Kiss And Dwell (14 page)

“
How hard what would be?
”
she asked.

He pulled his shirt up his body, over his head and tossed it to the floor.
“
Not
touching you,
”
he said, unfastening his jeans and guiding the zipper down,
“
if
I
’
m completely nude, completely aroused and as close to you as a guy can get
without intercourse. Do you have any idea how hard this is going to be,
Monique?
”

Her eyes widened as he removed his shoes, his socks, and then his jeans.

“
You weren
’
t wearing anything under your jeans,
”
she said, stating the obvious,
while her eyes focused on his hard cock, aching with a need that she wouldn
’
t
sate, not tonight. Have mercy, it was a good thing he was Southern, and a
gentleman. For his own sanity, he
’
d better keep reminding himself of both facts.

Because his baser needs clawed at his soul, telling him she wanted him, wanted
him to stroke her long and deep and hard until her body clenched tight, until he
lost himself within the hot depths of her core.
“
You
’
re so…beautiful,
”
she said
on a breathy sigh.

Taken aback, Ryan laughed; he couldn
’
t help it. Beautiful? Not exactly the most
masculine description in the book.
“
Beautiful?
”
he questioned, glad that she
’
d
managed to remove a fraction of the tension in the room, even if his cock had
only stood up straighter at her choice of words.

“
You are,
”
she repeated, slowly moving her gaze from the straining part of his
anatomy to his face.
“
I don
’
t know if we can do it without touching.
”
She gave
him a soft smile.
“
I wanted to make you hurt, because you seemed so damn sure of
yourself, but this is going to hurt me more than you. I
’
m aching to touch you,
Ryan.
”

Her honesty ripped at his senses and nearly broke his control. Nearly. Touching
him might be what she wanted physically, but he was beginning to realize that if
she broke that rule, she
’
d never forgive herself, and he couldn
’
t—wouldn
’
t—have
Monique
Vicknair
regretting anything that happened tonight.
“
But you don
’
t want
to break the rules,
”
he said, reminding her of her earlier words.
“
And you
’
re
not willing to let me touch you, either.
”

Pained. That was the only way to describe her expression as she slowly nodded in
agreement, in spite of the yearning he knew burned her from the inside out. He
knew, because he burned as well…for Monique.

“
I can
’
t break the rules,
”
she said.
“
I don
’
t want to ruin it for everyone else
.

I can
’
t. And if I let you, I
’
m afraid that…
”

“
That what?
”
he asked.

She bit her lower lip, frowned.
“
I don
’
t know,
”
she whispered.

“
Yes, you do,
”
he said, so in tune with her emotions that he didn
’
t even
question the intense sensation.
“
You
’
re afraid, Monique. Afraid that if you let
me touch you, you
’
ll never want to let me go. And as much as you try to act like
you don
’
t care about family duty or spirits in general, you do. You don
’
t want
to let the
Vicknairs
down, even if it means giving up something you want very
much.
”

“
You?
”
she questioned softly.

He grinned.
“
Yeah. Me. But you don
’
t have to worry about what will happen if I
touch you, Monique.
”

“
Why not?
”
she asked, her eyes widening.

“
Because I promise not to touch.
”
He spoke the words and prayed they were true
.

Then again, they had to be, didn
’
t they? As a spirit, he was
“
physically
incapable
”
of telling a lie. And he
’
d just promised not to touch a marvelously
naked Monique.

This would be the death of him. Scratch that. He was already dead. But if he
could have died like this, pleasing Monique, he
’
d have died a very happy man.

She took a slow breath, let it out and moistened her lips.
“
How?
”

Have mercy, he hoped he could please Monique, thoroughly, without his erection
getting the better of his senses. He could almost come just looking at her, but
he wouldn
’
t. This time, as he
’
d told her earlier, was for her. It was all about
her. And it would happen without a single touch.

No pressure.

“
Here,
”
he said, taking a large, overstuffed pink satin throw pillow and holding
it toward her.
“
Lean back against the white pillows, then slide this one under
your hips.
”

She did, and a brief flash of lightning illuminated the room and displayed
Monique
Vicknair
, her body at an angle, head down and bottom high, resting on
the pillow.

“
Now spread your legs for me.
”
He picked up the silver vibrator from where he
’
d
placed it on the nightstand as another surge of lightning displayed her sweet,
wet center, opened before him and, oh, so ready.

Ryan
’
s cock was so hard, so hot, that he had to grit his teeth to control the
maddening desire that made him want to lick, suck and nibble on the beautiful
feast before him, then plunge into her with everything it took to quench her
need—and his.

He turned on the vibrator, listened to the soft buzzing join the thunder in the
distance, and heard her sharp inhalation as she watched and waited. He let her
hear the noise then lifted the silver bullet-shaped object for her to view.
“
Is
this what you need?
”

She licked her lips.
“
Yes.
”

He knew this would make his own aches worse, but he wanted to—had to—make the
most of her pleasure.
“
Not yet,
”
he said, moving to one side of the bed.

“
Not yet?
”
she questioned, her voice an urgent plea.

“
That
’
s right. Just in case this is the only time, I
’
m damn well going to do it
right.
”

She opened her mouth as though she were going to argue, then took a resigned
breath and whispered,
“
Okay.
”

Ryan sincerely hoped this wasn
’
t the only time he
’
d ever have Monique
Vicknair
,
but he wasn
’
t about to pull a quickie, then regret it later. Besides, even
though he couldn
’
t enter her, he still wanted her to know what it
’
d be like if
the two of them could ever join completely, touching and all. If she ever agreed
to let him. After tonight, he prayed she would want more, and that she
’
d want it
enough to put her fears aside and let him do everything he was about to
describe.

“
This is my mouth,
”
he said, taking the vibrator to the soft flesh behind her
right ear and placing the trembling tip against her lobe,
“
nibbling on your
ear.
”
He eased it slowly across her neck, dipping down to graze her collarbone
before moving it to the other lobe and doing the same.

“
Oh,
”
she gasped, then smiled.
“
That
’
s—very nice.
”
She rolled her head to the
opposite side, flipping her hair out of the way and exposing her neck for him to
have better access at the sensitive skin.

Good. She enjoyed this game. And he was only getting started.

He rolled the pulsing vibrator down her sternum, then up the curving inner swell
of her left breast. It was hard to manipulate the apparatus without touching
her, but he was doing it. And doing a damn fine job of making her squirm in the
process. He held the tip over her nipple, while she fisted her hands in the
sheet and bit her lower lip.

“
I want to touch you,
”
she moaned.
“
It
’
s killing me, I want to so much.
”

He wanted it too, wanted her to touch him, and even more, wanted to touch her
.

She had no idea how much. But he
’
d made a promise, and he
’
d keep it.

Ryan moved the vibrator to her other nipple, while she twisted to view his
penis, hard and heavy against the side of the bed. His stance was awkward, his
feet firmly on the floor, while he leaned over her body supporting his weight
with one arm. With the other, he teased her into excruciating desire. She wanted
him. He wanted her. But she
’
d have to settle for what was allowed by her rules,
and he
’
d have to settle for what was allowed by Monique. Thank goodness there
weren
’
t any rules banning a spirit
’
s use of vibrators.

He smirked. Vibrators were banned in some states, weren
’
t they? What about

Louisiana? Obviously, if they were, Monique didn
’
t care. She thoroughly enjoyed
the silver wonder moving down her belly toward the apex of her legs.

Digging her heels into the bed, she lifted her hips, opening wide in
anticipation of the pulsing sensation against her clitoris. Ryan wanted to build
that anticipation, deepen the climax, and he knew how. He stood and moved to the
foot of the bed and viewed Monique, her body practically writhing now with the
need to come.

“
Ryan, please.
”

The end of his cock ached with desire. What he wouldn
’
t give to drive into her,
deep into her center, where she wanted him. He placed the vibrator against her
inner thigh, then moved it slowly around the outer edge of her nether lips,
swollen and exposed and enticing. Her stomach dipped in, and she held her
breath, while Ryan inhaled her intoxicating feminine scent.

Forcing his cock to stay put, he set his sights on intensifying her orgasm.
“
I
’
m
nibbling you here, Monique,
”
he said, easing the throbbing vibrator up her lips
and toward her clit.
“
Nibbling and biting and licking and sucking, and moving to
that spot that
’
s burning, swollen and pink and ready for me to take.
”

She moved her legs wider, pressed her hips higher.
“
Yes, Ryan, please.
”

He held the vibrator directly above her clitoris, while he watched her sex
quiver and flex, ready for penetration. He couldn
’
t give her that, couldn
’
t give
himself that, either.

But he could give her this.

“
I
’
m licking my way closer, ready to touch you, smelling your delicious
fragrance, wanting you so much that my cock is nearly ready to explode,
”
he
said, and slid the vibrator to that sweet spot, exactly where she wanted it,
needed it.
“
This is me, Monique, my mouth clamping down and sucking you until
you can
’
t take it any more. Sucking and nibbling and biting, until you can
’
t
hold on, until you have to let go and set that spiraling, burning, maddening
tension free—
”

Her scream pierced the night at the same moment that the most vivid flash of