Coming Apart at the Seams (17 page)

“I told you he's a nice guy. You just lost a big fan.”

He snorted rudely, and she stepped closer, poking him in the chest with her forefinger. He didn't move an inch, so she pushed him with the palm of her hand.

“There was no reason to be a jerk!” She pushed him again, a little harder. “You're such an
ass
!”

He sucked in a deep breath and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up against his chest. She searched his eyes, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

“Are you jealous, Nick?”

“No,” he answered immediately, letting go of her wrist and stepping away from her.

“I think you are.”

He laughed, but she thought it sounded forced. He backed up a couple more steps, and she followed. She was done being his friend.

Done.

“You know what Marshall told me?”

Nick's eyebrows shot up, and she placed her fingers on her necklace, stroking the diamonds. “He told me a man doesn't buy a necklace like this for a friend. He buys it for a
lover
.” She paused to provide some emphasis to her next statement. “Or someone he
wants
to be his lover.”

His eyes widened before his gaze fell to her hand. She trailed her fingers from the necklace to her cleavage, closely watching his face for any reaction. He swallowed before jerking his eyes
away from her chest. She wasn't sure if that response was enough to justify throwing herself at him.

“Is Marshall right? Do you want to be my lover?”

Nick stared at her, his face unreadable. She took a deep breath, and his delicious scent flooded her senses. She wanted him so badly, enough to risk everything.

His rejection. Her pride.

Their friendship.

“Do you want to be my lover?” she repeated as she stepped close enough to feel the heat of his body against hers.

Reaching out, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants right above his belt buckle and pulled him to her. He resisted for a second before shuddering and closing his eyes. He inched forward, and she knew.

She
knew.

“Do you want to be my lover?” she repeated huskily, noting the erection visible behind his zipper.

While he stood unmoving, she unbuckled his belt and popped the button on his pants before pulling the tails of his dress shirt from them. He was breathing in deep gusts, and she slowly undid the buttons on his dress shirt until it fell open to show his snowy white undershirt.

She stroked her hands over his cotton-covered stomach before pulling his undershirt from his pants. Delving under it, she lightly ran her fingernails through the silky hair sprinkled across his abs, and he quivered under her touch.

He opened his eyes to meet her gaze, and finally—
finally
—she recognized the glint she'd seen there for months now: desire.

Grasping his right hand, she pressed it against her breasts. His long fingers clenched in the silky material of her dress as if he wanted to tear it from her body.

“Do you want to be my lover?” she asked one last time.

She waited for him to answer, squeezing her thighs together to ease the ache of arousal that had been building for far too long. Before the night was over, Nick was going to soothe that ache, hopefully more than once.

“You do,” she said, answering her own question when he remained stubbornly silent. “Now kiss me and put us both out of our misery.”

Kiss me.

Teagan's demand echoed in his ears. He'd been fantasizing about kissing her for months, but he wasn't going to put his mouth on her. Any part of her.

He wasn't going to ruin their friendship. He
wasn't
.

Nick stared at his fingers. They were clenched in the green fabric covering her breasts, just inches away from her cleavage. He forced himself to let go of her dress, dropping his hand and lifting his eyes to her face.

She tilted her head as she met his gaze, placing her hands on his chest and rubbing lightly. The warmth of her palms heated him through his undershirt, and he trembled with the desire to feel her hands all over him.

Shaking his head, he stepped away from her. He had to leave.
Immediately.

Her hand shot out to grab his waistband, stopping his progress. She sighed, clearly exasperated with him. Before he could take a breath, she unzipped his pants just enough to ease her hand inside his boxer briefs. She gripped his cock, and he moaned at the pressure from her smooth fingers, his vision blurring from the pleasure.

“You lied to me. This,” she said, squeezing his cock, “
is
for me. It's not just biology.”

Of course it's for you. I get hard anytime you're near.

“It's mine,” she continued, stroking his shaft, “and I want it.”

Her hand was relentless, stroking and squeezing, and he felt a twinge deep in his balls. Placing his hand over hers, he stilled her torturous touch.

“I want you,” she said huskily. “I have for a long time.”

Her words stunned him. He'd truly had no idea she wanted him, and that knowledge sent desire surging through his body, eroding his good sense like a tsunami obliterating everything in its path.

“Are you going to give me what I want, Nick?” she asked, licking her rosy lips.

He was so turned on he couldn't form a single word. And even if he'd been able to, he didn't know if that word would be yes or no.

She rubbed her thumb over the tip of his cock, and he gasped. Blood roared in his ears, but he could still hear her.

“I want you on top of me, around me, inside me.”

Closing his eyes, he groaned at the images her words created in his mind. She laughed softly, and he raised his lids when she took his hand in hers. She led him down the hallway to her bedroom, and he followed docilely, like a dog on a leash.

She'd left the two bedside lamps on, and they bathed the entire room in a golden glow. Lavender linens and puffy pillows covered her queen-sized bed, and she backed him against it, lightly pushing his chest until he sat heavily on the side.

She nudged his knee, and he widened his legs so she could step between his thighs. The position put her face almost even with his, and she leaned forward, placing her mouth against his. He clenched his hands in the silky material covering the down comforter to keep from reaching for her.

“Give me what I want,” she whispered, her soft, full lips caressing his. She opened her mouth, slowly running the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip before sucking lightly on it. And that was all it took.

He lost it.

Gripping her waist, he pulled her against him, toppling
them backward onto the bed. He rolled her under him, settling his lower body between her legs before shoving his fingers into her hair and slanting his mouth over hers.

She opened to let him in, and he moaned in relief. He felt like a man who'd just had his first sip of water after wandering through the desert for days.

He'd wondered how she would taste for months and months, and now he knew. She was deliciously sweet, better than any dessert he'd ever had, and he licked deeply into her mouth. Her tongue slid against his, and he sucked on it before feeding her several deep kisses.

He needed to come up for air, but he didn't want to give up her mouth. She gasped, and he pulled back to stare into her eyes. They were so dark they were almost navy, and he traced one of her dark eyebrows with his thumb.

“That was a pretty amazing first kiss.” Her luscious lips turned up at the corners. “But I sure had to wait a long time to get it.”

Because he couldn't help himself, he lowered his head and covered her mouth again. He couldn't get enough of her, and he nipped her lower lip before running his tongue over the small bite. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, savoring the glide of it against his lips, and played with her mouth for several minutes.

She pulled back from his kiss, gasping for air, and he followed her lips until she giggled against his mouth. Moving her hands to his shoulders, she pushed his dress shirt down his arms.

“Off,” she demanded.

He knew this was a mistake . . . that he should stop now before he made things even worse. But instead, he levered himself into a kneeling position to shrug off his dress shirt. He threw it on the floor before pulling his undershirt over his head and tossing it behind him.

She looked up at him, her cheeks pink and her eyes hazy. Running her gaze from his face to his chest, she let out a breathy little sigh that raised the fine hairs on his body. She trailed her fingers lightly across his stomach before making a second trip with her fingernails, causing him to break out in goose bumps.

“Oh, you're
so
much better than my fantasies,” she said, her voice almost reverent. “And my fantasies were pretty incredible.”

She exhaled loudly as she traced his lower abdominal muscles, and the movement drew his attention to her breasts. Since
she was on her back, they were barely contained by her dress, and his mouth tingled at the thought of being able to touch and taste them.

Inside his head, the voice of reason had grown fainter. It was barely a whisper now:
You can still salvage the situation,
it told him.
But you have to stop now. You can't go any further.

She brought her cobalt-blue gaze to his face. “Do you know what I wished for tonight when the chef brought out my slice of birthday cake? When I blew out the candle, I wished the night would end with us in bed together and you deep inside me.”

He sucked in a breath. He'd wished for the same thing, hundreds of times, if not thousands.

Grasping the waistband of his underwear, she pulled him down to cover her. Her breasts flattened under his bare chest, the silky fabric of her dress cool against his hot skin. She licked her lips, her mouth just inches from his, and he stopped thinking about what he shouldn't do and started thinking about all the things he was going to do once she was naked.

“I bought this dress for you, Nick. I wanted to look good. I wanted you to notice me. To want me.”

He noticed everything about her: the way she scrunched her nose when she tried not to laugh, the way she rubbed her right eyebrow when she was tired, and the way she tapped her lips when she was nervous.

She had no idea how much he wanted her. And it wasn't because of her damn dress, either. But it definitely looked good. And it would look even better on the floor.

Accepting the inevitable, he slipped his hand inside the bodice of her dress and delved inside her bra, cupping her breast in his hand. It was warm and firm, and her hard, velvety nipple poked his palm. He shaped her breast gently, and she sighed softly.

While he continued to caress her breast, he nuzzled the tender skin behind her ear, pulling in a deep breath scented with her perfume and her own unique fragrance. He sucked lightly on her skin before trailing his tongue down the side of her neck. She arched it to give him access, and he nipped her smooth white skin.

Suddenly, she pushed against his chest. “Stop.”

He closed his eyes briefly, torn between crushing disappointment and overwhelming relief. Thank God one of them had
enough sense to stop this runaway train before it derailed and plunged into a ravine. He rolled off her, falling to his side, and she launched herself off the bed as if it were on fire.

Teagan spun to face him, but to his surprise, she reached toward her side and pulled down a zipper he hadn't even noticed. He propped himself up on his elbow, his eyes locked on her luscious body.

She shimmied out of that gorgeous green dress, bending down to step out of it. The movement pushed her breasts together, creating some magnificent cleavage, and he promised himself that before the night was over, he was going to run his tongue up and down that valley.

She rose, and he took in her va-va-voom body with its big breasts, small waist, and ample hips. Saliva pooled in his mouth, and he had to wipe his lips to keep from drooling. She was everything he'd imagined, but more.
So much more.

He could see her creamy skin peeking through her black lace bra, and her tiny matching panties and a black garter belt highlighted her pussy. The thigh-high stockings he'd seen earlier covered her shapely legs, and he wondered if she was going to give him a show and remove them or if he'd get to pull them off.

She turned to drape her dress over the chair in the corner, and he couldn't hold back a moan when he saw the globes of her ass and the tiny strip of black lace between them. He'd love to slide his cock down that sweet crevice before pushing into her pussy from behind.

He wondered if she liked that position or if she preferred another. He was willing to do it whatever way she wanted as long as she let him inside her.

Climbing back on the bed, she knelt next to him. Her stomach wasn't even close to flat, but that wasn't a problem for him. In fact, he liked the fact that she was softer than he was.

He circled her bellybutton with his forefinger, the action bringing a blush to her cheeks. He reached up to smooth her pink skin, tracing her cheekbone with the tips of his fingers.

She looked down, her dark eyelashes fanning her cheeks. They were so long they looked fake, but he knew they were real because they had been exactly the same length when she'd been burning up with a fever.

She was so beautiful, and if he'd been able to form any words,
he would have told her so. Instead, he reached up and pulled a sparkly pin from her hair. He wanted to run his fingers through the dark strands.

She raised her arms to remove the rest of the pins, pushing her breasts into his face, and he couldn't stop himself from sticking his face in her cleavage and giving it a long lick. He growled when he felt the smooth skin of her breasts, and she laughed, obviously thinking he was playing. She had no idea how close he was to throwing her down, ripping off her panties, and taking what he needed.

He pulled her down toward him until he could roll her onto her back. He leaned over her, and she smoothed her hand over his hair before dropping it to his face. Turning his cheek into her palm, he savored the feel of her skin against his.

He was a little worried about how turned on he was. Blood pulsed in his cock like he was only seconds from coming, and he still had his pants on. He'd never felt this kind of overwhelming arousal before, and he was afraid it was because he was with Teagan.

She took a deep breath, and her lace-covered breasts pressed against his chest, reminding him that he had two pretty presents to unwrap. Reaching between them, he unhooked her bra clasp and pushed the lacy cups away. He moaned under his breath when he saw the creamy mounds.

Breasts had never been his favorite body part, but Teagan's were fucking spectacular. They were even bigger than he'd imagined, definitely the largest
real
breasts he'd ever seen. They were firm and round and tipped with nipples the color of raspberries, and he couldn't wait to get his mouth on them.

Dropping his head, he pulled one of her pebbled nipples into his mouth. She tasted so good against his tongue he forgot to be gentle, and he sucked strongly. She gasped, clenching her fingers in his hair, and pulled his head back a little.

His control was shredded, and he knew he had lost his finesse. It had never been a problem before, but he'd never been this worked up, either. He wanted to make this good for Teagan, but he was so on edge he wasn't sure he would be able to give her an orgasm before he shot off.

“Nick, I don't need any more foreplay. I've wanted this for months. Every time you brushed up against me, it was foreplay.
Every time you touched my arm or my back or my hand, it was foreplay.” She smiled, her eyes shining brightly. “You need to take off your pants, put on a condom, and get down to business.”

Her words shocked him so much his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
Is she serious?

She laughed softly, and she was still laughing when she leaned up to kiss him. She twirled her tongue around his before smacking his ass.

“Take these off,” she directed, tugging on his trousers. “Condoms are in the top drawer of the nightstand.”

He debated whether to do as she'd asked. He definitely didn't need any more stimulation, but he wanted to touch her. He wanted to learn what she liked, what made her moan, what made her cry out. He wanted to give her so much pleasure she forgot every other man she'd ever been with before him.