by Kitty Cox
"Never?" God, she couldn't think with him doing that.
He nipped the top of her breast gently. "I told you. I like to get laid as much as the next man." His mouth moved over her hard, erect nipple. "But the only women in my bed, are those I'd like to talk to in the morning." The tip of his tongue flicked the sensitive flesh.
She gasped, arching into the touch. "Heavy Armor uses assault rifles," she said quickly, hoping he'd remember promising breakfast to the kind of woman who'd know such things. It wasn't the meal she wanted, but the time with him.
He laughed, pressing his forehead against her chest. "That... is fuckin' sexy as hell." He caught her mouth, a smile still playing on his lips.
This time, she explored, sliding her tongue against his while her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He growled softly and pressed his hand under the back of her head, pulling away to catch her lip in his teeth, but it didn't slow their kisses. Each taunt drove the other higher, his body so close, his hips still out of reach. With a moan, Kate lifted her ass, feeling his hard shaft pressing against her, and twined a leg across his lower back. He was now right there.
He gasped as she thrust herself onto him. "Oh, fuck yeah," he breathed, then moved deeper. He filled her completely, then slid still further, until she was clinging to him with her nails. "I did not expect that." Slowly he withdrew. "More?" he asked playfully.
"Yes!" she begged.
He obliged, filling her again until his hips pressed her into the mattress. She closed her eyes and moved with him, her core begging him to stay, her hands moving lower until she could pull him back, her hips lifting to reach that spot. Kate forgot to think, she forgot to try to impress him. She just enjoyed the feeling, her body still so sensitive, each brush of his skin against hers sending her higher than she'd ever thought possible.
Adam kissed her neck, his hands pulling her body against him, his weight on his forearms, every inch of his body writhing with hers. The soft furs whispered as they moved, so soft and sensual against her bare back. Being in Adam's arms was an overload of sensations. She couldn't process it all, so she just felt it, taking everything he gave, over and over, forgetting that she was supposed to be a horrible lay. She just wanted to feel this, right now, and feel it with him.
"Kate," he whispered, moving faster. "Please, darlin'. Oh god, please cum."
He pressed his head into her shoulder, holding her against him, his breath hot and heavy against her ear. Her whole body arched, taking him in with each thrust, her muscles tensing, preparing, every nerve screaming that she couldn't take any more. Then, unexpectedly, it hit. She gasped, wracked with her orgasm, and Adam plunged himself to the hilt, throbbing as he clung to her, spent.
They lay like that, entwined, desperately holding each other, until they both could breathe. When Kate lifted her lids, she saw the lights reflected in his eyes, and he smiled sweetly. He pressed his lips against hers as he withdrew, pulling himself from the bed only long enough to discard the condom. When he returned, Adam just dropped beside her on the mattress.
"Shit," he groaned. "Darlin', I forgot to open the champagne."
She laughed, but it was soft and lazy. "Trust me, Ice, the sex was much better."
"Oh yeah. You're fuckin' amazing." He rolled to his side and pulled her against his chest. "I mean it."
Chapter 23
She fell asleep like that, wrapped in his arms, tucked against his chest. Morning light made her stir. Adam's kisses on her brow pulled her from the last grips of her dreams and into a reality that felt just as unbelievable. When she opened her eyes, his were there, waiting.
"Sorry," he said softly. "I couldn't resist."
Kate smiled and rolled onto her back, rubbing at her face. "I found a downside to the windows. Isn't it Saturday?"
"Mhm." He hooked a finger in the sheet, sliding it lower. "And I forgot to close the blinds."
She yawned, stretching as her body was exposed. When the sheet made it to her waist, his hand paused. Slowly, the tips of his fingers traced the edge of her ribs. "Holy shit, Kate. Now I'm glad it was dark last night."
She looked down at the bruise. It had improved a lot in four days. "I think of it like a study in exotic colors." She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer for a quick kiss. "Which of these doors is the bathroom?"
He flopped back onto the pillow and pointed behind him. "That one. Turn left, walk half a mile, and you'll find the toilet behind another door."
She laughed as she crawled from the bed and followed his directions. When she realized how true it was, she started to giggle and was still giggling as she tried to find her way out. His bathroom was bigger than her entire living room at her apartment.
"Are there really four sinks in there?" she asked, heading back to the bed.
Adam watched her cross the room. "Yeah, and did you see the tub? It's like a miniature pool. I didn't design it. Makes me wonder what kind of kink they expect of us rich fucks." He waggled his eyebrows at her.
"Yeah?" She dropped into his arms. "Thought you liked vanilla."
He kissed at her neck, rolling her back into the middle of the bed. "Cinnamon, I changed my mind. Cute tattoo."
She'd completely forgotten about it. Fresh out of high school, Kate had gotten a chain of daisies across her lower back. By the time she got married, she'd grown to hate it. "One day I'll get it fixed or removed," she said. "My advice, never go cheap on a tattoo."
"I like it." He pushed at her hip, guiding her onto her stomach. "I'm rooting for a touch-up. You should talk to QQ about who did hers." He kissed the daisy in the center, working his way higher.
Kate sucked in a breath, arching into him. "I'm scared to ask what she has."
He paused to laugh. "Farm brand on her arm, her logo on her shoulder, and a memorial on her wrist. All in public view, darlin'."
"So that's why you like mine? Because it's all secret?" She shifted, encouraging him to keep kissing.
He obeyed, making an affirmative noise. "You start writhing like that, and I'm going to have my way with you before breakfast." One of his hands slid down her side, catching against the swell of her hip. "Damn, you drive me crazy."
His fingers teased her skin, warning her that with a tug he could hike her ass into the air. She moaned softly, tilting her pelvis, begging him to do just that. Adam kissed her back, tasting the skin between her shoulders, soothing her, distracting her. Then he lifted her hips so slightly, his body still laying along the length of hers. Kate sucked in a breath, feeling wanton, and shifted her legs, parting them.
Trailing his fingers over her ass, he stretched his body until his mouth could reach her neck, letting his chest press into her shoulder as his hips slid up her thigh. She felt the hard length of him, smooth on her own skin, and dragged her body against him, teasing, begging him to use it. He groaned but never hurried. While his mouth sent shivers along her spine, his fingers found the line down her center, gliding over her ass to the quickly dampening folds beyond. When he hit the hard nub, she gasped and tossed her head back, pressing into it.
"Oh damn," he breathed, pulling away.
Before Kate could even complain, he reached into the drawer, scrambling for a condom. He rolled it on frantically and pushed himself to his knees, moving behind her upturned ass. His hands found her hips, but when Kate moved to spread her legs, he pressed one thigh outside hers, his other knee guiding her legs back together. His hands slid down her back, caressing the arc of her body to guide her ass up. Then he pressed his swollen head down her slick line, to her opening, and deep inside in one smooth motion.
She moaned, pushing herself onto him, and he paused, his hands teasing the sensitive skin of her lower back, begging her for patience. Kate had none. He felt so good, so amazingly male. From the length of him inside her to the strength of his hands, he made her feel delicate and fragile, but all the more beautiful for it. When his fingers found her hips again, she was ready to beg.
Then he began to move. Slowly, each hard ridge an
d solid inch of him stroked her, finding new places in her core to entice. She whimpered in pleasure, giving him complete control. Over and over, he stroked her higher, her pleased sounds increasing the tempo. Her lips parted so she could breathe, panting at the glory of what he did to her body.
Then he leaned against her, reaching around to slide a finger against her nub. He pressed, and she cried out, bucking into him. He rubbed, taunting her hips to follow, his shaft meeting each movement. She couldn't even think, just respond like a puppet in his hands, willing to do anything he desired so long as the feelings never stopped.
Beneath Adam, she became a goddess, thinking only of what she desired, all of her fears and insecurities driven away by the feel of him inside her. He worshipped her, praised her and, stroke by stroke, proved that she deserved every delicious flare of pleasure that he offered. She took it with greed, giving herself over to the passion of the moment, the sound of her moans fading from her perception. All she knew was how he made her feel. Trusted. Trusting. He drove her mad with lust, each calculated touch intended to do just that, but he never took. He gave. He gave her what no man had done before.
It wasn't just pleasure. It was comfort, security, and pride. He drank in her moans, was turned on by her body, and knew her like no one had before. He knew where to touch, when to kiss, and just how hard to thrust. He teased her to the edge, then slowed, just to tease her higher, his concentration on only her pleasure. His soft gasps proved it, each tiny sound encouraging her. His suppressed growls became as tantalizing as his finger working her clit to distraction.
He pleasured her body but seduced her mind, every touch a vow that he would do anything for her, and she gave in. Sparks licked up her spine, tingles shooting across her skin, then the dam broke. She cried out his name shamelessly, clamping around him, completely vulnerable as her body was wracked with spasms of pleasure.
He thrust again and again, riding through it until, with a strangled moan, his hips shuddered against her, his hands pulling her deep onto him. With a fulfilled sigh, he guided them both down into the bed, one hand shoved into the mattress to hold their weight. His mouth found her neck, kissing her tenderly as he withdrew, rolling off the bed without a pause.
Kate shifted to her side, watching his tight, bare ass head into the bathroom. She loved how he had no shame about his body. The lines of his fit muscles were like a seduction in themselves, shocking her with the thoughts running through her pleasure fogged mind. He made her cum like a wanton harlot from an erotica novel, and she still couldn't stop imagining how damned good he felt against her.
Kate snuggled into the amazingly comfortable bed, debating whether she should close her eyes again, then heard the toilet. A moment later, the sound of water trickled out, almost like rain in the bathroom. Sitting up, she dragged her fingers through her tangled hair and stretched, testing the soreness in her body. It wasn't just the bruises and abused muscles. There was a soft ache between her legs, reminding her just how long it had been since any man had gone there. Adam was a little larger than she'd expected, stretching her, leaving the memory of his lovemaking. She yawned again. When her mouth closed and her eyes opened, Adam leaned against the door to the bathroom with a sweet smile on his mouth.
"It's big enough for two," he said, tilting his head behind him. "I promise to keep my dick to myself."
Kate laughed and shook her head. "Not a deal I'm willing to make." She let her eyes take in every exposed inch of him.
He grinned and ducked his head. "How's this. I'm not sixteen anymore, so you get a break while I recover from the abuse you put me through." He crooked a finger, calling her closer.
She obeyed, peeling herself from his bed. When she walked past, he caught her arm, turning her to face him. His eyes dropped to her mouth a moment before he kissed her. She expected it to be lazy, but his tongue delved between her lips, proving his desire was held at bay, not truly slaked. Their lips separated, and eyes met, silence hanging between them.
"I can't do just friends," he said softly. "I'll take anything you'll give me, but you need to know that. I can't touch you like this and not feel something."
"Adam," she whispered, making him smile.
"Darlin', as much as you love to use that as an answer, it's not." He took a breath. "I'm just not going to lie to you. C'mon, the water's warm."
Lacing his fingers in hers, he led her to the shower. Like the rest of the room, it was massive. Multiple shower heads made it not only easy but actually realistic for two people to share the space for nothing more than hygiene. That didn't mean Kate didn't look. Working shampoo through her tangled locks, she watched him scrub, enjoying the perfectly manicured line that drew her eyes from his belly button to his groin, and the soft shadow that made her want to step closer and touch, to see if the stubble was truly as soft as she remembered.
He said nothing but smiled, watching her ogle him. "Keep that up, Ms. Gaskill, and I might get the wrong idea."
She laughed and stepped back under the flow of water, suds rinsing over her. "And what idea is that, Mr. Degrass?"
"That you aren't pushing me away yet."
"You still owe me breakfast, Ice."
He stepped closer, his hands slucing water down her hair and back. "Yeah, I do. You running out of here after that, or can I talk you into being my date tonight?"
"Excuse me?" She wiped the water from her eyes. "That sounds like you mean a function."
He turned her, stealing the most intense flow of water to rinse himself. "Art gallery. It's this crazy photographer. Her name's Mycah Macintosh."
"Nancy's youngest daughter?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I have to go, but I'd love you to join me."
Kate turned the bottles along the side, looking to see if a man with hair as short as his had conditioner. "You know I have nothing to wear since my only good dress is on your floor."
He pressed behind her, one arm sliding around her waist while the other passed her a bottle. It was exactly what she'd needed. "So go buy one. Yeah, and an extra toothbrush. You kinda have a car, so don't need to worry about the bus schedule."
She worked the cream through her hair. "Why do you have conditioner in your shower?"
Adam laughed, stepping back to lean against the wall. "LaToya, the seven-year-old. She will not use the main bath. Says she likes the rain shower." He shrugged. "So, I guess I've lied to you, because the grandbabies kick me out of my room, and Nancy had two girls of her own."
"That means somewhere in this house is a playroom, huh?" She took his side to rinse her hair.
He laughed. "Not that kind, darlin'." His mouth pressed through the water to find her neck. "But yeah. Janelle, the oldest, leaves her kids here when her ex is in town. He tried to run off with them once. LaToya and Jackson."
As soon as Kate stepped away from the water to wring out her hair, Adam pressed a button in the complicated shower controls, turning the whole thing off. Without asking, he stepped out, passed her a towel, then took one for himself. When Kate wrapped it around her hair, he shoved another under her nose.
"You're well trained." She looked up at him, surprised that a man who supposedly spent so little time with women in his house knew all the habits.
He grinned, shamelessly wiping the moisture from his body. "I'm trying to tell you. I grew up in Nancy's house with two sisters and a brother. Janelle and Mycah shared a room. I stayed with Darius most days. Dad was always off to some important meeting out of state." He shrugged. "The place only had one bathroom. I figured out all about what girls do, but I know more about weaves than layers."
Tucking her towel around her body, Kate bent and dried her hair, thinking about that. He was such an odd man but in a good way. She was used to Marshall rolling his eyes at her need for two towels, or god forbid she had her period. Adam, on the other hand, seemed completely comfortable with everything around him, including her. He made her feel like she fit in. It wasn't just the amazing sex, it was the way she felt like she actually b
elonged.
He tossed his towel at the corner, into a small hamper, and sauntered out. Kate followed suit but kept the one around her body. While he pulled on a pair of knit boxers and a pair of loose jeans, she claimed his shirt from the night before. Adam glanced at her slyly, a little smile playing on his mouth, then buttoned his jeans and walked closer.
His eyes were soft as he reached for her wrist. Slowly, he rolled the cuff higher, then moved to the other side. "You know what I like most about you, Kate?" He flicked his eyes up before focusing on the sleeve again. "You're not ashamed to let me see you like this. Your hair wet, your face unpainted. You let me see the amazing woman under all your beautiful." He pressed a kiss against her cheekbone. "And I need a shirt if I'm going to make bacon."
Kate groaned with excitement. "Ok, bacon? You are perfect."
Chapter 24
Adam headed to the kitchen and Kate stole a pair of his boxers, pulling them on like shorts. He wasn't a huge man, so they hung loosely on her hips. Naturally, she'd found the silk kind.
Making her way through the apartment, she twisted her hair into a knot, tying it on the back of her neck. She missed a few strands but didn't care. It felt odd being here like this. One part of her was so comfortable being around Adam, but everything in his place was exotic, expensive, or both. She was almost scared to touch anything, but subtle signs showed that to him it was just a home. A phone charger was plugged in by the door. A pair of worn sneakers peeked around the sofa. A notebook, open with the cover turned back, lay on the dining room table. She recognized the abbreviations from Eternal Combat.
Eventually, she found the kitchen. Adam stood behind a deluxe stove, completely in his element. He moved between multiple pans, frying bacon, flipping an omelet, and preparing crepes, all simultaneously.
"Blueberries, strawberries, maple, or chocolate?" he asked.