Inked on Paper (40 page)

Nine

COMPROMISE?

Kora definitely didn’t like the sound of that.

What was there to compromise about? He was a man, she was a woman, the pleasure they’d indulged in earlier had been off the charts, and she was more than willing to go another round with him. No compromise necessary.

But Kora damn sure didn’t intend to give him more than that. Hell, this was more than she’d bargained for to begin with. A lot more.

Donovan’s hand cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek, and Kora couldn’t look away, seeing a wealth of emotion in his eyes.

Or was that just lust?

Yeah. That was what it had to be, because there was no way that Donovan could feel anything more for her than that. Seriously, he didn’t even know her. She hadn’t told him her favorite color, what foods she was allergic to, which states she had and hadn’t visited yet, what her dream vacation was…

“Kora.”

Lifting an eyebrow, she realized she was leaning into his hand, still meeting his gaze.

“Show me your bedroom.”

It wasn’t a request, it was a command, and she should’ve come up with a snide remark, something along the lines of
not in this lifetime
. Nope. That wasn’t what she did, because her traitorous body had tuned out her heart and was climbing off him and leading the way before she could think better of it.

When they reached the door, Kora turned to face him, looking up at his incredibly handsome face. Her first instinct was to go back to the living room, but when she saw the way he was looking at her, that thought diminished instantly.

“One night,” she whispered. “That’s all I’ve got in me.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said with a sexy smirk.

She wanted him to pinkie swear, but she kept that to herself.

One night. That was what they were going to have. That was all.

Surely she could deal with that.

Donovan must’ve seen the indecision in her eyes because he closed the distance between them. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, Kora, but for now, tonight is all I’m focused on. We’ll work on tomorrow later.”

Kora released the breath she’d been holding, secretly happy that he was still fighting her on this, because she knew if she allowed herself to think long and hard, one night with him was going to break her. Especially if he walked out tomorrow and she never saw him again.

Donovan took her hand and led her into the room, flipping off the overhead light and turning on the lamp beside her bed.

“Why do we need the light?” she questioned, suddenly feeling self-conscious. When they’d been in the closet, there had been light, but they’d also both been dressed, so her modesty hadn’t been in question.

Now, Donovan would see her naked.

“Relax, Kora,” he said softly. “Come here.”

Donovan took a seat on her bed and she fought the urge to laugh. He looked so out of place with the pink comforter decorated with white roses and the frilly pillows. But she wasn’t thinking about laughing when he pulled her close, her thighs bracketed by his as she stood in front of him.

When his big hands slid up over her hips, she braced herself by putting her hands on his shoulders, her eyes locked with his.

“Do you even know how beautiful you are?” he asked, but she could tell he wasn’t looking for an answer.

Still, the sincerity in his tone made her relax a little. Only a little.

“I want to make love to you, Kora.”

She found herself shaking her head, but that didn’t seem to deter Donovan. Perhaps because she was clutching his shoulders, moving closer to him while his warm hands moved beneath her shirt, gripping her waist, his thumbs circling gently over her skin.

That was when she realized he was waiting for her to give him the green light. Although he was certainly cocky and self-assured, he wasn’t going to push himself on her. And why that made her want to devour him whole, she didn’t know and she didn’t want to think about it.

“Tell me, Kora. Tell me you want it, too.”

He was still staring up at her, his eyes intense but his hands gentle. He was holding back and she got the feeling he’d been holding back all day. What would happen if he unleashed himself? If he took her the way his eyes promised that he wanted to?

Kora nodded, giving in.

“Say it,” he urged, his hands tightening ever so slightly as they moved higher, his fingertips brushing the undersides of her breasts.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I want you to make love to me.”

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Kora realized the answer to her question. When Donovan unleashed the beast within, made love to her in a way she’d never known before … Kora realized her heart wouldn’t survive it.

And she only hoped that was an answer she could live with.

DONOVAN COULDN’T EVEN COUNT the number of women he’d fucked in his lifetime, but he knew exactly how many women he’d made love to.

None.

Until Kora.

She would be the first.

And how he knew this was something more than sex for the sake of sex, pleasure for the sake of pleasure, he wasn’t sure. But he did. He felt it deep inside him, and for some reason, it didn’t scare him, though he suspected that it should have. Everything about this woman should’ve scared him. He felt that much for her in such a short period of time.

Keeping his hands right where they were, he instructed Kora to unbutton her shirt. He watched her fingers work each button free, revealing smooth skin and a plain white cotton bra that he found sexier than any lace number could have been.

Once she’d worked the shirt off, allowing it to slide down her arms and fall to the floor, he allowed himself a moment to drink her in. He was mesmerized by the gentle rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed deeply. Hell, he could hardly sit still; his need for her was intensifying.

“Now the bra.”

She hesitated only briefly, and when she did, he met her eyes again, wanting to maintain that connection, to let her know that this was her show. He would make love to her the way she needed, but she was in control, whether she realized it or not.

She reached back with one hand, then the bra loosened before she slowly allowed it to drop to the floor with her shirt.

The rumble that started in his chest was involuntary. She was so fucking beautiful. All soft and smooth. Her rosy nipples stood at attention, whether because she was cold or aroused, he couldn’t tell.

Since he was eye level with her breasts, he didn’t have to move much before he brushed one puckered nipple with his tongue, his eyes still locked with hers. When she let out an appreciative sigh, he pulled her closer, wrapping his lips around her nipple, sucking her into his mouth while inhaling the fresh scent of her skin.

And when her hands slid up to cup the back of his head, holding him to her, he gave her exactly what she needed, never rushing. Savoring. It was what he’d been thinking about since the second she had walked into that banquet hall.

While he continued to lavish her breasts with attention, he slid his fingers into the waistband of her leggings, pushing them down over her hips until she was wiggling out of them.

“Donovan.” Her body jerked and he held on tight as her legs buckled beneath her.

Only then did he pull her onto the bed with him, lying back and bringing her down over him. Cradling the back of her head with his hand, he pulled her down for his kiss, slipping his tongue past her lips, into her mouth. She tangled her tongue with his, searching tentatively at first, but then she grew more confident, and Donovan knew she was right there with him.

Despite her hesitance, he knew Kora wanted this, wanted him. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in the way she touched him. If he had to guess, he scared her as much as she scared him. But neither of them could stop.

“Too many clothes,” she muttered, pulling her mouth from his as she sat up, straddling his hips.

“What do we do about that?” he asked, still watching her.

When Kora gripped the hem of his shirt, lifting it, he sat up, allowing her to pull it over his head. But before she could free the button on his jeans, he pulled her back down, kissing her again as he rolled them so that her soft body was beneath him.

Though he hadn’t intended for it to work that way, the new position allowed her to unbutton his fly, then lower his zipper before sliding her cool hand inside and freeing his cock. He moaned into her mouth when her fingers curled around his dick, gliding up and down slowly, as though she was memorizing him with her touch.

It didn’t take long before she’d caused his blood pressure to spike, and he knew it was time to press pause, at least as far as he was concerned. He wanted to taste her—every inch—then he wanted to hear her cry out his name as he made her come with his mouth.

Somehow he managed to free himself from her grip as he worked his mouth down her jaw, her chest, once again giving attention to her breasts, which he realized she liked. But he didn’t linger for long, instead continuing down her body, pressing kisses over her belly, then over the smooth skin below her navel as he pulled her panties down.

He couldn’t wait; her taste had become an addiction, a need that had to be sated. Bending down, he inhaled the musky scent of her sex before gliding his tongue through her slick folds. Her fingers instantly latched into his hair, sending shards of electricity trickling down his spine.

He looked up the lean line of her body, meeting her gaze as she watched him. He shouldered his way between her thighs, opening her to him as he worked his tongue along her slit, to the tight entrance to her body. He teased her for long minutes, thrusting his tongue inside, then working her clit as she began to pant and moan, her body bucking, her hands tightening in his hair as she said his name over and over again. Wrapping his lips around her clit, he flicked his tongue over the bundle of nerves until she went completely rigid and screamed his name as she came.

Crawling up over her once more, he lowered his mouth to hers, allowing her to taste herself on his lips, loving the way she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly to her as she practically molded herself against him.

“Need to feel you inside me,” she whispered. “Please, Donovan.”

“My pleasure, love.” And it definitely would be.

Ten

KORA KNEW THAT THIS was moving in the wrong direction, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Donovan knew how to play her body like a finely tuned instrument. The way he touched her, the way he looked at her … he had officially torn down the walls that she’d purposely erected to keep her heart from getting in this position in the first place.

Only she wasn’t running away from him. Not this time.

Here she was, and she was falling.

One day.

One fucking day.

Damn, not even that and she feared she was falling in love with this man.

That didn’t happen, though, right? There was no such thing as love at first sight. She was confusing lust for love. It’d happened to others before; she knew that much. But it didn’t happen to her. Life hadn’t been that good to her, and she’d come to expect the disappointment.

She watched as Donovan removed his clothes, then sheathed himself with a condom. He was beautiful when he was dressed, but he was heavenly naked. She could’ve stared at him all night long and been content.

“Kora,” Donovan whispered, his lips brushing hers ever so lightly as his weight returned above her. “Need to feel you. Want to be inside you again.”

Yes. She needed to feel him, too. Now more than ever.

As he entered her, she closed her eyes and held on tight, loving the way he filled her so completely. This wasn’t as it had been in the storage closet. They weren’t fucking for the sake of fucking, and maybe they should’ve been.

That had been quick and dirty; this was slow and sweet.

No, this was more and she wasn’t sure she could handle this man.

“Stay with me, Kora.”

His breath fanned her face, and she opened her eyes to see him staring down at her, an emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t name.

“Let me love you.”

God, yes. She could let him love her. She needed him to love her. What that really meant, she wasn’t going to try to figure out. Not right now. Not when the only thing she wanted was to lose herself in him.

Kora forced her eyes to remain open as he slid deeper into her body, staring into those intriguing emerald pools, letting him see what she was feeling because she didn’t know any other way to do this.

“Yes, baby,” he crooned. “Watch me.”

She swallowed hard as he pushed inside, withdrawing slowly, then thrusting forward once again. He continued, never increasing the pace. She felt every inch of him inside her, hard and perfect, brushing against nerve endings she hadn’t known existed. But more than that, she felt something else inside, but this was in her chest. As though the pieces of her heart were mending even though she knew that wasn’t possible.

Still, she wanted to believe that it could happen. That there could be one person out there in the world meant just for her and it didn’t require endless hours of conversation before the true depth of emotion would be revealed.

“Ah, baby.” Donovan stroked her cheek and she realized a tear had slipped free. “I won’t hurt you. Never hurt you.”

The hot ball of emotion lodged in her throat, and she pulled him closer, burying her face in his neck as she allowed her body to revel in the pleasure, to feel the warmth of his skin, the insistent beating of his pulse.

“Too much,” she whispered. “You make me feel too much.”

“I know, love,” he said. “I feel it, too.”

She wasn’t sure if that was the truth or if Donovan was just telling her what she needed to hear, but for a brief moment, she allowed it to be true.

Their bodies moved together as he reached above her, gripping the headboard and pulling himself forward, going deeper inside her, never stopping, until she wasn’t sure she could handle the orgasm that was blossoming, ready to burst.

She tightened her thighs on his hips, pushing her ankles into his ass, pulling him closer, needing more of him. All of him. Pressing her face into his neck, she held on, trying not to be swept away.

“Donovan… Donovan…” She wasn’t sure what she needed to say.

“Come for me, Kora. It’s okay to let go.”

As though she’d needed his permission, her body ignited, then detonated when he thrust inside her once more. And when he stilled, she knew he hadn’t come yet, but she wasn’t sure what he was waiting for.

“Not through with you yet,” he told her, rolling them both until she was sitting astride him. “It’s your turn, Kora. Love me.”

And suddenly, she knew that there was no way out; she was falling and falling fast, unable to stop, the velocity too intense. So intense she feared the fiery crash, but there was no way to stop it, so she quit trying.

Planting her hands on his chest, Kora rocked her hips, keeping her eyes locked with his as she brought him the same pleasure he’d brought her, making love to him as he’d instructed, her mind, body, and soul merging as one.

“That’s it, love.”

She could see the way the lines near his mouth tightened as he tried to hold back. But Kora didn’t want him to hold back. He’d asked for all of her, and now, suddenly, she wanted all of him, too.

“Don’t,” she whispered, catching his attention. “Don’t hold back.”

“Never, Kora. Not with you.”

Donovan dug his fingers into her flesh and began controlling the motion of her hips, neither of them looking away until she felt the tingle ignite in her core once more, radiating outward, growing stronger and stronger until, once again, an orgasm crashed through her. She rode the waves of pleasure as Donovan pulled her down to him, his lips finding hers as he bucked his hips, driving up into her, letting himself go.

DONOVAN HAD KNOWN THE moment he’d seen her that this woman was different than all the others. Even if at this point he didn’t know certain things about her, he knew who she was, understood her resolve, what drove her, where she wanted to go. Those things were probably the most important, as far as he was concerned. The rest, he would learn over time.

And perhaps it was stupid, considering how little they knew one another, but he never wanted to let her go. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

If he gave Kora an inch, she’d take it. She would find a way to push him out of her life, and he’d be back where he’d started. Not once in his thirty-two years had he felt like this. Not once had anything in his world come close to making him as happy as Kora did.

Sure, they had a long road ahead of them, but he was willing to put in the miles, to go the distance, to learn every nuance about this woman because he knew in his gut that she was it for him.

He wouldn’t tell her he loved her, wasn’t sure he was at that point yet, and he knew she wouldn’t tell him, but what had happened between them had been a hell of a lot more than just passion or lust.

It had been everything, just as he’d wanted.

“That was…” Kora didn’t finish as she rolled onto her back.

“Incredible,” he finished for her.

Her head turned and their eyes met. She smiled. “Well, I was gonna say unexpected, but that works, too.”

“Unexpected, huh?” He’d have to agree with her there.

When it came to life, he welcomed the unexpected.

Especially when her name was Kora Madison.