Lorelie Brown - Riding the Wave

So she only smiled. Her toes trailed up the back of his calf. She liked the rough texture of his hair. “And the second?”

“I’m not freaking crazy. You name it, I’ve got it, it’s yours.” He settled onto his elbows, one big arch of muscle over her. The plank of his body was solid enough to make her feel protected.

“You’re so full of shit.”

“Am not.” The childish words took on a sensuous lilt based only on his wickedly quirked smile.

“You’d go down on me again?”

“Why not?” He brushed a kiss over her mouth, trailing his tongue over her bottom lip. Then he sucked it into his mouth to nibble. “You tasted so goddamn good, I think I could lick you for hours.”

The dirty words sent a rough shiver through her. But she didn’t buy it, either. The hand she flattened over his chest found rock-hard muscles, pulled firm with tension—tension she was causing. She could get behind that program.

But when she swept her hand down his stomach, skimming her fingers over his barely damp board shorts, she smiled. The cock she’d felt pressed against her earlier had definitely perked up to play. “And this? Won’t bother you any?”

He surged into her grip, but that was it. The ends of her hair tangled around his hand. “Blue balls are a myth. I figured you’d have known that one.”

She grinned. Weird, to have this sort of happy buzz when she’d otherwise be oh so drama. She flat-out liked spending time with Tanner, no matter what was going on. “Of course I know that, numb nuts.”

“Actually, no. Not numb. That’s what we’re discussing at this very moment.”

The fingertips she drilled into his ribs had only one purpose—to tickle. But he didn’t budge. “Nonticklish people are no fun.”

“Then you’ll be relieved to know there’s exactly one spot on me that’s ticklish.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Where?”

“If you think I’m telling you, you’re the freaking insane one.”

“Nice. Real nice, Wright.”

His touches ran over her skin and through her bones like she could float away on them. The heady rush threatened to drown her even while they teased. He could easily take everything she had to give and still want more. Still need more.

She’d run out of pieces to give him. Better they had only this time, then move on.

Lifting her mouth to his for more kisses was easier. Bodies she knew. The rest of it . . . She’d rather not even think about the rest of it.

Thank God he sent her spinning in a way she understood. Her body arched into his, her breasts rubbing over his skin. The thin material of her bikini top was too much and not enough at the same time.

The fast, methodical way he stripped it off her was a relief. The artificial air-conditioning breeze had only a second to send goose bumps over her arms before Tanner’s nearness was back to warm her. His breath tingled her nipples; then he sucked one tip into his mouth.

He was good. Almost too good if she stopped to think about it, but she wouldn’t let herself. There was only the way his hands glided and stroked over her skin, the easy way he slipped off her swimsuit bottoms.

The way he cupped her pussy had ownership written all over it. A full hand, fingertips barely cresting the curve of her ass. Until his thumb delved surely between her lips, slicked her moisture all over her skin.

She gasped, grabbing hard to his shoulders. Her eyes flashed open to stare at the plain ceiling. With the things he did to her, she ought to have seen stars, moons, something entirely more exciting than white plaster. The man was a fucking genius; that was for sure.

“Now, please.” The words flew out on their own. How the hell did he make her beg so easily? This could be a problem.

He pressed openmouthed kisses along her shoulders, trailing up her neck. A spinning excitement made her curve her spine toward him, but she couldn’t get much closer. Not with the heavy thigh he pinned across her legs.

“Nope,” he said into the sensitive skin of her neck. His words were like rasping strokes along her flesh. “I’ve decided you need to come again first. Let me do what I need to.”

“Lie back and think of England?”

“I didn’t think Prince William was your type.” He grinned against the top curve of her breast. The glance he flicked up at her sparked pure laughter up from her center. “But don’t let me stop you.”

She tucked her laugh against the inside of her arm, but that didn’t help. The cough she forced didn’t help her failing-to-be-serious face. He was going to get tired of her soon. Matthew had hated how she couldn’t keep her “mind on the prize,” as he said. “Keep calm and carry on. I can do that.”

He flat-out laughed, mouth open against her sternum. The rumble sent dark pleasure through her.

“Can you?” He punctuated the words with a hard thrust in her core. The pleasure slammed up through her in one hard rush. “I think I might be doing this all wrong, then.”

“Oh God, you’re not. You’re right. Do that. Do that more.”

Her arms went over her head, fingers twining in the expensive duvet. The next breath she let go eased trembles she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding back.

“Right here.” He spread his free hand low over her stomach. The weight of his hand pushed through to her center. “Let go right here.”

Her gaze locked on his. All their humor leeched out at the last second. She gasped on a sudden rush. There was no way she’d gotten that close that quickly. But she was there. Her head spun. Through it all, there was only him. Tanner filling her mind as she came.

That was all it took. Her hands got greedy and she filled her mouth with the taste of him. They crawled over each other, and Tanner produced a condom from God only knew where before he kicked off his board shorts. But then the protection was on, and, fucking Christ, then he was in her. Either he was ridiculously big or she was ridiculously turned on, but either way, it worked.

So freaking well.

He surged over her, his arms locked straight and his palms planted by her head. She was overwhelmed by him. She was overwhelmed by who she was with him. Everything else dropped away, until there was only their minuscule corner of the world.

The way he moved in her, made her feel. Her eyes drifted shut, the better to run from the crackling-fire rush. She wanted to close her arms around it, hold the smoldering blitz close. Hide away.

But she felt his grip across the back of her neck. A thumb stroked hard over her jaw. “Here. Look at me.”

She slicked her tongue over her bottom lip. The muscles of his back played under her wide-spread hands. Blinking took way too much effort, but she tried it. Bit her lip when a hard fuck stole her breath. “Yeah. I’m looking.”

His hand slid up her neck, to the base of her skull. Wound through her hair. Tugged. Hard.

The sudden snap of pain didn’t distract from the pleasure building deep in her body. If anything, it added.

“No. Look at me.” His eyes were so bloody bright. A neon kind of blue she’d never seen in them before, all of it focused on her.

She wasn’t sure she could handle that kind of responsibility. Wasn’t sure she could give him enough in return. And the higher he lifted her, the farther she’d have to fall when he didn’t need her anymore.

But she couldn’t look away from him, either. Together they might explode.

It felt almost like she came in self-defense. The whipcord passion that released her muscles freed her. She let the power draw her head back, let her eyes drift shut on a long moan.

She locked her wrists behind his neck, hitched her leg higher over his hip. Let the last few strokes as he came draw out her own orgasm, but only from behind the dark safety of her closed eyes.

It was better that way. Safer.

Waking with his face buried in a pillow and his arm around a slender waist, Tanner had approximately five point two seconds of peace. At least it lasted longer after he’d come last night. That had been all Avalon, though. The way she’d twined around him, brushing his hair back from his face, had been enough to keep his high going. To stay out of his head a while longer.

But now she was asleep. The light in the room was slightly gray due to the west-facing windows but Avalon’s hair still managed to shine with dark red gleams, spread in a dark cloud over her shoulders. She slept on her stomach, like him, but she’d hitched one knee up toward her side.

Admitting what an attractive curve the position made of her ass would probably be a little pervy, considering how knocked-out she seemed to be.

For a minute, he considered waking her up. It wouldn’t take much. Some strategic kisses and then he could fold up to her from behind. A few kisses to her neck and he could likely be inside her again in the time it’d take to get the condom on.

He slid out of bed instead.

In the morning’s hazy light, everything seemed entirely more complicated. Sleeping with Avalon hadn’t been quite as easy as he’d thought. To be truthful, he’d expected a quickie variation. More protracted, sure, but with the same sort of pump-and-go type of vibe.

Instead he’d locked his hand around the back of her neck and forced her to focus on him.

Not at all his usual mutual-orgasm routine.

But he’d hated the way she’d avoiding looking at him.

In the bathroom mirror, his face was rough looking. His eyes unfocused. Splashing water on his skin helped, and so did the rest of his routine, but by the time he stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, he still didn’t feel right.