As soon as they were on the other side of the bedroom door, Nick gently lowered Shannon to her feet, leaning her against the large wing chair just inside the entrance to his spacious room. While one part of him wanted to throw her on the floor where they stood and ravage her clearly aroused body, he had the good sense to take himself in hand and tamp down the desire that drenched the air surrounding them.
At the suggestion of taking himself in hand, Nick grimaced at the mere thought of anything touching his pulsing cock at just this moment. It wouldn’t take much more than a good gust of wind blowing to send him shooting over the edge.
Needing a quick distraction so he could regain some control, Nick took Shannon’s dainty hand, pulling her further into the welcome privacy of the master suite. Decorated in deep hues of brown and gold with subtle splashes of turquoise lending a hint of softness to the otherwise deeply masculine feel to the space, Nick’s bedroom sanctuary was big and bold, just like the man who inhabited it. Floor-to-ceiling built-ins with tall, wide windows and massive wood furniture gave the room an elegant, turn-of-the-century feel.
As was the case in most of the main rooms, another curved alcove sat with this one showing comfortable seating and a small table hung with drapes that could be drawn to make the space completely closed off from the rest of the room. The effect was charmingly decadent. Thoughts he’d never entertained before brought to mind a whole series of erotic scenes crowding into his brain.
It was the bed, however, that dominated the large space. Nick loved the massive wood, four-poster bed with the enormous carved headboard and side rails. He’d found it at an upstate antique barn and had moved heaven and earth to get it restored and moved into his bedroom.
The beautiful four posters gleamed with a hand-rubbed glow that added to the rich wood appeal. A sumptuous cover was drawn back, revealing several huge overstuffed pillows dressed in dark cranberry linens. The overall effect was big and elegant and very, very inviting.
Shannon was speechless as Nick drew her further into the enormous bedroom. The house had been such a surprise already. She in no way expected his home to be a showcase of traditional, old-world splendor. Shannon wanted to run her hands across all the glorious wood. Her fingers itched to explore each scrolled flourish and sweeping flow of the lines she saw. The man was one surprise after another.
When Shannon got a full view of the massive bed, her first reaction was to whisper an awed, “Wow.” It was high off the floor, higher than a modern bed, and she shivered with delight at the image of Nick picking her up and placing her in the middle of what was essentially a lover’s playground where they could lose themselves in the decadent bedding.
“There’s an en suite behind you.” Nick fed quietly into the silence. “I’m sure Mrs. Allen put your overnight bag in the dressing room if you want to freshen up.”
He was moving toward a tall door on the corner of a huge built-in that, pressing to open, revealed a small refrigerated compartment filled with water and juice. Shannon marveled at the life a truly rich man lived and smiled when she realized that she wished she’d thought of the convenient appliance for her own bedroom. Would stop the endless padding barefoot back and forth to the kitchen on the other side of the house from her sleeping quarters when in search of a cool beverage.
The sight of the large carafe of iced water he pulled from the compartment somehow spurred her into immediate action and sent her moving off in search of her bag. What had happened between them on the plane had been totally spontaneous and unplanned. In all the scenarios that Shannon’s rich imagination had supplied, she’d premeditated something a bit more deliberate and provocative, the reminder of which made up her mind about her next step. She’d certainly come prepared to knock the tycoon’s socks off, and that’s exactly what she intended to follow through on.
Finding her small overnight case in the dressing room attached to the luxurious bathroom, Shannon marveled at the space, which was probably larger than her whole bedroom in California. Two side-by-side walk-in closets with built-in shelves, drawers, and shoe racks anchored the room. A quick peek in one revealed all of Shannon’s clothes neatly hung and folded. In the top drawer, she found lingerie with her beauty case stowed nearby.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the tall mirrors, Shannon saw lips plumped by ravenous kisses and hair looking a bit on the disheveled side. Her wide eyes sparkled with intensity, and Shannon noted a similarity between their even more than usual vibrant color and the splashes of turquoise blue she’d noticed in the bedroom’s color scheme. She didn’t need to wonder if this was a coincidence, because she knew in her bones that his using that exact shade and color had not been just by accident.
She thought back to her mortification when Nick had first taken in the painstakingly recreated wet room she’d designed and knew a life-altering moment of understanding followed by a deep contentment as she acknowledged that he, too, had never fully removed her memory from his life.
With that, she dashed off into the tiled bath to shake off hours of jet lag and set about making one of those naughty sexy scenarios she’d been breathing life into become a reality. Glancing back at the heavy double doors leading to the bedroom, Shannon giggled nervously and hoped Nick was ready for what she had planned.
* * *
Back in the cavernous bedroom, Nick waited on the edge of anxiousness for Shannon to return from the en suite. He slugged back quite a quantity of cool water in an attempt to quench his dry mouth and calm his pounding heart.
Needing something to do besides standing there like a statue, he purposefully swept the bedcovers to the end of the mattress and lowered the lights around the huge bed. Toeing off his shoes and socks, Nick tossed both aside, ignoring his customary fastidiousness and not really caring if their damn underwear ended up dangling from the light fixtures. Maybe he’d institute a bare skin clause for their bedroom—no clothes allowed. He laughed at his foolish notion that he could call the shots on anything concerning Shannon. Although the image of her delicious nakedness moving around the room doing everyday things like speaking on the phone or reading the morning newspaper made his hard-on twitch with interest.
By the time Shannon reappeared from the dressing area, Nick was dressed in a pair of grey cotton shorts strained to the max from the rampant erection just waiting to break free. His brain went into meltdown mode at the glorious picture she made standing there across the room dressed in nothing but one of those feminine lingerie sets she favored, which, while covering all her girly bits, did little to hide those same mouthwatering attributes from his hungry gaze.
Her hair was unbound, falling freely over her shoulders and hiding one perfect handful of breast while framing the other in all its glory. A delicate black lace camisole with a tiny red bow right in the center did little to shield her nakedness and actually made her puckering nipples look ready to lick and suck.
A tiny, practically indecent bit of black lace pretending to be panties had delicate red bows on each hip that begged to be untied, one side at a time, until he revealed the cluster of dusky blonde curls covering her feminine core.
As if all that wasn’t enough to shut down what was left of his functioning brain, an unbelievably sexy pair of high-heeled, open-toed shoes all but screamed ‘Fuck me,’ sending Nick’s control out the window. In that moment he was profoundly grateful once more that this heavenly creature allowed him back into her life. He started toward her when she stopped him with the motion of her hand and a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Uh uh,” she cooed in a smoky voice that sounded like sex and made him recall his desire to hear her crying out his name as she came again and again and again.
“You have too many clothes on,” she said as she pointedly fixed her gaze on his impressive bulge while adding a lip-licking grin just to mess with him, he was sure.
He’d never stripped so fast in his life, returning her lascivious grin with one of his own when he stood proudly before her with one of his huge hands g
ripping his blood-engorged shaft. “Is this more to my lady’s liking?” he husked as he watched her eyes grow hooded and her nostrils flare in approval at the sight of his arousal.
Yep, that’s all it took for Shannon to lose her train of thought. She’d intended to sashay her butt in front of him and tease the man unmercifully, but one look at his staggeringly potent masculinity and her well-made plans evaporated into thin air.
His nearness called to her, claimed her in a way no other ever had. The realization released a tremor of awareness that shimmered along every nerve ending in her body and ended with her lifting helpless eyes to his. She could no sooner deny him, deny them both, than she could stop breathing.
All of a sudden, she remembered the plan to seduce her gentle giant and started moving forward in a desire to touch him, to feel his heart beating under the press of her hands. Shannon briefly registered the impediment of the huge bed blocking her way and simply compensated by crawling across the space that separated them.
Nick blinked and tried to clear the haze from his brain, but before he could grab onto even the most elusive thread of reality, she bent and started to crawl toward him across the enormous bed. The sight of her voluptuous body on all fours, clad only in mind-melting black lace, moving surely toward his exposed and tightening nakedness, stopped his breath. His last coherent thought was, Oh god.
Reaching the other side of the bed, she finally came to a halt as her eyes once again met his while she slowly lowered herself in front of his now-throbbing shaft. The sight of Shannon’s long hair falling in an unrestrained cloud of gold around her shoulders and down her back, with glimpses of the seductive lace camisole peeking through, snapped his brain back to the present, when without hesitation, she reached for him.
The sensation of her soft, delicate hands gentling his manhood and cradling the twin spheres beneath was more than he could take. The visual she presented as he continued to stare at her on her knees before him was bone-melting in its beauty. What she was doing to his quickly overheating flesh was robbing him of his ability to think.
Shannon knew she had shocked him. The confusion and vulnerability she had seen on his face moments before when she had surprised him with her half-naked presence in the bedroom had been replaced by the slow throb of pure desire. He wanted her. Badly. It was there for her to see, and he did not try to disguise what he was feeling. She could tell from the hard, glittering expression in his eyes the moment before her fingers wrapped around his shaft that this was the last thing he had expected.
She was being driven, but by what she did not know. All that made sense in the moment at hand was the connection, the erotic lure of being joined with him. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t restrain herself in any way. Why would she want to? A sensual fever ran through her like a churning river torrent at the sight of his taut erection sliding through her fingers. She marveled at the feel of his most vulnerable and private flesh, heated skin so soft to the touch, wrapped around a strength and hardness that made her mouth run dry. Looking at him as she alternately gripped and caressed in a slow, sensuous sliding motion, up and down, again and again, was more exciting than she would ever have thought.
Pulling her gaze from the intimate play before her was a challenge, but she needed to look into his eyes to see if he was as undone as she. The result of that inquiring glance was her total undoing, for when Shannon’s questioning gaze met his, the blazing proof of his passion was all too evident in his answering stare. She never stopped the slow, deliberate stroking for a second. His desire for her pierced her soul. He was a goner, and so was she.
Her last rational thought was, mine, as she unhurriedly lowered her head toward his straining shaft. She needed to taste him, needed to slide her tongue along the same path her fingers were taking in an erotically charged act of total possession.
Real time was suspended and replaced with an erotic slow-motion rhythm that heightened the tightening in his groin as he watched in amazement while her mouth took aim on the engorged tip of his shaft. He thought briefly of stopping her from this madness. How was he to remain in control when she was so achingly passionate and gorgeous? As if sensing his confusion and hesitation, she gently squeezed the base of his sex where her hand had taken up permanent residence, making all sane thought shatter into a million pieces along with whatever macho control Nick foolishly thought he had.
Her tongue snaked out to place a wet, swirling kiss on the head of his quivering shaft, hovering there for another moment using her sweet lips to gently suckle the enlarged tip. Watching her do this to him was stretching his composure to the limit. She moaned deeply, right before her lips disconnected from suckling him but not before he felt the rumble of that moan on her tongue and lips. His shaft thickened even more and pulsed wildly in response. He figured if she did that again he would probably lose consciousness. How he remained standing, he did not know.
Again she moaned, only this time he could feel the reverberations of her desire surrounding the entire part of him that was buried in her mouth. He was going to lose it and probably faster than either of them realized.
For her part, the jolt of liquid fire that pooled between her legs from her response to the taste and feel of him against her lips and tongue was powerful. Nick’s passionate reaction and the throbbing staff in her mouth claimed what was left of Shannon’s sanity. She felt a trembling hand brush a long lock of her hair away from her face and knew he was watching what she was doing to him. A tiny smile of female satisfaction was imprinted on his shaft a second before she opened her mouth and sucked him, lowering her head closer to his body as all the while his cock slid sensuously along her tongue until she could take no more of him.
Shannon was completely swept away in this erotic storm of wet heat and hardness as her mouth devoured him and her hands cupped and stroked every part of his sex she could touch. The only sound in the room was that of her heart pounding in her ears until she sensed and then heard a low rumbling groan that seemed to start in his toes, gather in intensity, and move up his legs to his pulsing groin before exploding in his chest. Reaching for her head, she didn’t hesitate or shrink in retreat for even a second as his hands encouraged a slow up-and-down motion that she noted brought him immense pleasure.
His touch was not forceful at all and instead seemed to be more like a reverent caress. This knowledge brought a rush of trust and pleasure to Shannon as she deepened her oral plundering of his straining flesh.
When he touched her head to embolden her efforts, she took the encouragement, subjecting him to an even deeper and more complete ravishment than he had ever experienced. Nick gloried in the realization that she was enjoying the act. This wasn’t just for him, that much was obvious. She couldn’t have stopped herself from what she was about right now for any reason. That simple plain truth excited him in a way he had never known and only dreamt of. This woman was the most sexual and exciting female on this planet, and he thanked his lucky stars that she belonged only to him.
Nick knew he had to stop her. His control was long gone, and he couldn’t string two coherent thoughts together. He closed his eyes, as if blocking the sight of her mouth wrapped so lovingly and completely around him would ease the torment of the moment and slow the inevitable conclusion.
Yes, he should stop her right now, but still he hung on, craving just one more incredibly wet stroke of her hot mouth, and then another and another. When his heart jackknifed in his chest, a second before his control snapped, he caught her hands, drawing them away from his shuddering flesh, easing himself in slow-motion withdrawal from her mouth.
As he pulled away from her, she tried in vain to reclaim his straining flesh with her lips. The moment etched in his mind like a snapshot in time—him clasping both her wrists in his powerful but trembling hands as he shifted his hips in an attempt to disengage from her ravenous mouth, she following helplessly, whimpering with dismay.
Pulling her suddenly into his crushing embrace, his mouth descended upon hers. Li
ps swollen from the intimate play of seconds before, opened beneath his and Nick lost his composure then and there.
Gathering her body close, he pulled her bottom towards his turgid flesh so he could revel in the feel of her body writhing against his while his other hand held her head for a soul-storming kiss.
She used her tongue to stroke the inside of his mouth the way she had stroked his shaft, claiming a deep moan of satisfaction from them both. Soon though, it was his tongue, deep in her mouth, dishing out a deliberately provocative rhythm that mimicked the dance of lovers joined flesh inside flesh. Her legs were trembling against his when he suddenly withdrew from her hungry mouth and literally threw her backwards on the huge bed. She felt totally wanton and closing in on the boundaries of her control.
Standing over Shannon, Nick was stunned by her gorgeous dishevelment as she landed on her back with one leg cocked at the knee and falling open. He knew he should love her slowly and make every inch of her body tremble and ache, but he was too far gone for such subtlety. Her eyes as they stared up at him were smoky turquoise, sending intense erotic signals of sensual excitement that left him breathless. She was so damn sexy in that black lace. Her heat reached him and surrounded him and enticed him as no other ever had. He had to be inside of her or he would go insane. The time for subtlety was gone.
“I want you naked before me, Shannon,” he said in a husky and strained voice that let her know he was beyond himself and could not control what was going to happen next. Realizing that his excitement was a result of her having taken matters into her own hands, so to speak, made her dizzy with desire. She had wanted to push him to the limits of his control, wanted to see if she could shatter the formidable restraint he surrounded himself with. It was time to pay the piper.
Love Redone Page 28