by Eden Summers
“I’m so sorry, Tarney. I should have said something. I should have told you.”
She began to shake her head, unwilling to let him shoulder the blame, but he silenced her advancing words with a quick hard press of his lips.
“Let me make it up to you.” He trailed his mouth along her jaw, nudging a knee between her thighs. “Let me take you out for dinner.” His fingers trailed down the sensitive skin of her neck, and her nipples beaded in response. He moved to the other side of her face, continuing along her jaw while he glided his hand down the side of her body. “Let me make you feel good. Let me make up for what I’ve done.”
His touch was exquisite. Every move, every contact hit her with an impact that made her pussy clench.
No. She needed to think. Ethan had received enough punishment from her cold shoulder last night. She needed to set him straight—to let him know he was forgiven. She had no reason to blame him, and he didn’t deserve to still be hurting.
Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed back lightly, not wanting his warmth to dissipate, but needing to speak to him without the drug of his lips on her skin.
“Ethan.” She whispered his name, annoyed when it came out husky and seductive. A few strokes of that wicked fireman’s tongue and she felt the burn. Damn the man.
He stopped kissing her neck, nuzzling instead. “Mmm?”
“Ethan, I need you to get out of the zone. I want all eyes on deck.”
He continued to tease the skin just underneath her ear, and her thighs squirmed at the delicious sensation. In return, he pressed his body closer, her arm crumpling between them as his pelvis rocked against her abdomen.
No mistaking his intentions. He already had the hose prepared.
“Ethan.” Her voice was firm this time, as demanding as her needy body would allow.
Slowly he pulled his head away, his thigh moving from between her legs when he stepped back. A shaky hand raked through his disheveled hair, and now he was the one averting eye contact.
She was so confused. What was wrong now? “Ethan?”
“Hmm?” He met her stare, raising his eyebrows in question before his gaze fell to the floor again.
“What’s wrong?”
His hand came up again, another rough stroke through his hair. He bit his lip, the action seeming more in frustration as he frowned at the floor. Maybe this whole situation was too screwed up to resolve.
“I think we need some space,” she offered, not wanting to distance herself, although she acknowledged it was probably the best decision.
His head jerked up, his tortured eyes falling on her. “No! Shit, Tar, I hate this.” Both hands passed over his face. He dropped his arms to his sides, defeated, and stared back at her. “I’m a freaking mess. I don’t know what to do when I’m close to you. I want to make you happy, but for the life of me I can’t even think around you. I keep falling back to sex ’cause it’s the only thing I’m good at. How do I make this all better?”
Tarney wanted to laugh, but Ethan was dead serious. How cute.
She stepped into him, looking up into his eyes and resting her hands on his firm chest. “You aren’t that good,” she mumbled loud enough for him to hear.
His mouth gaped in horror, his posture straightening at her words.
“I’m joking, I’m joking.” Jeez, the poor guy was poised for a heart attack. She only wanted to lighten the mood. Obviously his prowess wasn’t something to joke about.
His chest lost its rigidity as she lightly stroked the hard planes. “And besides, it’s been so long since we had sex I can’t really remember how good you were anyway.”
Ethan chuckled, his eyes brightening as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. If he needed sex to loosen up and make himself feel back on top again, who was she to deny him?
“I think you may be teasing me, Tarney Jensen,” he growled into her ear, walking them both back into their previous position against the wall.
She smiled into his shoulder, happy to feel his confidence return. It went against the force of nature to see such a secure man flustered.
With both hands, he gripped her wrists and guided them around his neck. “Maybe I need to pull out my A-game.”
Tarney snorted, a frenzy of excitement and nervousness making her cling to Ethan. If last night wasn’t his A-game, she hoped she could survive what he had in store.
* * *
Ethan ran his hand under the waistband of Tarney’s shorts, then into her panties. Fucking hell, she was soaked. His fingers were drenched without touching her heat. Her essence lay heavy in the air, thick enough to taste. “Damn, Tar, are you always this wet?”
Her cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink, and she buried her head deeper into his shoulder, her teeth biting through the material of his shirt. Delicate fingers clawed into the hair at his nape, scratching, tugging.
His cock jerked, ripping a suppressed growl from his chest. “Do you know how good you tasted yesterday?” He slid his fingers into her slick channel and closed his eyes at her warmth. Her muscles clamped around him so tight, so eager, all for him.
She mewled in reply and her weight sank into him, her body malleable and at his mercy. Gliding his hand under her shirt, he pulled down one cup of her bra to expose her breast, then the other. He played with her nipples, torturing the tight peaks until her hips began to undulate against him, her motions making her grind against his fingers.
What he wouldn’t give to be inside her, to push her against the wall and sink deep. Hard. He wanted to feel her tight pussy contracting around his cock. But there would be enough time for that later. First he needed to make up for his mistakes, to give her pleasure to make up for the pain.
“Please, Ethan.” She leaned on tippy toes to whisper in his ear, licking his earlobe. “Please, I want you inside me.”
Oh, he wanted that too. He ground his teeth together, fighting the need to rub against her and give his cock the friction it demanded. With a final plunge of his fingers, he removed his hand from her shorts and gave her nipple one last stroke. He grabbed her hands from around his neck and placed them by her sides.
Fixing her with a grin, he moved to his knees in front of her. She pressed her lips together, her chest heaving erratically as her eyes followed his every move. Slowly he removed her shorts, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses down her legs. Her panties were next, coming off in one lazy pull, before he threw them down the hall. He suppressed a shudder at the erotic sight of her smooth mound and the pink pussy lips glistening for him, begging him to suck them.
“Just a little taste first.” He leaned in to give her heat a deep swipe with his tongue. Tarney arched her back, giving him access to hold on to her luscious ass. He savored her exquisite flavor, closing his eyes as he hummed with approval. Her potent scent no longer tempted his senses. No, her fragrance now penetrated his mind, his soul, driving him insane.
He settled his mouth over her, licking, sucking, devouring. Her body jerked and her opening clenched around his tongue when he sunk deep. She clutched at his hair, holding him closer, and he steadied her against the wall with a firm hand against her abdomen.
Sweat dampened his forehead, the pressure of restraint too much to handle, the throb in his cock built with unrelenting force. He didn’t know how long he would last suppressing his primal urges, and the craving to take her became a constant buzz in his ears.
Running his hands up the delicate skin of her thigh, he took pleasure in the way her legs quivered and tightened around him. In turns, he tormented her hungry pussy, swirling her entrance with his tongue, then his fingers.
“Ethan…Ethan, please. I’m so close.”
Without warning he plunged deep, giving her the penetration she needed. His mouth found her clit at the same time, and he sucked with a ferocity that sent her over the edge. She clutched him tight, her juices covering his hand as her head tilted back and she cried out in release.
He looked up her body, along the flat plane of her stoma
ch, over her enticing breasts, to her angelic face. She was so beautiful, so damn perfect, the urge to simply hold her in his arms overpowered his lust.
Her knees buckled, and he held her upright with a hand on her stomach. “I’ve got you,” he assured her. “I’ve always got you.”
Tarney slid down the wall, and he leaned back, feeling the last spasms of her orgasm. Softly she hit the floor, her legs curling beneath her. Her eyes opened—slow and lazy—and she smiled at him while licking her lips.
“A-game?” he asked, removing his fingers from her sheath.
She chuckled, her eyelids drifting closed as she rested her head against the wall. “Definitely A-game material.”
His heart clenched, his chest expanding with pride, and maybe a little arrogance. Tarney had always affected him. Her gaze touched him. Her mouth tempted him. Her body tortured him. And now that he had her, now that he knew how good they were together, he would never let her go.
He kissed her hard, his tongue parting her lips. Aggression seeped from his pores, and he pulled back when his craving for her didn’t taper. He needed her to understand his interest was more than sexual. Putting his own desires to the back of his mind was how he planned on showing it.
He encircled her waist with one arm, his other lifting her legs as his erection rubbed against her side.
“What are you doing?” she asked in alarm.
Ethan moved to his feet with Tarney’s weight cradled in his arms and headed down the hall. “It’s time to rest. You’re tired, and I’m wrecked.” The latter was a flat out lie. He had never been more alive. But Tarney needed respite, and he had to find grounding.
“What about you?”
His shaft pulsed against her body, voicing the same question. He gave her a one-sided grin and led her through the doorway to her bedroom, placing her softly on the mattress. “That’s why we’re resting. You’ll need to restock your reserves for the next round.”
Her eyes glinted and she wrapped her arms around his neck, beaming a contagious smile. “I’m sorry for not giving you a chance to explain last night.”
He settled beside her, their bodies facing, their gaze focused on one another. “It’s OK. I wouldn’t have given me a chance either,” he replied, reaching up to wipe a strand of hair away from her eyes.
They lay in quiet contemplation as Tarney’s fingers stroked over the material on his chest. Ethan’s nerves were still hyper sensitive with waning adrenaline, and he had to stop himself from pouring his heart out by goading her. “There’s just one thing I need to discuss with you.”
Tarney paused, the smile falling from her face.
He stilled the laughter bubbling up at her cute face. So serious. “If you plan on perving on me while I work out, you’re no longer allowed to do it from your porch.”
Chapter Five
Three months later
Tarney sat on Ethan’s lap as he lay shirtless beneath her, a fine sheen of sweat dampening his skin. She licked her lips in invitation when he moved his back off the ground for another sit-up and kissed her before he descended again.
She fought for control, wanting to gyrate against him. After two point five seconds of constant struggling, she gave up, grinding her pussy against the length of his erection.
“Do that again, baby, and I won’t be the only one getting a workout.”
Her lips tilted in a one-sided smile while he did another sit-up, his dark blue eyes intent on her expression.
“Don’t tease me. You’re supposed to be counting.”
Yeah, oh well. She stopped the pretense of counting his exercise repetitions after he took off his shirt. His skin and hard muscles were too inviting, and her sinful side demanded her to touch. As he sat up again, she ran her hands down his sweaty chest, sinking her fingers into the hardness of his stomach.
“Tar,” he growled. The implied threat only made her panties wetter.
“Yes, Ethan?” she asked, sweet as sin.
He fixed her with a wicked grin and did another sit-up. When he hit the sitting position, he pushed her back and she screamed. His arms captured her, and in one lithe movement, he laid her on the carpeted floor, his body now hot and heavy over hers. “You might have to go back to watching me from your porch if you keep tempting me like this.”
She smiled, true happiness making her wild and high.
He stared down at her, a mix of heat and adoration in his gaze. “God, I love you, Tar.”
She lifted her hands so her fingers ran through his hair, and he leaned in to place the softest, sweetest kiss on her lips.
“Mmmm,” she moaned, no longer interested in lust or passion.
She was now consumed with the love he gave. Their relationship had been bliss, and not a day had passed when they hadn’t spent some time together, if not all. Being a couple was easy, and she couldn’t help believing they were meant to be together.
After a month, they had decided to move in together and see if things between them would be equally enjoyable when they had responsibilities and chores to share, and it had been. She found herself loving Ethan more than she thought possible. The weight of the emotion was heavy in her chest and such a beautiful feeling.
He gently nibbled her lower lip, bringing her focus back to the present. His foot tapped on the floor, his hands now restless, making him appear nervous, almost anxious. Had she said something while daydreaming?
She cupped his face, looking into his eyes while she tried to figure out what had changed his mood so suddenly. Then his lips were back on hers, kissing her with a ferocity that left her aching with need. He pulled back again, breaking the kiss suddenly with a frown marring his sweaty brow. “Marry me.”
Tarney heard the words, she was sure she heard the words, and all she could do was stare at him with a gaping mouth.
“Shit. That was real smooth,” he grumbled to himself as he started to lift off her, disappointment in his eyes.
She gripped his shoulders, pulling him down and wrapping her legs around him.
“What did you just say?” she asked.
He glanced away, her usually cocky male now humble and uncertain.
“Forget it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
She smiled. Although she knew his arrogance was a facade, it was also refreshing to see this side of him.
“Ask me again,” she whispered in demand. She teased her hands through the damp hair at his nape.
His gaze snapped down to meet hers, his eyes still filled with uncertainty, but there was also a glimmer of hope. He heaved out a sigh. “Tar, I’ve loved you forever.” His eyes glazed over causing her own to burn with unshed tears. “The thought of being without you makes my heart ache, and I can’t imagine waking up in the mornings without you in my life. I know it’s too soon, and I don’t want to rush you. I’ve just been thinking about it for a while now, and I don’t want to ever let you go.”
Her fingers gripped his hair tighter to ground herself, to concentrate on something other than hyperventilating.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Tar. I want to marry you and have little babies that look just like you. And—”
She smiled and placed a finger against his lips.
“Yes,” she whispered, and a single tear escaped, falling across her face, sliding down the side of her cheek to the floor. “Yes, Ethan.” She nodded, wanting to say more, but unable to form the words.
He leaned in to hug her, his chin resting on her shoulder as they held each other tight. Life had never been so simple. The only thing that mattered to her was the love of the man she cherished. And he did love her. She had known that for a while now. Ethan not only told her, but more importantly he showed her on a daily basis. She would find him staring at her for no reason, with a content smile on his face. He wrote little love notes to her—some sexy and arrogant, others sweet and seductive. He gave her a kiss every morning, even when he left for work before she woke up.
Tarney closed her eyes
and gave a chuckle when Ethan’s sweat seeped into her clothes. It was gross, really gross, but it also made her happy. He made her happy. So she held him tighter and ignored the stickiness as he placed a soft kiss on her neck. After all, it was his sweat that brought them together in the first place.
“I love you, Ethan.”
~ About the Author ~
Eden Summers is a true-blue Aussie living in regional New South Wales with her two energetic young boys and a quick-witted husband. In late 2010, Eden’s romance obsession could no longer be sated by reading alone, so she decided to give voice to the sexy men and sassy women in her mind. Eden can’t resist alpha dominance, dark features, and sarcasm in her fictional heroes, and loves a strong heroine who knows when to bite her tongue, but can also serve retribution with a feminine smile on her face.
Find out more about Eden Summers
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authoredensummers
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EdenSummers1
Website: http://www.edensummers.com/
~ Coming Soon ~
Concealed Desire
© 2012 Eden Summers
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