SASSY IN STILETTOS ARe version (7 page)

His chest rumbled
with a low growl. For a second, he held her tighter, bringing her closer
against his lean hard frame, then he set her back. “I don’t think—”

She shook her head. “Don’t
think.” She kissed him again.

Again, he drew back.

Caleb reached between
them and untied the scarf around their wrists. His gaze was direct and burned
her soul. All traces of hesitation gone.

Micha inhaled his
scent, savored the spices of his cologne. God, he smelled good. Male and sexy.

He was going to kiss her.

Even as she braced
herself, Micha knew she was in trouble. She’d been able to keep him at arm’s
length for so long. But he was like a slow, eroding acid. Eventually wearing
her down. If he kissed her, would she be able to stop? Would she be able to let
him go? Or would it feel so good, she would cling on forever.

He dipped his head,
and his lips and hovered over hers for a moment. “I want you to enjoy yourself.”

His easy assurance
that she was going to let him kiss her made her knees weak. She wanted to melt
into him. She wanted to wrap her body around his and never let go. She wanted
to be taken care of.

That last thought made
her frown, but before she could focus on it, Caleb pressed his lips to hers.

Micha couldn’t help
the quick intake of breath or the deep sigh that followed. As soon as she
relaxed into him, he wrapped his hand around her in an embrace so tight it
could keep the world at bay. He shifted the angle of his head and deepened the
kiss. She couldn’t help but respond to his insistent tongue as it probed and
slid over hers. Teasing, tasting, testing to see if he could intensify the
heat. The moment his hands went to her hips and pulled them against his, Micha
was lost.

The heat that pooled
in the center of her chest spread throughout her body, scorching the fine hairs
on her skin from the inside out. His hands stayed at her waist, but his thumbs
drew slow circles on her hip bones that promised erotic pleasures to come. So
close to home, still so far away. Micha moaned, and the sound bounced off the
walls.

He kissed like an
expert, demanding that she respond to him. This man could give kissing lessons.
And she’d be the first one in line.
Every. Single.
Time
. Her nipples harden to points with
every movement of his chest against hers.

Drawing back, Caleb sucked
on her bottom lip. Taking turns between gentle pecks, nibbling in an attempt to
devour her whole. A pulsing need had her pulling him closer to her. While one hand
shot into his thick hair and urged him closer, the other hand slid into his
jacket. This time it was his turn to moan.

The raw, feminine
power threatened to go to her head. Her hips and his danced to an involuntary
beat of music heard throughout the centuries. He wanted her. He craved her as
much as she did him.

Lust raced through
her veins, chased by longing.  Caleb dragged his mouth from hers and kissed
along her jaw line then nipped at the column of her throat. Micha worked her
hands into his tuxedo jacket and slid it off his shoulders. Distantly, she
heard the material softly thump to the floor.

Caleb’s fingers
traced over the strap of her one-shoulder dress. With a deft movement, he
depressed the hook holding the strap in place. At her wide eyed expression, he
smiled. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to make that thing come down all
night.”

A smile tugged at her
lips as she shook her head. “I should have known you’d figure it out in a
second.”

He shrugged. “I know
things.” With his hands back on her hips, his thumbs stroked circles on her
belly. Slowly, he shifted his hands up her body until they rested directly
under her breasts. His thumbs skimmed the fabric of her dress, and she
shivered. “Good?”

Micha bit her lip and
nodded. Jesus fuck, why was he going so slow? “Yes.” Her voice sounded breathy
and insubstantial.

 “What about this? Does
this feel good?” His hands shifted up again, and his thumbs skimmed over her
nipples.

Sharp need weakened
her knees. She let her head fall back. “Caleb.”

His fingers tugged on
the useless strap and freed her breasts from the confines of the material. “Holy—you
are so fucking beautiful.”

Cool air puckered her
nipples, and she shivered. Caleb rolled one of the tight buds between his thumb
and forefinger, and she rocked her hips into him.

“You’re so
responsive.” He licked his lips. “I wonder what happens if I do this.” Slowly,
he dropped his head to her nipple. He blew a soft breath over the puckered tip
before closing his lips around it and drawing her deep.

Micha gasped and
clutched at him. She held him in place at her breast and tried to hang on as
lust singed the edges of her consciousness, frying the synapse required for
brain function.

Caleb picked her up
and urged her legs around him with his free hand. He braced her against the far
wall as he continued to lick and suck on her nipples, taking long, deep pulls
that hollowed out his cheeks. His hands skimmed up the backs of her thighs. She
gasped when his fingertips came in contact with her panty line. Automatically,
her hips rolled into his touch, and he groaned.

He shifted their
position so he half-sat her on the brass bar, half-braced her against the wall.
Working a hand between them, he stroked her with his knuckles through the
flimsy material of her thong. Trembling, Micha held onto his broad shoulders as
he slipped two fingers underneath the fabric and tested the entrance to her
slick channel. He slid one finger in as he nuzzled her throat.

 “Jesus, sweetheart,
you are so wet. So ready.” He released her for a moment, tugging her thong down
her legs. The sound of tearing fabric broke the silence.

Micha gasped. “I
think you owe me a new pair, but right now, I don’t care.”

Caleb chuckled before
picking her back up. “I’ll try to remember that.”

 “Caleb?”

He didn’t answer,
instead retracted his finger to the tip, then slowly entered again. His
movements were slow and unhurried, building the tension in her so tight she
thought she might actually spontaneously combust.  With his thumb, he circled
her clit twice, before sliding another finger inside her. He took her to the
edge of orgasm, then slowed the pace. He kissed her leisurely as he continued
to drive her just short of insane.

Micha dragged her
mouth from his. “Caleb, Please. Stop torturing me.”

His grin was slow,
like a Cheshire cat licking up cream. “I want you so ready for me. This is how
it will be when we make love, Micha. I’m not going to let you come until you’re
ready to beg.”

She tugged the hair at
the nape of his neck, and he responded by circling her clit again.

“Caleb. I can’t take
any more. I need you.” Reaching between them, she reached for his belt.

He shook his head. “Baby,
when I do make love to you, it’ll be somewhere where I have nothing but time.  Right
now, I want to give you this.”

Wait.
When
he made love to her
?
As in he wasn’t planning to
do that now? “Caleb,” she said, her tone harsher.

He continued his slow,
lazy circles of her clitoris, and she couldn’t think straight. He wanted her,
but he wasn’t going to make love to her. Instead he was going to torture her?

 “Relax. All you have
to do is trust me.” He drew his head back to meet her gaze. “Do you trust me?”

The intimacy between
them deepened every time she looked into his moss green eyes. “Yes. I-I trust
you.” And she did. But he couldn’t— “Please make love to me.”

His fingers stroked
that hidden place inside as he continued to worship the tight bundle of nerves
with his thumb. Tingling started in her spine, but still she held on.

“Micha, the longer
you hold on, the longer the torture lasts. All you have to do is let go. I’m
here, I’ll catch you.”

When she finally
forced her body to relax and let him look into her soul, the tingles spread
from her spine, radiating through her body. Orgasm rolled through her from
roots to tips, and she shuddered, then sagged into his body. But her release
was a mere shadow of what she knew would come. She wanted more. She wanted all
of him.

Desperate to hold on to
the feeling of trust and belonging, she dug her hands into his shirt. “Caleb. I
want you. I need you.”

He kissed her lips
softly. He didn’t stop his ministrations. “I want you more than you can ever
know. It’s killing me to want you this much. But no. Not today. Not in an
elevator. Certainly not in a hurry. I prefer to wait.”

Her brain sputtered
to life and immediately she was aware of where they were and what they’d just
been doing. He thought he was taking advantage of the situation. He’d managed
to distract her from her fear. But, he didn’t want her. Or at least he didn’t
want her enough.

Micha blinked at him in surprise. Caleb still
stroked her, and his grip on her was tight. He felt so good. So perfect, part
of her wanted to stay like that forever. When he met her gaze, there was no
lopsided grin, no sexy, charged remark. Only pure brutal honesty in his
expression. The intimacy terrified her. He kissed her again, before slowly retreating
his fingers.

When her feet hit the floor, her body swayed. It
had been too long since her last orgasm.

The dawning and shame struck her at the same time.
Had she really crawled all over him like that, begging him to make love to her?
Shit
. How stupid could she get? And desperate. She’d
let fear take over enough that she’d propositioned the one man she knew she
couldn’t
sleep with. She’d risked the only family she had
because she was scared? And like a gentleman, he’d turned her down.

The sting of rejection speared her heart again,
but she was relieved. He’d done what she couldn’t and stopped that little train
before it went too far. He’d been the strong one. He’d seen everything. The
panic and fear, her complete meltdown.

Caleb reached for her and tucked a wayward curl
out of the way. “Are you okay, Micha?”

For the first time in her life, she didn’t have a
sassy retort or snappy comeback. Was she okay? Uhm, that was a negative, she’d
just had an orgasm so good, she immediately wanted another. She could fall for
someone like him, and that would land her in the shitter for sure. So no, she
wasn’t okay. And she wouldn’t be.

“Caleb, I-I don’t—” Her voice broke. Oh goddamn
it, she would not cry. When the fuck had she becomes one of those weepy women?

“Shit, Micha.” He reached for her.

She pulled back. She didn’t dare let him touch
her. If he did, then she’d let him hold her and comfort her, and then she’d go on
believing what she’d seen in his eyes, and she knew better.
Get gone, kid. Put distance between you and Casanova. In the
morning, you’ll be more clearheaded.

“Don’t.” The lights flickered back to full
brightness, and she quickly readjusted her clothing and slipped her shoes back
on. At least the power was back. Now she could escape.

He dragged his hands through his hair, concern
etched on his face. “Shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…I don’t know how the
fuck that happened.” He stared at the shoulder strap of her dress which now
flopped over, threatening to expose her breast.

Jesus
. They’d gone at
each other like caged lions. His tie was on the floor with his jacket. She met
his gaze again. When she saw the apology there, she straightened her back. “Look
we’re both grownups, and well, that, uhm happened. It was a momentary slip. We
won’t be doing that again.”

Micha’s whole body shook as her brain desperately
tried to make sense out of what she’d done.
With Caleb
.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t do anything to quiet the churning
emotions.

Through a hazy fog of panic, she heard him calling
her name. Heard the concern in his voice. But she couldn’t respond. Her body
was too frozen for movement. Her brain’s commands rattled around her head.
Flee. Run. Get the hell out.
But she was powerless. Rooted.

He raised a dark eyebrow. “Are you sure about
that?”

Micha tilted her chin up. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Because, judging by the way you went off like a
cannon while I sucked on you, we aren’t going to be able to stay away from each
other. You really plan on pretending this didn’t happen?”

Her eyes burned with unshed tears, and she reached
for the one emotion she could count on. Anger. “It happened, but it won’t
happen again. Ricca and Jaya are the only family I have. This goes sideways—and
it will—they have no choice but to side with their men. I’m not losing my
family because I have the hots for some guy.” They wouldn’t mean to, but they
would abandon her.

He grinned. “The hots, huh?”

“Can it, Atkins.”

He shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

“As soon as we hit the lobby, we’re going to go
back to the party and our dates. Then I’m going to go home and have a
bath—alone.” In case he had any lingering doubts.

“Feel free to do that, sweetheart.” He bent and
scooped her lacey red thong off the floor. “You can feel free to push this
thing between us under a rug all you want and pretend it never happened, but I’m
going to hold onto these.”