by Karen Rock
“We need to stop this,” he began, his words contradicting his actions.
“More,” she whispered, her eyes glinting with a feverish light he could see, even through the shadows. She kissed him again.
“I have to stay objective, and I don’t want to…” He was losing his train of thought, and all he could think about was kissing her. Touching her. Everywhere. He kept his hands on her, skimming along her slim back.
“You don’t want to what?” Her fingers stroked over his hair as she angled up to nuzzle his jaw.
He had to think about the question for several seconds. Every brain cell in his body was focused on the feel of her in his arms, the need to protect her, claim her. Love her. Then he said, “Hurt you. Sex for one night only, I don’t think you could handle it.” The truth was, he wasn’t sure he could handle it either. Reese was going to be real hard to keep his distance from once he had a taste. She was so different from the other women he had known. She wouldn’t be easy to walk away from.
“Why don’t you let me decide what I can handle?” She popped open the button closing his jeans and eased down his zipper. Jesus. His whole body tightened and strained closer to her scent, her softness, her touch, as he struggled to deny himself what he desired more than anything. “And we both want this. Seeing you dance tonight—every night—it’s driving me crazy. I want you, Blake.”
A guttural groan ripped from his throat when her hand circled the tip of his damp cock.
Enough.
Whatever professional…moral…ethical problem demanded Blake not sleep with Reese could be dealt with tomorrow. Tonight…tonight was about making her scream.
He realized he was still staring at her, his hands gripping her waist. He could see the dark intent in her eyes, the need chasing away her reservations, the same hunger decimating his self-control. She was so damn hot. Irresistibly hot.
There was only one thing left to do to save his investigation. His sanity even. Only one course of action that would rescue him from the constant sexual distraction of Reese.
He had to have her.
Right now.
Tonight.
Chapter Nine
“Dance for me.”
Reese’s voice shook with raw, unadulterated passion and possessiveness. Blake was hers, she’d wanted to shout at the screaming women salivating over Blake’s performance. She needed to prove those sexy moves he’d displayed at the party were intended for her.
She laced her fingers with Blake’s, guiding his hand from her waist to the swell of her breast, let him linger there, his fingers tensing in anticipation until she moved their joined hands lower, teasingly along her neckline’s edge.
His thumb slid inside her laced bodice and skimmed lazily over her sensitive nipple. The sound of her quickening breathing, her overactive heartbeat, filled her ears. Oh, yes. Delicious. He couldn’t miss her body’s response; Blake needed to understand she was on the brink. Ready to go.
Though how she could be thinking about sex, given her current situation from hell, was beyond her—but she wanted Blake badly. Wanted to run with it. Revel in it. Wring every sweet second that she could out of this stolen moment and forget everything else, even if it could only be for one night. She deserved to be happy, to find the pure joy in life again.
Somewhere in the distance, muted thunder rumbled. A light drizzle began tapping on the gazebo roof. The night grew darker.
“Dance with me.” Blake stood and gently hauled her into his warm arms. Jesus, his voice was sexy, a low, throaty sound rumbling against her throat, causing every nerve ending to leap in anticipation.
Heat radiated from his smooth chest, and she sighed against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. Even his spicy-soapy scent enthralled her. And his touch was making her tremble. Rising on her toes, she kissed him. Closing her eyes and her thoughts to everything else, she gave herself over to his touch and the molten possession of his lips.
Broad hands spanned her waist, smoothed down her hips. He pulled her closer still, molding her curves to the stark, unyielding planes of all that taut muscle. A low bass beat pulsed from the house as they swayed, the rhythm slow, erotic, driving her wild. He bent her backward and nipped her ear with his teeth, his breath warming her neck. Liquid heat pooled in her womb, yet chills broke out over her flesh.
“Is this what you want?” he growled.
Her breath caught and held for a long moment as he brought her back against his perfectly sculpted torso. Once she managed to gulp a little oxygen, she whispered, “Yes.”
His strong hand splayed against her spine, in full control of her, guiding every move. Just yards away, revelers partied, clapping along as they avidly watched what sounded like another Dallas Heat routine, oblivious to the steamy tango she and Blake executed right under their noses. The thrill of discovery titillated her, made every cell of her body clamor for the privacy of this taboo moment, desperate to explore the explosive heat firing between them.
Blake leaned over and dragged kisses over the tops of her breasts. “I’m going to make you lose your mind.” His voice came out husky and full of promise.
Then he lifted her, effortlessly, and wrapped her legs around his waist. The hem of her dress rose. He cupped her exposed cheeks as he bounced her delicate softness teasingly against his rigid flesh, turning them both in a slow circle. Exquisite, excruciating tension coiled between her thighs. This was torture. Torment. His lips trailed molten kisses along her jaw. Her eyelids fell to half-mast as her insides smoldered and her juices flowed hot for him. She couldn’t tell if it was her heart banging against her chest or if Blake’s also added to the throbbing pressure building between them.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. Just then, thunder blared and lightning snapped, illuminating Blake’s intense expression for a split second. The rain strengthened. Heavy sheets of water pelted the garden around the gazebo, enclosing her and Blake as if they stood behind a waterfall. The cool spray penetrating the screens provided a cold contrast to the heat of his chest against her breasts.
“Too late,” she gasped. “And I’m so close; I just need a little—”
She didn’t even get to finish her words.
Blake understood what she wanted. Easing his grip, she glided down every glorious inch of his body, slippery with the moisture misting the heated air. He slid a hand beneath her dress and up to the juncture of her thighs. The bold possessiveness of his touch made her flesh quiver as he gripped her bottom with one hand, pulling her nearer.
Heat filled her cheeks. Her chest. Her thighs. She was so close and the fact that Blake seemed to anticipate her climax, seemed to want it for her as much as she did, nudged her closer to the pinnacle. His warm fingers skimmed over her panties as he murmured sweet words in her ear. Words of wanting. Words about how hot she looked. What wanted he to do to her…
And oooh. There she went.
Her knees buckled, and she wouldn’t have been able to stay upright if not for his strong arms. He massaged every exquisite, swirling spasm out of her, his fingers never even slipping inside her undies. The man played her like an instrument, his clever touch finding exactly what she wanted as if he knew her body, knew her every desire and exactly how to fill them.
“My God, you’re beautiful.” His words were a soft vibration against her throat as he kissed his way down her neck. Although he’d been speaking softly in her ear, coaxing her orgasm from her, this was the first sentence she understood clearly, her mind lost in the pleasure Blake was stroking from her.
His words fueled the fire still simmering in her belly. He spoke to her like a man who was seriously turned on by her climax—a man who wanted more—and she was more than ready to oblige. Whatever mistrust remained between them would still be there later; she didn’t doubt it for a minute. But she’d take full advantage of the sexiest interlude she’d ever experienced in her
life before having to deal with it.
“I promise I’m going to be just as good to you in return.” Her questing fingers traced the dark trail of hair down into his jeans’ open fly. Blake unleashed her inner sex goddess, a wantonness she hadn’t known existed until he touched her.
“You don’t need to promise me anything.” He untied her bodice laces, slid the material down over her shoulders, then unhooked her bra and removed the lacy scrap. Blake released a long rasp of air as her aching breasts sprang free. He palmed each globe then plumped them together, burying his face in her cleavage before laving first one sensitive peak, then the other with his tongue. Her body turned molten, senses bombarded on every level, savoring this deliciously naughty moment.
She reached between them to stroke the steel of his cock through his jeans and his groan vibrated right through her. It strengthened her determination to savor their chemistry for as long as it lasted.
The tumult of rain continued, pounding the earth, making it unlikely anyone would fancy a stroll in the garden in such a deluge. Not that discovery mattered anymore. They were beyond caring—too far gone to consider anything save the decadent feel, taste and touch of each other.
Blake spun her around so the fronts of her thighs leaned against the cushioned bench and her back arched against his chest. Her new view was the water-filled air and the writhing, impenetrable darkness stretching beyond the garden. Being unable to see him, to gauge his actions from the expression in his eyes, should leave her feeling exposed. He could do anything he wanted to her, and she wouldn’t see it coming. So why wasn’t she afraid? Why was the thought of him taking her this way pulling a keening cry from her lips?
Because you trust Blake.
The old wounds of her near-rape weren’t hindering her from becoming fully vulnerable. In the past, this was usually where she froze, her body remembering what her mind struggled to forget. Yet somehow her body knew Blake was safe, even if her overthinking mind still struggled to accept it.
Her bottom settled into his groin, alerting her to how much he’d been holding back. The strain of his erection was unmistakable as he lined up against her backside, the tip of him nudging the small of her back. Before she had time to explore the sensation, he swept her hair to one side to kiss the back of her neck.
His tongue traced the curve of her spine, sending whirls of sensation rippling across her whole body. His hands encircled her, cupping her breasts and teasing taut nipples. She melted against him, her skin tightening in response as his hips ground with more urgency. A new wetness warmed her thighs and made her panties damp with want. She reached behind her to find the half-lowered zipper of his jeans. Fingers fumbling, she wrestled with the toggle, her job made more difficult when he released her breasts to cover her belly with one broad palm. Her aching womb clenched hard in response, and she lowered the zipper inch by tantalizing inch.
The blinding climax from only minutes ago didn’t take half the edge off her hunger for Blake. She wriggled against him, savoring the feel of him between her legs and wanting more.
“Do you have a condom?” she blurted, needing him buried between her thighs before the pleasure seized her all over again. This time when she came, she wanted him to be deep inside her.
“Yes.” He wasted no time retrieving it from his jeans, then kicked his pants to the side. A foil wrapper ripped open, followed by a pause, and then his hand arched below her waist, pausing at the line where her thong met her skin. Her hands fluttered around his, eager, hungry.
“Hold still,” he warned in her ear, his breath hot and sultry on her skin, his tone full of authority. A man used to having his way. Demanding it. Getting it.
And, oh, how she wanted to give herself to him. Fully.
Tonight, she was his to command.
“I can’t wait anymore,” she whispered, her whole body a lit torch, turning to ash. He made her feel so incredibly good. “It’s been a while and—”
Blake cupped her sex in one broad palm. Her knees sagged beneath her and she fell forward on the cushioned bench, her body steadied by his other hand. All thoughts dissolved in her brain, replaced by an overload of almost unbearable sensation. Blake’s grip on her waist, his fingers skimming her sex through her soaked panties, his thighs burning an imprint on the backs of hers…those sensory impressions were all her mind could absorb. All she wanted to absorb.
He spread her legs with his knees, exposing her completely as thunder and lightning crashed overhead. Rain now dripped from the ceiling and onto the bench only a foot or so away. The ridge of his cock pressed against her slick folds. Savoring the feel of him, she closed her eyes. He tugged aside her panties and his fingers slid easily along the wetness to circle her clit.
A hungry whimper escaped her lips at the sudden heady onslaught. She wiggled her hips, trying to complete the joining she desperately needed as he purposefully delayed. She could feel herself on the verge of a release she hadn’t experienced in a staggeringly long time—if ever. A twinge of guilt about feeling this way for a man who threatened her family pricked her conscious. But the thought couldn’t begin to slow, let alone halt, the frenzied build of delectable anticipation.
“Do you like that?” Blake steadied her hips as he aligned himself to take her.
“Yes,” she gasped, marveling. Blake’s seduction of her senses was so complete. Unerringly accurate. He knew what was in her head better than she did.
She reached behind to participate in their joining, needing to be an equal partner, not just a recipient. Blake shuddered when her hand stroked him, circling his base as he edged his way inside her.
A low groan wrenched from her throat as she expanded by slow degrees to accommodate the breadth of him. She could feel him holding off, fighting for control, his thighs tensing as he fought to slow down, to take her slowly, tease her into accepting the full weight of him. Then, with a mumbled oath, he sank fully inside of her, the delicious movement rocking her as she savored the exquisitely fine line between pleasure and pain.
The impact of his possession struck her then as she arched back into him. In some ways, this felt less like a joining than a reunion. It was as though they’d connected on a deep, primal level. Recognized each other. Welcomed each other home. What a crazy thought given they were relative strangers. Opponents, even. What this connection was or why it existed, she hadn’t a clue. She only knew she loved giving this sexy, powerful cop control tonight, and her body responded to his dominance with undeniable pleasure.
His body curved over hers, his hands kneading her breasts as he caressed and tweaked her aching nipples. Their ragged breaths synchronized. The scent of him, of them, of sex, rose around them, and she opened her eyes to glimpse his large hand against her belly before it dipped lower to the dark curls between her thighs, claiming her with each mighty thrust.
Her pulse sprinted in her veins, racing blood to all the sensitized regions of her body. Reese couldn’t catch her breath as she watched him expose her clit to his questing fingers.
“Please,” she murmured half to herself, half to him, not wanting the exquisite build to end. “Please, please, please.”
“You please me, too, baby. Too much.” He pulled out and waited, drawing out the moment as he circled the tight nub where all her pleasure centered.
She fell forward on the cushions, overcome. What he did to her. It was so delicious, so lush, so decadently wicked she wanted to scream. And when he pumped inside her again, and again and again, impossibly hard and thick, filling her to bursting, she buried her mouth in the cushions and screamed.
Her release rolled over her like a rogue wave, washing sweet sensation through her again and again. Her hips arched back against his and she fitted herself to him, taking every inch of him inside.
The force of her release staggered her, her fingers clutching the screen’s ledge as seismic spasms rattled inside. Blake followed a moment later
, his body surging deeply into hers one last time with a hoarse shout. The hard length of him throbbed with his release as he found his finish, too.
She wanted to weep and laugh, sleep and dance. It was the most incredible sex of her life. Since the attack, she’d struggled to let down her guard and open herself up. It was tremendous, this liberating feeling of being able to completely let go in the arms of a man you trusted.
Did she trust Blake? The sobering thought jolted her from her dreamy pleasure.
He was a cop.
A detective sniffing around her father and his business.
All true, but something about the witty, sexy, thoughtful, intelligent man laid her completely bare, and she’d never felt safer or more empowered with anyone else.
“Thank you.” She hadn’t meant to speak the words aloud, but once it was out there, she was glad she had.
“The pleasure was all mine, believe me, sweetheart.” He withdrew from her but managed to keep touching her even while he dropped to the cushioned bench and pulled her on top of him. His strong arms clasped her tight, and she rested her ear against the steady drum of his heartbeat.
She snuggled into Blake’s embrace, listening to the wind and the rain, the distant slamming of car doors and hollered goodbyes. She’d be tired for her visit to the hospital in the morning, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to care enough to get up and leave just yet. At least, not until the weather died down and the guests departed. Besides, what gal in her right mind would willingly leave all this hot, slightly bristly muscle?
Crazy, she was not.
Right now, she wanted to simply revel in this feeling of completeness before it wore away. Even if it couldn’t last. As good as it had been between them, committing to anything more between her and Blake, with her father’s future hanging in the balance, was impossible. Until she proved her father innocent, an unwitting victim of the steroids ring rather than the participant Blake suspected, too much came between them to have more than this one incredible moment.