Chapter 7
7
R AIN
He jerks me around the corner and shoves me into his bedroom before slamming the door closed.
For a moment, I don’t even know whether I’m alone or not.
A soft rustle falls in my ears as he moves closer and gently touches my arm.
My breath catches. It’s not what I expected.
His fingers move over my skin before freeing my wrists. I swiftly bring my hands to my blindfolded eyes.
“Not so fast, sweetheart,” he says, pivoting in front of me while cuffing my wrists with his fingers.
Gently, he places my palms on his chest.
Shallow breaths escape my lips.
The thought that he’s right here in front of me, watching me, makes my heart throb in my throat.
Slowly, I move my hands over his muscular shoulders and chiseled pecs before sliding them up to his corded neck.
My fingers move over his face, learning every line as I envision him... drinking me in.
Tenderly, I sweep my fingertips over his lashes.
He closes his eyes.
A smile tugs at my lips.
My fingers thread through his soft, thick hair before moving down his jawline and across his lips.
His smile broadens beneath my touch.
Affectionately, I cup his cheek.
“James... Sexton,” I murmur, drifting into a trance.
He tenses up.
Is he surprised?
“You know who I am?”
“I know, now... Someone has warned me about you,” I say, running my thumb across his lips.
“For real?”
A grin spreads across his lips.
“Mm-hmm... I was told you were a dangerous man.”
“Do you believe that?”
Slowly, I shake my head.
“You may be... but not to me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I don’t know much about anything...” I murmur, closing the sliver of space between us.
A soft gasp leaves my lips as I press my body into his frame and enjoy the pleasure zapping through my blood.
The sheer fabric of my tunic is hardly a barrier for us.
I feel everything from the bumps and smoothness of his muscles to the ridge of his erection straining hard against his jeans.
My bra-encased breasts meet his chiseled torso as he drapes his arms around me, spurring heat across my skin.
He’s like a summer storm.
Hot, steamy, and dark at times...
Even frightening, perhaps.
Breathing slowly, I indulge in this fantastic feeling.
A moment passes as I gently knead his neck, push up on my toes, tilt my face up, and pull him closer before breathing over his lips.
“I want you to teach me, James...” I whisper.
He tenses, his erection stirring, a long exhale leaving his lips. Turned to stone as if mulling over something, he fleetingly hesitates before slipping his hand inside my top and tenderly moving it up my spine.
Goosebumps dot my skin, my nipples hard against his chest.
I wish he unfastened my bra to free my breasts, yet his hand goes still.
“I’m not the man for that...” he says in a quiet, gravelly voice.
“How can you tell if you’re not even trying?”
“I know more than you do.”
Stroking his lips with my fingers, I smile.
“Then you must know… I’m perfect for you,” I say, slowly tilting my face up again while his lips move closer to my mouth.
Cuffing his neck, I breathe into him, my nostrils flaring with pleasure as I inhale his masculine scent.
“I want you, James,” I murmur against his lips.
He gets warm, his muscles hard like rocks.
Our lips connect as I tenderly kiss him––a soft touch, like tasting exquisite wine.
I take a breath and kiss him again. He opens his lips this time and kisses me back.
“Mmm...” I moan as our tongues connect into a sensual dance, pleasurable sensations cascading through me.
A soft pulse throbs between my legs.
“Oh, my...” I whisper.
I hold on to him as he slides his tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss.
My skin vibrates with pleasure, my center tingling like he’s entered me.
Clenching my thighs, I relish the sensation––the throbbing flesh, engorged flesh, and slick wetness––while longing for that to be true.
Quickly reaching a pleasurable high, I fuel his hunger by pressing myself into his groin and trembling––showing him how delighted I am.
He’s hard, thick, big, and eager to pound me.
Heaving and quivering, I run my fingers down his torso, anxious to fill my hand with him.
He breaks the kiss and steps back, stopping me at once.
I stagger back as well, my hands clawing at the air.
“James?”
A whooshing sound comes to me first before his firm touch lands on my hand, and he leads me to a different room.
Cold tiles pave the floor. We’re in the bathroom.
He connects my hand to the sink and turns the faucet on.
“Don’t move,” he barks, letting go of me.
My head swivels as new sounds register with me––a cabinet door opening and closing and a glass bottle clinking against the porcelain sink.
He rolls up my sleeve and cleans my wound before disinfecting my skin, the cold sensation morphing into a painful sting.
“Ouch... It hurts.”
“You could’ve stayed home,” he tosses at me in a rude tone.
Promptly, I go silent.
He slips his hands inside my top, rolls it all up, and takes it off. Hard as steel, my nipples revolt inside my lace-trimmed bra.
I freeze and wait, unable to tell what his silence means.
Self-conscious, I cross my arms over my chest, though.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he says calmly.
“Why do I still have the blindfold on?”
“I’m more comfortable that way,” he says, surprising me.
“You’re more comfortable that way?” I scoff at him.
“Uh-huh,” he says, unfazed.
“Are you eyeing me?”
“I don’t need to. You made sure your top covered nothing.”
I hear the rustle of his clothes as he pulls away from me, heading to the door.
“Don’t take it off,” he barks from the bedroom.
Moments later, his footsteps move back to me.
“Here,” he says, plopping a stack of clothes into my arms. “You’ve got a T-shirt and shorts that are not even close to your size but good enough to sleep in. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I pivot toward him as his voice seems to move away from me and grab his arm.
“Hey. Where are you going?” I ask.
“I’m going to sleep.”
“Where?”
“There are other bedrooms.”
“You can sleep here.”
“No, I can’t. And you know it,” he throws at me, irritation growing in his voice.
“I won’t touch you.”
“It’s not you I’m afraid of.”
“Why does it have to be your bed? I can sleep somewhere else.”
“Nobody enters my bedroom. It’s safer that way,” he says firmly.
“Okay,” I murmur, visibly disappointed.
“I’m going to lock the door,” he says.
“Why?”
“To make sure you’re not roaming around.”
“I’m not... roaming around,” I comment, amused. “What if I need something?”
“My cell number is in your phone’s address book, and you can call me or text me. I’m one door over.”
Unexpectedly, he kisses my cheek, barely touching the corner of my mouth, and walks away, my blindfold still on.
* * *
JAMES
I leave my bedroom, lock the door, take a deep breath, and adjust my aching erection.
Half decent, I walk into the living room and head straight for the bar. I pour myself a double shot of whiskey and gulp it down.
Ed swivels his head to me.
“Is it that good? Or is it that bad?” he asks, grinning.
“Both, but she’s mostly good. I might need to go back to Red’s,” I say, fishing out a cigarette from the pack sitting on the table.
They laugh in response.
I grab my drink and join them on the terrace.
“The woman is a tease,” I mumble, crashing into a chair.
Their eyes flick at me.
A smirk pushes to my lips.
“And she’s so fucking stubborn,” I say.
“She’s got the itch,” Lex mutters as if harboring mixed feelings about Rain Morgan.
“This is more than the itch. It’s in her blood. She doesn’t know it right now, but just wait a couple of years, and she’ll have men blowing their brains out for her. A long line of suckers will be waiting to get their hearts broken. For now, I don’t want to give her what she wants. If I do, she’ll chase me down like a mad dog.”
The laughs around the table rip into the silence.
“I have no problem taking care of her,” Ed says, a smile creasing his lips.
“Me neither,” Lex chimes in.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. She came all the way here from her home in the middle of the night on a fucking bicycle. Can you imagine the kind of determination she’ll have if she gets what she wants?”
“I’m sure you’ve already taken care of that,” Ed says, lifting his glass to his lips.
“Taken care of what?”
“Didn’t you just give her a taste of it? You’ve spent like thirty minutes with her in your bedroom.”
“Are you keeping track now?” I joke. “I didn’t give her a taste of anything.”
“What did you do then?” Lex asks.
“Nothing...” I say.
The place is silent for a moment, the water rippling softly near us, the moon shining down on us.
“Kissing,” I add quietly, a slow smile curving my lips.
“Oh.”
Their collective howl hovers over the terrace.
“Shut up, assholes. She can hear us,” I say, laughing.
“Fucking James Sexton... kissing a girl . The world just turned on its head,” Ed murmurs.
“How come she didn’t ask for more?” Lex asks, his eyes glinting with a smile.
“If it were up to her, I’d fuck her right now, but I know better than that,” I say, threading my fingers through my hair.
“Can we?” Lex murmurs.
Silence sits with us for a few long moments as they wait for my response, smirks clinging to their lips.
I take a long drag and blow the smoke up, studying their eyes.
“Nobody touches her before I do, or I’ll break your necks,” I say, and we all laugh.
“Cheers to that. James Sexton is back,” Lex says, raising his glass to his lips.