Sweetened With a Kiss (21 page)

“Just full of surprises, aren’t you?” he was hoarse but he was laughing too. She smiled up at him, she couldn’t help it.

He slid his warm hand along the gentle curves under the dress. He pushed the skirt slowly up her legs. “Do you want to know what I wanted to do, when you first wore this dress?” he asked, his voice rasping against her silky skin.

“You mentioned licking.”

His teeth grazed against her and she shivered.

“The first thing I wanted to do was get it off you,” he explained, sliding the zip down. The tulle whispered as it landed on the floor across the room.

And then there was nothing else between them, and she was sure he wasn’t going to stop now. Her eyes flew open in surprise as his fingers moved over her. He caught her protests with a kiss when his hand worked harder against her and there was a slightest sting and burn, then he pushed warm, long fingers inside her.  All the air left her lungs and her body bowed tight at the delicious invasion. 

“Shhh,” he soothed her, keeping the seductive kiss going as he spun her body out of her control, and that deep ache she had been living with for so long started to coil into something tighter and tighter.

She whimpered, trying to move her hips. He grazed his teeth across her shoulder. “I know, baby,” he groaned against her ears, her fingers bit into his shoulders. He wasn’t quite steady either. “You are so tight,” he told her softly, and liquid fire streamed through her. “You’ll never take me like this.” Then his fingers turned ruthless and he stretched her until she cried out again.

Then there wasn’t any part of her he did not caress, stroke, or kiss. She lost time. She lost her sense of place. She lost herself. She had absolutely no clue where she was in the universe. Nothing else existed but his hands, his mouth, and his voice. The husky words slid all over her skin in hot waves. She fell back into reality when his mouth closed against her belly button and his tongue swept across her, teasing her.

“Stefan,” she whispered, trying to sit up. His mouth was still working down to her hips, and he was pushing her legs apart again. Jen went hot then cold then something else entirely. “No,” she choked out. “Oh, don’t, Stefan, no.” She wasn’t ready for this. He was laughing at her again as she sat straight up. That delighted, hoarse laughter sent shivers all over her skin that were so delicious she couldn’t see.

“You shouldn’t have put on that dress.”

“Don’t do this,” her voice was trembling. It was all starting to be too intense, but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.

He grinned at her, coming up and pushing her back down on the bed. He kissed her lightly on the mouth, his hand smoothing her, calming her down. She was so relieved she almost started to cry. Her eyes fluttered shut and he pressed gentle kisses to her eyes. “Now,” he said in the softest, gentlest, most seductive voice she’d ever heard, as his hand trailed past her stomach to stop at her hip. “Keep your eyes closed.”

His fingers clamped onto her hip and his hot, raging mouth was on her before what he had said to her even sunk in. He held her still while he drove her ruthlessly over the edge. Jen flew so fast and so hard that she didn’t even have time to react. She burst into tears as he spun her up then sent her flying and the tight coils that had been aching inside her for so long finally broke free into wave after wave of shimmering light. Then, he did it to her again.

She couldn’t stop shaking as he pulled her against him, soothing her with his hands. She closed her eyes and pressed deeper into his arms, her face against his throat.

“I did warn you,” he reminded her, very pleased with himself.

She nodded against him, wondering if her skin would ever feel the same, if her bones would ever be hard again. Then he was pressing her back against the pillow. She couldn’t open her eyes yet, but she parted her lips when his mouth touched hers for a deep kiss that was more soothing than anything else.

“You okay?” he asked. She shook her head. Okay was not even in her vocabulary anymore. He kissed her again, then trailed his mouth down her jaw, neck, and across her shoulder.

His thumb scraped across the tight pink tip of her left breast and she almost arched off the bed. He traced lazy circles then lowered his mouth to kiss the circles he had traced and started building a new fire inside of her. Then he was kissing her again, and moving over her, putting his knee between her still shaking legs.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for this,” he rasped against her ear.

She understood what he meant. She’d ruined the romantic seduction scene he had been planning. But she wasn’t the least bit sorry she’d hijacked his plans. Her fingers bit into his shoulders as she felt him ease against her. She could feel every muscle in his powerful body brace not to move yet. “Breathe,” he told her, rasping the word against her ear, and she realized she had been holding her breath. Still he held on. “Relax,” he soothed, his tongue tracing the shape of her ear. She did exactly as she was told, although it was difficult considering how talented his tongue was. She took another breath.

“You can still say no.”

“No, I can’t,” the words rushed out of her.

He moved against her and then went still again. “Okay?” The soft word rumbled out, and she nodded.

Finally, she opened her eyes. He was poised right over her, watching her with intense blue eyes. He looked shattered and not at all like he was going to enjoy this. It broke her heart, but Jen discovered he wasn’t the only one who could be ruthless about what they wanted. She would die if he stopped now. Cease to exist. She wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Stefan,” she said, clearly, surprised at how calm her voice was. “I’m not going to break.”

He lowered his head and pressed his forehead to hers. “But I might,” he admitted, his voice catching.

She framed that beautiful, tortured face with her hands. She lifted his head with her hands so she could see his eyes. And then she told him frankly, “I won’t forgive you if you stop. Please.”

“Funny that you think I could stop now,” he teased, his voice breathless as he positioned himself, rubbing the swollen head of his erection against her.  “Jen...”

Whatever else he’d started to say was lost as he rocked against her, taking her as slowly as he could. She tried to bite back her cry of distress, not from the pain of his possession because there wasn’t any. But it was suddenly all overwhelming.  Maybe she’d made a huge mistake. He’d been right after all. He was always right. What had she been thinking? They should have waited.

“Open your eyes,” he said, cutting through her panic. “Jen, look at me.”

She did, losing herself in the blue heat. Everything was so quiet. It was just the two of them. Nothing else existed anymore. He smiled gently, and she felt the broken parts of her heart start to knit back together. This was really happening.

“Relax,” he said, “It’s me, baby, just relax. You can do this.”

She nodded. She’d wanted this for so long, she couldn’t quit now.  So she lifted one leg and wrapped it around his hip. She smiled as he groaned, as his whole body tensed.

“You feel amazing, Jen,” he told her, struggling to go slowly. “That’s it, let me in.”

His hand slid under her hips as he angled her better and finally, finally, she had what she had waited so long for. It was so much more than she ever imagined it would be. He had stopped again and was holding still, trying to let her adjust to him. But she knew she would never adjust to having him deep inside her like this. She would never get used to this. And she didn’t want to. “I’m okay,” she whispered against his trembling shoulders. “Show me what you can do?” she teased, not sure how she even found the words. “You made me wait for you. Make it worth it.”

Laughter crashed out of him and she was pretty sure, nothing would ever top this moment. Then he moved, and it got better. He pulled back and Jen went a little insane. He took it so slow, proving that he was slightly inhuman. But she wasn’t complaining, because nothing compared to this. Nothing came even close. He moved inside of her, becoming part of her and she could hardly comprehend how right it felt. Up until this point in her life, she’d just been dreaming. Now, connected to him like this, she was awake for the first time.

Eventually, it became too much for him, and the slow, deliberate rocking inside her got more desperate. She moved her hips instinctively, taking him deeper and he lost himself. She laughed out loud when she realized his control was gone, and he moved harder and harder until she was sure she would split in two. He was so strong, but she was almost afraid he was about to break apart. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight as a raw cry came ripping out of him. It was the most amazing thing she had ever heard.

Until that moment, she hadn’t known quite how much she loved him. Hadn’t realized how deeply and how dangerously she loved him. That she loved him completely and without any limits. That he was really the only other person in the world. And that if she ever lost him, she would not survive it and there would be nothing to survive for.

When he finally collapsed against her, rolling to his side automatically to keep his weight off her, Jen could only stare straight ahead. She wasn’t completely back in her body yet. She wasn’t sure she would even fit inside her body again. Then he pulled her up against him, throwing his leg over her, trying to pull her as close into his body as he had just been in hers. “You beautiful, crazy fool.” His words were choked and she realized he was just as overwhelmed as she was.

“Okay?” she asked softly.

“No, I’m really not,” he admitted. “Does it still hurt?”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t that bad.” And really it hadn’t been. The whole thing had been so much more than she had expected, she still wasn’t sure what she thought, other than she wanted to do it again. Soon.

His arms tightened. “Liar,” he said, squeezing her again then moving away from her. She had expected him to be tired, to even fall asleep. But he was practically simmering with energy. It sparked off him, jumping across to her skin, making it sizzle.

“Stay here,” he told her pulling the blankets over her.

As if she could move. She snuggled into the pillow, smiling at the pink dress lying on the floor. She was never getting rid of that dress.

Water started running, then he was back. He lifted her up and carried her into the bathroom where he’d filled the whirlpool tub. The water was almost too hot, and she yelped but he sat down taking her with him. He positioned her between his legs then started slowly massaging her neck and shoulders until she really couldn’t move.

“Are you very mad at me?” she asked dreamily, and was rewarded with a warm, gentle kiss against the back of her neck.

“Yes,” he told her, in a rough voice that did not match the kiss. “I hurt you.” He trailed open mouthed kisses along the shoulder he had just been rubbing.

“Just for a second,” she assured him, reaching back to stroke his jaw.

The kisses stopped and he pulled her even closer, “It was longer than a second.” She was surrounded by him. It should have been overwhelming. It wasn’t. It was perfect. “It will be better next time,” he promised.

“Was it not good?” she asked, softly, deliberately misunderstanding him. If it got any better, she was sure she would just evaporate.

“I meant better for you,” he laughed softly.

She shrugged, leaning back against him. “I don’t see how.”

He really laughed at that.

“You haven’t declared victory yet,” he reminded her.

Her hands were slowly moving up and down his forearms until he moved one hand to flatten against her stomach. He lifted her up and tipped her back so her head was resting on his shoulder. He covered her mouth in a long, lingering kiss.

She tried to turn around and his arms tightened. She moved again, and he hissed, and then she understood where she was sitting. “Sorry,” she lied, and let the water lift her up so she could turn in his arms. He let go of her and rested his arms back along the edge of the bathtub. She found the bottle of lime-scented bath soap and squeezed some out in her hand.

“I’m still waiting,” he reminded her.

“I’m thinking,” she said, using a sponge to lather up the soap into suds. Then dropped the sponge so she could use her hand to rub the soap onto his shoulders, then down the defined pectoral muscles. His head fell back as she worked her way around then down to his stomach, dipping below the water. He caught her wrist and stopped her.

“Oh, no, you don’t,” he warned her, laughter dancing in his eyes. “You don’t get to do that until you put a ring on my finger.”

The smile that curved her lips up made him catch his breath. “I’m just waiting for you to ask me properly.”

“You’re waiting for me to beg,” he told her, bringing her hand back up to rub his chest and shoulders.

“Would you beg?” she teased.

“Absolutely,” he admitted, his voice light, but the warning edge was back.

She stopped her hand and looked up at him seriously. “Did you want me to put the dress back on?”

Feeling him zip up the dress was almost as erotic as when he had unzipped it earlier. She felt drugged. Her bones had melted into a shimmering liquid that sizzled. She watched fascinated as he lay down against the pillows. He was watching her so closely, gauging her reactions. He was still reining himself in. He tugged her forward and she understood what he wanted. Warm hands curved around her waist and lifted her up. Her dress spread all around him as she straddled him. “I can’t,” she whispered, suddenly nervous and shy.