THE SWEETEST TABOO (BENNETT SERIES 2.5)

by Brenda Jackson

  She clicked off the phone and then looked back at him. Her eyes narrowed when she said, “Let’s get one thing straight. I won’t be begging.”

  He smiled as he shoved back his chair at the same time that he placed a pair of aviator sunglasses over his eyes. “You won’t?”

  “No.”

  A smile touched his lips. “We’ll see.”

  By the time Sonya crossed over the threshold of Mike’s home, she was agonizing over the possibility that she might be doing some begging after all. From the time it had taken to leave the restaurant to arrive at his home, her reasons for not indulging in a physical relationship with him had lost some of its punch. It hadn’t helped matters that Mike had played dirty by leaning over and kissing her at practically every traffic light they’d come to; making her sensuously aware of the heat brewing between them and making her anxious for what awaited her when they got to his place.

  And his kisses hadn’t been those barely-touch-your-mouth types. They were the kind that made your toes curl and made you feel like the earth was tilting on a lot more than its axis. It was as if he intended to demonstrate just how deeply and passionately she could be kissed in the time it took for a traffic signal to change from red to green.

  But still, as much as she wanted him, a part of her refused to give in too easily. It just wasn’t in her makeup to do so with any man. If she did any begging, so would he. She was convinced that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, which meant she wouldn’t make things easy for him either. As far as she was concerned, being tortured was fair play.

  Sonya turned around and saw he was leaning against the closed door in a sexy stance, and staring at her with those intense blue eyes of his. She knew that look. This was a standoff and regardless of who begged first, the result would ultimately be the same – they would make out like sex addicts later.

  “Tell me just what you want from me, Sonya.”

  She squared her shoulders and met his intense gaze with one of her own. “You go first and tell me what you want from me.”

  He smiled to make her aware that he knew even now she would play hard to get. “I don’t have a problem with going first,” he said. “Nor do I have a problem with telling you what I want from you. What I want is your permission to get underneath that skirt.”

  Sonya felt a slow stirring in the pit of her stomach when Mike began walking toward her without breaking eye contact. She breathed in and out deeply with each and every step he took, forcing her feet to stay in place and not to move. For once she felt ridiculously out of her element with a man, but the closer he got with that predatory look on his face, the more she felt that perhaps she wasn’t feeling ridiculous at all.

  In spite of that possibility, she intended to hold her own, no matter what. She then decided that ‘no- matter-what’ would definitely be a challenge when he slowed his pace to unbutton his shirt and toss it aside. And when he paused to remove his shoes and socks, she began tightening her hands into fists at her side. It was either that or cross the room to him and rub her hands across his muscular chest and broad shoulders.

  She made a deep moan in her throat when his hand went to the zipper of his pants. She watched as he lowered the zipper. Moments later when he stood less than six feet away wearing only a pair of sexy black boxer shorts, she discovered she was no longer in control of her own thoughts or actions. That reality hit her and it hit her hard. Probably just as hard as he was…since it was so blatantly obvious that he was aroused.

  She had discovered a long time ago that she was a deeply sensuous woman and it seemed Mike Kelly had the ability to knock that sensuality up a notch or two; something she thought was not possible. From the first she’d been conscious of everything about him, especially his ability to make her feel things no other man could.

  “So, do I get your permission to proceed and get what I want?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of her.

  Her senses focused on what he was asking of her. She was fully aware that once she crossed the line with Mike there was no turning back. A part of her chalked it up to the chance to go ahead and indulge in something she considered as the sweetest taboo. But then another part of her, the part that was questioning the wisdom of them becoming lovers, thought what she should be doing is coming up with excuses and reasons for not sleeping with him. But all she had to do was look into his eyes to know he wouldn’t accept any excuse. They were past the point of no return.

  The latter is what she now understood and accepted. The reason she was going to make love with Mike was because it was something she wanted to do. Point blank. No questions asked and no explanations given. Possessing that frame of mind worked in the past for all her casual affairs, so why was she wasting time by analyzing things now?

  “Yes, you have my permission,” she finally said looking into his eyes.

  He didn’t give the arrogant smile she’d assumed she would get from him. Instead the look that suddenly appeared in his eyes made her feel oddly important, far more special than she had a right to feel. He was looking at her as if she was the only woman he desired and that wanting her, finally getting her, was something he actually needed. She knew to think such a thing was crazy, but still, the thought did something to her. It sent an excruciating thrill right through her. Maybe giving her that look was all part of his seduction scheme. If it was, she was falling for it.

  He reached out and the first thing he did was trace a line around the V-neckline of her blouse with his fingertips and she knew precisely what he planned to do. Make her hotter; get her ready.

  He tenderly pulled her blouse over her head, skillfully removing her bra in the process. The moment her breasts were free, he reached out and filled his hands with them and the moment his fingers touched them, she released a moan that she refused to hold back. When he leaned forward and took one nipple into his mouth and began torturing it with his tongue, she felt herself weaken and thought she would slither to the floor and actually caught herself from falling.

  “Can’t have you losing your balance on me,” he whispered, pulling back to steady her before sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. “Let me take you someplace where you’ll be comfortable.”

  He walked through the hallway to his bedroom and the moment he placed her on the bed, he joined her there and kissed her, even more deeply and hotter than before. She caught a few silky strands of his hair in her hand to hold his mouth to hers, needing this contact with him, while returning the kiss with a ravenous need of her own. And when he finally broke off the kiss to pull back, she knew that he intended to remove the rest of her clothes; every stitch she had on.

  She thought he would pull up her skirt and begin inching his hand underneath, going where he’d now been given permission to go. She drew in a deep breath when instead, after removing her shoes, he slid his hands up her legs, tracing the smooth skin of her inner thighs. When his hand closed possessively over her feminine mound through her silk panties, she automatically arched her back.

  “Getting this,” he whispered hoarsely, “is the ultimate goal.”

  Nothing, Sonya thought, could be plainer than that. She drew in a deep, shaky breath, one filled with all the need that she felt, all the need that he was making her feel. “I’ve told you what I want from you, now tell me what you want from me, Sonya,” she heard him say over the erratic beating of her heart.

  She met his gaze and not caring that she probably sounded like a shameless, begging hussy, especially when he still had a possessive hold on the most feminine part of her, she said, “I want you to make love to me all night long, and be forewarned, even that might not be enough to get you out of my system. I might need to hang around a while on tomorrow, too.”

  She offered no resistance when he began pulling her panties down her legs. “All night and all day tomorrow. I don’t have a problem with that,” he said throatily, and then he brought her panties to his nose and inhaled. “Your scent drives me wild.” He returned his gaze to her face before to
ssing her underwear aside.

  Mesmerized by what he’d just done as well as what he’d said, her desire was ignited in a way it had never been before. The fire of passion she clearly saw burning in his eyes had to be a mirror of her own. As he reached down to ease her skirt off her body, she lifted her hips and continued to hold his gaze. They both knew what they wanted. There was no game playing for either of them. For once they were on the same accord.

  • • •

  Mike took a step back from the bed and looked at Sonya from head to toe, and all the skin that was now exposed since he had removed her skirt. He doubted he’d ever seen a more perfect woman. Every curve and indention seemed made for a man’s touch.

  His touch.

  It was daylight outside, not even close to getting dark, so he clearly saw everything, every delectable inch of her and was driven with a desire to savor it all. Every one of his senses was focused on doing just that.

  Then he moved. Leaning forward, he drew her against him and placed his lips on hers. This was a kiss meant to claim her while at the same time arouse her. She responded in kind and their tongues mingled, began tangling madly, hotly and as intense as anything he’d ever experienced before. And the feel of her twin globes pressing into his bare chest, bestowed a promise of pleasure he couldn’t even try to comprehend.

  He had to touch her. Now. Releasing her mouth, his lips began trailing a path downward toward her breasts. The nipples were perked, hard and ready for him and he devoured them with a greediness that even astounded him.

  Mike heard each and every moan she made; was fully aware of her sensuous movements and knew the perfect time to slide his lips lower down her body. Withdrawing his mouth from her breasts, it began sliding toward her navel and once there he laved it with his tongue, feeling her stomach muscles flex beneath his mouth.

  He inhaled the arousing scent of her and it did something to him, made him want to lock his mouth inside of her. “I want to taste you. Open up for me, sweetheart,” he said, lifting his head to meet her gaze.

  She did as he requested, easing her thighs wide apart. He reached out and lifted one of her legs over his shoulder in an invariably intimate position for better access. And then he planted his mouth to her, angling it in a way to get just what he wanted.

  Mike heard her cry out his name the moment his tongue delved inside of her, and felt her immediate response. With whipcord precision, his tongue knew what areas to explore and devour and hungrily did so. He set a tempo and stuck with it, totally enjoying what he was doing to her, how he was doing it and getting completely absorbed in her taste while focusing on her pleasure. He knew from the way she was spreading her fingers through his hair, ensnarling the strands in a tight grip, as well as the sexy sounds she was making, that an orgasm was near. And when he felt her body jolt underneath his mouth, he was prepared for it. He kept his mouth locked firmly on her while his tongue probed even deeper, lapped up all it could and licked her with an expertise that had her muscles flexing uncontrollably.

  “Mike!”

  She screamed his name and she tightened her hands in his hair, and he continued to pleasure her, savor her, and build even more heat inside of her. Taking his time, drawing out every second, minute with a stroke of passion that he wanted her to feel all the way to her bones.

  Moments later, he knew she was close to another orgasm and wanted to be inside of her when she came. After indulging in one last concentrated lick, he withdrew his mouth from her, pulled back and quickly removed his boxer shorts and put on a condom that he took out the nightstand. She was quivering from aftershocks of pleasure when he positioned his body over hers, placing the head of his erection to her wet entrance. He gently gripped her hips in his hand and held her gaze as he slowly entered her heat.

  As soon as he was inside of her, he began to move, going in and withdrawing time and time again in a rhythm that had her gripping the bedspread. He threw his head back and actually growled her name, rocking into her with an intensity that made him go deeper with every thrust. He’d never wanted a woman to the degree that he wanted her. There was so much he desired to give her, share with her and she was just as generous with her giving.

  She was letting herself go, making him aware of how much she was enjoying their lovemaking with all those sensuous sounds coming from her and with the movements of her body. And when he felt his body explode, it seemed to trigger her body, jolting his in pleasure. Any control he had tried to maintain was shattered, shot to hell. He was helpless to do anything but release his mind and body to earth-shattering pleasure of the most intense kind.

  • • •

  Sonya slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. It was dark outside and the realization that she was still in bed with Mike signified the intensity and longevity of their lovemaking. She usually didn’t dally after making love with a man; had never imagined herself being able to do so. But the thought of going home and sleeping in her own bed tonight seemed as foreign to her as her parents getting back together. It wasn’t happening.

  While making love with Mike she had discovered there was a vast difference. With others she always managed to remain detached while seeking only one goal, sexual pleasure. But with Mike he would not let her become detached. No one else had the ability to match her sexual need on a level she found stimulating. He was a totally physical male being and had driven her to multiple orgasms with an effort and expertise that even now had heat coursing through her just remembering it. There was a sexual prowess and power about him that had made her look forward to each and every time they’d come together, joining their bodies, uniting their minds in the most intimate and sensuous way possible.

  She leveled her senses on the male body beside her. Their bodies were still intimately connected. Now that was another first. She’d never drifted off to sleep after making love with a man still planted firmly inside of her.

  She glanced up and met his blue eyes, not surprised that he was wide awake. His warm smile touched her in a way that sent heat flowing through her. She felt him getting hard inside of her and when he shifted positions and leaned down and kissed her, she knew they would be going yet another round.

  And she had no complaints.

  • • •

  Hours later, Mike awakened to the feel of a soft feminine body sleeping beside him. He was still amazed, completely astonished, as to the depth of what he and Sonya had shared. It was the most compelling thing that he’d ever experienced in his entire life. Making love to her had touched him in a way no other had. And he knew then, at that very moment, what they’d shared had been more than what the both of them wanted to believe was only satisfying a high case of lust, or working each other out of their systems. There was something else here, something deeper, electrifying, and powerful.

  He closed his eyes, not wanting to admit any such thing was possible, but to deny it now would be to deny his very soul. The truth of the matter was that when he’d climaxed inside of her the very first time–and all the other times after that - his entire body had gotten shaken to the core, each time plunging him into a soul-shattering truth. And every time after that had made him realize just why making love to her was so different than with any other; why he’d had to fight so valiantly for control of his senses, and why even now he wanted her again with an obsession that he could feel all the way to his gut.

  He had fallen in love with her.

  Mike wasn’t sure when it happened. More importantly, he didn’t know how it happened. All he knew was that it had happened. Granted, she was not an easy woman to love. But regardless, he loved her anyway. And at that moment he was driven with a fixation he didn’t know he had to make sure that before it was all over, she would feel the same way about him.

  He wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew that she loved him as well. He glanced over at her, sleeping peacefully and looking so beautiful he could feel the gentle stirrings of possessiveness form in his stomach. He had satisfied her. She had satisfied him. The
y had satisfied each other. And if she thought that would be the end of it, she was sadly mistaken. Oh, he knew all about her little black book since she’d mentioned it to him on more than one occasion. And he was well aware of her wild and uninhibited, love-them-and-leave-them lifestyle. He’d also heard that when it came to casual relationships, she could dish it out just like a man could.

  But all that was about to change. She was his woman. His. And he was going to make sure that she knew it.

  Sonya awakened to the smell of breakfast cooking; namely pancakes, eggs, sausage and the deep robust of coffee. She shifted in bed, remembering exactly where she was.

  She was in Mike’s home after spending a night making love. From the moment she had walked over the threshold, desire, as potent as anything she had ever encountered, had hung in the air, bathed her in passion and left her completely vulnerable to a man.

  But not just any man. He was a man who from the first had taken her breath away. And to think she had assumed she knew most of the moves, but he had introduced her to a few more and she had willingly accepted his teachings and had gloried in the sensations they had evoked over and over again.

  They had made love at the head of the bed, at the foot of the bed, beneath the covers, on top of the covers, straightway, crossways, with him on top, with her on top, practically all over the place, and each time with an intensity that even now sent a hot and fiery sensation rushing through her.

  She shifted in bed and glanced around the room. Like the rest of Mike’s home, this room was nice and neatly furnished. He even had rich, silky looking draperies at the window. A fire was burning in the fireplace, reminding her of the sudden cold spell that hit Orlando yesterday morning. Valentine’s Day was next week, and Jesse and Carla’s party was the week after that.