Everything to Lose (5 page)

His palms glided down her waist and hips and in slow movements, he pulled her dress off. Next he stripped completely, though he wasn’t as steady with his own clothes. Instead of joining her like she expected, he just stood by the bed, looking down at her. She couldn’t control the tremors racing down her spine. Over the past year she’d managed to quell his memory but looking at him now she couldn’t imagine how she’d ever done so.

Looking at him was like looking at a Viking warrior. His muscled chest expanded rapidly and his cock was still at full alert so she knew he was just as turned on as she was. His breathing came in shallow gasps and he looked out of control.

Which was insane. Sean rarely lost control.

He moved to the bed and slid a hand between her legs. She knew what he was feeling. Her pussy was drenched and begging for him. He slipped a finger inside and with his thumb, he rubbed her clit in erotic, circular motions. She was still coming down from her first orgasm so she sat up and pulled him down so that he was on top of her. “I don’t want your hand, I want
you
inside me,” she murmured.

Last night had been what she’d needed but now, she wanted him to feel release too. She’d already climaxed and he hadn’t attempted to finish. Why, she couldn’t imagine.

His hands shook when he fisted her hair in a loose embrace behind her head and he positioned himself on top of her.

Since she was already dripping wet, he drove back into her with an animal intensity. “Do you know how many times I’ve thought about this over the past year?” His deep, intoxicating voice murmured into her ear as he kissed and nipped her jawline and neck.

She started to respond that she’d thought of him too when his mouth found hers.

He ate at her mouth with an unrefined hunger. There was no finesse or grace in any of his movements. Maybe he’d been restraining himself before but now he rocked into her like a man on death row too long denied his prize.

His pupils expanded so she couldn’t see where the iris met. She couldn’t count the times they’d had sex but tonight it was like their first night together. Rough, a little animalistic and insanely hot.

For the past year he’d lived like a monk. For her. The thought of being with anyone else was ridiculous.

Even now that he was kissing her, touching her, he still couldn’t get enough. It would never be enough. Part of him was fearful that all of this was a dream and he’d awaken at any moment. No matter that he wanted to fuck her for hours, he had to do this right. When he was with Caitlyn, it was so much more than fucking.

He wanted to give her more foreplay but his cock had a mind of its own and it wanted release. Gripping her hips, he began thrusting, barely containing the lust demanding to be unleashed.

She’d always done this to him though. He should have remembered. He doubted she even realized just how much power she had over him. Before he’d met her, he’d been able to last for hours. Hour-long sex marathons had been the norm prior to Caitlyn. Sure, they’d had hours of sex at a time but he sure as hell didn’t last as long. Once he got inside her, his cock wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say.

Her legs tightened around his waist and in the darkened room he could almost swear her electric green eyes shone even brighter. He loosened his grip on her hips, afraid he’d somehow hurt or bruise her soft skin. Involuntarily, his stomach muscles clenched when she lightly ran her nails down his back and grasped his butt, urging him deeper into her.

He knew she was close to climaxing. Again. He wouldn’t have thought it possible but she must have been denying herself the past year. A vivid flush of color had risen over her breasts and neck and her cheeks were completely flushed. Caitlyn tightened her arms and legs around him and she searched out his mouth with her own.

Hungrily and a bit savagely, she kissed him, bit and tugged his bottom lip, then came with her entire body. As soon as her contractions started, he let go of his restraint. He buried his face in the pillow of her hair, found her neck and nipped at the most sensitive spot while she came down from her high and resumed his hard thrusting.

Just as quickly as she’d come, he did too. A kaleidoscope of colors flashed in front of him and he thrust into her one last time before collapsing on top of her. He was too heavy and moving would be polite but it would be too much effort.

She gave a half-assed push against his chest and hoped he moved. Breathing hard, he rolled to the side but pulled her with him.

Suddenly he chuckled.

“What?” In confusion, she stared at him through heavy-lidded lashes.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t wear anything under that dress. Little vixen,” he mumbled.

Without responding, she managed a small smile and laid her head on his chest. Yeah, she’d be sleeping the night through. In the morning they could talk but now she needed sleep.

Caitlyn opened her eyes to the sound of chirping birds. It took a moment to realize where she was but everything came rushing back when she sat up.

She’d been kidnapped by her husband. And she’d been dumb enough to have sex with him. Of course it had been just as fantastic as she remembered. Which would make it all that much harder when she left. She sighed and got out of bed. Walking out on him had been the toughest decision she’d ever made, except maybe letting him back into her life and her bed. Into her soul.

After showering and changing into jeans and a plain green T-shirt, she followed the smell of fresh coffee. Downstairs in the kitchen she found Sean whistling at the stove.

“Hey,” she said mainly to announce her presence.

He half-turned away from the stove to face her and smiled, revealing an elusive dimple. “Hey yourself. Still like your eggs southwestern style?”

“Yes.” No one made them like he could either. That was another thing she was going to miss. A man who cooked. “Where are the coffee mugs?”

He pointed to one of the wooden cabinets. “In that left cabinet above the sink.”

She poured herself some, then grabbed creamer from the refrigerator. “Okay, I’ve got to ask. How did you get this place stocked before we got here? Or do you kidnap random women all the time?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “This place belongs to a friend of mine. I come here some weekends to unwind and get away from the city.”

More than most, Caitlyn understood the need to get away. She found plates in another cabinet and set the table. “Do you want a drink? Milk or orange juice?”

“No, but I will take coffee.”

She prepared the table and his drink and a few minutes later he served them. When he sat she decided to dive right in. “How long do you think we’ll be here?”

“I’m not sure. We’re trying to work some stuff out now.”

“We?”

“Captain Jones is. He’s trying to get Coleman put back in prison until his trial. And there’s a task force working around the clock to find who’s after us.”

“If you signed those papers I could just leave and disappear.” She held her breath, waiting for a reaction.

He put his fork down. “Why won’t you give us a chance?”

“Because I know all you’re going to do is try to convince me to quit my job.” Her voice came out as a raspy whisper.

He shook his head and a dark lock of hair fell over his eyebrows. She resisted the urge to brush it away. Barely. Her brain somehow pulled her hand back at the last second. Touching him was nothing short of playing with fire. Touching him got her into all sorts of trouble.

“I’m going to convince you that we’re meant to be together.”

“Why drag this out any longer than necessary? I’m so tired of hurting each other.” She sighed and put a light hand over his extended one. It was meant to be a sweet gesture but touching him sent shock waves straight to her pussy. As if he was poison, she withdrew her hand and focused on her scrambled eggs.

“Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves for one last shot?” His deep voice enveloped her.

She sighed and opened her mouth with all the intention of being strong. “Yes.” Whoa! Where had that come from? The word was out before she could rein it back in.

He looked just as surprised as she felt. His dark eyebrows shot up, then his face broke into a wide grin, revealing a row of almost perfect, white teeth. One tooth was slightly crooked and for some reason it was one of the first things that had attracted her to him.

Not that she cared anymore.
Sure you don’t
, her inner voice mocked.

He still stared at her, with a goofy expression on his face so she spoke mainly to break the silence. “You’ve barely touched your food. Aren’t you hungry?”

He nodded and when his dark eyes flashed a little brighter, she was under the impression that he wasn’t referring to the food.

“I’m talking about breakfast.”

He lifted his hands in a placating manner. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. If we’re going to be spending time together, then we’re going to set some ground rules.”

“Rules?”

“Yes. First, there will be no more sex—”

He snorted. “Why not?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I won’t be having sex with you until we
talk
about some things. We can’t just spend all our time in bed. Besides, you use sex against me.” And he did. In bed, he could make her forget all their problems. For a while, things would be fine but the inevitable arguments that came later shredded everything. Sex muddled her brain. No man before him had ever had such an effect on her. Once they’d finally made it to the bedroom—on the third date—she’d finally understood the term “toe-curling sex”. From that day, they’d fast tracked it to the altar. She’d wanted to wait, but as usual Sean had gotten his way.

A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. “Is that all?”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a second. “That’s all I can think of right now but I reserve the right to add more rules at any time I choose.”

“Hmm, I can think of a few—”

“Nope, rule time is over.” She stood up and walked to the other side of the kitchen under the pretense of refreshing her coffee. Memories from the night before played in her head with an annoying vividness that she couldn’t block out, no matter how hard she tried. She had just made a no sex rule and all she could think about was jumping him. Heat pooled between her legs.

“Do you want to take a walk around the lake?” His voice interrupted her thoughts.

Being outside and away from a bedroom or other flat surfaces was a great idea. Though she doubted it mattered. Sean could be very creative when he wanted to be. “Sure. Do you think I’ll need a sweater?”

“Couldn’t hurt to bring one.” He stood up and took his plate to the sink.

She escaped to her room. Since he’d thrown everything into her suitcase, it took a few minutes to find what she was looking for. As she pulled out an old college sweater, the sound of her door opening startled her.

Sean walked in and shut the door behind him. The predatory gleam in his eyes threw her off-guard. She knew that look all too well. Her throat constricted and she swallowed audibly. “What are you doing?”

“I was thinking about your rule.” His lips curled up at the corners.

“What about it?”

Instead of answering, he took another step toward her until they stood almost toe to toe.

He leaned even closer, his mouth close to hers. Through heavy lids, she found her voice. “What are you doing?”

“You said no sex but you didn’t say anything about no kissing.”

She opened her mouth to protest but he was lighting fast. His mouth descended on hers. She pushed at his chest but his grip on her shoulders tightened. The longer he probed, the more she lost the will to fight. When she surrendered, his kisses turned soft and sweet. He tugged and teased her bottom lip almost playfully, like a man with all the time in the world.

When his hands strayed to her waist and pulled her body tight against his, it was hard to miss the feel of his erection against her stomach. Involuntarily, she shivered as memories danced in her head. Maybe having one last fling with him wasn’t such a bad idea. Leaving him was breaking her heart anyway, she might as well take a couple more memories with her. She had a feeling she’d need those memories to satisfy her for a while.

His talented lips moved to her jaw and she moaned. He feathered kisses along her jaw, then tugged on her ear lobe. “You’re so beautiful Caitlyn,” he murmured against her ear, sending shivers down her spine, straight to the heat pooling between her legs.

“And you’re a menace.” She was pathetic.
Pathetic.
One kiss and a tiny compliment was all it took and she caved.

“Does that mean you changed your mind?” Breathing erratically, he lifted his head up, though he kept his hands firmly on her hips as if he was afraid she’d bolt. Which she was seriously contemplating.

“This doesn’t change anything.” Her voice was strangled.

He nodded and she was under the impression that he didn’t quite believe her. Well, he was in for a surprise. Sex with him was just going to be sex for once. Nothing more. Nothing less. It had to be.

Sean bent his head, slanting his delicious mouth over hers. All coherent thought escaped and she was having a hard time remembering why she’d been so against this in the first place. A warning screamed in the back of her head but she ignored it.

He pulled off her shirt with quick, deft hands, almost out of control. Then she really questioned her own sanity as she stared at his broad, muscular chest.

“Too much clothing,” he mumbled as he tugged her jeans off.

Except for black boy-short bottoms, she stood naked in front of him and tried to quell her rapid heartbeat. When he didn’t make a move toward her, with intentionally measured movements, she pushed the boy-short bottoms down to the curve of her hip but didn’t take them off immediately. Instead, she let gravity do its job. The flimsy material slowly loosened and pooled around her feet.

He swallowed and stepped toward her. Instinctively, she curled her toes into the carpet, knowing what was to come. His dark eyes scanned her from head to toe, then back up again and he let out a low groan when his gaze captured hers.

Involuntarily, her nipples hardened at his scrutiny, despite the even temperature in the room. Power surged through her. She loved that she alone did this to him.

He took another step toward her, then another, until they stood toe to toe. Her bare breasts brushed against his cotton shirt, sending short electric shocks down to her vagina. Sean tentatively gripped her bare hips, caressing her skin but didn’t make a move toward the bed.

Instead, his hands slid up her body until they cupped each breast. He held them for a moment, as if weighing and memorizing them. Gently, his hands spanned her rib cage, while his thumbs stroked her nipples in equal, torturous, measures. Wordlessly, they stared at each other.

She clenched her legs together in a vain attempt to ease the increasing ache. Her heart took up residence in her stomach as his mouth sought out hers again. Her palms settled on his chest and the erratic thumping of his heart pounded underneath her light touch. He might be in control on the outside but inside he was a raging inferno, just like her. Sean tugged and teased her bottom lip, coaxing her mouth wider.

Long ago, she’d committed the feel of his body to memory but holding him again, she reveled in how much she’d missed touching him. The night before had been amazing but it still wasn’t enough. She wrapped her arms around him and traced the contours of his back. She pressed her body full up against his, savoring the feel of their bodies meshing.

A low rumble started from deep inside him and he withdrew his mouth. Immediately she missed the connection but he began showering kisses on her jaw and neck until he located the sensitive spot on her nape, directly behind her ear. A pent up moan of ecstasy escaped just as the backs of her knees hit something.

It dawned on her that he’d somehow positioned her by the foot of the bed. Suddenly aware of her own state of undress, she lightly pushed on his chest. She refused to be the only one naked. She’d been living like a nun for the past year and was tired of it. He lifted his head, his dark, penetrating gaze nearly throwing her off-guard until she remembered what she wanted. She grasped the bottom of his shirt and tugged upward. Without a word, he lifted his arms and let her undress him. As soon as the shirt hit the floor, he gently eased her onto the bed but didn’t make a move toward her. The sheets beneath cooled her exposed skin, bringing her back to reality.

Almost. It would take an explosion to bring her completely down from the clouds.

Internally squirming under his intense gaze, she finally found her voice, though the word came out as a whisper. “What?”

He shook his head and she could distinctly see his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he rasped out. At that, he shucked his pants and boxers and the erection she’d felt against her stomach sprang to life.

Before she could fully appreciate him, he moved onto the bed in precise, measured movements. Like a wolf ready to devour a lamb.

The morning light streaming in through the blinds illuminated his muscular, naked form. Without the luxury of overhead lighting, she couldn’t see everything she wanted to. “Wait.”

He stopped, hovering above her. “What?”

She ducked underneath his arm and grabbed the handcuffs still laying there. “Your turn.”

He chuckled as if she was joking and fell onto the bed, folding one elbow behind his head.

She lifted an eyebrow and sat up on her knees, looking down at him and holding up the cuffs. “I’m not playing around Sean.”

“You’re not cuffing me to the bed.”

“Either you trust me or you don’t.” She crossed her arms under her chest, lifting her breasts.

The action wasn’t lost on him. For a moment he was distracted by her breasts but just as quickly though, his eyes trailed to where he’d haphazardly thrown his jeans. She could practically read his mind. That’s where the keys to the truck were.