Risking It All (14 page)

“Then you show up here in, in
that
”—she waved a hand at him, gesturing at his clothing—“and all I can think about is how good you look, and how much I ache to strip it all off you, because I’m dying to know what your skin feels like sliding against mine. Is that what you wanted to know? Are you satisfied now?”

Her chest heaving with her breathlessness, she squared her shoulders and glared at him. His eyes widened and his brows raised, no longer cool and controlled but stunned. A million emotions erupted in the depths of his searching eyes—confusion, indecision, white-hot need. His chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. Like it took all the power within him to stay rooted to the spot.

Then something snapped. A low, growling curse slipped from his lips, and he crossed the threshold. One strong arm seized her waist, yanking her against him, all fire and determination that evaporated the instant his body fused with hers.

Cecelia gasped at the shock of his warmth against her. Her lungs filled with his heady scent, a mixture of soap and a light, spicy aftershave. The fierce, languid heat in his eyes, no longer smoldering but so palpable it seeped into her every pore, had need ravaging through her. Oh God, she needed to push him away, but he leaned down, brushing his mouth over hers, and her body leaned into him instead. Her fingers closed, fisting handfuls of his shirt, pulling him closer, and her head tipped back, her mouth shamelessly offering itself up to him.

A low groan rumbled out of him, and his arms tightened around her, pulling her impossibly closer. His mouth swooped down to cover hers. He devoured her with a hunger that stole the breath from her lungs, his wicked tongue teasing hers. His hands slid down her back to cup her bottom, and he ground his hips against hers.

Sensation overwhelmed her senses. The hard press of his body against her. The ridge of his erection pushing into the softness of her belly. All sense of rational thought fled as he swept her into a world of sensation she never thought she’d experience. His hands moved, sliding over her curves, touching places he’d never dared before, and with each one, every nerve ending came alive. Every touch was a new discovery, and every one pulled her deeper into him. He had molten fire racing through her veins, yet she couldn’t stop trembling.

God, she didn’t even know it was possible to want someone this much. She wanted to lose herself, to be so close they fused, and her hands clutched at him, desperate to draw him closer.

His mouth never left hers as he backed her through the entryway. The door slammed behind them, and Ceci became lost. The next few minutes passed in a frenzy as they struggled to shed clothing and get upstairs, neither one willing to relinquish their hold. His mouth sought the curve of her neck, his hands working the buttons of her shirt. She divested him of his T-shirt, took pleasure in exploring his fantastic chest, and reveled in the softness of his skin, the solidness of his muscles.

He managed to get her out of her shirt, and they’d worked their way up five steps, before he growled in frustration.

“This is taking too long. I need to touch you. All of you.” He snipped at her bottom lip, swept her off her feet, and bounded up the stairs as if she weighed little more than a pile of feathers.

Upon reaching her bedroom, he crossed to her bed with long, determined strides, then set her feet on the floor, letting her body slink along his. Staring into his eyes increased the tremors running through her. Tenderness mixed with heat in his heavy-lidded eyes. His gaze locked on hers, he dropped to his knees, unbuttoning and pulling her jeans down her legs. He tossed them aside and pushed to his feet again, then stood back and trailed his gaze over her, to her feet and back up. The storm in his eyes grew stronger, headier, with every inch of her he took in.

He reached out, his fingers tracing the edge of her bra, down her stomach and around the top edge of her panties. Everywhere he touched, she tingled, delicious little goose bumps skittering along her sensitized skin, eliciting soft gasps. His slow perusal had her trembling all over again, this time with a potent combination of nervousness and arousal. She’d never been naked in front of him before, and it left her feeling open and exposed. This wasn’t just anyone. This was the boy she grew up with, who knew her better than anyone. Standing almost naked in front of him, she revealed so much more of herself than her body, but her heart and soul as well.

“White cotton.” He slowly shook his head, awe in his tone. “I should’ve known.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t own any fancy lingerie.” Suddenly self-conscious, she looked down at herself, her shaking hands fluttering over her plain white underwear. It had never occurred to her to buy lingerie until this moment. Jimmy never seemed to mind, and she’d always been a simple kind of girl. Her fanciest pair had lace in them, but they were still cotton, still plain white.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s just me.” He captured her hands in his, ceasing their nervous fluttering, tugged her close again, and pressed a series of soft, light, barely there kisses to her lips. “I don’t care what kind of underwear you wear. I happen to think you’re beautiful just the way you are. But I’ve never seen you naked before. I can’t resist looking at you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. To hear him say those things to her, to know he found her beautiful, made her whole body sing. As if to torture her further, his mouth moved, soft lips caressing her cheek, along her jawline. All the while his hands roamed her curves. Down her sides, over the swell of her hips, to her bottom. When his hot tongue flicked against her ear, a quiet moan escaped her.

“Now it’s your turn.” His voice came as a husky rumble against her earlobe, his teeth scraping the soft, sensitive flesh. “Undress me, Ceci. Touch me.”

He pulled back, and his gaze caught on hers. Deep in their depths, the connection she’d always felt with him shined. She nodded, and her cheeks flushed. She’d never touched him like this, either. Her hands trembled as she reached for the buttons on his jeans, but she kept her gaze on his, let their connection fuel the fire raging within her.

With the first button, the muscles in his stomach jumped and his breath hitched. With the second, his eyes closed, a tremor running through him she felt down to her toes. By the third, her fingers brushed his erection, and a quiet, needy moan slipped from his lips. His mouth hung open, his chest rising and falling at a more rapid pace. He looked as if he was hanging on by the barest thread.

The knowledge that she affected him with such intensity sent a wave of pleasure pulsing through her. Angling her head, she pressed her mouth to his throat, reveling in the salty taste of his skin, his masculine scent. The rest of the buttons undone, she sank to her knees at his feet. His head came back up, his gaze searing into hers as she pulled his jeans down his legs and tossed them aside.

By the time she finished and rose to her feet, pressing close again, she couldn’t be sure who trembled more. Her or him.

She leaned in to nip at his bottom lip, and his arms closed around her. Then he leaned down and captured her mouth. He kissed her long and slow this time, his tongue slipping inside to caress hers. Every stroke made her shudder with tenderness and ache with wonder. Would he make love to her the same way?

His palms pressed to her stomach, he hooked his thumbs under the material of her bra, followed it to the back, and, with one flick, freed her breasts. Anticipation shuddered through her as she shrugged off the cotton garment and let it fall to the floor. More of her nerves surfaced. The luscious flush of excitement and arousal warred with the part of her that wanted to cover herself. Being naked in front of him for the first time was an ultra-vulnerable sensation. It warred with the part of her that kept insisting, “This is just Kyle.”

When his warm palms curved around her breasts, though, all thought fled again. His thumbs flicked across her nipples, back and forth. As if he’d done it a thousand times before. As if she were an instrument and he knew exactly what strings to sweep to make her hum.

And hum she did. He massaged her sensitive breasts, his soft hands stroking and caressing, fingers gently pinching her nipples. Until all her previous nervousness fled, lost in his touch. She let her head loll back, closed her eyes, and immersed herself in the wondrous sensations. Her only other lover had been with a man whose actions now seemed selfish. Jimmy had never taken this much time, and Kyle had her ready to weep with the pleasure. Pregnancy had made her breasts super sensitive, and every stroke was a hot brand on her skin.

When his mouth closed over one hardened, aching tip, more pleasure than she’d ever thought possible arrowed straight to her core. She couldn’t contain her choked cry. Her knees turned to gelatin, refusing to hold her up, and she reached out to anchor herself against him.

In one fluid motion, he swept her off her feet. She opened her heavy-lidded eyes in time for him to set her on the bed. She laid back, gaze caught on his, on the heat, the overwhelming desire blazing back at her, as he crawled up the bed. It took her breath away.

At last, he settled over her, and for a moment, they lay there, gazes caught. She bent her knees, cradling his hips, and he stroked her hair back off her face with the tip of his index finger. Long moments passed in silence as something a bit more tender passed between them. The press of his body covering hers wasn’t one she’d forget anytime soon. His weight pressing her into the mattress, the silky heat of his skin, even the hair on his chest caressing her tender nipples. All of it heightened the sensations. But none of it compared to watching his eyes. That connection flowed between them, and she could get lost in it.

Finally he bent his head, nipping and suckling at her skin as he made his way across her jawline and down her neck to the curve of her shoulder. Holding himself on one elbow, he stroked a hand down her side, over the curve of her hip, and around the soft swell of her bottom. His hips rocked into hers, nudging that sweet spot at the apex of her thighs, and every inch of her lit up like a bonfire.

“Oh God.” The words left her mouth on a hoarse whisper as the tremors renewed themselves. His erection nudged the exact right spot, and she moaned, rocking her hips against the intimate connection. She slid her hands inside his boxer briefs to cup his firm, bare bottom and pressed him closer. “Kyle, please. I ache.”

“I know. Me too.” His voice came as a husky murmur, his breathing as harsh and erratic as her own, a hot huff against her ear. “But I’ve waited a long time for this. I intend to take my time with you.”

His words inspired a heated tremble to rake through her, but he didn’t give her time to wonder what he meant. He inched down her body, trailing kisses, his fingers skimming and caressing. His tongue occasionally darted out to singe her flesh.

When he pressed a kiss above her mound, she let out a quiet, frustrated groan and reached for him. “Two can play at that game, you know.”

“Promises, promises.” He flicked his tongue across her inner thigh as he knelt between them, nudging them apart with his hands. Those luscious, warm palms continued up over her hips, and his long fingers gripped the edge of her panties.

A tremor shot through her, leaving her trembling in anticipation. Kyle didn’t disappoint. He didn’t tease, either. He bent forward, kissing the very heat of her through the fabric, his breath against her setting fire to her most sensitive area. Her hips arched off the bed, following him as he pulled away, desperate to ease the ache he’d created.

He slid her panties down and off, tossing them over the side of the bed. She was bare before him now, and just like moments ago, he seemed to pause to take his fill. His hands slid up her thighs, thumbs caressing the insides, grazing her. His breath huffed against her, harsh and erratic.

She expected vulnerability or awkwardness to rush over her. She was naked in front of him for the first time, completely exposed. But those feelings never came. Instead, being this way with him only increased the intimacy. There were no more walls between them, no more should or shouldn’t. Just him and her and a need that she could no longer deny.

She opened her eyes and reached for him again, sliding her fingers into his hair. Another sensation she’d never had before today. “I need you.”

Wickedness glinted in his eyes, one corner of his mouth quirking upward. “I know.”

He scraped his teeth over her inner thigh, earning him a needy groan, and repeated his torture, kissing, nibbling, suckling her skin as he worked his way down her legs. He nibbled her toes, kissed her insteps, then repeated the torturing, licking and caressing his way back up with insane leisure.

By the time he reached the juncture of her thighs again, settling this time on his stomach between them, she was panting and shivering. Every inch of her had come alive, ready to burst at the slightest touch. Her hips curled upward in a desperate effort to make contact with him, to quench the fire he’d set in her core.

When she was sure she couldn’t stand it anymore or would come apart at the seams right there, he nudged her thighs farther apart. She held her breath, every inch of her trembling in anticipation. He finally touched her, his thumbs softly stroking her delicate folds; then he bent his head, and his breath whispered over her. Her fingers curled in his hair, anchoring her, her body waiting on the edge.

At the first few strokes of his tongue on her tender flesh, she was lost. A sound somewhere between a high-pitched cry and a whimper wrenched from her throat. With mindless, exquisite slowness, he pleasured her, licking, suckling, stroking, until she writhed in agony and pleaded for mercy. A hot, desperate coil wound tighter and tighter within her, until, with one last flick of his tongue, her climax struck. Like a volcanic eruption, it swept her away, shattering her into a million white-hot little fragments. She shuddered and clutched at the sheets, as wave after endless wave swept her away.

As she slowly floated back to earth, she melted into the mattress, boneless and breathless.

“God, you’re beautiful.” His voice rumbled along her skin as he kissed the inside of her thigh, low and husky with need. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”