Lily's List (14 page)

Her fingers went to her garter straps and she
flicked them open one at a time. “Let me,” he murmured, shifting
his position so he could reach her stocking. He brushed the tips of
his fingers against her soft inner thigh. Her skin and the silk
were a contrast to his harder, rougher hand.

He pushed his fingers beneath the band and
began to roll the stocking down her leg. Lily sucked in a breath
and he felt her quiver. When he reached her ankle, he lifted her
foot and removed both her shoe and stocking.

Lily immediately switched legs, propping the
left foot on the bed. Carson growled his approval as he got rid of
her other shoe and stocking. Just as he reached for her, she
laughed and whirled away again. She sinuously moved to the music.
The beat was lower, more primal. She never lost time to the rhythm
as she tugged off the garter belt and tossed it aside.

She reached behind and undid her bra. Carson
leaned forward, willing the material to fall away. Lily gave her
shoulders a little shimmy and the straps fell down her arms. Her
bra hit the floor. He could only watch, totally entranced as her
breasts swayed and jiggled as she continued to dance.

Wearing only the red thong and the jewelry,
she made his entire body throb and his heart ache. It almost
stopped altogether when her fingers slid beneath the tiny strings
of her panties.

He had to get his hands on her. “Come here.”
He held out his hand.

Lily danced toward him but remained just out
of reach. She shimmied out of her underwear and let the flimsy
garment drop to her ankles. Except for the jewelry, she was totally
naked. Somehow it was more enticing.

She circled her hips and slid her hands up
her torso to cup her breasts.

Out of patience, Carson lunged, caught her
around the waist and tossed her onto the bed. He was on her before
she had a chance to stop him, his mouth swallowing any protest she
might have made. He plunged his tongue past her lips, needing to
taste her.

Mine!

The word beat in his head like the primal
rhythm of the drums driving the music.

Mine!

He covered her body with his, pushing his
hand beneath her ass to tilt her mound more firmly against his
erection.

Mine!

He pressed the head of his cock to her
opening. It felt amazingly good. Too good. He swore, yanked himself
back and grabbed the condom he’d placed on the bedside table. He
got it on in record time.

There was no time for foreplay. Not this
time. The need to claim her in the most basic way was riding him
hard. Insinuating his hand between them, he positioned his cock at
her opening. Her dampness coated him as he pushed forward,
stretching her pussy to accommodate him.

She moaned into his mouth and arched her
hips. Her fingers dug into his butt. Groaning, he tore his mouth
from hers, buried his face in the curve of her neck and flexed his
hips, driving himself deeper into her waiting heat.

“Carson!” She cried his name as he buried
himself to the hilt. He wanted to say her name but speaking was
beyond him. He was hanging on by a thin thread. He wanted to make
this good for Lily but wasn’t sure he was going to be able to.

As if sensing his straining control, she
brought her legs up around his thighs and wrapped them around his
flanks, locking her heels together at the small of his back. “Fuck
me!” she commanded, arching into him.

He lost it. He pulled his hips back and
slammed them forward. The friction, the heat, the sheer excitement
was overwhelming. He did it again. And again. Each thrust getting
deeper and harder.

Her legs fell away from him and he hooked his
arms under her thighs, pushing them up and open. The position left
her vulnerable to him as he had total control of how hard or fast
he fucked her.

Concern flitted through his brain and he
paused in spite of the commands of his body. The last thing he
wanted to do was hurt Lily in any way. She clutched at his back,
her short nails digging into his skin. “Don’t stop,” she
moaned.

That was all he needed. Letting go, Carson
fucked her hard, driving both of them higher than they’d ever been
before. He could feel the explosion gathering at the base of his
cock, but he gritted his teeth, trying to hold on for a few more
thrusts. Lily’s inner muscles clutched at him harder with each
stroke.

She tilted her head back, pressed her hips
toward him and cried out his name. He could feel the delicate
spasms gripping her and they drove him right over the edge. Yelling
her name, he gave two more thrusts and came. His semen filled the
condom as her inner muscles milked him dry. Nothing had ever felt
this good in his life. Nothing.

When it was over, he fell face-first onto the
bed, managing at the last minute to shift his bulk to one side so
he didn’t crush Lily beneath him. He’d move just as soon as he got
enough energy to do so. That might be in about two day’s time, he
figured. Content, he lay there gasping for breath, feeling the
heavy beat of Lily’s heart against his chest.

• • •

Lily was still seeing stars behind her closed
eyes. She’d thought she’d known all about sex and orgasms, but
she’d been wrong. This went beyond anything she could have ever
imagined. And she had quite a vivid imagination.

Maybe it had something to do with the dance
she’d done for Carson. She’d been filled with a freedom the likes
of which she’d never known. It was as if she’d discovered an
untapped sensual siren deep inside. She’d felt sexy and sensual,
daring, unlike her usual self. Wearing the revealing clothing and
swaying to the heavy, exotic rhythm of the music, she’d become
someone else, someone wild and free.

Carson had given her the confidence to allow
herself to delve into this new and exciting side of her
personality. She felt safe enough around him to expose that tender
new part of herself. It had felt incredible to dance for him with
his eyes following her every move. She could still feel the heat of
his fingers on her skin as he’d smoothed the silky hose down her
legs.

There had been no foreplay, not in the
traditional sense. Yet the entire dance had been foreplay. The
teasing, the touching and the glances had all fired her blood to
boiling. She’d known he was reaching the end of his limits when
she’d removed her bra and finally her panties. Still, she’d been
taken off guard by how quickly he’d moved, dragging her onto the
bed and beneath his much larger body.

Yet at no point had she been concerned or
worried. There was nothing but arousal and need beating inside her,
a need to join with this man. She’d relished his primal actions and
the fact that she’d driven him to them. There was something
elemental and powerful about that. It had driven her own desire
higher.

Still, he’d stopped when she’d least expected
him to. He’d held himself back until he was sure that she was with
him. If she hadn’t already loved him, that one action would have
done it for her right then and there. Not only that, but he’d
remembered to use a condom. Once he’d tossed her to the bed, she
hadn’t even given a single thought to protection.

God, what if she’d gotten pregnant? What a
dilemma for a woman of her age. She paused when the idea didn’t
bother her nearly as much as it should have. She bit her lip in
consternation. She was way past baby-rearing days, wasn’t she?

Carson stirred and she couldn’t suppress a
moan as he slowly pulled his semi-erect cock from her body. The
differences in their ages and the fact that they were both at
different places in their lives—neither mattered at this moment.
What mattered was that they were together now.

“Be right back,” he murmured. Carson rolled
out of bed and strode to the bathroom. Lily shivered as the cool
air touched her skin now that he was no longer covering her. She
shifted and swore softly when her earring caught on the comforter.
Untangling it, she sat up and removed them both, tossing them on
the bedside table. The necklace and bracelets followed.

“I liked those on you.” He leaned against the
jamb of the bathroom door and watched her.

She smiled ruefully at him. “They look great,
but they were getting a bit uncomfortable. They’re heavy.”

He pushed away from the door but didn’t come
back to bed right away. He detoured past the stereo and turned it
off, plunging the room into silence. The candlelight flickered over
his broad chest and shoulders. He looked like some pagan god with
his bronze skin and rippling muscles.

He was still semi-aroused. An answering
tingle began deep inside her. She shivered when he knelt on the bed
beside her.

“Let me see.” He lifted her right wrist and
made a low murmur of sympathy. The jeweled cuff had left
indentations on her skin. He kissed a path all the way around. He
did the other wrist as well, flicking his tongue over the
marks.

But he wasn’t done. Carson kissed a path up
her arm, leaving her breathless. He nuzzled her neck and licked the
abraded skin there. Lily trembled and her nipples puckered. He
caught the lobe of her ear in his teeth and sucked.

“Carson,” she gasped as he moved to her other
ear.

“Hmm,” he replied, continuing to nibble her
earlobe.

“Nothing.” She forgot what she’d wanted to
say. Shivers of pleasure skated up and down her spine. Threading
her fingers through his hair, she held him to her.

He’d felt her shiver and lifted his head away
from her. “Let’s get you tucked into bed.” He pulled back the
covers and scooted her beneath the sheets before joining her
there.

Lily settled into the curve of his body,
nestling her head against his chest. It was a position she loved
and one she’d become accustomed to in the past few weeks. She fit
against him perfectly. Sighing, she relaxed. Her body was humming
with a low-level arousal, but she felt totally sated and at
ease.

The moment shattered when Carson spoke. “Now
we talk.”

Chapter Eleven

Lily’s relaxed mood evaporated. She’d known
this reckoning was coming, but she’d hoped to put it off a bit
longer. Not knowing what the outcome of their conversation would
be, she wanted to bask in the warmth and comfort of Carson’s arms a
little longer.

But that time had passed. She pushed herself
upright, leaned against the headboard and tugged the covers tight
around her. Whatever happened, she would have no regrets. She
started to speak, but he held up his hand to stop her.

“Let me have my say first. Please,” he added.
She nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hated the
uncertainty. It was such a contrast from the confidence she’d felt
earlier.

Carson propped himself up next to her. The
covers bunched around his waist, leaving his chest bare. He shoved
his hair out of his face and sighed. “I know this started with me
telling you I’d help you with your research.” His mouth firmed, his
lips pressing together. “The infamous list.”

Her stomach muscles tightened. He didn’t
sound happy—not at all like a man who’d just made love. Was he
about to tell her it was over between them now that the list was
all but done?

He gave a rough laugh and shook his head.
“The list was just an excuse, the opening I’d been waiting
for.”

She sat up straighter. What did he mean by
that?

He twisted around so that he was facing her.
“Lily.” He reached out and cupped the side of her face. “I’ve spent
years wanting you.”

She could feel her jaw dropping. He must have
seen the amazement in her eyes because he gave her a rueful smile
and shrugged. “It’s true. I’ve wanted you for years, but you wear a
‘keep away’ sign around you that’s hard to miss. I understood that
you had a bad marriage and that you had a kid to raise, but I still
wanted you. I told myself that I had to respect the fact that you
weren’t ready to date.” He shook his head. “I went out with other
women, but . . .” He sighed and gently rubbed his thumb
over her cheek before dropping it. “None of them were you.”

“I don’t know what to say.” To say she was
shocked was an understatement. He’d been interested in her for
years! How was that possible? How had she not known? It was almost
too much to take in.

“There’s nothing to say.” Carson rolled out
of bed, grabbed his underwear and tugged them on. Her heart fell
when he started to dress. He obviously wasn’t planning on sticking
around.

“I used the list as an excuse to finally get
close to you. I knew I’d never get another chance like it.” Lily
was totally confused. He’d wanted her and used the list as an
excuse to get closer. Did that mean he no longer wanted her now
that he’d had her?

He pulled on his jeans and zipped them before
reaching for his shirt. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

Lily was riding an emotional roller coaster,
up one second and down the next. He’d just finished telling her
he’d wanted her for years. Was he now saying he was sorry for using
the list to get close to her?

He had her totally confused. “I don’t
understand. You shouldn’t have done what?” She wanted him to spell
it all out for her, needed to know exactly what he was thinking,
for better or worse.

He sat on the side of the bed and put on his
socks and boots. She was afraid he was going to leave without
answering her. When he’d tied his last lace, he looked at her and
she was shocked by the sadness in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have taken
advantage of you like that.” His lips firmed again. “But I’m not
sorry about what happened between us. You’re an amazing woman,
Lily. Being with you these past two weeks has only solidified
everything I already knew about you.”

This was beginning to sound like good-bye to
Lily and she didn’t like it. Not one bit. It was time for her to
take a stand. She opened her mouth to speak, but he forestalled her
by kissing her. His mouth was warm and firm against hers, and by
the time he pulled away she was breathless.