Trust Me: The Lassiter Group, Book 1 (21 page)

All it took was meeting his eyes, falling deep into the glittering green depths to know the only place she needed to be was here.

He opened his mouth over hers, taking it so agonizingly slow their lips moved only millimeters at a time. Seeming to savor every pass, every graze of teeth and tongue, he made love to her mouth and all she could do was hang on for the breath-stealing ride.

So lost in the kiss, so hot and aching and a little bit wild from it, she whimpered when he broke from her mouth. He brought her hand to his lips, running his tongue across the inside of her wrist. She shut her eyes, willing to offer up any part of her for his thorough exploration.

Silk encircled her wrist, followed by a tug that succeeded in penetrating her lust-drenched thoughts. She glanced from the band of silk to Lucas, trying to work something through.

This was not at all what she had in mind when she came out of the bathroom. She had only wanted to show him a few of the goodies Miss Maddy had left in a basket in the bathroom. The silk scarf in particular had made her smile thinking of Lucas’s earlier response to all the pink.

By the time she pieced together his intentions, he had wrapped the silk around her other wrist, binding them together.

The thought of being at his mercy—at anyone’s—was sobering, and she pulled at her bonds.

Sensing her rising anxiety, he quickly returned to her mouth, stealing both her words and her breath, dragging it out until she felt half out of her mind.

“You’re safe with me, Max.” He tenderly traced her jawline, his lips whispering across hers. “Trust me.”

“Lucas,” she pleaded, intending to tell him she couldn’t do it, couldn’t sacrifice any more control to him or anyone, but the words stuck in her throat.

Because of the wine? Or the way she felt about him?

Lifting her up, Lucas settled her in the middle of the mattress and pushed her arms above her head.

His fingers trailed down the inside of her arm. “You are going to play nice, aren’t you?” He blew a warm breath across her nipples, bringing them to tight, aching peaks.

Dragging in a lungful of air, Max watched him through heavy eyes. “Define nice.”

He smiled suggestively, tilting the bottle of oil towards the light. “This should be interesting.”

“Maybe you should be the guinea pig then.”

“What? Not too fond of being tied up?”

She parted her thighs just enough to tempt him with the view. “I’d rather it be you.”

“No doubt.” He laid his palm on her belly, then gently raked his fingers downward through the curls between her legs. His fingers traced her damp seam.

Max dropped her head back against the pillow. She widened her thighs to give him better access. The tip of his forefinger just grazed her clit before he pulled back.

Snapping her eyes open, Max glared up at him. “Tease.”

The corners of his mouth lifted in a cocky grin. “What are you gonna do about it? Shoot me?”

“I’d be tempted if I still had my gun.”

“Guess I should be thankful you lost it in the river, huh?”

Max tried to sit up. “
I
lost it?”

Lucas slanted his mouth across hers, silencing her, and the molten conquest left her damn near boneless. It was hard to drum up a lot of protest when he was so good at kissing her completely senseless.

Slowly, he drew back, his green eyes a heady mix of desire and control. He opened the bottle, poured a few drops into his palms and rubbed them together. “Now where should we start?”

She tried once more to convince him to release her. “How about with you?”

He shook his head, urging her onto lay back. “Relax. This won’t hurt a bit.” He massaged her thighs, inching higher in light, circular motions that echoed deep in her muscles.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had touched her with such precise intimacy, his intent to please evident in every lazy stroke—maybe never. And not once with a look of such hunger, such determination to satisfy her every desire.

Just shy of her sex, he changed directions.

“You’re going the wrong way,” she whispered as the deep kneading proceeded toward her feet.

His hand stopped at her ankle. Back and forth his thumb caressed the sensitive flesh above her heel. “I don’t think so.”

She closed her eyes and sank deeper against the pillows behind her. Now this she could handle. Each feather-light caress relaxed her until her bones softened to butter. He replaced his hand with his mouth, and the seemingly innocent kiss unleashed a ravenous yearning deep in her core that had her hips swaying upward.

“Not bad, huh?”

Max opened her eyes and watched the delicious curve of his lips as he brushed his mouth across her knee. He edged closer, one hand kneading the muscle on the underside of her leg while his lips tantalized the top.

She squeezed her thighs together, the ache intensifying with every sweep of his mouth over her skin. When he was even with her hips, she arched toward him.

“Not yet.” He replaced her hands above her head.

She hadn’t realized she’d moved them until her fingers had tunneled through his hair.

Lucas continued to knead and caress, slowly, worshipfully. His fingers drifted through the damp curls between her legs. One finger parted her silky flesh, swirled across her clit once, twice, a dozen times.

Pleasure streamed through her system.

He reached above her for the bottle he’d set aside, his lips closing over one aching nipple in passing. He tugged it deep into his mouth, and she moaned softly.

She yanked on her bonds, unable to lie still while he ruthlessly teased her. “Untie me, Lucas.”

He ignored her, rubbing more oil onto his hands and spreading them across her belly. Every soothing pass found more pleasure points that left her blissfully mindless. He blew a breath across the oiled skin and warmth radiated outward.

“I don't hear any complaints so far.” Lucas moved up from her navel, molding her flesh to her ribs as he inched closer to her breasts.

Both taut peaks ached for his undivided attention. He palmed her breasts, teasing her nipples until the carnal sensation was almost more than she could stand.

“Please,” she breathed.

His teeth scraped the tips as he laved the surrounding flesh with his tongue. She writhed against him, the feel of his mouth pushing her need for him well beyond desperate.

“Am I driving you crazy yet?” He ran his hands up to her neck as he pressed his mouth to the corner of hers lips.

“I already passed crazy, along with wild and out of my ever-lovin’ mind.”

His hands fell away from her. “Maybe we should slow down then.”

“No!”

He laughed, and began retracing his steps in reverse, trailing past her breasts and stomach to her thighs. Nudging her legs wider, he moved down her body, sliding his fingers along her folds.

Her inner muscles clenched and she was pretty sure she could have blacked out when he bent his head and pressed his mouth to her center. Every inch of her body seemed caught on the edge of release, trembling with every deep lick of his tongue.

“I want to touch you. Untie me.” Her voice sounded too breathless.

“Not yet.” Lucas swirled his tongue across her clit, flicking softly, then pulled the sensitive knot between his lips and sucked.

“Lucas!” She flexed her hips, unable to stop herself from grinding softly against his mouth.

He drove his fingers inside her, and she cried out, locking her wrists around his neck. The exquisite rhythm he set only intensified the slick friction between his tongue and her clit.

Moaning, she squeezed her legs around him, release wavering at the edge of her senses. She couldn’t take much more, yet she didn’t want it to end.

Abruptly he pulled back and sat up.

“Don’t,” she pleaded, her voice almost hoarse. He couldn’t stop now.

Without apology, he flipped her onto her stomach. “We can’t forget your back now can we?”

“Enough, Lucas. I want—”

“This isn’t about what you think you want, Max.” Brushing her hair aside, his lips trailed up her neck. “It’s about what you need. What only I can give you.”

He poured more oil onto her back, his palms smoothing it over her skin. The heat between her legs continued to throb as he worked the muscles in her back. Just as relaxation began to dull the sharp edge of need still running close to the surface, his finger traced the curve of her bottom right down to her sex.

“Damn it, untie me, Lucas. Now.”

“Or?” He ruthlessly circled her clit.

“Please,” she whimpered.

He pumped his fingers into her from behind. “Soon.” His breath rushed across her cheek, coming nearly as fast as her own.

Sensation after sensation knotted together until it felt like just the right tug would unravel her completely. And he knew it, knew how to take her right to the edge every single time, only to drag out the pleasure again and again.

He pulled away and she heard him stripping off his clothes. The sound of something thumping against the door reached her ears. His shoes?

Then it didn’t matter. His body slid overtop of hers, his chest warm against her back. She closed her eyes as his cock nudged her, gliding down her wet seam. On a groan he buried himself inside her.

Bone-deep pleasure snapped through her and she lifted her bottom, meeting his thrusts as he rocked them to a frantic beat. She fisted the blanket in her fingers, clinging to what little leverage it offered.

She turned her head and he lowered his mouth to hers. With the first push of his tongue into her mouth, his entire pace ground to a halt. He withdrew and thrust so slow she could feel him inch by inch filling her up, stretching her, becoming a part of her.

Taking things down a notch should have given her a moment to catch her breath. Instead, she was drowning in him, in the long, deep kiss. Her hands might have been bound, but the rest of her felt free, unleashed.

Lucas slid from her and rolled to his back. Reaching for her, he untied her wrists and dragged her across his body. His fingers tunneled into her hair, guiding her down.

He pressed his lips to her jaw, her cheek, her eyelids, her forehead. “I trust you, Max.”

Too moved by his words, by the emotion behind them, she slanted her mouth across his and slid down his hard length, taking him deep inside her.

He groaned, gripping her hips and pushing her up to ride him. Careful of his ribs, she only had to rock a few times to propel the both of them right to the edge. Fisting a hand in her hair, Lucas pulled her down once more just as she came.

Delicious spasms gripped her and she clenched her inner muscles around him. He drove up into her again and again, rocketing her higher with every thrust, until he shuddered hard, his ragged moan hot against her neck.

Breathing hard, she collapsed on his chest. It took her a minute to try to roll off him, but he put an end to that when he locked one arm across her lower back and yanked the blanket up over them.

The sun was just creeping over the treeline visible through the window on the east side of the building when the bedroom door flew open.

Miss Maddy barreled into the room, pink rollers still in her hair, cast-iron frying pan in her hand. “There are men in the house. They have guns. I hit one in the head. I think I might have killed him.”

Max leaped out of the bed, darting into the bathroom to grab her clothes and hurriedly dragged them on.

Oblivious to the fact he was completely naked, Lucas crept into the hall and glanced down the stairs. A second later he closed the door and wedged a chair under the knob.

“Blackwater’s guys?”

Lucas yanked on his clothes and shoes. “We have to assume it is.”

“How did they find us?” She didn’t wait for Lucas to answer since they could waste time speculating later. “Plan?”

He nodded to the window.

“Good.” Miss Maddy nodded. “You two go. I’ll hold them off.”

Max snorted at that. “She can’t go out the window, Lucas.” The woman might appear spry for her age, but she was hardly up for scaling the roof. Max wasn’t even sure
she
was up for it.

“The attic,” Miss Maddy said. “There’s an access panel in the closet.”

Max listened at the door as Lucas helped Miss Maddy into the attic.

“The keys to my Caddy are in the ignition if you need to make a run for it to get help.”

Lucas nodded. “Did any other guests arrive last night?”

Max didn’t hear Miss Maddy’s reply before he shut the panel and closed the door.

“So we’re on our own then?”

“Looks like it.” He listened at the door, then motioned to the window.

Max hesitated. “You think she’s safe up there?”

“If it is Edward Blackwater and company, then it’s you they’re after. They’ll be too busy tracking us to bother with her.” Lucas pulled the screen inside and set it on the floor then shoved the window open. “After you.”

She grabbed the sill and pulled herself up, realizing she’d gladly take a canoe and white-water rapids over walking the narrow ledge of a roof any day. Climbing a tree was one thing—a catwalk on a steep roof was entirely different.

Knowing time wasn’t on their side, Max edged out onto the ledge, doing her damndest not to look down. Lucas crawled out behind her, and the wood creaked under the added weight.

Nightmarish images of the wood trim giving way beneath them froze her in place for a moment. The cold bite of the air she dragged into her oxygen-starved lungs finally managed to get her moving again.

Inch by agonizing inch, they moved along the ledge.

At the corner, Max griped the eave above her head and dropped down onto a flatter part of the roof. Immediately to her right, the remainder of the roof sloped at a precarious angle. Had it not been for Lucas’s presence she might have risked a slower pace, Blackwater’s guys behind them or not.

Near the edge, she paused, scanning the ground for any sign of movement. Only a plump chipmunk scampered among yellow and orange colored leaves below.

Max pivoted to mention the lack of ladder waiting for them to Lucas, but the words wedged in her throat as the shingled roofing gave way beneath her feet.