Dangerous Love (18 page)

Her eyes flew open and locked with his, surprise and something else he couldn’t read in their depth. She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and cried out, her muscles spasming around him. He thrust deeper, prolonging her orgasm.

A tingle started at the base of his spine and grew in intensity as he joined her. His growl filled the room as absolute pleasure tore through him, leaving him drained, satisfied.

***

Faith was still catching her breath when Ken moved to the side and folded her in his arms. She curled around him, her mind racing.

What the hell just happened? Ken was magnificent lover, but tonight he’d taken her to a new level, blind-sided her. It was bad enough her business was falling apart, now she had to deal with him storming through her defenses with sexual tricks. Every time he touched her, she wanted more. She needed to have some control of something. Anything.

“You okay?” he whispered against her temple

“Yes.” She wasn’t. Ken wanted them to be friends with benefits, while she…she didn’t know what she wanted anymore. She just knew sex wasn’t enough. How could she crave something she didn’t fully understand?

Ken lifted her chin and kissed her, his erection pressing her stomach. She rubbed against him, wanting him again.

“I’ll be right back.” He slid off the bed and padded barefoot to the bathroom.

The sheer perfection of his lean, masculine body—broad shoulders, taut abs, narrow hips and powerful thighs—never failed to mesmerize her. He had the body of a swimmer. She wanted to know how he got the scars on his arms and back. Unfortunately, that would mean opening up about her personal demons. Not what she already shared with him, but the really dark ones hovering over her like an executioner’s axe.

As though aware of her scrutiny, Ken glanced back and winked, then he disappeared into the bathroom.

Arrogant man. He knew how much he fascinated her, how much power he wielded over her body. He made her feel like no other man ever did, not even Sean. The toilet flushed and Faith started to panic. She needed alone time to think things through.

She hopped off the bed and gathered her things. She still had on her stockings and garter belt, just like the first time they made love after Ashley’s wedding. Ken had removed them from her then, kissing her skin as he peeled off the stockings. It never crossed her mind to remove them this time around either.

The door open and she paused in the process of putting on her bra, waiting for the explosion. Ken had a short fuse, and she knew how this would look—like she was running out of him. Again.

Silence.

Slowly, she turned and faced him. Ken leaned against the bathroom doorway, arms and legs crossed. Her gaze ran up his gorgeous body, and her eyes widened when his erection jerked. A sexy smile tilted the corner of his lips. Only Ken could pull off that pose naked without looking corny.

“I’m leaving,” she said, her voice a bit defensive.

“I know.”

“You’re not mad?” she asked.

He paused as though thinking about it, then shook his head. “No. I knew you would.”

Her eyes narrowed. The first time they hooked up, he had made love to her or fed her something every time she mentioned leaving. She ended up spending the night.

“Am I that predictable?” she asked.

“No, just scared.”

She bristled. “I’m not.”

“You are,” he said firmly. “You’re scared that if you stay long enough and talked to me, you might get to know me better and like what you find.”

“I know and like you.”

“In the biblical sense, yes, but there’s more to me than this body you use whenever you’re stressed out.”

That stung. “Are you saying that I use you?”

He chuckled, pushed against the wall, and sauntered toward without an ounce of shame in his nakedness. “Don’t misunderstand. You can use me any time and as often as you want, but one day you’ll stop running because this,” he wiggled his finger to indicate them, “thing we have between us is never going away.”

“What thing?”

“Chemistry. Unparalleled attraction.” He stopped in front of her and ran a finger down the column of her neck and chest, a teasing caress that left heat in its wake. He stopped before touching her nipple, sending anticipation through her body. “The reason you tremble when I touch you and run when I stop.”

Faith ground her teeth, hating the fact that he knew her so well. “I don’t run.”

“Yes, you do, sweetheart.” He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering. “When you’re ready to stay and allow me to allay your fears, I’ll be here.”

Faith sighed and watched him as he stepped back, scooped up his pants from the floor, and moved away from her. “What do you want from me, Ken?”

He squinted at her. “You. All of you.”

“That doesn’t sound like friends with benefits.”

“I hate that term,” he snapped and shoved one leg through his pants, his movements for once ungraceful.

“You suggested it,” she reminded him.

“I was willing to have you any way I could, Faith. Not anymore. Call me greedy, selfish. I want more.” He finished pulling on his pants then planted his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowed with determination. “A chance to explore what we have, see where it takes us.”

Faith swallowed, realization dawning. This was what she wanted and couldn’t put it into words, a relationship. She wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. Her life was a mess. No, her business was a mess. For so long, she’d let her work dictate her private life. Maybe it was time to separate the two with this wonderful man. This gorgeous, amazing, and patient man.

“Come here,” Ken said, cutting into her thoughts.

She hated to be ordered around, yet found herself obeying. Even as she took that first step forward, Faith realized she was out of her element, out of her freakin’ mind. She didn’t do relationships. The one time she did, she ended up with the jerk now hell bent on destroying her.

“I don’t like your tone,” she griped, her protest sounding weak even to her ears.

“I know, but you need to trust me to never do or say anything to hurt you.” He extended his hand toward her.

Faith swallowed. He was so sure of himself while she was a jittery bundle of nerves. She wasn’t used to not being in control, yet the promise in his voice said he’d be there with her all the way. She took the last steps that brought her in front of him, lifted her chin, and stared into his eyes.

“Do you trust me, Faith?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Then turn around.”

She didn’t hesitate. Her breath lodged in her throat as she waited, every muscle in her body alive and quivering. Then he touched her, his deft fingers grazing her skin as he undid the clasps of her garter belt and removed the lacy piece. She shivered. He rolled down her stockings, his mouth paying homage to the exposed skin. Her toes curled when he touched the sensitive arch on her feet. His hands crept up her thighs, caressed her hips, the touch light, loving, arousing.

She tried to swallow but her throat had gone dry. She hated to be made love to from behind, and he knew it. She’d told him a year ago. The position was impersonal…she couldn’t see his expression or look into his eyes…she could be any woman. Worse, the position made her feel vulnerable.

Heart pounding, she reached behind her to find him, but he moved out of her reach.

“No, sweetheart. This is not about me. This is about you trusting me. Accepting I’d never hurt you.”

He moved closer, his body pressing on her back. One hand covered her breast and played with her nipple, his mouth on her neck, while the other splayed across her stomach. She shivered as sensation spread across her body. Her insides went soft and quivering. Her breathing became labored. He took his time, caressing her belly button, making her squirm in anticipation as he moved lower. She didn’t know what to do with her hands, so she wrapped one around his wrist, determined to direct him to her core, to speed up his progress.

“Easy, baby,” he said, taking her hands and bringing them up, so she could hold his head. His kissed her shoulder. “Keep them up there.”

She closed her eyes and gave him control, trusting him with her body. Fingers teased and plucked budded nipples. The others slipped lower, then through the soft curls to find her folds. Instead of touching her, he spread those nether lips. Cool air rushed to replace warm. Her sensitized skin responded. It was the most arousing thing, as though he was blowing on her. Anticipation had her moaning, moving her hips to dislodge his fingers.

“Tell me what you want?” His low voice was guttural and intense, his warm breath fanning the sensitive area behind her ear.

“Love me.”

He slipped a long finger along her the fleshy part of her labia, obeying her, yet deliberately ignoring her pleasure point. Faith squirmed. Ached for more.

“Please,” she begged.

“You don’t have to beg, baby.”

He touched her throbbing flesh, his movements gentle, teasing circles. Faith’s legs shook, hips pushed against his hand. Such exquisite torture. She was addicted to this man and his skillful fingers.

“You’re mine,” he whispered in her ear. “Say it.”

“Ken—”

“Say it,” he whispered in her ear.

“I’m yours.”

He turned her head at just the right angle, lowered his and branded her with a marauding kiss. At the same time, he slipped a finger slowly inside her sheath, then two, his movements rapid, insistent. The position was odd, yet she wouldn’t change it even if they were in the epicenter of an earthquake. She clenched around his hand as he pleasured her, his fingers reaching a spot inside her that made her squirm. Her moans mixed with the soft wet sounds his fingers made as they slipped in and out of her.

Everything inside her tightened, then the convulsion pulsed through her body as she peaked. Her legs gave out, but he was there to catch her. He lifted her as though he weighed nothing, then set her gently on the bed. Faith was still catching her breath when she realized he wasn’t touching her.

She opened her heavy-lidded eyes and found him rolling on a condom, his breathing ragged, sweat drops dotting his brow. Was it possible for a man to look both beautiful and lethal at the same time? He moved to the foot of the bed and held her gaze intently.

“Offer yourself to me, Faith. Freely.”

She swallowed.
A relationship begins with trust.
She trusted him, and it was time she showed him. Heart pounding, Faith rolled over to her hands and knees, then arched her back.

A rough breath shuddered out of him then he lifted her up and lay her on her back.

“But I just—”

He placed a finger on her lips. “Baby steps, sweetheart. I want to look into your eyes when I touch you too, when you come, when I do. For the record, you could wear a sack over your head and I’d know it was you. Make love to you in pitch darkness, and I’d know it was you.”

She was in deep trouble with this man, but for once, she didn’t care. She sat up and kissed him, showing him with her hands and lips how much he meant to her. She pulled him on top of her, legs tangled, his face coming to rest on her breast. She shimmied along his sweat-drenched body and covered his mouth with hers in a searing kiss. At the same time, her hand closed around his massive erection and guided him to her entrance.

He broke off the kiss, reared his back and hissed with pleasure as they joined, their gazes locked. Every moment was like the first time, her sheath adjusting to his size, to the heavy intrusion.

“You feel so amazing,” he ground out.

“Then you’re going to enjoy this.” She wrapped her arms around him and rolled with him, almost landing them on the floor. A chuckle rumbled through his chest.

She’d surprised him, but then again, that was his Faith. Unpredictable. Impossible. He’d wondered when she’d get tired of letting him have the upper hand and switch roles.

“You’re mine now, Kenneth Lambert,” she said and started riding him.

“Willingly,” he ground out.

“Say it,” she repeated his previous command.

She was perfect. Amazing. “I’m yours.”

She splayed her hands on his taut stomach, rose up his shaft and sunk down. A sheen of moisture dotted her skin, her breasts bouncing with each move. He reached up to cup her breasts, but she wasn’t having any of it.

 
“No touching.” She clasped his wrist, pushed up his arms above his head and paused to kiss him. “It’s my turn to please you now. Lay back and enjoy the ride.”

Holding on to his shoulders, she pushed herself up his length, almost letting him his slip out of her before sinking. She picked up tempo, riding him hard and fast. He burned with the need to let go. He fought back his orgasm, reached out and grabbed the edge of the headboard.

Her movement grew frenzied, each sensual glide pulling him deeper and deeper into an abyss where nothing else mattered but this woman and how she made him feel. He bucked under her, thrusting upward to meet her again and again, until she arched her back and cried out, her muscles clenching around him.

Still, she didn’t stop, her muscles squeezing him tighter and tighter. The sensations rocking his body became too much. He let go of the headboard, pulled her down, and kissed her as an explosive release catapulted him over the edge.