Arrested Pleasure (14 page)

Gentle hands brushed away her hair from her face. He separated from her body, and she suspected he was disposing of the condom. She hoped he planned to use the other two tonight, though she needed a bit of a rest before round two.

"I'm going to put the comforter on top of us, if you don't mind," he said, sliding it onto her body. Then he slid underneath the covers to join her.

He pulled her closer and murmured in her ear. "Sleep, sweetheart." He kissed her brow, and she snuggled closer to him, but her eyes remained closed. "Let's rest up before we do another round."

Cassie smiled as she buried her face against his neck. Cuddling together, she loved the sensation of his strong arms around her as he held her tight. It was the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep.

"Good Morning, Portland! This is Dandy Dave and today's looking to be another great day already. The sun is shin—"

Thwap.

Cassie's hand slid off her alarm, and she dropped her head back down onto her pillow.

Groan
. . . .

Morning already? She was tired. Why did her body feel like she didn't get much sleep last night, as if a train wreck hit her? And ache in places that hadn't seen much action lately.

The rustling of sheets behind her, combined with the sudden awareness of a hairy leg rubbing against her, froze her. A hand, that up until now she hadn't realized rested on her hip, snaked around her front to cup a breast.

The memory hit her. Now she remembered why she felt tired. Gabe Banks had kept her busy last night until they'd finally collapsed into each other's arms—due to sensual exhaustion. Not that she'd protested too much . . . .

Gabe leaned over and nuzzled her neck. "Morning." He pressed tiny kisses into her neck, nipping a couple of times, pushing her hair aside—his mouth on a path to leave another mark on the back of her neck. The smell of sex hung in the air.

She moaned and leaned back into his touch as his fingers gently rubbed her nipples into turgid peaks. Moisture began to flow into her nether regions.

"I suspect," he remarked, as he pinched and rolled one nipple into an even tighter bead. "That neither of us will forget last night." He pulled his leg up and over hers, spooning her closer into his embrace. His morning erection prodded at her hip. He felt so good. Cassie wished she could stay like this all day.

But she couldn't. Morning-afters were handled best by not lingering over them.

Prolonging them meant wasting precious time, and she had too much on her mind to waste time right now. Despite last night, she had a business to run, and Gabe was proving to be a distraction.

He continued to nuzzle her neck, while his hand moved to the other breast, giving the same attention to the other.

"Gabe, I—" she started to say as she turned onto her back to face him, bent on putting an end to their morning after, but her words turned into a moan as he used her change in position to claim her mouth in a searing kiss.

His caresses sent shivers of desire coursing through her veins. Her sated body soon craving more. He'd spent the night pulling her into a vortex of sexual need. Not twice, not three, but four times she'd come.

No wonder she was exhausted this morning!

Her heart fluttered, and her legs widened as his deft fingers found the dewy wetness of her core. He played with her pubic hair, teasing the outer lips of her sex. A gasp escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes to savor the intense sensations sweeping her from head to toe. Gabe had proven to be a skillful lover. Each time they made love, it'd been different, and each time he brought her to another powerful climax.

Silence reigned in the room except for the steady beat of their hearts. He continued to devour her mouth and time stood still. His fingers delved deeper between her legs as he pushed a digit inside, causing her to shudder and her body to tighten.

"You're wet for me, sweetheart. Warm, wet . . . and mine," Gabe murmured against her lips. Long minutes passed as they nipped, tasted, and devoured each other with kisses.

Cassie mumbled an incoherent sound when he removed his hand. Bereft at the loss, she opened her eyes and lifted her head.

He'd reached for a condom. When he caught her staring at him, he raised the foil wrapped package in his hand.

"Ready for another round?"

Yes, she wanted to come again. He'd strung her up, made her crazy with lust, and once again it was time for her to get some satisfaction. Nodding, she took the protection out of his hand and helped him roll the latex on.

"You're insatiable," he murmured against her mouth. "I guess this is why I like you." He trailed kisses down her throat and to the top of her shoulders.

He was taking too much time as far as Cassie was concerned. Need upped a notch higher as she dug her nails into his shoulders. "I need you inside me, Gabe.
Please
.

Make love to me."

He smiled and placed his hands on her knees. "Whatever the lady wants."

She spread her legs wider to accommodate him as he kneeled in front of her, running his hands up and down his burgeoning cock. He watched her. Assessed her.

As she returned his gaze, she sensed an intense thrill spiraling through his body.

The connection between them was amazing. She used the morning light to assess him.

Dark hair sprinkled across his chest before it angled down to a point between his strong thighs. She ignored his erection for a moment. Instead, she reached out and gently touched his torso. Rubbing a finger over his nipple, the tiny nub hardened into a rigid point. He groaned and closed his eyes at the pleasure she gave him.

Confident and more bold, Cassie's soft hands continued a journey down to his hard stomach. She ran her fingers through hair that was darker than the rest of his chest, then brushed a hand across the top of his expanding erection that seemed to grow larger and larger as she continued her progress.

He caught her hand. "Stop. You're killing me."

She tipped her head back and gave him a pleased smile. "I'm only doing to you what you did to me several times last night." Then she fisted her hand around his penis.

His body jerked, but he didn't stop her, instead, he sat back to observe as she explored every inch of his cock. He was like heat and hardness to her soft fingers, while the skin was soft and tight. She wanted to spend her entire morning caressing him. Her other hand joined the first one, and Cassie continued to stroke him. Up and down.

Gabe closed his eyes and leaned his head back. His hands were fisted at his sides.

She could tell he fought the urge to stop her. She smiled, satisfied. Turnabout was fair play.

Brazenly, she reached down and palmed his balls, cupping them lightly. The heavy sacs were full, as if ready to explode.

"You're so hot, yet soft," she told him as she continued to fondle him.

He raised his head and gazed at her with a fiery expression. "Are you trying to kill me, darlin'?"

"Maybe that's the point."

Suddenly he had her on her back, and he was pushing inside her, his actions so quick she gasped, both at the abruptness of it and at the erotic awareness of his hot penis entering her.

But it was a good feeling. He grunted as he slid in easily. Four rounds the night before had made it easier to do so. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of him sliding home. His cock rubbed against her clit and oh, the sensation caused tingles in all the right places.

Soon he was in her all the way, and then he stopped and stared at her. Cassie returned his look and smiled up at him.

"You're so good."

He chuckled. "But I like it when you're so bad."

"I can be even badder." With those words, she gyrated her hips in little circles. A move she learned in aerobics class and knew it'd drive him insane.

And it did. Gabe gave her a deliciously hot look as she moved beneath him. It also felt good to her, and she sensed herself on the brink of a climax.

He continued to drive into her as she moved, while the combination had her drifting in and out of a sensuous haze. She clawed at his shoulders, seeking some sort of anchor. He had her out of control . . . once again.

A sudden, persistent noise penetrated her sex-induced brain. People talking
.

Someone in the room?
Who? She twisted her head frantically even as her climax rose. As she glanced around, she didn't spot anyone except them. Way too early for Lola, Dani, and the others to show up. Was it the phone?

Then the realization hit her.

Her alarm clock radio had come back on. She'd hit the snooze button instead of turning the darn thing off.

She groaned and reached her hand out, bent on shutting off the noise, but the feat was too hard for her, especially as he continued to pump into her. The alarm seemed a mile away as she tried to get a hold of it. She panted as he gave a deliciously hard stroke. Just right.

"Oh! I . . . need . . . to . . . turn . . . it . . . off." She practically screamed the last word.

"Later," Gabe groaned and gave one last, hard thrust that put her over the edge.

To hell with it, she thought, as her body quaked and the shudders of a climax hit her. She wouldn't forget anytime soon the experience of coming while Dandy Dave shouted out good morning on the radio.

* * * * *

"Mmm . . . you make the best toast."

Cassie glanced up from frying eggs to where Gabe had sneaked a bite of the toast on the table. They'd finally shut off the radio after their bodies had recovered from their intense orgasms. Then they had taken a shower together. While there'd been a little monkey business underneath the spray, Cassie resisted Gabe's suggestion they go for round six.

"I'm glad the bread I found in the freezer wasn't moldy. I don't normally have guests over, nor do I always eat in my apartment."

"So, I'm an oddity?"

"Well, you are certainly somebody." She smiled and grabbed their plates and dished up the eggs. Setting them on the table, she sat down and took a sip of her coffee.

Gabe appeared almost at home sitting across from her at the table.

"Despite my past dalliances, I'm too busy to get involved in relationships that go beyond a good time together or involve the morning after."

Gabe picked up his fork, but didn't respond. They ate in silence, and she wondered if she'd surprised him with her candor. Yes, she had affairs, but they were conveniences, not relationships. Though, the thought niggled in the back of her mind that last night somehow seemed different.

She gave her head an inward shake and reminded herself one night of hot, incredible mind-blowing sex didn't make a relationship. Though it didn't mean they couldn't have fun with each other.

"Something wrong?" Gabe's voice drew her out of her musings.

"Uh, no. I was just thinking." She gave him a reassuring smile. No way would she reveal to him her innermost thoughts about their future.

He regarded her for a moment before he shrugged. "You shook your head."

"I was thinking about my schedule today." She rose and picked up her empty plate. "And I wondered when I'll see you again?"

A satisfied expression appeared on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Any time, any night, sweetheart. How about tonight?"

He didn't waste time. Of course, she liked a man who didn't hesitate when he wanted something. She smiled at the thought. "I'm all yours, but I do have one request,"

she said, returning to the table to pick up his plate.

He considered her words, obviously curious. "What's that, or should I be afraid of asking?"

"Perhaps." Cassie ran her fingernail down the front of his shirt. He followed her hand with his eyes as it snaked downward toward his stomach. "How do you feel about scarves?"

Gabe snatched her meandering fingers and pulled her hand to his mouth. His expression turned wicked as he kissed each finger, the touch of his lips sending shots of desire to her core. "Darlin', you know how to tie me in knots."

Leaning down, Cassie kissed him. He tasted of coffee, eggs, and promises of more scorching nights in bed. "Mmm . . . my kind of guy. I have a whole slew of—" she started to say and then shrieked when he pulled her into his arms.

"Do you"—he sprinkled kisses across her jaw—"suppose we could"—he thrust his groin against her derrière—"go for round six?"

Flames of passion rose again inside Cassie. She was definitely able to make love again, despite her body's tired state. She glanced at the clock and calculated they had thirty minutes before she needed to open the door.

"Well, if you're fast . . . ."

Gabe chuckled and rose to his feet, lifting her high in his arms. He'd started to turn toward the bedroom when a sudden commotion downstairs made them both pause.

"What's that?" he asked sharply, setting her down and shoving her behind him.

He reached for his back pocket.

"My phone is over there," she said, pointing to the landline phone she kept in her apartment. "I locked the door yesterday, and it's a bit early for my crew to arrive. I wonder who's downstairs and how they got in."

Gabe stared at her for a second. "I think you should go in the bedroom, where it's safe. I'll check this out—"

"Cassie?" A small, quavering voice rang out from below.

She recognized the voice right away. "Sienna!" The little girl from next door.

Sienna had been hanging around when she'd locked herself out one day and had to retrieve her hidden key.

She stepped around Gabe and opened the door. Sienna had just reached the top step of the stairs. She was clutching her ever-present, ragged Little Mommy doll. Tears were streaming down the girl's face.

Cassie dropped to her knees to greet her tiny visitor. "Sienna, what are you doing here? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I don't wanna go, Cassie." A big, fat tear rolled down Sienna's cheek and her lips trembled. Whatever was wrong, Cassie had an uneasy feeling Sienna's mother, Livi, was partly to blame.

Pulling the little girl into her arms, she soothed her for a long minute. "There, there, sweetie, it can't be that bad."