Chapter 24
Things That Go Bump in the Night
“How about a poker rematch?” Quinn heard himself say.
And he was lucky he had enough brainpower to come up with that much.
He’d been out of his fucking mind the entire time she’d been gone, imagining things she might be doing with another man.
On a skate’s edge, watching, waiting in the formal room at the front of the house, anticipating the sweep of her headlights ever since his mom had gone to bed.
When he’d finally seen the yellow beams illuminating the long drive, he’d blown out a gust of relief.
The fact that it was only a little after eleven had made him relax even more.
From there, it had been a matter of beating feet back to the family room and arranging everything so it looked as though he’d been sitting there the whole time and couldn’t have cared less whether she was home or not.
And now that she was facing him in that purple top and jeans that caressed her curves?
He didn’t want to let her go. Playing poker with her wasn’t his top choice, but he’d settle for it.
Sarah perched one hand on her hip, her heels dangling in her other hand. “You’re ready for me to beat your ass again? You are a glutton for punishment.”
“Hardly. I’ve been holding back. Now I’m ready to take the gloves off and beat your cute little ass.”
Her head rocked back slightly. Yeah, he’d said it. But it was true—she did have a cute little ass. If she had a problem with it, she got over it, and soon they were seated at the coffee table. And she was beating him again.
“This is a stupid game.” He threw down his cards, fully aware how much he resembled a bratty five-year-old.
Sarah made a big show of collecting them, sass quirking her mouth and shining in her eyes. “Not so sure it’s the game, Sparky.”
She was probably right. His mind wasn’t on poker. At. All. He rose, intending to grab their empties. “Want more?”
“What? Beer or ass beating?” She rose too and parked her fists on her hips.
“You’re funny,” he chuffed. His eyes locked on hers. Dark green pools caught and reflected the light glowing from a table lamp. Shimmering, mesmerizing, pulling him into their depths. Green-gold fire glass. The most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.
Stop. Just stop. He tore his gaze from hers but didn’t move.
“Hey, are you okay?” Her voice drifted toward him, laced with concern but soft and musical at the same time.
So feminine. She took a step, then another, and reached up to brush her fingertips over his bicep.
Her touch electrified, and his hands shot out and cradled her face.
Astonishment flashed in those eyes, but she didn’t resist, and he took it as the invitation he was craving, pulling her mouth to his with urgency.
That one burst, that one swift movement, and the hunger that had been building up inside him uncoiled in a cascade.
His lips were on hers, moving, exploring, tasting.
He couldn’t recall a kiss that had ever started like this one, and it caught him by surprise.
She responded instantly, sweetness and tenderness on the surface, but beneath it ran an undercurrent of passion that he longed to delve into.
While his libido might be impulsive, his body was not.
He controlled it, leashed it on the ice and in the bedroom, but something more powerful was taking control of him, like a fast-moving wave about to swamp him.
When his tongue met hers, it took every fiber within him to hold himself back from the edge, to keep from plunging in.
More, more, more screamed in his brain as he froze on the brink of devouring her mouth.
Much as he wanted to lose himself, to plunder at will, one last tether held him back.
He tore his lips from hers and peered at her, his hands still holding her face, his breathing ragged. Wide hazel eyes peered right back, and her hands slid along his forearms. Her voice came out choked. “Why did you stop?”
Oh hell yes! Of all the things she could have said, she’d said what he wanted to hear … before he knew how desperately he’d wanted to hear it.
He tried to keep the shallow breaths from his voice, pausing to swallow. “Because I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to go down this road.” Because I won’t be able to stop myself. “Your brother won’t be happy.”
Her lips tipped up. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” she murmured. Her words rocketed to his already stiff cock.
The space between them became charged, as if an invisible microburst of energy pulsed, propelling them into one another.
He leaned in, and she matched him inch for inch as his gaze held hers.
When their lips touched, gently at first, he didn’t close his eyes—simply kept them trained on her face, every exquisite detail clear as he drank her in. Her skin was smooth, silky, flawless.
Her lips brushed his. “You’re staring,” she whispered.
“Because I can’t take my eyes off you.”
She pulled back with a giggle. “I bet that’s what you say to all the girls.”
Her words hit him like shards of ice, and for the first time in his life, he regretted the casual hookups that peppered his past. He shook his head. “No. I’ve never said that before in my entire fucking life.”
“Oh.”
He was still leaning, his face tilted so his mouth lined up with hers. With a boldness he didn’t feel, he said, “So are you gonna kiss me, or what?”
“You’re not afraid of my brother?”
“Fuck yeah, but he’s not here right now, and all I can think about is kissing you so you’ll shut the hell up.”
With a smirk, she snaked her arms around his shoulders and drew close. “Wow. You are the romantic one.” Her mouth teased his right before she sucked in his bottom lip and softly sank her teeth into it.
Goddamn! Time for gentle was over. He sealed her mouth with his, and she opened, inviting him ever deeper, slicking her tongue over his.
Within seconds, they were feasting on each other.
She gave as good as she got, and sweet Jesus, she tasted like something he could get addicted to.
Apples, cinnamon, wine, a trace of her fruity beer, and something sweetly and uniquely her.
Once again, control dissolved faster than sugar in boiling water.
Normally when he kissed a woman, he steered them where they’d go and how they’d get there.
But this was … He couldn’t keep a straight thought.
Tingles raced one after another through his body, each more powerful than the last. It was all primal sensation as he took in Sarah’s fragrance, the feel of her soft, wet mouth on his, the little mewling sounds at the back of her throat, and how her body molded itself against his like a custom-fit leather seat.
Kissing Sarah was like walking into a candy store and putting every possible flavor, every possible texture, every possible color in your mouth at once. An explosion. A kaleidoscope. A full-on, all-sensory experience.
Their tongues entwined and danced together. He swept her mouth, relishing the feel of her moist, warm depths. She pushed back, invading his mouth, and he gave himself over to her to pillage at will, losing himself while she took control of the kiss. Holy shit.
Her arms banded around his shoulders, her fingers plowed through his hair, and her body stretched and shaped itself to him.
Pillowy breasts pressed flush against his chest had his hands trembling in anticipation of touching, exploring, learning what made her gasp.
Fingers glided to her narrow waist, the top of her ass, caressing as he pictured her enticing dimples, before moving to cup her cheeks and yank her against his steely length.
He skimmed his hands upward, under the hem of her blouse, and his fingertips played across her smooth skin until they reached their target.
He cupped her breasts, strumming her beaded nipples through lace before working the material down and caressing her flesh.
Her nipples tightened into pearls he longed to roll around on his tongue and taste and tease and suck.
She let out a moan and dropped her hand between them, stroking him through his jeans.
An involuntary low groan rumbled through his chest, and a new thought muscled its way in. Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come.
Sarah was like no one he’d ever felt before.
All fire and raw passion, responsive to every touch and shift, chasing her pleasure even as she bestowed it.
She had him grinding against her hand like an eager teenager.
The dim realization dawned that if he didn’t get himself under control, he’d go up in flames. And he hadn’t even been inside her yet.
Reluctantly, he uncoupled his lips from hers.
He was swimming, gasping, and he needed to wrestle back the helm on this ship or he’d drown.
His hands still beneath her blouse, he stroked and kneaded, delighting in her soft contours while he trailed kisses down her silky neck, grazing her collarbone with his teeth.
She moved her hand from his swollen cock, gripped his shoulders, and dropped her head back with a sighing moan that had him wanting to sink his teeth into her throat.
Restraint was a thin, shredded curtain he took swipes at and fleetingly grasped.
He switched directions and licked a trail to her ear, where he nibbled and nipped her earlobe, trying to catch his breath.
Just as his hands were working her blouse up, the storm of the kiss ebbed for an instant, and she pulled back and stared up at him as if she’d just realized who the hell he was and what the hell he was doing to her.
He paused his fondling as he waited for a signal, a glimmer that she wanted him to keep going.
“Should I stop?” he panted. Say no, say no, say no.
“I don’t know. What are we doing?”
He dropped his forehead against hers. One corner of his mouth quirked. “You honestly don’t know?”