Touch Me (4 page)

Avoiding his gaze, she stared hard at the blanket covering her lap and nodded, praying it was the answer he wanted.

“Look at me.”

The ring of command in his voice brought her head up. What she saw in his eyes stole her breath. They were molten, full of raging hunger. For her. The knowledge shocked her.

“I’m going to keep touching you,” he said. “I want to find out what makes you squirm, makes you beg. And what makes you come for me.”

His words wrung a primal shiver out of her. She couldn’t believe what he was saying. How could he be attracted to her when he could have any woman he wanted?

His fingers paused, resting hot against her thigh. “Unless you want me to stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop.” Her voice was a mere thread of a sound.

One side of his mouth curved up. “Okay. But I don’t know what you need unless you tell me.”

Her heart fell. He expected her to say it out loud? The thought terrified her. “What I need?” God, did he somehow know about her secret fantasies? Did he think she was depraved or weird?

He nodded slowly. “I want to know what you need from me. Romance and candlelight aren’t my style,
querida
, but I’ll give them to you if that’s what you want.”

The endearment made her lower belly flutter in desperate longing, gave her hope. He’d never called her that before. “I don’t need them.”

One coal black brow rose. “Yes you do, and you deserve them. But that’s not the real me.”

Her throat dried up, her heart skipping frantically. Was it possible he wanted the same thing she did? “What…what’s the real you?” she asked before she could stop herself.

A sardonic smile curved his mouth. His tempting, edible mouth that had given her such pleasure this morning. “Not sure you’d like the answer to that.”

Oh yes, she might. Gathering her courage, Tia sat up and placed her hand over his. Her pulse hammered in her ears. “Then show me.”

Alex stared into her bittersweet chocolate eyes for a breathless moment. Brave words, but she couldn’t know what she was asking for. What the dominant male inside him craved.

He mentally shook his head at himself. It had been a long time for her, and he would do this right. For their first time he could give her gentle and slow and sweet. Seduce her so thoroughly she’d melt into a puddle of bliss right here on the couch. It wouldn’t satisfy him completely, but it would definitely take the edge off this aching need eating at him. And it would prove to her just how beautiful and sexy he found her. He hated that she couldn’t see how innately sensual she was.

Keeping his hand where it was, he shifted and came up on one knee. She watched him silently, the pulse in her neck throbbing while he undid the row of buttons on her shirt. Encased in pale blue lace, her full breasts rose and fell with each uneven breath she took. He’d been stealing guilty peeks at her tits for a long time, and now only a thin barrier of lace stood in the way of his eyes, his hands. His mouth.

Tia didn’t move, but her hands curled into the blanket beneath her as he undid the front clasp of her bra and exposed her naked flesh to his rapt gaze.

Swallowing a groan, he stared at the beautiful perfection of her breasts. Round and creamy, the nipples hard and flushed a deep rose pink. As though begging for his touch. She hitched in a quick breath when he cupped the soft mounds, cradling them in his palms. Her eyes partially closed as he stroked them and gently squeezed the sensitive tips. A quiver ran through her when he rolled the taut points between his fingers. He loved how open she was, how freely she let him see her pleasure. But there was something in her eyes he couldn’t figure out. Shadows. Secrets.

He’d meant it when he said he wanted to know what made her hot. She was so polite and ladylike on the outside, yet he sensed there was much more beneath all that. He was dying to find out what it was. The yearning in her eyes made him ache, made him want to pin her and take her to the edge of release, again and again, until she finally let him see everything she kept locked away inside.

“Like that?” he asked in a low voice as he teased her nipples.

Tia licked her lips and nodded. His eyes tracked the movement of her tongue, his cock swollen and tight at the thought of sliding into her mouth. On a groan, he leaned down to kiss her. Tia reached for him, hands splaying low on his back, away from his stitches. Her lips trembled slightly before parting, her tongue meeting his stroke for stroke. She tasted sweet from the wine, and he couldn’t get enough. The pressure of her fingers in his back drove the lust higher until it was all he could do not to pin her flat and take her right there on the couch. Pound into her until she moaned his name and clenched around him as she came.

Back off.

Fighting with himself, he pulled back to give her air. She made a sound of protest and clutched at him, and he smiled in reaction. He wanted her hungry, past all hesitation or inhibition. But he had to go slowly, not frighten her. Tia meant more to him than any other woman he’d been with. She deserved his tenderness, all the pleasure he could give her, no matter how hard his dick was or how much he needed to fuck her.

Her pink nipples beckoned to him, and he couldn’t stop himself from tasting her. He leaned in to circle one delicately with his tongue. Tia curled her spine and threaded her hands into his hair, gasping as he took her into his mouth and sucked gently. She tasted sweet as candy, her skin infused with the coconut-lime scent that made his head swim.

“Ohhh,” she moaned, closing her eyes and tipping her head back. His free hand played with the other hard peak, rolling and tugging it before replacing his fingers with his mouth. He moved back and forth between her nipples, sucking one then the other, enjoying her little whimpers and the bite of her fingers against his scalp. Her legs moved restlessly beneath him, squirming in place. A wordless plea for more.

There was so much he wanted to do to her, but he didn’t know how far to take this. Need clawed at his guts. He forced it aside. This was about her, and he wasn’t going to push her, take the chance of scaring her. He’d wanted her for years; he could wait a little longer. When he went back to Afghanistan in a couple of weeks he wanted to know she’d be here waiting for him, that she needed him too.

He couldn’t tell her how he felt about her now—it would spook her. But he could show her.

Slowly. Gently.

His hand shook slightly as he gripped the hem of her skirt. Her leg was so smooth against his palm. Biting back a groan, he raised his head to watch her face when he slid the knee-length material higher up her thighs.

Tia quivered with excitement as Alex sucked at her tight nipples, each tug of his mouth sending streamers of pleasure straight to her aching pussy. Her inner walls tightened in a desperate plea for release, one she knew he could give her. She was so lost in what he was doing she didn’t feel his hand lifting her skirt until he pulled his mouth away from her breast. Cool air brushed over her aching core.

She stiffened and grabbed his wrist.

Nice dimples. Too bad they’re not on your face, where they belong.

A hard lump settled in her stomach ad David’s cruel words played in her head. He’d been so angry with her that day, resentful that they hadn’t had sex in months.

She shook the thought away. It wasn’t too bright in the living room, but there was enough light for Alex to see all the imperfections on her body. Especially her hated thighs. She’d lost weight and made a point of exercising regularly since leaving her ex, but she didn’t exactly consider herself a swimsuit model.

Alex watched her, his gentle fingertips sweeping over the skin of her inner thigh. Making her even wetter. “What, baby?”

“Nothing.” Fighting the urge to snatch down her skirt, to cover her naked breasts, she uncurled her fingers from around his wrist. She didn’t want him to stop, didn’t want to ruin the moment. This was Alex, and he’d never deliberately hurt her. And if the bulge in his jeans was any indication, her body didn’t disgust him in the least. She let out a slow breath and concentrated on the feel of his hand, so warm and tantalizing against her skin.

“Kiss me.” She needed to get out of her head and
stay
out of it. One hand reached up to find his hair and tugged his head down until their lips met. A soft moan escaped when his tongue entered her mouth, caressing hers so gently it made her tremble. The hot glow between her legs intensified, his touch burning away everything but sensation. So good.

His fingers resumed their lazy foray toward her wet center while he cupped her breast and kissed a path to its aching tip. The first touch of his mouth brought her back off the couch. For some reason it was more intense this time. She clenched her hands in his hair and cried out, drowning in sensation. “More.” She’d never wanted a man this badly. Alex was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen as he bent over her to suck her tender nipples again, easing the heated ache there. His dark hair brushed against the side of her breast, thick lashes resting against his cheeks as he enjoyed her. The light caress of his fingers at the crease of her inner thigh made her tremble. So close to where she needed them. But he didn’t give her the touch she craved. “Please,
more
.”

“Shhh. Just let me take care of you,” he whispered, fingers trailing higher, barely brushing against her damp thong.

She jerked and whimpered.

“So wet, baby,” he whispered against her breast.

She whimpered in reply and raised her hips when he hooked his finger into the waistband of her panties and tugged them down her legs. His eyes trailed back up to her wet folds, now exposed to his view. The feeling of vulnerability was unsettling, arousing. She fought the urge to close her legs, letting the heat build higher.

Alex made a low sound in his throat and cupped her throbbing mound in his palm. She gasped, held her breath when his thumb trailed over her damp, swollen sex. Up and down, soft as a breath. He was so careful with her, and it was wonderful, but she needed more. Needed something hotter, rougher, and didn’t know how to tell him.

“Touch me.” The words were a raw whisper, her hips lifting into his hand.

He looked up into her eyes. The lust she saw mirrored there made her belly flip. God, she was desperate for that hard edge in him. For him to unleash the hunger she sensed buried beneath his gentleness.

The muscles in her thighs quivered, the need twisting inside her. “I want you.” However she could have him, however much he would give her.

His slow smile almost dissolved her bones. “I know. But how do you want me?” He drew his fingertip over her sultry folds, up and down, never touching the hard bud of her clit, never sliding into her body to ease the pounding ache there.

“I want…” She bit her lip. Couldn’t say it.
I want you to take away my control. Make me helpless. Let me fight but not win while you push into me, take me, make me yours.

“You want my mouth on you?”

Shivering in his hold, she nodded. Her body was screaming for release. If he’d just give her that, it would be enough for now.

With a deep murmur he bent to nuzzle the smooth skin above her mound, inhaled deeply. The muscles in her belly jumped beneath his lips. Her hands wound tighter into his hair, bracing for the touch of his mouth. When it came she swallowed a sharp cry and tensed. The smooth heat of his tongue made her buck. His hands immediately went to her hips to hold her in place. The feel of him restraining her even in that small way spiked her arousal higher, but the way he kissed and licked her softest flesh shook her to her core.

His tongue moved over her slick folds like warm velvet, lapping and cherishing every sensitive inch before zeroing in on her swollen clit.

“Oh God,” she whimpered, lifting toward his face.
Please. Please God, make me come.
She needed it so badly.

His strong hands held her firmly to the couch as a deep growl vibrated through him. He licked at her sweetly, slow and lazy, while her pleasure magnified. In seconds she was moaning and writhing in ecstasy. Then he pushed two fingers into her and stroked her inner walls, mimicking the rhythm of his tongue.

Tia couldn’t take it. Her head thrashed on the leather cushion as plaintive cries tore out of her. She gripped his head tight between her hands and rode his tongue, too lost in sensation to care that she’d lost all modesty.

Alex stayed with her, never rushing her as she rode the building waves of pleasure. His lips closed around her to suck tenderly, those experienced fingers twisting inside her, and she shattered. Her own desperate cries echoed in her ears as the release tore through her in endless, molten pulses.

Coming back to earth, she found the strength to open her eyes and look down her body. Alex was nestled between her thighs, his lips trailing soft kisses across her quivering belly. Her fingers relaxed in his hair, smoothing it. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch with an animal sound of pleasure, and her throat closed up. She had no words. He’d been so incredibly gentle, so unselfish. The terrible ache in her body was gone, replaced by a warm, satisfied glow. But he hadn’t found any relief yet. The thought of taking him inside her made her tired inner muscles squeeze.

Sitting up, she cradled his smooth cheek in her palm for a moment before reaching for the hem of his shirt. He came up on his knees to peel it over his head, baring the muscular planes of his torso to her famished gaze. Her hands moved over him all on their own, soaking up the sensory input. He was so hot, so hard all over. The bulge between his legs told her how turned on he was, made her think of her favorite fantasy. The one she’d played in her mind time after time, alone in her empty bed, aching for him. Now he was here, right in front of her, and he wanted her. Would he give her this too?

He brought his hands up to cover hers, stopping them on the hard contours of his pecs. His heart beat strong and steady beneath her palms. The unrelieved hunger in his eyes pulled at her. “Tell me what you want, Tia.”