Skin on Skin (8 page)

The semierection he’d had all day lengthened and thickened until he was pressing urgently against the zipper of his jeans. How could everything possibly go back to normal when he wanted her this much? A sudden fantasy sprang to mind, one of waking Lauren up in the morning by sliding inside her, and rocking her to sleep at night the same way. Of looking at her over coffee in the morning, knowing that moments before he’d had her howling up at the ceiling. Of working beside her every day, knowing she was his.

He nearly laughed at the irony as it hit him. For the first time in his life, he could imagine committing to one woman. And based on her earlier comments, Lauren wanted nothing to do with it.

She jumped as his hand tightened involuntarily on her thigh, then covered his hand with her own. Lust exploded in his gut, more desperate now as he realized there could never be anything more than this. He still had until midnight, and the least he could do was give them both something to remember.

Lauren started and shot a questioning glance at Tony as he abruptly pulled off the highway. She leaned over, looking frantically at the dash, convinced she’d find a warning light beaming. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said in that low, silky voice that brought to mind vivid images of sweat-slicked skin and twisted sheets. “I just want a little snack.”

She licked her lips nervously. “There aren’t any services off this exit.” The two-lane county road stretched through acres and acres of farmland, with nothing but almond trees on both sides as far as the eye could see.

After a couple of miles, Tony turned down a smaller side road and pulled the suburban off into a turnout. He cut the ignition and turned to face her, dark chocolate eyes glinting with a look she’d become very familiar with during the night. “Everything I want to eat is right here.”

Just those words, in that husky rumble, were enough to soak her panties through. She squirmed in her seat, clenching her thighs together as though that could possibly slow the pulse pounding between them. “Tony, we can’t.” God, her voice sounded feeble and childish. She tried again. “We agreed, this was just for the weekend, and after that, back to business as usual.”

He unbuckled his seat belt and slid across the bench seat. Twisting to face her, he slung one arm over the back of her headrest and propped the other hand against the window. “The weekend isn’t over yet, and, as far as I’m concerned, I have until tonight at midnight.”

She pressed back until the door handle dug into her back. “But we have a long drive and it’s getting late…” Her fingers dug into the leather upholstery, resisting the craving to shove their way under his shirt and into his pants.

He leaned closer, and she moaned at the hot brush of his open mouth against her throat. “Just a little detour. I’m betting this won’t take long.”

“What if someone comes?

His hand slid up under her stretchy blouse and squeezed her breast as he licked a hot trail up her neck. “That’s the idea.”

With a tortured groan, she threaded her fingers into his hair and tugged his mouth down to hers. One last time, one for the road. What could it hurt?

Yes
. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, kissing her so hard the back of her head ground against the headrest. Reaching down, he pressed the button to shift the seat back as far as it could go, then flicked the reclining lever. Lauren emitted a startled giggle as she found herself abruptly prone.

“Gotta hand it to Chevy,” Tony murmured against her lips. “They give a man plenty of space to work.”

His hand went back to her breasts, palm sliding inside the flimsy cup until all he could feel was soft, scented skin and beaded, pinkish brown nipples urging his fingers to pinch and twist.

His hand slid lower, into the vee of her tightly clenched thighs, which parted slightly at his urging. Her breath came in hot pants and he could feel the heat and dampness of her right through her jeans. He groaned against the silky skin of her throat, needing to taste her so badly his mouth watered.

He unfastened her jeans, shoving them, along with her panties, down her hips. She kicked off her sandals and he tugged at the cuffs, pulling her pants completely off. He shifted until he knelt in the cramped space between the dash and the seat. His mouth came down on the silky smooth skin of her belly, right above the damp curly hair of her bush. He sucked and licked at her skin, and when he lifted his mouth he saw he’d left a little love bite.

He liked the idea of Lauren waking up, going to work and trying to pretend everything was back to normal, when all the time his mark would be on her baby-soft skin.

She nearly jumped off the seat at the first flick of his tongue, and he caught her knees and pushed them up and back until her feet rested on the dashboard.

He trailed his fingers along the insides of her legs, his tongue and lips following, pausing to lick and taste the adorable freckles sprinkled along her inner thighs.

His thumbs traced her labia, spread her gorgeous pink pussy wide. He took just a second to admire, then hummed in satisfaction as his lips settled over her juicy clit.

As a rule, he enjoyed going down on a woman, if only because it was the easiest way to get her off. He may have been ruled by his dick, but he was always polite enough to make sure his partner came, too.

With Lauren, though, he was starving for her unique taste, craving her unique scent, until he thought he might go out of his mind if he didn’t get his face in her lap.

And, oh, Christ, he loved the sounds she made when he flicked his tongue over and around her engorged bud. Soft whimpers, escalating to warbles, and then a deep, chesty groan when he slid his fingers inside her dripping sex.

Her slick walls shuddered and clamped over his fingers, and his cock twitched in envy. “You’re so gorgeous down here,” he murmured. “I think you have about the most gorgeous pussy I’ve ever tasted. Mmmm.” He feasted on her, lapping up the slick fluid that flowed onto his tongue, thrusting and twisting his fingers until he filled her from every angle and her hips arched uncontrollably against his hands and mouth.

“Tony,” she whimpered, and his name on her lips was the most perfect sound he’d ever heard. “Tony!”

Her feet dropped from the dash and her thighs closed around his head as she jerked and bucked, shuddering and twitching.

He gently pressed her thighs open and shifted up, and in about two seconds his jeans were unzipped and a condom was on.

He shifted her so she faced away from him, elbows braced against the reclined seat back. Her smooth, round, perfectly muscled ass tipped up, the lush pink folds of that perfect pussy peeking at him between her thighs.

He loved the way his hands looked palming her cheeks. Dark and big against pale, silky skin as they spread her wide to accept the invasion of his cock.

They groaned in perfect unison as he sank deep and began thrusting without restraint. “You make me so fucking hard,” he panted, pounding against her as the sound of flesh coming together filled the close interior of the car. “And you’re pussy’s so tight and slippery, it makes me want to fuck you forever, but I know I can’t last.”

He surged impossibly deep and held himself still, leaning down over her until his face was next to hers against the leather upholstery. He caught her chin, turned her face to the side and took her mouth. He slowly began the steady, pounding rhythm, twisting and tangling his tongue with hers, tasting her strained moans as she worked herself frantically against his cock.

His balls tightened, signaling his impending climax and he reared up, settling his hands on her ass, watching as her eager pussy swallowed every inch of him.

The windows fogged, the sounds of sex sounded unnaturally loud in the enclosed space, and every bit of it was more arousing than anything Tony had ever experienced. He wanted her so fucking much, and every time he touched her, she responded just as fiercely.

At the first flutter of her climax he lost it, thrusting hard and fast, not stopping until they were both utterly drained. He came so hard his arms buckled, and he collapsed against Lauren’s back, burying his nose in the mass of soft red curls spread against the seat.

The afterglow was short-lived. Lauren shifted pointedly underneath him, reminding him that he was probably mashing her into the seat in an unnaturally arched position.

Reluctantly he pushed himself up and slid out, undeniably shaken. What had started as a way of reminding her how much
she
wanted
him,
instead proved to him that, out of all the women he had ever known, only she incited the kind of craving that made him come so hard he nearly passed out.

He slid over to his side of the seat and cleaned himself up as best he could while she did the same. He felt like he should say something, but feared if he opened his mouth something ridiculously sappy—and completely unlike him—might slip out. So instead he leaned over and kissed her, tracing his thumb along the strong curve of her jaw and the clean line of her cheekbone. Then he held her close, the thought that this might be the last time he held her twisting in his guts.

He buried his face in her hair, wondering if there was anything he could do to change her mind, and prove to her that he was exactly the kind of man she needed.

L
auren did her best to keep their conversation light, meaningless, and utterly without depth for the rest of the ride back to Donner Lake.

Not easy when her brain practically screamed at her to hash out this thing between them, once and for all. What exactly had happened, anyway? Had he simply wanted to get laid, or was there even a teeny, tiny chance that he might actually consider a relationship with her?

Only the fact that, deep in her bones, she knew the answer to that question kept her from bringing it up.

Tony was Tony, and many of the things she loved about him—his charm, his laid-back attitude, his easy laugh and often immature sense of humor—were the very things that kept him from even entertaining the idea of settling down with one woman.

But dammit, she hated being in this gray area. For most of her adult life, her relationships with guys had remained firmly in the friends arena. No bleeding over into romantic territory for her—she was usually smart enough keep everything strictly platonic.

But not this time. And really, when she thought about it, there was no middle ground here, either. She had only one choice, and that was to stick with her original plan and, after they got home tonight, pretend none of this had happened.

They’d simply slip back into their regular routine, having a few beers, watching the game, working out.

Your usual guy stuff, she thought ruefully.

And she had no doubt that, within a couple of days—by Wednesday, at the latest, she’d be able to move without feeling twinges and pulls deep inside her.

But as she listened to the low rumble of his voice, saw the flash of his smile as he laughed at something she said, she wondered how long it would take before she could look at him without getting this awful crushing sensation in her throat and chest.

It was late by the time they crested Donner Summit, but she could see the lake below, shimmering silver, illuminated by the nearly full moon.

She’d loved this view from the first moment she’d seen it as a little girl, driving with her parents on their annual ski vacation. Now that she lived here, the view never failed to pervade her with a sense of peace, a gut-deep conviction that she had come home.

But not tonight. Tonight she took in the granite cliffs and dark water as they drove by on Highway 80, and she feared at any second she would burst into tears. The weekend was really over now. She would go back to being Tony’s friend, and he would go back to the throngs of women only too eager to satisfy his overactive appetites.

“Well, this is it,” he said as they pulled up to her walkway. He unbuckled his seat belt and got out as she did the same, and unloaded her suitcase from the back of the Suburban.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early,” she said, and grabbed the handle of her wheelie bag. To her surprise, he took the handle from her. “You don’t have to walk me up.”

He ignored her and followed her up the short path, propping one arm against the doorjamb as she searched for her keys.

“I don’t know why women carry these things,” she grumbled as she dug through her purse. “You can never find anything in them.” Finally, she extracted her key, and with a hand that shook only a little bit, unlocked the front door. “Okay, well, good night, then.” Her voice sounded breathless and strained.
Leave,
she thought,
please just leave and make this easier on both of us.

To her dismay, he reached up and cupped her jaw in his big hand and gave her that heavy-lidded look that made her knees weak and her panties wet.

She gripped the doorknob in one hand and her suitcase handle in the other, having no doubt that if she let go of either she’d immediately claw his clothes off, right there on her front stoop.

He leaned down until his mouth barely touched hers. “Let me come up,” he breathed over her parted lips, then gently, oh, so delicately, sucked her bottom lip between his teeth.

“No,” she whispered, and her pussy silently pulsed to the rhythm of
you bitch, you bitch!
But she had to stay strong. She swallowed and somehow managed to back away one step.

He stood up straight and gaped at her, as if he couldn’t believe he heard her right. “What?”

She flattened her palm against his chest, then yanked it away as the delicious warmth of his skin seeped through the soft cotton of his shirt. “This was just for the weekend, remember? Back home, back to normal. Buddies, just like always, right?”

A flash of irritation wrinkled his brow, but disappeared so quickly she thought maybe she’d imagined it. “Right. That’s cool.” He wrapped her in a quick hug, one of friendly affection, just like he’d done a hundred times before they ever even considered having sex.

And because it was just like every other hug, there was nothing wrong with her wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the embrace. But when she buried her nose against the patch of skin left bare by his open collar and inhaled as though his scent were life-giving oxygen, she knew it was time to retreat.

She mumbled something, a garbled combination of “good night,” and “see ya” that came out “goodseeya” and practically staggered into her entryway.

Back to normal, my ass.

Even though he hadn’t gotten laid again last night, Tony had woken up in a ridiculously good mood. He’d bounded out of bed, raced through his run, eager to get to work and see Lauren.

Come to think of it, he mused as he installed a set of cabinets for the kitchen remodel they were handling, he couldn’t remember a day in the last seven months that he hadn’t been excited to get to work. To see Lauren.

He’d always enjoyed his job, but having her around made him especially eager to get out of bed and spend the day working beside her.

Too bad she’d spent most of the morning trying to avoid him. He snuck a glance at her across the room where she was busy ripping up linoleum. She glanced up, quickly lowering her gaze as soon as she met his. Disappointment settled like a boulder in his stomach. Clearly, despite what she’d said, Lauren was having as hard a time as he was at letting things get back to normal after what they’d shared. She was trying not to show it, but after months of close friendship, she couldn’t hide her obvious discomfort. She wouldn’t make eye contact, and every time he got close to her she stiffened tighter than a guitar string.

Not for the first time today, he wondered if he should have kept his hands off. This whole thing was playing out just as he’d feared, with Lauren acting weird and uncomfortable, making him edgy and unsure of how to proceed.

On the other hand, the sex they’d had was truly amazing, and he honestly couldn’t bring himself to regret it. And more than that, he uneasily acknowledged, the connection between them was more powerful than anything he’d ever experienced, and impossible to ignore.

Later that afternoon when Lauren oh-so-casually ducked away when Tony tried to put his arm around her shoulders as he’d done a thousand times before, he tried to convince himself it was a good sign. Despite what she’d said, she obviously wasn’t able to let go of what happened between them and go back to being mere friends. She might think of him as crappy boyfriend material, but if he was honest and told her he wanted to be more than bang buddies, maybe she’d give him a chance.

His spirits buoyed by the thought, Tony fought the urge to confront her right there and then. But right now, with all the other guys around, was definitely not the time to have a “state of the relationship” talk. He glanced at his watch. Today was Monday, and if Lauren really wanted to keep things normal, she’d show up on his front porch at five-thirty, just in time to watch Monday night football on his wide-screen. He grinned, mentally rubbing his hands with glee. He only had to be patient for two more hours, and then he could get to work convincing Lauren that he would have no problem settling down with just one woman, as long as that woman was Lauren.

Tony sullenly glared at his watch. Nine-thirty. The game had ended half an hour ago, and Lauren hadn’t shown, hadn’t called, nothing. He had nearly picked up the phone a half dozen times, always stopping short of dialing her number. If she needed a little space, fine. He wasn’t going to chase her down.