by Niles, Abby
He wouldn’t.
Would he?
She yanked open a dresser drawer. Neatly folded clothes appeared inside. Oh, thank God. Her heart rate returning to normal, she straightened with her hands on her hips. Okay. If Warrior was with him, that meant he wasn’t at the gym.
Had he taken his car? She hurried back into the living room and pulled down one of the blinds. His rental sat by the curb. Ah-ha. He was out running. Which meant he’d be back soon.
She had to act fast.
After rushing to her room, she went through her workout clothes drawer, tossing things willy-nilly until she found her yoga bra and shorts. A year ago she’d tried practicing yoga at home. It had lasted about a month. While it had been a great muscle-lengthening workout, she had a hard time with the calm, composed part of it and decided she preferred running and kickboxing to get rid of her tension.
However, she’d kept the outfit. The sports bra was pale yellow and bordered with a wide black hem. The matching cotton shorts were form-fitting and stopped right at the top of her thighs. She would never go out in public wearing shorts these short, but for home they had been perfect. And were beyond perfect for this moment.
She quickly changed, dug out her mat and blocks from the back of the closet, and hurried into the living room. She’d barely had time to get the mat spread out before she heard him run up onto the front porch.
Angling her body toward the front door, she bent in a downward dog pose, making sure her butt was the first thing he’d see. As the door opened, she glanced upside down behind her. Tommy had frozen right inside the doorway, his gaze glued exactly where she’d known it would go. Pretending she was unaware he was there, she lifted her right leg in the air, bent her knee, and caught the top of her foot in her right hand, opening herself up for him to see.
A strangled male groan was her reward, and she fought back a smile. She held the pose for a second, then released it. Lowering onto all fours, she went into a cat pose and arched her back. And then the grand finale—the dog tilt. She dropped the center of her spine toward the floor at the same time she tilted her tailbone to the ceiling. The movement made her ass jut pertly in the air.
A vehement curse rent the air, and she waited for his hands to grab her hips, his pelvis to grind behind her. What she got was the slamming of the door.
Sitting back on her haunches, she blew the hair out of her eyes.
Well, damn.
Okay. Round one to Tommy.
Warrior trotted over and licked her face. She ruffled the sides of his face but froze when an engine cranked in the background, followed by squealing tires. She grimaced.
And once more he was gone.
Fine.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. If seduction wasn’t going to work, she’d just have to outright lie.
If she could get him to lose control, keep him in a place where he didn’t think, just acted, she’d have him. Once it was over, done was done. It couldn’t be taken back. Then maybe he’d stop being so damn jumpy and become the man who’d held her so mesmerized as he’d rubbed himself against her and devoured her with his mouth.
What would it be like to be around that man all the time?
She shivered. Definitely an intense ride. One she may never want to get off of.
Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts aside. She’d decided that she had to be with Tommy. Whatever else happened, she’d face it when she crossed that bridge.
She grabbed her phone off her coffee table and opened a text message.
Truce? Please. I miss you.
Twenty minutes passed before he responded, and she’d almost burned a hole in the carpet from her pacing.
Miss you, too.
Was she doing the right thing by pushing him? She bit her lip, wavering. Yes, she was. This attraction was here between them, and it wasn’t going away no matter how much he tried to run from it or tried to protect her from himself. If their relationship was going to be damaged, it wasn’t going to be over him fighting his desires for her. It would be from the consequences of it.
Movie tonight? Spend some time together? she sent.
Another ten full minutes passed before she received: Sure.
Not the most encouraging response, but his guard was still up.
Tonight, however, she was determined to break down every one of those frustrating barriers.
He didn’t stand a chance.
…
Tommy sat down on one of the benches in the locker room, lowered his elbows to his knees, and cupped his head in his hands. He’d been here at the gym all afternoon lifting weights, sparring, running…anything not to go back home.
Unfortunately, Mike would be locking up soon, which meant unless he wanted to head to a bar or drive around, neither of which appealed to him, he had to face Julie.
Watch a movie. Right.
Unless it entailed a pizza boy showing up at some scantily clad woman’s home, a movie was not what Julie had in mind. No matter how much she was trying to convince him otherwise. The image of her ass up in the air swept through his mind. He shifted on the bench. It had taken everything in him not to grab her hips and yank her backside against his crotch. She’d wanted that, had been egging him on. Hell, she’d actually told him to fuck her. Had given him goddamn permission.
Even if her wiggling ass had been a clear come-and-get-it invitation this morning, she hadn’t been thinking clearly when she’d said it. Probably didn’t even remember the very valid reasons he’d given as to why he couldn’t do it.
She deserved more than being used and then abandoned.
And if he had to be the voice of fucking reason, so be it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to get the taste or smell of her out of his senses, or the sound of her coming out of his mind since Friday night. His resistance was waning. That spelled trouble.
And trouble was exactly what was waiting for him at home.
Tonight.
A slap to his shoulder made him jump. “That was a hell of a sparring session, Tommy.”
He glanced up at Mac. “Thanks.”
His friend’s brows drew together. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Tommy sighed, leaning back as he scrubbed his hands down his face. “Fine.”
“You sure?”
What could he say? He was scared of a tiny woman and her not-so-subtle messages? That for the first time in his entire damn life, he was terrified of having sex? “Yep. Just been a long week.”
“How’s Julie doing?”
The very subject he wanted to avoid. “Much better. Seems to be back to normal.”
If trying to get him to bend her over and have his way with her constituted being normal. In his mind, it did not.
“Well, good. I’m glad that back thing didn’t keep her down for long.”
Mac didn’t know the half of it. Nothing kept her down, not even him saying no—twice—when she had her mind set.
And what she had her mind set on right now could not happen.
Somehow he’d have to derail her. Blow her plans straight out of the water.
The question was: how?
…
Julie parked in front of The Carnal Cat and stared at the scantily clad mannequins in the display window. All three pieces of lingerie were gorgeous, but two of them had a sweet, innocent vibe with their pastel colors and baby-doll style. The last thing she needed to do was wear something that would make Tommy think he had to handle her with care. That was the whole problem.
Which the third one definitely didn’t inspire. It screamed naughty. Seductress. A woman who wasn’t looking for caresses and lingering kisses but wanted to get straight to the nit and the grit.
A sheer ribbed black corset with satin red trimming hugged the mannequin’s torso. The top ended at the midriff, leaving the stomach bare. A wispy, see-through skirt hung low on the mannequin’s hips and barely covered the tops of its thighs. Two red bows were sewn above each of the satin-ribboned garter
s and held up black silk stockings.
It. Was. Perfect.
She checked the time. A little after six now. Only a couple of hours to prepare. She needed to bust some ass. When she entered the shop, a woman with light brown hair turned and smiled. “Can I help you?”
“I’d like to try on the black corset in the window.”
The woman’s smile grew. “Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I have one. My husband loves it. Can’t keep his hands off me.”
Julie hoped Tommy reacted the same way, and didn’t completely shut down the moment he saw her in it. She was prepared for that reaction, but everything would go much more smoothly if he’d just play along.
The woman went to a rack and sifted through, finally pulling one off the hanger. “This is a small. It should work.”
After Julie closed herself inside a dressing room and stripped down to her panties, she quickly put the corset and skirt on. As she examined herself in the three-way mirror, her eyes kept going back to how the sheer skirt hit directly below her butt cheeks and showed off the silhouette of her red panties. The lingerie came with a matching black thong, which she had no intentions of wearing. As far as she was concerned, the less she had on between him and his goal, the less chance he’d have a moment to stop and think. The whisper-thin skirt would bring his eyes directly to the naked skin beneath.
She smiled. Tommy was such an ass man; he wouldn’t know what hit him. Excited anticipation shivered through her. He’d be stunned the moment he walked through the door, taken completely off-guard. She’d have the advantage.
Round two goes to me.
Feeling confident, she purchased the outfit and left. By the time she got home, some of her triumph had faded. Traffic had been horrible and the food she’d ordered had taken too long to be prepared. Tommy would be here in less than an hour, and she still hadn’t showered.
She popped the food in the oven, then hurried to the bathroom. As she bathed, primping for a night she’d only dreamed about, the reality of what was about to happen crept in. Butterfly flutters swarmed her chest, momentarily stealing her breath away.
Pushing aside her anxiety, she blow-dried her hair and styled it so it fluffed around her head, then she quickly dressed, choosing a pair of black, four-inch spiky heels she rarely wore to top off the outfit. She applied her eye makeup darker than normal for a sultrier look. As she gazed in the mirror when she was ready, she barely recognized herself. The woman staring back at her appeared confident, knowledgeable in the ways of a bedroom, didn’t shy away from a little kink. She loved it.
Now she just had to get the living room ready. There was still a chance that Tommy would bolt the moment he walked in the house. What would she do if that happened?
There was always his room. She could wait for him to return—in his bed.
She went to the kitchen and plated the food on her best dishes. After she poured two glasses of wine, she set the dining room table. As she flicked the lighter to the tapered candles, she heard the sound of a key being inserted into the door.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
She tossed the lighter on the sideboard and did a little don’t-know-which-way-to-go dance before her eyes locked onto the couch. She rushed across the room and threw her body on the cushions. She’d propped up on her elbow, her chest pushed forward, bottom lip jutted out, just as Tommy walked into the room.
With Mac following right behind him.
Horror rounding her eyes, she scrambled for a pillow. Tommy let out a stream of curses as he did an about-face and shoved Mac outside.
When she heard Mac’s “Sorry, dude,” her skin scorched with embarrassment. She pushed into the corner of the couch, drew her knees to her chest, and buried her face in her hands.
How utterly mortifying.
Round three to Tommy.
She didn’t need to question why he’d brought Mac home. It was painfully obvious. A buffer. With his friend here, no hanky-panky would happen. Oh God, how would she ever face Mac again?
A few seconds later, Tommy slammed back into the house, murder on his face.
She hurried to her feet, feeling very stupid. “Tommy, I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”
“Shut up, Julie,” he said as he stormed toward her, lifted the Braves hat off his head, and tossed it on the coffee table. When he reached her, he curled his hand around the back of her neck and yanked her forward. His mouth crushed to hers.
Wetness gushed between her legs as desire shot through her. She moaned against his mouth. His tongue sailed past her lips and his other hand shot around her waist, pulling her to his chest. After he had her kissed stupid, he ripped his mouth from hers. He walked her backward until her back met the wall. Tangling his hand in her hair, he tugged her head back. Her nipples tightened into painful peaks. She loved it every time he did that, loved the dominance and possessiveness of the action.
Anger tightened the muscles in his face as he slipped his other hand between their bodies. Fingers probed between her legs. “Widen them,” he demanded. “Now.”
She nearly melted. And did as she was told. One finger circled her clit before he inserted two fingers deep inside her. The pads of his fingers pressed forward. As his palm rubbed her clit, he pumped his hand, causing those fingers to grind against that sensitive spot deep within her.
Pleasure shot through her whole body and she gasped, latching her hand onto his wrist. “T-Tommy.”
His grip in her hair tightened. “This is what you want, isn’t it? What you’ve been pushing for.”
The sound of his harsh breathing filled her ears, intoxicated her. The sensations he created in her as he zealously rubbed his fingers inside her made her legs weak. Staring up at him, gaze locked with his, she could do nothing but feel what he was doing to her. The pressure he built, the pleasure he gave. She panted out a cry from between parted lips. Then another. She couldn’t stay quiet. There was no way. Only moan, whimper, and hold the gaze of the man who was doing such wonderful things to her body.
As his jaw clenched, his pupils dilated. “Oh. Fuck. Yes,” he bit out. “That’s it, baby.”
He pumped harder. Every muscle in her body seemed to tighten and shake. An unfamiliar sensation built deep inside her. Different from any pending release she’d ever had. “T-Tommy?”
“Don’t fight it,” he grunted. “You’re almost there.”
A powerful orgasm erupted over her, rolling pleasure through every inch of her flesh. Unable to make a sound, she rode the intense wave, jerking as her entire body was consumed by it. Never had she felt anything like this climax. Legs mush, she started to crumble. Fingers still thrusting deep inside, he pressed her into the wall with his shoulder, keeping her from falling. As the intensity slackened, she sucked in a deep breath, then released a long, agonized moan.
“So goddamn beautiful,” he murmured as he removed his hand and placed his lips against her ear. “You’re going to get what you asked for, Julie. I’m going to fuck you. Hard.”
Then his mouth was on hers. She fisted her hands in his shirt, both to stay standing and to bring him closer, and met each fierce swipe of his tongue with hers. He groaned into her mouth, his fingers releasing her to grab the backs of her knees and haul her up around his waist.
The man had already turned every muscle in her body to liquid. And now he was devouring her, all his control gone, just as she’d planned.
He might have won the battles, but she had won the war.
And now he was going to do amazing things to her.
He set her on the arm of the couch, moved his hands to cup her face, and assaulted her mouth with deep, hungry kisses. Then he ripped his mouth from hers and buried his head in her neck, biting the skin. She arched against him, gasping.
When he ended the kiss, she was shocked to still see anger on his face. “You know I’m going to have to kill Mac for seeing you like that. But for now, I’ll exact punishment from you.” His gaze lowered to her breasts.
“Take that thing off.”
The authority in his voice, the determined glint in his eyes, made her body throb with need.
Reaching behind her, she started popping the hooks free. His hands settled on her hips and tugged her closer. The feel of his cock pressing against her center almost undid her. When the corset fell from her body, he caught it and flung it across the room. Then his mouth was on her nipple, sucking deeply. No gentleness or subtlety. Just pure taking.
She gasped, thrusting her chest up as she wove her fingers into his thick hair. As he drew deeply on one tip, he tweaked the other between his fingers, sending a flood of desire rippling through her. Without lifting his head from her breast, he made some movements, and she heard the sounds of his zipper and ripping foil. Then he yanked her forward by the knees and thrust inside her.
Just like that.
She cried out. “Oh, God!”
Not from pain, but from the intense feeling of being so empty one second and then so incredibly full the next. As he thrust deep and fast, their moist skin slapping at his frantic pace, he nipped her earlobe and whispered gruffly, “Julie, you feel so fucking good.” He plunged deep, then ground hard against her. His groan warmed her neck. “Never felt this fucking good.”
His words sent her arousal into hyperspace. “Oh, God. Tommy.”
His hands roamed over her hips and slid to cup the naked mounds of her butt. Muttering a curse, he pulled out of her. She started to protest, but the words were lost when he tugged her off the arm of the couch and spun her around.
A whistling inhale came from him. “Bend over,” he commanded gruffly.
She smiled through her aching desire. So damn predictable. Thank God.
Slowly, she bent over the arm, feeling the sheer fabric of the skirt rise over her butt. To tease him, she wiggled her backside.
A snap on her cheek as he plucked her garter made her squeak, then moan as he rubbed the area with his palm.
“Don’t tease me, Julie,” he ground out.
She was so tempted. She loved the feel of his hand on her ass.
“Damn, you’re so beautiful.”
His palms glided over the swell of her cheeks, and low around to the front of her thighs. He nudged her backward. His cock probed her center, then scythed deep into her. A sharp breath flew from her lungs. And then there was no thought. Just Tommy, his fingers biting into her hips as he thrust into her from behind.