Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
EVE
I ’m trying to keep up some pretense of control. Of casual sex being barely a blip on my radar.
But that orgasm Kit Plier just delivered?
Holy shit.
I’m still seeing stars.
He gives me that cocky-ass smile. “Are you begging me to fuck you?”
“Hardly.” I’m dying to touch him, though. “Untie me.”
I expect him to tease or to make me ask nicely. But maybe Kit wants me to touch him after all, because ten seconds later, I’m flexing my unbound wrists.
“Thank you.” Sitting up on the bed, I wriggle my dress off over my head. It’s been scrunched at my middle like some weird kind of corset. Now that I’m free, I watch Kit’s eyes travel my body.
He likes what he sees.
“Damn, Eve.” He drags a hand over his chin. “You are fucking magnificent.”
“Thank you.” How long has it been since a man besides Brock saw me naked?
I’m not at all shy, but the way Kit’s staring, I feel bare and exposed. It’s a pretty great feeling, and so are Kit’s pecs as I start to unbutton his shirt. Blue eyes go molten, like inky pools of indigo as he lets me undress him.
“Tell me about your tattoo.”
I blink in surprise, then glance at my hip. “It’s a Celtic symbol.”
“I can see that.”
“It’s called the sisters knot.” Does he know this already? “Your mom and all your sisters got it together.”
“Camille mentioned it. I didn’t know you’d joined them.” He shifts to his side for a closer look. “It’s nice.”
“Thanks.”
We got our tattoos the week their dad died. Kit had planned to fly in from London for the funeral, but Miranda wound up hospitalized with a burst appendix. Kit couldn’t leave her.
I admired him for staying with his sick girlfriend, but Camille took it hard. So did the rest of the sisters. Probably the first nail in Miranda’s coffin, as far as Kit’s sisters go.
I need to quit thinking about his ex. Also, I need him to not see me as one of his sisters.
“Mine’s different from theirs,” I explain, shifting to give him a better view. “It’s a little smaller, with the heart done in pink instead of red, but?—”
“It’s beautiful.” He traces the tip of his finger over the shape on my hip. It’s a little surprising he noticed. It’s off to the side and not very big. Camille got hers on her right ankle, and their mom inked hers on her breast.
I’m guessing Kit doesn’t know this.
His eyes lift to mine, and I can’t read his thoughts. “It suits you.”
“Thanks.” I shove off his shirt, pushing it over his shoulders. “Do you have any?”
“Tattoos?” His smile holds a hint of relief, like he’s glad to move on from the topic of family. “I’ll let you find out for yourself.”
“Challenge accepted.” I start to unbutton his pants, but Kit puts a hand on mine.
“Wait.”
I groan in frustration, ready to get on with fucking. “Seriously?”
A hungry grin lights up his face. “Now that you’re naked, I should taste you again.”
“Is there some kind of oral sex rule I should know about?”
“Yep.” Still grinning, he flips me onto my back and crawls down my body. “It’s called the Kit Can’t Get Enough of Devouring Eve Decree. Look it up.”
I open my mouth to make some kind of sarcastic response, but he shoulders my thighs apart and his tongue sweeps a path through my folds. God, he’s good at that.
“Kit,” I pant, threading my hands through his hair. He’s licking and sucking and fucking me deep with his tongue.
It’s not enough, though. I need his fingers. I need?—
“Your cock.” Letting go of his hair, I claw at his shoulders. He keeps sipping my clit as I struggle to drag him up my body. “Please.”
Ignoring my pleas, he flutters his tongue through my sopping wet core. Christ, he’s talented. Brock didn’t love to go down on me. He’d rally sometimes—on birthdays or date nights—but less often once he’d proposed.
Frustration wells up inside me, along with another orgasm.
“Please, Kit.” I need him inside me, erasing the thought of my dickhead fiancé. I need that thick cock I felt through the fly of his pants. “Fuck me.”
He stops sucking my clit for a second. “Are you begging?”
Smug bastard. “No.” Balling the sheets in my hands, I draw in a shuddery breath. “I don’t beg.”
“Of course you don’t.” He goes back to eating me out. His tongue makes a slow, sultry trip down the length of my slit, then back to the tip of my clit. There’s a fluttery swirl and a breath as he drags his lips over my sensitive bud.
Goddamn. The man could patent his technique. He’d make a fucking mint.
“Jesus, Kit.”
Thick fingers coax me open, and I spread my legs wider. If I can’t have his cock, this might be the next best thing.
But he doesn’t slide inside me this time. Just the tip of one digit, teasing me, tormenting.
With a growl of frustration, I tip up my hips. I’m trying to force his fingers inside me, but Kip clamps a hand on my thigh.
“Naughty girl,” he murmurs, teasing my clit with his tongue. “Such a greedy little pussy.”
“Please.” I whimper as his fingertip teases my opening. It’s not enough. I’m so empty and aching. “Kit, please?—”
“Please what?” He licks me again, the rasp of his stubble delighting the skin of my inner thigh. It’s such a sharp contrast to the soft tug of lips, the gentle swirl of his tongue. I’m so hungry for more and so dizzy I break.
“Fuck me, Kit.” The words surge out like they’re ripped from my throat. “Please, please fuck me. I’m begging .”
I squeeze my eyes shut so I won’t see him gloat. The bed shifts beneath me as he moves up the mattress. There’s a rustle of cloth and the rip of a wrapper. I open my eyes to watch him roll on the condom.
“Oh my God.” I’ve seen some big cocks in my life, but Kit Plier’s dick? That thing is a beast. I’m not some simpering virgin lying here wondering if it’ll fit. I know how anatomy works.
But Christ, that’s huge.
He grins like he knows what I’m thinking. I clamp my mouth shut, determined not to make his ego even bigger.
“You good?”
I nod and lick my lips. “Do it.”
As I open my legs, he eases into the valley of my thighs. I clutch at his shoulders, bracing to feel him. Dying to feel him.
But Kit’s eyes search mine. Softly, gently, he dips down to kiss me. “You’re delicious, Eve.”
I moan at the sweetness. At the taste of myself on his lips. “Please.”
He chuckles and opens me wider, using his hips to part my legs. “I can’t wait to be inside you.”
“ Fuck .”
Oh, God, he’s right there , the tip of his cock at my entrance. If he teases me now, I’ll kill him.
But Kit holds my gaze, not blinking at all as he eases inside me one inch at a time. He’s moving slowly, letting me adjust. It goes on forever, this scrumptious, slick slide. My God, he feels good.
“Fuck, Eve.” It’s his turn to look desperate, to know what it’s like to go achingly, painfully slow. “You’re so tight.”
I clutch at his shoulders, arching to take him in deeper. “Give it to me,” I urge. “ Hard .”
Heat fills his eyes as he sees I’m not messing around. It’s okay to be rough. To fuck me the way we both want.
With a groan of surrender, Kit drives in deep. His thrust drives me back on the bed, thumping my skull on the headboard. I’m not sure he notices until he scoops a hand under the small of my back, shifts his hips, and drags me down about six inches.
With another hard thrust, he’s deeper inside me. My thighs wrap around him and I hold on for dear life.
“Kit.” My heart thunders faster as he picks up the pace. This. This is what I’ve been missing. Sex I feel deep in my core. Sex that leaves me panting and dizzy. Sex I’ll still feel in three days. “Oh, God.”
“Gotta—” He gasps as he bottoms out inside me. “Slow down.”
“No.” Clamping my thighs on his hips, I force him not to pull out. To keep up this pace as we careen toward the edge. “Please, Kit. Come with me.”
Torment fills molten blue eyes. “I want”—he pants again—“to last.”
I clench my thighs tighter, thrusting my hips so he’s forced to keep fucking me. “Please,” I beg again.
Begging— me .
Searching my eyes, Kit thrusts in hard. “Say it again. What do you want?”
“I want you to come inside me.” God, I’m so close. “Now!”
He lets out a roar, rearing up on his arms as he slams in hard. I hurtle over the edge, shouting and clawing his shoulders.
If the first time was intense, this orgasm slays me. It’s fierce and it’s sudden, ripping me open inside. I squeeze my eyes shut and scream out his name.
“Eve.” He’s pounding me hard and my skull hits the headboard.
I don’t care. All I care about is riding this orgasm as long as I can.
There’s one final growl and Kit starts to slow. My body stops twitching as the climax crawls to a stop. I’m still feeling aftershocks, the sharp clench inside me synching up with my heartbeat. I can’t catch my breath and every damn inch of me tingles.
My God. That was the best sex of my life.
Kit rolls to one side, propping himself on an elbow. His hand skims my cheek as he brushes my hair to the side. “Damn,” he murmurs, planting a kiss on my lips. “That was epic.”
“No joke.” I draw a deep breath, forcing my heartbeat to slow. “Um, wow.”
He laughs as he touches the shell of my ear. “You’re so fucking sexy it hurts.”
I want him again. How pathetic is that?
One round of great sex and I’m basically putty.
Dammit. I need to get out of here.
This was only a fling. The last thing I need now is even a glimmer of feelings. I’m leaving next week for the sexual journey of a lifetime. This was a runway. An airport terminal. The decadent, VIP lounge at a private airstrip.
My heart rate ticks up as I roll out of bed. “Okay, well.” I snatch my dress off the floor. “Thanks for that.”
“Wait.” Blue eyes search my face as he sits up. “You’re leaving?”
“That’s the idea.” I’m playing it cool, hiding the fear that I’m not really wired for meaningless sex. I am . “This was great, though. Thank you.”
“Yeah, sure.” He leans back on the headboard, raking a hand through his hair. “I’ve got an early morning, too.”
“Great.” I locate my panties, but there’s no way I’m putting these on. They’re drenched.
Kit gets rid of the condom, then pulls on his boxers. Maybe he feels it too? This fear we could turn this into something we’re not meant to be. Something more than just sex.
That’s the last thing I need.
Stuffing my panties in my clutch, I pull on my dress and avoid Kit’s eyes. “Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ll be sure and let Camille know you were a perfect gentleman.”
He snorts and moves to the edge of the bed, bare knees bumping my hip. A sizzle of heat rolls through me again, which is all the more reason to run. There’s heat in his eyes as he watches me tug up the dress. “I’m afraid gentlemanly conduct wasn’t in my marching orders.”
“Then I’ll let her know you made me come my brains out.” I’m sure she’ll be thrilled. “It was nice to finally meet you.”
He watches me struggle, my fingers too shaky to handle the zipper. “Here.” Big hands grip my hips and he spins me around, zipping me up before I can protest. “Can I see you again?”
Taking a breath, I twirl back around. “Aren’t you leaving for a new job?” I don’t give him a chance to respond. “I’m traveling, too. I’ll be really busy for the next few?—”
“Yeah, I get it.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal, but there’s a hint of resignation in his eyes. “You’re totally right.”
“I’m not rejecting you, I swear.” God, I’m such a bitch. “You’re amazing, and?—”
“Eve, we’re good. Don’t worry.” He sounds so sincere, but I’m worried I’ve made him feel bad.
“For what it’s worth, this was the best sex of my life.” Might as well be honest, right? “But I’ve got a history of casual sex plunging me into this icky shame spiral that leads me to chase normal and committed instead of pure pleasure for pleasure’s sake. Does that make sense?”
There’s a quick flash of panic where I worry I’ve said way too much. Who the fuck blurts stuff like that right after a casual hookup?
But the steel in Kit’s eyes shifts to softness. To deep, compassionate understanding. “Yeah,” he says softly. “It does.”
“Okay, so…” I offer a shaky little laugh. “I don’t know when or if we’ll see each other again, but for what it’s worth, this meant a lot.”
“To me, too.” Kit sticks out his hand and I laugh.
“Are you nakedly shaking my hand?”
“I’m wearing boxers.” He sweeps a hand over his eight-pack abs, then catches my wrist. “Also, not shaking your hand.”
Rolling my wrist, he plants the softest, sweetest kiss in the center of my palm. Then he turns it over again, dotting one feathery kiss on each of my knuckles.
I shiver. Since when does a hand kiss excite me?
But that’s just a distraction. In less than a week, I’ll be off on my Jilted Brides Honeymoon. And then? Who knows.
I do know one thing, though: My sexual journey won’t lead to love this time. Not to marriage or commitment or the sweet surge of feelings I’m shoving back down in my chest.
“It was lovely to meet you, Eve.”
“Likewise.” Another step back and I turn toward the door, snatching my purse off the nightstand. “Have a great trip,” I call over my shoulder, feeling his eyes on my back.
With a twist of the knob, I step into the hall floating out on his echo of words.
“Have a great life.”
Goddammit, I plan to.
* * *
My VP of marketing appears in my office doorway. “All packed and ready for your trip?” Nina’s wearing a tight black skirt and a salacious smile.
“Just about.” I sound tired from working all week in preparation for abandoning my company for ten whole days. “I’d planned to travel carry-on only but wound up packing too much.”
Nina grins wider. “Filled an entire suitcase with condoms, huh?”
I laugh and shut down my laptop. “Crystal Bliss Retreat provides them free of charge.”
“This place sounds insane. I’m almost jealous.” She sighs and leans on the corner of my desk. “You’re going to have so much fun.”
“That’s the plan.” I run through my mental checklist of projects I’m leaving behind. This isn’t like me to miss work for so long. “Did I brief you already on the?—”
“Yes,” Nina says. Her eyes are kind, but her tone is firm. “I promise you’ve briefed me on every single thing that could possibly need our attention while you’re off unlocking your inner sex vixen. Relax, Eve—you deserve to enjoy this.”
“I just don’t want you to get stuck doing extra work.” I hate putting a burden on anyone. “I’ll keep my cell phone on the whole time.”
“You will not,” she insists.
“I mean, I kinda have to. My best friend and her sisters are tag-teaming cat care. I need to be reachable in case they sell Bratwurst to a circus.”
“Fine.” Nina crosses her arms. “I promise not to call you unless the building’s on fire or I desperately need to hear how your sexy trip is going. Seriously, girl—forget all this and have a fantastic time.”
She means it, that’s the best part. Nina’s married to her childhood bestie, a smokin’ hot architect named Josh. They’ve got an open marriage and a tight-knit friend group that holds regular group sex nights.
The fact that she tells me the details is why I felt safe sharing my plans for the Jilted Brides Honeymoon Club.
“I’m nervous,” I admit, nibbling my lip.
“You’re going to do great.” She settles in the chair beside my desk. “You deserve this, Eve. You put everyone else first all the time—your friends, your family, this company.” Her expression turns serious. “You deserve to have something just for you .”
“Thank you.” Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back fast. “Oh! I almost forgot. The Carmichael account?”
She gives me a stern look. “You are not working on that while you’re gone.”
“No, it’s just—this one’s different.” How do I explain why this account should be handled delicately? It’s Nina, so I may as well give her the truth. “That’s my stepsister’s company. I just—I want to be in the loop if anything comes up.”
“Perfect Presley owns Carmichael Holdings?” Nina blinks. “I didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. Family tension, you know?”
“I do.” Nina has her own family stuff, so she gets it. “What should I know about the account?”
I draw a deep breath, not sure where to start. “Remember that story I told you about Presley’s dad catching me in the backseat of the hockey captain’s car?”
“Ugh, yes.” Nina shakes her head. “I still can’t believe your stepdad made you join the church youth group and write a fucking essay about the importance of purity and?—”
“It’s fine. I’m over it.”
Pretty much. But I still hear the echo of Hank ranting to Mom the night it happened. I hovered outside their bedroom door, hearing him pace as he growled to my mother.
“Your daughter is out of control,” he snapped. “All she’s thinking about is sex .”
“Hank, that’s not…” My mother faltered. “I don’t think that’s true. She’s getting all As and Bs in school.”
“Yeah, well, Presley has an A-plus average and takes only AP classes. She’s not out there spreading her legs for anyone who looks her way.” That stung more than it should have. “Why can’t Eve be normal , for God’s sake?”
I held my breath, waiting for Mom to defend me. To tell him sex wasn’t shameful.
“I’ll talk to Eve,” she murmured instead. “I’ll explain how important it is to make good decisions, so her husband respects her one day.”
I fell asleep crying that night.
The lessons I learned in my own home could not have been more different from how sex was handled in Camille’s. At least for my last year of high school, I got a glimpse of something different. Parents who discussed sex openly with their kids. A mother and father with a loving and physical connection.
But old habits die hard, don’t they? Somehow I found myself engaged to a guy who?—
“Eve?” Nina’s voice tips up with concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” I was telling a story, wasn’t I? “Oh, the hockey captain from the backseat—Perfect Presley is engaged to him now. They run Carmichael Holdings together.”
“Get out!” Nina smacks her palms on my desk. “No wonder you’re walking on eggshells with that account.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I assure her. “Presley and I aren’t close. She’s throwing me a bone with the account to begin with, so I want to handle it with kid gloves.”
“I get it, believe me.” Nina gets up from her chair, so I stand, too. “I promise we’ll take care of everything. And we’ll keep you in the loop if anything comes up.”
“Thanks, Nina. You’re a lifesaver.”
“I’m a partner —this is literally my job.” She gives me a hug and I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders. “Now get out and have some great sex.”
“I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” I think of Kit Plier and what he stirred up inside me last week. Feelings and urges I’ve spent years shoving in a box. Or indulging for a little while, only to let shame send me right back to chasing normal.
No more of that.
“I promise,” I repeat, more forceful this time. “I will have the best, most adventurous sex of my life at Crystal Bliss Retreat.”
“That’s the spirit.” Laughing, Nina hugs me again. “Have fun, Eve. You deserve it.”
For the first time in ages, I might actually believe it.