Authors: Cher Carson
He grabbed the pillow she’d slept on last night, holding it in front of him like a shield, but he knew it was too late to even think about protecting himself. The damage was already done. “I don’t know what to say,” he said quietly.
She got up, moving to the edge of the bed. “Say that you’re happy for me. Tell me you understand why I feel the need to do this.”
After the story she’d told him last night, he understood perfectly. At least this position would give him the peace of mind of knowing that she was safe. “I understand.”
She stroked his cheek, smiling. “Thank you.” She reached over to kiss his lips. “I knew you would. Can I ask for a favor?”
He shook his head. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. “Sure, what do you need?”
“Can you give me a ride home after I book my flight?”
He closed his eyes, drawing her into his arms. “I want…” He couldn’t ask her to stay. It wouldn’t be fair. “I want you to be happy, Brook.”
She pulled back, smiling at him. “I will be. This job is exactly what I need.”
Brooklyn knew inviting Steve to her home to tell him that she’d decided to accept the job offer was a bad idea. She could have told him over the phone when he’d called to ask about her trip. But that wouldn’t have allowed her to see him one more time.
She opened a bottle of wine and her mind drifted back to that night in his guesthouse when the corkscrew slipped and she’d cut herself. He’d been so attentive, so quick to tend to her needs. It would be too easy to fall for a man like that, which is part of the reason she’d accepted a position so far away. Once she became addicted, Steve Davis would be a hard habit to break. It would be better to quit now, before she passed the point of no return.
Her doorbell rang, drawing her out of her quiet contemplation. She crossed the travertine foyer, taking one last glimpse in the hall mirror before pulling the door open. She took one look at him and realized it was too late to save herself. She’d already passed the point of no return where this man was concerned.
He grinned, offering her a dozen red and white roses tied with a silk ribbon. “Hey, beautiful.”
She reached up to brush her lips across his cheek, but he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. “They’re lovely, thank you.”
“I missed you, baby.”
She allowed herself to linger in his arms, enjoying the spicy scent of his cologne. “I’m glad you could make it, Steve.”
He looked anxious as he pulled back to look at her. “Damn it, this isn’t going to be good news, is it?” He sighed, letting his hands fall to his sides. “I thought when you wanted to see me…”
She reached for his hand, pulling him inside. “Will you stay? Can we talk about it over dinner?” She wasn’t ready to let him go, not yet.
He allowed her to lead him into the kitchen of her Tudor bungalow. “Nice place,” he muttered. She set the roses in a crystal vase and added water. She added them to a dining table already set with candles, fine china, and crystal. The perfect start to what could have been a romantic evening, if not for the fact that this would be their last night together.
“If you don’t want to stay, I’ll understand.”
He wandered to the window, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I don’t want to stay, knowing when I leave, I have to say good-bye.” He muttered a curse, scowling as he looked out the window. “I’m not ready to say good-bye, Brook. I feel like we’re just getting started.”
She hated that there would always be uncertainty when she thought of him. All of her previous relationships had died a natural death, but this felt forced, as if it hadn’t yet run its course. She poured them each a glass of wine and walked over to the door where he stood.
He took the glass she offered. “Thanks. I guess I should congratulate you, toast your future.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to.”
“Good, ‘cause I don’t want to.”
She laughed at his candor. He was unlike anyone she’d ever met and that thought was sobering. If it had taken her a lifetime to find him, how many more years before she met someone else like him, someone who made her feel the way he did?
“But I am happy for you, if you’re sure this is what you want?”
She knew he was hoping she would reconsider, but it was too late for that. The wheels were already in motion. She’d resigned from her father’s firm, put her house on the market, and rented an apartment. She was already planning her new life. “This is what I want.”
He nodded, setting his glass down on the table. “I can’t stay. I’m sorry.”
She touched his forearm. “Please don’t go.” She needed him tonight. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the previous time had been the result of a few drinks or her over-active imagination. It couldn’t possibly have been as good as she remembered.
He shook his head. “It would be a mistake for us to…”
“Make love?”
A deep rumble emanated from his chest. “I swore to myself I wouldn’t do this if you told me you were leaving.”
She lifted the hem of his T-shirt, slipping her hands under the soft fabric. “You don’t want me?” She caressed his taut abs before sliding her hand up his chest to brush the pad of her thumb over his flat nipples. His cock pressed against her stomach, begging for the same attention.
“You know I want you, but…”
She tugged his shirt over his head and tried not to salivate at the sight of all that smooth, bronzed skin. “Steve, I need you tonight, please.” She knew she sounded needy and desperate, but her pussy juice was saturating her panties, and if she didn’t get some relief soon, she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. She leaned down, swiping his nipples with her tongue.
He jerked her head back, fisting her hair in his hand. “Is this supposed to give you something to remember me by?”
“Believe me, I’ll remember you,” she whispered, reaching for his belt.
He grabbed her wrists to still her movements. “This is a mistake.”
She decided to change her tactics. It was time to turn the tables on him. Taking a step back, just out of his reach, she pulled her tight tank top over her head.
He swallowed repeatedly, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Don’t do this to me.”
She let the top fall off her fingertips. “I’m just respecting your wishes, Steve.” She popped the buttons on her shorts as she made a production of tugging the tight fabric over her hips, making her tits bounce up and down.
His eyes tracked her movements as he devoured her with his eyes. “Christ, Brook…”
She eased the shorts down her thighs, letting them fall to the floor at her feet. She widened her stance and closed her eyes as her hands skimmed her breasts, rolling her hard nipple between her thumb and finger. “God, I’m so...” Her other hand slipped between her legs, separating her pussy lips, “wet.”
“Fuck,” Steve whispered.
She opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her, his hands fisted at his sides. The front of his shorts was tight and drawn, leaving little doubt as to his state of arousal.
“I need to come, now.” She flicked her finger over her clit and shuddered.
“Sit down,” he ordered, walking toward her until he forced her to take a step back.
She licked her lips as she continued to stroke her pussy. The scent of her arousal hung heavy in the air between them. “Why do you want me to sit down?”
“Because I’m gonna lick your pussy until you beg me to stop.” He trailed his finger over her cheek. “But I won’t stop. I’m going to make you come over and over and over again.”
A shiver crept up her spine, forcing her to grab his shoulders for support.
He reached for his belt, pulling it through the loops until it hung slack in his hand. “Sit down on the chair with your hands behind your back.”
Her pussy swelled and throbbed in anticipation, her juice trickling down the inside of her thigh. She assumed the position, waiting for him to take the next step.
He walked around behind her chair and slipped the belt around her wrists, pulling it tight. He fastened it to the wood bracketing the backrest and tested it for strength. Obviously satisfied, he stepped out in front of her. “Spread your legs.” He waited for her to comply. “Wider, as wide as they’ll go.”
She did as he asked, writhing on the chair, trying to create some friction that would bring her a much-needed release.
“Did I tell you to move?” His question held a note of warning. “Sit still. Don’t move, not even when I go down on you.”
“But…”
He glared at her. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Brook. Do I need to secure your ankles to that chair too?”
His threat sent a delicious pulse straight to her pussy. He smirked. “You like the sound of that? You like it when I take control, don’t you, baby?”
She was finally beginning to realize that part of being a strong, independent woman meant not being afraid to ask for what she wanted. Steve’s motivation wasn’t control or domination. It was all about giving her pleasure. “I loved being bound and blindfolded,” she whispered.
A slow smile spread across his face. “On second thought, let’s take this into the bedroom.”
She was so hot, so turned on, she couldn’t trust her trembling legs to carry her the distance. “Carry me?”
“On one condition. You need to wrap your legs around my waist so I can feel how wet you are.”
She nodded her head, desperate to comply. She needed to feel his strong arms around her to make her feel grounded. “Yes,” she whispered.
He stepped behind her, freeing her hands from the restraints. “First I want you to get up on the chair.”
She considered his request, not trusting her legs to support her.
He came around to stand in front of her, wrapping his hands around her waist. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you, baby.”
She raised her leg, pressing her foot into the seat of the chair behind her as he helped her up. Her mound was level with his face and she shuddered just thinking about the pleasure he could give her with his mouth. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
He swiped his tongue over her clit, inhaling her pungent scent.
Her knees almost buckled, but he grabbed her ass, steadying her. “Please,” she whispered.
He kissed her stomach. With long, lazy strokes, his tongue danced around her belly button, making her shiver.
“This is payback for that little striptease,” he whispered. He tongued the gold hoop in her belly button, rolling it around on his tongue. “And it’s only the beginning, baby. You wanted me to fuck you... you’re going to get what you wanted and then some, but not until I’m ready to give it to you.”
She thrust her hands through his hair, trying to force his head down, lower. “I can’t take it anymore. I need to come, now.”
He reached up to squeeze her nipples, making her squirm. He felt his cock swell as he spread her apart, his tongue delving into her honeyed cavity. He was at the perfect height to enjoy her fully, but he decided to heighten their pleasure by using only his mouth. “Hands behind your back,” he whispered. “You touch me, or yourself, and I stop. Got it?”
She whimpered. “Yes.”
He fisted his hands at his sides, an exercise in self-control when he wanted to sink his hands into her luscious ass, forcing her pussy down on his mouth. Instead, his exploration was light and gentle, since he wouldn’t allow himself to apply any more pressure until she was on the verge of exploding against his lips. He tickled her clit with his tongue, lapping at her moist lips and dipping into her tight hole.
She cried out his name and her legs began to tremble.
He resisted the urge to hold her still for his barrage. He wanted her to give herself over to it, surrender completely. He pulled back, tipping his head to look her in the eye. “Remember what I said.”
“But I can’t…”
“Don’t move,” he whispered. He probed her clit vigorously, clenching his fists as he tried to resist the urge to grab her and take her with the ferocity surging inside of him. His cock was painfully hard, demanding to sink inside of her and claim his own release. Finally, he felt the delicious pulses vibrating against his lips as she succumbed to her body’s relentless plea for relief.