The Machine

by Stephanie Julian

  Damn it, he wanted to have her naked and spread out over top of him, every inch of her plastered against him while he ran his hands up and down her body.

  And he’d have that. Just…not yet. For now, he was content to torment them both. And when she tilted her head to the side, he took the hint and followed the line of her jaw back to her ear. Then he bit her earlobe, just hard enough to make her shudder.

  “Jake.”

  “Yes.”

  He pressed a kiss just behind her ear then followed with a line of them down her jaw. By the time he reached her collarbone, she’d lifted her hands and grabbed his shoulders. Her hands tightened, each finger digging into muscle hard enough to sting.

  He loved it. And repaid her for that thrill by biting the soft skin where her neck and shoulder connected. The soft, low sound she made as his teeth sank down created a surge of heat that spread through his body like acid, lighting up every nerve ending.

  The urge to strip off the soft, blue top she was wearing rode him hard but he resisted, not wanting to rush. Now that he had her on the bed, he wanted to take his time. Learn every part of her body and let her know just how badly he wanted her.

  “Do you know I have been fantasizing about having you here like this for months?”

  Rising onto his knees, he put his hands on the buttons of her shirt and began to slip them through the holes. The damn things were tiny and hard to maneuver but he liked a challenge.

  And he liked the way she looked up at him while he worked, her eyes locked on his and a slight smile on her lips.

  “Really?” She sounded skeptical. “Months?”

  He pulled the tails of her shirt out of her jeans so he could unfasten the last two buttons.

  “Yes. Do you remember the first time we were at therapy together?”

  She didn’t say anything at first and he wondered if she had to think about her response. He could have answered the question immediately.

  “You walked in like you owned the place and were going to burn it to the ground.”

  He’d moved his hands to the center of her shirt, ready to pull it apart and bare even more of her to his gaze, but now he paused.

  She’d described his mood that day perfectly.

  “Yes. That is exactly how I felt. And you looked determined. Like nothing was going to stop you from achieving what you wanted.”

  “I didn’t always feel that way.”

  “No, but you did that day. And that was the day I knew I wanted you, like this.”

  Spreading her shirt wide, he dropped his gaze and let his hand rest against her bare stomach. His skin was pale in comparison, hers a golden tan.

  Beautiful.

  Her full breasts strained against a see-through lace bra that left nothing to the imagination. And made his pulse race with the sheer beauty of her.

  His gaze met hers again, long enough to see the lust glittering there.

  “You were working on your legs and you were sweaty and you had your hair in a ponytail and I wanted to wrap it around my hand before I pulled out the elastic and let it free.”

  Her lips parted as she drew in a breath, her breasts pushing against the bra and pressing up over the edges.

  With one hand, he traced the edges of the lace, the softness of her breast making him want to rip the lace away so he could put his mouth on them. He wanted to lick her nipples until they turned into hard little peaks then bite them until she squirmed beneath him.

  And he would. Just on his timetable.

  “I must have looked like a hot mess.”

  “I wanted to lick the sweat off your body.”

  She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. “Jake.”

  “I also knew I was not in the right frame of mind to date anyone at that point. So I watched.”

  It took a second for her to respond and when she did, he caught the glint in her eyes.

  “That doesn’t sound creepy at all.”

  Amusement laced her voice.

  “Are you saying you did not watch me?”

  A brief pause before she lifted her hands to the hem of his shirt then slipped them beneath, sliding her palms up his sides before coming back down to rest on his waist.

  Her smile made his stomach tighten.

  “I plead the fifth.”

  He frowned. “I don’t understand the reference.”

  “According to the fifth amendment of the American constitution, I don’t have to answer any questions that could incriminate me.”

  He thought about that for a second. “So your answer is yes but you don’t want to say it.”

  She shrugged, her smile edging toward a grin. “I guess you can look at it that way.”

  “Good to know. And did you like what you saw?”

  “I saw a man who would do what it took to achieve his goals.”

  “And you like that?”

  She paused for a split second. “I like you.”

  Her voice had softened and he couldn’t help but smile. “Good to know.”

  Leaning forward, he kissed her, a hard press of his mouth on hers before he slid his tongue into his mouth and swiped a taste of her.

  After a few seconds, he pulled back and cupped her breasts in his hands, no longer wanting to wait. Then he realized her bra had a front clasp.

  “Thank you.”

  She was a little breathless when she answered. “For what?”

  “For wearing this bra. I appreciate the easy access.”

  Her brows rose. “And now I’m easy?”

  His turn to smile. And give her breasts a squeeze. “I am not sure I ever realized how much of a smart-ass you are. I like that.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been called a smart-ass before.”

  “Maybe I am the only one who brings it out in you. I like it.”

  Focusing his attention on the clasp, he snapped it open with minimal effort. As she sucked in a breath, the bra separated, baring inches of beautiful skin.

  Sliding his fingers along the edges of the cups, he pushed them farther, releasing her breasts.

  He glanced up to make sure she was still with him before he cupped her breasts again and rubbed his thumbs over the nipples, a pretty, pale pink that made his mouth water.

  “You have beautiful breasts.”

  She huffed out a little breath that sounded like a laugh but had a husky edge to it.

  “Thank you.”

  “I think I will be the one thanking you.”

  That wasn’t just a line, he realized. His gaze slipped up to meet hers and he caught the disbelief in her expression.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  She didn’t say anything right away and he knew she was considering her words carefully.

  “Do you always talk this much when you’re in bed with someone?”

  He thought about his answer for a second. “No.”

  He didn’t add that he’d never wanted to talk to a woman in bed before. A bed and a woman meant one thing: sex. He tried to make that clear up front so there would be no hard feelings and no awkward scenes later.

  Most women were fine with his terms. Some thought they could change his mind. None of them had. There had been tears.

  Only Faith made him want more. And made him want to give her more.

  “Oh.”

  “I want to see more of your body.”

  He caught the slight movement of her lips, as if she were nibbling at the inside of her bottom lip with her teeth.

  She took a deep breath before she spoke.

  “Not all of it’s pretty. My scars…”

  He understood why she would be worried about them, but to him, they only made her that much more beautiful.

  “We can compare later. Right now…”

  He bent over and sucked one nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue over the tip and feeling it harden. Her back arched and her fingers threaded through his hair, just long enough for her to grab on.

  The slight sting made him suck her harder,
as did the way she arched her back, pressing more of her breast into his mouth.

  He played with her breasts for several long minutes, kissing his way between them until her moans intensified. Every sound she made caused an answering response in his body. His cock throbbed against the zipper of his jeans and he wanted to be rid of them as soon as possible.

  But he didn’t want to rush this, needed to show her just how much he wanted her.

  So he licked and sucked and bit until she writhed beneath him. Her hands had fallen to his shoulders, clinging to him and digging into the muscles until he figured he’d have bruises.

  He found the idea appealing. He carried bruises from the game he loved. Why not from the woman?

  “Jake.”

  He hummed a response against her stomach, where his lips were currently nipping at her skin.

  “Jake.”

  He lifted his head and looked up at her, waiting.

  “Come back up here.”

  Frowning, he wondered if he’d done something to alarm her.

  Pushing back up onto his hands and knees, he moved until his face was level with hers again.

  And found himself rolled onto his back until Faith sat on his thighs looking down at him. Smiling. Her expression made every muscle in his body tighten with desire.

  “My turn.”

  With a grin, he folded his arms behind his head and raised his eyebrows at her. “I’m all yours.”

  Her smile faltered a little at that, but he only had a second to wonder why when she grabbed the hem of his shirt and began tugging it up his body.

  “Then take this off.”

  “I thought you were a strong woman. Don’t you want to take it off yourself?”

  “I’m telling you what I want. Isn’t that the same thing?”

  “I will give you whatever you ask for.”

  “Then I want you to take off this shirt.”

  Since she’d already worked it up to just below his pecs, it only took a few seconds to grab it and pull it over his head.

  She had her hands on his waist before the shirt hit the floor. Starting there, she dragged her hands up his body, fingers trailing over every inch. His breath caught in his lungs at the sensation of her warm skin against his. He wanted their clothes to disappear but he knew slow and steady could be even more arousing than fast and hot.

  So he lay still beneath her.

  Her gaze had dipped to watch her hands and he watched her catalogue all the scars on the front of his torso.

  “Are all of these from hockey?”

  “Yes. I have been playing since I was five.”

  She looked like she wanted to ask another question but decided not to. There would be time for questions later.

  Most of his scars were small and insignificant. Her fingertips lingered over the larger ones, particularly the one on his shoulder, where he’d had several stitches after another player’s blade had sliced through his sweater.

  Instead of asking more about it, she slid her fingers down to his nipples, rubbing over the tight tips before squeezing them between her thumbs and forefingers.

  He gritted his teeth against the urge to groan. He needed to make her work for his response. Some of it, anyway. Otherwise, she might think he was easy. Which he was when it came to her.

  “Are you going to take your shirt off?” he asked.

  She looked at her left shoulder, almost surprised to see her shirt was still there.

  “Considering I am already shirtless,” he continued, “it would only be fair.”

  Smiling, she tilted her head to the side, dark hair falling over her shoulder, brushing against her left breast.

  “I guess I can give you that one.”

  Pushing her shirt off one shoulder and then the other, she dropped it and her bra off the side of the bed with his shirt.

  He took a moment to look his fill of her beautiful breasts before lifting his gaze to meet hers again.

  “Since you seem to be in an agreeable mood, why don’t you take off the pants, also?”

  She put her hands on her hips, making her breasts bounce and making it hard for him to keep his eyes on hers. “But you’re still wearing yours.”

  “I suppose you could help me with that.”

  She shrugged, her expression a little smug. “I guess I could.”

  When she didn’t move, he tilted his hips toward hers, only enough to get her to move.

  “Then why don’t you?”

  “Maybe because I like having you ask me for things.”

  His heart began to beat a little faster, anticipation building like steam in a kettle. He was enjoying the fuck out of this game they were playing. But his cock ached for her to stroke it.

  “Then I will ask. Please take off my pants. Then put your hands on my cock.”

  A flush of heat burned in her cheeks, spreading down her body to her breasts.

  After a few breathless seconds, she scooted down his legs far enough that she had unrestricted access to his waistband.

  Her chest rose and fell on a deep breath and his gaze transferred to her breasts before dropping to watch her fingers work at the button on his jeans. His cock was so hard, every movement of her fingers pressed against it, ramping up his desire.

  By the time she got the button through the hole, he wanted to beg her to yank his jeans down and jerk him off. It wouldn’t take long and he knew he’d be hard again in minutes. He would be able to keep it up much longer the second time.

  And then he would take her all night.

  But he didn’t want her to think he couldn’t control himself. The problem was, he didn’t want to control himself with her. He knew she could handle him. But he wanted her to believe it, as well.

  So he gritted his teeth and watched her slide down the zipper at a glacial pace. The only sound he heard was the rasp of the zipper as it released tooth by tooth.

  His heart pounded against his chest and he couldn’t believe how hard it was for him to breathe. He was no virgin, for fuck’s sake.

  But he would be damned if he came before she had even touched his cock.

  When she had the zipper open all the way, she pressed open the two sides of his jeans and traced her fingertips along the outline of his erection. His cock throbbed, as if wanting to press itself into her hands.

  Patience.

  He was fast running out of it, but Faith seemed to have much more than he did.

  Placing her palm over his cock, she stroked up, making him suck in a sharp breath. She obviously heard him, and a smile curved her lips. He wanted to roll up and kiss her, hard enough to take her breath away. But he also wanted her to continue to touch him.

  So he forced himself to hold steady.

  Her smile widened as she slid her palm off his cock and up the center of his chest, until she had to brace herself on one hand to be able to cup his jaw in her palm.

  She held herself above him for several seconds, smiling into his eyes, until she leaned forward and settled her lips over his.

  Her kiss demanded a response, and he was happy to give it, releasing the death grip he had on the comforter to slide his fingers through her hair and hold her steady.

  For several long moments, she kissed him, their tongues tangled in an increasingly frantic dance. And when she finally pulled away, they were panting.

  Finally, he felt able to produce words. Tugging on her hair to be sure he had her attention, he waited until her eyes opened.

  “You are taking too long. I’m going to flip you and strip you and then I will go down on you and get you off. After that, you can get on top of me and fuck me however you want.”

  She swallowed hard, her eyes wide, but she nodded a split second later.

  “I’m okay with that.”

  Grinning, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled her until she was beneath him. She breathed out a short, husky laugh that cut off when he bent and put his mouth on her neck. He heard her suck in a quick breath before she moaned low in her thr
oat as he kissed his way down her naked upper body.

  He pressed kisses to both of her breasts before he continued to her belly button. Dipping his tongue inside for a second, he felt her shiver in reaction and squirm, her hips lifting to press against his erection.

  He wanted to grind down on her but worried he might come in his jeans and that would be too embarrassing. So he continued to move down her body, until he got to her jeans. Easing back, he slipped the little disc through the hole and unzipped them, not bothering to take his time now.

  Grabbing the sides of her waistband, he stripped them down her legs as she lifted her ass off the bed to help him. He caught a few glimpses of the scars on her legs but didn’t let himself get distracted. They meant nothing now.

  He only had one mission and that was to get her naked so he could kiss his way back up her body.

  Dropping her jeans over the side with the rest of their clothes, he rolled onto his back beside her and stripped his jeans off his legs.

  He was back with his knees between her legs, leaning over her in a matter of seconds as she propped herself up onto her elbows. They were so close, he could feel the brush of her breath across his lips, making that pit in his stomach ache with need.

  “So now what, big guy?”

  “Now I will make you beg me to fuck you.”

  She drew in a sharp breath but her head tilted back with defiance.

  “Maybe you’ll be begging me.”

  “I thought I already had but I will do more if that is what you want.”

  Her expression softened, making him wonder what he had said to make her look at him like that.

  “You did. I don’t want you to have to beg, Jake.”

  Ah. “Maybe I like to beg. It shows my desire for you.”

  Her smile popped back up and she let her gaze skim down his body. “I can see that.”

  “Good. Now watch this.”

  He moved back down her body, licking and biting and sucking until she fell back onto the mattress and sank her hands into his hair again.

  He loved when she did that. Loved when she arched her back to get closer to his mouth. Loved the way she moved under his hands.

  When he had made his way to just above her mound, he glanced back up and found her watching his move, her eyes midnight dark. Then he moved just enough to get her clit within reach of his tongue. The short hair on her mound and her bare pussy lips made him want to eat her up.