Nobody's Dream (86 page)

For Luke.

Kitty said he was a take-charge man. Why did he not take charge of her now? She wanted him to release this unbearable tension from her body. She wanted to have him give her what she needed…without making her ask for it.

Putas
ask for it.

No! This is right. This is my husband. He loves me, honors me, cherishes me. He would never do anything to make me feel dirty and used.

Why could she not just tell him what she wanted…no,
needed?

How could he bring her to the brink and stop abruptly?

Had her body turned him off? Was she too unresponsive for him?

Well, she had certainly sent him enough messages these past few months about how touching her sexually was off limits. How could she expect him to know that now she welcomed more intimacy?

“Luke?” she whispered.

“Is there something you need, Sweet Pea?”

Yes, you.

But asking him to make love to her was out of the question. If he could not tell she was ready…

“Never mind.” She rolled to her side, losing contact with his hand, and clenched her thighs together as she drew them up. But that movement only created friction in the very place she was trying to ignore. She groaned.

“What did you want to ask me?”

“Nothing.”

His body shook as if he tried to smother a laugh. If only he knew the seriousness of the predicament she was in.

Chapter Thirty-Two

H
is little lady was horny—and he’d made her that way.

Hot damn!

Even though he knew what she needed, he planned to wait for her to ask him. Yeah, he was testing her limits a little, but he didn’t want her to regret anything he did with her. He’d waited this long. She wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer before she begged him for more.

She wasn’t the only sexually frustrated one in this bed.

“Naptime, darlin’.” He placed a kiss between her shoulder blades and she pressed against his lips, rather than move away.
That’s my girl
. “Now, curl up against me.” He placed his arm around her again, hoping his aim was right so he could brush the side of her breast again. Damn. When he drew her toward him, though, she resisted.

“I am fine over here.”

Don’t run from me now, darlin’.
“We’re just going to snuggle.”

“But I…” Apparently unable to explain her wants or needs or to tell him why spooning naked against him was a problem for her, she had no recourse but to scoot toward him and curl her back against his chest and thighs. This time he let her feel his hard-on. She clenched her ass cheeks and pulled away to keep from touching him, but he held her more tightly. Her body had to be screaming for more, even though her mind cautioned that she needed to maintain her distance.

He moved her hair aside and placed a kiss on the top of her shoulder this time. Soft. Sweet smelling. “Nice dreams, darlin’.”

With all the willpower he could muster, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep. Her body remained rigid as she fought sleep and sexual longing, no doubt. How long would it take her to break down and ask him to touch her where she wanted to be touched?

No,
needed
to be touched.

However long it took, he’d be here when she was ready…

Luke awakened with a start. What the… Damn, he never fell asleep in the daytime. Between the trip to Peru and burning the midnight oil while he prepared to surprise the hell out of Cassie, he must be behind on his sleep.

He glanced at the window. Still daylight. The clock on the nightstand indicated they had hours before they needed to take care of the animals.

Good.

The weight of Cassie’s head on his chest and her leg sandwiched between his thighs made chores the last thing he wanted to think about.

Stubborn girl.

She hadn’t begged him for more as he’d hoped, but she had sought to get even closer to his body in her sleep. All hope wasn’t lost. He stroked her back lightly, wanting her to know he was there but hoped she wouldn’t fully awaken. She moaned, which was all the encouragement he needed. His cock grew hard as his hand trailed down her back to the curve of her ass. When he touched her there, she ground her pelvis against his leg as if seeking relief. Yeah, he could give her that.

But he wouldn’t.

Not yet.

He continued to explore her satiny-soft skin, drawing closer to the cleft between her ass cheeks. When his finger slid lightly over her butt crack, he elicited another moan from her.

Cassie rolled onto her back. “Do not stop.”

Her eyes remained closed. Was she still sleeping? Did she know what she was asking?

“Please, Luke. Touch me.”

He grinned. Yeah, she knew. Her breasts beckoned but first he wanted to tease her a little more. He took the tip of his index finger and skimmed it lightly across one collarbone, then the other before trailing it down between her breasts. She moaned as her chest rose. Her skin broke out in goose bumps.

That’s not all that rose. Besides his cock, he watched her nipples swell, leaving him wanting so badly to take one into his mouth.

Not yet.

Anticipation would be good for both of them. And sheer torture.

When his finger continued its exploration down to her belly button, she giggled.

“Ticklish?”

“A little. But do not stop. I like it when you touch me.”

Progress. He wondered why she kept her eyes closed, but she knew who was with her. Maybe it helped her in some way, so he wouldn’t insist on her opening them—yet. So, should he head farther south, or come back up and tease her breasts a little more? She hadn’t placed any limits on where he could touch this time.

“Use your safeword again if you need to.”

“I will.”

He’d still listen for a “no” or “stop,” too, in case she panicked.

His hand reached for her right breast and cupped it, avoiding the nipple. God, she had the most beautiful bare breasts he’d never touched. Before she’d always had clothes on as a barrier.

High. Firm. Her dusty-rose areolas just begged to be kissed.

Testing the waters first, he grazed her nipple with his knuckles and her chest heaved upward again.

“Yes! There!”

He smiled. “You sure about this, darlin’?”

“Mm-hmmm. Touch me, Luke.”

She was getting better at asking.

“Love to.”

He took the nipple between thumb and index finger and squeezed lightly at first. With a little tug, he watched it double in size. A frown came over her face. Too much—or too little. He lifted himself and leaned on one elbow before bending down to take her left nipple into his mouth.

“Oh, yes, Luke!”

He sucked, gently at first, but when her pelvis tilted upward, he knew she was ready for more. Drawing her engorged peak into his mouth, he suckled harder. When he pulled his head away, he didn’t release her nipple.

“Oh, Goddess! That feels so good. More!”

He sure as hell hoped she knew her goddess wasn’t responsible for what she was feeling. Just to be sure, his hand roamed down to stroke her thigh. She opened to him.

He let her nipple go with a plop. “Tell me what you need, Cassie.”

Her brows furrowed. She blinked her eyes open, but closed them again quickly.

“Please…”

“Look at me and tell me what you need.”

She groaned but opened her eyes. “Why do you make me speak the words? You know what I want.”

He traced a finger down her nose. “No, darlin’. I know what
I
want. I’m not a mind reader. I don’t want you upset because I misinterpreted what I thought you meant. Until you’re more comfortable with intimacy, I need for you to put into words what you want. What you
need
from me.”

While he waited for her response, he rolled her nipple lightly between his fingers, as if twirling a dandelion stem.

“I need…you…to touch me. There.”

“Where specifically?”

“Luke, why are you torturing me like this? You know what I want! Must you force me to speak the words aloud?”

“Yes. Tell me.”

She grabbed his hand. He expected her to fling it aside and escape from the bed. Instead she stared at him before coming to some kind of decision. “I need you to touch me
here
!” Without hesitation, she moved his hand lower until he cupped her mound.

He grinned. “Good girl.”

His fingers ruffled the curls covering her precious triangle. He liked that she wasn’t shaved. Somehow that made her more innocent. Not that he wouldn’t like to shave her sometime—but that would be different because he would be the first—and only—one to do so.

He pulled gently at the hairs before sliding his middle finger down the slit. She brought her knees up and opened wider for him.

Anxious, Sweet Pea?

He slipped inside her folds, avoiding her clit, and found her wet for him. He teased the sides of her clit hood until she began panting.
That’s it, baby girl.
He continued to explore and tease her as she rocked her pelvis against his hand.
So responsive
. When she finally allowed herself to let go, he’d better be ready.

Without letting up on what his hand was doing, Luke bent his head over her again and took her nipple into his mouth, flicking the peak until it became hard.

“Oh, yes, Luke! Faster.”

Hearing her excitement, he sucked hard until her thighs squeezed his hand. His finger slid down toward her opening but he didn’t enter her.

Not yet.

Knowing Cassie’s history, he needed to hear her words. What her body wanted and what her mind was ready for could be two wildly different things.

But he hoped like hell she’d let him make her come before calling an end to this session.

Luke removed his mouth and hand and leaned away. “Sweet Pea, open your eyes for me.”

A frown creased her forehead. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, you do. We need to talk.”

“Now? Can it not wait? We were in the middle of something wonderful.”

“Tell me where you want this to go so neither one of us is on the wrong page in our ever-changing playbook.”

She blinked. “You are finally going to touch me
there
. And…I want you to.”

What did she mean
finally
? He’d wanted to for…

Wait!
“What did you say?”

“Yes, I want you to touch my private areas, Luke.” She smiled. Jeezus, hearing her say those words made him harder than ever.

She was ready for more.

Now.

The girl continually surprised him.

*     *     *

“Whatever the lady wants.” Luke reached for a pillow and tossed it to the foot of the bed. Without another word, he lowered his mouth to her nipple again. Electricity shot up to her jaw and down to…

She placed her hand on the back of his head, not wanting this to end by letting him get away. The intense emotions roiled through her like a storm through the mountains. She wanted to be loved in every way by Luke.

He moved away from her breast only to take her other nipple between his teeth.

Ay-eee
. Her nipples burned while her body screamed for some kind of release. Would he give her what she wanted? Needed?

He let go and trailed kisses down her tummy. Why was he taking so long to move to her sex? He was so slow, it was nerve-racking!

He crawled to the bottom of the bed and stared at her, not saying a word. Did he wish for her to do something? What? His penis was erect, jutting out from a nest of hair. She blushed and met his gaze again.

Perhaps he wanted her to give him the go-ahead again—to reassure him. But she had not used their safeword. She was not ready for him to enter her, but she needed some kind of release. “Touch me, Luke.” She clenched her fists as she held on to the sheet and prepared herself.

“Lift your hips.”

She quirked her eyebrow and met his gaze again at his command. Her take-charge guy was in control now. Thank the Goddess because she had no clue what to ask for or what to do.

She tented her knees and lifted up so he could slide the pillow under her bottom. When he looked at her again, she fought the urge to close her knees but the desire to open herself to him was stronger.