Staking His Claim (4 page)

Finally, blessedly, he swept his tongue into her mouth, groaning and pressing closer as he did so. Then he quite simply melted every bone in her body. He released one of her hands to tug down her chin, tilting his head to make as much contact as possible. Their mouths melded together eagerly, tongues seeking and brushing. He was huge between her thighs and she used every bit of mobility she had to grind into him, while kissing him past the point where she needed to draw breath. Pulling away to suck in oxygen didn’t seem worth it.

Matt released her mouth, but stayed close as they drew breath. “Did that feel nice? You like the way I kiss your sexy mouth?”

“Yes.”

“The sting of my hand wouldn’t feel nice. Not the way you want.”

“How do you know what I want?” He didn’t answer, just took another long pull off her mouth. He shook his head as he did it, as though he was battling some inner demon she couldn’t see. “Where do you want to…make it sting, Matt?”

Conflicted eyes shot to hers, causing her heartbeat to falter. His jaw clenched but he said nothing. She took his hand from her chin and kissed his knuckles. In the absence of the light pressure, she realized she’d liked it. “Show me where.”

With a tortured growl, both hands cupped her bottom and jerked her against him. At the same time, he bit down on her shoulder, just beside the strap of her tank top. “Please, don’t let me do it, baby.”

Her mind raced, along with her overloaded senses. She couldn’t think of anything but the truth. “Saying things like that only makes me want it more.”

“Fuck.
Fuck
.” Her words had pushed him past his breaking point. In a blur of motion, he dropped her legs from around his waist and spun her toward the door. “Palms flat on the door. Don’t move unless you’ve been instructed. Is that understood?”

She nodded, unable to force words out of her constricted throat. Her pulse raced like crazy, excitement blooming in every erogenous zone of her body. It occurred to her that someone with a little more common sense might be scared of this particular unknown. Being struck, willingly, by a man she’d just met. Not Lucy. She raced toward the experience with open arms, the thrill seeker she’d buried two years ago doing cartwheels in her belly.
Bring it
.

A gasp slipped past her lips when he fell to his knees and tore the jean shorts down her legs. His shaking hands and labored breathing added a new layer to the thrill. This darkly passionate man wanted her so badly he shook. She wanted to ease the ache she knew he felt. Felt the answering ache inside herself. His pleasure was equally important as her own.

“While we were driving, your ass kept squirming around in the seat. Never fucking stopped. Not for a minute.” She cried out when his teeth scraped over her flesh. “Someone needs to hold you still. Someone needs to give you a reason to move that ass around.”

One of Matt’s fingers slipped under the material of her thong and traced the valley of her bottom before cupping her sex from behind. A whimper broke from her throat as she pictured him crouched down with his hand between her legs, eye level with her bottom. The image, combined with his touch, made a rush of liquid gather under his massaging hand.

He pressed the heel of his hand tight against her core. “That good-girl body gets wet nice and fast, doesn’t it? Maybe you’re not such a good girl, after all.” Through her panties, he pushed his thumb against her clit and twisted it in a circle. She laid her forehead against the door, clutching the cool surface for support. “I know the best way to find out.”

“Do it,” she pleaded.

He swatted the underside of her bottom, making her cry out, eyes flying open to stare at the door but seeing nothing. Exhilaration raced across her skin, concentrated on the spot his palm had connected with her flesh. The sting had dissipated too quickly and she wanted it back. Bracing herself against the door, she tilted her backside in a silent request for more. Matt was suddenly standing behind her, flush against her back. His stubbled jaw scraped over the hypersensitive skin of her neck, big hand petting her bottom like a precious object.

“Jesus. You’re begging me for it, aren’t you?” he rasped at her ear, wrapping her hair around his fist and tugging her head back. “Beg harder.”

“More, Matt.
Please
.”

He obliged her broken request with another, harder spank of her bottom. She didn’t know which one of them made the strangled noise that followed. Maybe they both did. She’d grown so incredibly damp between her thighs that her legs slipped against each other when she attempted to squeeze them together. Barely conscious of her actions now, she pushed her bottom into his hands, shuddering as he slapped her again.

“Hot fucking girl.” His palm connected with a firm strike. “Make me hard in public?”

Another strike of his hand. When he once again soothed the spot by stroking it in circles, she shook her head. “S-stop. I like it…the burn.”

His hand ceased its movement. “Is that right?”

“
Yes
.”

Rough hands grasped her shoulders and propelled her away from the door. Within seconds, she found herself bent over at the waist, elbows resting on the small dining table placed in the corner of the room. She knew what was coming and braced herself for it. Any second now he would spank her harder than before, no holding back. She couldn’t wait. Wanted it so bad.

A knock sounded at the door. “Pizza delivery.”

For long, torturous seconds, neither one of them moved. No sounds could be heard in the room save their harsh breathing.
Oh God, he’s going to stop. No, no—

Slap.

Lucy screamed.

Chapter Four

When Sasha screamed his name, Matt slipped a little closer toward insanity. Who the hell
was
this girl? What was she doing to him?

He’d heard the knock on the door, knew the right thing to do would be to answer it, pay the man and end what he’d unwisely started with her. If he wasn’t careful, he’d become addicted to her. Hell, he might already be halfway there. She hadn’t shied away from him, hadn’t looked at him with fear or disgust. Only an insatiable need for more. A need that possibly even matched his own. The trust she continued to show him, not holding anything back…it had drawn the very thing out of him he’d worked for years to keep under wraps. He couldn’t control it around her. More, she didn’t want him to. Christ, she was breathtaking.

When he’d heard another man’s voice so close to her, where she’d stood naked and vulnerable, his first instinct hadn’t been to cover her up. Or put a stop to what would undoubtedly end with him buried in her sweet body.
No
. His instinct had been to claim her, in a way that any male in the vicinity knew who the fuck she belonged to. It came on so powerful and swift that he couldn’t deny it or hold back. So he’d raised his hand and spanked her so hard he could still make out his handprint. He’d wanted her to scream loud enough to shake the rafters. He’d wanted everyone to hear it.

Now, though, he waited, heart beating in his throat. This is where she would scramble for her clothes, crying, shouting through her tears for him to stay away. Any second now she would shatter him. This brave, amazing girl had been willing to trust him and he’d pushed too hard. He’d let his need to touch her block everything else out.

He held his breath as Sasha tossed back her strawberry-blond curls, meeting his eyes over her shoulder. Her lips were damp and parted, eyes smoky. Magnificent. His cock swelled so huge against his belly he had to support himself with a hand on the table. “Again, Matt.”

His forehead dropped down onto her back with a groan.
She can’t be real.
Part of him wished like hell she hadn’t just given him permission to go further, because he’d be incapable of stopping now. This is when his appetite turned dangerous, where the last vestiges of his control went down the drain. She didn’t,
couldn’t,
know what she was getting into. When another more tentative knock came from the door, she worked her ass in circles on his lap, as if he needed any more encouragement to ignore the intrusion.

Slap.
Slap
. Her answering moan caused a hot, deep clenching in his belly. He needed to take her now. The need raged inside him like a hurricane. With a twist of his wrist, he ripped the light-pink panties from her body, jaw clenching when she only arched her back. In anticipation? God, he hoped so. Stopping now could very well kill him.

Matt inserted his foot between her ankles and forced her legs wide, then thrust two fingers into her damp opening.
So goddamn tight.

“You’re going to be sore tomorrow. From me. From how I’m about to fuck you. Every time you walk, sit, or stand, you’re going to think of me.”

“Yes.
Please
. I will.”

Ass reddened by his hand, thighs spread in welcome, she had to be the most erotic sight he’d ever laid eyes on. Possession gripped him around the throat as he took the condom from his wallet, unbuttoned his jeans fully and rolled the latex down his sensitive length. He took his cock in his hand and rubbed the head against her clit, savoring the little whimpering noises she made in her throat, watching as her hips began to shake. He started to ease inside her, but something stopped him. It felt too impersonal, taking her this way after the trust she’d shown him. He wanted to look at her, see her face when he entered her for the first time.

Quickly, he turned her, something foreign flooding his chest when he saw her flushed face, her passion-glazed eyes.
Yes
, this is what he wanted. This felt right. She was impatient, too, he realized. Her throaty groan of frustration had Matt dragging her close, stripping her shirt off over her head so he could watch her pink-tipped breasts bounce. Supporting himself on the table with one hand, he hefted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

“Take me deep, Sasha. I can’t wait any longer to fuck you. I
need
you.”

Something akin to panic flared in her eyes just as he drove into her with a hard upward thrust. “Matt—”

Then it was gone, as though he’d imagined it. Hidden behind her expression of shocked pleasure. His vision swam when he finally managed to shift his hips enough to bury himself to the hilt. Never. He’d never felt anything like her. She squeezed every inch of him like a vise, already beginning to contract, milking him before he’d even moved.

“Oh…oh my God. Matt.”

He spoke through clenched teeth. “Tell me when you’ve gotten used to me.”

“N-now. I’m…
now
.” Fingernails sinking into his shoulders, she dug her heels into the flesh of his ass and started writhing against his lap in midair. Fuck. He nearly came then and there, just from the sight of her. Head thrown back, lithe body undulating in quick circles designed to short-circuit his brain. Her pussy held him in such a tight grip, he knew her body couldn’t have accommodated him so easily, but she kept moving nonetheless, teeth sunk into her bottom lip as if the pressure between her legs were the only conscious part of her world.

Matt took her ass in his hands, lifting her and slamming her back down onto his cock. “You like when it hurts a little, baby?”

Her breath shuddered out. “I-I like the way you do it.”

His growl caused her eyes to pop open. Not in fear, but with excitement. It let loose something inside him, something he’d never felt. It took over, commanding his body for him. Before he could register his own actions, he dragged her down onto the floor, flipped her over and entered her from behind. “These thighs were made to be spread for a man. This man. Open them wider.
Now
.”

“Yes.”

His fingers tangled themselves in her hair, drawing her head back until she cried out. Some untapped part of him craved authority over her, going hand in hand with his dictation of her body’s responses. He needed her to recognize it. “Yes,
please
.”

“Please!”

Matt drove into her, over and over, the sound of slapping bodies and wild moans filling the room. Her body counteracted each movement of his own perfectly, all wet friction and tight strokes of flesh. He watched as the shaking started in her shoulders and moved down her back. He wanted to make her release powerful,
needed
her to associate pleasure with him for the rest of her life. His fingers traced over her pumping hip to massage her clit, speeding up as her movements grew jerky and desperate.

“I’m…oh, please…”

“Come.
Now.
Let me feel what I did to you.” Operating on instinct, he reared back with his hand and slapped her ass. He felt her go over the edge, her inner muscles spasming around him. The feel of her—tight, shaking perfection—sent him growling into his own climax, pumping into her as long as he could. Never wanting it to end.
“Sasha.”

…

Hearing her best friend’s name on Matt’s lips instead of her own felt like an ice pick lodging itself in Lucy’s sternum.

What have I done?

She’d tried to stop him; the words had been poised on her lips just before he entered her. Then he’d filled her so thoroughly and started moving. Stopping him, telling him the truth on the chance he might walk away and leave her cold, hadn’t been an option. Not if she wanted to go on breathing. From that point forward, she’d been mindless to anything but his mastering of her body. There simply wasn’t another word for it. He’d mastered her completely, breaking her down and making her whole at the same time. It didn’t seem possible that she’d only met him this afternoon.

The physical attraction between them was a force in itself. Add to it the foreign mixture of yearning and concern she’d felt for him, this
need
to be exactly what
he
needed…

It was exactly how he was looking at her right now.

He sat back on the carpet and pulled her into his lap, lips tracing over her hair, murmuring words she couldn’t afford to discern.

He thinks you’re someone else.

“Tell me you’re okay.”

Lucy nodded vigorously, swallowing the hard knot in her throat. She knew he wanted her to say something, but she couldn’t manage words. It felt like someone was choking her. The concern in his voice, the way his fingers drew soothing circles on her hips and stomach, she didn’t deserve it.
Liar.
She’d never expected to feel something as powerful as the response he’d drawn from her body. Never expected to feel a connection. How stupid she’d been to assume that anything with this man could be casual. The demons behind his eyes should have been a warning. Her reaction to them should have been a bright, blinking caution sign.

Lucy knew the truth, though. She’d seen the warning signs and gone hurtling past them anyway. It’s that lack of restraint that had landed her in trouble countless times. A little voice whispered in her head now, telling her the consequences of tricking him would be far worse than she’d ever experienced in the past.

Without warning, he lifted her into his arms. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer, continuing his long strides toward the bathroom. When they walked inside, he didn’t turn on the fluorescent light, thankfully. She had a feeling her eyes would betray everything. As it was, the soft light filtering in from the bedroom revealed too much. Matt set her on her feet and stood behind her. Their gazes met and what she saw there caused a flood of guilt in her chest. Anxiety tightened his features as he broke their eye contact and began inspecting her body.

He sucked in a breath, running gentle hands over her bottom. “Baby.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” she managed. That was only half a lie, but it still felt bitter on her tongue. Were lies going to come so easy to her now that she’d gotten the ball rolling?

Matt reached around her, his hand closing around a minuscule bottle of complimentary lotion with the motel’s logo printed on the side. It took his unscrewing the cap to discern his intention. “It’s not much, but it will help with the redness.”

Lucy tried to turn and stop him, but when coolness replaced the raw sting on her skin, her mouth snapped shut. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized exactly how sore the spanking had left her. Instead of alarming, she found her condition…thrilling. Watching him in the mirror, seeing him attend to her so diligently, made her feel powerful. Cherished.

What an odd reaction. Yet there it was. The same feeling she’d had against the door, bent over the table, kneeling on the floor. It didn’t make sense, since Matt had been holding the reins, commanding her, dominating her. Somehow, she’d never felt so in control.

Lips tracing across her bare shoulder distracted her. As if on cue, her head tilted to the side, encouraging him. “We should have had a safe word,” he said. “I didn’t know it would get that far. I’m so sorry.”

“Safe word,” she repeated, searching her brain for where she’d heard that term before. Sasha, maybe. Or in a book. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t have used it.”

Matt exhaled in a rush, meeting her eyes again as he continued massaging her bottom in gentle circles. She felt herself go a little light-headed. The image of this absurdly masculine man behind her, treating her with such care, would surely be imprinted on her brain for the rest of her life. Tall as he was, she could feel his abdomen pressed against her back, his strong thighs flush with her naked bottom. The cut muscles in his arms flexed as he applied the lotion, eyes watching her with such intensity in the mirror, seeming to glow.

She thought back to his fervent words, when this whole thing had started.
Don’t let me do it… Have I scared the hell out of you yet?
Again, the need to soothe him rose like a tide. The way he was looking at her, as if worried he’d broken her…she couldn’t let him continue to think that way. She’d loved everything they’d done. God, she wanted to do it again. As in,
now
. Would have already suggested it if it were possible. But her lie had damned her. She couldn’t be with him again, her inexcusable deception hanging over her head. Still, she couldn’t leave him with any doubt that he’d given her incredible pleasure.

Lucy turned, gasping when his erection slid across her belly. He’d been holding himself away from her, so she wouldn’t feel it. For some reason, that bothered the hell out of her. She’d just resolved to distance herself from him before she made her dishonest actions even worse, but standing this close to him, seeing that disquiet in his eyes, it flattened her resolve like a pancake. Of its own accord, her fingers traced over the ridges of his abs, watching in fascination as his chest began to rise and fall faster.

“Matt—”

A knock at the door. Matt cursed.

Her eyebrows rose. “That is one persistent pizza delivery guy.”

The corners of his mouth lifted even as he shook his head. “Stay here. I’ll go pay for it.” He went to leave the bathroom, then turned back and dropped a sweet, slow kiss on her mouth. When he pulled away, he backed out of the bathroom as if afraid to lose sight of her. That look caused something awful to coil uncomfortably inside of her. He didn’t know who he was looking at in such a manner. He thought she was someone else entirely. Not the impulsive idiot she was in reality.
Dammit to hell, Lucy
.

She turned and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Hair a tumbled mess, lips swollen, she barely recognized herself. It was more than her appearance, though. The regret coursing through her veins was palpable in the air around her. After a moment, she overheard snippets of the discussion taking place at the door.

Found the part after all…installed…car’s ready to go…

Relief and disappointment warred so hard in her stomach, it caused her eyes to close. Leaving now and continuing their drive to New York meant she wouldn’t have to face her lie much longer. She could part ways with him, hope he would chalk their encounter up to a hot fling and not pursue seeing her again. The crippling wave of panic that came along with that thought, however, blocked everything else out. She should come clean. Now. Before another minute passed.