Wicked Nights (24 page)

She forgot all about the cool counter as he tucked an old sweatshirt beneath her head. The cotton

smelled like his soap and an outdoorsy, fresh scent. Please, please, please, let this be as good as she

remembered. She tugged on her ear for luck.

His fingers caught hers. “You don’t need luck.”

“A girl can never have too much luck.”

Instead of answering her, he leaned forward and kissed her, a soft, gentle pressure right on her center.

His tongue traced her through the silky fabric. Once. Twice. Her breath shuddered out as she relaxed into

his hold.

The next few minutes got heated. At some point, in between his kisses and her moans, he managed to

remove her panties.

“Very nice,” he said huskily, tucking the pink satin scrap neatly on the counter beside them. She bit back

a small smile. That was her Cal.

He came back to her, and his tongue touched her. He kissed her and loved her, and he was in no rush.

Everything in her tightened, a drumbeat of
yesyesyesyes
pulsing through her body.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said hoarsely. She exhaled in a hard, sharp rush of air, her lower body

clenching as his tongue found her again.

She could fall for a man like this. The thought stilled her, and Cal, being Cal, noticed. His head came

up.

“You okay?” Concern darkened his eyes, his fingers stroking lightly over her. “Honey? You with me

here?”

She was in so much trouble. This thing she had with Cal was temporary insanity. Chemistry. Whatever

they called it, neither of them had called it permanent. She had no business falling in love with him.

“I’m fine.” She tugged on his shoulders, bringing him right where she needed him.

“Back,” she demanded.

“Bossy.” The laughter was there in his voice again.

“I’m blaming you,” she said. Then his mouth found her again, and he drove her crazy, until her

whimpers and moans filled the kitchen and she called out his name, pulling his head closer, harder...
more.

A long time later, he pulled her off the counter and sat down with her right on the floor. Apparently, he

really didn’t have any chairs. She only hoped he had a bed. Or a mattress.
Something.
She might be

desperate enough to make do with a sleeping bag. Since she was parked on his lap, she was fine, but he

was the one sitting on the floor. In just a few minutes, he’d acquired a film of sawdust on his blue jeans. He

hadn’t been kidding about living in a construction zone.

He rested his chin on her head. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

He wasn’t allowed to have regrets until later.

She blinked, still breathless. “Speak for yourself, but if you’re worried about your technique, we can try

it again in about ten minutes.”

His rough chuckle had her melting all over again. “I’m suddenly feeling unexpectedly attached to these

countertops.”

She thought about that for a moment.

“Is there anywhere you’re
done
remodeling? Just so we don’t put your remodel on hiatus?”

His arms tightened around her. “Funny you should ask. The bedroom. And the bath.”

“Excellent priorities.” She wasn’t sure she was going to be able to stir.

“Can I interest you in a change in venue?”

“Only if it doesn’t involve moving,” she groaned. “And if you promise you have an actual bed in there.

The counter’s fun, but it’s hard.”

“Not a problem.” He scooped her up and headed down the hallway to where she hoped and prayed he

had a bedroom. With a bed. “I’ll show you something else that’s hard,” he said with a wink.

* * *

stores with two hundred floor models, which was one hundred ninety-eight more choices than he’d needed.

Hard or soft. That worked for him as far as choices went. He’d pointed, forked over a credit card and then

spent more time arranging delivery to Discovery Island than he’d planned on.

It was worth every minute.

He set Piper down in the center of his bed, and she looked like she belonged. Her eyes were closed, but

she was smiling. He sat down next to her.

“Better?” he asked.

“I could definitely take a nap. For which I blame you.”

“Hey,” he said, with mock offense. “Credit, please. I’ll take the credit.”

Her hum of agreement said it all. And the look on her face—sated, he decided. She looked sated. Along

with tousled and pleasured. It was a good look for her. He hadn’t planned on taking a nap—parts of him

were definitely interested in continuing their kitchen activities—but they had the entire night in front of

them and spending it wrapped around her seemed like a fine idea.

She cracked an eyelid but didn’t move when the bed swayed as he stood up. He pulled his T-shirt over

his head, folded it and set it on top of the chair that was almost the sum total of the furniture in the room.

One bed, one chair, which doubled as a table, and his duffel bag of clothes. The only other thing he had

was the Maglite he used for bedside lighting. He didn’t need anything else. Bending over, he unlaced a boot.

Which apparently got her attention.

“What are you doing?” He lifted his head as he pulled off the boot and set it on the floor. She’d rolled

over and the move pulled her sundress tight against her breasts.

“You said you wanted to take a nap.” He shrugged. “I’m obliging you.”

“Oh.” She chewed on her lower lip while he worked on the second boot. “Are you always so literal?”

“Do you always say stuff you don’t mean?”

His hands went to the button of his jeans and her eyes followed right along, which made him feel like

king of the world. Maybe it wasn’t nap time, after all. Just in case she still wasn’t feeling what he was, he

gave her a nice, slow show.

“Wow. I had no idea you were such a tease.” Her eyes didn’t move from his buttons, though, and he

was lost. He had no idea how she made him feel this way, but he had a sneaking suspicion Piper had him

wrapped around her fingers.

He popped buttons two and three. “Maybe I have hidden depths?”

She grinned at him. “Or maybe I could be convinced to
not
nap.”

He pretended to think, letting his fingers hover over button number four. “Are you convinced?”

Button number four went the way of his predecessors, and her eyes darkened. “It’s looking good,” she

agreed.

The fifth button was really just eye candy, he decided, but he undid it anyhow, then shoved his jeans

and his boxers down.

“See anything you like?”

“Over here,” she ordered, sprawling back and pointing to the patch of bed beside her. “Now.”

She was definitely a bed hog. He’d noticed that before, but chalked it up to his being in her bed. This

was his bed, however, and she’d claimed two-thirds of the space. He paused just long enough to remove a

condom from his wallet, before dropping his jeans back on top of the pile. Then he moved swiftly,

scooping her up and making room for himself. He put the unopened condom on the chair. Not the

smoothest move in the world but in the interest of being prepared, he told himself. Not because he was

assuming or because he might be reduced to begging if this didn’t go the way he hoped.

God, he was hoping.

“You’re overlooking one thing,” he said.

“Oh?” She linked her arms around his neck. They were close enough now for him to rest his forehead

on hers, to brush his mouth over her cheek. He did both while she tried to formulate her question. He was

getting to her, he thought, fiercely glad. “What’s that?”

“This is my night. I give the orders,” he growled.

And there it was...the heated curiosity he loved about her. “Don’t let me stop you,” she answered and,

yep, her words were pure command.

“I can see this is going to be hard for you.” He pressed into her and she laughed. He loved her laugh.

The sound reminded him of margaritas on the beach, sweet but with a wicked kick, the strawberry and salt

on the cool glass leaving a warm burn in his belly. Maybe they could try this again in Mexico sometime. If

things worked out with Fiesta, and she was still talking to him after learning he’d bought her dive shop.

She stretched up into him, tugging him down.

“You’re wearing far too many clothes, if we’re not napping,” he pointed out.

Lifting up, he reached for the hem of her dress. She helped with another one of those crazy-making

wriggles. Her dress went up, catching on her shoulders, and she was completely, beautifully bare. No

panties. He almost came on the spot.

“We forgot your panties in the kitchen,” he whispered roughly.

“Who’s this we, kemosabe?” She tugged the dress free and tossed it over the side of the bed. Her skin

was bronzed from her time outdoors except for the white lines from her swimsuit. He traced the mark on

her shoulder with his fingers, following the path downward until he cupped her breast with his hand. Her

breathing sped up.

“So, no nap?” She curled a leg around his waist, rocking against him.

“Not for at least an hour.” His mouth needed to follow his fingers, he decided, starting with her

shoulder and then going lower. When his tongue discovered her nipple, she groaned.

“Is that all you’ve got in you? An hour?” She was laughing at him. An answering grin spread across his

face. He blew lightly on her nipple, and her heel dug into his back. He cupped her other breast with his free

hand. Equal time sounded right to him.

“I’d be happy to keep you up all night and most of tomorrow.”

“Promises,” she said happily.

Since he had all the time in the world, he explored her breasts leisurely, kissing and licking them.

Sucking the tips gently into his mouth. When he caught one hard tip carefully between his teeth and

pressed, she arched up off the bed.

“Cal.”

He shifted up so he could kiss her as he moved his hands lower at the same time. There were definite

advantages to forgetting her panties in his kitchen. Her hands were also as busy as his mouth. She reached

between his legs and palmed his erection, and just like that, his universe narrowed to one woman with

wicked hands. She stroked him from base to tip, squeezing gently.

He covered her mouth with his, kissing her hard and deep. She opened up for him, her tongue tangling

up with his. Two mouths, two tongues, but he had no idea where he ended or she began. The poetic crap

he’d heard before suddenly made a whole new world of sense. He could feel his body blending into hers,

and guess what? It was good.
Better
than good.

So he kissed her and enjoyed every second of it. The rough, little sounds she was making—sexy

whimpers and throaty gasps because Piper had always, always been happy to
tell
him what she wanted—

said she was enjoying this, too. That she was right there with him.

Without breaking their marathon kiss, he pressed a finger into her slick folds. Up, then down, swirling

his fingers slowly around her clit in ever smaller circles. He loved touching her there. When he slid a finger

inside, she was hot perfection. She clenched around him, and he added a second finger.

She tore her mouth away from his.

“Now,” she demanded.

“My night,” he reminded her. “My rules.”

“Maybe you could make an exception?” She moved, and holy hotness, now the tip of him pressed

against the opening of her, and he was fairly certain he couldn’t remember his name, let alone the rules of

the game they were playing.

He did, however, remember just enough to reach over to snag the condom from the chair and tear it

open with his teeth—grateful for preparation because making the return trip across the room would have

killed him—and roll the latex down before sinking deep inside her. He made a rough sound, she hummed

something back and then he had her pinned flat beneath him, the bed slamming into the wall because there

was no holding back now, just him and Piper.

She looked beautiful spread out beneath him. There was no better sight. Just his woman, her arms open

for him. Her face turned up toward his, so close there was almost no space at all between them. She made a

sexy little noise as he drew back, her breath teasing his damp skin. Her nails bit into his shoulders as she

hung on, a tiny, welcome sting of pain promising she was sure right there with him.

She moaned his name.

“Right here, baby,” he said roughly as her hands stopped grabbing his shoulders and cupped the sides

of his face instead to draw him down for another heated kiss. That worked for him. Her tongue pushed into

his mouth, mimicking his rhythm as he drove into her. Sexy. Hot as hell. She was all that—
more
than that—

and he wanted to tell her how she made him feel, but no way was he letting go of her. So, instead, he kissed

her some more because tonight he was all about the show-and-tell.

She felt so incredible, all liquid heat, her inner muscles squeezing him as she got closer. Being close

with Piper was something else again. He wasn’t sure what the something was, but twice wasn’t going to be