Bring the Heat

by Margot Radcliffe

  She didn’t speak for several seconds, and I watched as she trailed her fingers over the tall green foliage. ‘That’s easy. I had my first kiss in here.’

  Envy knotted my stomach. ‘It was that good?’

  She shook her head. ‘It was that bad. It’s what happened afterwards that makes it a good memory.’

  ‘Tell me more,’ I said, intrigued by the barely there but infinitely more genuine smile tugging up the corners of her full lips.

  ‘I told Winslow Parker I didn’t want to be kissed.’ She shrugged. ‘Call me shallow but I didn’t want my first kiss to be from a boy named Winslow with a wet nose and clammy hands. He went ahead and stole a kiss anyway. So I blocked the exit to the maze and left him to freeze his arse off for three hours. When I came back to rescue him, he was crying.’

  My lips twitched, a wicked part of me enjoying hearing that her first kiss had been less than memorable. ‘So you enjoy making boys cry?’

  We reached a dead end and she turned to face me. ‘If they deserve it? Absolutely.’

  A compulsion I didn’t want to fight pulled me closer until I towered over her. Until she had to raise her head to meet my gaze. Despite the darkness around us, every inch of her stunning face and graceful neck was exposed to my keen gaze. ‘What else do you enjoy making boys do?’

  ‘I’m not nine years old any more. I’m a grown woman and I prefer grown men to boys now,’ she murmured, her gaze fixed boldly on mine. A shiver caught her a second later and I drew closer, locking my fingers in the trellised hedge, caging her in.

  ‘And what do you want this grown man to do for you?’ I asked, aware my voice was gruff with the lustful urges running rampant through my bloodstream.

  She stared at me for a minute, then cast her gaze around her, looking a little lost for a minute. ‘Is it bad to say I don’t want to be here? That if I could leave right now, get on a plane and go far away, I would?’

  ‘Because of your mother?’

  Her eyes darkened and she didn’t repudiate me for ignoring her condition. ‘Amongst other things.’

  I got it. A long time ago, I’d accepted that it was better my parents lived in another country. Out of sight...out of mind...out of heartache... ‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wishing to be elsewhere.’

  ‘But I can’t, can I?’

  I didn’t answer because there was no right answer to that. I was born into a family where bullshit and dysfunction were the norm but where conversely fierce loyalty and absolute dedication to duty were the cornerstones that held most of us together. I suspected the Binghams were the same.

  ‘Tell me what you want, Wren,’ I said instead.

  I watched a hot, determined look slowly fill her eyes. She shivered again and my gaze dropped to where her nipples had turned into twin points of succulent torture. Whether her body’s reaction was from the cold or the arousal gathering heat in her eyes, I wasn’t completely sure. Still, I shrugged off my jacket, draped it over her shoulders, wrapped my hands around her trim waist.

  And waited.

  Slowly, she slicked her tongue over her bottom lip. I bit back a groan as blood gleefully rushed south.

  ‘Distract me,’ she said, a mixture of challenge and pleading in the low, thick words that hardened my rousing cock. ‘I don’t want to go back to the party. I don’t want to make stupid small talk. So just...make me stop thinking about all the crap I have to deal with now that...’ She stopped and took a shaky breath.

  Despite the flames licking through my veins, I hesitated. ‘Are you sure?’

  Her gaze grew defiant. ‘Are you a boy or a man, Jasper Mortimer?’

  I gave a low laugh. ‘You don’t want to ask me that, even as a challenge.’

  ‘Why not? Will you punish me?’ Her voice was breathless, edged with sexual anticipation.

  My cock leapt to full attention. Jesus. ‘Is that what you really want, Wren? For me to turn you around against this hedge and spank your tight little rump red for daring to question my manhood?’

  Her eyes darkened, her mouth parting on a hot little pant. When her hips jerked forward a fraction, I yanked her the rest of the way, until our groins connected. Until she felt the hard, eager rod of my cock against her soft belly.

  Hunger exploded over her face, her hands rising to grip my neck. ‘Do your worst,’ she invited with bite.

  I fused my mouth to hers in a rough, carnal kiss powered by every single filthy fantasy I’d had about this woman. And there were hundreds. Thousands.

  She opened for me immediately, her tongue gliding against mine in an erotic caress that weakened my knees. I tasted it, sucked on it, bit the tip and felt her shudder. Deepening the kiss, I trailed my hands up her flat belly and midriff to cup her soft, heavy breasts. Another moan escaped her, crushed between our lips as the kiss grew even more frantic.

  She tasted intoxicating. Like the shot of adrenaline that brought every sense into vivid focus. I brushed my thumbs over the hard peaks of her nipples, then, giving into the wild clamouring, I nudged her zip halfway down her belly and pushed aside her bra. Before her gasp was fully formed, I swooped down and drew the exposed tip into my mouth. I suckled long and deep, then flicked my tongue rapidly over her burning flesh.

  Her fingers bit into my nape. ‘God...yes!’

  Frantically, I freed the other breast, caught the tip between my fingers and teased. Her fingers gripped my nape, her breathing erratic as she held me to her breasts. After delivering equal amounts of attention to each, I pulled back, again wracked with the need to see her face.

  She looked even more spectacular than before. Defiant. Aroused. Wanton.

  ‘You’re so fucking gorgeous,’ I groaned.

  An impatient sound escaped her, intensifying the heat in my veins. Dragging my hands from her breasts, I cupped her bottom, using the firm globes to pull her harder into my erection. She rewarded me by grinding her pelvis against my length, drawing needy sounds from both of us.

  ‘I really, really want to fuck you, Wren,’ I confessed, my voice a hot mess. ‘I’ve wanted you since you stepped into my boardroom five years ago.’

  She gave a cheeky little laugh, her eyes lighting up for the first time tonight. ‘You mean when I turned down your internship offer?’

  My fingers tightened on her bottom. ‘I’ll freely admit, I’m still a little salty about that.’

  Her smile widened. ‘Poor Jasper. Not used to hearing no?’

  I smiled in return. ‘I’m only sore at losing when what I want goes to a less worthy competitor. We both know why you turned me down.’

  She licked her lips, her eyes lingering hungrily on mine. ‘Pray, enlighten me.’

  I wasn’t going to ruin the moment by mentioning our family feud. ‘Because neither of us likes to mix business with pleasure,’ I said instead, running my thumb over her lower lip. Immediately her teeth nipped at my flesh, drawing a deep groan.

  ‘I’m not going to confirm or deny that assertion.’

  ‘Have it your way. I still want you. Badly.’

  Eyes wild with defiance, she nodded eagerly, sucking my thumb into her mouth for a few seconds before she released me. ‘Yes. Now.’

  I planted a long kiss on her mouth as I lowered her zip. Only to groan when shocking reality hit me. For ten long seconds I remained paralysed. ‘Shit.’

  ‘What?’ Her voice was beautifully slurred, her gaze hazy with arousal as she stared up at me. I wanted more of that look. Wanted to watch her shatter completely. Wanted to feel her pussy grip my cock as waves of ecstasy rolled over her.

  ‘I don’t have a condom,’ I confessed through gritted teeth.

  She stared at me blankly for a few seconds before disappointment drenched her beautiful face. ‘Oh.’

  I clenched my jaw tighter, unwilling to let go of this unique moment. ‘Are you on the Pill?’ I asked wi
th more than a little hope. It wasn’t my usual practice. I liked to be in complete control of my sexual fate. But just this once I prayed for a yes.

  ‘No,’ she replied, pained resignation in her voice.

  ‘There are other ways, Wren.’ I pulled her closer, trailed my lips over her jaw until I reached her ear. ‘Let me make you come with my mouth. I want to taste you on my tongue. Lick you dry. You want to be transported? I can’t do it with my cock but I can give you a little relief. Don’t you want that?’

  For a moment, she wavered, on the verge of calling quits on this madness. Selfishly, I didn’t want to let her.

  ‘I will eat you out for as long as you want me to. Think about how much I’ll suffer while you do. You get to ride my face while you torture the hell out of me,’ I invited.

  Her fingers clenched harder into my skin. ‘Yes,’ she responded breathlessly. ‘Please. Yes.’

  Satisfied that I had her back in the moment with me, I caught the soft fabric of her jumpsuit between my fingers, careful not to wrinkle the material. Normally I wouldn’t care but she had to return to a party filled with gossip-hungry guests and a mother she was clearly locked in tense disagreement with. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to what we’d been doing than necessary.

  I trailed my lips back to hers and kissed her hard before releasing her. ‘Take this thing off for me,’ I instructed.

  Soft hands drifted down my forearms and wrists and covered mine for a second before she complied. I stepped back, eager for a snapshot of her leaning against her favourite hedge, undressing for me.

  When she stepped out of the jumpsuit, I re-draped my jacket over her shoulders to keep her warm.

  Call me primitive but the sight of her in my clothing threatened to undo me. With her hair loose and straight and falling around her face, her upper body almost lost in my coat and her lower half almost exposed to the elements, she was breathtaking. Her legs alone were worth an extra minute of worship. But it was cold, and we couldn’t stay out here for ever.

  With more than a throb of regret, I stepped forward and trailed the backs of my hands up her inner thighs. She gave a soft gasp and quivered. My gaze raced up from her thighs to her face, unwilling to lose a second of her reaction. Her lips were parted, her eyes hooded but not shut. She watched my hand draw closer to where her pussy was hidden behind a layer of sexy black lace.

  ‘Open your legs wider.’

  Her gaze rose and caught on mine for a second before she obeyed, widening her stance until I could fit my closed fist at the juncture of her thighs. Slowly I dragged my knuckle lightly against her flesh; from where she was hot and sodden to the swollen nub pushing against the fabric.

  She gasped again, thicker, louder, her breath a puff of vapour in the air between us. I repeated the action. She caught her lips between her teeth and moaned.

  ‘You like that?’

  She gave a jerky nod, her gaze once again dropping to follow my hand. On the next turn her hips rolled, her body chasing the exquisite sensation. I felt her grow hotter, wetter with need.

  ‘More,’ she moaned on the next pass.

  ‘Look at me, Wren.’

  Her gaze rose. Defiant fire and deep arousal. God, what a combination. I cupped her chin to hold her gaze, then I slipped my fingers beneath her panty line.

  A wet, decadent sound wrapped itself around her gasp as I inserted two fingers inside her. She was hot. And wet. And so damned tight. For the first time in my life I wondered how it would feel to fuck a woman bareback. To replace my fingers with my cock and experience that snug channel sucking me in.

  Her hips moved and she gave a greedy little moan. Slowly, I withdrew and pushed back inside her. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes glazed.

  ‘You’re gorgeous when you’re lost in pleasure. Do you want more, Wren?’

  Without replying, she shifted her stance wider, wrapped her hand around my wrist and directed my movements, pressing my fingers inside her.

  ‘I’ll take that as a yes?’

  Despite the rampant arousal coursing through her, her eyes flashed at me, reminding me that beyond this temporary haven of her maze our families detested each other. That she was using me simply because I was here. That any man who happened to be in her vicinity at the right time would probably have done?

  No. Every cell in my body rejected that idea.

  ‘Either you’re too turned on to speak or you’re attempting to make this a party for one.’ I resisted her when she attempted to hasten my movements. I slowed down, then pressed my thumb against her engorged clit. She shuddered hard, and a hoarse cry broke from her lips. ‘Which one is it, Wren?’

  ‘I... I...’

  I moved my thumb again and another cry ripped free. ‘Do you want me to make you come, baby?’

  She hesitated for a mutinous second. Then nodded frantically. ‘Yes,’ she hissed.

  ‘Then I want to hear exactly how you want it. And I want you to say my name when you do.’ I hoped she wasn’t dating anyone, but hell if I was going to be a replacement for some absent arsehole.

  I circled my thumb and her head jerked back, pushing into the hedge. ‘I want it deeper, Jasper. Faster.’

  I smiled in unashamed triumph and increased the tempo. Immediately, she got even wetter...

  Bloody hell. Any more and she would blow the top of my head clean off. Or more likely make me blow my load in my pants like a damned schoolboy. But I couldn’t stop fucking her with my fingers any more than I could stop breathing. The sounds she was making from both sets of her lips were driving me insane.

  ‘Slide two fingers into your mouth for me, baby. Make them nice and wet.’

  Her eyes widened but she obeyed my instruction. The sight of her sliding her digits slowly into her mouth was almost too much to bear. Unable to resist, I swooped down and added my tongue to the play, licking her fingers as she withdrew them. Her pussy clenched around my fingers, a sign that she’d enjoyed that little action. I filed it at the back of my mind for next time as she rested her wet fingers against her lips.

  ‘I have a few ideas of what you can do with those fingers. But I’d love to see you play with your gorgeous nipples.’

  Her breath caught then released, and her fingers dropped to one exposed, beaded nipple. Slowly, she circled the bud, gasping as sensation piled high. Then she transferred her attention to the other peak, her breath coming faster as she pleasured herself.

  Her pussy began to tighten around my fingers, making pushing inside her both a sizzling thrill and a torture. She wetted two more fingers, then, with both hands, tugged and tortured her nipples as I pumped inside her.

  In under a minute, she started to unravel. And it was the most stunning thing I’d ever seen.

  ‘Don’t stop. Please... I’m close. So close...’ Her hips jerked as she chased her bliss. With a sharp cry, she started to come.

  Driven by lust, I dropped to my knees and replaced my thumb with my mouth. Gripping her thighs to hold her open, I sucked her clit hard and long.

  A keening cry surged up her throat, the sound tormenting me as I groaned and sucked her harder. Rolling convulsions slammed into her, fresh wetness dripping over my lips.

  ‘Jasper!’

  Frantic fingers gripped my hair and her whole body shook wildly. I cupped her bottom to hold her steady as her knees weakened and her body sagged. I wanted to eat her pussy for ever, but her frantic whimpers turned a little urgent.

  The kind that suggested reality was returning.

  I stayed an extra minute, licked her clean with gentle laps of my tongue as her trembling quieted and the hold in my hair loosened. And just for the hell of it and because she was too addictive to resist, I shoved my fingers inside her one last time as I kissed my way up her body to her mouth. Our lips fused and our tongues tangled for another minute while I committed her taste to memory befo
re removing my fingers from her.

  Still watching her, I brought my hands to my mouth and licked the last of her taste off. When I was done, I readjusted her knickers and helped her redress.

  Silence throbbed between us as she furiously avoided my gaze. I suppressed a sigh and shoved my fists into my pocket to stop myself from reaching for her.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  She stared at me for a handful of seconds before she nodded. ‘Yes.’ Another several seconds drifted by. Then, ‘Thank you.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ I replied, my voice more than a little gruff.

  Her gaze dropped tellingly to the raging hard-on tenting my trousers. I laughed around the agony of my erection. ‘Believe it or not, watching you come was a pleasure. Maybe we can—’

  The words dried in my throat as her expression altered. Within a blink of an eye she was no longer the sated siren at one with the foliage around her.

  She was a cool and collected princess, dispensing rejection. ‘This was a one-time thing. Gratefully received but something I intend to forget at the earliest opportunity.’

  Disappointment—and, yes, blistering anger because I’d hoped this could be the start of...something—unravelled through me. ‘You think I’m that forgettable, sweetheart?’ I asked, modulating my voice to that deceptive pitch that always confused my opponents. They weren’t sure whether I was pissed off or indulging whatever mood they were in.

  Fleeting uncertainty chased across her face before she marshalled it.

  ‘I do.’ She handed back my jacket, her lips once again curved in that fake, dismissive smile. ‘Because it’s already in the past,’ she said.

  ‘Like hell it is. We’re going to fuck, Wren. I’m going to make you come many, many more times. It’s simply a matter of when.’

  I gave her props for attempting to fight her excitement. She fussed with her hair, rearranged her scarf and tugged her zip another fraction upwards. And when she achieved that facade of outrage, I allowed it. I intended to disprove it at the very next opportunity.