Naked (22 page)

“You want to fuck?” He pulled her hair tighter. “Is that what you want?”

The small flecks of gold in her eyes flickered against the moonlight. He tugged again, turning her head to the left, which should have exposed her neck, but once again she was covered up. Her shimmering dress was long-sleeved with a high neck.

She swallowed hard, sucking in a deep breath that sounded like she was choking. “Please. Noah.”

“Why?” He pulled her hair again, but this time it was to tug her toward him. His lips grazed against hers when he said, “Tell me why?”

Her hands came up to his face and she cupped his jaw, pressing her forehead against his. “I need you to remind me.” Her hips maintained a steady grind on top of him, making it really hard to concentrate on the fact that he was trying to get her to come clean about her sudden need for sex.

He tightened his grip in her hair and brought his hand down hard on her bottom. She squeaked, her body shuddering in his arms.

The words tumbled out of her mouth. “Being with you reminds me of the person I want to be.” He squeezed her ass again. “I want to be the person I am when I’m with you.”

This was the first time she’d ever opened up. Yes, they had been intimate many times over the last few weeks. Each time was dirtier and naughtier than the last. But tonight, there was desperation in her eyes, in her actions.

“And what kind of person is that?”

“Happy.” When their foreheads met, she whispered, “Just Violet.”

This time he let her go when she eased off his lap, straightening in front of him. He recognized the fear and confusion staring back at him, but more than that, she was turned on. And he knew he was the only person who could give her what she wanted.

He released his belt buckle, then pulled down the zipper of his pants. She didn’t wait for him to make a move. Her hands were up her dress and pulling down her panties before he had even grabbed a condom out of his wallet.

He stood from the bench and stepped into her, his hands grabbing at her face as he kissed her with the same sense of urgency she’d shown up with. But tonight wasn’t about foreplay.

She grabbed his shoulders, pulling him down. The next thing he knew, she’d lowered them to the grass covered in dandelions.

He sheathed his erection and wasted no time settling between her legs as she scrunched up her dress around her waist. He smoothed the tip of his cock up and down her slit and she jerked in response, the muscles in her stomach contorting in excitement.

He slipped inside easily, and she gasped when he entered, because he didn’t slide in slowly. He thrust hard, one quick movement and he buried himself balls deep, groaning with every smooth inch of flesh that wrapped around his cock.

Immediately, she dug her feet into his ass; those stilettos she always wore drilled into him. With the urgent and sloppy way this had gone down, his pants weren’t low enough on his bottom to feel that stab of pleasurable pain on his ass cheeks but he did feel the pressure of her grasp on his dick.

She gasped each time he nudged forward. He swallowed those gasps when he covered her mouth with his, coaxing out the tiny whimpers and moans he’d come to crave.

They fucked like champs. There was no denying the chemistry between them. They had everything two people needed to get off, specifically none of the entanglements that came with commitments. But when he moved down her mouth to her jaw and lower to her neck, her hands shot up so fast it startled him. She braced his head with both hands and brought his mouth back to hers.

It was at that moment he realized that though they were joined together in the most intimate way possible, there was a wall between them, too high and too wide for him to conquer.

You don’t want to conquer it.

Instead, he concentrated on giving her what she wanted.

He lowered, blanketing her body with his as he clasped his hands above her head and rocked into her.

“Noah,” she groaned. “Faster!” She coaxed him on with whispered demands, and it kicked up the tension building in his cock. “Harder!” she cried out, and he obliged with a deep grunt.

He was like a monosyllabic caveman, catering to her needs, overwhelmed with the way she directed, with the way she demanded what she needed from him. She’d come a long way since they’d started screwing, and each time they were together, she surprised him.

But he was even more surprised when she whispered, “I want to be on top.”

He stopped thrusting just long enough to fall away and land on his back, kicking off his jeans and shoes. She scrambled, pulling up her dress just enough so she could straddle his hips. Then she held it up, giving them both the perfect view of his cock sinking inside her pussy. She threw her head back as she moved her hips in the slowest, most torturous way. A short back-and-forth that had her clit pressing against his pelvis.

She fisted her hands on his chest, grabbing up the fabric of his shirt in her hands. With her knees securely on the ground and her thighs pressed tight around him, she picked up the pace. The harder she ground into him, the more she stretched out his shirt. But he didn’t give a shit. She could rip the shirt to shreds and he wouldn’t flinch. In fact, he needed to remember to add that fantasy to his memory. The thought of Violet literally ripping off his clothes was damn hot.

He reached out, but stopped himself, remembering her dislike of being touched above the shoulders.

She leaned forward and fisted her hands in the grass beside his head, capturing his mouth in a hungry kiss. He took the opportunity to push, letting his hands grip her hips, egging on her back and forth motions. Then he moved to her backside, opening up his palm against her ass cheek and squeezing.

She moaned into his mouth.

He bunched the fabric of her dress in his hand then took it one step further. Lifting. Exposing her skin to the cool night air. His hand returned to her bottom, now bare, then moved higher and higher along her spine until the dress prevented him from moving any further.

This was the first time he’d touched her bare back. She’d never seemed to mind his rough hands touching her soft skin. Something that had always bothered…

With his free hand, he fisted her hair, pulling her mouth off his. Their eyes locked and she whimpered, her body still writhing on top of his. Her warm breath whooshed out against his face with every movement. She was sweaty. Needy. And so fucking sexy.

“Spank me,” she whispered.

Those words hit him right in the cock. It swelled inside her and she must have felt it stretch her body because she groaned.

He wrenched her head to the side, forcing her to look at him. She could barely keep her eyes open, but when she finally met his gaze, she confirmed her request with a mischievous sparkle. She wanted to be spanked. And he was more than happy to oblige.

With his one hand still fisted in her hair, he tightened his grip. He smoothed his other hand across her bare ass.

When she swiped her tongue along her bottom lip in anticipation, he smacked her. The sharp sound echoed in the moonlight. She gasped, her eyes widening, but then she smiled. He released the grip on her hair and she returned her hands to either side of her head. She leaned down and kissed him, her tongue searching out his until they clashed against each other in a warm, wet dance.

He smacked her again, and this time she giggled. Straightening out her body so she was perpendicular to the ground. She was having fun. And there was nothing more he could have asked for. Nothing more anyone could ask for when having sex with someone.

But he was desperate to finish things.

He kicked up a leg and placed his hands at her back, swapping their positions. She yelped at his quick movement, but embraced the change, spreading her legs wider, letting him settle between them for maximum thrusting power.

He pulled up her left leg and moved, short quick movements that he’d learned would get both of them off.

She reached up, her hands clasping above her head, luxuriating in the pleasure he was giving her, and when their eyes locked, his heart stopped. The thunderous pounding against his chest ceased for one brief moment.

It hadn’t been until now that he realized that part of what got him hot, part of what got him off, was their connection. The unspoken way that they understood each other. The way she reached for him at the right moment, the way she looked into his eyes and told him, even though she’d never say it out loud, exactly how she was feeling.

Fuck. He was in so much trouble.

After only a few more strokes, she shuddered, her hands fisting the grass and weeds as she cried out his name. He pressed his hand over her mouth to keep her in check, and to keep the neighbors from inquiring. But when she licked his hand, it set him off. He came hard. Loud. And she had to do the same thing, covering his mouth so only the grass and weeds could hear their release. Bodies trembling, staring deep into each other’s eyes, they rode the muffled waves of their orgasms together.

When they steadied, they removed their hands, both of them drawing in deep breaths to compensate for the lack of oxygen.

With a groan, he slipped out of her body and fell beside her on the grass.

“Dandelions.” Her hand flittered to her side, grazing through the weeds, as she lay with the most contented smile and quiet sighs. “So many dandelions.”

He rolled to his side, facing her. “Did you know that dandelions are a symbol of life?”

If he had a large shepherd’s crook right now, he’d pull himself offstage.

Great pillow talk, Young.

But when she turned to him, her face seemingly interested in what he had to say, he had no choice but to continue.

“They’re strong. Have deep roots, which is pretty obvious since they are a pain in the ass to get rid of. They flower into a beautiful fluffy globe.”

She knew full well how hard they were to get rid of. He’d seen her in her yard a few times trying to pluck them from the ground.

“But all it takes is a light breeze and it’s all blown away.” He smiled, remembering the same lesson he’d learned when his father had died. “We have to enjoy life, Violet. Enjoy it while we can because you never know when it’s going to come to an end.”

“How do you know so much about dandelions?”

He shrugged. “My best friend is a tattoo artist. I have all kinds of useless knowledge of symbols and meanings.”

But the real reason? It was his own motto. He avoided commitment, because he was scared shitless of falling in love and having it taken away. His reasoning also applied to his career, which was why he’d spent the last five years flipping houses and taking short-term contracts with construction firms just so he could avoid going into business for himself.

He lived each day, enjoying what he had for as long as he had it.

And that included Violet.

He reached out and plucked a dandelion from the grass, one that had transformed into the white fluff. “We don’t have much time left before you have to go back to the city.”

This was their last weekend together. But the longer they spent together, the more he wanted that date to extend further into the future.

She turned to face him. “I have to go back tomorrow night. I’ve got to get my place in order. Get some things ready before Monday.”

His chest tightened. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Not tomorrow. Not Sunday. He didn’t think it would be so hard. He didn’t think spending time with her, and getting to know her, despite her limited disclosure, would be so easy.

Most of all, he was surprised as hell at her keen interest in his ability to make something from nothing. That’s how she’d put it.

“Would you come with me?” She bit her thumbnail in nervousness. “To Toronto for the night?”

Once again she was propositioning him. And he was all too happy to accept.

“If I go, that means I get to see your real life.” He reached out, his finger drawing a line along her jaw. “You ready for that?”

She thought about it for a moment but responded with the answer he had hoped.

“I’m ready.”

“Then I’m ready to learn more about you, Violet.” He pulled her head toward him, planting a hard kiss on her lips.

They lay on the grass in silence, content in enjoying each other’s company. And that’s when he realized that this silence was different. Silence with Violet wasn’t silence at all. She filled the space, slowed his thoughts, giving him a sense of peace. When he was with Violet he wasn’t thinking about their roles or their status.

Maybe if he got a glimpse into her real life he’d figure out why she seemed so content to take him as he was despite his dirty pickup truck, rough hands, and skills in manual labor.

He feared learning more would make the goodbye even worse, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from enjoying her.

Even for only a few more moments.

Chapter 18

Violet dropped her keys into the small basket on the table by the front door of her condo.

She still wasn’t sure bringing him to her condo was the best idea, but last night when she’d run into his backyard, she’d thought it would be the last time they saw each other. Instead, she’d invited him into her real life because she wasn’t able to let him go. Not just yet.

That would teach her about making important decisions in the afterglow of great sex.

But she’d made a decision last night. Many decisions, but the most important one was that she’d finally decided to show him her scars.

Noah whistled when he stepped in the foyer, taking in his surroundings. “Nice place.” He made his way through the living room, placing his gym bag beside the couch on his way to the window.

“It serves its purpose.” Even when she’d lived here with Steven, they had both been so busy with work that they’d barely spent any time together. And when they had, it was one pretentious dinner party after the next.

“Nice view.” Staring out the window, he crossed his arms over his chest.

The penthouse had an excellent view of downtown and on a clear day you could see the CN Tower, Lake Ontario, and even the Rogers Centre. Or so she’d been told. In all the time she’d lived there, she’d never once set foot on the balcony.