Someone Like Her (15 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

E
ven if she stood on a block of ice barely clothed as she was now, the heat radiating off Jake’s body would keep her warm and toasty. He was still angry with her, Maria could see it in his eyes, but he was also turned on.

“I said lie down.”

“You’re awfully bossy,” she said, not moving. The words were no sooner out when she was lifted and tossed on the bed. Although she’d never admit it, this domineering side of him excited her. When she started to scramble to the other side, he came down on top of her, none too easy.

“Going somewhere?” He ground his erection against her. “Think again.”

He took her mouth then, and his tongue—hot and wet—scraped across her teeth. He tasted like mint-flavored candy. No, she wasn’t going anywhere, and she twisted the collar of his shirt in her fingers, locking herself to him. Lifting up, he stared at her for a few seconds before angling his head and devouring her mouth again.

The buttons on his shirt rubbed over the bare skin of her stomach, reminding her he was still clothed. Wanting him skin to hot skin, she tried to undo the first one. When her fingers fumbled with the button, she pulled the two sides of his shirt apart.

He raised his head and watched the button fly across the room, then ping against the closet door before dropping to the carpet. “Damn, Chiquita, this is my best shirt.”

She popped the next one. “I’ll sew them back on later.”

For the first time since she’d let slip that Fortunada had attacked her, amusement lit his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Okay, then I’ll buy you another one.” Why were they talking about shirts and sewing? “Either take it off yourself or the rest are going too.”

He nudged her legs apart with his and knelt between her thighs, popping off the remainder of his buttons with one pull. After yanking off the shirt, he tossed it to the floor. His gaze roamed over her, his hazel eyes now darkened to a mossy green.

Captured by the hunger she saw in them, she lifted a hand to touch him. Before she could, he seized it and the other one, lifting her hands above her head and holding them there. Something fierce glittered in his eyes, sending liquid heat straight to her groin. She tried to squeeze her core muscles together to keep from soaking her panties, to keep him from knowing what he did to her with just a look.

His eyelids slid closed and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. A wicked smile curved one side of his mouth. He was smelling her! Warmth crept up her neck and into her cheeks.

“Does it embarrass you that I can smell your arousal?” he asked, following the words with a chuckle. Not waiting for an answer, he pushed under the elastic of her panties and swirled his finger inside of her. “What about if I taste you? Will that turn your cheeks red too?” He stared at his finger, glistening with her juices, as if contemplating something. “What about if we taste you together?”

Unable to form words, she watched as he rubbed his finger over his mouth. A low ache began and grew with each throb of her pounding heart. “I-I—”

“Don’t talk,” he said just before lowering his mouth to hers.

Her taste combined with his in an exotic mix of musk, mint, and saltiness. One of them moaned as their tongues dueled in a furious battle for supremacy. That she wanted him to win, to take command of her and her body, was a surprise and not something she’d ever thought to want from a man.

The questions scattered to oblivion when he rocked against her, his erection rubbing over her clit. Even with the material of his slacks and her panties between them, she could feel how hard and big he was. She tried to pull her hands free so she could touch him, but he tightened his grip.

“Here’re the rules, Chiquita. You keep your hands above your head. Grab hold of the pillow if you have to. No touching until I say you can and no talking.”

“Who made you—”

He tsked. “Already, you’re breaking them. Before you say another word, you might want to know your punishment.”

At the rise of his brow when she opened her mouth to respond, she snapped it shut. This arrogant, dominant side of him shouldn’t be such a turn-on.

“Good, you’re catching on.”

He lowered his mouth to a breast and sucked on the nipple through the lace of her bra before biting down with his teeth. Pleasure pain spiraled through her bloodstream. If this was her punishment, she had no complaints.

“Like that, do you?” he murmured, then blew on the damp material, soothing the ache.

“Yes.” God yes. The sly glint in his eyes clued her in to her mistake.

“You should know I can be a cunning devil when it suits me. That’s two punishments on the score sheet so far. Care to take a guess what you can expect?”

Priding herself that she learned from her mistakes, she pressed her lips together, nor did she chance even a nod of her head.

A grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “Smart girl. I’ll take it for granted you want to know.” He put his mouth next to her ear. “I’m going to make you want to come so bad it hurts, Maria, but I’m not going to let you until I decide you can. Two times now, I’m going to torture you. And again if you break another rule. Before I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me.”

His breath blew warm on her skin, and the whispered words sent shivers down to her toes.

“I hope you remember the rules because I’m not going to repeat them.”

She cited them in her head to make sure she remembered them and even as she ticked them off, she knew she might willingly talk or touch him if it turned out she liked his definition of torture and wanted more.

When he took the nipple of her other breast in his mouth, she dug her fingers into the pillow. She wanted to beg him to remove her bra so she could feel the scrape of his teeth directly on her.
Not yet, Maria. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Make him wait for it.

Two could play this game. As sure as she knew her name, she knew he wanted her to break another one of his rules. Little did he know she’d learned how to be invisible at an early age, a talent that included keeping her mouth shut.

When he leisurely licked his way down her stomach, she thought of a case study to keep from crying out his name. Thank God he hadn’t made it a rule she had to be still. That would have been impossible.

He took the elastic of her panties between his teeth and tugged them down her hips. When he’d bared her, he gave a grunt that sounded like one of satisfaction. Maria twisted the end of the pillow around her fist at the first feel of his tongue on her. Making good on his threat, he played with her, toyed with her until she wanted to scream at him to let her come.

Each time she came close to the edge, he moved away, trailing kisses down her legs or giving her stomach little nips. To keep from pleading with him, she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Was it possible to die from intense sexual frustration?

“You think you can’t take any more, but I’m going to prove otherwise,” he said, sounding gravelly and a little unsteady.

No, she knew she couldn’t take any more and could only hope the tremor she heard in his voice meant he too was nearing his limits. Minutes that felt like hours passed, and she finally, absolutely, couldn’t bear it. She would give him the satisfaction of begging.

Except somehow he knew. His tongue and teeth performed a magic act, and white, shimmering stars exploded behind her eyelids. The pleasure was so powerful it ripped a scream from her throat, and her heart pounded a roaring noise in her ears. “Oh God oh God oh God.”

Suddenly, he was holding her in his arms. “I’ve got you, Chiquita.”

Had she fainted? She had no sense of him moving until he was holding her close and murmuring comforting words. “Jake.” His name slipped past her lips before she could stop it, and she prayed he didn’t hear the notes of love embedded in it.

“I’m here.”

She burrowed her face against his neck, and when her tongue flicked out to taste a salty drop of sweat, he gave a little shudder and groaned. The climax he’d brought her to had rocked her world, and could it be he’d been affected too?

“Can I talk now?”

“Yeah, baby, say anything you want.” He pulled her tighter into him.

“Thank you. Take off your pants, please.”

His chest shook as a chuckle grew into an all-out laugh. “Not exactly what I was expecting to hear,” he said, then covered her mouth with his.

When he’d finished kissing her until she didn’t know what day it was, he rolled onto his back and lifted his hips to slide his slacks down his legs.

“You’re not wearing underwear.” Her gaze automatically fell on his erection and the drop of moisture glistening on the tip.

He turned onto his side to face her and grinned. “Was pretty sure I wouldn’t need any tonight. Like what you see?”

“I certainly do.” She caught his gaze and held it. As far as she was concerned, the game had ended in a tie, and she wanted to make sure he understood that.

“I won’t beg, Jake. Begging’s for someone who’s desperate. I’m not there yet.” Maria knew she was playing with fire—daring him, taunting him. Her blood simmered, hot and heavy in her veins, as his smoldering gaze raked hungrily over her. It was a look that promised she would indeed be begging before the night was over. Maybe she would let him win. Or maybe not.

It was at that moment Jake realized he’d truly met his match. “Careful, Chiquita. I’m not a man you want to issue that kind of challenge to.” Although he’d set out to punish her, he wasn’t sure the tables hadn’t been turned on him. Anger had first fueled his intention to prove . . . he was no longer sure what he meant to prove. There was something he wanted to make sure she understood, but it would come back to him. Later.

The only thing that mattered was meeting her challenge—he needed to hear her beg. He grabbed a condom from the drawer and rolled it on, watching her watch him. “Take off your bra.”

A finely arched brow rose. “Say please.”

“No. Take it off.” He’d noticed earlier she seemed to like being dominated, and the way her brown eyes dilated and turned almost black confirmed his hunch.

She unsnapped the front clasp, then held it closed with her hand. “And if I don’t?”

How far could he take this game? He guessed she was daring herself as much as him. Without doubt, her history—growing up with the kind of mother she had—affected her natural tendencies. Even with all she’d seen and heard, he didn’t think she understood how deeply sensual and passionate she was. All she really knew was the message her brain kept sending her: she didn’t want to be like her mother.

Deciding it best to slowly teach her there was a world of difference between a whore who put out for any man with a buck in his pocket and a woman freely expressing her needs, he restrained his urge to up the level of play and punishment.

He wrapped his hand around his cock. “If you don’t, then I’ll just take care of myself.” Heat flared in her eyes when he slid his hand to the bottom of his shaft and back up again. “I’ll admit it’s not as pleasurable as being inside you, but it’s close enough.”

It was a near thing, but he managed to hold back his laugh when she yanked off the bra, then spread out her arms and her legs, reminding him of a snow angel.

“That’s my girl,” he said, moving to kneel between her thighs. He stroked his fingers along the skin of her inner legs. She sighed and her eyes slid closed. Dew glistened on her curls from their earlier play, and he almost came just from taking in the beauty of seeing her opened to him.

“Maria.”

“Mmm?”

“Open your eyes and watch.”

She lifted onto her elbows and lowered her chin, focusing her gaze on his cock. The damn thing jerked up, preening for her. Jesus, this wasn’t going to last long. His balls were so hard and tight, the skin encasing them felt like it had been stretched around a basketball.

This might kill him, but now that she’d put it in his mind, he
had
to hear her beg. When she did, then he’d know she needed him as much as he needed her. Taking himself in hand, he rubbed the tip up through her folds to her clit. Pausing there, he circled the little nub until it puckered and her hips lifted off the bed. Sliding back down, he held still at the entrance of her sheath.

“Jake, please.”

Not good enough. He slid into her an inch and stopped. When she rocked forward in an attempt to take him in, he leaned away and teased her again. This was meant to torture her, but he was the one who’d soon be begging.

Without warning, she reared up and clamped her teeth down on his shoulder. “Damn you. Now, Jake,” she all but growled against his skin before spearing herself down on him. “Please, now.”

That was good enough. It was what he’d needed from her. Jake pulled her legs behind him, and she immediately caught on, clasping her ankles against his ass. He cupped her bottom in his palms to support her, then lost himself in the feel of being inside her. She was tight, hot, and wet. Her movements were awkward at first, but when she caught his rhythm, he had a brief thought that it had never been like this with any other woman. Then thinking ceased. If the earth was blown to bits at this moment, he was too far gone to care.