’d allowed his attraction to her to rule his life—
Annie stood, walked over to him and removed the coffee cup from his hand. Then she shocked the hell out of him by sitting in his lap, arms around his neck, staring straight into his eyes.
“You broke mine at nineteen and we spent the past seven years being pissed off about it. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
His breath froze in his lungs as she stared at him with such intensity. He didn’t want to move and break the connection.
And when she leaned forward and kissed him, he didn’t take over and devour her, holding back those primal instincts. Instead, he let her kiss him, let her lips move over his, sweet and slow.
When she pulled back and opened her eyes, he brought both hands up to cup her face in his. “You’re determined to drive me nuts, aren’t you?”
Her lips tilted up just a bit. “Consider it payback.”
Yeah, payback was a bitch.
Before he knew what she was doing, she slid off his lap and grabbed another muffin. “Come on, let’s get to the shelter.”
*
Annie stood in the hallway just outside the doorway to the workout room in building’s basement.
Nic and Karen had been down here for the past hour and, while she’d tried to keep her mind on the paperwork that had to be done, she’d finally given up the fight and come down to watch.
She’d nearly swallowed her tongue at her first
sight of Nic in black sweatpants and a tight white t-shirt, barefoot and his hair tied back in a short ponytail at his nape. He had a body that should be declared illegal, it was so toned. Broad shoulders, defined chest and abs, thin hips and, oh baby, firm thighs. She had a thing for Nic’s thighs.
Shaking off thoughts of running her fingers along those perfect muscles, she let herself simply enjoy his movements as he took Karen through what looked like a typical street fight.
He taught her how to fall, how to block punches, how to break various holds. He never talked down to her, didn’t patronize her. He didn’t cut her any slack, either.
And Karen showed no weakness. Not even when Nic dropped her on her butt for what had to be the fifth time in a row.
“You’re still giving away your next move with your body language,” he said. “Don’t even think about throwing that punch until the last second. It has to be instinctive.”
Karen nodded, dark braid swinging down her back, face set in determination. When she threw her punch this time, Nic blocked it, but nodded.
“Good. Now let’s work on those kicks.”
With a sigh, she tore herself away and headed back upstairs to call Colin. She told him how she was feeling but didn’t let him ask too many questions. She answered even less. But she knew she’d only gained a short reprieve.
Then she called her mom, since she hadn’t talked to her all week. Beatrice was surprisingly maternal for a change, asking about the competition and her job. She didn’t tell her mom about her hip or her current roommate. Beatrice tended to go berserk at the mention of a hangnail. Fallout from her dad’s death.
“And if you’re not busy tonight, Andrea, I’d like you to drop by. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Oh, I—”
“A distant cousin of mine from England is visiting the states for a few weeks and I’ve invited her to dinner tonight with her son. I know it’s short notice but Vanessa only called yesterday. Her schedule opened up and I wasn’t able to reach you yesterday and you didn’t return my phone call.”
Annie stifled a groan. Her mother had just requested a command performance and thrown a load of guilt on top of if. She didn’t need this now.
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