Guilty Cravings (The Steamy South 1) (7 page)

He stood and crept
forward. If he lay on this edge very carefully, maybe he wouldn’t wake her. At
the moment, he was so sleepy and tired, he couldn’t do anything about a sexy
woman in bed with him anyway. His erection told him that was a lie. Ignoring
it, he pulled down the comforter and slid beneath. He wouldn’t get under the
sheet. That way if she accused him of trying to take advantage of her, he’d
have proof his intentions were platonic.

Ha.

Nothing about his
urges around her was platonic, but he could lie. And get some shut-eye in the
process.

Damn, the bed was
comfortable and the pillow soft. He’d probably wake up before she did, anyway,
and he could slide out of bed without her even knowing he’d been in it.

* * * *

Emily awoke, for a
moment unsure where she was. Thick draperies blocked most of the light from the
window. Then she recalled the hotel room, the killer, the near-accident and
Nick. With the sweltering covers up to her ears, she was drenched in sweat.
Whew.
She tried to throw the hot comforter back, but something heavy pinned it across
her waist. Someone lay snuggled behind her!

Nick?

She glanced back as
much as she was able. His eyes were closed and his long hair covered part of
his face. She stared for a moment, transfixed by his deliciously chiseled lips
and the dark gold stubble on his strong chin. She remembered what those lips
could do…had done to her last night.

Get a grip, Em!

Heat suffusing her,
she faced forward again. What the hell was he doing plastered to her in bed?
And what, exactly, was she going to do about it?

Mumbling words she
couldn’t understand, he hugged her closer and nuzzled his face into the hair at
the back of her neck. His heated breath against her neck stimulated a tickling
sensation that traveled down her spine, spreading mesmerizing arousal to every
cell of her body.

Wow.

It had been eons
since a man had held her—more than two years. She’d forgotten what she’d been
missing. In Nick’s arms, she felt safe and protected and almost…cherished. Was
she nuts? She didn’t know, but she loved the feel of his strong arm around her.

Abruptly, he moved
his hand upward from her waist, slowly grazing his fingertips over her ribs,
then gently cupped her breast and moaned.

Oh my god.
Need struck her hard.

He lightly tweaked
her rigid nipple through the material of her nightgown and instinct caused her
to shove her ass back against his groin. His granite erection ground against
her.  Oh god, he felt amazing. But, gasping in shock at herself, she forced
herself to pull away.

“Where you going?” he
murmured and tightened his hold around her torso.

“You’re awake?”

“I am now. What about
you?”

Awake?
Yes.
Able to breathe and make rational decisions?
No.

Why had he gotten
into bed with her? She’d left him sitting on the sofa.

She started to ask,
but he trailed a hand downward over her stomach, then beneath her gown. The
roughened tips of his fingers slipped into the top edge of her bikini panties.

“Nick?” She’d meant
it to be a protest, but it came out breathy. Dammit, she didn’t get breathy.

“Hmm?” It sounded
like a wicked moan. His prickly beard stubble scraped against her neck,
abrasive but arousing.

She held her breath
when his hand inched slowly lower, over her mound. Oh, he was being extremely
bad and so was she, because she couldn’t tell him to stop. Gently, his short
blunt fingernails raked through her pussy hair, patiently up and down,
incredibly stimulating. Warm, wet arousal drenched her crotch.

Touch me, Nick,
please.

Gradually, his hand
moved lower. With his fingertips, he teased the outer lips of her sex. Her
libido shifted into overdrive. Moaning, she barely restrained herself from
thrusting her butt against him again, inviting him to slide inside her.

Prickly-hot moisture
rushed through her pussy and toward his hand. She couldn’t be near him without
getting turned on. That’s the way it had always been. But now that sensation
was magnified a thousand times. She’d never felt anything like it.

His finger slid
between her sex lips and across her clit. Gasping at the blinding flash of
need, she felt paralyzed and unable to breathe, clearly some instinctive
malfunction that held her enthralled while a prime alpha male could do his
worst. Or best.

“Damn, you’re
drenched.” He slid two fingers through her moisture. “Spread your legs a
little,” he whispered.

No, I don’t want
to!
Yes, she
did. Who could resist the indulgence of being stroked by those gifted fingers?
Not her. She lifted her top leg.

“Yeah.” Two of his
fingers slid along her swollen sex lips toward her opening, then dipped inside.
“Oh fuck, you feel so good, Emily,” he growled.

Arousal pounded
through her body like a loud, erotic, hard-rock song. Her back arched and her
ass rubbed against his rigid cock. What would it feel like driving into her?
She could just imagine how the flared head would stimulate the walls of her
pussy.

She squirmed, annoyed
at the clothes and sheets between them. Moaning, she craved his bare, heated
skin stroking over hers. He felt so sexy, with his rough, almost harsh
masculinity, she wanted to attack him. She yearned to be pinned under him, at
his mercy, while he drove his luscious, hard cock relentlessly into her. The
pleasure would be overwhelming.

Though it had been
years, she’d seen his erection and knew it was long and thick. She didn’t know
if she could handle him, but she wanted to try.

“Nick?”

“Yeah.” He pulled one
of her legs back over his, widening them further, then cupped a palm possessively
over her pussy.  “You’re so fucking hot, Em,” he whispered.

“Mmm.” She found her
hand entangled in his hair behind her head. She wanted to drag him closer. She
wanted to climb on him and ride him.

His wet fingers
circled her clit, round and round, hypnotizing and so stimulating all she could
do was grind her ass against his cock. He drew forth erotic sensations so
powerful she thought she might beg him for sex.

He slid one finger inside,
then slowly drew it in and out.

She cried out at the
amazing sensations. Oh, why couldn’t that be his cock? “Please,” she gasped.

He moaned in her ear.
“You feel so damn good, Em. Wet, hot, tight.”

Her hips moved,
thrusting and riding his finger.

“Mmm. More,” she
begged.

His finger inside her
felt larger, then she realized he’d inserted two. He slid them in and out, her
moisture making everything incredibly slick. That gentle stretching sensation
made her imagine his cock. Sudden tingles spiraled through her, taunting her
with orgasm. The feeling hovered as if waiting for him.

“Oh my god,” she
gasped, arching further.

“Yeah, that’s good.
Come for me, Em,” he urged, his breath burning against her ear. “Squeeze my fingers.”

His thrusting finger
movements made her crave something much larger. His cock would feel divine
right now. She moaned, widening her legs for him.

He circled her
swollen clit again, then plunged his fingers deep to stroke and tease her
G-spot. "Oh hell, yeah. I want to make you come," he whispered, his
insistent tone matching his relentless and erotic finger movements.

An orgasm smashed
into her, the overwhelming pleasure engulfing her, sucking her under and
drowning her in a sea of delicious sensations. Her body bucked against him but
he held her tightly in place, forcing her to endure every last ounce of
pleasure so intense it was almost painful. She had never experienced such a
powerful orgasm. And to think, Nick had caused it so quickly with only his
fingers. What kind of massive orgasm would his cock give her?

As the exhilaration
ebbed, she craved more. It couldn’t end so soon. Reaching a hand back, she
encountered a sheet between her and his erection. But damn, he was hard as
marble. Needing him now, she squeezed his cock.

“Hell,” he muttered,
along with a string of curses, and shoved himself from the bed. A moment later
the bathroom door slammed.

A shock went through
her, yanking her from the languid, orgasm-induced euphoria. What just happened?
She hadn’t even caught her breath from the best orgasm of her life, and he
didn’t want to follow the next logical step. What was going on with him?

Not that she thought
it was the smartest thing to have a fling with her ex’s brother. No, that would
be stupid. He was a womanizer exactly like Jared. Probably worse. She should be
grateful he’d left her lying in bed alone. But she wasn’t.

She felt thoroughly
rejected.

* * * *

Nick turned on the
shower and stepped under the cold spray. The icy water chilled his overheated
skin. Hell, he had to do something before he fucked Emily senseless. He’d
thought he could control himself better than that, but he’d come close to
yanking the sheet aside and sliding between her legs. Was he insane? He
couldn’t have his brother’s ex-wife. What kind of asshole would that make him?

Besides, he was
supposed to be guarding and protecting her. If he got involved with her, he’d
lose his edge and his objectivity, putting both their lives in danger.

Still, his erection
didn’t diminish. Apparently his libido didn’t give a damn about danger or
threats.

He took his rigid,
yearning dick in his hand and squeezed.
Ahh.
Pleasure and longing
ricocheted through him.

“Damn,” he muttered.
When had he ever been this hard? And when had he ever wanted a woman as badly
as he wanted Emily?

Never.

He lathered his cock
with soap and stroked it, imagining his hand was Emily’s tight cunt. He needed
her so bad he could hardly breathe right now. She was so horny she might have
agreed to sex, but he couldn’t do it. It would be a betrayal of Jared. If his
brother were alive, he wouldn’t want Nick having sex with Emily. Brothers
didn’t betray each other like that.

His dick didn’t care
about things like honor and loyalty.

Remembering how he’d
touched Emily minutes ago in bed and how she came so beautifully in his arms,
Nick stifled a groan and stroked his cock. Her pussy was so snug, he’d barely
been able to fit two fingers in. She’d felt amazing—slick, swollen, and so
responsive she’d had an orgasm only a couple minutes after he’d first touched
her.

How he’d love it if
she was here in the shower with him. He’d lift her, wrap her legs around his
waist and fuck her against the tile wall. She was the only woman he’d wanted or
fantasized for the past three years. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong
with him, but he couldn’t get her out of his head.

He stroked his cock
faster. Damn, she would feel so amazing, her sweet, tight cunt squeezing the
head of his dick, just as it had clutched at his fingers moments ago. So wet
and steamy. She’d moan his name and beg him to go faster. An orgasm rushed
through him along with his cum spewing up like a volcano.
Oh fuck!
The
pleasure and intensity made him stagger back against the cold tile wall and sag
there in the cool spray until his strength and breath returned.

What the hell was he
going to do?

Pushing himself away
from the wall and turning the water to warm, he washed himself all over, trying
to figure out what he would say to her. He was never at a loss for words around
a woman, so why was he now?

Before her, he’d
never wanted a woman he couldn’t have. Of course, he could have her, but what
would that make him? What would he be doing to Jared’s memory?

Nick couldn’t be that
much of a bastard.

He might bend the
rules to get the job done, but he didn’t like compromising his own principals.
Brothers and friends had a code of honor—they didn’t screw each other’s women.
At least, that’s the way it used to be.

At any rate, if Jared
were alive and knew how badly Nick wanted Emily, he’d probably never speak to
him again, despite the divorce, despite everything. He had to honor the memory
of his brother. He couldn’t touch Emily again.

But how the hell
could he resist her?

Chapter
Six

“Are we going to talk
about the elephant in the room?” Nick asked, steering the rental sedan into the
left lane on Georgia’s I-16 to pass a slow-moving truck. Pine trees passed in a
blur on either side of the road.

Her heart leaping
into her throat, Emily glanced aside at him. Did he have to bring that up? She
wasn’t proud that she’d melted at the touch of his hands that morning in the
hotel bed. But at the time, she’d been unable to stop him…and unable to stop
herself from enjoying how his hands had sensually stroked over her body, how
his skilled fingers had teased and tormented her pussy beyond bearing, playing
into the erotic fantasies she’d had for three years.