by Andre, Bella
Sex. He needed to turn the focus of their night back to sex, and quickly, before things went any deeper and they both had regrets in the morning when they came to their senses.
“All this talk of friction”—her skin was soft beneath his lips as he laid her back on the bed, peeled open her robe, lifted her arms up over her head, and began to kiss his way down her gorgeously naked body—“has given me an idea. Want to hear it?”
“Maybe,” she said as she licked her lips, “you should just show me instead.”
“It would be my pleasure.” He grinned as he pulled the satin sash from her robe. “And yours, too, I hope. Have you ever been tied up before?”
“What?” She sat up with a start. “No.” She shook her head. “God, no.”
She looked so adorable when she was shocked that he had to kiss her. “Good.”
“Good?” She looked confused and maybe even a little irritated, too. “Why is that good?”
“Because,” he said as he gave her another kiss, “I like knowing I’m going to be your first.”
“You’re not going to be my first. I can’t let you tie me up.”
“Why not?”
She made a little growly sound at the same question he’d asked her when she’d first told him she couldn’t date him, and he was hard-pressed not to grin like a fool. There really was something to this oil-and-water stuff, it seemed.
She was just so much fun, both to wind up, and then to watch come unfurled in his arms.
“Because.”
He couldn’t hold in his laughter anymore. Fortunately, by now her lips were twitching at the corners, too. “One good reason, Kerry. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t use this strip of satin to tie your wrists to the headboard.”
“Here’s one great reason: I’m not like the other women you’ve been with.”
“I’ve never for one single second thought that you were.” He dropped the sash so that he could put his hands on either side of her face. “And if I ever do anything to you that makes you feel like you are—if I ever do anything that you don’t like—promise you’ll tell me so that I can do everything in my power to make it up to you.”
* * *
All her adult life, Kerry had stuck to her list of what was and wasn’t acceptable. Obviously, letting a man tie her up in bed was on the not acceptable list. Then again, since she was already having a sexy night in a hotel with a totally inappropriate man...
“I’ve liked everything you’ve done to me.” But that wasn’t good enough, wasn’t anywhere near close to the full truth, so she made herself tell him, “I’ve loved it.”
The way he kissed her told her how much he liked hearing it. And then she surprised them both by shrugging off the robe, lying back against the pillows, and lifting her arms over her head.
“Tie me up.” Heat flared in his eyes, but when he didn’t move to do it right away, she knew he was concerned that she might not really mean it. So she added, “Show me how much I’m going to love this, too.”
Finally, he smiled, and reached for her wrists with the sash. “You’ll never look at a headboard the same way again, that’s for sure.”
Despite her sudden nerves at trying another new thing with Adam, she had to smile back. His grins were infectious.
Heck, everything about him drew her in. His smart mouth. His wicked smiles. His passionate kisses. His brilliant hands, always knowing just how—and where—to touch her.
When he’d finished tying her up, he shifted back to look at her, his heated gaze slowly roving head to toe and then back up again. “You’ve got to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever set eyes on.”
She could feel her skin flush, both at the way he was taking in her nakedness and at his compliment. “Thank you.”
“Jesus, hearing you say that prim little thank you while I’ve got you tied to the bed... You just might be the end of me, Kerry.” His eyes looked a little wild and a muscle in his jaw was jumping as he directed her. “Tug on the sash.”
She tried to move her arms, but though she wasn’t in any pain, they didn’t have much give. She was well and truly at his mercy now. But though she supposed she should have been nervous about giving herself over to him this way, the only thing pumping through her veins right then was a desperate anticipation.
“Looks like you’re all mine to play with now, aren’t you?”
Did he know how his question—just on the edge of wicked—made her heart feel as though it were going to pump out of her chest? Or how badly she wanted him to kiss her?
And then, just like magic, his mouth was on hers. Warm and heady, reassuring and wild, all at the same time. She got so lost in his kiss that she almost forgot her hands were tied up until she tried to reach for him. That was when he finally drew away from her mouth.
“Every inch of you,” he promised. “I’m not going to miss a spot.”
And, oh my, did he ever make good on his promise as he took advantage of having her at his mercy. He ran his fingers and lips and tongue over her curves, her hollows, lingering at the most sensitive spots. Higher and higher he took her with every caress, with every sensual stroke of his fingers over her until she was simultaneously shattering and begging for more of him.
Thankfully, he didn’t keep teasing. Maybe because he could see that she was at the breaking point. Or maybe because that was right where he was himself. Barely able to survive staying apart, when all either of them wanted anymore—all either of them needed anymore—was to be connected in the most elemental way possible.
Her name was on his lips, and his was on hers, as he cupped her face in his hands. The moment hung between them like a gift you couldn’t wait to open, but wanted to savor for just one more moment before you tore off the wrapping paper. And then, a heartbeat after he’d sheathed himself, his mouth was on hers again as he thrust into her.
Unable to get her arms around him to hold him close, she wrapped her legs around his hips and rode him, taking everything he was giving her and giving it back to him tenfold. Her climax crashed over her, and Adam’s did, too, as her release sent him over the edge.
Kerry had never felt so blissfully wild. So wonderfully savage.
Or so perfectly free.
* * *
When Kerry could finally get her breath back, she said, “Do you think the designer knew people were going to use this headboard like that?”
Adam’s laughter warmed her up all over again. “I sure hope so.”
She shouldn’t be shocked, not anymore. Not when he’d just blown her mind in a thousand new ways. But she needed to know. “Do you ever design things for...”
“For kinky clients?”
She nodded.
“Well...” He had her right there on the edge, waiting for his answer. “I never design and tell.”
“I need you to untie me so that I can smack you.”
“Sounds to me like that’s exactly why I should keep you tied up a little longer.” He ran the tip of one finger down over her curves. “Oh, look, here’s another reason.”
She should be sated, should be done by now after having made love with him three times already tonight. But, of course, her body instinctively arched into his touch.
“God, you tempt me.” He kissed her. “Do you have any important meetings tomorrow?”
She couldn’t hold back her groan as reality came crashing back in, even with her hands still tied to the headboard. “Seven a.m. A breakfast meeting.”
“And I thought my nine o’clock was early.” He didn’t look any happier about it than she felt as he untied the sash and gently began to massage her arms, from her wrists up to her shoulders. “Next time, we both need to clear the decks the morning after.”
Next time. It shouldn’t thrill her so much to know they’d be doing this again. But, boy oh boy, did it ever.
He looked over at her overnight bag. “You brought clothes for tomorrow?”
Not wanting it to seem as though she expected them to spend
the night together, she explained, “I like to be prepared, just in case the outfit I wore tonight got ruined before I left.” Which it definitely had, given that it was currently lying in shreds by the door.
“Let’s stay here tonight, then,” he suggested. “Just crawl under the covers right now to get as much sleep as we can.”
The rational part of Kerry—a part that seemed to shrink further and further every second she was with Adam—told her she shouldn’t stay, because actually sleeping together had to be a bad idea. But between the busy week she’d already had and all the magnificent things he’d done to her tonight, she could barely keep her eyes open.
Besides, what could one night in the same bed hurt?
“Okay.” Her voice sounded a little slurred even to her own ears. “I should go brush my teeth.” Because of course she’d packed her toothbrush, too. Be prepared for everything, both in life and during a wedding. She’d learned that from her mother.
But Adam was already pulling the covers over both of them and curling his big, strong body around hers. “You can do that tomorrow morning.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I had a great night with you, Kerry.”
Her usual walls were down far enough as she hurtled toward sleep that she didn’t question the urge to tell him, “I had the best night with you, Adam. The very best.”
And when he responded by pulling her even tighter against him, feeling more content and safer than she ever had, she fell into a dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The following day, Kerry ran from one meeting to the next, putting out potential fires left and right. By that night, she was nearly convinced that the previous one at the hotel with Adam must have been a dream. She’d been too busy all day to get in touch, and she knew from what he’d told her at the hotel that he’d had just as packed a schedule. That was one of the nice things about not actually dating each other, she told herself. Neither of them had to feel guilty if they couldn’t fit each other in apart from a handful of hours having hot sex every now and then.
By the time she left the office and made it home, she couldn’t wait to change out of her suit and heels, throw on her most comfortable jeans and a sweatshirt, and collapse on the couch. She’d left her sister several messages—voice mails, emails, and texts—about getting together as they’d planned the previous weekend, but it wasn’t until nine o’clock that Colleen finally answered one of them.
“Hey, Kerr, I won’t be able to make it over tonight.”
Kerry’s stomach immediately sank. She’d known this would happen, hadn’t she? Just like every time her sister told her they were going to have a girls’ Friday night in—and ended up bailing to go party instead. The last thing Kerry wanted to do was put real clothes and makeup back on, but if she could keep her sister out of trouble, she’d do it.
“Why don’t I meet you wherever you are? We could still have our girls’ night out.”
“There’s not exactly room for one more right now.” She could hear Colleen laughing with whatever loser she was with as he said he’d be happy to have her sister join them.
“Call me later, okay?” Kerry pleaded. “I can come join you any time if you change your mind.”
“Drinks are here, got to go.”
Kerry was about to press the call-back button on her phone, but stopped herself. If she pestered Colleen too much, then she might not call later if she needed help getting home. It was such a fine line trying to support and help her sister while not upsetting her so much that she pulled away entirely.
Kerry wasn’t at all sure that she was walking the right side of that line. If only there was someone she could talk to about this.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed again. But it wasn’t Colleen. It was a text from Adam.
HOW’S THE MOVIE AND PIZZA WITH YOUR SISTER?
Kerry’s heart melted. He was so sweet to even remember her plans for tonight, let alone check in to make sure it was all going according to plan.
As she typed in her response, however, she knew he wasn’t going to like her answer. She made herself send it anyway. The best thing about Adam—apart from all the super, crazy-hot sex they were having—was that they were always honest with each other.
COLLEEN CHANGED HER MIND ABOUT TONIGHT
Her phone rang a second later.
“Where is she?” Adam asked.
Kerry didn’t even try to hold in her worried sigh. “I don’t know. I offered to go with her, but she didn’t think that was a very good idea because she was already with someone. He, however, seemed to think it was a super idea to spend the night with two sisters.”
Though Adam wasn’t there, she could see his expression, knew his jaw would be clenching. The curse he uttered confirmed it.
“Did you get to the movie or pizza before she bailed on you?”
“No.”
“A friend of mine makes the best pie in Seattle. I’ll have him send one over to your place. See you in fifteen.”
* * *
Exactly fifteen minutes later, Kerry went to answer the knock at the door.
A quarter of an hour had been exactly long enough to tie herself up in knots about how things were supposed to play out between the two of them tonight. If they’d been meeting to have sex, kissing him hello would make sense. But since he was clearly just coming over to keep her company because he was worried about her—and also so that he’d be there to accompany her into the bad part of town just in case her sister called later—what exactly did that mean tonight was all about?
Kerry hadn’t wanted to examine anything beyond their incredible sexual escapades on Thursday, but the truth was that they’d done nearly as much talking as having hot sex. And she’d liked doing both. A lot.
Adam was fun and smart. Surprisingly insightful, too, particularly when it came to relationships. For someone who had no interest in a lasting relationship of his own, he wasn’t at all blind to the way things played out for the people he loved. Whereas while Kerry’s job revolved around love, she far too often felt as though she didn’t have the first clue about what truly made a relationship work.
Her thoughts in a hopeless tangle, she opened the door and found Adam grinning at her, so perfectly, shockingly gorgeous that everything fell out of her head. Everything except being glad he was there.
“Hi.”
He responded in exactly the way she now realized she’d been secretly wishing for—with a kiss that left her breathless. And the truth was that if the pizza delivery guy hadn’t showed up just then, she might have stood in her open front door and kissed Adam Sullivan all night long.
A short while later, they were sitting on her couch devouring pizza that truly was the best she’d ever had, while debating what movie to watch.
“No sappy chick flicks,” he said.
“No movies with pointless violence,” she retorted.
“Nothing foreign with subtitles.” He actually shuddered as he said it.
“Nothing where people get naked for absolutely no reason,” she said with a shake of her head.
He looked at her in surprise. “There needs to be a reason for people to get naked?”
Kerry threw a piece of pepperoni at him, but he somehow managed to catch it in his mouth.
“Remind me never to feed you anything heavy,” he said with a smile that made her heart dance around in her chest. “You love to toss your food at me every time we eat together, don’t you?”
“Only when you irritate me.”
“Like I said—every time we eat together.”
Kerry wanted to tell him how nice it was that he’d come over to help keep her from worrying incessantly about her sister all night long. But something told her he already knew it, and saying it aloud would probably only make things awkward between them. They were having too much fun to let any awkwardness in.
“Nothing sappy, no pointless violence, no subtitles or naked people.” He ticked through their list. “So if Sorority House Massacre in Frenc
h is out, then it looks like all we’re left with is Star Wars. The ultimate good-versus-evil story. Plus it has the best line ever put into a movie.”
“Use the Force, Luke,” she said before he could. Yet again, he’d surprised her—this time by coming up with the perfect movie. “I haven’t seen Star Wars in years.”
“Years?” He looked pained. He grabbed her remote. “How do you work this thing?”
“My house, my remote.” She quickly found the movie on her smart TV and soon they were caught up in the epic story.
Her couch wasn’t huge, but even if it had been, she suspected she would still have ended up snuggled in Adam’s arms. Partly because he wasn’t at all shy about pulling her into them. But also because his arms were right where she wanted to be on yet another Friday night where she was waiting for her sister to call for pickup.
Throughout the movie, he kept lightly stroking her hand, or her leg, or her shoulder. She didn’t get the sense that he was deliberately trying to seduce her, but with every minute that passed, each light caress managed to drive her higher. And then higher still. Until she was practically holding her breath waiting for the next one to come, wondering where he’d brush up against her this time.
She should tell him to stop. After all, this was just a friends’ night at home, rather than a night for one of their wild hotel sexcapades. But she couldn’t get the words past her throat. Didn’t want him to stop touching her. Not when she’d never known it was possible for her body to feel this alive with all her clothes on in her living room, while Princess Leia was telling Luke Skywalker it wasn’t over yet.
By the time the movie ended, Kerry was so wound up that she simply couldn’t think straight. Couldn’t remember why she shouldn’t flip around on the couch and devour his mouth in the way she’d been dreaming of for the past two hours.