Body of Work (14 page)

“Still not enough.”

“Cassie…”

“You said you’d agree to my terms, and I want all of you…including the brute.” A growl rumbled along her neck. She tipped her head farther, pulled the sleeve of her t-shirt aside, baring her shoulder and the top of one breast. “Give in to it. To me.”

His fingers curled around her waist. He used his power and size to back her up to the maple before she’d registered their first step. “Take your pants down to the knees.”

“I guess that’s a yes to my terms.”

No acknowledgement, unless a raised eyebrow counted. Intensity and amusement played across his face. He released her to cross his arms over his chest, making muscles bulge and pop out all over the place. Half a foot separated them, enough space for her to move away if that’s what she wanted. Maybe he was testing her. Bossing her around to see if she’d change her mind.

“I’d suggest we shake on our agreement, but I don’t think my old patio set can take the kind of strain we put on that picnic table in the pavilion.”

“How about this tree, think it can take it?” His hand thudded against the trunk. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he ran his palm up and down the old maple, skimming the side of her body along the way. “What about you? This bark’s pretty rough—it’s going to hurt when it digs into your soft skin, and it will dig in, because if you’re brave enough to take those pants down, I’m going to let the brute fuck you any way he likes.”

Her cheeks burned. She shifted foot to foot, acutely aware of the satin teasing her nipples, the tight jeans pressing against her clit. “I’m ready for him.”

His jaw ticked and his eyes darkened. “Then get those pants down, now.”

She scrambled to obey, fingers trembling as they fumbled with the buckle. The wide belt had been a chore to fit through the belt loops and the stiff leather made undoing it harder yet. “New belt, it needs breaking in.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” One corner of his mouth lifted—from reading her mind, no doubt—when her hands froze in their efforts. “Here. Let me.”

She nodded, swallowing a mouthful of cotton as he took over the job. But he didn’t pull the strip of leather free of the belt loops. Didn’t order her to bend over so he could use it to paint stripes on her ass. He just separated the metal buckle from the opposite end, one-handed her button open and slid the zipper down, all without looking away from her face.

“Take off your bra.”

“Okay.” Hands shaking, she reached around for the clasp. Then the hem of her t-shirt.

“Just the bra. Keep the shirt on.”

She slid the straps down her arms, clearing each wrist in a wholly unsexy manner, then pulled the white satin bust-enhancer out of one sleeve. “And there goes my artificial cleavage.”

“You’ve got something better—perfect nipples. I like seeing them poke through your shirt. Like at the gym when you wear that light-purple tank top, or the white one. Those tops don’t hide much. Did you know your nipples get hard when you’re working out?”

“Really…I had
no
idea.” Batted eyelashes, along with feigned innocence, did the trick. The sound that came from his chest was part chuckle, part growl. And oh god, was it hot.

Beneath the thin red fabric her nipples tightened. Like a good hussy, she arched her back to make their condition more visible. Her breath caught when he lowered his head. The words
bite me
hovered on the tip of her tongue. All that came out of her mouth was a choked cry of frustration as he grazed the cloth-covered nubs in passing.

He crouched before her, his mouth level with her open zipper. “Pants are coming down now. Last chance to get away.” Above him, she shook her head. “No? Good.” He gathered her jeans, belt and panties in his fists and pulled the lot down to her knees a heck of a lot easier than the skintight jeans had gone up. “No,” he said when she lifted one leg to step out of her pants. “This is where they stay.”

“But I won’t be able to open my legs,” she wiggled in demonstration, “or move.”

“I know.” His smile bordered on feral. He grabbed both ends of her belt and yanked, squeezing her legs closer together, then fastened the buckle above her knees. “Comfortable?”

She didn’t know how to answer. What he’d do to her if she said the wrong thing. God, she didn’t even know what the wrong thing was. Would he make it tighter if she said yes? Freak out that he’d hurt her if she said no? The opposite?

“Remember the other night, on my couch, when we talked about the moon?”

His eyebrows pinched together for a few seconds. Then they rose. The light-bulb moment as the safe word she’d chosen clicked into place. “I remember.”

“I don’t see the moon, but I promise to let you know if that changes.”

Clear blue eyes met hers. He nodded. Serious moment over, he returned his attention to her belt and ratcheted it a notch tighter, forcing a squeak from her mouth. When he looked up, all wariness had vanished. “Comfortable?” he asked again.

There was no mistaking the change in his voice. This time, the question came from the brute.

“It’s a little tight.”

Five minutes ago that answer would’ve had him scrambling to free her. Apologizing, hating himself. Running for the hills and a forty-ouncer of therapy. Now that Cassie’d all but given him an engraved invitation to cross boundaries and push limits—
their
limits—her complaint registered with a completely different part of his brain. The part he’d warned her about. The part that’d been clawing its way closer to the surface since their first time together. Then there was the effect her words had on his cock. Little. Tight. Hell yeah.

He ran his hand along the top of her jeans. Still room to slip two fingers inside. The belt was snug, yes. Enough to throw off her balance, probably. But cut off her circulation—no.

One hand on her soft, warm skin, he pressed her backward, against the tree. With his fingers spread, his hand practically spanned her waist. So damn tiny compared to him. He slid his thumb lower, along the line of her pussy. Not breaching, just tracing. Up and down, with enough pressure to tease her clit inside its hiding place. Her hips rolled forward with each pass. Entreating him to give her more, and fuck, did he plan to.

He skated his other hand under her t-shirt. Cupped one breast, strummed the nipple to a rock-hard peak, then moved to the other breast. “I love these.” Her soft moaning changed to whimpering when he abandoned her nipples. Cute. Fucking sexy too. “I hate giving them up too, but I need both hands down here.” He curled his fingers around her hips, used his thumbs to pull back her silky, pink skin and expose her clit. “Fuck, this is beautiful. I know you’re the photographer, but I’d like a picture of this—your pretty clit, all swollen and waiting for me.”

“Take one.”

Holy Christ, she’d let him?

“But you’ll owe me.” Bold words in a shaky voice. Testing the waters, maybe?

As if she needed to barter to get something from him. He was already so head over heels he’d do anything she wanted. How she couldn’t see that boggled his mind.

“You got it.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his iPhone. With its camera, he snapped a picture of her face, looking down at him. “That’s a keeper. Now for this one…” He angled the phone’s lens lower, exposed her clit with his thumb and index finger and leaned in for a quick taste. Mistake. Her scent filled his head, sent what felt like a gallon of blood rushing to his cock. One lick wasn’t going to cut it. “Fuck the picture.”

The phone bounced off his thigh, onto the grass. He held her by the hips and dove in, tongue first. So wet and warm. The sweet taste that was uniquely, deliciously Cassie exploded on his tongue. He suckled her clit. Lapped at it and circled it, took her to the edge. Above him, she made the soft moan-gasp sound that meant she was about to come. Not yet. He scraped his teeth across her clit as he released it. Teased a finger inside her, then two. Stroked into her nice and deep while teasing her clit with the lightest touch of his tongue.

“Please…make me come.”

Yeah, now he was ready. He sucked her clit into his mouth. Devoured it. Strapping her legs closed prevented him from burying his whole face between them. He’d do that later. And then do it some more, because having her thighs locked around his head while she writhed against his face made him harder than just about anything.

“Please, yes, oh god, that…” Her legs shook under his palms. Hips thrust forward to meet his tongue. Fingernails raked the back of his head, delivering a sting as she pulled him closer.

His cock pounded its protest against his fly. Yeah, all of her responses did it for him. The nails she wasn’t afraid to use. Her voice. The way she begged and demanded at the same time. And god fucking damn, her
everything
when she came.

He didn’t wait for the last waves of her orgasm to end, instead steadied her with one hand, pushed to a stand and shoved his clothes out of the way. Nudged his cock between her thighs.

“Condom,” she whispered.

“Shit. Right. Don’t fall down.”

She grabbed the tree in a backward hug, holding on as if her life depended on it. He wanted to fuck her harder than a beast in heat, but she was still the cutest thing he’d ever seen. When she licked her lips at the sight of him rolling on the condom, cute disappeared. Now she was nothing but hot, sexy woman.

He gripped her hips, held her still against the maple. Slid his cock between her legs again. Slick heat welcomed him. And her eyes, fuck. If he looked in those big blues a million times—and he hoped to—he’d never get tired of them, of the honesty, willingness and desire in them. “Now you’re mine.”

“Prove it.”

Exactly what he planned to do. And did, in one solid thrust that made them both groan. He braced one hand on the tree above her head and snaked the other under her shirt. Rolled her nipple between his fingers as he pulled out, then thrust inside her again. Then again and again, until heat swirled at the base of his cock and his pulse pounded in his ears.

Sandwiched between his body and the tree, Cassie panted and moaned. Clawed at his ass. Either trying to rip him to shreds or drag him deeper inside her. He didn’t fucking care.

“Harder…”

An invitation he wouldn’t refuse. He thrust upward with enough force to lift her, making her gasp. “Fuck…” Too late to hold back. He pushed deeper, pinned her to the tree with his cock buried to the hilt as he came.

“Can’t—breathe…”

Everything twitched as he pulled out—cock, leg, arms…heart. Cassie clung to his shoulders while he removed the condom and tossed it aside. “Going up, hold on.”

She squealed as he hoisted her over his shoulder. Her sneakered feet toed a beat against his front, but the hands seductively exploring his back and the top of his ass told him the assault on his kidney was halfhearted, at best.

“Where are you going?” she asked when he passed her bedroom door.

He had to chuckle at the disappointment in her voice. “Bathroom.” He turned into the room and gently lowered her to the ground. He knelt before her, unbuckled the belt from her legs and pulled off her shoes. “Step out of these pants.”

“
Now
you want me to strip?”

“Yeah, I’m a fucked-up bastard. You didn’t figure that out just now?”

“No.” No more giggling, just a soft tone that matched her touch as she slid her fingers through his hair. “You seem pretty perfect to me.”

“So do you.” More than she could imagine. He pushed the pile of denim aside. Ran his hands up and down her smooth, silky legs, then stood. “Turn around, put your hands on the sink.” Christ, the way she looked at him before she obeyed. Totally trusting. “And don’t try getting away from me.”

“Okay.” Her reflection stared at him, eyes roaming all over his face and body.

Unbelievable. He’d fucked her so hard against that tree it’d turned her pretty ass cherry-red. Left her with scrapes in a couple of spots. Yet she had that look in her eyes, the one that said she was ready and willing to go another round, for whatever he had in mind.

He leaned in, closer than he needed to, and grabbed a facecloth from a basket on the vanity. “You smell so good.” Not just to his nose, his cock agreed. He pressed its length along the crack of her ass, nuzzled the spot below her ear. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”

The little temptress backed up, embedding his stiffening cock in the valley between her reddened cheeks. “I’m good with that.”

He could take her right now, as rough or soft as he wanted, and she’d let him. More than that, she’d love it. Tempting. So fucking tempting.

Hard as it was to do it, he pulled back. They were both hopped up on endorphins, but it wouldn’t be long before she crashed and her backside stung like a sonofabitch. Taking care of his brutish handiwork took priority. Condolences to his cock—it’d have to wait.

He kissed her neck gently while soaking the cloth with cool water. “Remember what I told you about escaping.”

She jumped at the first touch of the compress. “Holy crap, that’s cold.” It didn’t take long before her head lolled forward and she sighed contentedly. “I take that back, it feels great.”

“I bet. You’re sporting quite a bark burn from that maple.”