Chapter Eleven
Rainey
Last night and this morning have been a whirlwind.
Between the brick, the kiss—or should I say kisses?
—being caught by Ashlynn, then the visit from my parents, I’m ready to call it a day and it’s not even noon.
As Lucas and I step out of the elevator and turn right to my apartment, my stomach is in knots despite the doorman’s reassurance nobody has come looking for me.
Reminding myself I have Lucas by my side, I put the key in the door and let us inside. Lucas steps over the threshold first and I follow.
Everything looks just as I’d left it and I breathe out a sigh of relief. “I feel ridiculous being so worried,” I tell him as he steps back and shuts the door. I kick my shoes off and since I removed mine, he does the same.
“Because you were scared out of your mind the other night in a place you should feel safe.” He sets his hand at the small of my back, and I shiver at his touch.
“I should be okay staying here, right?” I ask, turning to look at him.
He nods. “You should, but why don’t you give it another night or two at Kaylee’s?”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek, my friend’s romance lesson spinning around in my brain. “Do you think I’d be safe here if someone stayed with me?” I ask him, my heart racing as I build up courage for what I’m about to do.
He raises an eyebrow at my obvious insinuation. “I suppose that depends on who the person is,” he says, his voice gruff, as if he’s already figured out what I’m really asking.
I step closer, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m thinking a big, strong man nobody would think about approaching or attacking. Someone who will keep me safe.” I walk my fingers up his shirt until I can finger his open collar.
“Rainey,” he all but growls. His body is stiff and his eyes are hooded.
“Just hear me out, okay?” I ask.
He sets his jaw and nods once.
I don’t know where my courage is coming from, but I forge ahead. “We’re both worried about us hooking up, right? Because of Jack? I don’t want to come between the two of you as friends or business partners. And he’s always warned me away from his friends.”
“He’s probably warned you away from me,” he mutters. “But yeah, that’s one of the reasons.” He grasps my wrist, stopping any further movement.
And I understand. I’m treading on delicate ground right now. I’m nervous even discussing the possibility of sleeping with the man I desperately desire. I think he wants the same thing, though I can’t be certain.
But I’m not finished with my pitch, and I’m determined to keep going. “I’m also worried about being perceived as unprofessional by sleeping with someone I’m supposed to be working with. The Thunder account means a lot to me.”
He inclines his head. “I’m aware of that, too. So where are you going with this conversation?” he asks, my wrist still in his grasp.
“I’m getting there. Can we agree we have chemistry? We both want the same thing but are hesitant to take things further?” God, if he tells me it was just a couple of kisses and I misread his intentions, I might dig a hole and curl up inside it.
“Keep going.” His voice has grown lower. Deeper. Sexier.
“What if we agree to a short-term, private affair? Just until our time working together is over. Nobody will know except us. That solves the problem of Jack finding out because outside the walls of my apartment or yours, we’ll be professional. No more kissing at work.”
“Can I sneak one?” he asks, taking me by surprise, and I let out the breath I’m holding because now I know he’s all in.
“That depends. When does this… affair… start?” I ask.
His thumb rubs lazy circles against the skin of my wrist, as if he already knows the answer and he’s ready to take what I’m offering.
It’s all or nothing, I think, and do the boldest thing I can think of to give him his answer.
I grab the hem of my—or should I say Kaylee’s—T-shirt and pull it over my head.
I’m wearing a sheer, pink lace bra, and his gaze darkens, his jaw clenches tight, and his stare locks on my darkened, tight nipples.
I’ve captured his interest and his breathing grows shallow as he stares at my breasts. They aren’t exactly tiny and I’ve never been this brave, but I’ve come this far—so I reach behind me and unhook the clasp. The straps fall around my arms and with a small shake, the bra drops to the floor.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”
My cheeks grow hot.
He steps forward and lifts one breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb over my nipple until it’s a hardened peak.
Between my thighs, my sex is damp and desire overtakes me.
I reach for the top button of his shirt, but he isn’t finished.
He dips his head and sucks a tight bud into his mouth.
He teases me with his tongue and grazes the tip with his teeth until I’m rubbing my thighs together, seeking relief.
Slipping his free hand between us, he cups my sex in his hand. “I can feel you through the material. You’re so wet.” His voice is gruff and sexy.
He removes his hand and slips his fingers into the elastic of my leggings, and inside my panties, and I moan at the intimate touch. Unable to help myself, I spread my legs to make it easier for him to do his thing.
And he does.
His slick fingers rub back and forth across my folds, arousing me into a frenzy. My hips move in time to his rhythm and before I can catch my breath, he enters me with one finger, then adds a second. They pump in and out, his thumb brushing over my clit.
I grip his shoulders with my fingers and hold on tight while he brings me closer and closer to what I know will be a mind-blowing orgasm. And when he curls his fingers, hitting just the right spot, I detonate, seeing stars behind my closed eyelids as my climax hits hard and fast.
I dig my nails into his shoulders and ride out the pleasure, his name on my lips. When I finally open my eyes, I’m staring into his darkened green ones.
“You’re gorgeous when you come,” he says, his voice rough with desire as he helps adjust my leggings.
A flush heats my cheeks and the cool air in my apartment, paired with my state of half undress, has me shivering. “Are we going to move this into my bedroom?” I don’t know how much longer I can stand being the only one so exposed.
He holds out his hand, and I slip my palm against his. “Lead the way,” he says, and I walk him to my large primary suite. I release my grip and turn to face him.
He’s already undoing the buttons of his long-sleeved shirt, his gaze searing into mine.
He’s wearing dress slacks and a white button-down, his usual attire when he’s at the club at night. I assume he’d come to work planning to stay through the evening. He looks handsome and sexy and good enough to lick.
But first I need to rid myself of the awkwardness of being half naked. Brushing his hands aside, I undo the rest of his buttons, baring his tanned chest as I push the sides off his shoulders. Silence surrounds us, our gazes speaking louder than our voices ever could.
His shirt drops to the floor and as I begin to unbutton his slacks, he slides his hand through my hair, pulling it to one side and kissing my neck. I shiver at the sensual, gentle glide of his lips. My nipples pucker and my entire body is tingling with arousal.
As I slide his zipper down, my hands are trembling.
I hook my fingers into his boxer briefs and pants, lowering them over his hips.
He shoves them down the rest of the way and kicks them aside, revealing his erect cock.
A whimper escapes my throat and I grip his erection in my hand, sliding my thumb over the precum on the tip.
“Fuck.” He grasps my wrist to stop any movement. “Wouldn’t want this to be over before it begins.”
I grin. “No, I wouldn’t want that.”
“Your turn.” In seconds, he has my leggings down around my ankles, then helps me remove them, along with my panties.
Now we’re both naked and on equal footing.
He lifts me into his arms and lays me on the bed, coming down on top of me. He braces his hands to lift his weight, his thick cock settled between my thighs, and the need to feel him inside me grows with each passing second.
“I need you, Lucas.”
He seals his lips over my mouth, kissing me hard and deep, his tongue twining with mine. I moan into him and we’re rocking against each other, the promise of more so close.
He lifts his head and lets out a curse.
“What?” I ask, afraid he’s about to call a halt to a very promising start.
“I don’t have a condom,” he says, the frustration in his tone clear.
Meeting his gaze, I do the second boldest thing of the day. “I got tested after my ex. And I haven’t been with anyone since.”
I hold my breath, aware I’m about to hear his recent sexual history. “It’s been a while for me, too.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Mr. Carras with the playboy rep?”
He shakes his head on a low chuckle. “Perception, not fact. And I’ve recently had a physical.”
I exhale, aware that my next words will mean I’ll be having sex without protection. With Lucas. I’ll feel all of him inside me and no doubt we’ll grow closer. He’ll break through the flimsy walls I’ve tried to erect, and I have no idea how I’ll handle it.
And yet I’m going ahead with what I need anyway. “I’m on the pill.”
His gaze meets mine. “Are you sure?”
With his erection throbbing against my sex and heaven so very close? “I’m sure.”
My answer earns me another kiss, this one hotter and wetter than the last. Then, he rises to his knees. He lifts my hands and wraps them around the headboard I fell in love with and just had to have.
“Hold on,” he says.
I nod, gripping one of the wooden slats with each hand.
“So sexy.” His lips brush mine. Bracing his hands on either side of my head, he drags his cock along my sex, teasing my clit with his hard shaft.
“So needy,” I remind him, arching my hips.
He sits back on his knees and grasps his cock in his hand, giving it a powerful stroke before settling himself at my entrance. Just the tease of him is enough to make me moan and writhe, wanting him to fill me more than I need my next breath.
As if reading my mind, he braces his hands beside my head once more and fills me with one hard thrust.
My body stretches to accommodate him and suddenly I feel him everywhere. “Oh God.” The words escape, and suddenly I need more, and I squeeze him tight inside me.
“Fu-u-ck.” He draws out the word, then raises his hips and pulls out before plunging back inside.
I hang onto the slats but even so, with each slam of his hips, I move upward on the bed, grateful for the pillow behind me.
We’re in a synchronized rhythm, my hips lifting to meet his every drive inside me.
My body is engaged, aware of his every move, but so are my emotions.
Not only do I feel him physically, he’s staring into my eyes and we’re connecting on a deeper level.
I’ve never had sex without my partner using a condom before, and that, too, intensifies the sensations. I feel every thick inch of him as he drags his cock along my inner walls. His pace is fast but the experience is slow, drawn out until I’m crying out his name and urging him to hurry.
I wrap my legs around his waist and raise my hips, needing to take him deeper. “Lucas, please.” I grip his back, digging my nails into his skin.
“Anything you want, Rainey.”
“I want to come.”
He slides a hand between our bodies and rubs my clit with his finger. Back and forth, up and down, around but not where I need the friction most.
“Oh God, Lucas. Stop teasing!” The words tumble out of me in a rush. I’m nearly incoherent except I know I’m begging for relief.
Finally, he plunges deep once, twice. The third time he shifts his hips and his cock hits my G-spot. “Lucas!” I cry out as he keeps thrusting into me, bringing me along for a soaring orgasm that makes me lose track of time and space.
I’m vaguely aware of him stiffening above me, then I feel his release coating inside me as we continue to rock and grind against one another until my climax and his subside.
I’m a boneless heap on the bed and he collapses onto me but immediately rolls over, pulling me along with him so he’s hugging me against his hard, sweaty body.
And nothing ever felt better.