Yes!
Finally.
God, he’d waited long enough for Dr. Kay Hudson. Years, it felt. Like fucking forever.
He stood up so suddenly his chair would have fallen if he hadn’t caught it. A real feat, when you considered he was having a slight out-of-body experience, as if his head was in another room while all the blood in his body rushed to his dick.
He drew in a deep breath and he felt twelve feet tall. Twelve feet tall, strong as the lion of his nickname, about to bag the biggest prey of all.
Kay.
The instant he’d seen her for the first time, back in DC, a beautiful woman worried sick about her grandfather, he’d been blown away. He’d been doing his duty by this woman, a friend of friends, not to mention that her missing grandfather was an FBI legend and he himself had recently transitioned to the Hostage Rescue Team. He’d have put everything on the line for her anyway.
But goddamn, when he met her coming off the plane from New York, worried and anxious and so fucking beautiful he couldn’t take his eyes off her, duty and loyalty to an FBI teammate faded and he knew he’d do absolutely anything to help this woman, no matter what.
And then it turned out she was not only gorgeous, but smart—smarter than him, for sure—and loyal and kind.
Her grandfather, Al Goodkind, had been kidnapped by FSB fuckers, who had tortured him for info on the whereabouts of Felicity Ward, Goodkind’s protégé. But Goodkind was a tough old coot and didn’t break, and Nick’s guys in ASI found him and saved the day.
And Kay had kissed him.
One hell of a kiss, too. Full-body lip-lock, where their mouths stood in for their sex. Shit, that had been one hot kiss. Nick had been around the block, so one kiss shouldn’t have imprinted itself on his brain and on other parts of his body, but it had.
That one incendiary kiss—then Kay disappeared, and fuck if he could get near her again. God knows he’d tried. Half the guys in ASI were laughing at him as he shot to Portland every time he got word that she was going to be there, that there was the possibility of her being there, that she was thinking of going there. He’d also missed her in DC and in New York.
Then he left the FBI and joined ASI. Not to catch her…well, not only for that. Because he loved the guys and the company. It was better than the FBI, more badass. Better bosses. Much, much better pay.
And with a better chance of pinning Kay down.
Because he still hadn’t had a repeat of that kiss and he wanted one, badly. And the sad truth was he hadn’t even been in the same room as her, much as he’d tried to.
And another sad truth—he hadn’t been to bed with anyone since that kiss. Pathetic, but there it was.
Then, out of the blue, yesterday, she’d called him and said she’d be in Portland for some big scientific congress and did he want to have dinner?
Did he want to have dinner with Dr. Kay Hudson? Smart and beautiful and enticing Kay Hudson?
Fuck yes. He wanted to have dinner, then go back to his house and have sex for a couple of weeks straight.
Realistically though, he’d thought it might take the four days of the conference. Taking her out every night, seeing her at the lunch break, being with her every second he could.
ASI was cool with that. Metal O’Brien, Felicity’s husband as soon as he could convince her to set the date, told him the brass had cleared the decks for him so he could pursue Kay.
There was even a pool on how long it would take, according to Metal.
They were all rooting for him because they all liked Kay.
He liked her too. That was putting it mildly.
Nick felt a massive connection to Kay that went beyond her red-gold hair, ivory skin and intense sky-blue eyes.
He liked the way she loved her grandfather. Nick came from a very large, very close, very loud family, and he understood that kind of love down to his bones.
He liked the way she talked about her work, not that he understood it. She was a virologist and geneticist—the fuck he knew about genes? Except the fact that his were irresistibly drawn to hers.
He liked that she was such a beautiful woman without being coy about it, without acting like one. Before meeting her, he’d just broken off a semi-relationship with a wannabe model who looked perfect but was empty inside, like a plaster-of-paris person. Kay was real and warm and funny and so sexy she turned him inside out without even trying.
He should be mad at her because she’d been avoiding him. But she’d called him and here he was and he wasn’t letting her slip through his fingers again, no sir. No flies on him. He’d put his pride away for a chance to get his hands on all that smooth ivory skin.
Kay came around the table to stand next to him, looking at him as if for instruction. She was super smart, but this apparently baffled her. The question of sex came up, she more or less said yes, and then waited, as if uncertain of his reaction.
Well, he knew what to do, if he could only keep his hard-on from crippling him long enough to get to his house or her hotel, whichever was closest.
Kay said something. Her mouth moved and he heard her voice as if coming from a long way away. He shook his head as if he could rattle his brains into reason.
“What?”
She looked a little lost, as if unsure what came next.
Okay, he knew what came next. Though it seemed strange that she was unsure, because Nick was certain his dick was so hard it was sending signals out into space that she could pick up in her fillings.
“Nick,” she said, putting her hand on his arm. “Did you—did we pay?”
“Yeah,” he answered automatically, though a teensy bit of doubt clouded his already clouded mind. But yeah—he’d thrown two Ben Franklins on the table. Enough to cover the bill and leave a really nice tip in case he ever came back, because running out like they were doing was really uncool.
Though necessary.
He took her elbow hard. Not hard enough to hurt but hard enough for her to understand that she was coming with him. Only where? He steered her toward the door, hoping he could make it down to the garage where his car was. The restaurant was attached to a big hotel, which was great for parking.
But just as he reached the elaborate, big glass doors, Kay tugged. “No,” she said.
No? No?
Nick stopped dead in his tracks, staring down at her. She didn’t want this? Oh dear God. Well, he wasn’t proud. He’d just fall to his knees and beg.
But it wasn’t bad news, it was good news.
“I’m staying in the hotel,” Kay said softly—and turned bright red.
Nick’s palms broke out in a sweat. She was staying here? In this hotel? They were basically an elevator ride away from sex?
“Good,” he said, and steered them toward the side door of the restaurant, which led into the hotel via a long slate-tiled corridor. They crossed the coolly elegant lobby that, thank God, was decorated in a spare, ultramodern style. There was absolutely nothing to stop him from walking in a straight line toward the bank of brushed-aluminum elevators, because if he’d had to navigate a series of couches and tables…
No way. Not enough bandwidth in his head.
Nick looked at her when they reached the elevator. Kay called it and they waited in silence. There was a musical ping and the doors opened onto an empty car. He ushered her in with a hand to her back. Kay pressed 9, the doors silently closed and the car lifted.
They were both staring ahead, Nick’s hand still at her back. He looked at the elevator doors, not daring to look at her.
“I’m not going to kiss you,” he told the doors. His voice was low and rough. “I can’t. If I start kissing you, I won’t be able to stop.” He smoothed a hand down the jacket that hid his hard-on.
He could see them reflected in the doors, could see her looking at him. Her breath came out in a rush and she nodded shakily.
At the door to her room, Kay’s hand was shaking too badly to insert the magnetic card. “Sorry,” she whispered.
Nick took it from her hand, inserted it, ushered her over the threshold, inserted it into the slot that allowed the lights to turn on. A dim light in the corridor lit up. They were kissing before the door swung shut.
He held her head still for his kiss, tunneling his hands through all that soft hair. She had enough hair for six women and it was all curling around his fingers. The ceiling light in the corridor was just enough to see her when he lifted his head for air.
That pale, pale skin was pink, except for her mouth, which was red from his. Oh God, she was almost preternaturally beautiful right now, so desirable he didn’t know what to do next. Kiss her again, yeah. But touch her, all over, press against her so he felt every inch of her. And he wanted to be inside her so badly his dick hurt.
He curled his hands around her skull and kissed her again, like that kiss back in DC. Only better because this was going to lead straight to sex, unless he had a heart attack first.
Her mouth was soft, wet, welcoming. He plunged, eager to taste her. She sighed into his mouth, arms folding around his neck. He slanted his head for a deeper taste. His feet moved forward and she naturally opened her legs, and oh man, his dick was right there, pressed against her. Felt so good. If not for their clothes, he could slide right in.
He pressed harder and she pressed right back with her hips and he nearly lost it.
He lifted his mouth just a little. Enough to use it for talking not kissing. “I can’t wait much longer. Sorry.” In his head, he’d formed the words but they came out on one breath—Ican’twaitmuchlongersorry.
She huffed out a little laugh, tightened her arms around his neck. Was that a yes? Did that mean she was impatient, too? He’d ask, but he couldn’t lift his mouth from hers again, too much to ask of him. Her mouth felt like a sex and his tongue was a pretty good dick substitute, and he simply couldn’t stop.
He lifted his mouth again, just a little. “Got to do this.” Gottadothis.
“Hmm.” She breathed into his mouth.
That was an okay, right?
Kay was wearing this amazing outfit that outlined her curves. A tight raspberry-colored dress and matching jacket. The jacket went first. Just fell to the floor with a little help from his hands and her shoulders. She held her arms out to her sides so it could slide off easily.
Jacket, check.
Dress.
Nick scrabbled for her zipper but he was pressing her against the wall too hard to wedge his hand in. He pulled her forward, took hold of the little zipper thingie and slowly pulled down. The zipper worked! All of a sudden it seemed to him that the zipper was the most magnificent technological development ever in the history of the world. Forget satellites and cell phones. You grab a tiny piece of metal, pull downward, and the most beautiful woman in the world was suddenly naked.
Almost naked.
Kay shimmied a little as Nick placed his hands on the shoulders of the sleeveless dress and slid his hands forward. The dress fell lightly to the floor and she stepped out of it. Both of them sidestepped, like a little dance.
Since Nick wasn’t kissing her, he opened his eyes and ohmygod. Kay dressed was a beautiful woman. Kay in high heels, bra and a little lace thing around her hips was a sight to stop the heart of a man.
His wasn’t stopping, though. Nope, it was drumming triple time.
He grunted something—not too sure what—and unhooked her bra. Luckily bra hooks were not challenging, because his hands felt like big, clumsy appendages at the end of his wrists. Anything more complex would have been beyond him.
The bra, too, fell away.
Kay’s breasts were incredible—full, high, hers. He cupped her left breast and nuzzled it, feeling her heartbeat thrumming under his lips. Thank God. She was excited, too. Not as much as him, but enough.
He licked her nipple, felt a shudder go through her, then bit it lightly. She moaned.
Oh God, he wasn’t going to survive this.
Nick put his face between her breasts, licking his way up to her neck. His lips rested over the artery in her neck and he felt it pulsing. Her skin was hot, releasing some kind of amazing scent. A lotion maybe. Pheromones, certainly.
“I don’t think I can make it to the bed,” he whispered against the skin of her neck.
“Then don’t,” she whispered back.
Nick placed his hands inside stretchy lace panties and slowly slid them down those long, slim legs. She stepped out of them daintily and she was naked except for high heels.
His dick was pulsing and he was very close to coming, which would be very uncool. Spurting onto her stomach, no sir. Not going to happen. Or not spurting onto her stomach but his trousers, because he was still fully dressed.
As fast as he could, Nick toed his shoes off, unbuckled, unbuttoned, unzipped and dropped. His briefs followed. In combat he went commando, but he had elected to wear underwear for his date with Kay.
Like Kay had, he stepped out of everything and moved a step to the side and she followed him, like some bizarre naked dance.
He kissed her again, and it was even better when his dick could press against her naked mound.
“You okay?” he gasped.
“Hmm,” she answered. That could be yes or no. There was another way to find out if she was with him or not. His hand reached down, slid over the lips of her sex. Yes! She was excited. She was soft and warm and above all, wet.
Nick entered her with a finger, pressing all the way in.
Kay gasped and stood higher, arching against him. “Nick,” she murmured, and the hairs of his body stood up.
She was so warm and soft, he almost envied his own finger. Moving gently, he slid slightly out then pressed back in.
And, miracle of miracles, she came. Amazing. Her sex pulsed around his finger in sharp contractions. Kay gasped in a breath, pressed her head against the wall, closed her eyes and stopped breathing. She was lost in pleasure. Nick watched her coming, felt it.
He looked down at himself, as big as a club, shiny with pre-come. There was no way he was going to last, he had to enter her or drop dead. Spreading her with two fingers, he pressed into her just as her contractions were slowing, and it set her off again.
Her legs weren’t holding her up anymore. She was hanging by her arms around his neck and was held upright by his body pressing tightly against hers.
“Spread your legs more.” Nick’s voice was low, guttural. By some miracle, she understood and opened her legs more so he could enter deep, deep.
Her mouth found his. The kiss mimicked what they were doing with their sexes, thrusts in and out, mouths and groins making noises in the quiet of the night. Nick’s hips were grinding against hers and he felt her coming again and was totally lost. With a wild cry, he emptied into her, holding himself against her, coming in spurts so intense he saw stars.
When he finally quieted, he found himself plastered against her, glued together by their juices and by his sweat, panting. It took a while for his breathing to come back under his control, for the pinwheels to stop behind his eyes.
They smelled. They smelled of sex, his sweat, a light perfume that was her skin. He gave a deep shudder and dropped his head to her shoulder. And took stock.
This was not the romantic start he’d planned. This was not romantic at all. He’d given the plaster-of-Paris wannabe model more romance than Kay. How could that be? She was a woman he wanted like he wanted his next breath and he’d jumped her. Slammed into her.
Nick pulled back a little, wincing as the skin at their bellies peeled apart. His hands had been gripping her hips. Was he hurting her? God. He lifted his fingers one by one, leaning back. One thing he found it hard to do was actually pull out of her.
A gentleman would pull out, wouldn’t he? Maybe. He wasn’t a gentleman, what did he know? Right now, his dick had no intention of pulling out of that warm, tight sheath.
He sighed, kissed her shoulder, opened his eyes.
Was she mad? Sad? Christ, he’d fucked it up. He’d been hoping for this, planning for this for a long time. He should have taken his time. Opened a little bottle of whatever bubbly they might have in the mini-fridge or order a nice bottle from room service. Kiss her, undress her slowly, romance his way into her body.
“How you—” His voice cracked. His head lifted and he looked into those beautiful eyes, a blue so bright they nearly blinded him in the dark. He couldn’t read her expression at all. Now would be a good time to pull out, but nope. His dick refused. “How you doing?”
Her eyes—two pieces of summer sky—searched his, small movements as she studied his eyes, his face.
Suddenly, she smiled.
His heart opened up. She wasn’t mad, she wasn’t sad. She was smiling!
“How’m I doing?” she asked. “Wow.”
Wow was right. Nick right now looked like the living embodiment of a super sexy man. Dark eyes, dark skin slightly red around the mouth and over the cheekbones. Was it possible that his hormones had made his beard grow in a few minutes? He’d been completely clean shaven in the restaurant and now it looked like he had a shadow.
He was still inside her, still semi-hard after an amazing orgasm. His and hers. She’d had several, one right after the other, if she remembered properly. It was all a little hazy. They’d walked into her hotel room and then she’d found herself plastered against the wall, somehow her clothes had come off and enough of his clothes had come off to make sex possible and the rest was a sweaty blur.
Her groin was wet. Really wet, and part of it was her. She remembered her last lover, a microbiologist who’d been a great scientist but a lousy lover. It had hurt when he’d penetrated, just a little. She hadn’t been wet at all, even though he’d gone through foreplay a little like he was following a game plan or a protocol. Ticking off the body parts. She was sure he had a spreadsheet for sex in his head.
Nick hadn’t even really done foreplay. Maybe dinner had been foreplay. He hadn’t had any trouble penetrating at all.
At the memory of him entering her, so thick, so hot, her vagina contracted. His penis responded immediately, hardening a little.
Nick winced. “Oh God,” he whispered.
“Sorry,” she whispered back.
His eyebrows lifted. “Don’t be sorry! I’m the one who should be sorry. I was going to romance you.” He looked down at where they were joined. The sight was erotic but not romantic. “Didn’t quite work out that way.”
He kissed her neck, brushed his thumb across her nipple, and she contracted around him again.
No, it hadn’t been romantic, but she’d never been desired like that before. He’d been ferocious and voracious and it had been wonderful.
He looked her in the eyes. “Do you think we can make it to the bed?”
Startled, Kay looked into the bedroom. The bed wasn’t more than ten steps away. “We should make it, sure. Shouldn’t we?”
Nick nodded, looked down at them. Kay looked down too as he pulled out of her. He did it so slowly, she felt like she could feel the walls of her sex contracting where he was pulling away.
His penis was very dark, still thick. When he pulled out, it glistened. Juices ran down her thighs. This was definitely the most physical sex she’d ever had, and it should have embarrassed her—but it didn’t.
Nick sighed. “I have condoms,” he said. “Brand-new, candy-colored. I think they might even be scented. And they are in my pants.” Both of them looked over at his trousers on the carpet. “They might as well be on the moon. What can I say? I’m clean. We were tested constantly at the FBI and I always use condoms. Except now, apparently.”
His mouth was twisted, eyes crinkled with contrition.
Well, there was an app for that.
“I, ahm, I’m clean too. And the CDC tests regularly as well. Also for tuberculosis and hepatitis. I also, um, am on the pill.”
Nick’s eyes shot open. He swallowed heavily. “We can fuck bareback?” he asked.
Kay winced. “If you put it like that—”
“God.” Nick rolled his eyes. “I’m an idiot. Don’t listen to me. Don’t pay me any attention whatsoever, except for allowing me to make love to you. My brain is completely gone. Sorry.” Before she could answer, he kissed her. And kissed her. So thoroughly her head swam and she lost her balance. It took a moment for her to realize that he’d picked her up and was carrying her to the bed.
She found herself lying on her back on the bed, totally boneless, arms out to her sides, legs slightly apart. She probably looked wanton. Who cared? She’d just had the best sex of her life. She’d earned wanton.
Nick stood by the side of the bed, one hand on her right ankle, looking down at her. Where he looked, she could feel her skin warm. His eyes slid up slowly, like a caressing hand, until he met her gaze and she had a jolt, as if there was a physical connection when her eyes met his.
Without removing his gaze from hers, he stripped, fast and efficiently. Tie, shirt, wife-beater. He bent briefly and she only realized then that he’d kept his socks on while they’d had sex against the wall. If anyone knew he’d had sex with his socks on, the Italian police would probably come arrest him.
On any other man, having on socks, undershirt, shirt and tie while getting it on would have looked ridiculous, but on Nick it hadn’t. He’d been so ferocious, so driven by desire, he’d only taken off what was absolutely essential.
His hand returned and ran from her ankle up over her shin and thigh, to cup her there, right where she was hot and wet.
“Sei bellissima,” he murmured.
“I took Italian in high school,” she said. “I know what that means.”
His eyes left hers, looking down at his hand covering her sex. “You’re so beautiful you blind me.”
He didn’t act blinded. No, he was studying her by sight and by touch. And by smell.
Nick dropped to his knees, pulled her gently until her lower legs fell from the bed. He pressed her knees apart and kissed his way up her thigh until, oh… Oh.
He rose, stood like a Greek sculpture looking down at her. Oh, man, he was bellissimo. Broad-shouldered, heavily muscled but without an ounce of fat. His penis wasn’t erect but it was large, full. She remembered it filling her.
Something about the way she looked at him made his penis become even fuller, start to rise…
Nick placed his hand on her thigh again. “Stay here,” he said in a low, deep voice.
Well…yeah. She wasn’t dumb. She had a PhD and two Masters’. She was smart and she wasn’t going anywhere. Not while it appeared that more of that was on tap.
Nick came out of the bathroom with a wet towelette, which he used to wash her, wiping carefully down her thighs where his semen had flowed, between the folds of her sex. He took his time.
She closed her eyes, gave herself up to the moment. He started kissing every inch of her, along her thighs, between her thighs, long, slow licks of his tongue that made her shiver.
“Look at me,” he commanded, and she opened her eyes slowly, not really wanting to connect with the real world. She’d floated into a dream world of soft sounds and soft caresses. Looking at him jolted her back into reality. His face was dark and stark, skin tight over his cheekbones, eyes almost closed. His head was between her thighs, looking up the length of her body at her.
Suddenly, she wanted to kiss him. Kiss him and feel the weight of his body anchoring hers. She cupped his head with her hands and tugged gently. There was no need to say the words. Come to me. He understood completely.
Nick crawled up her body using elbows and knees and he slid into her just as his mouth covered hers, laying claim to her completely. He was so hard everywhere. Her fingers dug into his shoulders but it was like clutching iron—no give. He kissed her and kissed her and stayed completely still inside her. It was a little gift. He was enormous, and though she was turned on, he’d cleaned away his juice and hers, and it took a moment to adjust.
She could feel herself adjusting. Each stroke of his tongue and another part of her softened. Her legs fell open because she didn’t have the strength to clutch him with her legs.
His mouth left hers, kissed her ear. Goose bumps broke out on her arms. She contracted around him.
“Tell me when,” he murmured low in her ear, his breath making her shiver.
“What?” His mouth now was on her neck, which she stretched to give him better access.
“Tell me when I can move.”
So hot and hard inside her. It was a fine line between pain and pleasure. It was wonderful feeling him still in her, but she knew for a fact that blinding pleasure came when he moved.
Kay clutched his hard buttocks, curling her nails in.
“Now,” she whispered.