Melt (10 page)

“You never let her forget.”

“How could I? I never forgot. Not for a minute. I still see
her bruises.” He stopped, catching the quick way she lowered her gaze to her
lap. “Yeah, I froze last night, seeing yours. Everything reminds me. Thinking
of some guy doing anything to you—”

“The situation with us was different. It was mostly
consensual, and he was never violent. Not once.”

“I didn’t plan to react the way I did outside. But when his
fist came up to bang on the door, I couldn’t see straight. I couldn’t control
my rage either.” He smiled again, but that smile was as icy as the snow falling
outside. “Guess that adage about the apple never falling too from the tree is
right, even when it’s not your own damn tree.”

“Now
you’re
talking BS. You’d never hurt me. God, I all but asked you to spank me, and you
wouldn’t do it. It’s a different kind of pain, but you won’t even cause me that
much.” She framed his face in her palms. “You overreacted, yes, but your heart
was in the right place. It’s always in the right place, just like it’s been
every day since you first walked in my bar. Just like when you helped me catch
up in chemistry class when I kept falling asleep.”

After a long pause, he cleared his throat. “I don’t wear a
halo well. Especially when it’s undeserved.”

“Says who?”

“I wanted you. Then, now.” His direct blue gaze sliced
through her, leaving her quivering inside. “I knew you were taken, and it
didn’t stop me. Christ, I nearly tore you apart today.”

“You hear me complaining?”

“No. But I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want you to go
along.”

Her face flared with heat. “What part of today made you
think I was
going along?
I was fully
involved, I assure you. I’ll be fully involved the next time and the time after
that. You’d be surprised how fast you see the error of your ways when you walk
into your living room and see your boyfriend with his dick in one chick’s ass,
his face in another’s crotch, and a third one getting herself off a few feet
away.”

“Kylie, wait,” he said when she started to rise. He circled
his fingers around her wrist to hold her still. “I got hit in the head today.
Don’t listen to me.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Nice save.”

“I’m sorry if I questioned your ability to make up your own
mind. I guess I’m just a little amazed that you’re here with me. That there’s
nothing standing in our way.”

Her cheeks warmed again for an altogether different reason. “Jumping
out of one relationship and right into another wouldn’t be too smart,” she
said, well aware she already had. Casual sex didn’t enter the conversation when
it came to Justin Norton.

“So we won’t call it a relationship. We’ll call it
a…situation.”

She laughed again. Being with him made her happy, and
denying it wouldn’t do either of them any favors. “Right. That sounds much
better.” Her stomach growled, and she smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.
All
my appetites are huge.”

Now it was his turn to laugh. He rolled up her shirt and
leaned down to kiss her belly. Her muscles fluttered under his lips, and he
turned his head to smile up at her, his face alight. “I’ll satisfy all of them,
don’t worry.”

“You’re so gorgeous. I never looked at you long enough
before,” she whispered, brushing his tangled hair back from his forehead.
“You’re going to get a swelled head if I keep this up.”

“Oh, that’s already taken care of. Just not the one you’re
thinking about.” He ground his hips against her ass, and she stifled a sigh at
the feel of his thick length. “But before we get back to that, we have a
night-before-Thanksgiving feast to prepare.”

“We sure do.” She climbed off his lap and stuck her hand in
his as he got to his feet. “So…frozen dinners, huh?”

“We’ll do better than that. I already know what I’m eating
for dessert.”

Kylie shivered and pulled him up the hall toward the
kitchen. “Would you look at that? I’m suddenly in a big hurry to get this meal
finished.”

* * * *

Justin had never enjoyed a feast of fried shrimp—his freezer
had netted more than just pizza, though he had no idea where the seafood had
come from—crackers and cheese, fruit, and Cobb salad before. The Cobb salad
lacked bleu cheese and the apples were tart enough to wear away his fillings,
but all in all, the meal was delicious. They’d worked their way through one
bottle of wine and were now uncorking the second, though Kylie had drunk the
lion’s share of the first. She’d started feeling some pain earlier, but if he
wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t feeling any now.

God, she was beautiful. The soft buzz of alcohol pinked her
lips and sexily unfocused her wicked blue eyes. His cock hardened more and more
the longer they faced each other across their living room picnic in front of
the fire. She’d shared some bartending war stories, and he’d told her a couple
from school, but the nicest thing about their friendship was they didn’t have
to talk. Everything felt comfortable between them, borne from hours of easy
conversation in a low-pressure atmosphere. Even if they didn’t know all the
details of each other’s lives, in the most vital ways, they knew each other. He
just had to convince
her
of that.

First he had to find a way not to want her so badly that all
rational thought disappeared the minute she looked in his direction.

When she caught him adjusting himself for what had to be the
fifth time, she laughed and popped to her feet pretty damn nimbly considering
her state of intoxication.

“Let’s go for a ride.”

“Yes, let’s,” he said gratefully, catching his fingers in
her belt loops and tugging her close so he could press his mouth against her
denim-clad crotch.

“Not that kind, silly.” She giggled and wound her fingers
through his hair, stroking his scalp in that possessive, borderline-rough way
he already loved. “Not yet. I mean outside.” He glanced up and studied her
glowing face in the flickering firelight. “In the snow. I want to put my arms
around you, hold on tight while you take me through the turns I couldn’t
navigate last night. I want to reach down and feel your cock and know you’re
dying to have me.”

Right then he would’ve given up his job, his house, and even
his sanity just to be able to make that erotic wish come true. “Honey, it’s
snowing like crazy out there.”

“I know. But it would be fun. A little dangerous, yes, but I
trust you.”

He wasn’t strong enough to say no to her. “You’re still
sore.”

“So are you.” Again she stroked the area under his eyes, her
fingertips as soothing as the aloe she carried in her purse. “Plus I know
you’ve had a bit to drink, so maybe it’s not a good idea.”

“I had half a glass, maybe. Didn’t want to overdo it with
all the OTCs you poured down my throat.”

“You’re such a good boy.”

“Yeah, sure. That’s me. Be careful what you say or maybe
I’ll go upstairs and grab something out of that drawer for you to wear during
our ride.”

Though he’d mostly been joking, the interest that ignited in
her eyes made him reconsider. “Which ride are we talking about?”

“Any. All.”

“None of the vibes or dildos in your drawer were small
enough to wear while out and about. So I’m guessing you’re referring to a butt
plug.”

Part of him wanted to shield her from his needs, while the
rest of him ached to have in her every way she would give him. “Guess I am.”

She caught the tip of her tongue between her teeth. “So you’ll
fuck my ass, but you won’t spank me. Out of some misguided fear of hurting me.
Just want to be clear,” she said when he glanced back toward the fire.

“I can’t help wanting to protect you.”

“From what? You?” Her low scoff eased the tension curled in his
gut. “I trust you, Justin. With all of me.”

Even your heart?
Saying nothing, he rose and began gathering the remnants of their meal.

“I’m sorry. I guess my pushing you into doing something you
don’t want to, whatever the reason, is no better than Rob trying to ease me
into the world of group sex.”

He let out a harsh laugh as he grabbed the stems of their
wineglasses in one hand. “You really think you’re pushing me? Fucking you in
the ass is the least of what I’d like us to do. Together. It’s not just a matter
of me doing what I want and you getting a gold star because you’ll take it. I
need you to crave me the way I do you, no matter the method. And maybe I’m just
not sure you’re really there yet or if it’s still about you pleasing me.”

“Yeah, because pleasing men is my only purpose in life.” She
snorted. “Wanna see the scuffs on my knees?”

“No.”

“Maybe you’d rather see me lie down in front of you and
thrust my ass in the air. Maybe you’ll get the message, then.” She laid her
hand on her lower belly, drawing his gaze as surely as if she’d peeled off her
jeans. “If only you had any idea how wet I am just imagining your hand on my
ass, you’d sing a different tune.”

Justin closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Thinking about
Kylie getting wet while she imagined him smacking the firm cheeks of her ass
was not doing him any favors. “Did you want to take that ride or not?”

“
Oooh
, I’ve pissed you off.” She
stepped closer and slipped her hand under his shirt, scratching his stomach
lightly with her short nails. His cock sprung up between them, and she laughed
huskily. “Whatever gets you up works for me. Maybe if I get you hot enough,
you’ll finally listen to what I’m saying.”

“You’re drunk.”

“You wish.” She nibbled his lips and licked his tongue. “I
said the same things when I was sober. I’m just…comfortable. Nice and relaxed
and loose.”

“And wet.”

“
Mmmhmm
. Very.”

He gripped her chin in his free hand and sank into the kiss,
tasting the pear notes of the wine along with the crispness of the apple. She
rose up on her tiptoes and flattened her breasts against his chest, skewering
him erotically with the hard points of her nipples.

He was being ridiculous. She wanted him and clearly longed
for the rough games they both liked to play. He wasn’t some brute who would be
indifferent to her pleasure. If he sensed she wasn’t enjoying what was
happening between them, he’d stop, and that would be the end of it.

If she trusted him that much, it was damn well time he
learned to trust himself.

“Let’s go play in the snow,” he said against her mouth.
“Then we’ll play in here.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” She angled her head back
as he threaded his fingers through her tousled blonde curls. A crafty smile
tipped up one corner of her mouth. “So what about that butt plug you mentioned?”

He swallowed and tried to keep his breathing measured. “Sure
about that?”

Her nod was all he needed to have him setting down the
glasses and leading her down the hall to his bedroom. He went straight to the
nightstand, his only thought filling her with the plug in a prelude to filling
her with his cock. His heartbeat stampeded in his ears when he looked back and
saw her already bent over the bed, pants around her thighs and ass in the air.

She shot him a hot look over her shoulder. “Hurry up unless
you want to hear my teeth start chattering.”

“A little shivering’s good for you.” He grabbed the lube and
tossed it onto the closest pillow, then reached for one of the two unopened
packages of plugs in the drawer. Despite her assertions of experience, he chose
the smaller of the two in deference to the ride they were about to take
outside. He didn’t intend to do more than go halfway down a straight trail and
back, so the bumping and jostling shouldn’t be bad at all, but just in case, he
didn’t want to hurt her.

As if she could read his thoughts as he stared at the
plastic-wrapped package, she whispered, “I like a little pain. You just don’t
believe me, do you?”

“Humor me,” he said and ripped out the plug.

“Fine. You’ll see soon enough for yourself.” She grabbed the
lube he’d dropped on the bed and opened the cap. The pungent scent of
strawberries wafted up to him as she spread it over her fingers and reached
back, fingering her rosette in an efficient way that had him biting off a
curse. She gathered more liquid, then slid her finger inside, grimacing only
slightly as she held the pose. “Guess it’s been longer than I thought.”

He took the lube from her and covered his fingers, shaking
like an addict just before his fix as he slipped one coated digit into her hot pussy.
“Christ,” he muttered when she clenched him hard enough to feel like she’d
snapped his joint.

Her giggle as she rotated the finger in her ass made him
smile even in the midst of his extreme arousal. But she wasn’t about to let him
off easy. She fumbled for the butt plug he’d placed on the bed and lifted it to
her lips, sucking the plastic deep into her mouth much like she’d pleasured his
cock. Without hesitation, she shifted and slid it into her well-lubed hole,
letting out a breathy sigh that mingled with his groan as he watched the navy
plastic disappear inside her taut flesh.

“Just like riding a bicycle,” she said and rolled over,
flashing him a delicious glimpse of her damp pussy.

He gazed down at her. With her slumberous blue eyes and her cheeks
flushed dusky pink from the wine, she looked as if she’d been fucked for hours.
All the tension had left her body, and her complete relaxation around him was
as seductive as the delicious smell of her juice.

“So how’d you come to collect so many toys? They’re not
used, thank God, because…
eww
.”

He laughed. “A girl I met right after college and I got into
them. It was fun discovering what we liked. After we broke up, I bought a new
one now and then.”

“Wishful sex-toy shopping.” She nodded sagely. “I know it
well. None of your girlfriends were into it?”