Naked (23 page)

More spectacular than the supposed view of the city had to be Noah’s backside. Not just his ass, but his entire frame. His shoulders made her want to reach out and grab on tight. To slip her hands past his waist and run her fingers over every ripple of his body.

“This is awesome.” He turned. “You know that’s what I love most about working in commercial construction. Nine times out of ten you’re building up high enough that the views are breathtaking.”

She’d have to take his word for it. She never looked down.

With Noah still admiring the view, she walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinet above the coffeemaker. She reached up, raising on her toes, loving the way her legs felt when stretched to their limit, and pulled out a wineglass.

There was no beer in the condo. She’d have to remember to get…

Shaking her head, she got rid of the thought.

She wouldn’t have to remember to get beer for the next time Noah was here. Because there wouldn’t be a next time.

“Noah, I don’t have any beer, but I have vodka.” She grabbed a bottle of Stoli from the bottom cabinet.

She heard his soft footsteps as he entered the kitchen. She was going to miss his quiet dominance. Everything about him that screamed
I am a man
.

There was a heaviness in the air between them tonight, because it was the last time. For everything. The last drink together. The last kiss. The last time they had sex. The last time she would look into his eyes and feel completely herself. Completely accepted.

It’s because he doesn’t know who you are. It’s because he doesn’t understand your history or your world.

That’s what she kept telling herself. But she knew deep down the truth didn’t matter. Noah wasn’t the type of person to judge. Which was why tonight, she was going to get naked. Completely naked.

After tonight, maybe she’d be able to text Harper and let her know she’d completed some extra credit.

“I’ll have some wine if that’s what you’re having.” She turned to face him, and her breath caught in her throat. Was she ever going to get used to him? To his perfectly sculpted body. He was wearing that tight white T-shirt. The one he wore at least once a week. Today it was hidden under a red flannel shirt that hung open in the front. Unfortunately, that meant his tattoos were covered, but he was forgiven because of the way his jeans hung low and snug on his hips. And there were his hands. They always looked like they wanted to reach out and dominate her. She’d probably miss that most of all.

“Red?” She held up the bottle she was going to open for herself.

When he nodded, she pulled another wineglass from the cupboard but her hand spasmed and it dropped, shattering into a million tiny pieces.

She cursed, holding up her shaky hand. “Stay there. You don’t have any shoes on.”

“Neither do you,” he countered. “Let me get us both shoes and then we can clean it up.”

“It just slipped.” She stared at him from across the room, embarrassment washing over her.

“I know.” She feared he did know. That it didn’t just slip. That she had dropped it because her hand couldn’t grip it properly.

“Where’s your broom?” he called from the foyer where they’d left their shoes.

“In the small closet in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.”

When he returned with his shoes on and broom in hand, he smiled at her. “If you wanted me closer to your bedroom you could have just asked.” He began sweeping. “You didn’t have to make a mess.”

“In that case…” Her words trailed off in innuendo.

He looked up and growled, a sound that actually rumbled in his chest like some kind of animal. Or caveman. Well, he could go caveman on her anytime he wanted.

Maybe he’ll even throw you over his shoulder.

“You didn’t bring me any shoes.”

He winked. “I know.”

Her stomach clenched in excitement, and so did her downstairs area. Maybe he had the same over-the-shoulder idea.

When he had all of the glass swept up and in the garbage can, he grabbed her around the waist and hefted her onto the counter, then inspected her hand. “Did you cut yourself?”

When their hands touched, a spark raced down to her pelvis. Immediately, she was on sensory overload. It felt like a million tiny pins were pressing into her skin at the same time. Because that’s what he did to her. Excited and exposed her, all at the same time.

He searched each finger, one by one. Another spark. But this time it went north, settling somewhere unknown. Somewhere uncharted.

“I think it got this one.” She held up her index finger, giving it a little wave in front of his face.

Without hesitation, he leaned over and kissed it. She gasped, her body tensing with the touch of his lips to her skin.

“Better?”

She looked into the depths of his brown eyes, and shrugged. “A little.”

He went a step further. His tongue flicked out and he licked the pad of her finger. “How about now?”

“I think…” Her words came out on a gasp. “Maybe you should pay attention to the whole finger.”

He reached out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her hand toward his mouth. Next thing she knew, her finger had slipped between his lips. The warmth of his mouth and the swirl of his tongue along her skin kicked up the desire she’d been trying to tamp down. Shouldn’t they at least have a drink? Watch a movie? Something normal?

But they weren’t normal. This whole situation wasn’t normal, which made it all the more exciting.

His hands found their way to her hips and she tensed. His hands were close to her stomach, which was close to her breasts, which was closer to her neck, which would reveal all of her scars. And the closer she got to the big reveal, the more her confidence waned.

“Nervous about something?”

“What’s makes you think I’m nervous?” Her voice was a little high, giving away her discomfort. Damn him for being so perceptive.

“There’s no need to be nervous.” His voice was husky and low. It washed over her like the tide. “I’m yours to command.”

A moment passed, and his lips curved into a tiny grin. He was teasing her. Tempting her to make a move. Considering the hard length shoving between her legs, she gave him credit for his restraint.

She leaned in, watching his lips. The way he licked his bottom one, the smooth glide of his soft tongue over lush flesh. She wanted to bite that bottom lip. She wanted to feel it on hers. On her skin. Between her legs.

“Anything I want?” She tapped her finger against her lips. “You know there’s one thing I haven’t seen.”

“What’s that?” He stared at her lips when he spoke.

“You. Naked.”

His eyes darted to the ceiling in thought and when he returned to her face, he smiled. “That’s true.”

It was. Even Noah hadn’t been fully naked since they’d started this relationship.

Leaning back, she rested her head against the cupboards. “Why don’t you strip for me?”

He grinned, one hand fisted at his side. “What happens when I take my clothes off?”

She bit her thumbnail, answering him between her nibbling. “You’ll see.”

If he knew what was in store for him, she knew he’d be nude in a second. But she had given him no indication that she had every intention of getting naked. Fully naked. She knew he was itching to get to her neck. He was itching to get at her breasts as well. He’d said as much.

“What happens if I don’t follow your rules?” He stepped back with strategically slow steps as he took in every inch of her body. As if he was sizing up his prey.

Her.

“Then maybe it’s my turn to spank
you
,” Violet demurely responded.

His chest contorted in a half laugh. “And how is that a punishment?”

She didn’t respond, knowing full well he was going to play along.

The first things he removed were his shoes. Next he removed his shirt; the red-checked fabric slid through his hands as it fell to the floor, leaving him in only a white tee. She’d seen him like this many times on the roof of his house. In the driveway. On that damn trampoline. His full sleeve of tattoos on his right arm was an intricate work of art.

He gripped the shirt at his stomach and pulled it out of the waistband of his jeans. She got a glimpse of the dark hair that started near his belly button and traveled down, disappearing into his jeans. Her mouth watered. She’d never craved something—someone—so much.

When his tee dropped to the floor he smiled, swiping his big hand over his chest and abdomen. That big hand was doing things to his own body that she desperately wanted done to her. She wanted to feel his hands on her chest, her breasts, the sensitive flesh below her belly button. So far she’d been denying herself that exquisite sensation.

The man was a walking, talking mass of hard flesh. His arms were strong, with forearms that flexed with each clench of his fists. Biceps that were sculpted to perfection. His body was toned and tanned. She had no idea what he did for a living, but she didn’t doubt he worked outside with his hands.

She’d spent her entire life around blue-collars; the very fortune she was inheriting was built on the hands of hardworking men. But she’d never wanted one of those men before. So why now?

What was it about Noah that had her panting like an alley cat in heat?

He slid the leather belt through the buckle, then pulled it tight. The metal clacked against itself when the leather released and it fell apart on either side of his fly. A sizable bulge had tightened his jeans.

Right there. That was exactly what had her panting. The bulge in his pants she couldn’t wait to release from its fabric prison and feel in her palm.

The elastic of his underwear peeked above his jeans; the white-and-black band spelled Under Armour. He ripped the fly. One by one the buttons released, a soft, rhythmic
plick
that matched every second thump of her heart against her chest. His jeans fell to the floor and he kicked them away along with his shoes.

“Come closer.” She crooked her finger.

In just his boxer briefs, he stalked to where she sat on the counter. Her heart was pounding inside her chest—not just from excitement, but from fear. The closer they got to getting her naked, the more embarrassed she became.

When she started to jump down from the counter, he stopped her, shaking his head. Instead, he wrapped her legs around his hips and carried her to the back of the unit.

It wasn’t over the shoulder, but she’d take it.

Her bedroom was the last door on the right. He pressed her up against the wall beside it, maintaining the lip-lock he’d started while they made their way through her condo. She heard the soft click of the door handle and the whoosh of air as he flung open the door to her bedroom.

His hands grabbed her ass and squeezed, pressing her harder into his pelvis. She retaliated with a slow grind against him. Their bodies rocked together upright, his lips tangling with hers, his erection sliding over her folds.

“Take me to the bed,” she whispered.

He pushed off the wall and took the five steps to the bed. He flung her down and she bounced on the mattress, She barely had time to get her bearings. Noah clasped his big hands around her waist and curled his fingers over her yoga pants, but she scrambled away. Tonight, it was her show. She was in charge.

There was something powerful in Noah being almost naked and her still being fully clothed, but tonight wasn’t about power. Tonight was about proving to herself that she didn’t have to hide.

She knelt, giving him her back, and he sidled up to her, taking the same position. Without words, without notice, she stripped off her shirt. There would be no way for him to know what was on the other side of her body. Her back was perfectly normal, her skin flawless as it always had been.

Then she went for her yoga pants, revealing her purple lace panties and the part of her body he’d seen now a hundred times.

He seemed to know to back off, to let her take control of disrobing. To know somehow that she needed to do this at her own pace. Which was exactly why he was here. Because she trusted him.

She had to step up on the bed to get the yoga pants off her body and when she kicked them to the floor, he pulled her to him, nuzzling her lower back against his face.

His hands traced the line of her panties against her ass cheeks. He’d shown a keen interest in her ass. Which was why she’d asked him to spank her the other night, not knowing that she would love it just as much.

She bent, pressing her ass into his face. He groaned, his hands now massaging her front, seeking out her tight bead through the lace.

He bit and kissed her, deep, openmouthed kisses that she wished he was placing on her clit. But this position was the perfect way for her to get naked. To slowly reveal the part of her body that she’d been terrified to show the world.

She lowered to her knees, his hands continuing to massage her body, his fingers like electric probes sending shock waves of excitement to every molecule.

When she’d dropped down on all fours, her ass became his focus. His mouth traveled down the seam as his hands followed, pulling down the lace until she was bare. He licked and sucked her from behind, sending sharp jolts of pleasure straight to her clit. Straight to her brain.

Noah’s hands traveled up her spine to where her bra was clasped together. She looked over her shoulder and nodded. He made quick work of the clasp and the bra fell down to the bed in seconds.

She took a deep breath. It had been so long since she’d felt open air on her chest with a man in the room. But now, instead of the zings of pleasure that Noah had been wreaking on her body, it was the heavy weight of his stare that had her frozen. Panic threatened to take over.

Why had she tried to do this? She should be feeling pleasure. She should be seconds away from orgasm, not scratching her fingernails down the sheet in terror. What made her think that Noah would be the one to give her exactly the reaction she was looking for?

Noah continued to rub her body, his hands caressing her legs and feet. “I’m not going anywhere, Violet.”

He seemed to have some kind of intuition about how she was feeling. What she needed. Not only what she needed to sate her desires, but what she needed to hear in order to indulge those desires in the first place. And here he was, again telling her exactly what she needed to hear. But this time, it wasn’t enough. Because this wasn’t a fantasy. This was real life. Her life.