My skin felt electric. Felt like I could light the entire house as I grabbed his hand and guided it lower… lower… right there.
“Yes,” I said, my eyes rolling back as his fingers worked their way over the sensitive skin in teasing circles, never touching exactly what my body begged for.
He wouldn’t give me what I wanted. Not right away. Not with that devilish look in his amber eyes.
I pulled his lips down to mine, running my tongue over the outside until he let me all the way in. Energy built within my center, constricting every one of my muscles as his fingers rubbed and teased, moving closer to where I wanted him.
“I want to taste ye again,” he said, his dark eyes drinking in every inch of me.
“I want you to taste me again,” I replied, my mind flying high.
His fingers slowed to a stop, his head resting against mine. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.”
I reached for him, finding his excitement just as heightened as mine. “Absolutely nothing,” I said, softly rubbing him.
He stilled my hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just—”
“You just?”
“Don’t get me wrong. Ye’re the hottest lass I’ve ever been with, and your lips… hell, your everything, is more than I think I’ll ever need in this lifetime, but…”
“But what?” I asked, the electric feeling fading.
“But… I don’t know.” He rolled onto his back, letting out a huge sigh. “There are so many things I want to ask ye. Things I want to know about ye and, I never thought I’d say this before, but, here it goes. I don’t want this night to only have been about sex. At least not without knowing who ye really are first.”
Our little world, floating in its happy bubble, came to a screeching halt.
“Ed, I thought we discussed this. I thought you understood. I don’t do relationships.”
A valley formed between his eyes. “Getting to know someone doesn’t mean ye have to sign a marriage contract. I just… you’re interesting to me, Hannah. Probably the most interesting lass I’ve met in quite a while, and it doesn’t feel right not getting to know ye a little better.”
“I find you interesting too,” I admitted, slightly taken aback. No guy had ever been worried about who I was before our lips were locked. Yet, there we lay, naked and ready, and he’d rather spend the time getting to know me more.
My heart jolted a little. “I just want what’s happening between us here to be clear.”
“And what’s that, love?” he asked, sounding like he really wanted to know.
“A good time, and that’s all. No strings. When morning comes, we board our planes and go on with our lives,” I said, rubbing at my nose. Knowing it wasn’t going to be as easy as that, but praying I’d find the strength anyhow.
He chuckled. “And here I was thinking I’d have to pry ye off me come tomorrow. We’re on the same page, Hannah. No need to go working yourself up over something that isn’t going to happen.”
For some odd reason, my stomach bottomed out. Almost as if… as if I was a little disappointed he was so quick to agree. But then again, it was the reassurance I was looking for. Right?
You’re fine, Hannah. Walk it off.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he repeated.
“Ask me whatever, so long as it isn’t anything serious. No digging up painful parts of our past and dishing out every little detail about each other. Let’s just keep this… simple.” I turned my attention away from whatever my heart and my brain were fighting over.
“Simple,” he said, rubbing his forehead in a cute, frustrated sort of way. Like he was seriously stressing over the fact that he’d rather talk than have another round of amazing sex.
It made me giggle a little.
“I don’t understand why talking has to be so damn hard. Bloody hell. What… what kind of food do ye like?”
“Hamburgers,” I said, my stomach growling at the thought. “Messy, cheesy, yummy hamburgers. Medium rare. Dripping with grease. You?”
His grin was wide. “I could have guessed ye’d be the kind that takes your meat on the raw side.”
I pursed my lips at him, shaking my head. “Really?”
He chuckled, content with himself, and then got serious. “Fish and chips. But only from this pub in London called The Hound and Stag. They have the best beer batter. Vices?”
I sought the outline of his shadow along the wall as I thought about all the many things I did that I shouldn’t. “Whiskey, anger, kissing…”
His head flinched back, interest etched along his eyebrows. “Kissing? How’s that a vice?”
Looking up at the floral pattern on the sheet, a sort of whimsical feeling breezed through my chest. It felt like I was cocooned in a field of cotton flowers. One I never wanted to leave, because it was the first time I ever really let a guy in, and it wasn’t so bad.
It was somewhat… liberating.
“Because… I enjoy it more than I should, and I’ve kissed more than my fair share of boys,” I admitted, unashamed of my past. Slightly exhilarated to have shared that admittance with him.
He cleared his throat. “So ye’ve uh… slept around?” He seemed unsure if that was a question he should be asking or not.
I looked him straight in the eyes. “I might come off that way but, no, I don’t sleep around… well, despite this circumstance.” I glanced at his naked body.
Holy hell, he was hot. Like scorching hot.
I bit my lip, trying to calm my racing hormones and finished, “I’ve only been all the way with two guys. Scout’s honor.”
“Now three,” he tried to correct with a sly smile.
“No,” I said, my face turning serious. “You make two.”
“Really?” He seemed somewhat impressed.
I nodded. “Like I said, I enjoy kissing and an occasional fondle but, other than that, the rest is prized goods.”
His fingers traced circles around my breasts. “What did I ever do to be so lucky?”
The answer came out before I could stop it. “Because I like you,” I admitted, my skin feeling so hot I feared it might melt right off.
He looked down at me, his eyes meeting mine.
Shit.
“Umm…” I said quickly, trying to avoid that look I knew all too well. The one where heavy discussions erased the fun we were having. Where promises were made that I knew I’d never be able to keep. “What were we talking about?”
“Ye liking me…”
“Vices,” I said over him. “Yes, I have many, but my biggest is Little Debbie snacks. I don’t care which kind, I’ll eat them all. One time, I ate an entire box of Oatmeal Creme pies. And don’t judge. I was going through a rough patch.”
“Little Debbie?”
“Yes. Oh, and the Zebra Cakes are to die for.”
His face scrunched. “Zebra Cakes?”
I laughed at the puzzled expression on his face. “Don’t knock ‘em till you try ‘em. So, how about you?”
He gave up figuring how zebras and cakes went together, and jumped right into his answer. “Definitely drinking. Umm… Not keeping a tidy room.” He touched his chin, tapping it in thought, and then added with a wry smirk, “Oh, and most definitely kissing.”
“Oh yeah?” I giggled. “You get around too then?”
“A couple of times.” He grinned at me. “But this, by far, is definitely the most memorable.”
I had to admit, his confession did me in just a little bit. He was hot. Passionate. Sweet.
What the hell had I gotten myself into?
“About kissing… who was your first kiss?” he asked, playing with a strand of my hair.
“Calvin Jacobsen.” I smiled, thinking back to the most pathetic moment of my pubescent life. “I was in the sixth grade and found myself hanging with a group of highly immature friends. The norm. And there was this girl named Stacey Friedman. Ugh.” I rolled my eyes remembering how ann
oying she was. “She was the popular girl, and a bitch to boot. She dared me to kiss the next boy who walked through the library and, of course, me being the idiot I am, I couldn’t back down. Unfortunately, the next boy was Calvin, who I had a huge crush on. Needless to say, I kissed him and he shoved me down, giving me an earful about how ugly and flat-chested I was.”
“Flat-chested?” Ed’s eyes roamed my breasts. “If he could see ye in all your glory now.”
I pushed at him, laughing as he smirked. “Come on. It’s your turn. Please tell me you had just as awful of an experience,” I begged, feeling myself slip into a state of calm I hadn’t felt in maybe forever.
“Becca McCready,” he said with an air of smugness. “She too was a lass I had a crush on. One day, when I was around twelve, I asked her to the dance. She went, we danced, and then I stole a kiss under a perfectly lit moon.”
“Sounds romantic.” I gagged, wishing I had a cover to hide under.
“Ahh,” he groaned, “it would have been had it not been for her father finding us around the corner of her flat. Ever since, I’ve never looked at a baseball bat the same.”
“Oh my,” I said, my hand flying to my mouth. “Did he… did he hit you?”
He smirked. “Who me? No bloke could keep up with me back then.”
“Nice,” I said, moving closer to him. “So… what about relationships. How many?”
His body stiffened. “One,” he said, his tone reserved, telling me not to pry. “Your turn.”
“Zero.”
His eyebrows went flat. “Ye’re joking.”
“Nope.” I stuck my chin out. “I told you… I’m not the dating type.”
“Geez.” He ruffled his hands through his hair. “And here I thought maybe I had a chance…”
His words trailed off as if he was joking, but something told me beneath the sarcasm was a smidgen of truth. One I didn’t want to acknowledge because, somewhere deep down inside of me, I wanted it to be the case. I wanted him to want me the way I wanted him right then.
“First time?” I asked, trying to deter my thoughts.
His ears turned red. “Ye’ll laugh.”
“Oh man… now you have to tell me.”
“Ugh! Why did I agree to this game?”
I playfully slid my finger down the curves of his stomach, circling around his navel. “I don’t know, because I was game for another round of fun. Not twenty-one questions.” I looked up at him as coyly as possible. “Still am,” I added, smiling when he swallowed thickly.
“I ran,” he said, his voice quieter than before.
“Ran?”
“Yeah. I was sixteen. Rebecca Whitford was beautiful and a very experienced eighteen year old.”
“And?”
“And… she told me it happened to every boy at least once in their life?”
“It happened?” I repeated, fishing for a clear answer.
“Bloody hell… ye have to know,” he said, sounding slightly uncomfortable.
I glanced down at my body. “I’m pretty sure I don’t,” I said, giggling.
“I spilled myself as soon as I slid in.” He groaned, burying his head into the mattress with a sigh. “That’s why I ran. I couldn’t have been more humiliated if I’d tried. She’d been nice, the lass, even offered to show me more, but I just couldn’t face her after that.”
“And here I thought I was alone in the sad story of my first kiss.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, well, I was young. It didn’t count.”
“I was seventeen,” I said, my mind flashing back to that first time.
“What?”
“My first time. Seventeen.”
“And?”
I shrugged. “And what? I didn’t go into it expecting what most girls expect. I read books. Lots and lots of books. I knew the basics of what to expect, and I went into it with a clear mind.”
“Sounds so scientific.”
“I was a closet nerd. What can I say?”
“Who was the bloke?”
I didn’t answer him at first, and that bothered me. It bothered me, because I was actually embarrassed to admit who it was. And I never got embarrassed over what a guy thought of me.
But Ed was different.
I didn’t like the thought of him thinking I was silly. Or stupid. Or average.
“Hannah? Ye have to tell me. I told ye mine. This is sharing circle time.”
He was joking, trying to loosening me up, and I appreciated it.
“Calvin,” I said, not looking directly at him.
“Calvin?” he sputtered. “The Calvin who shoved ye down and called ye flat-chested?”
“That’d be the one.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as I squeezed my eyes shut. “The way I see it,” I said quickly, trying to atone for my colossal mistake, “is every girl has a moment of weakness at some point in their life… just like you boys and your moments. I had something to prove with Calvin. Something to take back. My pride.” I looked over at him.
“And did ye get it?”
I smirked. “And then some. Followed me around like a puppy dog when all was said and done.”
“Can’t say I blame him,” Ed replied, the humor devoid from his voice. “Ye’re amazing, Hannah. Sexy. Funny. Smart. Tough as nails.”
“Yeah… I’m so tough when I’m hiding from a storm.”
“Everyone has fears,” he said, serious.
This guy was really going for the gold, wasn’t he? Part charm and good looks, but mostly just the kind of heart any girl would dream of catching. A heart any girl could feel safe enough to maybe tell all those deep dark secrets to.
I wasn’t just any girl though. My secrets were the kind a good hug and some sweet words didn’t have enough power to erase.
I had to put the brakes on.
“So is that enough talking?” I asked, uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.
He sighed, tracing his finger along the seam of my lips. “Not nearly, but I’ll take what I can get.”
We looked at each other, something passing between us that set my heart to a rapid pace. Understanding. Longing. Intimacy. Familiarity.
His eyes darted to my lips. “I want to kiss ye again.
My heart tripped over itself. I took it up a notch as my heart hammered against my throat. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
I watched his pulse quicken in his neck as his hands skimmed up and down my waist, his touch like tiny live wires, contracting every muscle in my stomach.
“I want to taste ye. Your mouth. Your breasts. Your…” He trailed off, his fingers moving back to the place I guided him to earlier, showing me just what he wanted a taste of.
A fever broke out along my skin as his tongue teased circles over my breasts.
“Yes, all of that.”
He groaned as I took him in my hand, sliding up and down his length. I grinned when his eyes clenched shut, and he stilled my hand. “Not yet, love.”
His entire body shook as he lowered himself down my body, not stopping until he pulled me in his mouth, using teeth and tongue that drove me further into a moment I never wanted to leave.
“I want to make ye come apart in my hands.” His husky words hummed against my sensitive flesh as my back arched off the mattress from his skillful fingers and mouth.
“Ed!” I cried out, my pace growing faster as my mind tilted off its axis into an abyss I wanted to pull him down into. My head pressed back against the pillow as every muscle in my body tightened.
“I want ye straddling me. I want to feel ye let go and ride me until I burst.” His words rolled over me like lava. His finger slid inside me and then back out, rubbing warmth around my opening as his lips teased over my nipple.
He brought me right to the edge and left me hanging there as he slid up my body and rolled us over.
I lifted my hips, guiding him into the aching frenzy he’d created, and then lowered myself on him with a moan I couldn’t hold back. He gri
pped my hips as I pressed into him, rocking with jerky movements. Every nerve ending in my body teetered on the edge of bursting, and then the world shattered around me.
Ed wrapped his arms tight around me. His hips bucked up as I pushed down, seating him so deep it felt as if he were touching my soul. My body tightened, coiling in the pleasure of being so thoroughly taken over.
He hissed when my muscles contracted around him. Shouted my name when his own release swept over him. My mouth opened on a silent scream I had no power to deliver because everything around me had gone to pinpoint blackness as another orgasm ripped through me.
I lay on top of Ed, unable to move. My body melted into him until I couldn’t tell my limbs from his. Until our eyes were heavy with sleep and our bodies were spent. Until I was nothing more than the feeling he gave me and the way my body reacted to his.
Until I knew I wouldn’t be able to come up for air again.
MY PALM ROAMED OVER HANNAH’S smooth backside until I got a good grip on her thigh, positioning her right where I wanted her.
Her breath hitched as her blunt fingertips pressed into my back, dragging a blazing path that spurned me on, driving me deeper… harder.
The soft catch of her breath, telling me I’d brought her to release again.
Her fingers diving into my hair, pulling me closer as her lips devoured mine.
I could call every single moment back, and shamelessly did, when my mind was left to wander, because she was like the storm that had taken over the island the night we lost ourselves in one another. She was wind and chaos, stirring awake emotions inside of me I thought I’d never feel again. Tossing them around in the cyclone of her laugher, her touch, and her presence and, just like the storm, she disappeared. Fizzled out.
Boarded the plane without a backward glance, or an inkling that she maybe felt the same.
“Ye’ve been wiping the same glass for the last quarter hour. I think it’s clean, mate,” Charlie said, pulling me from my thoughts.
Runaway Heart (A Game of Hearts #2) Page 10