WRECKER (4 page)

The sting of his spank spread heat across her bottom. She hadn’t even said anything and he’d called her a liar and spanked her. Spanked her! “You nasty-”

Another smack landed on her other side and when he chuckled, she gritted her teeth.

“Keep it up,” he taunted, nipping the curve of her neck. “I’ll prove you wrong.”

She pursed her lips. A small growl came from her. “I have
never
-”

With a quick motion, he grabbed her wrists and pulled them behind her back, snaring them in one hand. He leaned back and smiled at her. With nothing on but her shorts, and her hands pinned to her back, she sat on his lap half naked and completely defenseless. His gaze, hungry and predatory drifted from her face to her breasts. She wanted to yank free of his grip, to shield her small breasts from his view, but her wanton body betrayed her. Her nipples tightened to stiff points.

He leaned forward, sucked a nipple between his lips and teased her with soft strokes of his tongue. She moaned and writhed in his steely hold.

“So beautiful,” he whispered. He kissed the swell of her other breast, sucking the skin gently. “I want to make you mine.”

She let out a long shuddering sigh as he sucked her other nipple. Flicking his tongue over the tight bud, he growled softly.

He leaned back and smiled at her in triumph and she wondered what wicked thing he had in mind. She didn’t have to wonder long. His fingers trailed the hem of her shorts, making a direct path to her sex. Slowly, lazily, he stroked her slick folds, giving her a look of mock dismay.

“What’s this?” he asked with exaggerated surprise. “You, Sage,
are
wet. Bad girl.”

She shuddered. He rubbed her back and forth with a deliberate and unhurried brush of his fingertips.

“There’s something between us, Sage. I want you. It’s making me crazy and I know you want me too.”

Her legs were trembling. He was stripping away her control, making her mindless.

“Look at me,” he said.

She lifted her gaze and looked into his eyes.

“Good girl. Don’t look away.” He pressed his finger into her. It wasn’t much, just the tip, but it felt tight and she flinched. His brows lifted. He stilled. And the look on his face stole her breath. Now he would know she was inexperienced and he’d regret bringing her home. The air between them crackled with electricity, expectation and surprise.

“You’ve never been with anyone, have you, Sage?”

“No,” she breathed.

Releasing her wrists, he pulled her close to receive his kiss.

“That’s something,” he said softly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “There wasn’t anyone I ever wanted. Never.”

It was true. In high school she’d harbored a few crushes on fellow band members and, secretly, on the assistant band director, but she hadn’t really dated.

She drew closer, inhaling his masculine, addictive scent. Wrapping her arms around his neck she sighed deeply and wriggled against him.

He laughed and gripped her hips. “So innocent but so responsive. I bet I could make you come right here on my lap.”

His words sent a tremor of lust through her. She wanted to hear more of the dirty things he could do to her and the ways he could make her lose her mind.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she whispered. “I never do stuff like this. Did you spike that coffee or something?”

He pressed his lips to the curve of her neck. “Yes. With cream and sugar.”

She set her hands on his shoulders and shuddered as he trailed his fingertips past her hips and down to her core. She gasped as he traced his fingers past the hem of her shorts and deeper.

A current of energy jolted her when his fingertips brushed the seam of her sex.

“This is a little different than what we agreed to, Theo.”

“I want to touch you,” he said. “Make you come. I want to see your pretty face while you fall apart.”

He leaned back and watched her with a look of smug satisfaction. One hand gripped her waist, holding her still, keeping her from moving. With his other he stroked her. He pressed his fingertip inside her a little deeper this time and drew a sharp breath from between his clenched teeth.

He scattered kisses along her neck, across her collarbone and on her shoulder. He kissed her breast and teased her nipple. She held his head, clutched him to her.

His touch was wicked, magic and perfect. Her resistance fell away. He stroked her, sometimes softly and other times more firmly. She shook with need. It was pure pleasure. It was utter torment. She writhed, pleaded and begged for release. Digging her fingertips into the expanse of his shoulders she whispered into his ear, promises of whatever he wanted. Anything. His response was a soft laugh, a bite on her neck.

“All right, beautiful girl,” he murmured. “I’ll take you there since you asked me so sweetly.”

And then his caress turned into something altogether different. Less teasing and more intense. He stroked her clit. Cupped her ass. Whispered filthy things.

You’ll beg me to fuck you. I’ll kiss your ankles while I drive into you.

Her legs trembled. Tightness collected inside her, swirling, climbing until she arched and cried out, her orgasm cresting and crashing over her.

Collapsing against him, she let him wrap her into his arms. Wild emotions flooded her and she welcomed the shelter of his embrace. Her heartbeat thundered. Her pulse drummed against her temple. She felt him reach for something and sighed when he drew a blanket around her shoulders.

“The first time I saw you I wanted you,” he said. “I’d never felt that way before. I watched you mixing a drink at my father’s house, you looked up at me and spilled the drink all over the counter. Remember?”

“I do.”

He got up from the couch, holding her in his arms. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

She did as he told her and he carried her through the house. From the depths of the blanket she couldn’t see anything, but was sure he was taking her to his bedroom. His boots echoed in the quiet hallway. One of his hands cupped her bottom and the other wrapped around her middle. She buried her face against his neck.

“While you were spilling Grey Goose all over the counter, you were jumping around saying, ‘darn’ about a hundred times really fast.”

“I remember.”

He set her down, pulled the blankets back and she crawled into the bed. The room was dark, but she could see his silhouette against the window as he pulled his shirt over his head

“I knew right then you belonged to me. Just like my father said happened when he knew your mother was the one. Like a bolt of lightning.”

She gathered the blankets around her. “Sounds painful. Can I have your undershirt?”

He grunted and tossed it to her. Shivering against the cold sheets, she put the shirt on. The lingering warmth sank into her skin and his scent clung to the fabric. She lifted the collar to her nose and inhaled. Theo was never getting his shirt back. Not ever.

She wrapped her arms around her knees. “So when you saw me spilling the drink, you thought to yourself, ‘
I’m going to vandalize that girl’s car and when it breaks down on a lonely highway, in the freezing cold, I’ll abduct her and offer her five thousand dollars in exchange for a lap dance?
’”

He took off his boots, and jeans. “Not exactly. First I thought I’d ask you out on a
date
.” His voice dripped with scorn. “Like
dinner
or something like that.”

She lay back, pulling the blankets to her chin. “Sure you did.”

“Look, sassy girl, I haven’t dated or anything since my wife left me. I’m out of practice with all this. But then I heard about your roommate, Abbey, hooking in that house you shared, and Trey said you owed a bunch of money and that he was going to get you up on that stage, and I just figured, fuck that, it’s time to just go get her.”

“Her name’s Ashley.”

“Whatever.”

He crawled into bed and pulled her close. Lying next to him felt perfect and when he wrapped around her she sank into his embrace. His erection pressed against her bottom. He’d touched her, teased her and made her lose her mind, but now he seemed content to hold her. Nothing more. Unable to resist the feel of him, she wriggled her bottom.

He swatted her. “You better cut that out.”

With a layer of blanket covering her, there was little sting. She bit her lip. If she laughed, he’d spank her again. It hadn’t hurt earlier either when he’d swatted. In fact, it had made her a little hotter. Not that she would confess that. Everything about the night confused her. She wasn’t one to play games. Or flirt. Or let a man strip her down and make her come hard. Yet there she was lying next to a man who was a head taller than her, and teasing him.

“Tomorrow night, you’re giving me a lap dance,” he growled. “What happened tonight didn’t count.

She closed her eyes. “No I’m not.”

“Naked.”

“Pftt,
totally
illegal,” she scoffed.

He laughed and nipped her shoulder. “And handcuffs. I want you helpless.”

She caught her breath. Waiting for him to say something more, she coaxed air into her lungs. He groaned as he held her close, muttered something about how perfectly she fit and after a few moments his breathing deepened. She listened to the sound of the rolling thunder and watched as lightning flashed, illuminating the vaulted ceiling above.

When she woke the next morning, she felt momentary panic at her unfamiliar surroundings. What alarmed her even more was the heavy weight pinning her to the bed. After a moment’s confusion, she recalled falling asleep in Theo’s embrace. During the night, he’d grumbled if she wriggled, and if she rolled away from him, he would, without waking, haul her back into his arms.

The savory aroma of bacon wafted in the air, making her mouth water. Voices came from the kitchen, two women, older ladies, talking and laughing.

“Theo,” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

He sprawled, partly over her, and at first there was no response. Then he shifted and tightened his hold on her. A low growl came from him, rumbled, reverberating against her back.

“Are you awake?” she asked, this time a little louder.

“No.”

“Someone’s here. Two people. They’re in your kitchen. Should you go see who it is?”

He grunted. “If they’re making breakfast they can stay.”

“Do people just stroll into your house anytime? I thought you were…a loner.”

“I am a loner, but rarely alone,” he murmured. “They…” His words drifted off.

He seemed to be drifting back to sleep. If she twisted a little, she could see the door. It stood open. Anyone could walk in and see her there and she still didn’t know for sure who was in the kitchen.

“What were you going to say?” she prompted.

He groaned and yawned. “Those ladies watch over me. They’re like two mothers. They show up. Even on their days off. They worked for my dad for as long as I can remember. When I came home from the service they came round and told me they would work for me.”

“I need to shower and dress before someone comes back here. I don’t want to be in my pajamas if there are people in the house.”

“I was woke up a couple of times last night. I liked seeing you. Feeling you. I really wanted to tear those little pajamas off you. It wasn’t easy keeping my hands off you.”

She rolled her eyes. He was lying on top of her and a half dozen times last night, she’d woken with his hand under her shirt, cupping her breast. He’d whispered filthy things to her too, like how he was going to mark her and taste her and fuck her. Every dirty threat only made her squirm and imagine giving him anything he wanted.

She wriggled and when she got an arm free she pushed him gently. “I need to shower.”

“Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day, Sage. I should take you to dinner.”

“That sounds nice.”

“I have a Valentine’s Day fantasy and you have the starring role. Want me to tell you about it?”

“Not right now, Theo.”

“Good. I’ll tell you at dinnertime.”

He rolled back and put his hands behind his head. In the dim morning light she admired him. His tall frame took up a lot of the bed. No wonder she’d been jostled all night. The expanse of his chest was chiseled and banded with thick muscles. Unshaven, he looked every bit the dangerous kidnapper. But sexy too. A smile curved his lips. His lids were hooded and his eyes held an unspoken invitation.

He nodded. “My cock’s been hard all night. Your fault.”

She got up, slipped on her robe and went to the bathroom door. “I slept like a baby.”

It wasn’t true. Sleeping next to him felt natural, almost familiar, but all night she’d been sharply aware of his arousal and that he hadn’t asked her for anything. She’d wanted to offer, but felt shy, self-conscious and totally insecure about the whole prospect of pleasing him.

“You won’t sleep like a baby tonight. You’ll beg me to have my way with you.”

A shiver ran down her spine. During the night, he’d treated her so tenderly. On the other hand, he said all sorts of naughty, vulgar things. Who talked that way?
Was
he crazy?

“Tomorrow I need to go home. Back to my real life. Figure out how to get a new car. You understand that, right?”

His smile faded. He tossed back the sheet and rose from the bed and if he’d looked big lying down, he towered as he crossed the room. He crowded her.

“Your apartment is being watched by the police. Your roommates are involved in some fairly nasty business.”

Her throat tightened. She tried to swallow and find a response. “How do you know?”

Taking a lock of her hair, he twirled it around his finger, drawing it taut. “I know everything that happens in this town.”

He lowered his unshaven jaw and abraded her face, sending a shudder through her as he nuzzled her neck.

She closed her eyes. Everything was in turmoil. Her thoughts spun.

“You’re mine, Sage. You have no car. You have no job. When the police bust your roommates, you’ll have no place to live. Plus, you’ve forgotten something… you owe me.”

“
Owe
you?” Her voice was a whisper yell.

She set her hand on his chest and tried to push him back but it was like trying to push a brick wall. Part of her was in shock at how quickly her life had unraveled and the other part was furious with him.

“
You
wrecked my life,” she hissed. “My car. My job. You probably set my roommates up too, didn’t you.”

Her words died as he tugged her closer to him.

“Sage…” His tone was soft and laced with warning.

She tried to keep some distance between them. “I thought I was getting my act together.” Her voice shook and she wondered if she might cry. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Now it’s all falling apart.”

He pressed her lower back and pulled her against him. “It’s not falling apart. It’s coming together.”

Her breasts brushed the hard planes of his chest, her nipples tightening instantly. Warmth collected in her core. He lowered his head and grazed her neck. She leaned into his hold, melting, offering, and submitting completely. His command over her senses bewildered her.

“I want to taste you,” he muttered as he nuzzled her neck. “Now.”

“You’re crazy. There are
people
in your kitchen,” she hissed.

“I want to fuck you too, but I’ll wait until the house is empty. I don’t want to scare anyone.”

He went to the bedroom door and slammed it shut, locked it and returned to her. His face was an expression of predatory lust and she found herself being pulled into the bathroom by her captor. He tugged the belt from her robe, tied her wrists and lifted her hands above her head.

She panted as he stretched her taut, forcing her to her tiptoes. The bathroom was lit only by the morning light that came through a small window. He kissed her softly and trailed kisses down her neck. He tugged her shirt up and kissed a line down her stomach as he pulled her shorts down.

“Oh, Theo,” she whispered.

“Ever wanted anyone like you want me, baby?”

“No.”

He chuckled softly. “That’s what I mean. You’re mine. You know you’re mine. You just need proof. And you need to trust me.”

“I don’t know, Theo,” she whispered.

He kissed her thigh and with the tip of his tongue teased a path to her sex, kissing and licking her. He growled, a savage sound of pleasure. She strained against her binds and when his tongue brushed her clit she jerked and cried out. Her skin sparked with desperate need. She wanted him to kiss her there. To lick her and give her more.

“Sage, you taste so good.” Tugging her ankle, he coaxed her leg up and draped it over his shoulder. “I’m going to devour you.”

Her legs shook and she gritted her teeth. She was as crazy as he was. People were in the house and she allowed herself to be tied up, naked, and she didn’t want him to stop. He teased her and kissed her, stroking her with his tongue. One moment he’d take her to the edge of ecstasy and the next he backed off. When she moaned with frustration and need, he growled in response.

He sucked her clit gently between his lips and stroked her with his fingers. “Want to come, sweet girl?”

“I do,” she replied.

“Good.”

He growled softly and licked her, harder, rubbing her clit with his tongue, making her arch. Her climax crashed through her, lifting her on a wave of pleasure. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. He tugged her binds loose and she sank into his arms.

The intimacy of what they’d just done unraveled something inside. Her eyes prickled with tears. He soothed her, kissed her and held her.

After she regained her senses, he led her to the shower. He started the water, adjusted it and undressed her, nudging her under the warm stream of water. A moment later, he joined her.

Standing together, locked in an embrace, they were both silent. His erection pressed against her stomach. Steam swirled in the huge shower, obscuring her vision.

Wrapping her hands around his cock, she reveled in the hiss of his breath.

Never before had she touched a man like this. The skin was softer than she’d imagined, but his erection was like steel.

“Show me,” she whispered.

His hands wrapped around hers and he moved her along his length.

“I won’t last long,” he said.

He moved her hand up and down the full length of his cock, telling her to squeeze tighter as she slid her hand over the head. He took her other hand and made her cup his balls, and told her to pull them down. They were so tight.

“Fuck, baby, I love your touch…” A growl tore from his throat. She watched his face as his pleasure mounted and he came. A snarl tore from his lips. A shudder ran through his body. He lifted a hand to the wall behind her and lowered his head.

“
Sage…
” he whispered, his eyes closed.

He was quiet and they stood together beneath the stream of water. She brushed her fingertips along his jaw and when he opened his eyes, she saw regret, and tenderness in their depths. Never before had she touched a man in that way and she wondered what she might have done wrong.

“What is it?” she asked.

He shook his head. “The more we play with each other the more I want you. You just stroked me off and I loved it, but it is just foreplay. I want more.”

Cupping her face, he slowly rubbed his thumb over her lips. “Something happens to me when I’m around you. Not sure I like this feeling.”

Sage nodded. With his hand pressed against the shower wall, behind her, she felt caged by his big frame. His words stripped something from her and in the swirling steam she felt more exposed and vulnerable than she had even moments ago when he’d had her wrists bound and made her mindless with pleasure.

“I want to be your first,” he murmured. “I want to be your last.”

Sage’s insides felt like they were in a freefall. Her heartbeat went haywire and she found it impossible to give him an answer.

Without saying more he drew her under the stream of water. Turning her so she had her back to him, he washed her hair and her back, his strong hands massaging her. She, in turn, did the same for him. Tracing her fingertips along his shoulders and down his spine, she admired his powerful build. Soap streamed down, rivulets running along the bands and grooves of muscle.

“Let’s just enjoy the weekend.” She rinsed the suds and unable to hold back, wrapped her arms around him. Her breasts brushed against his back sending tremors of pleasure to her core.

He growled softly and stepped away from her embrace. “You better quit that.”

Without another word he stepped out of the shower, and when she was sure he’d left the bathroom, she stepped out, dried and dressed.

She wondered if this was a just a big game to him. Maybe he wanted to claim her so no one else could.

One thing was certain, her body had never responded to another man the way she did for Theo. He’d made her climax twice now. What would it be like to make love with him? Lust bloomed inside her. She could almost feel his mouth between her legs, his hands holding her, only this wouldn’t be like what had just happened in the shower, it would be so much more.

She hadn’t packed anything fancy for her weekend with the girls, just a sweater, jeans and boots. It would have to do. Nothing he’d said had given her any idea of what they might do that day. She’d brought a few school books and she could spend the rainy day studying. At some point she’d mention that fact that she had no car. How exactly would she broach
that
subject?

Any ideas on what to do about the car you trashed?

Yeah.
That
would be a fun conversation.