Seduction on the Cards (13 page)

She punched the final cushion into place, drew a brave breath, and suddenly a wisp of floating fluff caught in her throat.  

She coughed. And coughed and coughed. And coughed some more. Alex dropped to his knees beside her, warm hand circling around and around on her back, before he burst into helpless laughter.

“Is this the effect I have on you,
cherie
? You go breathless with anticipation? When you first meet me? When you first make love with me?”

Kerri added giggles to her coughing routine as he vaulted to his feet. He returned seconds later with a bottle of chilled mineral water, and she nodded her thanks as she continued to splutter and fight for air.

“God!” she gasped, before tipping the bottle up. “What ridiculous timing.”

She took a cautious mouthful and swallowed. The coughing eased a little. She drank again, and cleared her throat. Getting better. She gulped the water twice more until the embarrassing little fit had passed. Alex lowered himself down to kneel beside her. He watched her closely, gaze blue and intense.

“
Oui?
” he asked, once she was quiet again.

She nodded. Yes, she was ready for him. Desperate for him.

He reached across and stroked his thumbs beneath her eyes, smoothing away the moisture her frantic coughing had released, the gesture so tender and unexpected that her lips parted on a small gasp. Alex cradled her face in both hands and drew her slowly closer. He kissed the sensitive skin he’d just stroked, and Kerri’s eyelids fluttered closed. His mouth dragged softly down to the corner of hers, kissed her there, lifted, kissed the other corner.

She waited, breathless, for his lips to take hers, but instead his hands slid down her neck, over her collarbones to cup her breasts, and his warm mouth travelled the same path, drifting first to gently bite one peaked nipple, then the other. She opened her eyes, and watched as he held her breasts like treasure and rubbed his face against them.

So much better than in the bus shelter. 

Now she dared to touch in return. She threaded her fingers into his inky hair, ran them down his neck and out over his broad shoulders, scraping lightly with her nails.

Skin like suede, warm as sunshine, honey-gold, total turn-on…

Alex gave a husky growl of appreciation. “Lie down,” he urged, and Kerri dreamily did.

He kissed a leisurely circle around each nipple until they beaded super-tight, begging to be suckled.

“Please…” she murmured.

He moved lower, glancing up toward her face with a devilish grin.

“Later, impatient woman. I have another destination in mind first.”

Kerri’s breath hitched as his lips began to trace a determined path over her belly, around her navel, down toward her dark curls.

“It’s too bright in here,” she said, trying to wriggle away.

“Too bright for me to see what I’ve already touched and now want to taste?”

She gasped, shocked he’d say it out loud.

His hands pressed her thighs apart, lifted her knees a little, stroked and teased until she relaxed with a groan of acquiescence. She’d never done this; never gotten serious enough with a man for anything beyond vigorous thrusting followed by ecstatic swearing from him and breathless relief it was over from her. 

But now…the anticipation was thrilling. 

She waited, eyes tightly closed, knowing he must be bending closer and lower, feeling the soft caress of his lips and his warm breath on her knee.

Further, further…finally the slippery touch of his tongue licking delicately between her folds, so she jerked in surprise and gave a cry of  delight. Then his hands again. Sure this time of her co-operation, pinning her out flat so he had total access to her, sweeping his tongue around in dizzying hot licks.

Kerri’s hips lifted up in a helpless surrender. She gulped a shocked and thrilled breath, let it out in a long trembling sigh as his fingers opened her, sliding easily and deliciously into her now-slick body. His slow-moving hands and warm lips caressed even warmer flesh.

 “Alex…”  She opened her eyes at last, courage returning, reaching down to stroke his hair. He looked up to her, lips wet, eyes heavy-lidded, sensual, deepest blue.

“C’est bon?”
The same wicked grin flickered briefly before he lowered his face again and seconds later ripped a gasp of disbelief from her as she started to clench around his fingers in uncontrollable spasms of deep dark pleasure.

She gasped and panted and growled, totally enslaved by  the sensations he’d conjured. Better and deeper than the orgasm he’d given her in his office. Better and deeper than anything ever in her life, so intense she could barely stay still.

Alex rose over her, supreme masculine triumph in his smile. Then he slid slowly home—gazing into her eyes as he invaded, deep and sure, again and again.

She felt amazing. Sleepy, yet so wide awake. Sated, but ravenous for more. She stretched luxuriously, and yawned as finger-bones popped and her spine found its way back into place.  

Beside her, Alex half-opened his eyes. A slow satisfied smile greeted her.  

“So I have not quite killed you,
cherie
?” He smoothed a hand around her waist as she relaxed back against him.

“Close, but not quite. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven for a while, but I seem to be making a successful recovery.”

She reached out for the bottle of water and slanted it to check if any remained.

“We can do better than that,” he said, rising up on one elbow. “Gaston’s packed a very nice wine with lunch.” He captured her hand, brought it to his lips, and nipped one of her fingers. “I’ll just have you for lunch, I think. You, and a glass of wine.”

Kerri stretched again, enjoying Alex’s eyes on her, and thinking how nice it was being admired instead of criticized. 

Yes, she should get her life in better order. But who would she be making the effort for? There was only herself to impress, and she’d never been very impressed with herself.  

She watched as Alex rose, pulled his boxers up his long strong legs, and sauntered to the galley counter where he’d set the chilly-bin. “More water?” he asked, peering inside the bin. “Or wine this time?”

“More you,” Kerri said. “Why have you covered up? Stop being so proper, Alex. Relax and have fun. You’re such a control-freak.”

“You think I’d be the man I am today if all I wanted was ‘fun’?”

Kerri bristled at the slight sneer, the note of censure.

“Oh, just lighten up!” she snapped, fearing the prospect of losing him so soon was starting to get to her. “Life doesn’t need planning in every tiny detail. And it’s not like this is going to lead to anything. It’s one nice irresponsible day—surely you can manage that?”

Alex dug around in the chilly-bin and retrieved its contents. He appeared to be making a great effort to hold his tongue.  

“You could have a slice of Frittata,” he said with forced politeness. “Walnut flat-bread and babaganoush? Lemon tart? Grapes? Gaston has been his usual generous self.”

Kerri gave a conciliatory grunt and pushed herself up off the cushions. She hadn’t meant to be so abrupt, but his covering-up had annoyed her out of all proportion to the action. If she had only one day of him, she wanted
all
of him. She crept over and leaned against his back, arms around his waist.

“Sorry,” she muttered, smoothing her cheek over him, drawing in his scent. Clean and sexy. Male and dangerous, and such a turn-on.  

She drew away a little and brushed her breasts to and fro against him, enjoying the slide of skin over skin, and then the even more pleasurable slide of erect nipples over skin. Hell—it took only a few seconds of being close to him to turn her on. What sort of effect was she having on him? Anything at all?

She let her hands drop lower—slowly enough so he could think it accidental if he wished. And there, beneath the fabric, she felt the evidence she’d hoped for. He was every bit as aroused as she was.  

It took the merest fraction of time to push her fingers past his waistband and plunge down and grab him.

“Not such a control-freak after all,” she teased. “Not able to keep
him
under tight control anyway. What a giveaway you’ve got in these pants, Alex. What a lunch-time treat for a girl...”  

She tugged his boxers down with her free hand while Alex remained motionless facing the counter. Motionless except for the thrilling tension in his big body. It vibrated off him in electric waves of annoyance and control. Kerri thrilled as she felt him trying to retain his cool. She pushed the fabric lower, one side at a time, inching it down, and following with her lips. His long spine was the perfect place to drop first one hot open-mouthed kiss, then another, then another.

The elastic stretched and the boxers descended. Her other hand held him captive. Hard, hot, pulsing and captive. Those big pulses didn’t seem to be voluntary. Alex’s breath faltered every time he flexed in her fingers. And still he stayed silent—not forbidding her, not encouraging her.  

Kerri bent down behind him. She pressed a kiss low on his spine as she finally pushed the boxers past his butt. Surely Alex gave the slightest of grunts? She repeated the warm wet kiss. No grunt—but his hands definitely now grasped the edge of the counter with whitened knuckles. She smiled with sweet triumph. He felt every teasing move she made, even if he wasn’t willing to admit it. 

She stroked over one creamy cheek with her fingers and began to massage his cock slowly with the other hand. He felt so long. So smooth and delectable. 

She licked him, right over his tailbone, again and again. He liked that. His breath caught, his butt tensed, his cock jumped every time.

She took her lips for a slow cruise down one cheek until there was enough flesh to bite.

“
Merde!
” he protested as her teeth nipped.

She bit again, more softly this time, and followed it immediately with a tender kiss.

“Turn around,” she begged.

She heard him sigh, watched his ribs rise and fall, caught her breath as the sun slid over him. He leaned back against the counter, totally visible, totally strange and male and tempting. 

She’d never done this before—not been interested enough to explore either of the men she’d slept with in the past. Now she was so spellbound by this one she couldn’t help herself.

“Alex,” she breathed, running tender fingers over him, stroking, rubbing, admiring. She squeezed experimentally.

“Does that hurt?”

“Compared to you when you’re coming, and all your muscles are grabbing around me? You must be joking,
cherie
.”

“So does it hurt you when I come?”

“Did you hear me yelling ‘ouch, stop it Kerri’?”

She let loose a little puff of laughter.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” he murmured, caressing her hair. “Having you milk me. Surrounding me with your wet heat and those fantastic contractions. Knowing I’ve taken you to the point of no return.”

“Wet heat,” she whispered, dropping to her knees and rocking forward to touch him with her tongue. She licked him from base to tip as though he was a gigantic ice-cream, and noted he enjoyed it better the higher she licked. She held him steady and did some more high licking, and then opened her mouth and took him in so she could suck. He was so silky-smooth against her tongue, so magically hard under that soft outer skin.

And then Alex’s hands were holding her head, drawing her face in against his warm belly, playing in her hair.

She inhaled deeply, taking his special musky scent deep into her lungs. Above her, Alex breathed harder.

Then his hands eased her head away and tipped it back so she had to look up into his eyes.

“Enough Kerri.”

“Bet I can make you come in two minutes flat,” she said.

He heaved a huge sigh and compressed his lips.

“Is there nothing you won’t bet on, you terrible girl?” His face was mock-sombre, but his tone was teasing. Then he broke into a broad grin. “Why would I choose two minutes when I can have twenty? Why would you want to go fast on your own when we can go slowly together, hmmm?”

Going slowly together sounded so good that Kerri made no objection when he drew her up and cradled her against his chest.

“Wasn’t I doing it well enough?” 

His only answer to that was an amused groan and a long demanding kiss.

Some time later that afternoon, while Alex drowsed, Kerri slipped a pencil and notepad from the holder at the end of the galley counter and began to sketch.

“What are you doing,
cherie
?

“Your portrait.”

Alex opened his blue eyes wider and waved an embarrassed hand at his groin.

“I’m not quite at my masculine best right now.”

Kerri snorted. “I wasn’t going to include that bit.” 

“You paint? I didn’t know.”

“No, I sketch. You looked so relaxed I thought I’d draw your face and shoulders. Nothing more. Well, not
much
more. It’s only a notepad—I’d never fit you all in.”

Alex closed his eyes again and smiled. Kerri resumed her drawing. A few minutes later she said, “And looking straight at me without moving?”

She added a few more lines and some shading, tore the little page off, and padded across to him.

“It’s not serious,” she said. “I don’t go to classes or anything. Just something I do for fun.”

He pushed up onto one elbow and took the slip of paper.

“Kerri, you’re good. It’s me, absolutely. You have a very economical style. So few lines, and every one in the right place.”

She’d drawn him sprawled amongst the cushions, one hand behind his head, striped by the sun. The beautiful muscles of his arms and chest were lovingly recorded, his hair a dark tangle, his eyes sleepy and amused. His long torso disappeared off the edge of the page just in time to preserve his decency.

“I could start a second one for the other half of you,” she suggested, glancing down pointedly.

“I’m looking more impressive now? We can do better things than draw him.” He reached over to put the little sketch where it would be safe.