Something tight and agonizing on his face crumbled. I pressed a tender kiss on his cool, unresponsive lips, then held him, stroking his back. The skin was icy, but slick with sweat. His chest rose and fell erratically. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck, sucking in air desperately. Shudder after shudder racked through his big body. He struggled to even his breathing, but it didn’t seem tohelp. I pulled him down on the bed, since I didn’t want anything on the floor to cut his bare feet, and held him and crooned softly, hoping the steady gentle rhythm of the melody would help him regain control.
The shudders eased. His breathing grew regular. I stroked his hair, and his back. “What happened?” I asked.
“Just a bad dream.” His voice was rough.
“Wanna talk about it?”
He shook his head, his hair tickling my skin, and clung to me. “It’s enough that you’re here.”
We fell asleep, holding each other. And I never saw him react that badly to a nightmare again.
Uneasy, I step over a pillow and move closer to the bed. The sheets are twisted. If I didn’t know better, I might worry that he had another nightmare episode. But he was obviously awake when we spoke on the phone. So what could’ve caused such a mess?
I pull the condoms out of the paper bag and toss them on the night table. The air smells faintly of mint, sandalwood and sex. My eyes scan the area—no sign of female clothes. Apprehension tightens my chest. Something’s definitely not right.
A hand grips my wrist. “Fiona.”
Bryce. He spins me around, taking both my wrists in his hands. I gasp as he pins me against the wall by the nightstand, my hands trapped above my head. He leans forward until his naked body is pressed against mine. His erection throbs against my belly. My pulse gallops at how hot he feels.
“You really came.” His voice is low with surprise.
“Well…you asked me to. Didn’t you?”
His cheeks are slightly flushed, his mouth even redder. The air in my throat catches at the darkly possessive gleam in his eyes. His pupils are so wide that the irises look nearly black. It reminds me of the time his eyes glazed from the nightmare, but there isn’t any of the vulnerability from the past.
He pushes a thigh between my legs, spreading my knees, making me feel exposed even though I’m the one who’s still wearing clothes. His cock is trapped between our bodies.Is it even bigger and harder than last night?My breathing shallows as I remember how amazing it felt whenhe invaded me, filled me and stretched me. Is tonight going to be even better?
He lowers his head to my mouth, and I turn my chin so that his lips graze along my jawline. He inhales sharply with displeasure. The hands around my wrists flex in a silent warning.
“I said no kissing on the mouth.” I look up at him, meeting his eyes.
Savage possessiveness and a need to conquer burn in their black depths. My mouth dries, and I run my tongue over my lips without thinking. His eyes follow the movement, and his grip tightens as he tries to chase my lips.
“No!” It comes out more sharply than I want, but recalling the past has weakened my emotional shield. A kiss might feel too much like it was before—when it wasn’t just a prelude to sex, but a way for us to show each other we cared. I can’t afford to wallow in the past and become vulnerable, not if I want to leave this arrangement unscathed.
Something that looks like pain passes over his gorgeous face, but I’m just imagining things. A rejection from me doesn’t have the power to sting him.
He puts his mouth on the side of my neck, right over my pulse point. A frustrated groan rumbles in his thickly muscled chest. He nips the delicate skin until I feel a small tingle, then he licks. Hot shivers vibrate through my body. He uses his free hand to undo my belt and unbutton my thin coat. All the while, he ravages my neck, sucking and biting and licking, as though he’s punishing me for denying him my mouth. His hot breath fans over me. The prickling sensation spreads, pulsing all over until it ends between my legs, making my clit throb with the need to be touched.
I admit in the back of my mind that—maybe—I was looking forward to another night with him when he told me to dress sexy. After all, he’s amazing in bed and we have great chemistry. Transaction or no, he would never deny me pleasure.
He spreads the lapels of my coat and trails his hot mouth down over my collarbones. I clench my thighs as more liquid heat pools in my already-slick flesh. My thong’s going to be a mess.
Still pinning my wrists to the wall, he pushes away my coat. His eyes drop, and hetakes his fill.
The black strappy underwear provides very little cover—and what is there is made of sheer lace. The satin bands crisscross my body like rope bindings, and tiny scraps of lace cover my nipples and make a tiny triangle over my crotch. A thin string made of the same material wraps low and snug around my neck like a collar with a platinum heart in the center. A garter belt and fishnet stockings complete the look.
While he looks, I look. My eyes roam all over his physique. The incredibly wide shoulders and the slabs of muscle over his chest. The ridiculously defined six-pack, and the narrow hips and thick thighs that saypower.
His cock is so erect the head touches his belly, leaving a streak of precum on his abs. How long has he been like this?
“Did you get hard thinking of me?” I ask, my voice raspy.
“I already came twice thinking of you.”
I gasp at his raw response. My eyes fly to his face.His cock is this stiff aftertwoorgasms?Even when we were in the throes of young love, he wasn’t this insatiable.
“No way,” I whisper, trying to pull away and failing when his grip remains firm.
