Chapter 5
Noah studied her face to see her reaction to his rough command. He needed to know how well she responded to demands. How far he could push before her walls went up.
Because she had walls. Hell, her body practically screamed their presence. She was here to fight her own demons. There were too many shadows in her eyes for that not to be the case. His every sense screamed at him to go slow.
Which was proving to be a living hell as her sexuality and sexiness called to him from a level he hadn’t experienced since the time he’d been introduced to the edgier, more rewarding side of sex on his twenty-first birthday.
He glanced down at the belt holding her in place, and his blood roared through his veins. The memory of her ass pressed against his groin when the plane had bucked around them, added to the fire spreading through him.
He sucked in a controlling breath as her thighs parted in answer to his demand. He waited for the gap to widen enough before he positioned himself between them. He’d have to loosen her seatbelt for the juncture of her thighs to become flush against his desperately hard cock.
Deciding to forgo that pleasure for the moment, he let her stay put. Seeing her pinned against the chair was enough for now. Besides, his hands on her thighs were firing up enough pleasure through him to threaten his steel-hard erection to breaking point.
And they were yet to kiss.
Angling his head toward her, he brought his mouth within brushing distance of hers. “Taste me. Now.”
The couple engaged in cunnilingus were getting louder. The guy uttered a filthy instruction, and Leia swallowed, another blush creeping into her cheeks.
That persistent sign of innocence sent a trace of caution through him. He pulled back. “How old are you, Leia?”
One perfectly curved eyebrow lifted at the question. “Won’t your mother be even more ashamed to hear you asking a woman her age? How old are you ?”
His jaw tightened. “My mother’s not here, and I’m thirty-one. Answer the question.”
She glared at him, her luscious lips pursing. “I’m twenty-three.”
Noah closed his eyes and breathed deep.
She was more than old enough to do whatever the hell she wanted with whomever she chose. At the same age, he’d been indulging in ways that would’ve shocked most people. Ways he’d had to abandon when he’d met Ashley.
But Leia was blushing at what was happening a few feet away, which spelled out her innocence loud and clear. And it wasn’t just the blushes that made him pause.
Granted, this place was unique enough to induce a few blushes. But her reaction to touching him earlier and the panic he’d seen in her eyes tweaked a few more alarm bells.
“Why are you here, Leia?”
“Excuse me? Isn’t it obvious?”
“I thought it was, but now I’m not so sure.”
Her face tightened. “What makes you say that?”
“You blush at the drop of a hat or at the sound of a simple moan. Your eyes widen every time I say fuck . There it is again.”
“Maybe I’m not used to hearing men swear as frequently as you do.”
“No, baby. That’s not it. It’s not the word. It’s the image it evokes for you. Am I right?”
Her nostrils flared. “I thought we were going to kiss, not dissect my reactions.”
“Oh, we are. Very thoroughly. But not just yet.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and Noah nearly lost it. “Why not?”
“Because I want you to tell me what you’re doing here first.”
Stormy grey eyes met his with a mixture of anger and arousal. “What does it matter? I’m here for the same reason you are.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I sincerely doubt that.”
“Why are you here then? If not to… fuck, then why?” Another fierce blush swept over her face.
The couple grew even louder. Gagging sounds filled the hallway as the guy pushed himself all the way into his partner’s mouth. Leia’s lashes fluttered, a giveaway that she was nervous. And turned on.
The plane jerked again, and Noah’s grip tightened. She sucked in a sharp breath, and he froze.
Hell . Deliberately, he dug his fingers deeper, enough to cause pain. He watched her face. Waiting for the reaction that would force him to back off.
Her mouth dropped open, her breath fractured and her pupils dilated.
Jesus. No.
Surely she wasn’t the one? Not this half-innocent with the tight body that screamed at his senses to make her his in every possible way?
The thought that he could break her and force her beyond her comfort zone surged to the front of his mind, starting an uncomfortable tingling in his hands that made him loosen his grasp.
He could take it slow, start with a kiss and see where it took them. But at what cost?
He had too many demons of his own to fight without taking on someone else’s. He looked into her eyes, felt himself begin to drown again and shook himself.
“I’m here to fuck, yes. But I won’t be fucking you.” He smashed down the regret biting hard inside him and started to rise to his feet.
Long nails dug into his arms. “Wait.”
Noah barely stopped from growling at the poker-hot sensation that rolled from his brain to his groin. “You’re playing with fire, baby.”
“You don’t know me. You’re making assumptions based on the fact that I blush easily. Big deal. I’m not a child, so don’t treat me like one.” Her voice was much stronger than it had been moments ago. Anger and steel blended in the husky depths. But he also heard confusion.
He wanted to tell her it wasn’t her. That it was him.
He was the one who was fucked up. He was the one who couldn’t take another vanilla lay without wanting to roar his frustration to the heavens.
He was the one who needed darker, edgier sex to curb the hunger riding him.
The one who had to have it before he felt he could breathe again.
“Leia—”
“We connected. I know we did. I didn’t imagine it.
” Her thumbs searched and found his wrists and the hot pulse beating there, and a small, very smug smile curved her lips.
“Your pulse is racing almost as fast as mine. You want me. Badly.” Her gaze dropped to the hard cock straining behind his zipper; the hard cock demanding attention, which Noah had no choice but to deny.
Her bold stare stayed fixed on the bulge for so long, he imagined he could feel its caress along his rigid length.
“Oh God, that’s it, suck me like that. Suck it hard, darling. Oh! Fuck, yes!”
The hoarse shout from two seats away held them still as the guy lost it completely. Leia’s nails dug deeper and flames burned through his groin.
“I could do that for you. I can do that to you,” she whispered, her voice quivering a little.
Christ .
“That’s not the problem, sweetheart.”
She froze. “Then what the hell is?”
“The problem is once I get a taste of you, I seriously doubt I’ll let you walk away anytime soon.”
“Okay. I can see how that could be a problem for you.”
His mouth twitched. She had sass. He liked that. But not enough for him to overlook a whole load of other warnings.
“But isn’t that the point of this trip? Indulge and walk away after seven days?”
He shook his head. “I have specific needs, baby. And I don’t have time to train you to cater to them.”
“You think I don’t like the word fuck ? What about asshole ?” she suggested mildly, her eyes dark with anger.
His hands, which he’d never quite managed to pry off her legs, tightened. “Watch it.”
She shrugged. “Make me understand. Three minutes ago, you were dying for me to kiss you too. Now you’re walking away? Is there a male equivalent of a cock tease? Because you’re the definition.”
The label rubbed him the wrong way. He’d met a few cock teasers in his time, women who thought they’d string him along to keep him interested for longer. They’d joined his CFR list long before he’d coined the actual term.
The seatbelt light pinged off.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve made it through the small weather disturbance and we hope the turbulence wasn’t too rough for you. Please feel free to return to your previous activities .
She glanced down at her belt but made no move to free herself from it. Her eyes returned to his, waiting for his answer.
Noah swallowed and tried to arrange his thoughts. “The things I want to do to you, do with you?—”
“Tell me,” she demanded.
“No. You think you can handle it, but you can’t.”
“Wow, you are pretty full of yourself, aren’t you?”
Her hands dropped from his arms, her thumbs releasing their pressure against his pulse. He missed them badly.
She pressed the button on her belt and it fell free. She started to get up.
“Wait.”
“No. I think you’ve made your feelings pretty clear.”
His throat squeezed, the idea of letting her go suddenly unthinkable. “Look, I didn’t mean to string you along. I’m not that kind of guy.”
She cleared her throat, and her mouth lifted and fell in a quick smile. “It’s fine. I’m not what you want. No hard feelings. Let me go, please.”
Words clashed in his head, and emotions crashed through him that he couldn’t name.
She started to lean forward, to rise. Her breath washed over his chin, her scent engulfing him. That drowning sensation plunged him deep again.
“Shit.”
Cupping her face in his hands, he slanted his mouth over hers before she could get up and walk away. One taste, he told himself. One taste and he’d let her go.
She tasted like fucking heaven. Warm, firm and luscious, her mouth melted beneath his, welcomed him with a sigh that snagged on his senses. Jesus, she tasted like all his favorite things condensed into one delectable package. Soft, intoxicating?—
She bit him. Hard.
He jerked back, his pulse tripping over itself in shock. The faint, distinctly acid taste of blood coated his tongue. Reeling, he touched a finger to his mouth. It came away with a spot of bright red.
He stared at her, and she returned his look, grey eyes bold and unwavering.
Certainty crashed through like a clap of thunder.
“Fuck, baby, you just sealed your fate.”
Wide eyes dropped to the cut on his lip and flew back to his. She swallowed. “I didn’t mean?—”
“Yes, you did. You know exactly what you do to me. Which is why I’m keeping you, baby. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”