Pleasures of the Night

  He muttered something in a foreign language and then withdrew, hushing her protest with his mouth. His fingertip, slick with her cream, circled her clit, then rubbed it with perfectly gauged pressure. Primed for orgasm by the things he’d done to her in the shower, Lyssa came with a cry, and Aidan held her reverently, stroking her with such tenderness, drawing out her climax until she settled limply into his embrace.

  As Aidan laid her gently across her bed, Lyssa found she couldn’t think, could barely catch her breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart thumped desperately in her chest. She could only watch with heavy-lidded eyes as he positioned her with her hips at the edge of the bed and then dropped to his knees.

  “Please,” she breathed, her hunger flaring to renewed life. His large hands cupped her inner thighs and spread them wide. The color of his skin, so dark compared to her own, sent a shiver through her. The heat of his breath, gusting through her wet curls, made her muscles tense.

  “Christ.” A rough, edgy sound escaped him as his thumbs held her lips open so nothing was hidden. “You’re melting.”

  Lyssa’s back arched upward as he licked her in a slow, deliberate glide, then pulled back to look at her again.

  He pointed his tongue and flicked it rapidly over the tiny slitted entrance to her body, licking up the liquid result of her recent orgasm. Then he tilted his head and thrust his tongue inside her.

  She moaned, and her hands fisted in her pale blue comforter. Aidan draped her legs over his shoulders, so he could get closer. Wet, smacking sounds rose up as he ate at her as if she were a dessert he couldn’t get enough of, his tongue fucking in and out of her pussy with rapid, shallow strokes.

  Aching, sweating, Lyssa cupped her breasts and pinched at her nipples, pulling them, trying to relieve their desperate hardness.

  Growling his pleasure, Aidan reached up and brushed her hands away, his much larger ones surrounding her breasts and squeezing them with expertly gauged pressure. All the while he licked at her, sucked her, teased her.

  “Yes,” she whispered, rocking her hips upward to match the lashing rhythm of his tongue. She reached down, her fingers sliding into his hair, massaging his scalp. “Make me come.”

  Circling her clit with his firm lips, he tugged on it with soft suction, the tip of his tongue rubbing against the tiny bundle of nerves.

  Lyssa climaxed with a breathless cry, arching upward as he continued the delicious torment until she begged him to stop, her flesh swollen and oversensitive.

  Aidan smiled wickedly as he pulled away, licking his lips. “Now you’re relaxed enough to fit me,” he purred.

  She couldn’t move a single muscle when he shrugged out from under her and rose to stand between her spread legs. The sight of him taking his long, thick cock in hand and tilting it down to breach her pussy was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen. He was so deliberate in his movements, so focused, his gaze riveted to where the warm, silky smooth head of his cock was pressing into her.

  The sound that came out of her throat was the embodiment of lust and longing. That beautiful cock was pushing into her, caressing slick, pulsing tissues, forcing them to part for him.

  She writhed, struggling to take all that he had. “Protection?” she gasped.

  “Trust me,” he urged. “It’s okay.”

  Lyssa almost argued, but then found she couldn’t. Despite everything she didn’t know about Aidan, she believed he would never hurt her or put her in jeopardy. It was a bone-deep certainty that was unshakable. She felt comforted by his presence and his touch, as if she’d been waiting for him, longing for him to return. Even though she hadn’t known that he was the missing part of her life.

  “Promise me you’ll remember this.” His voice was sandpaper-rough, his hands shaking where he held down her hips. “How it feels—you and me, connected—when we talk later about why I’m here.”

  She remembered it already. The feeling that they had been together this way before was so strong, it was beyond mere déjà vu.

  God, he was big.

  She whimpered.

  He rolled his hips and slid deeper, filling her in a way she knew only he ever had, or ever could.

  Aidan felt wonderful inside her, truly divine, and when he leaned over her, Lyssa hugged him closer and tried to take more of him.

  “Don’t rush.” He nipped her earlobe, the brief spot of pain causing her to jerk in surprise. “I’ll be inside you more times than I’m not. Waking, sleeping. I don’t want you sore.”

  “I need you.” Her nails dug into his shoulders as he stroked deeper, massaging the broad head of his cock across the spot inside her that ached for him. She reached for his lean hips and tugged at the same time she lifted, forcing him in to the root, his heavy balls slapping against the seam of her ass.

  “Lyssa,” he breathed roughly, shuddering. He stared at her with dark, fathomless eyes, his handsome features passion flushed and his chest heaving with labored breaths. “Christ. It’s…even better…when it’s real.”

  She had no idea what that meant, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Aidan, who laced his fingers with hers and pulled her arms over her head. He took her mouth with heartbreaking tenderness, his lips brushing across hers.

  “Lyssa.” Her name was filled with aching longing when spoken in that luscious brogue. It made her eyes teary.

  “Please,” she begged, kissing him back with desperation. Her body was on fire beneath his, her cunt spasming around the big cock that throbbed inside it.

  Echoes of past encounters flowed through her—his chest against her back as he took her from behind, his hands kneading her thighs as she rode him hard toward a searing climax.

  “Please,” she said again, rubbing her painfully tightened nipples against his furred chest.

  “Hush. I’ve got you.”

  She knew he’d said that to her before in a similar moment.

  Aidan began to move, withdrawing, then returning on a perfect downstroke, thrusting slow and easy, measured in his passion.

  Locking her ankles at the small of his back, Lyssa urged him to ride her harder, faster, but he was too controlled. She licked the straining column of his throat, and he groaned loudly but maintained his rhythm. His hips swiveled and thrust, in and out. Beneath her calves she felt his taut ass clench and release as he pumped his cock into her.

  His mouth to her ear, Aidan whispered, “You’re hot. Tight as a fist. But wet, Hot Stuff. Soaked inside. Your cunt was made for me.”

  She shivered.

  “Later”—his tone was a sensual threat—“you’ll be on your hands and knees, and I’m going to fuck you like that for hours. Long, deep thrusts into this sweet pussy.”

  Her cunt rippled along his length, on the verge of another orgasm. He knew her so well. As if he was a longtime lover who cared deeply about her pleasure.

  He released her hands and set his elbows into the mattress so he could cup her breasts. “I’m going to suck on your nipples until you come. You’ll scream my name until you’re hoarse.”

  Lyssa’s back arched, her entire body tense and expectant. “Yes…I want…”

  Straightening, Aidan hooked his arms beneath her legs and lifted her hips from the mattress. In her raised position, he could stroke deeper, his weighty testicles slapping rhythmically against the curve of her ass, the sound so erotic, it made her clench tightly around him.

  She watched him with heavy-lidded eyes, taking in his clenched jaw and the lock of black hair that fell over his brow. His biceps and pectorals were defined by the effortless hold he had on her. His abdomen flexed as he fucked her, the golden skin glistening with sweat.

  “You’re beautiful,” he gritted out, his rough tone betraying how tightly he restrained himself.

  His praise was all she could take, pushing her that last little bit she needed to orgasm again. Lyssa gasped for air as the climax tightened her entire body.

  Aidan grunted and fucked through her spasms, flesh slapp
ing against flesh, increasing his pace until she couldn’t breathe for the pleasure. She felt him swell, grow impossibly harder, and then he plunged to the hilt and groaned, “Lyssa…”

  He ground the root of his cock hard against her pelvis, spurting his cum as deep inside her as he could. He came hard, but silently. His entire body shaking, his jaw locked, his blue eyes burning into her. She felt it, all of it—the jerking of his cock; the hot, thick rush of his semen; the pulse beat of his heart deep inside her. Her eyes grew wet, her vision blurry. As he emptied himself into her, his withheld breath hissed out between his teeth.

  “Fuck,” he gasped, folding over her. He cupped her face, his thumbs brushing aside her tears, kisses moving across her cheeks. His beloved voice whispering a combination of foreign words and her name. Over and over again.

  Aidan gathered her up, tucked her head under his chin, and rolled to drape her limp body over his. Still connected.

  His lips pressed ardently against her damp scalp. “I can’t believe I’m here, that I’m with you, inside you for real.”

  “Maybe we’re dreaming,” she slurred, thinking she must have died and gone to heaven.

  “No way,” he argued, his arms tightening around her. “Trust me, no dream could ever be as wonderful as this.”

  Chapter 8

  Aidan’s growling stomach broke the silence that wrapped them in a comforting blanket.

  “Your turn to be hungry,” she teased, her chest pressed to his chest, one arm and leg tossed over his body.

  “Did you eat earlier like you promised?” he asked.

  “Yep. Sure did. I had a sandwich.”

  “That’s not enough. We both need to eat.”

  She lifted her head to stare down at him. “I don’t eat at this time of night.”

  “You do when I’m around,” he retorted with the arrogant note of command that was innate to him.

  She wondered if anyone had every said no to him, and doubted it. She rose from the bed and went to fetch her robe, which hung from a hook on the back of the door. Shrugging into it as she turned around, she paused in mid-rotation, arrested by the sight of Aidan rolling out of her bed. Despite her recent series of toe-curling orgasms, her dry mouth watered.

  She’d never in her life seen such golden masculine perfection. She could stare at him for hours, she loved the sight of him so much.

  Lyssa grinned like an idiot; she couldn’t help it. “You didn’t bring a bag with you?”

  “For what?”

  “Clothes, toothbrush, razor?”

  He shook his head. “Things were a bit…crazy.”

  “Yeah, the airlines lose my sister’s luggage all the time. That’s why I only take carry-on bags.” She shrugged. “I suppose there are worse things than having naked yumminess wandering around.”

  “Why don’t you stay naked, too?” he suggested with a wink.

  “Oh no, don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?” he purred, stepping closer.

  “Like I’m dinner, and you’re hungry.”

  “I’m starving,” he breathed softly, looming over her, the tip of his finger following the line of her collarbone.

  “You’re dangerous,” she whispered, staring at his throat.

  His touch burned where it coursed over her skin. “Not to you.”

  “Oh yeah?” She set her hands on his hips. “Is this where you tell me why you’re here?”

  “Almost.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Food first.”

  Lyssa blew out her breath. “All right. Food first.” She thought of him wandering around her house naked, and shivered. Oh man, she’d go crazy. “I might have something you can wear.”

  “If you insist.”

  She narrowed her eyes, and Aidan stepped back with a laugh, allowing her room to move to the dresser. She felt him watching her, his gaze steady and hot.

  Rummaging through her lower drawer, Lyssa searched for the pair of sweatpants her last boyfriend had left behind. They didn’t have much in the way of sentimental value and they were way too big, but they made great slob gear, which was why she kept them around.

  She straightened and turned, taking a moment to study the man who stood waiting at the foot of her bed. In her room with its dark blue walls and baby blue comforter, the color intended to soothe her to sleep, Aidan looked both very much at home and very, very attractive. “Here you go.”

  Lyssa swallowed hard, her gaze riveted while he tugged the gray sweats up and over the delicious package between his legs.

  “You’re tempting me to forgo food and just snack on you,” he drawled, glancing at her with a wicked smile.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. Why don’t you head on down to the kitchen? I need to use the bathroom.”

  “Okay. I’ll see what I can dig up.” He cupped her cheek with a large hand and stared at her with heartrending tenderness before heading down the stairs.

  When she stepped into the bathroom, her eyes went straight to the soggy puddle of clothes on the floor of her shower and her mind flooded with memories of what they’d done there. How long had she been hoping for a man like him to come into her life?

  Her eyes squeezed shut against the sudden flare of white-hot guilt. She did have someone—Chad—a guy who had been more than patient and understanding while she kept a large gulf between them. Lyssa flinched and reached out to grab the lip of her pedestal sink. Christ, how could she have forgotten about Chad?

  Curling her hands around the cool porcelain, she looked at herself in the mirror and winced. Kiss-swollen lips, sexmussed hair, and an overall dazed appearance told her what she hadn’t wanted to admit. There had always been a disconnect with Chad. He was a great guy, and he was fun to spend time with. She was comfortable with him and enjoyed his company, but after a month of casual dating she still hadn’t slept with him. Was in fact trying to convince herself to have sex with him, when all Aidan had to do was walk in the door and she was ready to go. Not just with lust, but with deep tenderness and longing.

  She should have handled things differently, but in the end, it wasn’t Aidan who had wedged between her and Chad. The gap had always been there.

  When Lyssa came out of the bathroom, the smell of cooking food was wafting up to the second floor. She padded barefoot down the hardwood stairs and found Aidan in the kitchen heating up SpaghettiOs, which he then poured into two bowls and served with bread taken right out of the bag.

  They sat at her dining table with plastic bowls and oversized metal spoons, and he offered her a soft smile before beginning to eat.

  “You know,” he said, around a mouthful of food, “this stuff is better than I thought.”

  “Yeah? Been a while since you had a meal in a can?”

  “It doesn’t taste like this where I come from.”

  “Oh?” She set her elbows on the table. “And where’s that?”

  “You got any sleeping pills left?” he asked, ignoring her.

  “Who says I have sleeping pills?”

  He snorted. “Get used to me knowing a lot about you. I don’t mean to freak you out, and I promise I’ll explain everything this weekend when we have the time to really get into it. Two o’clock in the morning is too late when you’ve got work in a few hours.”

  “It’s also too late to take a sleeping pill. They make me nonfunctional the next day. That’s why I stopped taking them.”

  Gesturing toward her bowl, Aidan ordered, “Eat. Then pill. No arguing.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  “I’ve got one of those,” he drawled softly. “And if you’re a good girl, I’ll show you more of the things I can do with it.”

  Shivering, Lyssa grabbed her spoon and ate faster than she had in a long time. He laughed at her, the sound rich and warm, filled with something she couldn’t define. Part joy, part freedom, part something else. She was teasing, playing along, enjoying the moment, because tomorrow she would either wake up from the weirdest dream she could ever remember
, or this would be all too real and she had some serious things to consider.

  “Trust me,” he urged softly, setting his hand atop the one she had resting on the table. “You’re thinking too hard. Trust your instincts.”

  He met her gaze squarely, hiding nothing from her. The circumstances themselves led to intimacy. She in her silk robe. He dressed only in low-slung sweats. They ate a casual meal. Had made love with unrestrained passion. Had held each other tenderly in the aftermath. As if they were a long-established couple.

  Promise me you won’t open the door to anyone.

  “Lyssa? Did you hear me?”

  She blinked. “Huh?”

  Aidan’s thumb stroked over her knuckles. “Promise me that you’ll come to me with any doubts or concerns. Don’t let your imagination run away from you. I know how weird this is, but you have to believe that I only want to keep you safe.”

  “No one wants to hurt me.”

  He sighed, and lifted her hand to kiss the back. “Let’s go back to bed. We both need to rest up for tomorrow.”

  I keep the bad guys away.

  “You’re a soldier,” she breathed, surprised at how certain she was about that. It was faint, that connection she felt to him, but it was enough for her to go on. For now.

  “I’m tired,” he countered, rising to his feet and pulling her up with him. “Where are those pills?”

  “Why should I take them?”

  “Remember. Hard and fast into sleep. No tossing and turning. I want your mind far away from Nightmares.” He paused. “And other nasty things.”

  Feeling a transient flash of the terror from her earlier dream, Lyssa nodded and went to the cabinet in the kitchen where she kept all her meds and did as he asked. He held her hand as she turned off the lights, leaving the mess from dinner in the sink when he told her he would take care of it in the morning.

  They took the stairs side by side, his longer stride shortened to match hers. He pulled back the crisp white sheets and then slid into them, his back upright against the padded headboard of her contemporary bed. She curled into his open arms, settling into his side as if it were custom-made for her.