The longer he was quiet, the more nervous she became. Finally, in a rush, she said, “Taken out of context—”
He placed a hand on either side of her hips and leaned down so his mouth hovered above hers. “Don’t backpedal, Lucy. You didn’t say anything we both don’t already know.” His eyes twinkled with humor. “Except the last part. That was a surprise, one I liked.”
Lucy searched his eyes, but saw only patience and desire. “Why aren’t you upset with me for earlier? You’ve been so good to me, but I’ve done nothing to deserve it. You have women paying to meet you. I don’t understand why you want me.”
He raised a hand to gently run through her hair. “If I were an artist, I would paint how you make me feel so you could see it. If I were a poet, I’d have the words to explain it. All I have is this.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.
His lips teased hers at first, warm and comfortable. She brought her hands up to his shoulders and relaxed into the kiss. David’s hands grasped her hips and brought them against his, grinding her erotically against his erection. His tongue slid into her mouth, inviting hers to dance. She went where he led and lost herself in the wonder of how good he made her feel. By some standards, it was an innocent enough kiss, but every inch of her was alive and begging for more. He kissed his way to her ear, then down one side of her neck.
With one hand, he swept the food off the counter behind her and easily lifted her so she was seated on it with him between her legs. He ran his hands up the sides of her thighs, then up to the front of her shirt. With one strong move, he pulled the front of her shirt out of her jeans and then deftly undid the buttons.
He cupped one of her lace-covered breasts and brought his mouth to her nipple, blowing on the material it was eagerly pushing against. Lucy quivered with pleasure and arched herself closer to his mouth. His teeth grazed her nub while his other hand began its own mind-blowing assault on her other nipple.
Lucy moaned with pleasure. Emotionally, she might be a train wreck of indecision, but her body didn’t waver on what it wanted. It hated every layer of clothing that stopped her from feeling his bare skin against hers. Every layer that prevented his cock from driving into her. She reached feverishly for the buckle of his belt, but he stopped her by taking her hands in his.
“Not here,” he said huskily.
“Here?” she asked, then opened her eyes and looked around. Vegetables were strewn on the floor around them. I would have fucked him right here in Sarah’s kitchen. “What is wrong with me?”
Lucy made a move to grab the edges of her shirt, but David held her hands in his and brought them to her sides. His breathing was as heavy as hers. “Not a single thing. We belong together, you and I.” He kissed the valley between her breasts. “Your heart knows it.” He brought one of his hands to the crotch of her jeans and caressed her through it. “Your body does, too.” He kissed her temple gently. “When you decide to trust me, we’re going to be fucking fantastic together.”
Lucy was shaking with a mix of emotion and sexual frustration. David casually buttoned up the front of her shirt as if she were his to dress. She felt like a woman being asked to jump off a cliff into the arms of a man below. “I’m trying, David. It might not look that way, but I am.”
He eased her off the counter and pulled her into a hug. “I know you are, and you’re worth waiting for.”
His words were so unexpected, tears of gratitude filled Lucy’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around David and hugged him tightly. They stood in an embrace that was very different from the one a moment before, but it was just as intimate in its own way. This closeness wasn’t about sex. In his arms, she felt safe—loved.
Memories of times she’d felt that way swirled through her. She remembered huddling in her mother’s arms the first time a boy had broken her heart. Her mother’s love had been unconditional. Lucy thought back to the day when she’d told her father she wanted to go to school in Rhode Island. Her father had hugged her this tightly, telling her he’d always support her no matter what she decided to do. A memory of the comforting hug her brother had given her the day of their mother’s funeral came back with painful clarity. Even if David loved her, and he hadn’t gone as far as to say he did, but even if he did—it didn’t mean he wouldn’t leave her.
Love hadn’t been enough to keep anyone with her.
Lucy hugged David so tightly her arms hurt, and she wept against his strong chest. She cried for the parents who had left her, for the brother she didn’t know how to reach, and for the woman inside her who desperately wanted to find a way to believe in forever again.
David rocked Lucy gently against him, murmuring to her that everything would be okay. He hoped he sounded like a better person than he felt. A few moments earlier he’d almost taken her in the kitchen. His cock throbbed painfully from the denial of that pleasure. His body was having a rough time understanding that she was clinging to him for an entirely different reason now.
Lucy needed to face her fears, and he hoped her tears meant she was doing that.
He wanted to tell her he would fix everything that was broken in her life, but he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring back her parents, go back and give her brother the brains and courage to stay with her, or turn back time and stop Ted from ever entering the equation.
He pushed back the passion that was raging inside him and told himself the most important thing was that she was beginning to trust him.
After a few minutes, she sniffed loudly and started to roughly wipe her tears away with her hands. Still in the circle of his arms, she said, “I need a tissue.”
He stepped away only long enough to grab a few paper napkins. He handed them to her, then pulled her back into his arms.
She blew her nose twice, then leaned over to drop them into a trash can. “I sure know how to kill a mood, don’t I?”
He lifted her chin gently until her eyes met his. “I’d still fuck you on the table in a heartbeat.”
She gasped.
He chuckled and brushed away the last of her tears with his thumb. “Is that wrong?”
A myriad of emotions passed over her face, then her lips curled ever so slightly in a smile. “A little.”
Sensing humor was making her feel better, he joked, “They say honesty is good for couples.”
She shook in his arms and searched his face. “Is that what we are?”
He let out a slow breath and chose his words with care. “You tell me. You’re brave enough to tell Sarah what you want, but I’m the one who needs to know what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.”
They had visited this place before, and he wouldn’t have put money on one outcome over another. She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then said, “Being with you reminds me of how much I’ve lost, how good things used to be. I don’t know what to do with how you make me feel. It’s wonderful and painful at the same time. Does that make sense?”
He breathed in her scent and thought how easy it would be for her to walk away from him, for this to be the last time he held her. “It does. More than you know.”
They took a moment to simply hold each other, then Lucy arched an eyebrow at him. “When I was talking to Sarah—”
“Yes?”
“What did you hear?”
“Just the part about you liking sex toys and wanting to try them with me.”
“That’s it?”
“Was there more?”
“So you have no problem with them?”
David’s cheeks flushed, and his blood rushed south to his cock again. Lucy sure knew how to guarantee he was barely capable of speech. “Why would I? Aren’t they all about pleasure?”
Lucy smiled up at him and shook her head in wonder. “How do you always know the perfect thing to say?”
He pulled her hips forward until she was once again positioned perfectly against his swollen member. “Because we fit, Lucy.”
Desire flashed in her eyes.
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From the other room, Sarah called out, “Tony and I are heading into town for pizza. We’ll see you later.”
At the sound of the front door closing, David swept Lucy into his arms and carried her out of the kitchen. She clung to his shoulders, but didn’t protest.
He strode into the bedroom Sarah had made up for them and kicked the door closed. He lowered her to her feet and, holding on to the last of his control, demanded, “I know what I want, but I need to hear you say you want it just as much.” He gave her lips a light kiss and ran his tongue over her bottom lip. “Say yes, Lucy, and I’ll make love to every inch of you.”
Her eyes were blazing with need. “Yes.”
He grazed her cheek with his lips and whispered into her ear, “Then strip for me.”
Chapter Eleven
Lucy froze for a second. It would have been easier if David was the type of man who took what he wanted. He wasn’t willing to settle for her simply giving in; he wanted it all. She stood there at the edge of the imaginary cliff and remembered Sarah’s advice.
This is not about everything that could go wrong.
This is about making a stand.
I refuse to be afraid today.
With trembling hands, Lucy began to unbutton her shirt. She dropped it to the floor and raised her chin bravely. He surprised her by keeping his eyes on hers. Suddenly, Lucy understood why. Yes, he wanted her body, but he wanted her more.
Her fear fell away. No matter what happened next, she was where she belonged. She stepped out of her boots and socks and was working on her pants when an idea came to her. “This will be disappointing if I’m the only one who gets naked.”
A lusty grin spread across his face. He shed his clothing with impressive speed, then stood there, his huge cock displayed proudly before she’d finished taking off her jeans. She would have laughed at his enthusiasm, but there was nothing funny about the perfection of his muscular thighs and work-hardened body. She faltered while stepping out of her underwear and almost fell, but he caught her. With an experienced flick, he unfastened her bra and helped her out of her last remaining piece of clothing.
He dropped it to the floor, then held her face in his hands. “The last thing I want to do is disappoint you.” He kissed her slowly, tenderly. The tip of his shaft grazed her stomach, but he took his time.
He ran his hands up and down her arms, across her back, and down to cup her bare ass. His touch was adoring rather than demanding. Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth for him, rubbing her nipples across his bare chest. The move excited him as much as it did her.
One of his hands slid between her legs and between her wet lips. He circled her clit with his middle finger while he dug his other hand into the hair on the back of her neck. His mouth was hungry and demanding while he arched her backward over his arm.
His mouth closed over one of her breasts at the same instant he thrust a finger inside her. Lucy’s senses were overloading. His thumb continued to brush back and forth against her clit as he pumped his finger in and out of her. His mouth loved both of her breasts with a combination of light nips and licks that had her head spinning.
She wanted to run her hands over him, to bring him the same pleasure he was bringing her, but the way he held her kept her just off balance enough that she was at his mercy. But, oh, what mercy he took on her.
He brought his mouth back up to hers, and this time his tongue was bold and demanding. He thrust a second finger inside her sex and increased his speed. Heat spread through her, lashing at her sanity, and she cried out in ecstasy into his mouth. None of the toys make me feel like this. Alive. So turned on. Ready to explode.
And still he didn’t stop. He kept his magic fingers moving inside her and kissed his way up and down her neck. When his mouth began to suckle on one of her breasts, it sent her over the edge. She needed to touch him. She adjusted her position so she could reach down and close her hands around his rock-hard dick. He was huge, and she could have come again just from the thought of how good he would feel inside her. “I can’t wait, David. Now. Now.”
With a sexy growl, David withdrew for a moment, leaving Lucy standing there in a sexual daze. She heard him rip open a foil package, and then he was back. With a condom on his glorious cock, he advanced on her like a conquering pirate. She backed away playfully until she felt the bed on the backs of her legs. She sat on the edge and began to inch backward across the bed.
He crawled toward her, enjoying the short chase, and pounced. They rolled together until he was on top. He kissed her passionately again, running his strong hands over her. Lucy wrapped her legs around his waist and met him kiss for kiss. She couldn’t get enough of him. Every touch, his and hers, sent flames of pleasure through her.
He settled himself between her legs, the tip of him nudging for entry, and raised his head to watch her face. His first thrust was deep and sure. Slow. His next was faster and more powerful. He kissed her lips lightly, and she adjusted her legs so she would thrust upward to welcome him deeper. Their rhythm was natural and primal.
Like two pieces of the same puzzle, they fit, and everything else fell away. There was nothing other than the taste and feel of each other. Lucy had enjoyed sex in the past, but even when she’d climaxed, she’d always felt in control. With David, thinking was impossible. She was a slave to how David made her feel, and thankfully, he seemed just as out of control with her.
Her orgasm hit with a cry she normally would have held in. He joined her with a curse and then collapsed beside her. He turned, disposed of the condom, and tucked her into his side. He kissed her forehead, and she laid a hand on his chest.
They came back to earth slowly. David pulled a sheet over them and smiled. “Next time we’ll go slower—”
Lucy silenced him by placing her fingers lightly over his lips. “It was perfect.”
He kissed her fingers. “I won’t argue that, but I have techniques that will blow your mind.”
Lucy chuckled against him. “Mind-blowing techniques, huh?”
He rubbed her back lazily. “Give me a minute, and I’ll show you.”
Feeling playful, Lucy joked, “How good could they be if they only take a minute?”
He rolled so he was above her again. “Oh, now you’re in trouble.”
“Hello? Is anyone here?” Chelle called from downstairs.
“We’re—” David started to answer her, but Lucy put her hand over his mouth again.
“Don’t you dare,” Lucy whispered.
With the thin walls of the old house, it was easy enough to hear Chelle. “Didn’t they tell us to meet them here? I’ll text Sarah and see where they went. Strange, though. I could have sworn they’d asked if we wanted to eat dinner here.”
“Maybe they’re in the kitchen,” Mason said.
Lucy’s mouth rounded as she remembered the condition they’d left it in. “No.” She pushed at David. “Do something.”
Laughing, David climbed out of bed and quickly put on his jeans and shirt. “I’m good, but I doubt I can beat him there.”
“Hey, Chelle,” Mason called out. “Come here.”
“Is something wrong?” A second later Chelle said, “Sarah says they’re on their way to town for pizza. Do we want to join them?”
“Sure. We’re not eating here anyway.” Mason called across the house.
“Why?” Chelle asked.
A moment later, Mason said in a loud voice, “David? Lucy? You have fifteen minutes to wrap it up.”
“Mason,” Chelle said in reprimand.
“We’ll wait in the car, but hurry it up. I’m hungry.”
“They may not want to go to dinner anymore.”
“Do you?” Mason called out.
Part of Lucy felt mortified that they knew what she and David had been up to, and part of her really wanted to see her friends. She asked David with a look if he wanted to go.
He nodded.
She waited for him to say it, but he gave
her an angled brow that said, “You do it.”
She sat up in the bed, loving how his eyes raked over her hungrily. He didn’t let her stay in her comfort zone, and she was beginning to appreciate that about him. She raised her voice and said, “We do want to see you. We’ll meet you at your car in a few minutes.”
Whatever Chelle and Mason said next was spoken softly enough that Lucy didn’t hear anything but the door close as they left. Lucy got off the bed and strode over to David, wagging a finger at him. “I can’t believe you made me do it.”
He looped his hands behind her waist, pulled her to him, and shrugged. “I like hearing you say what you want.”
“Really?” The confidence she was beginning to feel with David was heady. “And if I said I’m a little sad I have to wait to sample one of your techniques?”
David again stripped off his shirt and jeans and was beside her in a heartbeat. “I’d say I hope Mason is a patient man, because this may take a while.”
A while later, David and Lucy finally made their way out of the house. If either Chelle or Mason minded, they didn’t say. David’s appreciation of the couple deepened when they acted as if nothing had happened. Lucy had been tense when she’d climbed into the backseat of their car with him, but within minutes, she relaxed against him.
As they pulled out onto the road, Lucy glanced back at the car that followed them. “Do you have to have security wherever you go?”
Mason said to Chelle, “If it were just me, I might not feel it was necessary, but my whole world is sitting in the seat next to me.”
Chelle took Mason’s hand in hers. “We had a scare a few weeks ago. Nothing serious, just enough to make us realize that there are crazy people out there.”
Mason added, “Speaking of crazy—David, remind me to tell you what I found out on that matter you asked me about.”
“Sure,” David answered, hoping Lucy didn’t make a connection. Her expression hadn’t changed, so she likely hadn’t. “How was the flight in? Ours was very nice, thanks to you.”