Rising, Freestyle: Xtreme Adventures, Book 2 (4 page)

“What?” He moved his other hand to play with her nipple.

“It really doesn’t bother you?”

“Kissing you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Now you’re being deliberately obtuse. My scars.”

“They don’t bother me.” All he wanted was to touch her. To get back to what they were doing. He wasn’t ignoring her pain, or the damage the accident had done to her mind and soul, but wanted to show her the fears about her body at least were groundless. He leaned in and took her nipple into his mouth again, the one on the side where the scarring was. Working slowly, he skimmed his fingertips along the sides of her torso, touching and teasing her skin. Slipping his fingers under the waistband of her pants, he pulled them away.

He slid down the mattress to dip his tongue into her belly button and play with the tiny purple jewel nestled there. All his senses were heightened as he tasted her. The sweet scent of her soap clung to her skin and turned his exploration into an olfactory delight. He planted kisses along the top of her panty line, stroking the side of her body in long sweeps, cupping her ass. She rolled one hip upward, and he snagged the edge of her underwear and dragged it down, exposing her sex to his sight. Oh yes, this was what he’d been waiting for.

Nudging her legs apart with his shoulders, he settled between her thighs, swirling a fingertip between her curls to open her.

“Please.” Melanie lifted her hips higher, and he rewarded her with a slow swipe of his tongue.

He shuddered as her cream hit his system. Too good to stay slow, he covered her with his mouth and ate greedily. Tongue dipping in, then rising to torment the hard nub of her clitoris. Driving in hard until Melanie grabbed his head and called out her pleasure. It happened far too quickly, so he carried on feasting. He brought up one hand, slipping a finger into her core to enjoy the pulses of her orgasm that rocked on and on. Languid pumps followed as he continued to lap and suck her sensitive clit.

She dug in her heels and ground against him, and he willingly gave more. Two fingers now, stroking the front of her passage until she shook. Derrick pulled away and leaned on the bed, his fingers moving constantly as he looked into her face. Two bright red spots flushed her cheeks and her eyes were half-lidded. Pleasure streaked her face when he brought the heel of his hand in contact with the top of her mound. He moved to kiss her again.

Her fingers twisted in his hair, her tongue tangling with his. The taste of her pleasure passed between them, and she arched, rubbing against him like a cat.

She broke the seal between their lips. “I want you inside me.”

Oh, yeah. Derrick kissed her one last time then reached over her into his side table. Her warm hands were busy at the elastic of his briefs, stripping off the fabric and enveloping his cock with her tight grip. He rolled to his back and let her play, watching with delight as she explored his length, stroking and caressing with her fingertips.

“You okay?” he asked.

She shuffled closer, kneeling half over him as she turned her bright eyes in his direction. “I’m wonderful. I want more.”

“So do I.” Every firm stroke brought him that much closer to finishing, and he wasn’t ready yet. He grabbed her wrists in his hand and stilled her caress. “You’re driving me mad.”

Melanie smiled and leaned over to nab the condom. He took the opportunity to swipe at her breast as it came within reach, and she paused, moaning as he suckled. “That feels so good.”

He smiled around his mouthful, nipping the tight tip. She gasped and pulled away, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

“I like your body, Melanie. All of you. You are one nice package.”

She raised a brow and sat back, the condom wrapper tossed to the floor as she held his cock in her hand again. Ball-breakingly slow, she rolled the latex down his shaft. “Speaking of nice packages.”

They laughed together before he tipped her chin up. “You want to be on top? It’s been a while.”

She answered by dropping to the mattress and tugging his shoulders. “You do all the work this time.”

He had no objections with that at all. He covered her with his body, the warmth of her skin teasing him. The expression in her eyes enticing him on. Then the tip of his cock slipped through her folds, and the raging heat of her body surrounded him. He squeezed his eyes closed, fighting to restrain his eagerness. One slight rock after another, he forced his way into her tight passage. Melanie drew her knees wider to the side, opening space for his hips as they meshed together. It felt so fucking good as pleasure slid down his spine and pulsed in his balls.

He hovered over her, allowing their bodies room to rub as he thrust in, slowly at first. Unhurried and deep, his cock slid into her passage as her cream spread over him. His ability to resist melted and he sped up, switching to hard and fast thrusts. Each plunge better than the last, each drive slamming their groins together. His balls slapped her body, her peaked nipples grazed his chest. When she dragged her fingers down his back, he swore and pounded in wildly. There was an inferno blazing between them, and he wasn’t going to stop until they went out together in a burst of pleasure.

Derrick leaned on one arm and slipped a hand between their torsos to find her clit, pinching in time with his thrusts, and Melanie screamed. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her heels digging into his butt. She hauled him into her core, and as her orgasm squeezed him, he released all control and exploded into the condom. His balls pulled up, his cock jerking again and again until she’d drained him completely. The room spun, and there was a loud roar in his ears that blocked out all other sounds. Her panting breath hit his cheek, and he took in the scent of sex filling the room.

He could handle more of this. A lot more.

Derrick collapsed to the side, his arms quivering with reaction to the intensity of his release. “Holy shit, that was…” Words escaped him. His brain was mush. She cuddled in closer, his cock still buried in her body, and let out a contented sigh.

“Oh yeah, it was.”

They stared at each other, satisfied and sated. “Round one?”

Melanie raised her brows. “I’m game for more, once I can move.”

Exactly. He kissed her forehead and just lay there. More in a minute. Right now he needed to get some blood back into another part of his body before his limbs would operate. He lazily ran a hand over her naked torso, both the smooth and the scarred. She tensed, but only for a second, before leaning into him and relaxing.

Derrick smiled against her hair. Yup. There were some things said more clearly with actions than could ever be said with words.

Chapter Three

Sketched Out: Feeling insecure, a lack of confidence in the current situation.

She hadn’t changed much. Not in the nearly ten years since he’d last seen her. Her petite body was still powerful, lean and made his body ache as she clung to the wall and traversed her way across, staying only a few feet off the ground.

Nathan King rested his chin on his hands, leaning forward in his seat in the balcony area as he watched Melanie bouldering. She wore full-length yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt—no evidence of her accident was visible, but he knew it was there. He’d seen the news-file photos taken immediately after Mel’s fall.

He’d gone off in another direction long before her mishap, and until his most recent assignment had crossed his desk, he’d put all thoughts of her out of his mind. She’d been underage the first time they’d hung around each other, him always careful to stay on the outskirts of her crowd.

Nathan stared across the room, his fascination rising. She wasn’t too young anymore.

He clicked a couple of candid shots from the upstairs seating area before packing away his camera equipment and descending the stairs to greet her.

He hung back along the wall and waited for her to spot him. She spoke animatedly with another climber, the woman laughing at something Mel said. Nathan admired how her eyes lit up, a smile brightening her face just like he remembered. Except the slope of her cheek was all woman now, no baby fat or maturing left to do, simply a dark beauty that shone through her healthy glow.

Taking this assignment was looking more positive all the time.

Melanie lifted her head and glanced in his direction. A crease appeared between her brows, a cloud of confusion in her eyes. The moment she figured out who he was, everything changed.

“Nathan? Oh my God, it’s you!”

She raced across the floor and threw herself into his arms. The warmth of her torso hit like a thunderbolt, streaking through him and electrifying his entire system. He grabbed on to stop her from falling, bracing his legs to keep them both vertical. Her arms squeezed him tight and he was suddenly aware of the intimate contact between their bodies. Her breasts were compressed against him, his cock against her belly. She squirmed and he let her go, her cheeks flushed as she stared.

“Hey, monkey.”

He easily blocked her instant punch to his torso, grinning as he realized that even after all these years her response to his tease hadn’t changed.

“What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in forever.” She motioned him to the side of the room to a safer place to talk out of the way of climbers and curious onlookers.

“I came to see you.”

Her eyes widened, panic-stricken. “Katy. She’s okay, isn’t she? You didn’t come to tell me—”

“Whoa, hang on. There’s nothing wrong with my sister. She sent her love when I told her I was heading west to meet with you.” Nathan looked her up and down slowly, letting his admiration show. This might be partly a job, but that didn’t mean that was all it had to be. He was single, and she was all grown up. This could be a lot of fun for the short while he would be in town.

He was rather looking forward to it.

Her tension dissipated only to be replaced by a frown. “I’m glad she’s all right, but I don’t understand. Why are you looking for me?”

“Does that surprise you so much? That I’m interested in seeing you?” He couldn’t resist. With the back of one finger he stroked her cheek, enjoying how her body jerked in response to his touch, her face heating even more.

“Nate, I’m…” She backed up, flustered just like when she’d been a kid and he’d paid attention to her. Although he’d done his best back then to keep his attraction hidden.

“Can I buy you a coffee? So we can talk?” He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t seem to stop. Under her tight T-shirt, her nipples had hardened and now poked against the fabric. The facility had the air-conditioning on high enough it wasn’t sweltering hot in the place, but it wasn’t cold enough to make her body react.

She fumbled for words. “I’m not done with my workout.”

“I can wait.” Somehow his hand was on her arm, a gentle caress.

She crossed her arms, casually slipping away from him, and it was his turn to feel embarrassed. He hadn’t meant to make a move in public. Not after so many years apart. No matter that the chemistry between them seemed to be heating up in a hurry.

“Melanie. Is there a problem?”

The dark-haired man he’d seen behind the check-in counter stood beside her, glaring at Nathan with suspicion.

Mel blinked hard right before she leaned on the other man’s chest, slipping her arm behind his back and settling intimately against him. “Derrick, this is Nathan. He’s my best friend’s big brother.”

Ah, shit.
Flirting without asking questions could be detrimental to his health.

Nathan held his hand out to Derrick, fully expecting the guy to crush his fingers in a display of macho strength.

Instead, Derrick gave a friendly grin. “Glad to meet you.”

Nathan noticed he didn’t do anything to move Melanie any farther from his side. Point made. She was taken.

Shit again.

“I was just asking Mel if she’d join me for a coffee. You’re welcome to come along.”

Derrick glanced at the clock. “I’m good to go anytime. Melanie? You done or did you want to climb for a little longer?”

She leaned up and kissed his cheek quickly before stepping away. “If I finish my workout now I don’t have to come back later.” She turned to Nathan. “Are you okay waiting for a bit? Tell me your timeline. If you’ve only got a few hours in town I can totally change my plans.”

“You can finish. I’m staying around for a while. Got a room at the hotel on the lake, so no rush.”

Melanie nodded, glancing between them before retreating to the wall she’d been traversing. Nathan watched in fascination as she shook out her hands then stepped onto a tiny foothold, her body close to the wall, arms extended overhead.

“Family friend? You know Melanie well?” Derrick moved closer and Nathan hid his smile. The third degree started now. That was fine. He had a few questions of his own, and this was as good a way as any to get information.

“I moved away for college and have only seen Mel a couple of times since then. I’m on the road a lot. What about you? You work here at the climbing center?”

“Own it. What do you do for a living that keeps you traveling so much?”

Nathan pulled his camera bag forward. “Photographer. I don’t do war zones, but just about anything else—still life or action—I’ve shot it.”

“You taking pictures around the area for a travel magazine or something? I can make a few suggestions of easy places to access.”

“Thanks. I do need some nature shots, but this assignment is human interest.”

Nathan’s gaze was drawn again to Melanie. She was leaning at a nearly ninety-degree angle, long legs stretched to the side and spread wide, the edge of her shirt separating a bare inch from her pants as she lowered herself down the wall doing a modified chin-up. The amount of strength in her upper body was incredible, and he could just picture the kind of shot he could take, getting in close to angle from—

There was a nudge to his arm and Nathan snapped back to attention.

“Human interest? You want to take pictures of Melanie?” Derrick’s disapproval rang through loud and clear.

“I think I should talk to her about it first, if you don’t mind.”

The pleasant expression on Derrick’s face had vanished. Nathan didn’t even bother to try and hide his smirk. The boyfriend was going to be protective, was he? Well, Nathan didn’t remember Mel ever needing much protection.