Chapter 43
FORTY-THREE
Derek knew Reese was waiting for him in his apartment.
He didn’t know she would be bent over looking over his shelves, wearing a tight black skirt that was hiking up snuggly between her bare legs, making him go hard in a nanosecond.
“Hi,” she called, still bent over, her hair falling to the left as she tilted her head, her sweater climbing on the opposite side, showing him her creamy flesh.
Derek was still flying high from the tape of Chatterton, and was still edgy and upset about Maddock’s hints that Reese might be taking advantage of him.
He knew that wasn’t true. He knew it. She wanted him.
All the time. The way he wanted her, with hot, wet, grinding desire that pushed out everything else but the need to touch, to feel, to connect together in pleasure.
Like now.
“Hi,” he said, coming up behind her rapidly.
He threw his keys on the couch, dropped to one knee and sucked on that ribbon of skin peeping out at him, his hand shoving her skirt up.
“Oh!” She let out a startled cry that quickly converted to a moan as his hand closed over her mound.
With his hand against her, he pulled her back to him until his mouth was touching her thighs, kissing, sucking, running his tongue up and down, along her inner thighs and the underside of her cheeks. She tasted so good, so feminine, like sucking on a peach.
The panties were lacy blue things, almost like short shorts, not tight against her skin at the leg, but loose. There was room to push the fabric aside, to run his tongue over her everywhere until she murmured something he couldn’t understand.
Pulling the panties down to her ankles, he stood up and said over her shoulder, “What’s that, Peaches? I didn’t hear you.”
“Nothing, nothing,” she said, propping herself up on the bookcase by locking her arms.
He ran his thumb over the front of her, finding her swollen nub, nudging against her backside with his cock, sandwiching her between his front and back strokes. A woman could fake an orgasm, but she could never fake being this wet, this ready for a man.
Derek dug in his pocket with his other hand, found a condom, and unzipped his fly.
When he needed both hands to put the condom in place, Reese cried out in a jagged voice, “What are you doing? Don’t stop!”
“Shh. I’ve got something better for you, Peaches.” He eased between her legs, nudging her with his cock, teasing them both by pressing lightly against her, then pulling back.
Reese bowed back, trying to take more of him. “More.”
That word ripped through him, shattered all thought of teasing, sent him raging forward in triumphant pleasure, his feeling for her suddenly clear, obvious, unmistakable.
He was falling in love with her.
He wanted her to feel the same.
He sank deep, holding onto her hips, pulling her back against him as he leaned forward, his chest against her back.
The layers of clothing between them added to his arousal.
He wanted to touch her, feel her, yet the only part of her body he could feel was deep inside, where she wrapped around him with hot, tight, trembling muscles.
Derek found her clit with his finger as he pulled back, thrusting into a hard, desperate rhythm. He took her fast, his finger working her as he sent himself careening out of control. He had never been so mindless during sex, so free of thoughts except for Reese, so completely in awe of her.
When she said, “Oh, Knight, I’m going to come,” in a soft, breathy, grateful voice, he knew he’d found perfection.
“So, come,” he told her, pausing for a quick second before thrusting again, sending her groaning into an orgasm, clawing at the bookcase, arching her back in the most beautiful, graceful way he’d ever seen.
That was all it took for him to join her, pressing his lips together to keep from howling like a dying dog, pumping into her, stroking long past his final shudder.
He didn’t want to leave her. Ever.
He wanted to stay together like this, simple, connected, content, for an eternity.
Reese made a mewing sound, her head resting on her arm, her upper half having dropped forward onto the bookcase.
In a lazy voice, she said, “Did you have a good day?”
“Pretty good.” He kissed her shoulder. He was being very greedy with her, very raw and demanding.
Usually he had more control.
But that wasn’t his strong suit when Reese was in the room.
“How about you?”
“Mmm. I went shopping with Claire. And fetched coffee at Delco the rest of the day. Exciting stuff.”
Derek brushed across her stomach under her sweater, not wanting to give up his hold on her, wanting to capture this moment of perfect quiet happiness and keep it.
But she patted him on the leg. “Okay, back it up, Knight.”
They both sighed when he pulled out of her. Reese turned around and kissed him, a soft gentle kiss that only contributed to his emotional turmoil. Turmoil was probably an understatement. He was a train wreck.
Reese was warring between wanting to kick Knight in the nuts and grab him for another round. Of course, it wasn’t his fault she was forgetting everything she had told herself for the last ten years and was falling for him like a dewy-eyed teenager.
Maybe this was fate catching up with her for never acting stupid over a guy in high school. Now she got to act like an idiot over Knight. Except at sixteen it was excusable. At twenty-six it wasn’t cute.
But all wasn’t lost. She hadn’t told him her feelings, hadn’t admitted anything other than that she enjoyed his company and his cock. He never had to know that she was falling in love with him.
There was no one who could tell him but her, and she wasn’t about to say that out loud.
But she needed to stop being so agreeable when it came to sex.
He snapped his fingers and she was having an orgasm.
He was that good. And her embarrassing jealousy over Dawn and the decade-old wedding photo on his dresser had made it all the more satisfying when he had walked into the apartment and wanted her instantly.
But now it was time for her to take the lead.
“Another ugly suit. You’ve got to stop wearing these.” She grabbed the jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. He had the most wonderfully muscular chest under there and she wanted to see it.
“Going to work isn’t a fashion statement for me.”
“Well, you’re home now so take it off.” She leaned back against the bookcase and smiled.
He was taking off the jacket, but he stopped and looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean take it off. Take it all off. I’ve only seen you totally naked once, you know. I don’t think that’s fair, so I want to watch you strip.”
“I can show you naked if you want. But I’m not stripping.”
She laughed at the indignant look on his face. “I don’t want you to do a full-blown Magic Mike routine. I just want to watch you get undressed.”
He wanted to argue, she could tell. But then, those warm rich chocolate eyes trained on her, he started to unbutton his shirt. Her mouth went dry in reaction. Her inner thighs had an equal and opposite reaction.
When he undid the last button, he didn’t play around, but just stripped the shirt off, his shoulders muscles rippling as he worked off the sleeves, dropping it to the floor.
Dammit. He had a T-shirt on under there.
Which he pulled over his head and tossed at her. It hit her in the chest and she fisted her hand in it. It was warm, soft cotton, and covered with his scent. She brought it to her nose and took a whiff, loving that deep, rich, guy smell that was so different from her own.
He had peeled off his socks after kicking off his shoes, and he was working open his belt, now. Reese wanted to grab that tuft of caramel hair above his waistband and tug. Haul him right on over to her where she could squeeze his pecs and pull his zipper down with her teeth.
The window behind her was open a foot, letting in a crisp fall breeze, rushing over her arms, raising goose bumps and setting her nipples on end in her sweater.
She shivered. Knight didn’t look the least bit cold. He looked hot. Really, really rock solid hot.
All he was missing was oil rubbed over his chest.
He took his pants off. Then his underwear.
Now she was warm. Whew. There was a five-alarm fire burning under her skirt and her sweater was suddenly too thick.
“Anything else you want me to do?” Knight asked, holding his arms up.
There were a lot of things she wanted him to do but it was her turn first.
“Just stand there.”
A bus lumbered by outside as Reese reached him. She was dropping to her knees to take him in her mouth when she heard Claire call out, “Hi! I’m home. What are you guys up to?”
The door slammed. Reese froze half bent, before recovering herself to step in front of Knight, attempting to block him from Claire’s view.
Knight made a choking, strangled sound.
Claire screamed. “Ohmigod. Oh, shit, Derek!” She closed her eyes tight and clutched her hands in front of them. “Yuck, yuck, I think I burned out my retinas! Why don’t you guys put a note on the door or something?”
Knight’s cheeks were a dusky red, in what Reese thought was the closest she was ever going to see him to a blush. He bent over and tugged on his pants without underwear and hastily zipped them up. “A sign on the door that says what?”
He backed up towards his bedroom, swiping the rest of his clothes off the floor. “You can open your eyes now.”
“How about a sign that says Do Not Disturb?” Claire popped one eye open and peered through her fingers, like she didn’t trust what she might see.
“This isn’t a hotel. So I guess if you’re going to live here we’ll have to make some adjustments.”
“Oh, didn’t Reese tell you? I guess you were too preoccupied. She and I found a sublet together. We move in on Friday and have it for three months. Cool, huh?”
Knight didn’t look like he thought it was cool. His jaw dropped, he shot Reese a frown, then stepped the final step back into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.
“Well, that was really embarrassing,” Claire said, tossing her hair back and dumping her purse on the couch. “Don’t you think?”
“Actually, I’m fine.” Unlike Knight, she still had her clothes on. If you didn’t count her panties, which were lying on the floor by the bookcase, but hopefully they weren’t noticeable. Now if Claire had walked in a minute later…that might have been embarrassing.
Reese sat down on the ivory couch next to Claire. It was another piece of furniture she wouldn’t have thought was Knight’s style. Curious, she asked Claire, “Did your brother pick out all this furniture? This isn’t as dated as his suits, if you know what I mean.”
Claire made a face. “Dawn picked this stuff out. When she left, she said Derek could have it, because she just wanted to move forward or something bitchy like that.”
She should have known. The couch was kind of ugly. And lumpy. What was that thing poking her in the butt?
Annoyed, she stood up.
“I’ll be right back, Claire.” She headed for the bedroom.
“Oh, take your time. I’ll just turn up the TV really loud.” Reese laughed and opened Knight’s bedroom door.
He was standing by the bed zipping up his jeans. He looked at her in alarm. “Don’t touch me, Reese.”
“What? Calm down.”
“I’m serious.” He held out his hand. “If you touch me, I’m not responsible for my actions and I really don’t want to fuck you with my sister in the next room.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not here to bang you. I wanted to talk to you about me moving in with Claire.”
He ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up. “Yeah, what exactly is that all about?”
“Well, I couldn’t afford to stay in the hotel for who knew how long. And Claire needed a roommate for the sublet for three months, which will give her time to find an apartment on her own. So it works out for everyone.”
His expression was unreadable. “You could have stayed with me, you know. ”
Yeah, if she wanted to completely fall in love with him. No thanks.
“I didn’t think that was a good idea.” She wouldn’t be able to see him yawning out of sleep each morning, brushing his teeth and smiling at her over coffee and not want to just fling herself in his arms and beg him to let her stay permanently.
That was a struggle she could do without, when he so kindly explained that she was great in the short-term but she annoyed him too much for the long haul. It would be hard enough to spend the next three days with him.
“I thought it would be presumptuous.”
He still wasn’t saying anything. She added, “So is it okay though, if I stay here until Friday?”
“Sure.” He shrugged and reached for a pair of gym shoes. “Have you eaten dinner? Want to go for pizza?”
That was it? Sure. Sure, she could stay with him. She hadn’t asked him to water her plants for her, she had asked him if she could live with him. For only three days, but still. This was a big deal.
This would push their relationship into a whole different realm. They would be sharing a bathroom, and all he could say was sure?
So much for being in control. She suddenly felt like she’d been dangled over a cliff and shaken hard.
But if Knight could do nonchalance, so could she. “A pizza? Sounds good. Just let me get my underwear.”