Chapter 9

His society princess was kissing him, and damn, it felt good. She was going to kiss him and tell him to leave—he was sure of it—but instead of stopping, she just opened her mouth to let him in and kissed him deeper, her tongue dancing around his. Just one more minute, just one more taste, he told himself, but when her clean, fresh scent hit him and her little hand reached out to grab his forearm, all his good intentions flew right out the window.

Before he realized it, he’d wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She moaned, so he took the opportunity to taste, delving inside her warmth. She tasted sweet again, and rich. So rich. He wanted more. She was still gripping his forearm with one hand, and the other—God, her other hand was on his thigh, the warm pressure from her fingers driving him mad.

He covered her hand with his, then did what he’d been dying to do all night—slowly ran his palm up her bare arm. It was warm and soft. How could he have expected otherwise? And so very right against his hardened skin. There was strength under her softness, a steel core that he liked a whole lot. Then he cupped the back of her head with his hand to draw her closer. When she gripped his thigh harder, he stopped thinking and refocused on her greedy mouth and the gentle curve of her waist, and the smooth strip of skin he uncovered when he slid his other hand up the back of her shirt. It was just as soft as her arm. Softer, maybe. And the prospect of uncovering all of that smooth, perfumed skin sent his body into overdrive.

He tore his mouth away from hers, only to nibble along her jaw and down her neck. She tipped her head back, allowing him access. When he pressed his lips into the base of her throat to feel her fluttering pulse, the pressure on his leg increased. He inhaled, trying to drink every ounce of her in. They were veering into dangerous territory now, and both of them knew it. The hand on his thigh slid to his chest and gave a gentle push.

Drawing back slightly, he took in only two things: her lips, swollen from his mouth on hers, and the look of surprise in her bottomless eyes. Before he could blink, her surprised look was gone, replaced by one of satisfaction.

Without warning, she went in for the kill, licking her way from his neck up his jaw, until she was back at his mouth, one hand snaking its way into the waistband of his pants.

He put his palm over the back of her hand, stopping her from going any farther.

“We go down that path, Cam, I—I don’t know how nice I can be anymore,” he growled. “You understand what I’m saying?”

“I don’t want nice,” she whispered. “Please don’t be nice.” Then she leaned in and kissed him. Hard.

And then it was as if all the floodgates opened. Val pushed her back onto the seat. Her body was as welcoming as her mouth, one leg bent up against the seat and one wrapped around his back, pressing him down, right into her. He obliged her, his hard bulge settling between her legs, one foot on the floor for some kind of purchase.

With zero finesse, he shoved up her shirt, pulled down the cup of her bra, and wrapped his lips around a beautifully taut nipple. Her response was amazing—moaning while those hips rubbed against his in the most erotic way. He yanked down the other side of her bra and feasted, while he kept his hands busy. She was panting now, grinding her body into his. He drew her breast into his mouth for one long suck, when she stiffened and gasped.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed.

He glanced up. Had she just—

“Sorry,” she whispered. Even in the dark he could see her flush.

“Sorry? Oh, Cam!” He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, baby, don’t be sorry.” The absurdity of nearly losing his control in the front seat of his truck—stopped only by a luscious former debutante losing hers—made him feel seventeen again, full of hormones and hubris. And he’d thought the power tools were a surprise. He got off her and pulled her up to a sitting position.

“Lucky,” he said. “I don’t have protection with me.”

“I do,” she said. “Inside.”

He kissed her long, and deep. “So,” he said. “You gonna invite me in?”

She slipped her arm around his neck. “Are you kidding?”

They barely made it out of the truck and up to her cottage. Once inside, she pushed him against the wall to get what she wanted—his mouth on hers. He groaned her name, cupped her rear, and before she knew what was happening, he lifted her up against him, her legs wrapped around his waist.

“Bedroom,” he managed to get out in between kisses, and she pointed the way.

Once inside, as her legs dropped, Val pulled off her top and threw it to the floor. She kicked off her sandals as he made quick work of her pants. Within moments, his clothes were off, too—all except his boxer briefs. His body was a work of art—all corded muscle and sinew. Her gaze skittered over the impressive bulge between his legs. She’d appreciated the male form before, but never as much as this.

“You’re beautiful,” she said, her mouth almost watering at the sight of him alone.

“So are you,” he responded, pulling her close, the sensation of flesh upon flesh making her shudder. “God, you’re so responsive. All I have to do is touch.” He skimmed his hand down her arm and she shivered again. Then he repeated the gesture with his tongue, licking his way from her shoulder to her fingertip. This time, her shivering was uncontrollable, and her nipples hardened even further, pressing against the material of her bra.

He covered both breasts with his hands. And then, before she could even react, he was thumbing one nipple and suckling the other, right through her bra.

She gasped, and then, with a speed at which she could only marvel, her bra and panties were slipped from her body and she was on her bed, flat on her back, as he repeated what he’d just done, only this time with no barriers between them. He knew exactly how much to bear down and when to back off. The pressure between her legs grew until it was almost too much to handle.

“Val, come on,” she demanded.

“You didn’t give me a chance to show my stuff before. Now I get to play.”

And play he did, all over her sensitized skin, keeping her on the razor’s edge of sanity. Just when she thought she would die if she couldn’t ease the heat, he swept a long finger through her folds.

“God damn, Cam.”

“Please, Val,” she begged, too far gone to be embarrassed about anything. “I need you to touch me so badly.”

Gently, he circled her swollen flesh with his fingertip and mouthed a wet nipple. It took all of fifteen seconds for her to have another orgasm. She cried out and dug her hands into the comforter.

He didn’t give her time to recover. Just started in again on her already sensitive nipples, rubbing and flicking until she was about to go crazy. When he reached down between her legs, she was sure she’d go off again, but he did something magical to smooth away the edge, keeping her high but not allowing her to peak. He slipped a long finger inside of her … then two, widening her as he ratcheted up the stakes higher and higher. As she got closer and closer, her thighs started to shake.

It only took a second for him to take off his shorts and get on a condom she’d pulled out from the night table. And then he was between her legs, drawing up and spreading her knees. Pressing his tip to her entrance, he paused to bracket her head with his forearms. Cameron kept her eyes open as he began to ease his way inside.

God, he was huge! She could hardly breathe.

“Val—” she started.

“So damned tight,” he muttered. “Shhh—stay with me. It’ll be better in a second. Hang on.” He moved just a fraction more, and he was right. It did feel better. So much better. And when he captured a nipple between his teeth and slid in a fraction more, it felt even better. When he flicked her other nipple and kissed her mouth, that was the best yet. When he was buried to the hilt inside her, he paused and raised his lips from hers.

“You okay?” he said, so close she could feel his lips move. She was filled to the brim, with no capacity for anything but him. She inhaled, breathing in his scent of sea and man and arousal.

“Yes,” she said, not caring anymore about the burn or the ache. “Yes.” And kissed him back. “Please don’t stop.” He shifted, pressing deeper into her. It felt good, so she moaned, a low sound deep in her throat.

“You’re killing me, Cam,” he groaned, sliding a hand to her hips.

Then he began to move, for real this time, sliding in and out in a rhythm that started slow and then accelerated. Each time he touched some secret spot inside her body, pleasure coiled in her core. Desire, which had been resting on a plateau, began to increase—slowly at first, then faster. Val was practically slamming into her now, leaving her breathless. She couldn’t get her bearings—the sensations were overwhelming—and suddenly, she became aware of a different kind of pressure, insistent and dark, tickling at the edges of her consciousness. And then it grew, higher and hotter and harder until she thought she would burst. Instead of fighting or thinking, she simply embraced it, giving herself over and focusing by trying to keep up with him, thrust for thrust.

Without warning, she shattered around him, her back arching as she went into a free-fall. His hand tightened on her hips as he thrust into her one last time before claiming her mouth in a searing kiss, swallowing her cry as the aftershocks hit her.

She was still shuddering from her release when he carefully withdrew, wrapped her up in his arms, and covered them with a sheet. When another involuntary shudder came, he stroked the skin on her shoulder, smoothing it with his hand until she’d calmed completely.

Nestled in tightly next to him, she lifted her gaze. As always, he was watching her.

“Val, I—” She stopped and swallowed, not knowing what to say.

He didn’t speak for a long moment. Just stroked her hair, right at her temple. “You are a surprise,” he said. Then he covered her mouth with his. His kiss was warm, deep, and gentle. Achingly perfect.

Soul-stealing.