“You’re a nice guy,” I reply honestly. Literally picking myself off the floor, I walk into the master bathroom and throw my hair in that messy bun I so desperately wanted only an hour ago.
“Would you like me to leave?” Tanner asks. I brace myself against the sink, staring into the basin while I really think that through. I don’t want him to go. I’m having fun. So much fun. If I let him walk out of here, Ben’s won, right? He gets the last laugh. And I want Tanner. I want to know what it feels like to be treated like a fucking queen, even if only for one night.
Instead of a verbal response, I wiggle myself out of the halter top and skirt, leaving me in only my panties, stockings and garter belt. Stepping out of the bathroom, I move to the bed and sit on the edge, fighting every urge to conceal my breasts from his hungry stare.
“That’s the last thing I want. I do, however, want to be reminded of what it feels like to have someone put my needs before their own. Think you can manage?”
“You’re fucking right I can.” Tanner unbuttons his shirt and shrugs it off his shoulders, letting it hit the floor … right along with my jaw. Fuck, I thought bodies like this only existed in the world of the rich and elite, or on book covers. Never did I think someone as sexy as Tanner would be someone I’d know in real life, let alone have standing only a few feet from me, looking at me like he’s going to devour every inch of my body.
“Come here,” I beckon, scooting back on the bed.
With him standing over me, I lie back and part my legs. “Show me.”
Chapter 5
Miranda
“Still my rules?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, my tone unsure. “Yes,” I correct with more confidence. “Your rules. Show me.”
“Stand up,” he commands. I start to cover myself, having some weird idea he’s unhappy with what he sees. “Don’t you fucking dare.” Tanner palms one of my tits, expertly rolling the nipple between his finger and thumb. “You don’t hide from me, understood?”
I nod and clench my thighs, unable to find words and loving every second of his authoritative presence. I’ve read about alpha men, but I’ve never experienced one. If I had an inner goddess, she’d be doing a double back, round-off, back handspring, layout with a twist … and stick that shit.
As Tanner demanded, I stand—my legs still touching the bed—then await his next command.
“You are so fucking sexy, Miranda Hathaway. You have to know that.”
I don’t respond.
“Don’t believe me?” He cocks a brow and stares at me. I shake my head and lower my gaze, but Tanner stops me. “It’s okay. No hiding,” he reminds me, his tone soft and genuine. “When I’m done with you, you’re never going to question that ever again.”
“Why did I stand?”
“Because I want to see all of you. If we’re only getting this night, I’m going to sear into my mind how you look, ‘cause, baby, you’re gonna change when I’ve had my fill. This is all about you, Miranda. Turn around for me, baby.”
Quickly, I spin around and he tsks me. “Slower.” Instead of leaving me to my own devices, he takes hold of my hand, raises it above my head and maneuvers me to turn at his pace. “Goddamn,” he hisses, and I shiver when his fingers graze against my back.
With my hand still in his, we reverse spots and he sits down on the edge of the bed. Looking down, I notice he’s still dressed, and as badly as I want him as naked as I am, I don’t dare question him … again. His rules.
“Come here.” Tanner spreads his legs apart slightly, enough room for me to fit between them. Again, I’m not a pro at sex or anything—never been paid for my services—but I do believe he’s supposed to be between my thighs, not the other way around, but nonetheless, I follow his instruction.
His rough palms slip around my waist, every nerve ending firing to life with the contrast of my silk to his callous. By the look of him, I assumed him to be a college student, which he still might be, but he obviously works, or works out a lot, if you can get rough hands from lifting weights.
Tanner gently rubs my back, then pulls me closer to him, placing my tits at his eye level. He glances up at me through long, beautiful lashes—his blue eyes sparkling with mischief—winks, and I melt. “What do you like, Miranda? Gentle? Punishing? Sweet? Dirty? Your night, baby. Wanna make sure you’re satisfied. Give me some direction.”
“Honestly?”
“Always.”
“I’m really enjoying you calling the shots. It’s been a crazy few months and to not have to make a decision for once feels good. As long as I come, I don’t care. I just can’t have an internal orgasm, I need my clit rubbed.”
“Let’s see if we can change that,” he chuckles.
“No, I’m serious. I know my body. Trust me. I think by thirty-five, if I can’t come without clitoral stimulation, you don’t just change things like that. It’s just the way my body is.”
“Or you’ve been with the wrong men. Men who didn’t care how good you feel. Ever think about that?”
“I haven’t. Just don’t get all pissed off and have a bruised ego if you think you’re going to alter how my lady parts work. I won’t fake it, and I don’t want you walking out of here unsatisfied, either.”
“Deal,” he compromises and latches onto one of my nipples, pulling it into his mouth and swirling his tongue around the tip. Thank God he flipped the script and went back to sexy … I was close to kicking him out and calling it a night. For a one-night stand, there should be more fucking and less fighting.
Before I know it, Tanner’s standing and wrapping my legs around his waist. He doesn’t move very far before setting me back on my feet. “Turn around,” he commands. I do as he says—placing my back to his front. I expect him to push against me, but all I feel is the cool air between us, driving me crazy. Tanner takes foreplay to a whole new level—we’re quickly approaching fiveplay.
“Bend over.” Leaning at the waist, I do my best to keep my legs straight through my protesting muscles begging me to bend my knees, even just a little.
Finally, Tanner’s hands reach my body, starting at the curve of my hips and sexily, painfully slow, he runs small circles on my sensitive skin until his fingers hook in the elastic of my panties. Without asking, or another word, he drags them down my legs, his touch never hurried. When he reaches my ankles, he kisses the backs of my thighs, one at a time, indicating for me to lift each foot to step out of my panties.
“Good girl,” he praises and stands. I raise as well, only to get Tanner’s hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me back down. “Nobody said for you to move, Miranda. Keep your fine ass put.” I’d be surprised if he missed the little quake in my body and the goose bumps across my skin.
Bent over for him, completely exposed and naked—except for the garter, stockings and bare feet—I wait for whatever he has planned next. If you would have asked me before if Tanner was the kind of guy to be domineering in the bedroom, I probably would’ve told you no. Alpha, yes; that’s written all over his face and mannerisms. Demanding and controlling, wouldn’t have pegged him for that guy, but, on the same hand, I’m happy I called it wrong—this kind of man is exactly what I need.
“You doing okay?” he asks, grazing his fingers across my ass. “Rest on the footboard if you need to.” I take him up on the offer, grateful for the relief.
“Hands behind your back, though,” he corrects, changing my posture. I’m not as happy as I was a second ago, my chest resting against the cool wood, the unforgiving edges digging into my torso.
A firm grip comes down over my hands and crosses them at the wrist, binding them together. With what, I’m not sure, since I haven’t purchased any rope lately and my robe doesn’t have a sash. “What’s goin’ on back there?” I ask, my voice shaky, unsure of how all this works.
Sure, I’ve heard of bondage before, just never thought I’d be a fan. “Panties make a really good makeshift tie,” he says with a hint of laughter.
�
��Seems legit.”
“Any other questions?”
“Nope.” I zip my lips and patiently wait for Tanner to make his next move. And the wait’s not long.
Tanner kneels behind me, firmly grabbing one ass cheek in each hand, spreading them apart and burying his face in my pussy. I buck, and he’s quick to push me back down. “Stay put, Miranda. Much rather be on your ass than your back,” he says between mouthfuls of cunt—his tongue licking around my entrance and clit, sucking my lips between his teeth—effectively rendering me speechless. “Spread your legs.” Thank God. Shamelessly, I grind my ass in his face, never having felt so open or horny in my life.
“Tanner,” I purr, wanting to dig my fingers into his perfect hair, but I’m restricted with each movement. It’s easy to forget you’re bound until you move too quickly. I flex my digits, hoping to regain good blood flow, but it’s futile, as it’s all being sent to my clitoris.
“You’ve come on my face before, don’t do it again. Wait until my dick’s inside you. Got it?”
“Not really something I can control,” I whine, desperately trying to fight the urge to let go.
“It’s all in your control, Miranda. Do. Not. Come.”
He senses I’m not as in control as he’d like to believe, so he removes his face and wipes the wetness on his mouth on the side of my ass. I should be grossed out, but fuck me, it’s hot as hell. While he lets me come down, he puts one finger, then another, into my opening, keeping me primed but using the knowledge I gave him earlier to hold my orgasm at bay.
A new sensation washes over me—one completely foreign to me—then I realize what’s happening. “Tanner?” I cry. “If you keep doing that, I’m going to explode.” I try to close my legs—not sure why—but Tanner blocks my movement.
“I’m not touching your clit,” he teases, applying more pressure to the front of my walls and the other hand pulls me back to his face. He places tender kisses across my ass but doesn’t venture any further south. “Come for me, Miranda. Come on my hand, then I’m gonna fuck you so hard, you’ll be begging me to stop.”
“Mmmmm.” It’s right there, just out of reach, taunting me. I flex my muscles and grind faster. If he’d just touch my clit …
“Holy shit!” I scream, and everything changes. Light shines brighter, the world’s off its axis, and I’m almost positive the fireworks aren’t a part of my imagination. “Oh God, don’t stop, Tanner. Keep going. Fuck,” I drawl in pure bliss, my mind free from everything else, technicolor taking over.
Before I can ride it out, Tanner withdraws his fingers and slams into me with the force of a frenzied man. Not only amazing with his fingers and mouth, he’s obviously a magician, too. When, exactly, did he find time to get his dick out? Not that I’m complaining. “Wrong men, baby,” he growls, never slowing his tempo. With each thrust, my chest hits the footboard, surely causing some sort of damage, but I can’t find it in me to ask him to stop.
Tanner takes my bound hands in one of his and his other snakes into my hair, gripping the strands painfully tight and pulling so hard, my tits come off the footboard, my back impossibly arched. One orgasm after another roll over me so quickly I’m not sure where one stops and the next begins.
Tanner’s growls and groans only fuel my fire further, encouraging me to take control of my own sexuality and the situation at the same time. When he slows, to hold off his own orgasm—like most men—I move my ass away, my body immediately regretting the decision.
Glancing over my shoulder, I catch Tanner’s eye and make a demand of my own. “Sit on the ottoman.” If I were wearing panties, his smirk would have melted them clean off my body. Then, he complies, allowing me to have this moment. “Don’t let me fall.”
“Wouldn’t even consider it, baby. Get over here,” he demands.
So much for me running the show. Fuck it, even the momentary illusion is enough to make me feel alive.
I straddle his legs, and my tits perfectly align with Tanner’s face as I slowly lower myself. “You’re gonna have to put your dick in me since I don’t have hands to do it myself,” I add sarcastically.
“Want me to untie you?”
“Not a chance in hell,” I respond, and the fire in his eyes has me sighing.
Tanner places a tender hand on my back, the other on his dick, and guides me until I’m able to rest my ass on his thighs, taking all he can give me. My hips swirl slowly at first, finding my rhythm. Once I’m comfortable and secure he won’t let me fall, I use the balls of my feet to gently rise and fall.
My nipples end up in Tanner’s mouth, his expert tongue working their magic. I throw my head back while Tanner holds me tightly to him, barely giving me room to move. Without having to ask, Tanner slips a hand between our sweaty bodies and manipulates my clit, still biting at my nipples, thrusting from below and making sure I don’t fall backward. This man needs to put “Hella Multi-tasker” on his resume.
It only takes seconds for my body to respond.
“Fuck, Miranda,” Tanner growls, and I stretch even further when his cock swells inside me. “Keep grinding on me. Fuck yourself. Take what you want, baby.”
“I don’t have any more in me,” I sigh, resting my head on his shoulder, my body completely spent.
“I got you, then.” Standing, my ass tightly gripped in Tanner's hands—him holding my weight in his arms—he bounces me up and down. I'm completely at his mercy. Which is a funny word since there's nothing kind about the way he mercilessly thrusts into me. It's purely savage, Tanner seeking his own pleasure from my body. He demands and takes everything I have left until we’re both lying in a heap on top of the comforter.
“Wow,” I exhale. “That was … I don’t know the word, my brain’s not working, but whatever that word is, that’s what this is,” I mumble.
“It was fucking hot.” Tanner tenderly rolls me onto my side, untying the panties from my wrists.
Even through the discomfort, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Tanner climbs off the bed, goes into the bathroom and comes back with a warm, wet cloth and soothingly cleans me up before himself. Looks like another first …
“My arms hurt,” I laugh. “I’d do it again, though.”
“Let me,” he responds sweetly, making me feel a little bit of concern. I know enough about one-nighters to know this isn’t how they typically end. This isn’t the get in, get off and get out situation I’d had in my head. Not even close.
Tanner thoughtfully pulls my hand onto his lap and massages the tender muscles. “Mmmmm,” I hum, thoroughly enjoying the extra attention. Then, to complicate things even more, he picks me up, drags down the covers and deposits me back into bed, pulling the blanket over my body.
He doesn’t dress. He doesn’t leave. Tanner, the enigma, crawls in on other side, tucks himself in and wraps his warm body around mine.
Fuck it. This feels so good, and I don’t have the energy to fight him on leaving. We’ll talk about it later. For now, I’m going to enjoy being truly cherished. After all, isn’t this exactly what I always wanted? As I drift off to sleep, I make a mental note for the morning to start rebuilding the wall of numbness I spent years putting together, brick by brick.
Chapter 6
Miranda
The sun slipping through the cracks in the curtains pulls me from the best sleep I’ve had in ages. Even better than the restful slumber, the warmth of Tanner’s skin wrapped around me fills me with a sense of peace. After everything I’d been through with Ben—the good, the bad and the ugly—I can honestly say I’d never woken up with him holding me so tightly I could hardly breathe.
“Hey.” Tanner’s tone—all sleepy sounding—is almost as sexy as his hot-and-bothered voice.
I’m thinking about reaching over and showing him exactly what a good morning it truly is, but the opening of the front door jars me from my temporary bliss instead. I jump at the same time Tanner does. He’s out of bed first, reaching for his jeans, when we hear our intruder announce her prese
nce.
“Miranda?” Nikki yells/asks, the front door slamming shut behind her.
“Yeah,” I answer, scrambling around for anything to toss over my naked body. Love the girl, but we’ve made it decades without seeing each other naked, no need to start now.
“So you are alive?” Her heels clack on the hardwood, growing louder and louder, her “subtle” warning she’s heading toward my bedroom and she’s close.
“Fuck,” I hiss as Tanner kicks away his pants, sits on the bed and grins. “I’m not seeing what’s so amusing here.”
“Well, for starters, you’re roaming around your room for clothes. It’s your room. They’re all your clothes. Second, you could just tell your friend to give you a second. Third, you think she’d be pissed if I needed her to wait a while longer because you bouncin’ around naked and looking well fucked is doing it for me?” He pulls the blanket over his body, raising it enough to invite me underneath. I pause to think about it, then quickly dismiss the thought.
“You’re absolutely no help, Tanner. None.”
“Oh, but I could be. Come ‘ere,” he says on a chuckle, reaching out to pull me into bed with him. I carefully dodge his advances and swipe his shirt from the floor.
“Don’t you dare,” I tsk as he pulls back the covers again, his biggest asset on full display, and rises to stalk toward me.
Nikki—with her exceptional timing—chooses that moment to come bounding through the bedroom door without even a courtesy knock.
“Well, well, well. What’s going on in here, Mi-Mi? Got a gentleman caller, do we?” she teases, not bothering to conceal her wandering, appreciative eye.
“Uh, Nik,” I whisper, trying to pull her attention from an unfazed Tanner, standing proud, still hanging out in all the right places.
“Yep.” Still no eye contact with me.
“Nicole!” I yell, and she turns her head this time. “There ya are. In my room. Hi. Hello. Can I help you with something? Did you recently give up your phone and need to pop up unannounced at the ass crack of dawn?”
Quick Fix: Book 1 (Suddenly Satisfied) Page 4