Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
M ac pulled against the handcuff binding his wrist to the headboard. “What the?—”
“There!” she said triumphantly, latching the other cuff into place as she sat back on her heels and smiled. “I knew the second I laid eyes on this bed that the old iron would be sturdy enough. It’s practically made for this, don’t you think?”
Don’t think.
Mac grimaced, disturbed to have his mother’s words echoing in his ears at a moment like this. He strained against the cuffs, his instincts urging him to struggle, to fight, to free himself.
Well, some of his instincts.
The rest wanted to see what Kelli had planned.
“I’ll make you pay for this,” he murmured, only half kidding.
“I’ll leave the money on the nightstand in the morning,” she chirped. “For now, I have other ideas.”
She reached for his shirt and began slowly unfastening buttons. She popped one, then the next, then another, until she pushed the shirt open, baring his chest.
“Very nice, MacArthur,” she purred. “I see your mommy made you eat your vegetables and get your exercise.”
“My mommy made me do military workouts every morning before I got my Malt-O-Meal,” he said through gritted teeth, groaning as Kelli trailed her fingers down his chest, teasing him with light strokes. She leaned down, brushing her curls over his bare skin, the breath of jasmine light on the air as she moved.
She leaned back on her heels again as she studied him. “You have very sensitive nipples for a man, you know that?” Mac groaned and yanked at the cuffs, fighting alternating waves of panic and lust. He’d actually freed himself from a pair of handcuffs in a military prison once by dislocating his thumb, but now didn’t seem like the right time to mention that.
“Speaking of nipples,” he said, “I promise to make yours feel very nice if you uncuff me right this minute.”
Kelli laughed and rested her hand on his chest. “I can do that just fine on my own, thank you very much. As a matter of fact, I’ll let you help.”
She reached for the hem of her tank top and lifted the garment over her head. She tugged her arms free, her hair flying in static-charged ringlets as she tossed the top aside. He stared at her breasts, his mouth watering as he remembered what they’d felt like in his hands, in his mouth, pressed against his chest. He ached to touch her. He jerked on the cuffs again, wondering how she’d managed to seize control. He’d let his guard down again, goddammit.
Why was that so thrilling?
“Now,” she began, moving to straddle him. “What was that you said about making my nipples feel good?”
She leaned down, teasing him with her breasts. She brushed them lightly across his skin, the soft points of her nipples tracing delicate lines through his chest hair and over his abdomen. Mac groaned, surprised by the intensity of the sensation.
Kelli took her time moving over him. She went back to tickling him with her hair, the fragrant curls drifting across his neck, down his belly, across his belt line. She arched up again, her breasts pressing into him. She trailed them up his stomach and over his ribs, then up the underside of his arm. She made it all the way to his wrist before Mac tried to grab her, aching for just two seconds of feeling her in his palm.
“Ah-ah-ah,” she cooed, moving away. “This is my show.”
She leaned down, positioning her nipple over his lips. Mac opened his mouth to take in as much of her as he could. He circled the firm nub with his tongue, making her gasp with pleasure. She lingered there for a minute, her weight on his chest, her softness in his mouth, as she moved against him.
She shifted to the side, pressing the other breast against his lips. He gave that one the same treatment, licking, sucking, devouring.
“I think that’s enough,” she said, pulling back abruptly and smiling glassy-eyed at him. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome. Are you taking these off now?” He rattled the cuffs.
“Not a chance, honey. I’m just getting started.”
She slid off him again letting her hair graze his belly as she moved down to his belt buckle. She flicked it open like she’d done it a million times before, and Mac realized it was the third time she’d performed the task in twenty-four hours. How had he gotten this lucky?
“Your pants seem a little tight,” Kelli murmured, her fingers deftly working the zipper. “Let me see what I can do about relieving some of the pressure.”
“God, yes.”
She slid her hands into his pants and shoved them down with Mac lifting his hips to help. He expected her to tug them all the way down, but she stopped mid-thigh, pinning his legs together. Mac fought the panic that surged at the thought of being imprisoned and at her mercy.
God, why was this so electrifying?
“So,” she said, leaning down so he could feel her breath on his upper thighs and her hair tickling the end of his cock. “Was there something you wanted?”
Mac made an unintelligible sound in the back of his throat as Kelli moved up, her lips brushing him so softly he might’ve imagined it. He felt her tongue flick lightly over the tip of him before she moved away again, her hair tangling around his stiffness as she planted a trail of kisses down one thigh and back up the other.
Her breath was hot on his bare skin, his body aching to have her. When the tip of her tongue grazed him again, Mac groaned in frustration.
“Please.”
He barely recognized his own strangled cry as Kelli drew back, taking that hot, sweet mouth with her. She smiled. “I’m sorry, was there something you wanted?”
Mac cursed, half frustration, half pleasure, as she lowered herself over him again. This time, she licked one, long stroke from root to tip, her tongue soft and warm and the best thing he’d ever felt in his life. Then she drew back, letting her hair tickle him again as she planted featherlight kisses across his abdomen, over his hip bones, across his belly.
“You’re driving me crazy,” he hissed.
“That’s kinda the idea.”
“Just let me touch you.”
“No way. I’m here to teach you that you don’t always need to be in control, Mac. Pay attention, there’s an exam later.”
Mac groaned again as Kelli worked her way back down, moving her mouth over him again with careful precision, just barely avoiding any contact between his cock and her tongue or the roof of her mouth. She brushed him once with her lips on the way down, engulfing him completely, but still barely touching him with anything but her breath.
He’d never felt such exquisite torture in his life.
She drew back again, meeting his eyes once more as the tip of her finger grazed him.
“What do you want, Mac?”
“I want you.”
She smiled. “Say it. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Mac swallowed, torn between uttering such a crass command to a sweet woman and getting what he wanted. What he needed .
“Suck me,” he breathed. “Please.”
And she did. Her lips closed around him, tight and warm as her tongue curved around his shaft. She moved slowly at first, the suction of her mouth pulling him toward the back of her throat. She gripped the base of his cock with one hand, using it to angle him against the roof of her mouth. She turned her head to one side, and her hair fell away from her face. Her eyes met his, and he could see her smile even though her lips were otherwise engaged.
She moved down his shaft, sucking and licking and alternating the pressure of her mouth with the firm stroke of her hands. He felt his brain leaving his body, felt his whole body losing control?—
“Kelli, I’m going to?—”
“Not yet, you aren’t.” She rose up on her heels and smiled, then leaned over him. He stretched to reach her nipple with his tongue again, but she moved away quickly as she reached for nightstand. She sat back, condom in hand, and brushed a curl from her eyes. “I want you inside me again.”
She didn’t wait for a response—not that he would have put up a fight. She rolled the condom on, then threw one leg over him. She straddled him like that for a moment, hovering above him with her fingers clenched around his shaft, the tip of him poised between her legs, her eyes locked on his.
He was inches from being inside her, but it might as well have been miles for all the control he had. Kelli held all the cards.
Well, the cards and his cock.
He clenched his teeth, wondering if she planned to toy with him. If she wanted to see him beg. He was deciding if he had it in him to resist when she plunged down onto him, taking his breath away.
“Jesus Christ,” he gasped as she sheathed him to the root.
She laughed and circled her hips slowly, letting her body adjust to his. She felt tight and wet and hot around him, and Mac groaned as she clenched her thighs over his hips. She rose up on her knees, then slid back down again, her muscles gripping him in a velvety caress. She arched up and closed her eyes, threading her fingers in her hair as she lost herself to the rhythm of her own movement.
He tugged at the handcuffs, wishing he could slide his hands over those beautiful breasts or grip her by the hips and pound himself into her.
But this was her rhythm, her show. A pretty spectacular one at that.
He watched her ride him, felt his own pleasure mounting, heard the buzzing in his brain that signaled he wouldn’t be able to take this much longer. Her beautiful face flushed with pleasure, her movements quickening as her breath came faster.
Mac thrust his hips up hard, pushing himself deeper into her. Kelli’s eyes flew wide, and she gasped. He drew back and thrust again, hitting the same spot harder this time.
“Oh my—Jesus, Mac, what did you just—holy fuck!”
He drove into her harder, his aim perfected now as he felt her tighten around him. Her body tensed and she threw her hands forward, raking her nails down his chest. He was back in control, or was he? He didn’t know anymore. He groaned and thrust deeper, concentrating on hitting the same spot as his own pleasure mounted and something exploded behind his eyes.
“Christ!” he said through gritted teeth as Kelli bucked and cried out, the spasms of her orgasm propelling him through his own. Wave after wave of sensation washed over him, and he closed his eyes and gave in to it.
She collapsed on his chest, her breath warm against his neck. He felt her swallow as she tried to rise up, but she seemed boneless on top of him. He smiled.
“Who won that round?” he murmured. “Let’s call it a tie.”
“Speaking of ties, how about you unlock me?” He rattled the cuffs.
“In a minute. I can’t feel my arms. Or my legs.”
He grinned. “As long as you have feeling elsewhere, my work here is done.”
She sat up then, smiling, and shook her head. “Seriously, Mac—that was fucking incredible. Anyone tell you your aim is impeccable?”
He started to respond, but she clamped a hand over his mouth and laughed. “Never mind. Of course they have. You seriously must have a G-spot magnet in that thing.”
She rolled off him then and reached into the nightstand again. Extracting a key from the top drawer, she gave a sigh of pleasure before turning back to him and unlocking the cuffs. She kissed him then with surprising softness, and Mac breathed in the scent of her hair across his face.
“There you go,” she murmured. “You’re free.”
She lay back down beside him, snuggling against him so her head rested on his chest and her curls spilled over his shoulder. He moved his arm around her, pulling her closer to absorb all her warmth and softness.
He lay there for a moment thinking of something to say. Pillow talk wasn’t his forte, especially with a fake fiancée he’d vowed not to get attached to.
He was still trying to come up with some witty repartee when he felt her body slowly go slack in his arms. He looked down at her, amazed to discover she’d fallen asleep. Careful not to disturb her, he reached down and pulled the covers up over them. He looked at her again, so sweet and peaceful in her slumber. He ran his hand over her hair, in awe of the softness of those fragrant curls.
You’re free.
Her words echoed in his head, and Mac closed his eyes, willing them to be true.
In her dream, Kelli was running topless on a beach.
It wasn’t a terribly X-rated scene, since she was five years old.
“Slow down there, Kelli-belly,” her mom called from her perch on a gnarled piece of driftwood. Kelli turned to see her mother take a slow drag on her cigarette, the corners of her mouth turning up in a sad little smile as she blew the smoke into the wind.
Kelli turned back and ran toward her mom with bits of blowing sand stinging her cheeks. The sea air was salty and damp and clung to her skin like a spiderweb. “Where’s Daddy?” she panted, plopping down in the sand at her mother’s feet. “He said he’d come to the beach with us today, didn’t he?”
Her mom said nothing at first as she took another drag on her cigarette. She looked off in the distance, and Kelli followed her gaze, hoping to catch a glimpse of her father.
There was no one there.
“Can’t count on a man for anything,” Kelli’s mom said.
Her voice was so low, she sounded like another person.
Startled, Kelli looked up at her. “Mama?”
Her mother just shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the horizon. “You best learn that early. Men can be amusing, and they’re handy as hell for opening jars and fixing cars and giving you a good fu—uh, fun time. But take it from me, baby girl. Don’t get attached.”
Kelli frowned up at her mom, not sure she understood. Her daddy was the best man she knew, full of cuddles and scratchy kisses and pockets full of peppermint candies. He was always around, or at least most of the time. Maybe not after Mama got mad and yelled at him to get out, but he always came back, didn’t he?
“No! Goddamn it, stop! Jillian!”
In her dream, Kelli frowned. Jillian?
“Jillian! No!”
The fog of sleep fell away, and Kelli opened her eyes and blinked in the darkness. The beach was gone, and so were her childhood pigtails and the smell of salty air. She was lying in bed beside a shirtless man with dark hair, killer abs, and a sleep-slack face creased in fury.
Mac’s fist balled in the sheet beside her head. “Jillian—don’t leave! Not with him, please!”
Kelli touched his arm, unsure what to do. She’d never slept with a man who had nightmares before. Hell, she seldom slept with a man, period, at least not the sort of sleeping that involved unconsciousness.
“Mac?” She propped herself up on her elbow and slid her hand to his chest. She touched him lightly, careful not to make any sudden moves. “Mac, you’re having a bad dream.” His eyes snapped open, and he blinked at her with a steely look. Kelli jerked her hand back, shivering as she pulled the covers tighter around her breasts.
“You were having a dream,” she whispered. “About someone named Jillian?”
“Jillian,” he repeated, his voice cracking a little. He blinked again, as the light moved back into his eyes. “A dream.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I mean, I understand.”
His brows creased. “You do?”
She wasn’t entirely sure she did, but she nodded anyway. “Sure. You’ve had plenty of women in your life and I’ve had plenty of men in my life. We’re bound to dream about others from time to time.”
“Right.” Mac sat up, his gaze still hard and unreadable. He looked at her a moment, then turned away. “I should get going.”
“Going?” Kelli glanced at the bedside clock. “It’s four a.m. It’s still dark.”
“I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said, sliding out of bed.
She shivered as his warmth went with him.
He fumbled in the darkness for his shirt, not meeting her eyes as he tugged on his pants. “I’ll be down in the office for a little while, but I’ll be out in the field for most of the day. I trust you have plenty to keep you busy.”
His tone was all business, and Kelli tried not to let it sting. “Of course. We’re starting the first round of spaying and neutering today, but Mac?—”
“Talk to my mother if you need an extra set of hands,” he said. “She doesn’t have veterinary experience, but she had some field-nurse training years ago. She’d be happy to volunteer. Hank will drive you both and keep an eye on things.”
He finished buttoning his shirt and turned to look at her. His gaze flicked to the handcuffs still lying on the dresser, then to the rumpled sheets. When his eyes met hers again, they’d softened just a little.
“Thank you, Kelli.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again, unsure what to say. The temperature in the room had dropped at least ten degrees. She drew her knees up under her, holding the sheet tight around her breasts. It wasn’t like this was the first time a man had left suddenly after sex. Hell, usually she was the one running.
Running away so they don’t leave you first.
Kelli swallowed and forced a smile. “Have a good day,” she said at last, infusing her voice with a chipper note that fell flat.
He nodded once, seeming to hesitate. Then he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. She stared at it a moment, then lay back down on the bed and blinked at the ceiling. She slid her hand over to the warm spot where his body had been.
What the hell was that all about?