One Night Stand (5 page)

She tightened her legs around him as he eased out. “No!”

His voice was strained. “I’m not going anywhere, baby, don’t worry.” He eased forward again. “Ah, God. Need to go slow. Don’t want to hurt you. So tight.” The words were forced through clenched teeth.

She could feel the restraint he was using to go slow. His muscles were shaking with it. But she didn’t want slow.

“I want you to fuck me, Joe. Now.” She secured his ass with her ankles and surged up with her hips.

*

Joe yelled out as she forced him deep. Her heat surrounded him as he fought for control. One wrong move and this was going to be over before it got started. “Are you okay?” He looked down to see her wearing a satisfied smile. Her inner muscles squeezed him and the telltale sizzle of his own release began at the base of his spine. “Jesus. Be still.”

“Don’t stop.” Her hands dug into the skin of his ass as she tried to pull him closer.

“Dammit, Mandy.” He surged his hips hard and buried himself to the hilt. “Hold on to me.”

She grabbed his shoulders and he began to fuck her with a vengeance. Each powerful flex of his muscles drove him deep into her moist heat, her cries of pleasure urging him on. “Can’t. Mandy. Too good.” Each word was driven home by the powerful force of his thrusts. His breath came in harsh bursts. He reached between them and rubbed his thumb against her clit, giving her what she needed to take her over the edge.

She screamed as she bucked beneath him and he felt her release just an instant before he found his own. His eyes rolled back in his head as her pussy stroked and milked him dry.

“Fuck.” His cock jerked inside her, causing yet another ripple of pleasure to shoot through his balls. He collapsed on top of her, loving the feel of her soft skin underneath him.

Amanda sighed as she wrapped her arms around him. Her voice drifted through his afterglow. “So that’s what all the fuss is about.”

“What?” His head snapped up, his mind instantly racing. “You weren’t a virgin,” he asserted. He was still buried balls deep in her heat. He would’ve known if she had been. Besides, she told him she’d done this before, hadn’t she?

“Of course I’m not.” She sighed again. “It’s just … well … it was my first orgasm, or actually the second if you count when you used your mouth.” She paused before going on. “I mean, with a man.”

“With a … wait … what?” Damn, she was adorable when she blushed like that. Something she did a lot, he realized.

“I mean”—she traced her fingers over her nipples—“I’ve made myself—”

He groaned. “Stop.” He placed his hand over her mouth. “Just stop talking.” The image of her pleasuring herself filled his cock with blood. He’d just had the hardest orgasm of his life and his cock was already ready for round two. His cock might be ready, but he wasn’t. She’d be sore if he didn’t give her time to recoup a little. They had all night and he intended to take advantage of it.

Amanda gasped as she felt him growing hard inside her. “Really?”

He eased from her and bent to place a kiss on her nose. “Not yet. Let’s take a break, maybe rest a little.” His voice turned ominous. “I’m not even close to being done with you.”

Her laughter rang in his ears as he rolled from the bed and headed to the bathroom. He disposed of the condom and returned to the bed with a warm, wet rag for her. Her eyes stayed closed as he cleaned her. Throwing the rag aside, he stretched out next to her, tucking her close to his side. As if she couldn’t stop touching him, she ran her hands over his chest and down his abs. He grabbed her wrists when she started for his groin.

“Oh no you don’t. Rest first, play later.”

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully but allowed him to pull her back against his chest.

“How did you get this scar?” she asked as her fingers returned to wandering across his skin. She was going to be the death of him for sure.

“Knife,” he replied.

She raised her eyes to his. “That’s it? What kind of answer is that?” She continued to caress him.

“An honest one.” He shook his head when he realized she wouldn’t let it go. “It happened a long time ago, Mandy. It’s not worth talking about.” His body tingled under her wicked fingers and he again grabbed her wrist. “As much as I love your hands on me, if you don’t stop, I’m going to end up fucking you again.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And you need to rest because I promise you, we aren’t done.”

She closed her eyes and relaxed. “That scar looks like whoever had the knife meant to gut you.” She snuggled deeper into his arms. “I’m very glad they weren’t successful.”

He chuckled as he felt her go limp. “Me too, Mandy. Me too.”

He gazed at her as she slipped off to sleep. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. Her curls were soft against the pillow, her lips swollen and pouty from his kisses, her cheeks still flushed. He stroked his hand over her slender waist, coming to rest on the flare of her hip. He hadn’t shared anyone’s bed for a long time, but never in his life had he experienced the pleasure this woman had given him. He loved the feel of her hands on his body. He loved the way she’d come undone in his arms. He loved the way she’d lost herself in him, turning doubt and insecurity into bold temptation.

He’d followed her because she intrigued him. Now he wasn’t sure one night would be enough. Now he wasn’t sure he could ever get enough. He pulled her closer and closed his eyes as he contemplated the deep need that settled in his chest.

He didn’t know how long he’d been out when he came to the awareness that they weren’t alone in the house. He frowned at the clock. He hadn’t slept long at all.

As if she also sensed danger, Amanda came awake with a start. Joe tightened his grip around her to keep her in place. “Mmm.” She snuggled deeper into his hold, pressing her ass into his groin.

“Shh, stay still,” he murmured into her ear. He kept his arms locked around her.

“What time is it?”

“It’s just after midnight,” he whispered.

“Why are you whispering?” she whispered teasingly back at him.

She froze as the sound drifted through the room. Heavy booted footsteps on the hardwoods below. From the sound of it, several sets of booted feet.

“Son of a bitch,” she hissed under her breath.

“Amanda!” Her name boomed through the entire house.

She groaned and tried to sit up, but Joe held fast.

“Let. Me. Up.” Amanda pried his fingers apart and wiggled out from underneath him. She grabbed a robe and quickly wrapped it around her naked body. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” She held her hand up to hold him off. “Stay put.”

He watched her race out the door.

Did she just order me to stay put?

He had no idea who was bellowing her name throughout the house. No mistaking it, the bellower was male … and sounded angry.

Stay put, my ass.

He jumped up, pulled on his jeans, and went after her.

Chapter 4

“Jesus, Caleb, do you have to be so loud?” Amanda complained, strolling into the kitchen to see not one, but all three of her brothers.

Caleb leaned against the sink, his boots crossed at the ankle, arms crossed at his chest. His massive form seemed to take up the whole kitchen, and damn if he didn’t look unhappy. Very unhappy if the scowl on his face was any indication.

“What’s up, little sis?” She glanced at Alec, who was just three years older than her, as he sat at the table and helped himself to a fistful of her peanut M&M’s. He offered her a playful smile as he popped one in his mouth. “We didn’t wake you, did we?”

Brandon didn’t say anything, but rose from his seat across from Alec with a warm smile and wrapped his arms around her.

She’d admit, alone they were impressive. Together, they were downright intimidating. They’d all inherited their father’s light hair, chiseled jaw, and rough edges. They might look like golden boys, but looks could be deceiving. Each was over six feet of solid muscle and bad attitude.

And she loved them more than anything in the world.

“Actually, yes, you did.” She returned the hug. Suddenly remembering she was naked under her robe, she pushed him away. “What are you doing here?” She wiggled to adjust the robe tighter around herself. “And by you,” she motioned to each of them, “I mean all three of you.”

“What do you mean taking off like that?” Caleb’s voice was deadly calm and right to the point.

Amanda let out a dramatic sigh. “I’m twenty-seven years old, Cay. Jeez, get a grip.”

“I don’t give a good goddamn how old you are. You can’t just take off without telling anyone where you’re going. And by anyone,” he sneered, “I mean the three of us.”

“You didn’t seem to have any trouble finding me,” she snapped back. “What the hell is your deal anyway?”

“Everything okay, slugger?”

Shit shit shit.

Amanda spun to Joe as he walked into the kitchen. He immediately stole her breath. His hair was sleep-tousled and hung just slightly over his forehead. The button of his jeans was undone, and they rode low on his hips. His bare chest rippled as he reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Images from earlier bombarded her. His cock in her mouth, his head between her thighs, his tongue buried deep inside her. She bit back a groan as she felt her nipples harden. She could feel the warmth of her skin heating to a bright red.

Great. Blushing. Hard nipples. Naked under her robe with the interrogation brigade standing behind her. Perfect.

“Slugger?” Brandon.

“Did he just call you slugger?” Alec.

“Jesus Christ, Sterling. What the fuck are
you
doing here?”

“Caleb!” She whirled on him.

“Don’t start with me, Amanda,” Caleb said. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Like I give a shit about your mood when you bust into my house bellowing like I’m one of your trainees or something.”

“
Our
house, kitten. Not
yours
,” he pointed out, using the pet name he’d given her as a child. “And why the hell did this man just call you slugger?” He jabbed his finger toward Joe.

Joe leaned in. “Um, Mandy, is there something I should know here?” His gaze never left Caleb. “You said you weren’t married.”

She heard snickering coming from the table as she turned back to Joe. “God, no.” She placed a hand on his chest and let his warmth seep into her. “My brothers,” she whispered, rolling her eyes so only he could see. “This house belonged to our parents.”

“Ah, good news then.” He gave her a sexy smile. He nodded at Alec and Brandon, blatantly ignoring Caleb. “Joe Sterling. Friend of Mandy’s.”

Caleb narrowed his eyes on him. “
Mandy’s?
I’ll repeat, what the fuck are you doing here, Sterling?”

Joe gave him a tight smile, but Amanda could feel the aggression coming off them in waves.

Amanda turned a glare on Caleb. “Will you be civil?” she hissed. “Wait.” She glanced at Joe and back at Caleb. “You two know each other?”

Caleb ignored her question. “You mind telling us what you think you’re doing here,
Mandy
? Without a word to your family that you were taking off? Wait, don’t answer that.” He perused her from head to toe. “It’s obvious what you’ve been doing here.”

This time, she let them see her eyes roll. She knew from experience that there’d be no reasoning with Caleb when he was this riled up. Continuing the argument would be absolutely pointless and probably just piss him off worse. Which was exactly why she kept going.

“Fuck off, Caleb. Jesus, I’m a grown woman. How many women have you had in your bed this week? Or you?” She turned to Alec, who raised his hands in mock surrender. “Or you?” She looked pointedly at Brandon, who was studying the wood grain in the table. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little?”

“Overreacting?” Caleb laughed. “That’s rich coming from you. Your boyfriend dumps you and not a week later you’re fucking some stranger you just met.” His hand came down on the counter with a loud crack. “When, Amanda? Last night?”

She cringed.

Joe snaked a protective arm around her waist, offering his silent support.

“That’s enough, Caleb,” Brandon warned. Alec leaned back in his chair, casually popping M&M’s into his mouth while he glared daggers at Joe.

Caleb towered over Brandon in a heartbeat. “Don’t you fucking tell me when it’s enough, Bran. She can’t just run off when things get hard, scaring us half to death in the process. It’s irresponsible and,” he turned back to look Amanda in the eye, “childish.”

“We all want answers, Cay,” Brandon said gently. “But you know as well as I do browbeating her isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“And neither is talking about me like I’m not in the room. Get over yourself, Caleb. I’m not shutting you out or running away from you. You’re just pissed because you didn’t get a say. I made a decision without you, big deal. Can’t a girl take a fucking vacation if she wants to? If anyone here is acting
childish
, it’s you.” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “And he didn’t just dump me, as you so graciously put it.”

She swallowed back tears. She really didn’t need this shit right now. “Just how the hell do you two know each other?” She felt Joe’s arm flex around her waist as she changed the subject.

Alec was apparently done sitting on the sidelines. “Did he hurt you?” Pop went another M&M. Although he appeared casual, she noticed his hands were clenched into tight fists.

“Who, Joe? No, of course not!”

“Not Joe,” Alec murmured.

Instantly the room went deadly still.
God, this is a nightmare.
It was bad enough to be humiliated by the cheating bastard who was supposed to care about her. Now she had to share her humiliation not only with her brothers but also with the man who’d just given her the best sex of her life.

She couldn’t keep the defeat from her voice. “No, Alec. It wasn’t like that.” A collective breath from the males in the room eased the tension a bit.

“Well then, why don’t you fill in the blanks for us. ’Cause all we know is we’ve been calling you for days and you didn’t feel the need to answer any of our messages. Did you not, for one minute, believe we’d be worried about you?” Caleb apparently had two volumes tonight: loud and louder.