Chapter 13
When Desiree parted her lips, Cobra’s tongue immediately sought entrance, mating with hers with an intensity that melted away any resistance. How could she deny herself this? How often was a woman kissed by a man who so evidently knew what he was doing?
She wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted before they were forced to pull back for air.
He stared down at her, and the moment their gazes locked, something passed between them.
She wasn’t sure what, but knew from the look in his eyes that he had felt it, too.
He then lowered his head, and with gentle precision, he traced her mouth with the tip of his tongue, moving from one side to the other.
When she released a moan, Cobra added sensuous nibbling around her mouth into the mix. He began licking downward toward her neck, and her nerve endings went on high alert as he traced kisses all over her collarbone.
Finally, he returned to her mouth to kiss her again.
She had been so caught up in the kiss that she hadn’t realized he had unbuttoned the top of her pantsuit until she felt a cool blast from the air conditioner hit her chest. She broke off the kiss to stare up at him and saw how dark his pupils had become.
He was so aroused that she could feel his erection poking hard against her backside.
“I want to taste your breasts, Desiree. May I?”
She was surprised he had asked. Neither Eddie nor Aimery had. It was as if they’d assumed her breasts had been theirs for the taking. “What if someone were to come in?” she asked, glancing at the door.
“I locked it.”
“Oh.” Had he brought her here with the intention of seducing her? If so, how far would he take things? Was he willing to forgo his vow of celibacy?
As if he was privy to her thoughts, he said, “I won’t go any farther than tasting your breasts, Desiree. No matter how hot things get. I promise.”
“You have that much control?” she asked.
He smiled. “I am a very disciplined man.”
He was also a man who wasn’t telling her everything.
Maybe it was time for her to tell him what she knew.
But then, as Camille had said, his vow of celibacy was private to him, like her vow was to her.
Still, she would be the one who derived pleasure from what he wanted to do, not him.
So why was he torturing himself this way?
What man was that noble? None she’d ever come across. He had to be thinking that he would get something out of it eventually. Was it his plan to deliberately keep her all hot and bothered for three more months?
She couldn’t see that working out, considering how hot they were for each other now. Her period of celibacy didn’t end until January, but she had no qualms about ending it sooner, for him, knowing the depth of pleasure she would receive. Cobra had already proven that he was a giver, not a taker.
All rational thoughts fled her mind when she felt his finger trace along the edge of her red lace bra.
“May I?” he asked, making her realize he was waiting for her permission to proceed. The tip of his finger slowly began circling her nipples through her bra, and the lace material was no match for the feel of him. Nor were the desires building inside of her.
“Yes, you may,” she whispered on a moan.
He quickly unsnapped the front clasp of her bra, and she saw the heat that appeared in his eyes when he stared at her bare breasts. “They are beautiful, Desiree.”
That was something else neither Eddie nor Aimery had ever done—told her she was beautiful. “Thank you.” And she meant it, more than she could ever say.
***
Cobra licked his lips, then lowered his head to take a swollen nipple into his mouth and began sucking on it. He heard Desiree’s moan when he increased the pressure.
She had beautiful breasts. They were full and lush, the perfect size and shape.
When he had first seen her breasts covered in red lace, straining against the material of her bra, her nipples clearly erect, his arousal had surged.
But the moment he had seen them bare, an urgent need had gripped him, and it had taken every ounce of discipline he’d told her he had to hold himself in check.
After removing her bra and top and placing both aside, he cupped the breast in his hand and dipped his head to lick around the darkened nipple, doing swirling motions to it with his tongue before sucking the erect bud into his mouth.
At the same time, his other hand lightly caressed the soft skin of the other breast. He could tell she was enjoying herself by the way she arched her back, as if she was trying to shove the nipple deeper into his mouth.
He might not be getting any physical pleasure out of this, but his pleasure was knowing that she was and that he was the one giving it to her.
Cobra shifted his attention to the other breast, giving it the same time and affection.
He knew the moment she was about to climax.
Calling out his name, she reached up to grab hold of his shoulders, then began rocking her hips, as if seeking out what he couldn’t give her.
He decided to accommodate her in another way, by pressing the palm of his hand in the area between her legs.
She felt hot against the material of her pants
He quickly covered her mouth with his to silence her scream that erupted the moment he touched her there, but that didn’t stop her body from jerking profusely in his arms.
As it had on Saturday night, her orgasm seemed to go on and on. He didn’t mind—he wanted to give her as much pleasure as she could take. When she quieted, he broke off the kiss and looked down at her. She looked beautiful with her eyes closed, flushed face, and swollen lips.
She slowly opened her eyes, looked at him, and asked in a soft voice, “Why do you give me pleasure but not take any for yourself?”
He had known that question would come sooner or later. At least from her. Some women would not have given a damn. They were just as bad as some men. He reached down and gently stroked the side of her face. “Because you deserve it.”
“And you don’t?”
“Not yet. I want you to get to know me, Desiree.”
At that moment, he realized what he had just said was true.
He wanted her to know him the way he was starting to know himself.
Spending time with her was making him question everything he’d ever thought he wanted in a relationship with a woman.
Suddenly, the revolving door to his bedroom seemed cheap, and well, wrong.
Did he honestly want to return to that type of lifestyle?
From the very beginning, Desiree had been special.
She was nothing like the other women he’d been with.
His vow of celibacy had forced him to see, and to accept, that she was different—not a one-and-done type of woman.
Nor was she the type that he could toss aside when he’d had his fill.
She was one of those women a man looked for in a wife, one he’d love, respect, and honor. The kind he would take home to Mom.
He quickly pushed that notion out of his mind. He was getting ahead of himself. Instead, he told her the truth. “When the time is right, we will come together sexually, Desiree, and share pleasure as you’ve never felt before. I promise you.”
“I believe you, Cobra.”
He smiled. Her faith in his abilities touched him, and he lowered his head to kiss her again.
This time, it was a gentle kiss, intentionally so.
And as his lips touched hers, his mind—and his heart—filled with surprising emotions.
What was there between them? And what did he want from her?
Although he would miss seeing her over the next few days, he needed that time with his family and friends to put things into perspective.
“Your assistant is going to be wondering where you are. This is a longer lunch than you usually take, I’ll bet.” He stood with her in his arms and placed her on her feet.
“I’m not worried. I don’t have any meetings scheduled for this afternoon.”
He reached for her bra and top and helped her put them back on. That was another first. He had undressed a lot of women, but never once had he helped one put her clothes back on. “There’s a private bath down that hall if you would like to freshen up.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
He watched her walk away, admiring that red pantsuit and matching red pumps, while her hair flowed around her shoulders. He knew she’d been wearing a red bra and suspected she was wearing matching panties. Today, she was definitely the lady in red.
When unexpected emotions tugged at him, he concluded that he definitely needed this weekend away from her to think. There had to be a reason why, in such a short period of time, he had allowed Allison Desiree Sharpe to come to mean something to him.
***
Swiss Alps
“So, what do you think of it so far, Camille?”
Camille glanced up and smiled. “I think it’s wonderful, Dre. This might be your best play yet.”
She saw the smile that formed on his lips and knew her words had pleased him.
She had been honest about his work, and of all people, she should know.
He had written close to twenty-five plays in his lifetime, five of those when they’d been in high school, and she had acted in every single one of them.
“You’re not just saying that, are you?” he asked, coming into the room to sit across from her.
She tried not to stare at him. It seemed that the older he got, the more handsome he became.
He looked nothing at all like the tall, skinny fifteen-year-old she’d met that first day of school.
Now he was built like an athlete and turned feminine heads wherever he went.
However, to her, he would always be the boy next door. The one who had captured her heart.