Holding Her Close (Bits and Bytes, Book 0) (Bits & Bytes) (5 page)

Rae perched on the edge of her couch, intertwining her fingers and then unwinding them again. Should she change? She tugged the sundress past her knees even though there was no one around to be modest for. Was she making a mistake?

Out of all the questions tumbling through her thoughts, that was the one she hadn’t hesitated to answer every time. She kept thinking she might feel differently each time it appeared in the rotation, but she still couldn’t convince herself this was a bad idea.

She jumped at a knock on the door, hand flying to her hammering heart, and then giggled at her own reaction. Breathing deep, she tried to take her time crossing the room to answer.

“
Hey,” was the only thing she could manage when she saw him. She stepped aside, gaze traveling over him when he brushed past. The tailored jacket hung off his shoulders perfectly; the slacks made his ass look fantastic. Holy hell he was sexy.

Her hostess instinct kicked in when she couldn’t think of anything else to say. She latched the door and leaned back against it.
“Can I get you anything?”

He turned his full attention to her, steel eyes dark.
“You.”

That was cheesy
. And she didn’t care. She stepped closer, forcing down her hesitation. “Easy enough.”

“
Easy’s not the word I would have used.” He rested a hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. His mouth trailed down her jaw, to her throat, and over her shoulder. “I could go for intoxicating. Or distracting.”

He was good at that. Getting rid of the unrealized sexual tension between them was definitely a good idea.
She tilted her head back, sinking into every new sensation. “It’s not a negotiation.”

“
Hmm…” The sound rumbled through her skin. “Says you.” He slipped a finger under the shoulder strap of her dress, sliding down to the top of her breast — but not lower — before moving back up again. “Pink bra.” He kissed along her collarbone. “Flared skirt.” His hand rested on her waist. “Wait. What were we talking about?”

She relaxed further. This wasn’t the salesman
who had worked his verbal bullshit magic at dinner or the instigator who had poked her buttons the other morning just to see her react. Would he actually let down his defenses for the night? If she had to admit it, she missed that person; the banter, the fun, the long hours just talking. She didn’t dare hope.

“
You’re too quiet.” He nipped her neck, drawing a gasp from her. “That’s a start. Something on your mind?”

No way she was spoiling the moment by voicing her doubts or observations. She broke away with a smile, pushed his jacket off his shoulders, and hung it on a hook by the door.
“Only one thing.”

He grasped her fingers and tugged her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. He kissed her lightly again.
“The kind of thing you’d be willing to describe in vivid.” He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, tugging before releasing. “Lurid.” He bit her earlobe, voice barely a whisper. “Detail?

Every new sensation sent another spark through her, making her lightheaded. She pressed against him. Why were there still so many clothes in the way?
“I’m not the word master you are, and what I had in mind is a lot more hands on.”

He slid around until he was standing behind her. His lips traced up the back of her neck, breath hot against her skin.
“I like the way you think.”

She tilted her head back and rested it against his chest. His palms
glided up her stomach, the light but confident touch sending sparks of desire through her. His nose tickled her shoulder and then her ear.

“
Strawberry, right?” His question was soft. “So intoxicating.”

Every sensation
was something new to lose herself in, and she wasn’t sure which to give her attention to next. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He brushed the bottom of her breast. She gasped and pressed closer, temperature rising, and growing
wet between her legs at the feeling of his hard cock against her butt.

He cupped the
fleshy mound and gently squeezed until he reached her nipple. He pinched the hard nub through her dress, pressure increasing as her moans grew louder.

She clenched her skirt when she couldn’t find anything else to grab onto. His free hand moved down her bare arm, rested on her fist, and then continued lower. He inched the fabric up until his fingers brushed the outside of her thigh.

“You have no idea—” He pushed her skirt higher, nails raking lightly up her skin. “—how hard it was to concentrate at dinner, knowing this was waiting for me.”

It took focus to form words, but she managed to find her voice.
“I have a little bit of an idea.”

He reached her waist. The air brushed her now
-exposed leg, and she shivered at the contrast with his hot touch. He squeezed her tit, the hint of pain mingled with pleasure and a moan tore from her throat. His fingers sought out her mound, rubbing through her panties.

She shifted her weight to bring herself closer. He kissed along the back of her neck.
“Is this what you want?” He pushed the thin, cotton crotch aside. His groan mingled with her gasp when he brushed her slit. “God, you wax? I love these surprises.”

She didn’t have a reply. All her attention was on his hands, and her breathing was growing shallow.

His fingers dipped between her folds. “And you’re so wet.”

Her back arched when he brushed her clit.

“There?” He placed a finger on either side of the swollen button.

She nodded. Speaking was the last thing on her mind. His
hands worked in rhythm tweaking her nipple and stroking her sex. She wrapped a hand around his left arm, nails digging in the faster he rubbed.

Her hips bucked against the attention, orgasm tearing through her and stealing her breath.

She was only vaguely aware of her own cries as she came. She rocked in time with him, pulling away when the touch became too much. He slowed his attentions and then stopped.

She spun to face him, breathing still heavy, and draped her arms around his neck. Her voice was breathy.
“Bedroom?”

He grinned and brushed his lips over hers.
“Damn straight.”

He slid his fingers up her arms, raising goose bumps, and then grabbed her hands and tugged her toward the doors at the far end of the living room.
“Right or left?”

She veered away from the guest bedroom.
“Left.”

They stopped just short of the bed, and he whirled her back to face him. She loosened his tie, pulled it over his head, and moved to drape it on a nearby chair.

He grabbed her wrist loosely. “Not so fast. What if we need that?”

“
For..?” She trailed off as his meaning sank in, and a new rush of heat flooded her cheeks. Surrendering that kind of control to him opened up an entirely new wave of doubt. “Oh.”

He took it from her and set it on the edge of her desk.
“Maybe not tonight.” He winked.

The teasing was enough to make her fumble over the buttons on his shirt, but she managed to undo them without too much trouble. Seconds later he stood in front of her shirtless.

Damn he looked good. How did someone who spent all their time in an office and on the road have that kind of wiry definition in their chest? She traced her fingers along the muscle, memorizing each line.

He inhaled sharply and grabbed her wrist. He tugged her closer and moved
his other hand to her back, holding her tight.

She kissed along his skin, a new wave of desire coursing through her when he growled. He brushed
her shoulder blade above the line of her dress, and then she felt the fabric pull away when he tugged down the zipper.

He pushed the straps off her shoulders and the dress dropped to the floor, pooling around her feet. She kicked it aside. Warmth mingled with self
-consciousness when he held her at arms-length, gaze devouring her as she stood in front of him in nothing but a hot-pink bra and white, high-cut bikini briefs.

“
Definitely enjoying the view.” His voice was low and heavy. He dipped his head, and his mouth glided along her collarbone.

She sank back into the moment. Turning her attention to the form in front of her, she kissed along his chest, fingers tweaking his flat
, brown nipples. Her hands moved lower. His breathing changed when she found his belt. She managed to undo his slacks without fumbling.

Please let her hands stay steady for the rest of it. The tremor of enjoy
ment thrumming through her made it difficult, but she’d figure it out somehow.

Boxers. Damn that was sexy. She brushed his cock through the thin fabric and he groaned. He was big, she realized as she stroked him teasingly. Her imagination skipped forward a few steps to what it would feel like to be stretched open.

She dipped her hand inside the remaining clothing, searching out his bare skin. He sank his teeth into her shoulder when she wrapped her fingers around his shaft. At least she wasn’t the only one enjoying the moment. The thought increased her arousal another notch.

“
I want you.” His voice was low and commanding.

Still caressing his shaft, she kissed him again. He whimpered when she let go and stepped away. His smile returned when she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. She pushed her panties off next, and then scooted onto the bed.

She looked alluring, right? The sexy pose felt a little ridiculous but the way his steel eyes traveled up and back down her form erased her doubt.

He dropped his boxers and bent for a moment, fiddling with his
discarded slacks. What the—? Oh, condom. She flushed. At least she’d kept the thought to herself, and at least one of them was still thinking.

Seconds later he had wrapped himself up. He crawled onto the bed next to her,
nudged her onto her back, and kissed her deeply. He cupped her breast as their tongues danced together.

His hand slid down her arm and he rolled onto his back, tugging.
“I want you on top.” He stroked the inside of her thigh. “I want to watch you riding me.”

The command heated her thoughts.
She straddled him, sliding down his hips until his cock hovered at her opening. She cried out when he thrust his hips up, driving deep inside her. So much for teasing.

The
y found a fast, frantic rhythm and every time she slid down, he hit something deep inside. His breathing came in short grunts, and his eyes never left her. He rested his hands on her thighs, thumbs stroking the inside flesh, and then moved higher. “Play with your tits for me.”

The order, combined with the thought of performing
, pushed her closer to the edge. She grabbed the soft flesh, kneading, and rolling her nipples between her fingers. His breathing was shallow now. He had to be close.

She gasped when his thumb found her clit. Each time she bounced, he bumped the swollen button. For the second time that night, orgasm shredded through her. She sank into the moment, pounding against him, pussy clenching around his cock.

His grunts ran together, his hand tightened around her thigh. He arched his back with a final groan, and then relaxed back against the comforter.

A euphoric exhaustion sank into her, and she bent at the waist to rest her cheek against his chest. She didn’t know how long they lay like that, trying to catch their breath.

He trailed his fingers through her hair, not saying anything. She rolled off, resting on his shoulder instead. Her voice was soft. “Do you have to get home?”

“
Mmm…” He grabbed a tissue off the nightstand, stripped off the condom, wrapped it up, and tossed it in the trashcan she kept nearby.

The vague answer dug deeper than she thought possible. Was he brushing her off? It shouldn’t matter, but she couldn’t ignore the hope he was sticking around.
She tried to keep her tone light. “That’s not an answer.”

He trailed his fingers up her spine, drawing her closer with the light touch.
“Something wore me out.” The energy was gone from his voice, but the teasing was still there. “I don’t know if I’m good to drive.”

Relief flitted through her. This was a dangerous line to walk, but if it was only for one night she was grabbing as many pleasant memories as possible.
She smiled against his shoulder and kissed along the bare skin. “You’d probably better stay here then. Just to be safe.”

She shouldn’t be taking it so far.
This was a mistake, but the warm body next to her, the strong arm around her, told her she could regret it in the morning.

****

Rae rolled onto her back, still wrapped in sleep. Something didn’t feel right. The thought jolted her toward consciousness. Her eyes opened, locking on the ceiling. What was wrong?

She reached her arms out to either side. Nothing. Well, blanket, twisted sheets, and a pillow she didn’t usually
keep there, but no one else.