You Say It First
Page 38

She looped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, then sighed as he deepened the kiss. His tongue caressed hers with slow strokes that made her tired brain even less lucid. Heat poured through her, chasing away a bit of the tired but not doing anything for her ability to think. She couldn’t remember why going to the office had seemed so important, because it wasn’t. She should listen to Nick and get some sleep. Or maybe just stay here in his arms, because that was nice, too.
His hands moved up and down her back. She liked the way he dipped lower each time until his hands cupped her butt. She arched toward him, bringing her belly into contact with his groin. It took her a second to realize that hard ridge wasn’t some designer element in his jeans. It was him. Aroused.
Her eyes popped open and she stared at him. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, “You want to have sex!”
Nick gave her a sexy smile designed to bring her to her knees. “Sure. I’m with you, aren’t I?”
She blinked, trying to get the words to make sense. Because the way he’d said them, it sounded as if he always wanted to have sex with her. But he couldn’t. She was fun and nice, but still, well in the middle of normal or average.
He leaned in and pressed his mouth to the side of her neck. His lips were warm as they moved along her suddenly sensitive skin. He paused to nibble her earlobe before dipping lower and kissing his way along her collarbone.
She was still in her regular wedding planner garb—a simple black dress that allowed her to blend into the background. It wasn’t too short or too low or too anything. So why on earth...
He kissed her mouth. “Stop,” he told her gently. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
How could he say that? It meant something to her.
“I’d like to have sex, too,” she whispered, before she could stop herself.
He straightened and studied her face. His eyes were hooded and she had no idea what he was thinking.
“Is that the coffee talking or do you mean it?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
She shivered as need began to ease into her body. She was aware of the quiet all around them. The rest of the world was still sleeping. What a naughty way to start the day.
“I mean it.”
The fingers cradling her butt tightened. “Do you have condoms?”
She thought of the unopened box in her nightstand drawer. She’d replaced the older, previously unopened box only a few months before. Because condoms had an expiration date and a girl never knew when a handsome man might make an interesting offer. Not that it had happened to her in forever but—
“Pallas?”
She blinked at him. “Sorry. My brain isn’t working right. Yes, I have condoms. They’re—”
She never got to say what they were or weren’t. Before she could finish her sentence, he’d pressed his mouth to hers and started kissing her again. His hands moved up her back and paused. A heartbeat later, she felt cool air on her back and she realized he’d undone her zipper.
The man was serious, she thought, equally amused and intrigued by his action.
She lowered her arms to her side and the dress fell to the floor. She stepped out of her wedges and he quickly went to work on the buttons of his long-sleeved shirt. Seconds later they were both in their underwear. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but from her end, the view was very nice indeed.
As far as she knew, Nick didn’t work out. Not in a gym anyway. But his job was, by definition, very physical, and that showed. His chest was broad and muscled, his hips narrow. There were interesting little scars on his arms she would guess came from working with something dangerous like molten glass.
Technically, she’d seen him shirtless before—on the first day they’d met. When she’d asked, or rather begged him to be a Roman soldier for a wedding. But back then she’d been in work mode, far more focused on getting the bride down the aisle on her palanquin than paying attention to the honed body of a man she’d grown to like.
Her gaze dipped lower, to his obvious erection straining against his briefs. She felt her insides clench in anticipation. She could tell she was already swollen and ready. Not just because it had been so long but because she wanted to be with Nick.
Without thinking, she put her hand on his flat belly. He sucked in a breath, but didn’t move. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the center of his chest.
She moved behind him and drew her hand with her, lightly touching his waist, then dropping it to his high, tight rear end. His back was as defined as his chest. She trailed kisses along his shoulder blades before returning to face him again.
She looked at his face. His pupils were dilated, his jaw tense. Without saying anything, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall. When they reached her bedroom, he tore back the covers, then reached for her. She went into his arms.
His mouth claimed hers in a deep kiss filled with hunger and need. She dueled with his tongue, then gasped as he nipped her lower lip. She felt his fingers at the back of her bra. He unhooked it easily before tossing it to the floor.
Still kissing her, he brought his hands up to cup her breasts. He held her gently, barely moving, as if giving her time to adjust to his touch. Then a single finger brushed across her nipples. Just the one time. Fire shot through her, jolting her down to her clit. She gasped.
He did it again and again until the touch became a circling movement that had her breathing in short pants.
She wanted to squirm closer. She wanted to rip off her panties and beg him to take her. She wanted him to touch her there with his fingers or his mouth or anything at all. Need increased with every second that passed, but Nick seemed content to kiss her and tease her breasts until she was nearly frantic with hunger.
“Where are the condoms?” he asked as he broke the kiss.
She pointed at the left nightstand. He walked around the bed and opened the drawer. She used the time to pull off her bikini briefs and slip into the bed. He set the box on the nightstand before taking off his underwear and joining her.
She slid toward him as he reached for her, then they were a tangle of arms and legs and mouths in her bed and it was glorious. She loved the contrast of his warm body and the cool sheets and how he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked really hard. Then there was the way he managed to put his thigh between hers so there was pressure on her center and all she had to do was rock just a little bit to enjoy every blissful second of what he was doing.
He moved from breast to breast, licking and pulling deeply. She arched her back and closed her eyes and did her best to keep breathing. When he stopped kissing her breasts, she nearly whimpered, but then she felt his fingers sliding against her slickness. He found her core on the first try and began to circle.
She was so swollen, she thought hazily. So wet and ready. Every inch of her was sensitized to his touch. When he moved faster, she went with him, straining for more, needing him to take her over the edge. She wanted this, but she wanted him inside, too, filling her. She wanted his body above hers, her arms around him. She wanted to know what it was like to watch him come.
But first... Oh, but first... She sank into the sensations he created, the pleasure of what he was doing. He seemed to be able to read her well enough to know when he should move faster, press harder. She felt the moment when maybe became soon and gasped.
“Just like that,” she breathed.
He did as she asked, changing nothing. She breathed into the promise, focusing every cell on the steady touch that took her closer and closer and—