Protect Me (15 page)

“Yes, ma’am,” Nate replies with a sly grin.
 

“And don’t keep her up too late,” she adds before sliding the gearshift into drive. I can hear Avery and Josselyn howling with laughter as the car pulls away. Nate slides his big hand around mine and gives me a gentle tug towards the stairs.
 

“Did you have fun tonight?” he asks as we start our assent.
 

“It was amazing. Your family is wonderful. I forgot what it’s like to enjoy the company of friends,” I tell him, my voice trailing off to almost a whisper.
 

Nate spins me around about halfway up the stairs. He lets go of my hand but only to thread both hands into my hair. I’m a step above him which makes
us eye level; our lips line up perfectly. The look in his eye is fierce and intense. I want to look away from the pure honesty in his eyes, but I just can’t. He’s making his intentions for tonight perfectly clear, and I hope that the look in my own eyes reflects my need for him, because I do. I need him. I need him with an urgency I’ve never experienced in my entire life.
 

“How drunk are you?” he asks without breaking eye contact.
 

“Not nearly drunk enough to not know what I’m doing or what I want,” I reply.
 

“And what do you want, beautiful?” he asks as he leans in a little closer.
 

“You. Just you,” I tell him, my breathing slightly strained, as my eyes remain locked on his.
 

Nate is on me a split-second later. His lips are firm and demanding. Bruising. His large, rough hands grip at my hair, holding my head firmly in place while he devours my mouth with his own. We’re all lips and tongue and raw need, right there in the middle of the stairway, outside for the entire world and the stars to witness.
 

 I feel his hands leave my hair as his mouth continues to worship mine. They run down my sides sending shivers of anticipation coursing uncontrollably throughout my entire body until they rest firmly on my hips. With one quick lift, I’m suspended in the air and thrust forward until my body is slammed into his hard,
unforgiving one. My chest to his chest. My core to his very hard erection. I wrap my legs around his waist and he makes quick work of running up the rest of the stairs.
Huh, I guess firemen really do have great strength and stamina.
 

Stamina. I hope to God we get to test that shortly. If there is one thing that Nate excels at in all of my day and night fantasies, it’s being able to go the distance. Over and over and over again.
 

“Where are your keys?” he asks without removing his mouth from mine.
 

“In my purse,” I reply without moving a muscle. Nate reaches for the purse on my shoulder and starts digging one-handed, without moving his other from my rear.
 

“Don’t move, beautiful,” he says as he pulls out my keys and makes quick work of unlocking my door. My mouth goes to his neck. I use my teeth to nip at his slightly sweaty flesh and my tongue to soothe away the bites. The action causes Nate to momentarily fumble the keys and moan his pleasure. My hands roam up into his slightly breeze tousled hair. The blond strands feel like silk between my fingers, and the sensations are an amazing aphrodisiac sending warmth straight to my tingly lady parts.
 

The moment the door opens, we’re inside in a tangled mess of limbs and mouths. I’m still wrapped firmly around Nate’s midsection while his hands kneed
the globes of my ass. He walks me backwards until I’m firmly pressed against the countertop. I clamp my legs around him, grinding my core against the impressive bulge in the front of his pants.
 

“Now,” I pant as I struggle to pull his tucked-in shirt from his waistband.
 

“Patience, beautiful. I have big plans for you tonight,” he says breathlessly as he peels his lips from mine and runs them down my neck. The warmth of his breath sends shivers of anticipation uncontrollably throughout my body.
 

“You are wearing entirely too many clothes,” Nate acknowledges as he pushes my shirt slowly up my abdomen. Cool air conditioning kisses my overly heated skin causing goosebumps to form instantly.
 

“So are you,” I whisper as I give his shirt another tug.
 

“Patience,” he whispers as his hot mouth descends on my chest. My nipples are peaked and straining against the satin material of my bra. Nate uses his large hand to dip the satin below my left nipple where his mouth latches on to me a second later.
Holy hell!
 

Nate suckles at my erect peak, blowing his warm breath against the wetness on the nipple, and gently squeezing my breast that fits so perfectly in his hand. All too soon, he moves from my left but immediately begins to show the same delicious attention to the right breast.
 

The moan I hear is foreign and deep, and takes me several heartbeats to realize it came from me. It also seems to break any remaining restraint Nate is so desperately holding onto. Nate breaks away from my breasts and makes quick work of unsnapping my bra. I watch lust-drunk as he throws it over his shoulder, landing somewhere on the kitchen floor. Nate returns his mouth to mine as he releases the button and unzips my shorts.
 

“Lift up,” he says hoarsely as he takes a hold of my jean shorts at the hips.
 

Lifting my hips while seated firmly on the counter proves to be a difficult task, so I use my hands to push myself up. Nate pulls firmly on the material, dropping them to my ankles.
Thank you Lord for remembering to shave my legs and wear pretty panties!
With one quick swipe, I’m free of the restricting garment.
 

“God, your legs are fucking amazing,” he groans as his mouth descends to the sensitive skin of my thighs. Another moan rips from my gut as he runs his tongue and the stubble of his cheek along my burning flesh. My panties are soaked clean through, something that would have embarrassed me before.
 

Before Nate.
 

But, with Nate, there is no embarrassment. There is only explosive, nuclear passion. A fire rages deep inside of me that I’ve never felt in my entire twenty-six
years.
 

I feel Nate’s breath against my most sensitive area as he moves the satin aside. He snakes his warm tongue along my folds and thrusts it forward, deep inside me.
 

Without even realizing what I’m doing, I grab a handful of his silky hair and hold on for dear life. I find myself rolling my hips in rhythm with his tongue as I struggle to suck air inside my lungs. Nate grabs a hold of my hip with his left hand and presses his right thumb against the little bundle of nerves at my center. The combination of his tongue and finger is too much. Brilliantly colored lights explode behind my closed eyelids as I ride the wave of euphoria that Nate has created. I come so hard that I see stars. On my kitchen counter. If I was in any condition to process a thought, I might be concerned about this, but right now? I. Don’t. Care.
 

Before my breathing can even start to return to normal, I feel Nate move away from me. As I crack open my too-heavy eyelids, I see his gloriously bare chest flex as he unbuttons his shorts with lightning fast speed. I’m in a trance as I watch the hard, tattoo covered muscles of his upper arms flex and work to rid him of his clothing.
 

Suddenly, he’s standing before me in nothing but black boxer briefs that are so deliciously tight and leave nothing to the imagination. Warmth instantly spreads to my exposed core as I take in the man before me. He’s all
tight muscles and large tented cock. He’s every woman’s wet fantasy. And tonight, he’s mine.
 

I reach a hand towards him, wanting to feel his length in my hand.  
 

“No can do, beautiful,” he says as he takes my hands in his and places them behind my back. The action pushes my breasts straight out and on display. “If you touch me right now, I’m going to embarrass myself in my pants.” Nate traces his tongue up the column of my neck from my collarbone to my earlobe. “I need you so damn bad,” he growls harshly.
 

“What are you waiting for?” I whisper in invitation.
 

Nate lets go of my hands and makes a grab for his shorts. He removes a strip of condoms from his front pocket, rips one off the end, and throws the rest on the counter.
 

“Well prepared,” I comment with a smile.
 

“I have a feeling that one time with you isn’t going to be nearly enough,” he replies as he tosses his underwear and rolls the protection over his impressive length.
 

Without even realizing it, I spread my legs widely as he steps between my thighs. His mouth locks on mine again in another fiery kiss. Nate slips his hands under my ass and moves me forward to the edge of the counter. I feel the pressure of him positioning himself at my entrance.
 

“Now,” I demand in a low, harsh voice in between kisses.
 

Nate gently thrusts forward, entering me with ease. His tongue dips inside my mouth, mimicking the movements of his lower half. The stretching is a little painful yet so very fulfilling. It’s been nearly ten months since I’ve been with a man, and never have I been with a man of Nate’s girth.
 

Nate pauses and says, “Are you alright?”
 

“God, yes. More,” I growl as I attack his mouth once again with my own.
 

Our kisses, or my words – take your pick – shatter him. Nate thrusts deep and hard, burying himself completely inside me. Our collective groans mix as our tongues continue their erotic dance. There’s no slowing us down anymore. Nate’s pace is fast and furious as he pushes us both towards climax. His hands tighten on my ass as he continues to pump into me. I hold on the best I can and enjoy the hell out of the ride.
 

When one hand reaches up and strokes my neck, I feel that familiar tightening low in my belly. He pulls his lips from mine and runs them along my neck. Between the gentleness of his lips and the roughness of his teeth, I’m teeter tottering on the edge of oblivion. Nate wraps his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me forward and ravishing my pulse point with his mouth. The feel of his breath and his mouth finally send me over the edge. I didn’t think it was possible to
come any harder than earlier, but I manage as Nate pumps three, four, five more times inside of me, my internal muscles milking him for everything he has. His orgasm is strong and his groans loud as he releases himself deep inside me.
 

Nate and I both gasp for breath, wrapped in each other’s sweaty arms as we ride the aftershocks together. “Holy shit, woman,” Nate hoarsely says.
 

“Yeah,” I manage to reply after several deep, panting breaths.
 

His lips descend upon mine, but this time, as a gentle caress. They are soft and tender as they rub against my overly sensitive lips. His lips glide soothingly over mine, expressing emotions that I’m not prepared to deal with. Not now. Not ever. Emotions that I can’t get wrapped up in again.
 

“I don’t want to just invite myself to stay, and I’ll definitely leave if you want me to. I’m just afraid that one time isn’t going to be enough with you,” he says honestly.
 

As if we didn’t just rock each other’s worlds not a short five minutes ago, I feel him hardening inside of me. “I want you to stay,” I reply.
Just for tonight
, I tell myself repeatedly. Just for tonight.
 

Nate scoops me up into his hard, muscular arms and slowly pulls himself free from inside me. I feel the loss and want him to slide back inside of me. Where he belongs.
 

No, Lia.  Temporary.  This is only temporary.
 

Nate walks back to the tiny bedroom at the back of the apartment and gingerly lays me down on the bed. He makes quick work of removing the condom and heads towards the bathroom to discard it. He comes back a few minutes later with a glass of water, two Tylenol tablets, and the strip of protection. I take the medicine he offers while he throws the strip of condoms on the nightstand.
 

My eyelids are suddenly heavy as Nate slips under the sheet next to me. He pulls me towards him until I’m snuggled as close as humanly possible at his side. His skin is so warm and his body so hard, yet it’s the most comfortable place I’ve ever been. I feel secure and protected within his embrace.
 

Nate runs his hand across my forehead, moving my bangs, as he lures me into sleep. The feel of his breath against my skin and the comfort of his arms wrapped tightly around me is the last thing I feel before drifting off into a deep, restful sleep.
 

The smell of bacon and coffee wakes me from the best night of sleep I’ve ever had. Muscles I didn’t even know existed are screaming their protest as I stretch against the cool sheets. The other side of the mattress where Nate slept mere hours ago is vacant, but
the smells coming from the kitchen tell me he isn’t too far away.
 

My mind fills with memories of Nate waking me up in the very early morning. He was gentle as he worshiped my body, bringing me to orgasm no less than twice that time, too. My body is singing as I climb out of bed and reach for a shirt. Nate’s shirt from last night is thrown on the end of the bed along with all of the clothes we were both wearing yesterday, so I slide the big shirt over my head and walk into the hall to the bathroom. The shirt still smells deliciously like Nate. It’s all musky and rich with just a hint of sweat. I can’t help but run my nose along the cotton material as I inhale deeply yet again.