Shades of Sexy (17 page)

“I…had a change of heart. I’m not that kind of girl.”

He narrowed his gaze. “A change of heart? Remind me to yell at my gardener for interrupting us.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head.

“Your gardener?” Maybe she’d jumped to the wrong conclusions.

“Yeah. She wanted to know what I had in mind for the flowerbeds in the backyard. Frankly I couldn’t care less what she puts there, but she’s determined to get my permission for each and every bulb she plants.”

The tension in April’s neck eased. But she still couldn’t help but wonder if the woman’s timing was divine intervention. “I’m sorry, Nick. I never should have let this go so far.”

He combed his fingers through his hair and stared toward the floor.

“I should go.” Without waiting for his rely, she brushed past him. Hurrying through the house, she picked up her tablet and measuring tape. As she left, she ventured a backward glance, but Nick was nowhere in sight.

This is all for the best.

Ending their relationship now would spare him any more grief. She just wished she hadn’t hurt him. And that she wouldn’t miss him, although she already knew she would. Very much.

* * * * *

Nick paced the floor, rehashing all his moments with April, trying to figure out what he did wrong. Had he imagined the great chemistry between them? He didn’t think so. He’d tried phoning her a while after she’d left, but his call went straight to voicemail. She owed him more of an explanation.

Maybe it was better this way. He scanned his empty living room and thought about Lisa. He’d been under the impression they had a strong bond. Until he came home from work to an empty house. Bad enough she’d left without a word, but did she have to take all his furniture with her?

“Shit.” He sucked at relationships. Every instinct he had told him he should live like his friend Dave. He shunned ties to anyone, particularly women. When things got too heavy, he climbed on his bike and hit the road. Dave had the right idea.

But things with April had just begun. He only wanted to spend time with her, make love to her. She seemed so sweet and innocent, though.

Could she be a virgin? Did any even exist? Would explain her jumpiness every time he touched her. Maybe he’d moved too fast for her.

He tried her phone again with no luck. God, he needed to talk to her, but he didn’t even know where she lived. Unless…

He took the stairs two at a time then raced to his bedroom. On the dresser he found a folded up yellow slip of paper from the store where April had helped him buy clothes.

Smiling, he saw where she’d written her address. He shoved the paper into his pocket then hurried to the garage. Climbing onto his bike, he racked his brain for some way to get through to April.

The trip took less than half an hour. Standing in front of her apartment door, he still had no idea what he planned to say. Didn’t matter. He stood up taller and gave the door a hard knock.

The door opened as far as the chain permitted. He couldn’t see enough of April’s face to gauge her expression. Seconds later she unhooked the chain and pulled the door wide. “What are you doing here?” Her lips flattened to a thin line.

Not the reaction he’d hoped. “Are you a virgin?”

Her mouth moved but no words came out.

“Because if you are, that’s okay.”

She glanced both ways, then ushered him inside her apartment. The place looked neat and clean and neurotically organized. Although tiny, every nook and cranny had a purpose in the one-room flat. Yet it didn’t appear cramped. Framed photos of people who looked a lot like her hung on the walls.

“Why are you here, Nick?”

He faced her. “Because I deserve to know what the hell really happened today. One minute we’re about to go upstairs and make love and the next you’re walking out of my life. And you didn’t answer my question about your virginity.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I am not a virgin.” A rosy flush crawled up her neck. “But I’m not very…experienced. And frankly, the one person I slept with didn’t exactly make it…enjoyable.”

Was that all that had frightened her away? He set his helmet on a table by the door then closed the distance between them and drew her against him. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he lowered his voice. “I’ll show you what all the fuss is about, baby.”

He held her head in his hands and kissed her lips. She tasted of cinnamon and smelled like strawberries. Her hair felt like silk next to his calloused skin and he wondered if she’d have him. She softened against him and he had his answer.

Anticipation and trepidation swam together in April’s head, a tug of war between family loyalty and carnal desire. Nick’s body molded to hers as if they’d been made to fit together. And somehow she knew making love with him would be a thousand times better than it had been with her ex.

Nick slid his hands beneath her shirt then in an instant, lifted it over her head. He cupped her breasts, strummed his thumb over her nipples. Pleasure overflowed from her peaked points to the rest of her body like lava engulfing everything around a boiling volcano.

Every inch of her was on fire as he dotted soft kisses along her neck and shoulder. She skimmed her hands over his back, felt his muscles tighten and his skin quiver. He pulled her toward the bed then unhooked her bra and peeled it away.

Her nipples puckered under his heated stare.

“I want to see you.” He unbuttoned her jeans then lowered the zipper. “All of you.”

She stood still, trembling with raw need as he lowered her pants, then her panties. Her first instinct was to cover her nakedness, but she refrained. When he looked at her, she somehow knew he wasn’t judging her. He didn’t seem to mind that her thighs were too thick or her skin was too pale.

“Lie down.” He pulled his shirt over his head and had the rest of his clothes off in seconds. Before he tossed his pants to the floor, he took out his wallet and removed a foil packet, which he set on the table next to the bed.

She stretched out on the comforter, unable to take her eyes off his nude body. His broad shoulders bulged and his flat stomach rippled with roped muscle. She lowered her gaze to his erection and her pulse quickened. He was a lot bigger than she’d assumed. His manhood was a deep red and veins snaked over the taut skin.

He climbed over her, settled on his side next to her, leaning on one elbow. Gentle as a breeze, he traced a finger over her breast, made little circles around the areola. Then he touched his fingertip to her nipple. “Your skin is so soft.”

He lowered his mouth to her other breast and licked her taut peak. She shut her eyes as he sucked on it, sending a sweet burning flood of need to her core. He raked his teeth over her erect nipple and the flood became a deluge.

A heavy pulse settled between her legs and she desperately wanted him to touch her there. She lifted her hips and eased her thighs apart, only a little, but she hoped he’d get the message.

Nick raked his teeth over her nipple and the slight pain only increased her erotic craving. She sighed and rocked her hips to alleviate the wet heat building in her sex. But instead of touching her there, he set a hand on her belly. “Slow down, baby,” he whispered.

She started to complain, but when he moved his hand lower and cupped it over her mound, she held her tongue. He continued suckling her nipple, but he walked his fingers down to the swollen lips of her sex.

She bucked against the building tide of unbearable desire. His thick fingers parted her labia then slid through her drenched folds. He kissed the valley between her breasts as he pushed his fingers into her entrance. Stoking in and out, he tore a desperate whimper from her throat.

“Oh God. Oh God.” She teetered on the brink of her climax. Holding her breath, she fisted her hands into the comforter. Then she tumbled into a whirlpool of delight. Waves of divine bliss rolled through her as she twisted and moaned.

Then Nick bit on her nipple—not a gentle teasing nip like earlier, but a real bite. “Ouch!” But rather than abruptly disrupt her pleasure, as she’d expected, the mildly painful chomp seemed to invigorate her orgasm.

But as her joy subsided, she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Why would pain turn her on?

Nick burrowed his head against her neck. “Did you like that?”

“Oh yes.”

That earned her a big grin. He slid a finger up her stomach, between her breasts to her chin. Turning her face toward his, he kissed her lips. A long, slow tasting kiss. More like he was plundering every millimeter of her mouth.

She wanted to ask him why he’d bitten her. And more importantly, was she a degenerate for enjoying it. But she could never voice such a thing.

He broke the kiss. “What is it?”

“Huh?”

“You checked out somewhere in the middle of that kiss. Something bothering you?”

She squirmed under his intense stare.

“Tell me.”

Huffing, she nodded. “You bit me before. And I…” God, how could she say it?

He cupped her cheek and she knew she could say anything and he wouldn’t judge her.

“When you did it hurt for a second. But then it started feeling…”

“You liked it.” His grin brought out those adorable dimples.

She averted her gaze. “Yeah. Does that make me weird?”

He laughed then kissed the tip of her nose. “No, baby. Lots of people like a little bite here and there. Hell, I know couples that like to stick pins in each other.”

She widened her eyes. “Really?” So she wasn’t completely perverted because she’d fantasized about milder deviances.

“Really. I’m not into serious S&M or anything, but if you like a nip here and there I’d be happy to oblige.”

Her cheeks heated. “Well, maybe. Sometime.” She wasn’t ready to go that far yet, but she was glad to be with a man who could guide her, sexually speaking.

“Just say the word.” He shifted lower then trailed his tongue down her abdomen.

Desire flared anew deep inside her, heating her blood. Nick moved farther down and her pulse quickened. Did he plan to do things to her she’d only dreamt of? When he eased her legs open she nearly cheered with excitement.

He spread her intimate lips apart and his breath gusted over her sex. Anticipation made her shiver. Then his tongue slid along her folds, around her bud and she thought she’d burst into flames.

His wickedly skilled mouth teased and tantalized, did things to her she’d always fantasized about. She needed him to fill her up, yearned to feel his shaft inside her. “Please, Nick. Make love to me.”

He stopped what he was doing and tilted his head back to look up at her. Then he kissed her mound softly. She shuddered with desire as he sat up and sheathed himself.

He held her by her waist and shifted her so she straddled his hips as he lay back. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she met his stare.

“This way you control everything,” he said. “Just do what feels good.”

Did he have a direct line to all her thoughts? The tension in her neck eased. She lifted to her knees then lowered herself onto his erection.

Nick grasped her hips. “Is it okay?”

She nodded as she took him deeper and the pleasure stole her breath away. Centering her hands on his chest, she pushed up, then eased down, deeper this time. He filled her completely, stretched her to her very limit, but Lord, it felt wonderful. A low moan drifted to her ears and she realized it was hers.

She rocked her hips slowly, savoring every nuance of the moment. The lush feel of his shaft as it slid along her inner walls, Nick’s manly scent, the sight of his blue eyes, sparkling with bliss, the sound of their moans and sighs.

She swam in joy that increased with every stroke, with every breath. Their pace gradually increased and she climbed closer to her release. Her world shrunk to her tiny apartment, to her little bed and the sexy man who dominated her mind and her body. She curled her fingers into his chest as she rolled her hips. Her legs grew weak, but Nick continued thrusting into her.

Her climax was so close, she braced for the rush of satisfaction. She exploded in a molten blast of ecstasy. Waves of exquisite joy rolled through her. Nick’s delicious strokes went on and on, milking pleasure from her flesh as she moaned and sighed and convulsed.

Seconds later, Nick’s face grew red. His lips drew back and she could see his clenched teeth, the tension on his taut forehead. Muscles in his shoulders and neck corded and he clamped his fingers painfully into her skin as he wildly stroked into her. A few more thrusts and he stilled, sighed then closed his eyes.

Her bliss gradually calmed, but in its wake, perfect gratification settled over her. Never before had she come like this. She had to remember this moment forever. She stared down at his face, the picture of peace.

She tried to memorize everything about her surroundings. Her gaze landed on the black helmet near her front door. Unwanted thoughts of her mother filled her head. Had her mother found this kind of satisfaction with her biker?

Her father would be devastated if he ever found out about her and Nick. Shame intruded on her pleasure. She climbed off him and hurried to the bathroom to clean up. When she returned to her room she found him on the bed, but he’d gotten under the covers.