Chapter Fourteen #2
He scrambled for a better, more truthful explanation. “I kept it to myself because I didn’t want to connect with you on a personal level. I’m only here for the summer. I didn’t want to get involved in a relationship.”
“And now you do?”
“No,” he said, after a pause. “I don’t. But I can’t stay away. I can’t stop thinking about touching you.”
She studied him with luminous eyes. When he lifted his hand to her face again she didn’t pull away.
He dipped his head to brush his mouth over hers, very gently.
She smelled like honey-lemon sunshine and tasted of female sweetness.
Her tongue touched his shyly. Although he wanted to press her against the wall and take more, he didn’t move too fast. She wasn’t the only one plagued by second thoughts.
He wasn’t being honest with her. When she found out who he really was, and what he did for a living, she’d feel betrayed.
She’d call him a liar and an asshole, and she’d be 100 percent justified.
On the other hand, she was smoking hot, and she was kissing him. He was only a man. He wanted her, and she wanted him. Why fight it?
With a low groan, he set aside his misgivings and let himself feel.
Her mouth trembled under his. He stopped holding back, and kissed her the way he really wanted to, with a plunging tongue and roving hands.
He did it roughly, inexpertly, without a hint of decorum or finesse.
He kissed them both breathless, pushing her back to the wall.
She must have liked it, because she strained to get closer. She twined her arms around his neck and sucked his tongue deeper. When her soft breasts flattened against his chest, arousal roared inside him.
He maneuvered her toward the couch, fell on top of her, and devoured her mouth. His cock pulsed with hot pressure. He adjusted his position so the crotch of her shorts aligned with his erection. She wrapped her long, silky legs around him. He buried his tongue in her mouth as he thrust against her.
They were both panting, grasping at clothing, seeking skin. She was clinging to him, and he was moving on top of her. He cursed the amount of fabric between them. There were way too many layers, too many buttons and zippers.
She tore her mouth from his and tugged his T-shirt up.
He cooperated by pulling it over his head and tossing the garment aside.
Then he let her explore his torso, although he longed to push her hands lower.
She smoothed her palms over his chest as if in awe of his muscles.
He held still, summoning patience. She placed a soft kiss on the puckered scar below his collarbone.
Then she made a sexy, sympathetic sound that drove him right over the edge.
“Take off your shirt,” he growled.
She obeyed the instruction without question.
Then it was his turn to gape at her body.
Her breasts were mouthwateringly full and round in a lacy white bra.
The lingerie was designed for function, he supposed, but it looked erotic as hell.
She was just so luscious. He scanned her honey-smooth skin, her supple curves, the little dip of her belly button.
“Fuck,” he said, filling his hands with her breasts.
It was the only response he could manage. A single curse word, drawled on a ragged breath.
She laughed, taking no offense, and let him touch her.
He dragged one of the cups down to reveal the tight bud of her nipple.
She moaned as he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, pinching lightly.
Then he lowered his mouth to the sweet tip.
She threaded her hands through his hair and held him there, moaning encouragement.
He wanted to taste every inch of her, to consume her in ravenous bites.
A warning bell sounded in the back of his mind, because they were entering the point of no return.
Adrenaline surged through him and his pulse pounded with arousal.
He forced himself to take a slow, calming breath.
This was insane. He couldn’t have no-holds-barred sex with her.
They were in the living room, not behind a locked door.
They could get caught by her kid. He also didn’t have any condoms on him.
That didn’t mean they had to stop, however. He wasn’t going to leave her unsatisfied just because he hadn’t prepared for things to go this far.
He stared at her heaving breasts, one nipple exposed, and almost died of longing.
He could give her an orgasm without taking off her shorts.
It was risky, but manageable. He slid his hand over her denim-covered crotch to rub her cleft while he sucked her nipple.
She rotated her hips in a silent plea. She didn’t protest when he unbuttoned the frayed shorts and reached inside them.
Her panties were a scrap of stretchy lace.
He touched her through them, tracing the damp fabric, before he moved underneath.
God. She was slippery-wet.
He gritted his teeth against the urge to unzip his fly and free his erection.
Her shorts fit like a glove, so he didn’t have much room to maneuver.
He traced her with his fingertip, skimming the soft flesh.
She shivered at the delicious contact. He slid his finger inside and she moaned.
It was a heady sensation. He could feel the snug, silky heat.
She arched her back and spread her thighs wider. “Please.”
“Please what?” he asked.
“Don’t stop.”
He wasn’t going to, but he liked hearing her beg for it. His fingers were slick with her moisture, pumping in and out. Then he pressed his thumb to her gently. He watched her face as he found the right spot. She bit down on her lower lip.
“Like this?” he asked, stimulating her clit in slow circles.
“Yes,” she said. “Oh, yes.”
His pulse thundered with excitement as he gave her what she asked for.
Then he bent his head to her breasts to give her a little more.
He sucked and licked her taut nipple as he stroked her sensitive nub.
She panted with excitement, clutching at his hair.
He wanted to drag out the pleasure. He wanted to bury his tongue inside her.
He wanted to drive her to a fever pitch, and hold her on a knife’s edge.
She didn’t let him. Impatient with his languid pace, she covered his hand with hers and guided him to stroke harder.
Paul couldn’t deny her. He was mesmerized by her rolling hips, her soft panting and quivering belly.
She grinded against his fingertips in a swift, sure rhythm.
It was incredibly hot. It was also over much too soon.
She gripped his wrist and gave a sharp cry, her body quaking from the power of her release.
He realized, too late, that he should have tried to quiet her.
She’d screamed out loud. He’d been so turned on by the sight of her coming, and the exquisite feel of it happening beneath his fingertips, that he hadn’t considered the consequences.
Surely they’d just woken up Emily, who would wander into the living room to investigate.
Paul removed his hand from Vanessa’s panties and scrambled to the far side of the couch.
He found her shirt on the floor and handed it to her.
Then he picked up his own shirt to cover himself.
His erection jutted out from his body in a stiff salute, glaringly obvious.
It reminded him of the story she’d told about her father covering himself with a decorative pillow.
Paul choked out a laugh and hunched forward to disguise his body’s reaction.
“Mommy?” Emily called from the bedroom. “Are you okay?”
Vanessa leapt to her feet and walked down the hall to intercept Emily. She opened the bedroom door and spoke in a hushed tone. After a minute or two of whispering, Vanessa closed the door and returned to his side.
“What did you tell her?” he asked.
“I said I stubbed my toe.”
They laughed together, almost silently, doubled over in shared mirth.
“I’m sorry,” she said when she sobered. “This isn’t the right time or place, is it?”
He’d known that before they’d started, and he’d proceeded anyway. He was pleased, despite his own lack of satisfaction. He’d never regretted giving a woman an orgasm before and he wouldn’t start now.
“Will you take a raincheck?”
“I’ll take whatever I can get.”
She smiled at this answer. “I can ask Jackson to babysit.”
He smiled back at her. “Would you like to go out to dinner, or do you just want to use me for my body?”
She fluttered her eyelashes coyly. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow?”
He groaned, remembering his plans with Kyle. “My brother is coming to visit tomorrow. How about Saturday?”
She nodded her agreement. Paul kissed her goodbye with aching thoroughness and none of the reticence he’d shown earlier. They hadn’t solved their differences so much as abandoned them in the pursuit of pleasure.
He still had misgivings about deceiving her and he anticipated trouble ahead. But his worries about the future seemed far off and inconsequential at the moment. The present was too fine to question.
He retreated to his empty cabin, grinning like a damned fool.