Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
She didn’t have time to second-guess herself.
Rush Callahan kissed like he had all night and no intention of rushing through a single moment.
His mouth moved lazily over hers, seeming to savor each slow slide of their lips.
He took his time sampling the corners of her mouth, kissing her top lip, and pulling her bottom lip gently between his teeth, drawing a groan from her when it turned deep and wet.
The last of her nerves went up in smoke. His mouth was sure and gentle, his tongue stroking hers until she melted beneath him.
She wasn’t nervous anymore. She was ravenous.
Her fingers curled against his skin, her body tilting into his without conscious thought.
It took her a minute to gather her words, deep as she was in the sensations of pleasure and the erotic touch of his tongue and teeth on her neck.
She stroked her thumbs hesitantly over his ribs and felt him shudder.
“I like everything you do to me,” she breathed.
When he finally lifted his head, his thumb traced gently over her lower lip, pulling the tender skin down while he watched, his eyes heavy with desire.
“God, your mouth,” he murmured roughly. “I fucking love your mouth.” He pulled back and looked her over hotly, and Lily knew he liked what he saw by the way he lingered on her before meeting her gaze.
He slid his hands down her waist, gripping her hips and spreading his hands wide until his thumbs met at the top of her mound and then held still.
“Tell me what you want, Lily,” he murmured in that voice of his that was more of a rough command than a polite request. It slid over her skin like honey, melting away any lingering shyness and making her limbs heavy with anticipation.
She thought for a minute, knowing her face was turning bright pink—she couldn’t help that—but also that she was more turned on than she’d ever been in her life.
“I want to touch you,” she said shyly.
A slow, lazy smile spread across Rush’s face as he leaned back, stacking the pillows behind him and folding his hands behind his head. “I’m all yours, darlin’,” he drawled, the faint Southern accent sending a ripple of warmth through her body.
Excitement sparked again, hot and urgent. Lily rose up onto her knees, shifting forward to straddle his hips. She knew she wouldn’t leave this cabin the same woman she’d been when she’d arrived. For once, she was going to get what she wanted, without apology.
And what she wanted was currently sprawled beneath her on the bed, looking deceptively calm.
Slowly, she bent and pressed a kiss to his fascinating jaw, savoring the faint scrape of his beard.
The roughness sent tiny shocks of pleasure rippling through her body.
She lingered deliberately, dragging her mouth lightly along the sharp edges, dipping gently into the hollow beside his cheekbone, teasing the curve of his chin, before settling at the corner of his mouth.
The silky bristles of his mustache drew her next. She traced butterfly-soft kisses along his surprisingly full lips, tasting smoky whiskey, and beneath that, something darker and more dangerous. Something that hinted that Rush Callahan was merely allowing this moment for now.
A delicious shiver of anticipation rolled through her, tightening her nipples into aching peaks and sending heat sparking down her body to pool low in her belly.
She felt wild, powerfully alive. Eagerly, she pushed Rush’s Henley up and over his head, pausing to admire the view when he was bare from the waist up.
His chest was broad and beautifully sculpted, lean muscles defined beneath warm skin with dark, crisp hair that tapered down enticingly toward tight, chiseled abs.
His sweatpants rode low on his hips, revealing a provocative glimpse of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband.
A sexy promise of everything still hidden from view.
Firelight flickered on each hard ridge and shadow of his body.
She swallowed hard, curling her fingers instinctively, ready to explore every inch of him.
Sweet baby Jesus, does the man bench-press trucks in his spare time?
With a new boldness, Lily straightened and held the edges of her flannel shirt together, noticing how Rush’s eyes darkened and dropped to her hands. Her turn, those eyes seemed to say.
His own hands, loosely crossed behind his head, came down swiftly to grip her hips in a firm hold, as if he couldn’t help himself. A thrill shot through her at that small surrender. Rush Callahan wasn’t the kind of man to give up control easily.
Lily drew her shoulders back, letting the soft fabric slide down her arms until it caught at her elbows. Her full, heavy breasts spilled free, her nipples tightening instantly in the cool cabin air. Before she could even register the chill, Rush moved.
He knifed upright, grabbing the flannel behind her back and trapping her arms firmly in place. Lily gasped sharply, her eyes going wide, as he openly devoured the sight of her.
Oh, he liked the sight all right.
Any hesitation Lily felt about baring herself dissolved under the pure, unfiltered desire in his eyes. Rush looked at her like a starving man, sending a thrill through her.
“Jesus, Lily. Look at you.” Rush exhaled slowly as his eyes roamed hungrily over her. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured almost reverently.
Heat flared across her skin at his praise.
She shifted restlessly, but his hands held her still while he looked his fill.
He shook his head slowly, still drinking her in.
“Don’t even think about covering them up.
These curves…” He traced the swell of her inner breast, sending a jolt of electricity through her.
“You’re perfect.” His voice dropped lower, more intense, and he caught her gaze.
“I’m going to suck these pretty nipples until they’re swollen and begging for more,” he said roughly.
“I’m going to bite you, tease you, until you’re screaming my name, begging me to fuck you.
” He leaned closer, his hot mouth gliding over her jaw.
“And then, darlin’, I’m going to give you exactly what you need. ”
“Oh Lord,” she breathed, arching into his mouth. “If you keep talking like that, I’m not going to survive it.”
She felt his smile against her throat, wicked and warm.
“I want to taste you,” she whispered. “Everywhere.”
Rush’s mouth tilted in a slow smile. He reached out, letting go of her arms to place one rough finger at the base of her throat, and traced downward with agonizing slowness over the gentle slope of her collarbone, dragging across her skin until he reached the inner curve of her breast. She sucked in a sharp breath when his calloused fingertip teased the soft, full teardrop shape, circling beneath the heavy weight before finally settling directly on the sensitive peak.
Instantly, it tightened, partly from the chill of the cabin air, but mostly from the skillful touch. The sensation shot directly between her thighs, a hot, pulsing ache that made her lean forward instinctively with a needy whimper.
Rush pinched lightly, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, drawing another helpless moan from her throat. Her eyes fluttered closed with pleasure.
“So sensitive,” he murmured, “and I haven’t even begun to tease you.” He gave her nipple a gentle tug, making her gasp sharply. “Tell me, Lily,” he whispered, his lips sliding across her. “Will you come for me again?”
Her breath froze. His eyes were dark and knowing when they met her wide ones.
He trailed his fingers down her stomach, and paused just at the edge of her pants. Her stomach quivered at his touch. “You still wet for me, angel?” His voice was a deep growl, his fingers teasing the sensitive skin of her lower belly, threatening to dip lower where she was slick and achy.
A blush crept up Lily’s chest and bloomed in her cheeks, but she met his gaze with a shy smile. “Maybe,” she breathed. “Does it bother you that I… came like that? Without you.”
A low laugh rumbled in his chest. “Bother me?” He echoed, his voice thick with lust. “It makes me hot as hell.”
Lily grinned at the admiration in his voice, but if she had only one night, some small, selfish part of her wanted to take every advantage of the hot, hard-muscled body beneath her.
Confidence soaring through her, she splayed her fingers over his chest, the rough texture of his skin so different than hers. So different from the soft, pale skin of her former fiancé. She lowered her head and brushed her lips against his nipple.
A groan escaped him, and his body arched beneath hers. She felt the surge of his erection, hot and heavy, beneath her, pressing urgently against the curve of her ass.
She ground against his length in a slow circle. “You like that?” she asked, smiling shyly against his chest.
Rush let out a pained, appreciative laugh. “I like everything you do.”
She slid lower, dragging the sensitive peaks of her breasts over his chest, feeling the erotic scrape of his hair against her skin, heightening her own arousal with every slow, deliberate movement.
She continued downward, pressing small, open-mouthed kisses to the taut muscles of his abs, her tongue tracing over each defined ridge of muscle, testing the restraint of a man honed for duty and control.
“You’re strong,” she murmured with appreciation. “So sexy.”
She paused at the edge of his hip bone, resting her cheek there briefly, her eyes lifting to meet his. Rush was watching her intently, his eyes heavy lidded and his chest rising with controlled breaths.
Her breasts brushed lightly against his thighs, teasing him as her fingers slowly, carefully, danced along the waistband of his sweatpants. She pressed a kiss there, where the soft fabric met the line of dark hair.
“May I?” she asked, shy but determined.
Rush groaned deep in his chest, his muscles tensing beneath her. “All yours, darlin’.”