CHAPTER 12
Robert stared into her chocolate brown eyes, trying to harness his craving to taste those plump pink lips, tempting him to kiss them again and again. He cupped her cheek. “You’re so damn pretty,” he said under his breath, not fathoming why he’d thrown a curse in with a compliment.
She bit her lip, which made the head honcho in his pants flex. “Your turn,” she said. “I have a question.”
Shit. He dropped his hand from her face. “What do you want to know?” he asked.
“On the phone the other night, you mentioned you weren’t sleeping well. You seemed to have ... something on your mind. What’s bothering you?”
He relaxed back into the cushion and looked down at their hands, carefully fastening his fingers between hers. “My last mission went ... sideways,” he said. “I keep replaying it in my mind, wondering if I could’ve done something different to prevent...” he cut himself off.
“To prevent what?” she prompted.
“I really can’t talk about it.”
“Oh no. You’re not getting off that easy.”
He smirked, pulling her closer. “You’re a pretty good interrogator. You know that?” He cupped the side of her face again and went in for a kiss, but she resisted.
“You’re trying to distract me.” She saw right through him. “You can’t talk about it, or you don’t want to?” she asked.
He wanted to open up to her, but he’d buried this too deep to be dug up and rehashed. And definitely not now, not tonight. He glanced at her lips before meeting her eyes. “Both,” he replied in a hushed tone.
Lainey heard the seriousness in his response, telling her now was not the time.
She felt him slightly tug at her, testing to see if she’d resist again. This time, she didn’t. She sank into the kiss, which began with a soft sweep of his tongue, then hers over his bottom lip.
A giddy rush went straight to her neither region, and her hoo ha’s wish to be present for this part of the conversation, or lack thereof, took over.
She ramped up their kiss, nibbling and licking faster as she swung her leg over. Straddling him, he took the cue, burrowing his fingers possessively through her hair, pulling her closer, delving his tongue deeper into her mouth.
She gave it right back, digging her fingers into the back of his neck. The throbbing sensation between her legs involuntarily started grinding against the swell in his jeans.
What was she doing? This wasn’t the plan. She broke their kiss and went to her knees on the floor before him. She yanked up the tail of his shirt and began kissing, and grazing her tongue over the solid ab muscles she found beneath.
Why do I lose all willpower with this man?
He rapidly removed his own shirt and tossed it to the side, revealing more muscles, more tattoos, more of what drove her wild.
That’s why, her brain said, answering its own question.
She went back to work tasting, kissing, exploring. He tangled his fingers around the back of her head, weaving them softly through her hair.
Fuck. Robert internalized on an exhale. As she worked her lips up and down his torso, he caught glimpses of her cleavage when she moved in just the right spot for him to look down her blouse.
He wanted to bury his head in them, but held back from grabbing one, not wanting to spook her.
He was determined to let her drive until she handed over the keys.
He couldn’t predict if she’d unbuckle his pants and suck him off or come back up to his mouth, placing her tits within reach. He settled in, determined to enjoy the ride whichever way she went.
He watched those pink lips brush along his skin, her tongue wetting their path.
A loud chirp noise had them both take notice. “Do you have a kitchen timer that just went off?” he asked.
She shook her head. They listened. Nothing. He focused back on her, and she was about to pick up where her tongue left off. But, Chirp.
They peered at each other, questioning if either knew what it was. Chirp, again. This time, Robert saw recognition on Lainey’s face.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” she said, rising to her feet.
“What is it?” he asked, standing up himself. He was ready to smash and destroy whatever it was. He didn’t appreciate the interruption, just as she was serving up dessert.
Chirp, again. He followed her towards the source. The culprit was in the dining room. A smoke detector indicating it had a low battery.
Lainey let out a sigh, rubbing her brow. “It’s going to continue to beep until I change the battery.” She marched into the kitchen. “I’m really sorry. I can’t believe this? It’s weird, right?” She said, rummaging through a drawer for a double A.
Robert pulled a chair from the table and stood on top to remove the alarm’s cover. He wasn’t sure exactly what she thought was weird? He didn’t reply and pulled the old battery, replacing it with the new one she handed up to him.
The gorgeous shirtless man standing on a chair in her dining room didn’t go unnoticed, but only an hour ago she had the wild notion Geoff from beyond was spoiling the one night she was entertaining a male guest.
And of all things to disrupt the hot and heavy moment, it was a chirping smoke alarm. Really? Really Geoff? She knew it was preposterous, but still ironic to say the least. Maybe this was a sign, not only to slow things down, but stop.
Somehow, when left alone with Robert for any length of time, she transformed into this feral creature that couldn’t keep her hands off him.
He raised his arms to place the cover back on. For goodness’ sakes, she thought, gazing up at his sculpted pecs and the rest of his Michelangelo carved torso. How in a million years did she convince this attractive man to come over to her house or even have any interest in her?
She felt like she was Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in the old movie Shallow Hal, and Robert must have been hypnotized to see ugly women as beautiful.
“Thank you,” she said as he stepped down and pushed the chair back against the table. “I’m going to have Mac change the rest out when he’s here next.”
“Who’s Mac?”
“He’s an old friend of Geoff’s that does odds and ends around here for Viv and me.” Before Robert could say anything, she asked, “Do you want another beer or should we call it a night?”
She turned to walk back to the kitchen, but he caught her arm, pulling her back to him. He crippled her with a kiss, enveloping her within his magnificent arms.
Only when she allowed herself to soften, giving in to his hungry mouth, did he release her lips. “I’m not ready to say goodbye yet,” he said rough and dangerous, triggering the untamed, provocative side of her to come out again.
She draped her arms over his shoulders, raising on her tiptoes to take his mouth again. At the invitation, he picked her up and gently sat her on the hardwood table.
He tugged at her blouse. “Take this off,” he whispered. She obeyed instantly, but her blouse caught on her earring. Fortunately, she was able to untangle it quickly and resume their intense lip and tongue dance.
He reached behind her back and with one try magically unclasped her bra. She didn’t realize what had happened until she felt the straps loosen off her shoulders. This guy was a pro, and she was definitely in over her head. He helped the lace fabric the rest of the way off, dropping it to the side.
He pressed her back against the tabletop, moving his tongue from her mouth to her neck. As her bare back relaxed against the cool wood, she got a whiff of the lemon furniture polish she’d wiped it with earlier that day.
She petted the nape of his neck. The back of his head felt like the velour upholstery of her grandparents’ old Buick she loved when she was a kid.
She felt his tongue go to her nipple as he caressed her other with his hand. Holy shit, this is happening. She blinked her eyes open to find the chandelier hanging directly above her head. She’d originally planned to serve him dinner in the dining room. But not HER.
Enclosing his mouth around her other breast and sucking her nipple, he unbuttoned her jeans with precision. The man knew what he was doing.
His hand grazed over her little hair patch on the way to the natural slit God gave her.
He found the perfect point to create a marvelous sensation.
She gasped a moan, and he trapped her next breath with a kiss.
His tongue tangled with hers as he sank a finger inside her.
Again she gasped. It’d been a long time since she’d experienced anything like this.
Come to think of it, she’d experienced nothing like this before.
He removed his hand from her and broke away from her lips only to yank her jeans completely off. Her panties followed.
Now fully naked, feeling the cool air on her skin, she looked to his expression to confirm her insecurity. Instead, he smirked with pure male gratitude. “You’re so damn beautiful,” he said.
Okay, I’m dreaming. This can’t be real.
He dropped to his knees and slid her to the edge of the table, plunging his tongue into her. Immediately, her thighs compressed around his head. It was far more effective than being pinched.
Nope. This IS real. NOT dreaming.
He lapped at her crevice as he stroked two fingers in and out of her.
Tremors in her legs began. She couldn’t take the wet, heated sensations his mouth was providing. Her toes curled. “Rob..Rob..Robert!” she cried as a wave of ecstasy crashed over her. He rose, and she heard the jingle of his belt buckle.
She was still riding the tide, but wanted him inside her. “Do you have a condom?” she breathed out, hearing the desperation in her own voice.
He chuckled, “A good soldier always packs a raincoat.”
She heard plastic rip apart.
His large frame towered over her, and she couldn’t look, embarrassed he’d catch her staring.
He pushed apart her knees. She squeezed her eyes closed, but when he thrust into her, they snapped open.
He paused a moment, allowing her to catch her breath and acclimate to his size. He began with long, slow strokes, granting her the pleasure of feeling every inch of him.
He leaned over, taking her breast with his lips as he picked up the tempo. Lainey’s fingers clung to the back of his huge shoulders. He felt so good inside and out.
“You feel so fucking good,” he panted out, moving his mouth to her other breast. Evidently, the feeling was mutual.
He lifted himself away. “Don’t move,” he said, pulling out of her. She heard him kick off his boots and remove his jeans the rest of the way. Then she felt his calloused hands pull her ankles to the back of his waist. He swiftly glided into her again. Her breath caught.
Now with no clothing impeding his movements, his rhythm gained speed, and she felt herself climbing another apex. She shifted her legs from around him, resting her calves on his shoulders, pointing her toes at the ceiling.
He went to a standing position, gripping her quads, hammering into her harder. She tucked her feet behind his ears, digging the tops of her pedicure into the back of his head, brushing against the velveteen sensation of his hair.
The table was solid, not giving way to the stress they were giving it. She was fairly certain it was American made.
“Damn,” he exhaled. “I’m ready to pop off, but I don’t want to yet,” he said, halting his movements.
“Come here.” He swung her legs around his waist. “Hang on to me,” he said, placing her arms over his shoulders.
She complied. He cradled her ass cheeks with his warm palms, lifting her as if she weighed nothing.
Taking their bodies to the wall beside the china cabinet, he pressed her back against it.
Clinging with her legs around his waist, her arms tightly encompassed his neck. He began slowly, shoving himself deep, then deeper inside her, making sure she felt all of him.
The sensation was sending her to the edge.
She started to crumble and lose her grip, but his iron frame held her steady to the wall with a firm grasp on her thighs.
He started licking and sucking her neck, ramming her with more vigor.
She could hear her grandma’s antique dishes clinking in the cabinet faster and faster, until she couldn’t hold out. “Yesss!” she screamed.
Not thinking it was possible, he accelerated his speed even more. She thought any second the glassware in the case would shatter, but she couldn't care less as she rode out the cataclysm of her climax.
Then she heard him moan deep within his chest, giving her one final thrust to the hilt, coming undone himself.
Resting their slick foreheads against one another, they took a moment coming down from their shared high, catching their breath along the way. He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth and released her legs to fall to the floor. “Where’s your bathroom?” he asked, out of breath.
She realized this man had learned his way around her vagina before her house. “Down the hall, first door on your left.”
He disappeared, and she examined the aftermath of their clothes strewn throughout the dining room. She quickly located her panties and put them on, then her blouse.
He appeared again, fully and spectacularly nude. She was stunned with appreciation at the sight, taking in the scars she hadn’t noticed beyond the tattoos until now.
“I need some ice water,” he announced, passing through to help himself in the kitchen. He was like a Greek god strolling past her.
She’d forgotten how next level an orgasm given by a man was, instead of by other mechanical means. And this magic handed majestic male had given her two back to back.
If somehow Geoff was aware of what was happening in his house, he’d witnessed what he’d never been able to accomplish. She felt a pang of guilt with that thought.
She wanted to ask Robert to stay the night, but didn’t know how or even how to act at this point. Her head was still buzzing from the ecstasy.
Thank God he’d taken charge in the dining room. She’s not sure she would’ve had the courage to go all the way if she’d been in charge of this evening’s agenda. She might have missed out on the mind-blowing sex he’d just given her.
She gathered his pants and boxers and draped them over a chair. He came back as she was sliding a leg into her jeans. He stopped her. “I don’t want you dressed yet.”
He was so bossy, but she liked it. It was easier for her to pretend she had no choice and to obey. “You don’t?” She asked with curiosity in her voice.
He put his arms around her and lightly kissed her cheek. She felt his breath next to her ear. “No,” he whispered. “The things I wanna do now, require a bed...” his lips grazed the skin of her neck, “...and absolutely no clothes.”