Perfect Kind of Trouble

  I slowly slide my hand inside her panties and between her legs, where she’s already warm and wet, and cup her softly as I move my mouth back to hers and kiss her deeply.

  She wriggles against my hand, but I refuse to make more than light contact with her most sensitive area. Instead I tease her, lightly brushing a fingertip over her clit. Then I pull my hand back completely before running a finger along the crease of her thigh. Then up to every tender spot on her flesh—except the one she wants me to touch.

  She starts to pant and I smile against her throat, lightly tapping her center with my finger.

  She jerks then whimpers. I kneel above her and slide her pants off, tossing them to the floor before tucking my fingers into the sides of her panties and dragging them down her legs and over to the floor by her pants.

  With nothing on but her desire for me, I run my fingertips up her legs and over her knees. A quiet gasp escapes her mouth as the pads of my fingers trail up her inner thighs, skipping her neediest spot, and brushing up her hips and stomach.

  I watch her eyes light up and her body writhe in want as I touch her lightly, and smile to myself. Kayla, who was always so modest, is lying open and waiting for me with passion and love in her eyes. Love for me.

  41

  Kayla

  It’s a foreign thing, this meshing of love and lust deep inside my chest, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. I want to both please him with my body and comfort him with my soul, and the odd—yet satisfying—sensation tugs at my heart in a way I’ve never experienced. Sex and love two completely different species, but when put together they’re a beautiful force.

  I run my hands down the hard muscles of Daren’s chest and stomach then unbutton his pants so he can spring free. He helps me take his pants off completely, then his underwear, until we’re both naked on his virgin mattress in the moonlight.

  My skin feels cool all of a sudden, but when he hovers over me, his body heat instantly warms me. He leans down and kisses me while I spread my legs apart and pull his hard body against mine. Moving from my mouth, he starts to kiss a trail down my body, his hot mouth lighting me on fire everywhere he goes. He kisses beneath my jaw, soft and quiet. Then he places a kiss upon my collarbone, sliding his mouth along its length, branding me as his. His lips press above my heart, sure and steady like the rhythm inside my chest, then move to the spot just above my belly button, teasing and wanting. The trail drifts down to my lower hip and he places a gentle kiss on the inside, causing my muscles to flex with the touch, so sensitive and intimate. His kisses are little pieces of him, laid upon my body.

  He kisses lower still and my legs start to shake out of pure anticipation. I see him smile against my stomach as his hands glide up the inside of my thighs and opens them all the way.

  I arch my back so he can see me completely and tip my head back as I feel his hand travel to my core and lightly touch every part of my swollen wetness, except my neediest nub.

  I swear he’s trying to kill me.

  His hot mouth moves to my leg then licks a trail along the crease of my thigh before placing featherlight kisses against my folds. As his soft lips graze my wanting center, he moves his hands to my hips and holds me gently. Then he slips his fingers across my ticklish belly and back down to my thighs.

  With my legs shaking and my heart pounding I whimper, “Please, Daren.” I can feel my wetness dripping from my body as his hot tongue slips out of his mouth and licks one long streak around me in a circle, but still not touching the cluster of nerves I need him to.

  The tip of his heavenly tongue trails over more of me, wetting my folds on either side of my clit and making my core tighten with need. My legs shake. My belly tightens.

  “Daren. Daren. Come on,” I say, completely out of breath.

  He gently kisses my clit, just a peck, his lips brushing the place I need him to but not quite satisfying my hunger. His tongue slips out of his mouth as he exhales hotly against me. Then he licks me once, a long, slow stroke of his soft wet tongue as it rolls over my clit and I whimper, tossing my head back because I want more.

  I grip his hair, trying to push his mouth lower to my aching body, and feel him smile against my needy flesh.

  I’m just about to beg and moan, when he thrusts my thighs even farther apart and licks at my core, rolling his tongue over my clit again and gain. I cry out and clutch his hair, holding his mouth against me as my body splays out on the bed and my legs begin to tremble more violently.

  He starts to lap at my folds, driving me wild and making me blind with desire until I feel myself about to fall to pieces. Gasping, begging, whimpering, I pant as his sweet tongue sucks and licks at my tiny clit relentlessly.

  Unlike anything I’ve experienced before, I’m not afraid to want this, not afraid to enjoy it. For the first time in my life, I’m able to embrace pleasure and let it move through me, setting wild pieces of my soul free.

  He groans against my sensitive flesh and licks at me more ferociously until a blinding orgasm rips through me and my entire body begins to quiver and jerk. Gripping two fistfuls of the sheets in my hands I cry out with his head still between my legs.

  Now a wet quivering mess, I can’t do anything other than beg him to push himself inside me. Which is exactly what I’m doing. Begging in short, clipped sentences.

  “Daren. Now. Please. Oh God.”

  I hear the smile in his voice. “Hold on.”

  “No. Now. Come on.” I look down to see him putting a condom on and, once it’s in place, I try to pull him into me.

  He waits. With his thick penis set between my legs but not yet inside me, he waits.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” I whine.

  “No,” he says with a smile. “I’m trying to savor this.” Then he slowly eases into me and my aching body tightens around him. I hold on to his shoulders and feel him deep inside of me, but just briefly before he eases back out.

  I pull at his body again and this time he gives in, sliding into me and filling me completely. I cry out again.

  This is the best thing I’ve ever felt. Pure ecstasy. Not just the sensation of his hard body, stretching out my soft, tight one, but the feeling of Daren inside me, connected to me.

  He starts to pump in and out of me, my aching core gripping at his hard length as hot skin rubs against the greedy nerves inside me, and I sink my nails into his back, holding on for dear life.

  I was wrong. This is the best thing I’ve ever felt. The hot friction of his thick body rubbing against my soft wet core and easing the pulsing ache inside is almost more than I can stand.

  I watch him in the pale moonlight, his square jaw tightened, the corded muscles of his neck pulling taught, and my desire to please him ignites even more. I grab his hips and hold him inside me so we’re locked together and he can’t withdraw, then I say, “I want to be on top.”

  He blinks down at me and grins. “Yeah?”

  I nod. “I’ve never been on top before.”

  “Really?” His grin widens. “Holy hell. This is going to be fun. You’re going to like it. Trust me.”

  In one swift movement, he rolls us over so I’m straddling his hips while his erection still fills my core, and in this new position, he feels deeper. Fuller.

  “Oh wow,” I whisper, shifting over him slightly. The movement sends a dart of pleasure up my spine and my eyes flutter back. “Oh God.”

  He smiles up at me. “Told you.” His smile melts into a look of hunger as he watches me move, however, and a low, appreciate curse word leaves his mouth.

  I rock against him, slowly at first then gain momentum as I get used to the feel of our entwined bodies, until suddenly I’m on fire. I’m sexy and beautiful. I’m powerful and strong. The moonlight shines down on my nude body as I ride Daren and his eyes watch my bouncing breasts, swollen with passion, with great appreciation. I love that he can see me, my nakedness, my desire for him.

  I rub against him more fervently and another orgasm tears through me, lighti
ng every inch of my skin on fire as I fall apart on top of him. Daren pulls me down to meet his mouth and kisses me as he rolls us over once again.

  With my body a wet, spent mess of quivers and spasms, I’m not sure if I can handle more of Daren inside me. But as he, once again, pumps into me I only feel more bliss run through me. Who knew sex could bring so much pleasure? So much love? So much… everything?

  I give my body over to Daren completely, arching my hips and tossing my head back as I claw at his large shoulders, taking him into me, begging for more. We rock against each other in the soft glow of the moon, me whimpering for more and him groaning in pleasure, until our bodies both climax and every muscle in his body grows rigid. We collide with each other, breathless, sweating.

  There are no handcuffs binding us, but we’re connected just the same. Not by steel but by love. Visible love. Valuable love. A love that sees me just as much as I see him. And I’ve never felt so beautiful.

  42

  Daren

  I’ve never woken up with a girl by my side before—at least not one I’ve had sex with. I’ve had a crazy night filled with sex before, sure. But I never stayed afterward and cuddled. Or woke up the next day to chitchat.

  But this morning, when I opened my eyes and saw Kayla’s small face and naked shoulder nuzzled against my chest, I couldn’t imagine waking up any other way. The smell of coconut wraps around me and I can’t help but smile.

  I trail my eyes along the soft lines of her face and wonder just what the hell I’m going to do now.

  Kayla isn’t like any girl I’ve ever known. And sleeping with her isn’t the same as having sex with anyone else. She’s the real deal. And it doesn’t even freak me out that I’m thinking these things.

  She knows me, the ugly parts and the hard parts, the shameful pieces and the broken ones, she knows all of me and she still cares for me. I’m dirt-poor and homeless, for God’s sake, and the girl still told me she loves me.

  Now the only question is, how can I convince her to stay in my life?

  She stirs beside me and her lashes flutter before opening. Her blues eyes stare up at me in the hazy light coming in from my window. They widen and I tense, waiting for her to remember last night, and worried that maybe she’ll think it was a huge mistake.

  But her features melt into a soft smile and she settles closer to me, burying her face into my neck.

  “Good morning,” she says against my skin.

  Happiness fills my chest. I run my fingers down her bare arms and grin when tiny goose bumps rise. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  Under the sheets, she moves her silky body over mine and snuggles even closer. “You’re so warm.”

  God, I love this. I want to wake up with this girl in my arms every single day—is that crazy?

  I wrap my arms around her and tuck her into me. “And you’re so soft. I could get used to this.”

  I hear the smile in her voice. “Me too.”

  “I’m serious,” I say. “I want this. I want you. No one else.”

  She props her chin on my chest and looks at me with big blue morning eyes. “I’m right here.”

  I swallow. “Yeah, but I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want to go back to being who I was before the handcuffs. Kayla. I was unhappy before you. And now I’m… I’m perfect.”

  She shifts closer and looks directly into to my eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. Before you, I was lost. And now I’m… home.” She kisses my chin. “So I’m staying right by your side, with or without handcuffs.”

  I trace the shell of her ear. “Promise?”

  She slowly nods. “Promise.”

  Pulling her close, I draw her up to my mouth and kiss her deeply, softly. When we break the kiss, she leans back and smiles.

  “So what now, pretty boy?”

  I give her a crooked grin. “Well I was thinking we could do a repeat of last night.”

  She laughs. “Well, naturally. But what about after that?”

  I exhale loudly. “Well I’m homeless.”

  She exhales as well. “And I’m penniless.”

  “And I don’t have a car anymore,” I say simply.

  She nods. “And my car is falling apart.”

  “So just to sum up. We’re broke, homeless, and nearly car-less?”

  “Yep.” She smiles.

  I smile back. “Then I think the only thing we can do is have some chocolate for breakfast and spend the day in bed.”

  She kisses my chest. “I like the way you think, handsome.”

  “And I like the way you taste.” I pull her lips up to mine, flip us over so I’m stretched out on top of her, and start kissing my way all over her body.

  43

  Kayla

  Daren. Ackwood.

  Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that someday I’d be head over heels for Daren Ackwood. But I am completely and utterly in love with the crazy brown-eyed boy standing beside me in the bathroom. And after last night, I completely understand what the big fuss was about Daren in bed. My God. Woman Whisperer, indeed. He kept me up most of the night, pleasing me in ways I didn’t know were possible. In his bed. On the floor. Even in the shower, though I now agree that shower sex isn’t nearly as hot as, say, sex against his bedroom wall.

  “Are you using my toothbrush?” he asks, his eyes bulging in horror.

  I laugh through the toothpaste in my mouth. “I couldn’t find mine.”

  “That’s disgusting.”

  I rinse my mouth and scoff. “We shared bodily fluids last night and you’re grossed out that our teeth have touched the same brush?”

  “Ew. Don’t say ‘bodily fluids.’ That’s so nasty.”

  I laugh. “What about ‘pee’? Can I say ‘pee’?”

  “You know, for such a pretty mouth you say some disgusting words.” He leans in and kisses me. “But I still really love your mouth.”

  “Mmm. My mouth loves you.” I kiss him on the nose then pad out to his room. I look at his bed with a smile. “I guess your mattress isn’t a virgin anymore.”

  He cheerily scoffs from the counter. “Nothing in this room is a virgin anymore.”

  Still smiling, I walk to my suitcase and sigh. “Man. I can’t believe I lost my toothbrush. It has to be here somewhere.” I start yanking things out of my luggage and tossing them aside.

  “What’s happening here?” Daren walks out of the bathroom and starts picking up my clothes. “Bra… bra… jeans… scarf… gloves…” He looks at me. “You do know you’re in Arizona. We don’t really get blizzards here.”

  I laugh. “I know. But we do get blizzards in Chicago. And I didn’t want to leave my clothes behind.”

  He picks up more stuff. “Well that explains the trench coat.”

  A beat passes and we snap our eyes to each other.

  “Trench coat,” I say.

  “There were a bunch of trench coats in the closet at Milly Manor,” Daren says with wide eyes.

  “ ‘Through the trenches,’ ” I say, citing the clue. “Did we look behind the coats? Do you think there could be a safe in the closet too?”

  “ ‘A safe place through the trenches,’ ” Daren recites with a smile. “I think we just figured out the clue.”

  “I think so too! But wait,” I say. “What about the handcuffs? We took them off.” I bite my lip in distress. “We forfeited all the money.”

  He twitches his lips in thought. “No. Not yet. We only forfeited the money if someone told on us. Let me call Eddie and find out.” He grabs his phone, dials a number, and puts the call on speakerphone as it rings.

  Eddie’s voice mail picks up after the third ring and says, “Hello. You’ve reached Eddie Perkins. If this is one of my legal clients, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. If this is Daren or Kayla, I have not gotten any reports about the two of you being at Latecomers without handcuffs on last night. None whatsoever. So the inheritance is still yours if you can find it. Thank you for ca
lling.”

  A long beep follows and Daren hangs up. We stare at each other.

  “So Eddie is going to let us get away with it?” I smile.

  “I guess so,” Daren says, shaking his head with a grin. “Man, I love that guy. I’m going to buy him a new bow tie. You know, if we find the money. Do you still have the handcuffs?”

  I rustle through my suitcase and pull them out with a wink. “Let’s slap these babies on, go back to Milly Manor, and dig through some trenches.”

  He freezes. “Wait a minute…” Rummaging through his room, he starts going through the pockets of his jeans.

  I watch him. “What are you doing?”

  “You know those notes in the blue suitcase, the ones that were addressed to each of our names? Well I’m pretty sure mine had the word ‘trenches’ on it… Aha.” He finds the note and quickly unfolds it. “Yep. See?”

  I look. In the bottom left corner it says THE TRENCHES in black marker with the number twenty-two underneath.

  Daren says, “I thought it was just a mistake or that maybe your dad was reusing a piece of paper, but that can’t be a coincidence. Right?”

  I shake my head. “It’s not a coincidence. My note has a random word and number on it too.” Digging through my purse, I hold up the note addressed to my name from the suitcase closet. “See? My note says ‘through fourteen.’ ”

  We hold our notes up, side by side, and together they read THROUGH THE TRENCHES 1422.

  “We had the clue to the hiding place all along,” I say, stunned. “Crap. And my note ‘encouraged’ me to show it to you, too. Dammit. Why didn’t I listen?”

  “So did mine.” He nods. “But it was kind of personal so I didn’t show you.”

  I say, “Yeah, well I chose not to let you read mine because I didn’t want you to get a big head.”

  “Why?” Daren grins. “What did Turner say about me in your note? Can I read it?”

  I eye him. “Only if I can I read yours.”