One Night Forever (The Cinderella Chronicles) (5 page)

Lauren bit her bottom
lip. What would it be like to see a man like this begging for more?
To know she’d driven him crazy with need? The thought came out of
nowhere, surprising her with its dark nature. She’d never
considered herself overtly sexual yet…this man awoke a part of her
never explored. He switched legs and she moaned as his teeth
scraped her knee. Damn, the man could make a simple act erotic as
hell.

Of course, the night, the
circumstances, the combination of it all inspired the mood of
exploration.

He slid his palms along
her hips and kissed her stomach, so near her core, he could move
and suckle her clit. She burned just thinking about it. “I’m going
to kiss every inch of you so perfectly that you can never, ever
forget me.”

He’d already ensured a
permanent imprint of both her mind and body. “I won’t forget
you.”

“
No?” he
asked, his palm sliding under her ass, and between her cheeks,
fingers grazing the dampness of her arousal.

She drew a breath,
forcing away the shimmering urgency just out of reach. Determined
to not spend the entire night in submission. To waste her fantasy
night without ever daring to be bold would be a regret she didn’t
want to endure. She sat up, and scooted backwards. He looked up,
eyes narrowed in surprise.

On her knees, boldly
displaying her nudity, she wiggled a finger at him and then pointed
at the bed. “Lie down.” There was a hint of authority in her voice
and a little thrill raced down her spine.

His eyes raked her body,
lingering at her nipples, making them tighten. Her instinct was to
touch them, yet she resisted. Letting her inhibitions win angered
her. Besides, she would never see Matt after tonight. That thought
delivered a feeling of freedom. She reached up and filled her hands
with her breasts and then pinched her nipples. When his gaze lifted
to hers, she opened her expression to him, letting him see the
pleasure of the touch.

A flare of heat in his
eyes spread to sexy half smile on his lips. He joined her on top of
the bed, facing her on his knees, just out of reach. Her eyes
dropped to his long, hard cock. He was big. She liked knowing he
was hard for her. Inching forward on her knees, she moved closer to
him, inhaling the spicy male scent that she was beginning to know
as his. And though she knew he wore cologne, the way it blended
with his natural essence was sensual and alluring.

Erotic.

He reached for her and
though she yearned for his touch, Lauren pushed his hand away. “No.
No touching until I say so.”

For just an instant he
looked like he might refuse, and then his hand eased down to his
side. She didn’t waste any time taking advantage of her new role.
Her hand swept over his shoulder and down his arm, loving the feel
of his strength beneath her hand. It was clear he worked out. Honed
and perfected, his body resembled a work of art.

The dark sprinkle of hair
on his chest drew her fingers. Her index finger circled his dark,
flat nipple even as Lauren’s eyes locked with his. Then her hand
slid downward…past his navel. Her fingers closed around his cock
and she watched his eyes dilate and then half shut. She stroked the
underside of his head with her thumb. The low sound that escaped
his mouth filled her ears like a heady rush of passion-laced power.
If a mere touch drew a reaction, what could more effort
deliver?

Tightening her grip on
him, she tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowed. “I want you
sitting against the headboard.”

Matt did as Lauren said,
because when a woman basically had you by the balls, what choice
did you have? Not that he wanted to argue. He’d always been a
control freak in and out of bed, but he was enjoying Lauren. She
didn’t know how evident her conflicting emotions were. He could see
her battle with herself and revel in each action she
took.

She waited to release him
until he gave her a nod of agreement. As he felt the wood against
his back, legs flat in front of him he reveled in this new
experience. For the first time in his life, giving control away not
only felt right, it delivered a potent burst of arousal. Why, he
wondered, was he so comfortable allowing Lauren what he had no
other?

Lauren straddled his hips
and pressed his cock flat against her stomach. He reached for her,
wanting to touch her, and taste her. She held up a hand. “Stop. No
touching. Not until I say so. Hands by your side.”

He wanted to laugh at how
crazy this was. This was a totally new experience for him. A part
of him wanted to grab her and slide her down on top of his cock and
fuck her until she cried out his name. But as his hands settled on
the mattress, she leaned forward, palms on the headboard, one hand
on either side of his head. Her mouth lingered just above his and
he could feel her nipples, pebbled and hard, brushing his
chest.

That was it. To hell with
giving up control. He needed to take her. But before he could act,
her mouth slanted over his. The slide of her tongue over his came
at him like a rush of electricity. It drew him with its current,
taking his calculated actions and throwing them to the wind.
Compelling his submission.

Like being under a spell,
he lost himself in the tantalizing effects of the slide of her
tongue. He could only think of this. Of the sweet flavor of her.
She tasted like wine and something else, something sweet…like
heaven. His hand went to the back of her head so he could deepen
the kiss. A mistake. He’d forgotten her orders. She shackled his
wrist, pushing it by his side. The move pressed her breasts into
his chest. The ripe peaks of her nipples pressed into his body and
he found himself more urgent. Needing someplace to put the hunger
of his hands not allowed satisfaction.

Like a kitten, she purred
into his mouth, meeting his demands with her own. Rubbing against
him with passion driven friction. The V of her legs pressed against
his stomach, wet and hot, and in need of him…inside her. Yet, she
didn’t allow him to give her that satisfaction. She kept them both
waiting…and wanting.

Before they did something
they would regret, he reached for sanity. “A condom. We should get
one.”

“
I’m on the
Pill,” she said and then her hand slid between their bodies and she
stroked his cock, pressing it against her stomach and her palm.
Teasing him unmercifully. Just thinking of feeling her wet heat
without the restrictions of a rubber turned up the heat. He knew
this woman hadn’t made casual sex a habit. He’d seen it in her
eyes, in internal battles to let go, and feel. And he’d never been
stupid. He always used protection. They were safe…and this thing
they had going on between them was different in some indescribable
way.

Over and over she ran her
hand up and down his length, kissing him, nipping his lips with her
teeth. When he thought he had could bear no more, she suddenly
lifted her body, and guided him inside her. No hesitation. No slow
slide. In one fast move, she absorbed his cock and took his breath.
She leaned back, angling him deeper. Just when he thought he’d have
to grab her to lend her balance, she proved him wrong. Her fingers
dug into his shoulders and she started riding him.

He’d done a lot of
fucking in his life but never had he experienced such a moment as
this one. On top of him, a wild woman determined to pleasure
herself, she was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen. To hell
with her no-touching rule. The beauty of her breasts bouncing with
the sway of her hips urged him to act. He filled his palms, and
kneaded. She leaned forward, her hands going to his wrists as if
she intended to stop him. But, he wouldn’t hear of it. His drew one
ruby red tip into his mouth and suckled. Staring down at him, she
bit her bottom lip, watching him lick the round bud and then scrape
it with his teeth.

“
You’re
beautiful,” he murmured.

She didn’t say anything,
but then, she didn’t have to. Her eyes said it all. For several
seconds they didn’t move. Their bodies were joined, and it seemed
their mind and emotions were too. Something alive and powerful
passed between them. It felt as if they had joined beyond bodies.
Beyond the moment.

And then something inside
him snapped. Urgency. A need for more. He slid one hand up her back
and used the other to grip her neck and urge her mouth to his. And
this was not just a kiss. It was an explosion. Suddenly, they were
moving as one, kissing, touching…grinding hips together. Never
before had he wanted to soak in a woman the way he did this
one.

Kissing became
impossible. Faces buried in each other’s necks, the fierceness of
their strokes, slides, and moves became more intense. Fulfillment
became more important than anything did. Getting seemed like
joining more completely. Getting closer. Pushing hard. Her little
moans became more breathless. More potent in their impact on his
body. On his willpower. He ached for release but wanted to wait for
her. Her pleasure. Then his. When the first spasm of her release
jerked at his cock, he moaned, feeling her body rip his own orgasm
from his control. Together they shuddered and shook, clinging
together in the last moments of pleasure. And then lying there,
entwined, intimate and satisfied.

Long moments later, Matt
sighed with satisfaction. He slid down onto the bed, keeping her
close. He grabbed some tissue off the nightstand and handed it to
her, not willing to let her escape. She accepted almost shyly. Gone
was the dominant woman of minutes before. And he loved it. She
fascinated him.

He pulled her close to
his side, tucking her under his arm and holding her close. This was
one woman he wasn’t going to let slip away. There was something
about her…he wanted to know what.

He needed to know
her.

* * * * *

Lauren’s eyes fluttered
open to be greeted by darkness. Disoriented, she forced a deep
breath and focused. A warm body lay next to hers. The present came
back to her in a rush of hot memories. Matt.

A feeling of safety and
belonging rushed over her. Slowly, a smile curved her lips. He was
amazing. Too much so.

Squeezing her eyes shut,
she battled a range of emotions. She didn’t want the night to end.
The thought of never seeing Matt again made her chest tighten. It
took effort to stay clearheaded. She wanted more…of Matt. Of this
fantasy. Of pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist. These
feelings were exactly what she didn’t want. A one-night stand
should end nice and easy. Thanks for the orgasm and have a good
life.

So, why did it feel as if
what she had with Matt was more? No! She didn’t allow herself to
finish the thought, let alone answer. This was pure stupidity going
on in her head. She lived in a real world. No fantasies of knights
in shining armor for this girl.

It was time to
leave.

The sooner the
better. Staying for goodbye might make her get all funny about
this. And she most certainly didn’t want to have some brain dead,
emotional moment where she said, “
Hey want to do this again, over and over, for the rest of
our lives?”

Decision made, she should
have moved. Instead, she laid there, her body pressed to his,
absorbing his maleness. And her yearning for more. Of him. Now.
Later. Whenever. For those few moments, she cut herself some slack,
and imaged waking up with him. And what it would be like to have a
real relationship with love, comfort, and support.

With it came a sick
flutter of her stomach. Longing for unrealistic things hurt more
than it helped. She had to find a way to take care of her and her
mother. Depending on someone else was dangerous. To date, it hadn’t
worked for her. Forcing herself back to the hard, cold reality of
her world, Lauren carefully eased out of the crook of Matt’s arm.
She felt the loss of his warmth in every inch of her
body.

Staring down at him, she
let a slow, silent breath trickle from her lips. Dark, sexy stubble
had formed on his square jaw. She wouldn’t have thought anything
could make him sexier than before but somehow it did. Maybe,
because it made him a bit more “bad boy” looking. She didn’t know
really. The simple truth was the man was damn hot. Her hand darted
out to touch him, but then she yanked it back. The last thing she
wanted was to wake him up.

With regret, she slipped
out of the bed. A mixture of relief and disappointment filled her
when he didn’t move.

Tiptoeing, she managed to
gather her shoes, and slip from the darkness unnoticed. She didn’t
allow herself to look back at Matt, her perfect stranger. A few
minutes later, she stood in the center of the living room, now
fully dressed. Scanning the room, she noted the expensive leather
furnishings and artwork.

Lauren sighed. This was
so not her world.

Spotting a desk, she
found herself standing at it, reaching for paper and pen. Why she
felt compelled to leave a note, she didn’t know.

Matt, You were right, I
will never, ever forget you.

Impulsively, she dug in
her purse and applied lipstick before pressing her lips against the
paper. Now, where to leave the note…she eyed the kitchen table and
planted the note in the center. Without another glance around the
room, she darted to the front door.