Licked (L.A. Liaisons Book 1) (14 page)

I unlocked the door that led straight up to my place instead of going through the store, and then held it open for him to pass through. After unlocking the door at the top of the stairs and punching in the alarm code—yes, I was anal about safety—I pointed at an open spot he could set it down. Then he headed back to the truck to grab the second one, and I did a quick sweep of the apartment.
 

Bowl had been washed, no visible undergarments, even made my bed. Looking in the mirror, I pushed back a few windswept strands. I could use some pink gloss, but otherwise, not too shabby after shopping.

“Same spot for this one?” Hunter asked, as his built frame filled the doorway.
 

“Yeah, thanks.”

His body brushed against mine as he moved to the spot I’d indicated, and I couldn’t help but check out his ass as he bent over.
 

Damn.
I didn’t need to be looking at him, to be memorizing every inch to use later. But I couldn’t remember being so sexually attracted to anyone before in my life. Even Cameron, with his dizzying perfection, didn’t have me wanting to rip his clothes off and mount him right there on the floor.
 

“Ryleigh?” I vaguely heard him calling before shaking myself out of my trance. Hunter’s forehead was wrinkled in concern. “You okay?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” I gave a weak smile as I watched him push his hair off his forehead. It was only slightly sweaty—amazing, considering it was about a thousand degrees outside.

“Can I get you something to drink before you go?” I asked.

He seemed surprised by the question. “A water would be great.”

“Right. Okay.” My damn legs were unsteady as I walked into the kitchen and pulled a couple of water bottles from the refrigerator.
 

As I shut it, I turned to find him right behind me. He was close, so close. I hadn’t bothered to flip on the lights, and it felt…intimate standing there with him like that. But I couldn’t find it in myself to move. In fact, I wanted him closer…

He took a step toward me so that the fabric of his shirt grazed my fingers. Then he reached between us, and I swear my heart stopped. Taking one of the waters from my hands, he unscrewed the top and took a long drink, his eyes staying on mine the entire time.
 

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I knew what my body wanted, but I didn’t dare act on it.
 

But then Hunter took a step closer, and my ass hit the counter. He set down the water and left his hand there, boxing me in between him and the fridge.
 

“Is there something you want, Ryleigh?” His voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes searching mine as if he was looking for permission.
Permission for what?

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. I wasn’t even sure what I would say if I could.
Please? No? Stop? Kiss me?
None of those felt right, and still I stood there, waiting.
 

His free hand came up to cup the side of my neck, and his thumb stroked my lower lip. I leaned into his palm, my eyes closing as I relished his touch. Nothing else ran through my mind other than how it felt to be held by him, how warm and strong and virile he was. My lips parted under his fingers…

“Open your eyes.”

When I opened them, his head bent down, his lips skimming mine so lightly I would’ve thought it had been a dream if I wasn’t watching it happen. He paused then, not moving away, but waiting…he wanted me to meet him halfway.
 

With the throbbing between my thighs, and the way every part of me wanted every part of him, there was no way I could refuse, nothing in my brain telling me it was a bad idea, that I should abort mission.
 

Instead, I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips against his.
 

And with that, the hesitation between us disappeared.
 

Hunter’s mouth was hungry on mine, more delicious than the sweetest, most sinful fruit from a tree. He kissed me with urgency, like he’d never get the chance to again and this was the moment he’d take with him his whole life. I could feel his soul in that kiss, his passion, and his desire. Desire for
me
.
 

His hand went to my hair, taking out the clip that held it together before spearing his fingers through the loose strands. I moaned into his mouth, my hands gripping his sides under his shirt and pulling him closer. The way his tongue moved against mine was so wickedly erotic that I knew, if I let him, his tongue between my legs would be something I’d never forget.
 

He lifted me onto the counter, spreading my legs and positioning himself between them. As he kissed me, his hands rose from my ankles up over my knees. I’d worn a dress today, a flowing one that slid up easy, just as it was doing now…

Hands, warm and rough, grasped the outside of my thighs, and he tore his lips away from mine to rasp, “Tell me this is what you want.”

His thumb was massaging slow circles on my skin, his hands inching under my skirt. If I truly didn’t want things to go further, this was the time to say it. But there was no way I could stop now. No way in hell I wanted to.
 

I leaned forward to capture his mouth again, but he pulled away.
 

“Tell me,” he said.
 

“I want this,” I heard myself say, threading my fingers through his hair. “I want you.” Pulling his lips back to mine, I kissed him in a way that proved I meant every word. I wrapped my legs around his waist and drew him closer, and his hands went under my dress to my ass, squeezing me tight against him.
 

His body was rock hard against my needy core, and I ached for friction, from his fingers, his mouth,
his cock
…

As if he’d read my mind, he lifted me off the counter, legs still wrapped around him, and carried me to the first piece of furniture we came to—my oversized lounge chair. He set me down gently, and with one last kiss, he dropped down to his knees, sliding my legs up onto his shoulders. His eyes were fervent, filled with lust, and he licked his lips as he pushed my skirt up around my hips and slipped my panties off.
 

Oh God.
It wasn’t nerves I felt then, but the most intense yearning I’d ever felt in my life. If he didn’t put his mouth on me then, I’d probably die. I watched him lower his head and lick a path between my thighs. Even with just that brief teasing touch the pleasure was indescribable, and my whole body shivered. The seconds that passed until his lips were on me again were agony, but then his tongue rubbed over my swollen clit, sucking it gently into his mouth.
 

“Oh my God,” I breathed, needing more. My hand came up to grasp his head while the other white-knuckled the arm of the chair. He didn’t need any more urging before devouring me, his tongue dipping inside, and then out to flick my clit before diving in again.
 

His eyes were twinkling with devilry as he watched me fall apart underneath his mouth. I’d never thought it was hot before to have a guy look at you while they went down on you, but there was nowhere else I wanted his eyes to be. It made the connection flame hotter, more passionate, made me want so much more than his tongue on me and in me.
 

My body tensed as the rush of an impending orgasm reached its full crescendo before bursting in wave after wave of release. His mouth rode me through it, hungrily sucking every last drop from me. His fingers massaged my legs resting on his shoulders before I dropped them down to the ground. Though my body was thoroughly sated, I craved the feel of him against me.
 

Sliding off the chair, I sat in his lap with my legs on either side of him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “More,” I whispered, before tilting my head to the side and tasting myself on his lips. His arms enveloped me, crushing me to him as his tongue tangled with mine.
 

Hunter and his magic fucking tongue. If you could capture it and sell it, it’d be worth a fortune.
 

His cock was hard underneath me, and I circled my hips. A tortured groan escaped him, and then—

The shrill blast of my cell phone ringing and vibrating on the table beside us had me jumping.
 

“Ignore it,” I said, kissing up the side of Hunter’s neck.
 

“Ryleigh.”

“It’ll stop.” I bit his lobe.
 

He pulled away, his eyes on the phone screen.
 

Cameron.

It was like being doused with a bucket of ice water.
Cameron
was calling. Cameron, the guy I was supposedly interested in and who was roommates and best friends with the guy I was currently straddling. Without panties.
 

Oh fuck.
Oh fuck fuck fuck.
 

I scrambled off his lap and stared at the phone. Hunter didn’t move.
 

“You should answer it,” he said finally.
 

But I couldn’t. How could I answer a call from him after what we’d just…what he’d just…

What did I just do?

The ringing stopped. We looked at each other in silence, but I couldn’t read his face. He’d wanted me to answer it? Or was he just saying that to see what I’d do?
 

With the sexual tension in the room having evaporated the second my phone went off, cold reality slapped us in the face.
 

What did this mean? Would we be a thing now? Was it just an “oops”? Would he tell Cameron? Would he quit working on renovations and leave me in a lurch?
 

I couldn’t stop the panic from setting in, even though I didn’t regret what had just happened.
 

Wait…I didn’t regret it?
 

I searched for the pangs I knew would be coming, but I felt nothing. In fact, it had all felt so right. The only guilt stemmed from the person on the other end of that line, and that was what had me more confused than anything.
 

My cell went off again with Cameron’s number prominently displayed. When I looked back at Hunter, he seemed resigned, and he stood up.
 

“I should probably go,” he said quietly.
 

“You don’t have to,” I told him, getting to my feet.
 

He ran his hand over his face and then through his hair. “Yeah, I do.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and hesitated before shaking whatever thought he’d had out of his head. Nodding at the phone, he said, “You should probably answer that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And then he left, leaving me standing there in my empty apartment with nothing but a ringing phone and the taste of him on my lips.

AFTER A SLEEPLESS night with no idea how to deal with the events of yesterday, I’d called Quinn to talk me off a ledge. Or up the winding incline of Runyon Canyon at six a.m., as it were.
 

“Oh my God, Ry,” Quinn said when I’d finished filling her in on the details. She stopped abruptly, and when I looked over my shoulder, she was gaping at me.

With a sigh, I headed back down the dirt path, the dust kicking up behind me.
 

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re supposed to be the nonjudgmental, non-condoning one. That’s why I called you.”

Quinn pulled her long black ponytail tighter and let her hands drop to her hips. “I’m not judging or condoning, it’s just…well, this is
you
.”
 

“I know. I’m a horrible person.”

“You are
not
a horrible person,” she said, linking her arm through mine as we trudged up the godforsaken hill again. Have I mentioned I hate working out? I especially hate hiking. This should tell you how desperate I was feeling.
 

“What do I do? Pretend like nothing happened?” I asked.

“First of all, it’s not like you’re cheating on this Cameron guy. You’ve been on, what, one date?”

“Technically, but two if you count the reunion.”

“And you’ve never slept with the guy.”

“I’ve never even
kissed
him.”

“What?” Quinn stopped again. “Why are we even discussing this whole guilt thing right now?

“Because I
like
Cameron. I’ve always liked Cameron. I’ve wanted him since I was fifteen.”

She began to drag me up the hill again, which probably looked ridiculous given how damn tiny she was. “Well, you may
like
him, but your body is saying you like
like
this other guy.”

“I’m sure my body would like
like
Cameron too if given a chance.”

“Just because you’ve crushed on him since before you knew what sex was doesn’t mean you have to still harbor those feelings.”
 

“Oh, but Quinn, he’s perfect. So, so perfect. Six four, the most gorgeous clear blue eyes you’ve ever seen, a body that could throw you up against the wall—”

“What good’s all that if he doesn’t use it?”

“—he’s polite, he opens doors, he has a job he’s passionate about—”