Resisting Her (19 page)

When Savannah ventured a step closer to him
and her eyes raked over his body, all self-control was lost. “I’m
done, Savannah. I’m done resisting you. I’m done pretending I don’t
want this.”

She whimpered softly and met his eyes. Hers
were wide with fear…or curiosity, he didn’t know which. Didn’t
care. He needed to be inside her.

“Take off your top,” he ordered.

Savannah lifted the shirt over her head and
deposited it on the floor by her feet. She removed her bra next,
letting it land by her shirt. Her chest was exquisite, just a
palmful really, but creamy soft skin, and pale pink nipples he
hungered to taste.

“And now the skirt.”

Her fingers fumbled with the button, and once
it was free, she began thrusting it down her hips.

“Slowly,” he whispered.

Savannah caught his eyes and her movements
slowed. She carefully pushed the material over her bottom and down
her legs, bending at the waist while her eyes watched his.

His lips separated and he sucked in a deep
breath. “Just like that, baby. Nice and slow. I’ve been waiting for
this too long to rush through it.”

Once she was standing in front of him,
dressed in just her panties, Cole drew her to his chest and held
her there, her feminine form molding to his masculine one. He held
her for moment, needing to feel the warmth of her skin pressed his
against his, and the steady thump of her heartbeat against his
chest. He tipped her chin up with one finger and bent to kiss her,
to worship her mouth like she deserved. She parted her lips,
accepting him, rubbing her tongue against his. The raw need in her
kiss pushed him over the edge, and he pulled away, breathless.

“Undo my pants,” he growled between
kisses.

Savannah looked down at his belt buckle like
it was some foreign contraption. He lowered his head to kiss her
again and felt her hands working to free the clasp, before moving
on to the button on his jeans. With one hand cradling her jaw, his
other reached down to assist, lowering his zipper, and pushing his
jeans down his thighs. Savannah broke the kiss to look down, and he
watched as she became acquainted with his erection for the first
time. Still clad in black boxer briefs, he was barely contained,
tenting the material rather impressively. Savannah reached down
and, with a single fingertip, touched him. His dick jumped.

Her face awash with desire, she reached out
to touch him again, gripping his length through the material.

Fuck
. The grip of her tiny hand was a
thing of magic. He fought with himself, locking his knees and
struggling to keep himself in check. He wanted to yank the boxers
down and let her explore, but his need to touch her first won out.
He lifted her underneath her arms and placed her carefully on the
bed. She let out a surprised gasp, but stayed put on the center of
the bed.

Cole joined her, lying on his side. Filtered
moonlight and the dim light from the hallway cast enough of a glow
to watch each other. Really see each other for the first time.
Knowing this moment was about to change everything between them,
Cole took his time, forcing his heart rate to slow. He admired the
beautiful girl in his bed. He’d spent every night with her for
several weeks now, but he usually did his damnedest to avoid
checking her out. Now, he didn’t hold back. His eyes raked over her
skin — the soft, lovely curves of her breasts, her smooth
shoulders, and the dip in her stomach that led to shapely hips. Her
eyes wandered his physique too, a little smile on her lips as she
looked over his torso. She placed a single hand on the center of
his stomach, letting it glide up and over his pecs, then down over
his abs again — but not going any lower. He could see her pulse
thrumming incessantly in her neck, practically hear her erratic
heartbeat in the weighty silence of the room. But she didn’t look
afraid, more like curious about what would happen next.

Cole let her touch him, remaining still and
silent. Chill bumps broke out over his skin as desire and need
raced through his system. Her hand met the waistband of his boxers
before skittering away to move back up his chest. Her palm settled
over his heart, which was fucking pounding against his ribcage. She
smiled softly at him, leaving her hand to rest there as if saying,
it’s okay, I feel it too.

He explored her body next. He’d resisted for
too long. His fingertips traced her hip bone, her skin warm and
incredibly soft. He trailed his index finger up the center of her
stomach to the patch of skin between her breasts, wanting to take
them in his hands, hell, wanting to take them in his mouth, but he
paused, resting his palm against her chest. She met his eyes,
seeking approval, seeking…assurance about how he felt. But rather
than answer her unspoken question, about what this meant between
them, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “Are you
sure?”

Her eyes flickered open, finding his.
“Yes.”

He remembered how responsive she’d been the
one and only time he’d allowed himself to touch her, and couldn’t
wait to see her come undone again, to watch her back arch and hear
her call his name. He lifted up on one elbow and kissed Savannah
deeply, their mouths fused together in a hot mass of sliding wet
tongues and lips seeking…always seeking. With his mouth firmly over
hers, Cole’s hand moved of its own accord, need spiking inside him
strong and sure. He palmed her breasts, his thumb grazing her
nipple. She inhaled sharply at the contact, but his hand continued
its path south, not stopping until he was cupping the mound of
sensitive flesh between her legs, his fingers pushing past her
panties to brush lightly against her bare skin. Her mouth stilled
on his, falling open when his fingers glided over the seam of her
pussy, parting her to caress the sensitive nub. His fingers sought
and rubbed, soft touches designed only to bring her pleasure. Her
eyes remained on his, a little crease lining her forehead, like she
was silently fighting with herself. Her body wanted this — she was
already wet — but he could tell her mind was racing.

***

“Cole …” She gripped his wrist, preventing
his hand from going any closer to the spot she wanted him.

“Savannah?” His voice was thick with desire.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…Do you need me to stop?”

“Just give me a second…” She squeezed her
eyes closed, needing to think. The first time he’d touched her, she
was tipsy from the alcohol and so desperate for contact after
watching the erotic scene with Sali. Jacob’s gruff voice had been
decidedly absent during her first encounter with Cole. But now,
stone sober, with him looking at her like he wanted to eat her
alive, his hot thick erection pressing against her hip, she needed
a minute to gather her thoughts. Or more aptly, to turn off the
unwelcome thoughts currently swirling inside her head.

He shifted on the bed, rising up on his elbow
to look down at her. “Tell me what you’re thinking.” His features
were washed in pale blue moonlight and his eyes were dark with
concern.

She swallowed and let out a sigh. “I don’t
know. Jacob always said that men wanted only one thing from a
woman—the pleasures of the flesh. And once they had what they
wanted, they left. They always left.” She twisted her hands in her
lap, hating her nakedness in this moment, wishing she could draw
the sheet up over her chest without seeming overly uptight. “I want
to…but I’m just…scared.”

He drew a deep breath, his chest lifting as
his lungs expanded. “You’re afraid that’s all I want from you? Or
that I’ll leave you after?”

“Both I guess…and if you don’t want me here
after this, I don’t have enough for an apartment yet…”

“Savannah,” he groaned. “This isn’t all I
want from you. I’ve been fighting myself constantly; I shouldn’t
want this at all. I convinced myself that all I wanted and needed
from you was the chance to take care of you like you deserved. To
keep you safe. To help you to be happy. And then you totally
shocked me. You were confident and determined when most would have
been terrified. You were teaching me. You refused to crumble; you
have strength where I don’t.”

“Of course that’s not true. You’re insanely
strong,” she scoffed.

He glanced down and shook his head. “I
promise you I’m not. But we’re getting off topic.” He clasped both
of her hands between his. “What Jacob told you was bullshit. Some
men are assholes, sure, but not all. And you have way more to offer
than that bastard gave you credit for.”

She twisted her hands together, trying to
process his words. If she was being completely honest, she knew her
fears were about more than just what Jacob had taught her. She’d
witnessed Cole’s track record with women, his casual attitude
toward sex, and this wasn’t just some physical act to her. It was
so much more. “It’s not just what Jacob said…I’ve met some of the
women you’ve slept with, Cole. I don’t want to be part of that
pattern.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not getting this right. I’m
not good with feelings and declarations of emotion… but I want you
here, Savannah. And we don’t have to do…this. I just like having
you with me. You smell nice. You cook for me, you hum when you
carry Cuddles around the house — which is the worst name ever, by
the way — and after having you live here with me, I’m terrified I
won’t be able to go back to living alone. So you better not go
anywhere.”

She dared a glance at his eyes again. His
brow was crinkled in concentration and his look was determined and
sure. He was telling the truth. He felt something for her. Even if
it wasn’t love…she knew it was close. And she would take it. Take
him and everything he had to offer her. Realizing that Jacob was
wrong, at least about this one man made her chest tight. “Cole.”
The word broke across her lips. There were no words to describe how
she felt in that moment.

“I’ll always want you here. And it’s not
because of this…” He smoothed a hand across her naked physique,
giving her a shoulder squeeze.

His words gave her the courage to continue.
Jacob wouldn’t rob her of this experience. She wouldn’t let their
pasts taint it. She couldn’t summon the words to tell him what she
wanted, but she knew she could show him. Savannah crawled on top of
Cole, settling against the length of him. His arms automatically
surrounded her, pulling her to his chest and rubbing her back.
Savannah could feel his erection had softened, and she feared that
the moment had passed. She didn’t want to be responsible for
ruining her first time. She angled her mouth up to meet his and
pressed a soft kiss against his jaw, the corner of his mouth, his
bottom lip. He responded slowly, carefully, tenderly kissing her
back, but much more delicately than before. His fingers laced in
her hair, his other hand cupped her jaw. She wanted to show him she
was ready for more but didn’t know what to do, how to recapture the
moment. She separated his lips with her own and felt a low rumble
in the back of his throat when their tongues met. She felt his
manhood thicken and stir to life beneath the fabric of his
boxers.

She broke the kiss, needing more, wanting to
be closer. “Cole?”

“Yeah babe?” His breathing was ragged, like
he was doing everything in his power to let her go slow. Too bad
she was done with slow. She bit her lip and reached a tentative
hand between them as if seeking his permission. “Savannah?”

“I want you…” she murmured lightly, raking
her nails along his chest. “I want to touch you.”

He groaned in relief and pushed his boxers
down his hips. She moved next to him, allowing him to remove the
last stitch of clothing between them. Her hand moved on its own,
needing to touch the fine hair trailing down his lower stomach. His
breath caught in his throat when her fingertips meant his skin and
she smiled, liking the effect she had on him.

She reached lower, testing the weight of his
thick length in her hand. “Cole…show me…” She breathed against his
mouth.

Her eyes locked on his. The mocha-colored
depths that always held the promise of protection now swirled with
something much more. The promise of complete and total sexual
satisfaction. Savannah knew he would own her if he so chose. And
she wanted nothing more. She wanted to loose herself in Cole, to
experience everything she could. To enjoy this moment like it was
her last.

***

He needed to feel the warmth of her hand
against his skin before he came just thinking about it. He pressed
a soft kiss to Savannah’s mouth and reached for her hand. She
carefully took his considerable length in her palm, as if unsure
what to do with it.

“Touch me, baby,” he encouraged, guiding her
hand down his manhood. He closed his fist around hers and
demonstrated, drawing his hand up the length and squeezing over the
head. A curse rumbled through his chest, breaking from his lips in
a desperate cry.

Her hand stilled, and for a moment his own
palm fluttered over hers, ready to encourage, to show her what he
liked, but when he saw her uncertain gaze, he stopped himself and
balled his fists at his sides instead. “It’s okay. You don’t have
to do anything you’re not ready for.”

“It’s not that.” She brought her index finger
to him and rubbed the drop of warm fluid at the tip without knowing
how amazing that simple touch felt to him. “I want to taste you,”
she murmured.

His heart kicked at her confession. The
honest need in her voice was the most erotic thing Cole had ever
heard. Would ever hear, he was certain. “Fuck, Savannah.” She
remained stock still, her eyes still on his. “Sorry,” he muttered
an apology for the curse. He never realized what a dirty mouth he
had until Savannah arrived, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s okay.” She smiled. She crawled down his
body until she was face-to-face with his insanely hard cock jutting
out in front of him, as if seeking out Savannah, begging for her
attention. Determined green eyes met his. “Tell me if I do
something wrong.”