Up by Five (22 page)

“Oh my god.” She chuckled and shook her head. “That’s beyond smooth. That’s downright cheesy.”

“Does it make you want to get naked with me?”

She paused. “You walking in here tonight made we want to get naked with you.”

His entire body felt like it had responded to that. “You could have spent the night in my bed. Naked.”

“You know why I didn’t.”

“Yep, I remember. I’m supposed to be selfish in bed. I’m supposed to tell you what
I
want without thinking about what you want.”

“Something like that.”

“Then let’s go.” He reached over and snagged the handle of the plastic bag he’d dropped by the couch, grabbed her butt and stood.

“Conner!” She wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck. “What’s going on?”

“I want to have the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had.”

As they passed through the kitchen she laughed. “Oh good, we’re still talking about sex.”

A moment later he tossed her onto his bed, then stripped off his shirt, kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his pants.

“Take off your clothes.”

“I don’t know… I was kind of trying to avoid all of this tonight.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I was.” She pulled at the front of her T-shirt. “The nonsexy, no-makeup look, remember?”

“That’s funny. All I see is the woman I want even
more
than I could ever want a cinnamon roll. Even one with bacon.”

“Well, that
is
something. The yoga pants aren’t cooling you off, huh?”

“You know how you were dirty and covered with blood today?” he asked, stepping to the bottom of the bed.

“Yeah. Your blood.”

“I would have stripped you down right there on that warehouse floor if I could have.”

She swallowed, then took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. One quick time, lights off, missionary.”

He grabbed the bottom of the yoga pants and yanked, pulling them down over her hips. “Uh, hell no.”

“Hell no?” she asked, letting her pants slide off. “Seriously?”

“You told me to be more selfish in bed.”

“Hmm, I did say that, didn’t I?” she asked, pulling her own shirt off and unhooking her bra, tossing them both to the side.

Heat and hunger coursed through him. And a new feeling—greed.

“So this is going to be all about me, got it?”

She smiled. “If I have any fun I’m sure it will be purely accidental.”

He stopped. “Hey, G?”

“Yeah?”

“You knew this was going to happen tonight, right?”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, then sighed. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I was sure you’d be able to figure out how to be selfish by tonight.”

He tickled the bottom of her feet. She shrieked and pushed away from him, scooting up the bed.

He’d always tamped down any desires that he wasn’t sure the woman he was with would welcome. That came from—so many places. Yes, Ashley. He’d wanted a relationship and had gone full steam ahead, only to be brought up short when he realized they were
not
on the same page. But it came from looking out for his sisters too. He couldn’t stomach the idea that any man would push something on one of them that they didn’t want. Both Amanda and Olivia had been involved with men who had pushed the limits—one had been short term, one night really, and physical, the other had been longer term and more emotional. But both situations had shaken him.

Now, though, looking at Gabby, he realized who she really was—and why she was exactly the woman he needed. She wouldn’t let him push. She’d stand her ground and push back if needed. She’d be honest about what she wanted and needed, and if he went too far or not far enough, she’d be in his face about it. He could trust her to get and be exactly what and who she wanted—in bed and out. He could trust her to be happy, to show him how to make her happy.

He was someone she’d trust completely.

And he realized he could also trust himself. He would never do anything to hurt her. He would never be that guy who didn’t know when to say when. He’d listen to her and do whatever he could to make her happy. Her pleasure would always go hand in hand with his…no matter how selfish he tried to be.

So with Gabby he could do some things he’d only fantasized about.

“Dixon, you still with me?” she asked.

Conner realized he’d been standing at the foot of the bed staring at her for several moments.

“Yeah. I’m—” he cleared his throat, “—I’m so with you.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

The words rocked through him. He could tell her what he wanted. That was…a bunch of things he didn’t have time for right now.

“I want to spread you out, tie you up and cover you in cinnamon-roll frosting,” he told her, stepping forward and running his hand from her ankle to her knee.

Her eyes widened and she blew out a breath. “Damn, Dixon.”

“What do you think?” He ran his hand over the silky path again.

“I think…I’m all yours.”

Lust almost buckled his knees. “Damn, Evans.”

She grinned and lay back to lift her hips and push her panties off.

He reached for the plastic bag he’d brought home, pulling out two black-silk ties.

He held them up.

“Only two?” she asked.

He lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve done this before?” It didn’t matter—this was what he wanted but…

She shook her head. “No. I’ve read about it.”

“You’ve read about it?” he repeated, putting a knee on the mattress.

She smiled. “More men should read romance novels.”

He crawled up to her. “I’m in. You can give me a reading list tomorrow. Start with the ones with the four black ties. I’ll get two more on my way home.”

“You got it.”

She was at the top of the bed now, resting against his pillows. She looked fantastic there.

Then she reached up, grasping two of the wooden spindles in his headboard. The position thrust her breasts up and Conner forgot how to breathe.

“I assume that if you had to buy ties, you haven’t done this before either?” she asked.

“Never.”

“But it’s what you want? Of all the things?”

He looked from her nipples to her face.
She
was what he wanted. Of all the things. “Yes.”

“Why haven’t you done it before?”

He swallowed and leaned over her to wrap one of the silk ties around her right wrist. “I have a hard time purposefully putting women in vulnerable positions.”

She didn’t say anything and he looked down at her.

Her eyes were soft. “I don’t feel vulnerable.”

He paused, his hands at her other wrist. “What do you feel?”

“Like I’m about to be worshipped.”

Chapter Nine

So many emotions swept through him that all he could really identify was that his chest was really tight.

He gave her a little smile, trying not to give away how much that meant to him. He was on the verge of feeling pretty freaking vulnerable himself. “You’re going to make this all about you?” He secured the second tie around her left wrist and leaned back to look.

She stretched luxuriously and gave him a sexy smile. “Oh yeah. I’m about to become your favorite food. And all I have to do is lie here and take it.”

One of the emotions swirling in him was most definitely lust. He understood that one, so he latched on to it. “You’re going to take it all right. However I want to give it to you.”

“I just don’t know if this is all that selfish of you,” she told him as he shucked his pants and underwear. “I mean, I can’t reach you. I can’t put my mouth anywhere. Yet, I get to lie here and have orgasm after orgasm.”

That was the moment he fell fully in love with her.

Not because she looked hot, her hair tousled, her eyes heavy with passion, her body bare and exposed to him, but because she was focusing this on him, letting him be selfish, giving him exactly what he wanted, without hesitation, without letting him have any mixed emotions.

“I’m going to take what I want, Gabby. And I get to hear you beg, hear you tell me how much you
need
me. Because you can’t reach your clit. You can’t help yourself along. You’re going to need me bad.”

Her attention was focused on his cock, thick and hard for her.

He needed her to need him. Somehow. Some way. There was very little he could do or give this woman, really. She was strong, independent, smart and surrounded by people who would have her back. And she didn’t want him to be there for her.

But he could make her
need
him this way.

She wriggled against the sheets. “Bring it on.”

And she, of course, had to make it a challenge.

“Hang on tight.” He fished the can of frosting from the bag.

She laughed. “Actual frosting?”

He grinned. “Of course.”

“Bacon too?”

He shook his head. “I’ve got
you
as the best part of this treat.”

He pulled the lid off the frosting container and dipped a huge glob out with two fingers. He took his time painting her body, covering her nipples, then both breasts. He swiped a stripe down her belly, frosted out to both hip bones, then down over her thighs.

The sounds she made and the way she moved against his sheets were as delicious as the icing. When he moved between her knees and she spread her legs for him, he looked up at her.

She was panting, her cheeks flushed, her eyes on him.

He lifted the fingers he’d been using and put them in his mouth, sucking them clean.

Then, still watching her, he ran his finger along her cleft to her clit. She was so wet. She moaned his name as he circled the sensitive nub.

He lifted his fingers to his mouth again. “Even sweeter,” he told her honestly.

“You having a good time?” she asked, completely breathless.

“I’m having the best time. You?”

“Great. Totally good.”

Uh-huh. He could tell that having her hands tied was frustrating to her. “Need anything?”

“No, I’m good. Take your time. Whatever.” She even managed a small shrug.

He grinned. “You sure? You look like you’re a little uncomfortable.”

“No, this is fantastic. Completely comfortable.”

“Right. Good to hear.” He ran his finger over her clit again, making her hips buck.

He dipped his finger into the frosting again, then covered her clit with the icing.

“Conner,” she gasped. Almost accidentally.

“Right here. Not going anywhere. Not for anything.”

He swirled his finger through the frosting over both nipples, between her breasts, over her left hip and down to her clit, circling and pressing, then repeated the path.

She was wiggling harder now.

“You’re still good?”

“Keep going, Conner,” she said, meeting his gaze directly. “I’m yours. Do whatever you want.”

Gabby would have never imagined letting a guy tie her hands during sex. She wasn’t good at being vulnerable, at turning over power. But she’d meant it when she told Conner that she didn’t feel vulnerable with him.

For one, whether or not he thought this was selfish of him, she was having a pretty great time.

He rubbed over her clit again and she amended that to a really great time. Then he slid a finger into her and she changed it to a super great time.

“God, I love putting that look on your face,” he muttered, watching her as he pressed a second finger into her.

“I love you putting this look on my face too.”

She did feel worshipped. And wanted. Wanted like she’d never been wanted before.

He slid his fingers deep, then out, his thumb circling over her clit. Over and over.

Her body wound tight, heat and electricity swirling through her, lighting every nerve on fire. “Conner.”

“Not yet, G. Not yet.”

“Please” fell out of her mouth without her thinking.

His smile was huge. “That’s better.”

“You want me to beg?”

“I want you to admit you need me.”

“Only because my hands are tied. With five fingers I’m fine without you. Give me ten and I’m better than fine.”

He kept moving his fingers in and out, but his rhythm slowed. “Holy shit, I’d like to see that.”

“Untie me.”

He reached up…and tugged on the end of one of the ties, tightening it. “This is about me, remember?” He looked down at where he still had two fingers deep. “
You
are all about me right now. Your nipples.” He leaned in and licked the frosting from one, then sucked the frosting off the other.

She gasped, then moaned.

“Your lips.”

He pressed his lips to hers and she tasted the vanilla cream-cheese flavor on his tongue.

“Your pussy.”

He pressed his fingers deep.

“Your clit…”

“Yes, god, Conner. Yes. Please. I need you.”

“That’s my girl.” He grasped a thigh in each hand, pushing up and out, spreading her open. “Oh yeah.” He didn’t hesitate. He leaned in and took a long, firm lick that made her cry out.

He ate at her—licking, sucking, thrusting, stroking with fingers and tongue—until she was wound tight. “Come for me, Gabby. Come on, babe.”

Her orgasm hit hard and hot. She panted his name over and over, the word spilling from her without her control, as he rose to his knees between her legs. He watched her face as he slid on a condom, and the look in his eyes was enough to keep the ripples of pleasure going. He looked—intent, determined and barely contained.

Before she could form a more coherent thought, he took hold of her thighs again and slid home.

They moaned together.

There was something about not having her hands, about being at his mercy, that fired her blood. Conner was trying to be selfish, but even when he was absorbed in what he wanted, he was focused on her. As if
she
were everything he wanted. In that moment, she felt as if he were already, on some level, satisfied. Just being there, in that moment, with her.

That was dumb. This was sex. There was a lot more going on than just
being
.

As if to illustrate, he pulled out and thrust in again.

But even as her orgasm—her second during this all-about-Conner sexathon they were supposed to be having—built, she truly had the feeling that Conner was already good and happy.