Surrounded by Temptation (6 page)

“And why wouldn’t Toby just come out and help you. If you call me because you’re trapped, I wouldn’t sit idly by. This is lame.”

“Shut it, Krista. Toby can come up with something. Hell, he can tell Rob that you’re freaking out and heading my way and that he needs to get to you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid like wield a chainsaw and get yourself hurt. It’s just a stuck door, so he can put it off on Rob.”

Krista harrumphed. “I guess that’ll work. Still sounds silly. You should just call him and tell him to meet you for your next booty session.”

“For the love of God, Krista. I’m doing this for
you
. And I don’t tell you how to do your job. Stick to the law and let me handle this the way I see fit.”

Her sister sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just don’t like your approach to this, but I’m shutting up now. I’ll call Toby. Consider it done.”

“Thanks.”

She tossed her cell down after ending the call and walked into the bathroom. She looked around the room, searching for something that might wedge the door shut but not having any luck. She ran to the bedroom and grabbed the small chair by the bed. It’d have to do. She just needed something to hold momentarily. She dashed back into the bathroom and propped it underneath the door handle. Then she turned on the water and shed her clothing while it heated. Once the temperature was nice and hot like she preferred, she turned on the shower and stepped in. Deciding she would actually use this time wisely, she quickly washed her body and hair.

She heard stomping feet just before a shout. “Ariel!”

She turned off the water and grabbed a towel, patting herself dry and just barely getting the towel around her body before the bathroom door shook. She heard a bang from the other side of the door just as he rattled again. This time, the hinges groaned and the door splintered.

Holy shit
. Rob was sweating and panting and dirt streaked down his face, but he was a god. How could a dirty man, sweating in flannel, with wind blown hair look as hot as this? Her belly tingled and she gripped the towel tighter.

He looked at the door and frowned at the chair. Then he looked up at her, eyes narrowing. “Toby said—”

“It doesn’t matter what Toby said.” She leaned down and turned on the shower again. “You’re filthy and I just showered. Strip.”

“Excuse me? I’m working. I get dirty, angel.” He crossed his arms.

“And I’m working too. You seem to be doing okay so far. We’re going to take it up a notch. I need you to take off your clothes and get in the shower.”

He slowly reached for the top button on his shirt. “More torture, huh?”

“If you like.”

“You gonna watch?” he asked, eyebrows raised as he held open the top of his shirt.

“If I like.”

He hummed in the back of his throat but continued to remove his shirt. Holy hell in a hand basket, the manual labor he must’ve been doing just before he ran in here caused his muscles to grow menacingly.

“You’re dripping wet.”

“Maybe you can do something about that later.” She knew he was referring to the water still sluicing off her skin, but she couldn’t pass up the innuendo.

He shut his eyes, his jaw ticking. “You’re fucking teasing me again,” he said through gritted teeth.

“But you’re not tied up now, are you? Progress.” She shrugged.

He growled, sounding a little bit pissed and a whole lot scary, but Ariel stood her ground. He unzipped his pants and pushed them down, underwear and all.

And he was hard and leaking already.

“I see my brusque tone hasn’t cooled your ardor.”

“You’re wet and naked under that towel, angel. Your clipped tone is only making me want to subdue you even more.” He stepped closer to her, invading her space and trapping her against the counter. “My nature is to make you submit to me, and you’re ordering me around like a little fucking puppy. You keep this shit up and I’m going bite back.”

No matter how hard she tried, Ariel couldn’t contain the shiver of desire that crawled down her spine.
It’s just a natural response of a woman to man
.

“Is that what you want? To bite back?” she asked breathlessly.

“Angel, you make it through this testing shit without becoming my mate and it’ll be a fucking miracle. I want nothing more than to make you mine forever.”

Then Rob swore under his breath, a look of pained regret in his eyes, and whirled, getting into the shower and slamming the glass door closed.

Ariel felt a pang of sadness at Rob’s sudden withdrawal, but she refused to analyze why.

Some things are best left unexplained.

Chapter Six

Rob scrubbed his skin like cleaning it would clean his soul. What the hell was wrong with him? He knew his animal wanted to claim her, but he had no intention of voicing that. At least not when he was considered lucid under this medication. It was almost as if in that moment, his lion had control of everything and it was only through sheer will alone he kept from crushing his mouth to hers. He guessed that was because the medication he’d been shot up with was working, but at what cost? And how well did it actually work if his lion was able to overpower him, if only for a few seconds?

The door to the shower opened and his head snapped in that direction.

Shit, shit, shit
. Ariel was naked. And she was stepping into the shower with him. Fuck. He so didn’t need the temptation right now, which he guessed was exactly her reasoning why now was the time to test his will. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to force out the image of her waiflike figure out of his mind.

“Rob,” she breathed, and touched his arm. His eyes opened and the compassion he saw in them almost brought him to his knees. “We’ll go slow. If you want me to stop, just say the word. Okay?”

He blinked the water from his eyes and ran his hand through his wet hair, watching her, gauging her. “The problem is, angel, I don’t want to stop. And you’re going to.”

“Yes.” It wasn’t a question, but she’d answered him anyway.

He shut his eyes again, trying to find the strength to resist the need, but when something hot and wet encased his dick, he gasped, eyes flying open.

“Oh fuck,” he breathed, watching as Ariel took him into his mouth. She was on her knees before him and he had to grab the side of the wall with one hand to keep from digging into her scalp. With the other, he adjusted the showerhead so she wouldn’t be pounded with water. It was instinctual to make sure she was protected, and he didn’t fight that reaction.

Her mouth was like heaven and hell. The sweetest feeling he’d ever experienced and the most dangerous, the most tempting. He warred with himself to shove her down on the shower floor and take her verses being still and enjoying her mouth on him.

He couldn’t help it. He slid his hands into her hair, knotting his fingers in her soft locks while he started to thrust into her mouth. She moaned around him, taking him deep and then swallowing. He shouted, squeezing her hair tighter. But the she let his dick slip free from her welcoming heat.

“Let go.”

He groaned, fingers flexing convulsively, not wanting to let her go. He slowly shook his head.

“You let go right now, or it stops.”

He growled at her and her eyes got wide.

“Rob? Are you okay? What’s my name?” The tremble in her voice stabbed at his heart and he unlocked his fingers from her hair without giving it another thought. He rubbed his fists in his eyes, trying to breathe through his need.

“Ariel,” he rasped, answering her.

“Do you want to stop?”

Oh God, if she stopped now, he might just die right there. If she didn’t think he could do this, she might think him weak and not want to do it again. Or worse. Turn to Jack. He growled. No fucking way would he let that happen. “No,” he said a little too harshly, but at the moment, it couldn’t be helped.

“Look at me.”

Rob opened his eyes and his mouth went dry. She was sitting on the shower floor, her legs spread where he could see her beautiful pussy. She tweaked her nipples, watching him, a soft moan escaping her supple lips. He groaned, starting to move toward her. He needed to touch her, smell her, taste her.

“No, Robbie. Stay there. Just watch.”

“Shit, angel.” He fisted his hands but stayed put. Then the little vixen’s hands slipped from her breasts to her legs, one resting on her thigh, the other diving right for her core. “Son of a bitch,” he groaned as she started to masturbate. His cock was hard as steel and aching for the attention it had lost.

“You can touch yourself. Let me see you stroke that beautiful cock, Robbie.”

He gritted his teeth as he complied, taking his dick in hand and roughly jacking from root to tip. She moaned, her head falling back on her shoulders as she started playing with her clit.

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” he growled, roughly jerking with one hand and squeezing his balls with the other. “I can come from this vision every day of my life.”

She looked at him then, eyes tempting him, drawing him to her. Then she moved her hand from her pussy and sucked on her fingers, moaning.

“No fair,” he panted, still working his prick.

“Tastes so good. Almost as good as you.”

He groaned, shaking his head, fighting the need to…come? Take? He didn’t know. He was just fighting some internal battle he didn’t have time to identify.

Then she shoved her hand between her legs again and within seconds, she was screaming, writhing on the floor, thrusting her hips up in the air as she came. The sight was so erotic he stilled, mesmerized by the beauty of his mate taking her own pleasure. When she sighed and sat up, looking at him, he squeezed his dick painfully and began to fuck his fist with raging need. He was going to come and shoot all over her, her breasts, her tummy, her pussy. He was going to mark her everywhere.

“Stop.”

He growled at her, shaking his head and working his fist faster. The hell he was going to stop. Fuck that.

“Rob, I said stop. You don’t get to come.”

He dropped his dick like it was hot coal and roared at her, crouching down and growling in her face. She squeaked. He knew he scared her, but he couldn’t stop.

“Your fangs.”

He licked his teeth and sure enough, his fangs had descended. Did that mean his lion was trying to take her or was it because he was too pissed to focus?

She moved slowly toward him on her knees. She softly rubbed her hands up and down his thighs like she was gentling him. Then to his surprise, she licked his cock.

“You don’t…I mean…I’m sorry I…” He couldn’t make out a clear thought. He didn’t know what he was feeling. He didn’t want her to do anything that made her uncomfortable, but he was aching for her. He needed her to make him come. He just couldn’t bear the thought of making himself come again after she left like he’d had to do yesterday.

“Shh.” Her lips wrapped around him and she swallowed him. He yelped at the sudden intensity of her mouth on his very sensitively aware dick, his hand clutching her shoulders in effort to keep from holding her head like he’d done earlier.

“So good,” he moaned over and over, gently thrusting his hips, trying not to overpower her. “Please don’t stop, angel. Please, please don’t stop.” He didn’t care that he was begging. He’d beg his mate every day if he had to. He never wanted the sweet heaven of her mouth to ever leave him.

She reached up and gently squeezed his balls. He spread his legs a little more to give her better access, but was constrained by the size of the shower to move too much. It didn’t matter. She fondled him one last time before moving back and massaging his perineum. He groaned, squeezing her shoulders, but trying not to hurt her, his thrusts becoming a little more demanding.

Then she pressed her finger at his pucker and instinct took over. He bore down until she breached him, shouting as she entered him and sought his prostate.

Right fucking there!

He roared, his thrusts turning frantic, and then she used her hand and mouth in tandem on his dick, moaning around him while she assaulted his sweet spot.

He couldn’t hold back. God, it was too good. “You’re gonna make me cooome…  Oh, fuuuck!” He released her shoulders, one fist flying into the tiled wall beside him and the other reaching out to grab the bar on the shower door because instinctively, he knew if he didn’t let go of her, he’d bruise her, hurt her. And that was unacceptable.

She continued to swallow him as he shot down her throat, taking his seed and his strength with him. When he had nothing left to give, he collapsed to his knees before her and took her into his arms, his lips crushing hers. He didn’t care if she thought this was just a test. He had to taste her, and the temptation of his seed in her mouth was too much to resist.

She tasted of his musk and something much sweeter and he was immediately addicted. It was a taste he’d never forget and always crave. When she pulled away, he dropped his forehead to hers, breathing hard.

“Thank you, angel. I know you didn’t plan for that to happen, but I-I, um, just thanks.” He couldn’t tell her what he wanted to tell her. If she truly knew he had no intentions of ever letting her go, she might bolt right now. He had to be careful if he stood a chance of winning her heart.

“The pleasure was all mine,” she whispered.

He disagreed, but said nothing. It was safer that way.

* * * *

Ariel stared at herself in the little blue negligee she’d brought with her, finding the strength for this next test. God, she knew this didn’t conform to any professional or ethical standards, but she was having a hard time remembering that. After the shower incident yesterday, she’d stayed away at dinnertime, trying to gather her thoughts. She couldn’t explain the draw she had to Rob, but she knew if she’d continued with this next step last night, she’d have thrown all ethics out the window and just fucked him. She couldn’t do that. If she slept with Rob then there was no way not to become emotionally attached.

Which was
not
the same as falling in love. It couldn’t be since love was just a state of mind.