Chapter 8 #2
He cupped the side of my head, his fingers tangling in my long, damp strands as his eyes darted back and forth across mine. The way his chest was heaving should be concerning as his emotional overload was as electrifying as the desire swirling around us.
I clamped my hand on his shirt, twisting and tugging, pulling him even closer. I’d never wanted anyone the way I did him. The rush of heat was insatiable, the longing pushing me into thoughts that no good girl should be thinking.
If only he would take every inch of me.
Tasting.
Claiming.
I need to feel the heat of his body close to mine.
With my breathing shallow, I eased onto my tiptoes until I was the one pushing our lips closer together. Lightheaded, I could feel my body swaying and the butterflies I’d felt earlier had returned. He was so rugged, so handsome yet so very tortured.
He slowly shook his head, debating on the moment. I was certain he’d shut this down, pushing us away. When he slid his hand to the back of my head, fisting a handful of hair, a slow and easy moan slipped past my lips.
“This is wrong,” he finally managed, his nostrils flaring as he tried to pull himself free of the touch of magic.
“Maybe.” But I don’t care.
“God fucking help me.” With a slight laugh, another shake of his head, he tossed away the notion.
And captured my lips.
I’d known all along my brother was partially the reason this handsome man had shied away. I was the little sister, the best friend’s family member. Someone never to be touched. At least that’s what I’d suspected when trying to justify his deplorable actions even years later.
The lights all around me flashed in my mind’s eye, but the effect was the same as if the electricity had shut off.
I was blindsided by the swell of emotions.
They were the same as all those years ago, only I’d been little more than a girl then.
Now I was a woman who’d learned how to express her wants and needs.
A woman who wasn’t shy about allowing herself to feel the kind of burning desire that she’d only read about as a teenager.
This time, the kiss was even more explosive. And this time we were both ready to taste the forbidden.
His lips were soft and hot, his tongue finding mine within seconds. I was pushed to a point of no return, now clinging to him with both hands, finally sliding one over his shoulders to tangle my fingers in his hair. Something I’d wanted to do for so long.
The taste of whiskey and temptation assaulted my mouth, sweet and tangy. The lightheadedness remained, my body swaying from the lack of oxygen as the kiss became a blurring passionate roar.
I’d never thought a man could kiss like this, causing micro explosions tickling every inch of skin. But that’s exactly what was happening.
When he broke the kiss momentarily, he allowed a primitive growl that thrilled me more than anything he could say. He wasn’t finished exploring my mouth, capturing my lips again as he rolled his hand down my back.
With a single snap of his palm against my backside, he pushed the longing to another plateau, the claiming complete.
His tongue dominated mine, the heat from his body driving flames deep within my core. He pulled me even closer, cupping my butt cheek with one hand. When he shifted his hips back and forth, I knew exactly what the man desired.
All of me.
Rock hard and throbbing, the intense pressure as he ground his hips against me left me breathless, still moaning into the kiss. He captured every sound, twisting the moment into fervent, savage passion while pulling me off my feet.
I wrapped both arms around his neck, rubbing the top of his back, his muscles tingling my fingertips. As soon as I pressed one bent knee against his thigh, he spun me around, pushing me against the island. There was a sudden urgency in the kiss, the need close to becoming desperate.
Every action became rougher. Needier.
The hunger continued to build, the heat more explosive. The act became wild, so savage we were both running our hands up and down the other’s body, our breathing so labored every sound was breathless.
Even the memory of the kiss from years before paled in comparison to the incredible moment shared.
When he broke the kiss, we both laughed almost as if nerves had kicked in.
But I could tell by the wild look in his eyes my concept was false.
This was all about the anticipation, excitement building to a jagged precipice.
Axe slipped his fingers under my chin, flexing all five while lifting my head. His eyes were on fire and as he dropped his head, I shuddered deep within. The single drag of his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other had me swaying back and forth.
Forced to grip his arms, every sound was close to a whimper as he bit my lower lip, sucking on the tender tissue. The second he pulled away, his eyes sweeping down the length of my face to my chest, I gathered a sense what I’d fantasized about for so long was about to happen.
Would this lead to unwanted complications while I was in town? Maybe, but one afternoon spent wallowing in romance didn’t a relationship make.
Plus, I could easily keep him at arm’s length.
A once in a lifetime romantic moment. What was wrong with that?
If he was thinking the same thing, I wouldn’t know it.
Without any hesitation and with a mischievous smile on his face, he yanked off the borrowed tee shirt I was wearing, tossing it aside.
Maybe seeing me partially naked again did something to his psyche because as soon as my chest was bare, his smile faded.
His eyes darkened.
His body tensed.
“Christ,” he muttered.
“What’s wrong?” I threw an arm over my breasts, as if that would keep him from seeing more of me. Or the fact my nipples were rock hard, much like the thick bulge between his legs.
As he scrubbed his hand across his jaw, I noticed his eyes were slightly dilated. “There’s nothing wrong, Kenzie.” With a gentle touch, he pulled my arm free and this time as he shook his head, there was no doubt about what his thoughts were.
He was as breathless as I’d become.
With a single darting glance, he cupped both my breasts and as soon as he did, I gripped the edge of the counter with one hand, pressing the palm of my other against his chest.
“Are you trying to keep me away?” he asked in his usual gruff voice, only there was even more of an edge. “That’s not going to happen. I’ve waited too fucking long.”
“Not at all. I just need you to play fair.”
He laughed in a slow and easy way as he pulled his hands free and within a split second, ripped off his shirt using the back of the neck.
When he threw his arms out, he purposely flexed his muscles.
His physique was exactly as I’d envisioned, structurally perfect, carved from the imagination of the gods above.
“Fair enough?”
“For now,” I managed, the two words barely audible. He returned to what he’d been doing, cupping my breasts. Only this time, he pinched my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. When he twisted them, the flash of pain was instant.
And delicious.
The tiny moan was met with a smile on his face when he lifted his head. There was something so powerful about the way he was looking at me. Almost as if this was the first time he’d really paid any attention to the fact that I was all grown up.
The girl who’d dolled herself up in skimpy shorts and a flame-red halter top, sporting glossy red lips and way too much makeup to try to seduce him had certainly disappeared.
In her place was a woman with unkempt ringlets for hair, almost no makeup, and wearing clothes meant for raking leaves or cleaning the house.
Not for trying to entice a man like Stephen Beckett.
Neither of us could catch our breath.
I’d never been shy before, rarely embarrassed given my profession, but on this afternoon and in front of this man, the heat had already risen across my jaw. Even with my legs shaking, I almost ran away. How stupid. Where in the world did I think I was going to go?
“Fucking beautiful. Then again, you always were,” he gritted out and the moment of shame disappeared. He lowered his head, swirling his tongue around first one nipple then the other.
“You know how to say all the right things.”
For a few seconds, he lifted his head, his eyes hooded. “Only the truth, Palomino Girl.”
I shuddered from the sound of his voice.
The sensations were powerful, keeping my entire body on fire. He pulled one hardened bud into his mouth and I threw my head back, half laughing. Half moaning. All of me shuddering deep within my core.
All the reasons I’d told myself to drive him from my mind, all the childish hatred fell away.
He brushed his lips from one side of my chest to the other, engulfing my other nipple.
I wrapped one arm around his head, holding him in place as the sound of him sucking floated between us. Even that was sexy as hell.
When he finally lifted his head, we locked eyes.
Those deep blue eyes that had captured a portion of my soul so long ago.
I was finally allowed to brush the tips of my fingers from one shoulder blade to the other. Cocking my head, I followed the trail with my eyes as I moved down his chest, marveling in the sculpted look of his muscles. All his hard work had paid off. He was perfect in every way.
The flash of heat crawled up my arm and just as I neared the waistband of his jeans, he yanked my hand away. “I didn’t tell you that you could touch.”
Not only had the sound of his voice had changed. So had his demeanor, becoming more controlled. More dominating. When I dared try to touch him again, he shoved my hands aside, crowding my space. Very slowly he placed his hands on either side of me, arching a single eyebrow.
I remembered how he used to look at me that way when chastising me for whatever bad choices he’d thought I’d made with boys. That had occurred often.
“I suggest you learn your place or I’ll be forced to tie your hands.”
Why was it that every word from his mouth further encouraged me? Maybe that’s why I shoved him away, managing to dart away.
But I only managed to take a few steps before he snapped me back to the same position. This time, he cupped my face and crushed the full weight of his body against mine.
“I can see we’re going to have a problem.” His deep voice created a swell of hunger that started at my toes, creeping ever so slowly along every inch of skin.
“There’s no problem. I’m just not the kind of woman to follow any man’s rules.”
Why was it impossible to keep from staring at his long, dark eyelashes or how sexy his eyes could be when half closed?
Every time a lazy smile tipped the corners of his mouth, I was pulled into the exact same dreamlike state I’d been in when he’d kissed me the first time.
This time I blinked, finding myself uncertain once again.
Why was I nervous around him? There was no reason.
Other than showing his grumpy side, which he had a reason to display, he’d done nothing to warrant my sudden anxiety.
Except the obvious.
This was just a blip in time and neither family would appreciate our closeness. Why did I care at this point? Why was it that I always tried to talk myself out of enjoying something I wanted to do just for me?
I’d taken dance lessons because my mother had said it would make me more ladylike.
It hadn’t.
I’d joined the choir in high school because my best friend had said I had a lovely voice.
I didn’t then and had yet to carry a tune.
I’d taken a job in Billings instead of New York or LA because my parents had convinced me being that far away wasn’t a good idea.
See where doing so had gotten me?
This was my choice to make. My little moment of revenge against all the unwanted and ridiculous decisions I’d made in my life.
My one shot at enjoying myself just for me.
He took my sudden silence as an affirmative that I’d remain a good girl. Now that wasn’t anything I would ever agree to. However, he’d already unfastened the drawstring on the sweatpants and tugged them past my hips before I could fully connect with the man or his actions.
He was enjoying the hell out of himself, especially when he yanked the material down until it was around my ankles.
Something ripped at the very heart of my inner sanctum, the desire for him almost angry in nature.
I could tell by the oppressive look in his eyes that playtime was over. He lifted me onto the counter, ripping the sweatpants aside. When he leaned over, planting his hands on either side of me, there was a moment when I was that girl again.
But there was no denying that he was all male, the years creating a perfect masculine body.
There were no words needed, no more time for second guessing.
With his eyes hooded and his chest rising and falling, he brushed his palm and the tips of his flexed fingers down my chest, taking his time to study every inch of me. Including the goosebumps already popping along the path.
When he reached the tender area of my stomach just above my pussy, he hesitated one last time, lifting his gaze and waiting for my response.
If I answered him in words, I feared I would back out like some coward. Instead of risking losing the moment, I blinked profoundly only once.
That’s all the man needed before lifting and bending my legs, spreading me wide open for him.
And dropping his head so he could feast.