Chapter Twelve
O ver and over, he kissed her softly, tasting of margarita and hot man, then his lips grew bolder, and awareness shot through Emily as Holden pressed his hard, hot delectable body against hers. She moaned and slid her hands down to his hips, and he wasted no time taking advantage of her open mouth.
His kiss and touch were different. The same, but more.
As if he was certain about what he wanted— her . She wanted him too, without interruption.
No holding back. No stopping.
His touch, his kisses, they were assertive but not calm. No, his ministrations were a far cry from calm, and that worked for her. That so worked for her.
The focused man took and demanded and gave with a thrilling enthusiasm that had his name tumbling from her lips in a hitched breath.
His warm, strong, bold hands roamed over her body, gliding down her waist and hips, then back up to skim her breasts as if he needed to touch her, feel her, explore every inch. Emily could relate. She also had unrelenting needs. The need to shove her hands under his shirt and touch his hot flesh and graze her palms all over his magnificent body.
He felt so damn good, she trembled.
Normally, Emily’s utter lack of control would’ve been shocking. But not tonight. Not with the hot, hard, ravenous man thrusting against her while his tongue explored her mouth with matching enthusiasm.
When he drew back slightly, she worked to catch her breath while caressing his lower lip with her thumb.
“That helped a lot more than the margarita.” She smiled. “And was a lot more addicting.”
He nipped at her thumb. “Then how’s this?”
His mouth grazed her cheek, and he trailed kisses down her jaw to the curve of her neck, making it nearly impossible to concentrate on conversation. And difficult to breathe. Then those incredible hands of his were on the move again, gliding up and down her sides, sending tiny shivers all over her body.
“Mmm…not sure,” she murmured. “Can you do it again?”
He chuckled against her neck and obliged her request, and those darn shivers increased tenfold. “Pretty sure you like it, Emily.”
“Oh, absolutely.” She winked. “Why do you think I asked you to do it again?”
With a smirk, she fisted his shirt and needing it gone, she pushed it over his broad shoulders, and it fell to the floor as she regarded all she had uncovered.
Emily’s mouth literally watered as the need to lick and kiss and nip all the muscles and ridges displayed before her.
Magnificent. Lean. Nothing extra.
Like the man.
He eased his way past her defenses with his genuine charm and honest, caring heart.
She believed in being genuine and honest too.
Taking a deep breath, she laid it out there, “It’s been a while for me. Not since I caught my ex cheating nearly a year ago. I, uh, thought you should know.”
He hooked a finger under her chin and tipped her face until her eyes met his warm, unwavering gaze. “The guy was an idiot.”
“He liked me on his arm but not in his bed. Think his manhood felt threatened by my career.” She shrugged, adopting a nonchalant air she unfortunately didn’t feel.
Emily hated that she gave the jerk that power. She hadn’t done anything wrong, he had. And it wasn’t her fault he had an issue with her assertive nature. He was aware of it going into their relationship. She was just grateful to have only wasted eight months of her life on him.
“Sorry.” She winced and was unable to stop the blush from funneling into her face. “Talk about a mood killer.”
His gaze was dark. Very dark. “Sounds like the idiot didn’t have much of a manhood. And you didn’t kill anything, Officer Harrison. You’ve enhanced it.”
And as if to prove it, he rocked into her, and there was no mistaking the delectable feel of the hard bulge behind his zipper.
Emily’s heart knocked against her ribs several times before settling back in her chest. Until he ran his palms lightly down her body and grabbed the hem of her light green Shadow Rock Shelter t-shirt shed changed into before leaving work.
“Lift your arms,” he urged in a dead-sexy voice, before he slowly tugged the shirt up and over her head and let it drop to the floor.
At the sight of her periwinkle bra and barely contained breasts, Holden sucked in a deep breath. “Gorgeous,” he murmured, brushing her spillage with his thumb.
A burst of heat flooded her belly. And when he set his palms on the wall on either side of her head, Emily’s ribs took another pounding from her out-of-control heartbeats.
He was close. So deliciously close, she only had to inhale, and their chests would touch. But anticipation was running through her, eager for his next move. And he definitely had a plan. She could see the determination in his gaze, a heavy-lidded, deliciously heated gaze that slowly dropped to her mouth.
Another rush of anticipation raced to all her good parts. She’d never felt so alive, and her body felt like it wore a cloak of static electricity. It was strange. Crazy.
Exhilarating.
He was still gazing at her mouth, his jaw flexing as if it were an effort to hold back. “Tell me what you feel, Emily.”
“So much.” Her voice sounded throaty in her ears. She slid her hands over his broad shoulders. His skin was hot and his body rock-hard, and the intoxicating combination made her tremble.
“And now?” He pressed against her
She let out a small, needy sound as desire funneled south.
Deep south.
“Me, too,” he murmured.
Those mesmerizing eyes of his were heated as they stared into hers, allowing anticipation to amp up between them, driving her a little bit insane before he finally kissed her.
Another needy sound reverberated through Emily, but she didn’t care.
Hungry and a whole lot eager, she brushed her tongue against his, thrilling at the deep, raw sound that rumbled in his chest. His hands left the wall and glided down her sides until they found her hips and gripped tightly.
Her body responded to the hunger she felt in his touch by rocking against him. Emily was shaking. She needed to feel him. All of him.
Without clothes.
“You’re killing me,” he muttered as they broke for air.
She smiled. “Good. Because you’re killing me.”
He huffed out a breath and set his forehead to hers. “Chemistry.”
The feel of him all pressed up against her was too much, and she couldn’t stop her hips from undulating again. Holden muttered a curse and pressed back with his impressive erection.
She cupped his face, loving the feel of stubble against her palm. “I think we get an A plus.”
It’d been a while since she felt moved, but this…this was off the charts. She’d never experienced this earth slipping, foundation rocking, movement before.
It was incredible.
“Agreed,” he said in a low, husky tone that told her that she wasn’t alone in this unfamiliar feeling frenzy.
This grounded, unflappable, formidable man was just as unnerved. That made her feel remarkable. Until a thought occurred.
“Please tell me you have a condom,” she muttered.
He smiled a sexy as sin smile and dug a foil strip from his jeans pocket.
Emily snickered and patted his cheek. “Cocky much? You were that sure we were going to have sex, and lots of it?”
“Someone shoved a box of them in my locker at work. And I wasn’t cocky, I was prepared. We both knew it was going to happen,” he said, kissing her palm.
True. And she’d been hopeful.
She grinned. “I love your friends so much right now.”
“Love is a strong feeling,” he teased.
“Well, I have strong feelings about getting you into one of those condoms.” She laughed with him, then reached for the waistband of his jeans. “And about getting you out of the rest of your clothes.”
Emily unbuttoned his top button and smiled at his muttered oath when she cupped his bulge while tugging his zipper down.
He removed her touch and shook his head. “I better handle it from here.”
“Damn.” She grinned. “I wanted to handle it.”
“Baby, if you handle it right now, there won’t be a need for the condom, and I have plans.”
Her pulse hiccupped and heat stirred deep inside her body at the thought of those plans. “Then we need to finish getting naked.”
Without waiting for a reply, she removed her shoes, jeans, and socks, and was reaching around to unhook her bra when a big, warm hand stilled her movements.
“Allow me.” He set the condoms on a nearby dresser, and she shivered as he hooked his fingers under her straps and slowly tugged them down her arms until her breasts bounced free. “Gorgeous,” he muttered, brushing a thumb over one of her nipples while he dipped down and took the other into his mouth.
Air funneled into her throat and her eyes drifted shut as a flood of sensations pulled at her core. Lost in the feeling, she arched into his touch, welcoming…demanding more. But he drew back much too soon and must’ve unhooked her bra, because when she opened her eyes, it was on the floor next to her jeans.
He caressed his way up her chest and throat until he cupped her neck and face, and the trail of fire he stirred inside her was mirrored in his eyes. “So gorgeous.”
Holden kissed her again, deep, long and thorough. And… damn , he tasted hungry and hot and intensely male. The sensual maneuvers annihilated what little brain cells she had left.
“I want you, Emily,” he murmured.
“I want you too,” she whispered, pulling his head back down. “So bad…”
At that, he let out the sexiest damn groan, swept her into his arms, and carried her to the bed. After setting her on the mattress, he captured her lips with his again, and they devoured her, taking what he wanted without apology as he pressed her back onto the mattress with his hot, hard body.
Their embrace went from feverish to wild as they took turns on top. She stroked and kissed and nipped, relishing the tour of his well-defined muscles and ridges.
Damn, the man had abs for days. So sexy. So taut. So going to need to make another pass for the sheer thrill of it.
A second later, Emily was flat on her back with her wrists clamped in his hand and pressed high above her head.
She moaned and her good parts throbbed. Holden covered her completely and his delectable weight sparked so many sensations to life. By now, Emily was crazy with need. She wrapped her legs around him and brought his body even tighter against her. The delicious friction of his jean-clad erection nearly set her off.
“Emily…” he murmured against her mouth, then pressed hot, open-mouth kisses down her throat.
When he sank his teeth in the special spot behind her ear, she gasped then eagerly turned her head to give him better access. He needed no further instruction.
Yes…there. Her eyes fluttered shut, so overwhelmed with the sensations rippling through her body. The air changed. Amped up. It was crazy. Insane. Delicious.
“Holden…” she whispered, forcing her eyes open as she tried to form the words.
“Yeah?” he asked, still kissing her neck.
“I need you.”
He stilled for a brief second, then shot off the bed to shuck the rest of his clothes before returning to lean over her. Emily barely caught a glimpse of all his glory that, moments ago, had pressed heavily between her legs.
He gazed at her, eyes dark and heated. “Tell me what you want, Emily.”
Everything.
“For you to make me cry your name,” she whispered, and would’ve been shocked by her boldness if she hadn’t been half out of her mind with need.
He inhaled and his gaze smoldered. “Yes, ma’am. You will. Several times.”
She liked the sound of that.
Holden dipped down to kiss the curve of her neck and nip at her collarbone before kissing a slow path between her breasts, before gently sucking an aching tip into his mouth. The feel, the pull, was so wonderful, so incredibly perfect, she arched up, and cried out.
The unhinged intonation rushing from her lips wasn’t his name, but it was full of craving and need. Given the low, sexy sound that rumbled through his chest, conveying a fierce satisfaction, he was pleased.
But knowing the man’s penchant for excellence, he wasn’t going to stop until he fulfilled her request.
Teasing her nipple with his talented tongue, Holden caught the other tip between his thumb and forefinger and tugged. She arched off the mattress, encouraging him for more. But in case he wasn’t sure that she was pleased, Emily bit his shoulder.
Another rumble sounded in his chest.
He definitely liked that.
He released her nipple and drew back to gaze at the only piece of material separating them.
Her see-through, periwinkle lace panties.
“You wore these under your uniform all day?” His gaze smoldered.
“Yep.” She smiled, brushing his jaw with her thumb. “Makes me feel good.”
He lowered his lips to hers until they almost touched. “Me, too.”
The urge to taste him again shook through Emily. As if knowing this, he closed the space between their lips, kissing her slow and unhurried, stoking the fire from the embers already simmering inside her.
When Holden finally lifted his head, he stared down with so much heat and intensity, she felt it to her toes. “Are you ready to cry my name?”