“I think it’s quite obvious how turned on I am right now.” He gave her a quick kiss, drawing out the end by sucking on her bottom lip. “I know you’re trying to look out for me, and I appreciate that. If you tell me to stop, I will, but if you want to continue…”
The little voice inside her head told her to stop things now, but the desire proved too much. “I do.”
She grabbed his hand and led him inside. Ari and the rest of their friends had already left for the club. The place was wrecked, but she’d deal with that in the morning. Right now, all she cared about was getting Ethan in her bedroom before she lost her nerve.
As soon as the door shut, she pulled him to her again. Their kisses took on a frantic nature as though they were two teenagers who wanted to come before they got caught by their parents. She tugged his shirt off, taking a second to admire the tattoos covering his lean frame before diving into the next breathless kiss.
Ethan fumbled for the zipper of her dress, but when it hit a snag, he broke off the kiss with a growl of frustration. “Turn around.”
A shiver coursed down her spine. In everyday life, she hated men ordering her around. But in the bedroom, it was a different story.
He finally got her dress off, followed by her bra, leaving her to stand in the chilly bedroom with her back to him. He drew back her hair to expose the nape of her neck and pressed his lips against the skin. “How do you like it?”
Her stomach fluttered. Would he be put off by her submissive preferences? “You tell me.”
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her chest to cup her breasts in his hands. “Are you going to make me guess?”
“No.” She leaned back against him, savoring the heat of his bare chest. “You tell me.”
He froze as her request sank in. Then he tightened his hold on her and tilted her to the side so his warm breath bathed her ear. “I tend to get a little rough.”
To prove his point, he squeezed her nipples as he caught her earlobe between his teeth. The sharpness of the pain made her breath catch and sent a bolt of desire straight to her sex. He followed the brief sting with soothing flicks of his tongue and a gentle massage of her breasts. Just as she was forgetting the rough play, he repeated the action with the same effect on her.
He gave another low chuckle as though he knew exactly how much his teasing was turning her on. “Tell me if it’s too much.”
The next few minutes were a tango of pleasure and pain. For every nip or pinch, he’d take his time soothing the injured flesh, lulling her back into a relaxed state before jolting her arousal again. His mouth explored the back of her neck, her shoulders, her arms, while his hands stayed on her breasts. His erection pressed against her ass the whole time, a constant reminder of what lay in store for her.
The pleasure–pain cycle became faster, more intense, until he finally released her. His voice was raw and panting as he said, “Turn around and take off your panties.”
She complied with the first part of his order and met his gaze. The fiery desire in his eyes and rapid rise and fall of his chest quickened her pulse. He had a dangerous air about him, like he wanted to fuck her senseless. But instead of being frightened by it, it only turned her on even more.
“Take them off,” he ordered again.
She shimmied them off in slow striptease, watching his reaction the entire time. His jaw tightened. His nostrils flared. His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. But he stayed right where he was, his eyes never leaving her body.
He didn’t touch her until she bent over to unzip her boots. “Did I say take them off?”
Oh, God, she could’ve come right there. He was turning into a better dom than she’d thought he’d be. “You want me to leave them on?”
“Yes.” The one word came out as a strangled plea, and his body drew even tighter. Another thirty seconds passed with him doing nothing more than stare at her. At last, he unbuttoned his jeans and nodded toward her bed. “Lay down on the edge.”
She did as she was told without breaking eye contact, her knees bent at the edge of the mattress. As his jeans came off, she propped herself up on her elbows to get a better view. A long, thick bulge strained against his boxer briefs, and she unconsciously licked her lips. She couldn’t wait to have him inside her.
He crawled over her, his underwear still on, and captured her mouth in a kiss that revealed the complex emotions brewing between them. Desire was first and foremost, raging and yet controlled. But as the kiss deepened, she discovered subtle hints of both fear and trust. She wound her arms around his neck and slowed things down until the fear vanished.
He lifted his head, his hands and knees still braced around her, and looked down at her in awe. One hand leisurely traced the valley of her breasts and the flat plane of her stomach. “You are so beautiful.”
A warm glow spread over her, driving away any traces of her self-conscious insecurities.
The hand trailed back up to her breasts, then up her neck to her cheek. “Show me what you like.”
The warm glow from before flared into the heat of embarrassment. It was one thing to surrender to his orders. It was another thing to call the shots on the seduction. She withdrew her arms and turned away.
“Touch yourself, Becca. Show me where you want my hands, my mouth. Teach me how you like to be touched.”
Each request became firmer, more demanding, until he hit upon her craving to submit. It would’ve been simple to tell him to just put on a condom and fuck her, but there was something in his eyes that told her he wanted more than that. He wanted to learn the intricacies of what she yearned for. He wanted her to draw the boundaries of her comfort zone. But most important, he wanted to make her come.
With some hesitation, she brushed her fingers over one taut nipple. “I like to be touched here.”
“Show me.”
She tried to squirm away, but his knees locked around her hips in a vise. There was no escaping his demand. She drew tiny circles around the peak, gathering her courage until she grasped it between her fingers and twisted. Her sex clenched, and she drew in a sharp breath from the sting.
“So you like it rough, too?” Without waiting for her answer, he repeated the same motions with her other breast, first with his fingers and then with his mouth.
Sweat beaded along her hairline as each nip grew harder. It was like he was testing her to see how far she was willing to go. The ache in her lower pelvis began to throb, and her body strained against the tight confines of his. When she reached the point where her nipples burned, she cried out, “No more.”
He placed a single kiss between her breasts before lifting his head again. “Where else?”
He wanted more? Wasn’t this foreplay enough? And yet she found herself dragging her fingers lower to the place between her thighs. As she dipped her finger between the folds, she turned away again.
“Look at me as you touch yourself.”
The order was as rough as a drill sergeant’s, and her body jerked to attention. She met his gaze again and started to withdraw her hand.
“No, don’t stop.” Ethan guided her hand back. “Make yourself come.”
Her cheeks burned, and she reached for excuses. Anything but that. “It’s kind of hard to do that with your knees holding my thighs together.”
“Easily remedied.” He shifted his weight and wedged his knees between her lower thighs, spreading them apart. “Now do it.”
Despite his insistence that she look at him, she couldn’t overcome the uncomfortable sensation that paralyzed her. This was taking intimacy to a whole new level. She closed her eyes and found her clit with her fingers. The gentlest touch sent shivers through her body. She rubbed it slowly, working up her courage to let go of all restraint in front of him.
“That’s it, Bec. Show me.”
His words soothed her anxieties, and she pressed harder until her hips started to tighten.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
Another set of fingers j
oined hers. Ethan delved into the further recess of her sex with one finger, then two, finding her G-spot with ease. He matched the tempo of his strokes with hers, each one bringing her closer and closer to release.
But just as she stood on the brink of coming, another wave of embarrassment washed over her and held her back. She withdrew her hand.
“No, don’t stop.”
“I can’t,” she admitted in a quiet voice of defeat.
“Then let me finish.” He pressed his thumb against her clit, as rough and demanding as the kiss that claimed her lips. His fingers pumped harder, deeper, until she finally shattered against him.
She’d barely come back down to earth in time to hear him ask, “Where are the condoms?”
“Nightstand.”
He reached over and grabbed one, kicking his underwear off and nearly knocking over the nightstand with his impatience. The rip of the foil packet broke the silence, and he rolled it on over his thick cock. Without waiting for permission or even asking if he should continue, he plunged into her.
But by now, he probably knew she came harder when he called the shots.
Her body trembled from the size of him and the intensity of him stretching her inner walls. He wasted no time building on the lingering aftershocks of her last orgasm. His hips pumped to the same rhythm as his fingers had earlier, but his cock went deeper, stimulating all her sensitive areas.
Her hips rose off the mattress to meet each of his thrusts, the tension coiling tight and tighter inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting more, eager to have him fill her completely. Her impending release ambushed her, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from coming.
“No, Bec, don’t hold back.” His thrusts quickened, and each word came out as a single breath. “Do you have any idea how fucking gorgeous you are when you come? Now come.”
Her body rebelled against her and responded to his command. The intensity of the orgasm slammed into her with enough force to make her grit her teeth together. She tightened her hold on him with her arms and legs, so scared that if she let go, she’d drown. Wave after wave of pleasure pulsated through her, pulling her so deep into a dream world of bliss that she didn’t even notice that he’d reached his climax until he cried out her name and collapsed on top of her.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she held him through the residual effects. The salty taste of sweat lingered on her lips with each kiss she placed on his damp forehead. Her arms and legs turned as limp as rubber bands from exhaustion, and when Ethan finally lifted his head, she let them fall to the side.
He gave her a crooked grin. “That was…”
“Yeah,” she finished for him. Right now, her brain couldn’t even come up with the right words to describe sex with him. Mind-blowing, awesome, incredible—they all fell short.
He gave her one more tender kiss before rising from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom. The door closed behind him, and a chill bathed her bare skin.
Now came the awkwardness of the aftermath. It would be one thing if this was a cut-and-dry hookup or sex with someone she was in a long-term relationship with, but Ethan fell squarely into that gray area.
And the worst part was, she didn’t want this to be a one-night deal. Sex had only complicated the feelings she was developing for him, and if he didn’t feel the same….
She removed her boots and drew the covers up to her shoulders before rolling over to her side, her back to the bathroom door. It would save her the humiliation of reading too much into this if all he wanted was a quick fuck.
A band of light appeared on the wall in front of her, widening until a shadow filled its center. Then it vanished, plunging the room back into darkness. She held her breath, waiting to see if he would just grab his things and leave.
Instead, the mattress shifted under his weight, and his hard body curled around hers. “Do you mind if I stay a bit longer?” he asked.
She shook her head and smiled. “No.”
“Good, because I don’t want to leave just yet.” He draped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
Chapter Nine
Ethan awoke to the scent of Becca’s perfume on the pillows and the sensation of a warm, soft body lying next to him. A faint light filtered in from behind her curtains, announcing the morning’s arrival. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes to make sure this wasn’t a dream. When the image of Becca lying next to him didn’t disappear, his lips curled into a grin.
I could get used to this.
Her breathing was slow and calm, so different from the shaking gasps she’d drawn when he ordered her to touch herself. He still felt a little bad about pushing her like he did, but it was the only thing he could think of to overcome his anxiety about making love to a woman sober. He didn’t want to ruin this chance by coming too soon or doing something she didn’t like. But in the process, he discovered another side to her. The more he told her what to do, the more aroused she’d become, even if it meant pushing her comfort levels.
Definitely something to keep in mind for next time.
He caught himself as soon as the thought materialized. Next time? Jesus, he’d only slept with her once, and he was already planning the next time. But he couldn’t deny the worsening hard-on he was getting from picturing what he’d do to her.
I’ve got to get out of here before I wake her up demanding seconds.
He slipped out of bed with the stealth of a ninja, a skill learned from one too many one-night stands, and found his clothes. But by the time he’d pulled his jeans on, he was second-guessing his decision to sneak out. She deserved better than that, especially after he’d asked her if he could stay.
He paused and ran his fingers over his head. He’d never asked to stay the night with anyone before, and yet, with her, he wanted to. Shit, I’m in over my head.
Coffee. I need coffee.
He didn’t bother putting his shirt on as he went to the kitchen. The apartment was still messy from the party, but an air of still silence hung over it in the early morning hours. After searching the cabinets, he found what he needed to start a pot of coffee, and leaned on the counter while it brewed.
So, how do I handle this?
He liked her. A lot, actually. Enough to even consider staying in town long enough to see where their relationship went. She was pretty, smart, adventurous, sexy…
The throbbing returned to his groin, and he groaned. There was no way he’d be able to get through another one of those NA meetings without remembering how it felt to be buried inside her. It wasn’t something he’d considered when he’d kissed her or accepted her invitation to take things to her bedroom. And he needed to go to those meetings, if only to stay accountable and not relapse.
As his stomach tied itself up in knots, he waited for the familiar craving to hit.
But this time, it wasn’t as intense as before. Instead of being a herculean task, it was something a mere mortal like him could handle.
He drew in a deep breath and exhaled, the craving passing as he remembered the hurdles he’d overcome last night. Becca had helped him in his moment of weakness. She’d helped him find the music again. And she’d given him the first night of peaceful sleep in over a month. She’d been far more instrumental in his recovery than anything else, and the last thing he wanted to do was mess up things with her.
I’ll just gauge her reaction when she wakes up and go from there.
“God, I could use some coffee now,” a sleepy female voice said from the living room.
Ethan spun around just as Ari came into the kitchen. They both froze and stared at each other. Her eyes widened, her voice full of shock. “I know you.”
He backed away. “Yeah, I’m Becca’s friend.”
“No, I know you.” She pointed to the tattoo of the tiger curling down his right arm. “I’d recognize that tattoo anywhere.”
Sweat prickled the back of his neck. He could’ve sworn he’d never met Becca’s roommate until last night, but who
knows how many stupid things he’d done when he was high?
“You’re Ethan Kelly of Ravinia’s Rejects.”
Becca had warned him that Ari was a huge fan, but that didn’t give justice to the awe-like reverence that lit up her face as she continued to point to him. He half expected some pre-pubescent squealing to follow, but she managed to stand quietly where she was with her mouth still forming a perfect circle of surprise.
“Um, yeah.” He dropped his forehead to his shoulder to wipe the perspiration from it. So far, his first encounter with a fan since going into hiding was off to a fucking fantastic start.
She dropped her arm and came closer. “I’m a huge fan.”
“So Becca told me.”
“She is, too. We both are.”
He spied his jacket and helmet by the door and started calculating the best escape route. “Oh, really?”
Ari nodded, her eyes still star-struck. “I know all the words to all your songs.”
“Funny, so do I.”
She blinked several times, and the spell ended. “Oh my God, what am I thinking? I need to get my phone to take a picture with you.”
Shit! The last thing he wanted was her selfie with him plastered all over social media. It would blow his cover.
She ran back to her room, and he made a break for the door. He didn’t care that he was half dressed as he pressed the down button for the elevator half a dozen times. He needed to get away from her camera lens as quickly as possible.
The elevator dinged, and he ducked inside. Just as the doors were closing, Ari appeared in the hallway and turned in his direction.
The elevator started its descent, and he banged his forehead against the wall in frustration. Not the way he wanted the morning to end, but there was no way around it. The familiar craving simmered in his veins and tempted him to dive back into the abyss. He curled his hands into fists and waited for it to pass before pulling his jacket on. He slipped out of the building without any difficulty. His motorcycle was parked where he’d left it down the street, and he sped off for his loft.
A Seductive Melody (The Kelly Brothers Book 5) Page 9