by Lexi Blake
Her legs seemed to spread of their own accord, making a place for him, trying to tempt him inside. Every tug of his lips seemed to heat her up further.
This was why he’d slowed things down. Sex before had been hurried, and while she’d had some satisfying outcomes with Roger, she’d never been so devoted to being in the moment. There had always been stray thoughts invading the time with her ex-husband. Here with Bran, no other thoughts intruded, no worries or insecurities. He built a world where only the two of them existed. He built it with every slow kiss and caress of his hands over her flesh.
She relaxed, finally understanding that he was going to have his way and nothing would change his mind. He wanted this long and slow and he knew what he was doing. Worshipping. That was the word he’d used. He was slowly ensuring that she understood how much he wanted her, every inch of her.
“These need to go.” He pressed kisses down her belly to the top of the panties she was wearing.
He dragged them down her legs, moving off the bed as he did it. She felt raw and exposed, but something about the way he stared down at her made all of it okay. In the past she would have wanted the lights out or to be under the covers, but the heat in Bran’s eyes did make her feel sexy. She was more when she was with him. More than someone’s assistant. More than someone’s sister. She was Carly and this choice she made to be with him was all about her. Her selfish choice.
She didn’t have to be someone’s assistant here. She didn’t have to look out for anyone else. Here someone took care of her.
“Are you going to leave me like this? The only one of us naked? Because I’ve been waiting days to see what you look like without all those clothes on.”
Again his grin nearly lit up the room. She loved that about Bran. He didn’t play. If he felt something, she could see it. When she made him happy, he smiled. She didn’t have to worry about what he was thinking. It was all right there on his gorgeous face.
He unbuttoned the top of his slacks and slowly pushed them down, revealing the deliciously toned abs and hips and legs that went perfectly with his cut chest. He spent a lot of time in the gym. A lot. He was perfectly masculine. Really masculine.
He had a really big dick. Big and gorgeous and perfect, like the rest of him.
“Now, that is a look I’m going to remember forever,” he said as his hands came out and circled her ankles. “You like the way I look.”
“Every woman with eyes likes the way you look, Bran.” Who wouldn’t be attracted to him? With pitch-black hair and emerald eyes, he was every woman’s fantasy.
“I only care about you,” he said quietly. “I want you to think I’m hot.”
Hot didn’t begin to describe him. He was hot and sweet and sometimes he was such a mystery to her that she was sure she could spend a lifetime trying to figure him out. “I’m crazy about you.”
His expression softened. “I’m crazy about you, too, Carly.”
It was enough. For now.
He dragged her down the bed, getting to his knees in front of her. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of what he was going to do. He was going to make a meal of her and she knew damn well that Bran loved a good meal.
Again, this was where she would usually get self-conscious, but there wasn’t a place for it with him. She wanted to be with him more than anything. More than her own fears. She wanted to feel alive in the way she only did when she was with Bran.
“See, this is what I want to see. Look at that. You’re getting wet and ready for me. That’s what I wanted.” His mouth hovered above her, his words heating her skin. His hands pressed on her inner thighs, spreading her wide, leaving her vulnerable, and that did something for her. It wouldn’t with anyone else, but she was safe with him. It was all right to spread her legs and open for this one man.
She could feel her core practically pulsing for him. “Please, Bran. You’re going to drive me crazy.”
“You have no idea how true that is, baby.” He brought his mouth down, covering her sex. His eyes remained on her, dark hair tumbling over his forehead. She watched as he dragged his tongue over the delicate flesh of her sex.
Pure pleasure quaked through her. Soft and hot, her whole world narrowed to the feel of his mouth on her. Nothing else mattered but his mouth. His tongue dragged over her, drawing out her cream. Her pussy was getting hot and desperate with every second of his attention.
He parted the petals of her sex, giving himself access to her. He lavished her with affection, groaning against her as he sucked on first one half of her labia and then drawing the other in.
His left hand moved up, thumb running over her clitoris.
She damn near came off the bed.
“Relax. You’ll get there.” Every word out of his mouth vibrated over her. “And then we’ll get there together. Let me do this my way and I promise the next time you want a quickie, I’m your guy.” His eyes turned up and there was a frown on his face. “I’m your only guy. We should make that clear.”
Seriously? He wanted to have a relationship discussion now? He was the most infuriating man. “I did not wait two years so I could take a lover and then go trolling for five more. While we’re together, you’re my only man.”
She was worried he would be with her forever whether they were together or not.
“I don’t want anyone but you, either.” He pressed his thumb down lightly but with just enough pressure to make her squirm. “You like that?”
A whimper came out of her mouth and she fisted her hands around the bedsheets to keep from pressing herself up against his hand again. “Yes.”
“How about this?” He removed his thumb, lowering his head down and dragging that seriously talented tongue over her clitoris.
“Yes.” She managed to breathe out the word. Barely.
“And if I do this?”
She couldn’t see what he was doing, but she felt it. One long finger penetrated her, curling up inside her. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. She wanted more, but she clenched around him. “Please, Bran. You’re killing me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to kill you. Not when I worked so hard to save you.” His mouth lowered again and he sucked her clit between his lips as his finger began to move in and out.
Her body tightened, every nerve readying itself for what he’d primed her for. This was why he’d gone so slowly. He’d wanted her completely on the edge, unable to think about anything but how good it felt, how hot she was.
He pressed up and found some magical place that no one had found before. She’d had some orgasms, but nothing that made her entire body bow. She bit back a cry as her whole body went taut and the pleasure seemed to course through her entire system. It pounded through her, making time seem to slow as she watched Bran’s head move over her, his hands tighten on her hips.
So close. She felt so close to him. So intimate and connected. She pressed up against him, trying to get the last second of pleasure she could.
She let her whole body sag, blood pounding pleasantly through her as Bran got to his feet.
“Tell me I can have you.”
She had to force her eyes open. What was it about this man? He was different from anyone she’d ever met. Any other man would have fallen on her, certain they’d played their part and now it was their time. Not Bran. He stood over her, needing her acknowledgment. He wouldn’t touch her without a verbal response. She stared up at him. His cock was stiff against his rock-hard abs. He was so rigid, so ready, and yet this man was waiting for her to tell him it was all right.
“Bran, please,” she whispered. She didn’t move. She didn’t want to give any indication that she had a single hesitation. She didn’t. She needed him inside her. He was the right man at the right time and she wanted nothing more than to give him the pleasure he’d given her. “Please come here and be with me.”
He reached over and pulled up his
slacks, his hands going to the pocket. He fished out his wallet and she watched as he produced a condom.
“I’m on the pill.” She hadn’t changed her habits. She knew she likely should have, but she’d taken that little pill for years, and though she hadn’t needed it for a long time, now it could come in handy.
He shook his head as he ripped the packet open. “Not on your life. I’ll go to the doctor and get tested but I won’t touch you without a condom until then. Do you know what I want?”
She did. “You want you and me until this is over.”
“But I don’t want to hurt you.”
She lifted her hands up. “Please, Bran. I need you.”
He stroked himself as he looked down at her, his hand sliding over his big cock. She watched, her whole body languid and sated, and yet she could feel the need starting to rise again. He was getting ready for her. He was going to spread her wide and take her.
And it felt more right than anything before.
Bran eased the condom over his cock and moved over her. She sighed as she felt the heat of his skin against hers. He made a place for himself at her core. He pressed in, stretching her, but she was more than ready for him. This was what he’d wanted. No pain. Only pleasure and an amazing sense of being filled with him. She let her hands run over his back as she got used to how big he was inside her.
“You feel so good,” Bran whispered as he pressed in.
Like everything else the man did, he was slow and methodical and in perfect control. He held himself still, allowing her to relax. He kissed her long and slow, his tongue sliding against hers over and over. It was one more seduction, lighting the fires deep inside her once more. She’d wanted him, wanted to give back to him, but now she was starting to want more again.
He was so big, overwhelming her with his masculine body, making her feel soft and feminine and desperate for him.
“Stay with me,” he said when she started to close her eyes. “Stay with me.”
She looked up and watched the way his expression changed as he began to move. His eyes flared and his jaw hardened, but he watched her as though trying to pick up on the tiniest fluctuations.
This was about more than her body feeling good. Bran was trying to connect. Her experiences before had been physical, with none of the talking Bran seemed to need. Talking to him, connecting with him, that was what made this more than sex, more than a bodily function.
“You feel good,” she whispered. “I love how you feel on top of me.”
“You’re so beautiful, Carly. You should know how beautiful you are to me. I thought I lost you last night.”
She pressed up, forcing him deeper. He filled every inch of her, stretching her deliciously wide. “I knew you would find me.”
Even as she’d given in to the darkness, she’d been thinking about him.
His hips pumped, harder and faster. He angled up and Carly gasped as she felt him grind against her clitoris. Fire flashed through her and she gripped Bran’s backside. Her body moved with his, finding the rhythm that would take her where she needed to go. He thrust in and pulled out, his face turning fierce.
She could feel him touching her everywhere. It seemed there wasn’t an inch of her that wasn’t caressed by him. She held on, legs tight around his waist, nails digging in. He didn’t seem to mind that. He kissed her again, dominating her mouth as his cock plunged in and out.
“Come for me. I want to hear you, Carly. None of this silent bullshit. Let me hear how you feel. You’re too quiet and there’s no place for that here with me.”
He wanted more than her orgasm. She could feel that coming from him. He wanted something she’d never given anyone before. It should have made her feel vulnerable, but his savage words opened Carly up, freeing something that had been buried deep inside her.
When the orgasm bloomed, she screamed out his name.
Bran groaned and pumped himself into her, his whole body tight before he finally fell on top of her.
He was breathless as he kissed her neck, cuddling them close. He seemed in no hurry to move off her and she liked it. She liked how he pressed her down and her whole world seemed filled with him.
“That’s what I wanted,” he murmured.
She held him close. It was what she wanted, too.
Chapter Ten
Bran slid the door closed and watched her for a moment as she stood on the balcony, staring out at the ocean. The sun hit her hair, bringing out the threads of gold and red. Her face was turned up to the sky and he had to catch his breath because she was so fucking beautiful to him.
He’d thought she was pretty when they’d first met, but now he thought she was the most stunning woman on the planet.
“Is everything all right?” Carly asked, not turning around. Her voice was husky and her hair was still a bit damp from the shower she’d taken. “They didn’t give you too much hell?”
He moved in behind her because it was his right to cuddle her close now. She leaned back against him, sighing as he put his lips to her ears. “They were merciless. My brother is an asshole and Hatch isn’t any better. How did you know?”
“Because I have a sister and she would totally give me hell about having raucous sex where everyone could hear me. They heard us, didn’t they?”
He was relieved by the way she chuckled and let her head fall back against his shoulder. She wasn’t upset if she was so casual. He’d worried she would feel self-conscious once she realized they weren’t alone in the condo and her very vocal appreciation had likely been heard by all.
She’d been everything he’d thought she would be. She hadn’t held back. She’d given him all of her and it had been the single most intimate encounter of his life.
He wasn’t sure he would be able to let her go. As he’d lain there with her in his arms, he’d started bargaining. There was no reason why he shouldn’t try with her. She wouldn’t have anywhere to go after they’d taken down Cain Corp. Why couldn’t she have a future with 4L? She could move to Austin and there was zero reason why he couldn’t see her. They would be working together. It would be natural to date.
He was more peaceful when he was around her. She brought it out in him and that meant she never had to know about his dark places. If he could always hold it together around her, she didn’t have to see that part of his soul.
“Oh, they heard you, baby. I’m a fairly quiet lover. You, on the other hand, can’t help yourself, and that means Drew and Hatch know how we spent our morning. Of course if they didn’t they likely would have known because that was my last condom and I had to ask for more.”
“Oh my God.” But she didn’t try to break away from him. “You couldn’t sneak out and pick some up?”
He’d been kind of hoping for a second round until he’d heard the news that Taggart was on his way to the condo. “I don’t want to hide it. I want them to know. I have no intention of pretending we’re not together. They won’t tease you. Just me. But we need to talk about someone who will. My sister’s brother-in-law is on his way in. He’s a lot to handle.”
“Am I going to have to handle him?”
“He’s got some information. You don’t have to go to the meeting, though.” He’d thought she would want to be in the middle of everything. It would be far easier on him if she let him handle the situation. He could keep her out of all the bad stuff. Shelter her. He would like that. She’d done her part. She didn’t have to sit in on the meetings or hear about their plans for revenge. His background was bloody and nasty and the further he could keep her from it the better.
Besides, Ian Taggart could be a lot to take.
She moved away from him, turning and shaking her head. Her eyes sparkled as she pointed at him. “Not on your life, babe. I’m so going to that meeting. I’m the one who almost died, so I want to hear everything. You’re not cutting me out.”
And there was the girl he knew so well. It had been wishful thinking that she would sit out. “I would never cut you out. But you do have to understand that Big Tag has an extremely dark wit.”
She’d changed into some clothes Mia had left behind. She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans that never quite fit his sister that way. They clung to her curves and made his mouth water, and he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on her again.
“I can handle it,” she said with a smile. She seemed somehow more confident than she’d been before.
But he had to remember that she’d been through something terrible not so many hours ago. He reached for her, not quite able to keep his hands off her. “Are you sure you’re up to this? I kind of think you should go back to bed and rest. You haven’t even eaten yet.”
“Is there something to eat?” She had a teasing tone to her voice as she moved into his arms again. “Does your super-genius, revenge-seeking brother have a secret talent as a chef?”
“There’s Pop-Tarts.” He hadn’t even thought about the sad state of food in this household when he’d brought her here the night before. He’d only been thinking of getting his fist in Drew’s face.
She shuddered. “Tell me there are ingredients here.”
He hadn’t exactly checked the pantry. “I have no idea. I’ll go out and get us something.”
“Or I can go and figure out if there’s anything decent in the kitchen. You said this Taggart person is on his way? How far out is he?” She looked up at him, her chin resting on his chest.
If he’d thought she might be self-conscious after a morning of raw and rough sex, he’d been completely wrong. She was a sweet kitten purring in his arms, and didn’t that make him feel about ten feet tall? “He’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
In twenty minutes he could totally give her the quickie she’d demanded earlier today. He could get back inside her and make her scream and then maybe she would be okay with sleeping through the meeting.
He wasn’t sure he wanted her sitting at the war room table. Oh, they weren’t allowed to call it that anymore, but any time he, his brothers, and Hatch sat around a table plotting it felt like a war room table.