Fallen Angels: Beguiled\Wanton\Uncovered (27 page)

She didn't answer, apparently too dazed to form words.

“Celia, if you act embarrassed or ashamed, I swear I'll turn you over my knee.”

She lightly bit him again, this time on his muscled chest. “Don't forget your gun is still close, Sharpe. I'm not afraid to use it.”

Grinning, while doing his best to ignore his own pounding need, Alec reached to the floor and snagged the top sheet. Tucking her up against his side, he said, “You're going to sleep right here, against my body, all night, honey. Don't even think of moving away. You got that?”

Her brows lowered as her eyes opened and she stared up at him. “But…sleep? What about—”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her nose. “We're not finishing this little game until you ask me, very nicely, to do so.”

She searched his face and he could detect her mental shrug. “All right, I—”

He laid a finger against her lips. “Not now, Celia. Not when you're still all soft from a nice climax.” Her cheeks turned bright pink at his frank talk and he smiled. “You'll know when you're ready, when you want me without all this ridiculous reserve. Then I'll take you until neither of us can walk. I promise. But for tonight, we sleep.”

He reached over and switched off the light, then gathered her close again. Her thighs cradled his erection, making him grit his teeth. After several silent moments, she whispered, “I won't make it easy on you, Alec.”

He shook his head. “You never have, babe.”

 

C
ELIA WOKE
with her nose pressed to a hard, very warm, somewhat hairy chest. She smiled, snuggling closer and deeply inhaling the delicious scent of warm male flesh, but within the space of a single heartbeat she remembered Alec and what he'd done and what she'd done…Oh no. She opened her eyes slowly and like a zombie, lifted her head to survey him.

Breathing deeply in his sleep, more at peace than she'd ever seen him, he looked sexier than any man she'd known. He had one long, muscled arm beneath her neck and around her back, keeping her pressed to his body. His other arm was bent up behind his head, opening his body to her perusal, making him look somewhat vulnerable. She could see the dark tuft of fine hair beneath his arm, the way his biceps bulged even when relaxed. His long silky hair was tousled, lying over his brow and touching his wide shoulders. The single gold earring shone dully in the morning light.

His jaw and chin were very dark with beard shadow, and she knew when he awakened, he'd look more menacing than ever. But for now, his long sooty lashes rested on his high cheekbones, presenting elongated shadows in the dim room, and he looked entirely too…
cuddly.

Saying he was beautiful would have been an extreme understatement.

A soft sigh escaped her and she felt her heart lurch. Given a choice, she would have cuddled down next to him and gone blissfully back to sleep. But she knew Alec, knew his way, and understood that she couldn't let her guard down around him for a minute. Being the natural predator, he'd take swift advantage of any opening she gave him.

Not that she hadn't already given him plenty, she thought, feeling her face go hot with the memory of the past night. But she wouldn't let him win. He hoped to intimidate her enough to make her head home, leaving poor Hannah abandoned.

That would explain why he'd toyed with her so deliciously without actually taking her. She shivered, aware of him on every level. But while she physically appreciated his finesse, she didn't like his motives. If he wanted to be a caveman, she couldn't fight him, but neither did she dare give in to him completely.

Raymond had hurt her pride, but Alec could kill it.

He shifted in his sleep and her eyes were drawn to his body. The blankets only covered him as high as his navel, leaving a lot of incredible skin still bare. He was naturally dark, determinedly hard, and as much man as any woman could ever hope for.

She looked back up at the broad expanse of his solid shoulders, then gasped. High on his shoulder was a bruise, a bruise she knew had been caused by her teeth.

Last night, when the pleasure had taken her, she'd bitten him.

Her reaction was swift, the bitter reality cutting her deep and forcing her to stifle an instinctive cry of pain. She started to scramble upward, wanting to escape the proof of her own unrestrained tendencies, but suddenly found herself flat on her back. Alec, the cad, was wide awake.

“Where do you think you're going?” His voice was rough velvet, still heavy with sleep, but his eyes were sharply alert.

“Let me go, Alec.”

He searched her face, his dark gaze almost obsidian in the vague morning light. She could see him thinking, calculating, and it enraged her. Pushing against his chest with all her might, she said through her teeth,
“Let—me—go.”

Her struggles had no effect on him. She may as well have been fighting solid granite. “You were looking me over, getting used to my body. Why the sudden panic?”

Celia froze. Had he been awake the whole time? Been aware of her scrutiny? “I did not panic.”

“No? What would you call it?” Before she could answer, he added in a low rumble, “Damn woman, but you look hot first thing in the morning.” And then he kissed her.

Celia tried to resist him, she really did. But he smelled manly and warm and his mouth had a slightly musky taste to it from sleep. His whiskers rasped her cheek as he deepened the kiss, his hands coming up to roughly cradle her breasts. She arched into him, unable to help herself.

And he lifted away. His lips still touching hers, he said, “Now tell me what's wrong.”

Her gaze didn't seem to want to focus and her heart was working way too hard for first thing in the morning. “I…I need coffee.”

“As soon as you talk to me.”

Damn stubborn man. He wouldn't give up, so she had to. Resolving the problem and getting out of the bed, out from under him, was a major priority. Lowering her lashes because she really couldn't look at him while making such an admission, she said in a small voice, “I bit you.”

She could hear his grin, felt the renewed caressing of her breasts, gentle and easy. “Several times.”

“No, I mean…” She peeked up at him, trying to gather her wits.
Several times?
Oh good grief, it just kept getting worse and worse. She felt almost sick with dread and tried to order her thoughts, but it was extremely difficult with him lying on her, all hard muscle and hot male.

She drew a slow breath. “You have a…a bruise on your shoulder.”

He looked over at his shoulder, then dismissed the small mark with a shrug. “So?”

Her bottom lip trembled and she tightened her mouth to still the small giveaway. “I'm sorry.”

“Sorry for being sexy? For having an incredibly healthy sex drive? Hell, woman, I
liked
it, okay? That little nibble says you were feeling everything just as I wanted you to feel it. Just as you're supposed to feel it.”

“No.”
She wouldn't let him make light of it, not when she knew different. “I hurt you, Alec. I behaved no better than a…an animal.”

His eyes darkened more, then he nuzzled her neck just below her ear. “You had a really nice orgasm, honey, full-blown, just as I wanted you to. I liked it. If you acted like an animal, then so did I, because that little love nibble all but pushed me over the edge, and knowing the reason for it damn sure made me feel pretty terrific.” He kissed her earlobe, and his warm, damp tongue tickled over the rim of her ear, making her breath catch. And then he was looking at her again, waiting for her to accept what he'd said.

Heart racing, she thought about it, and pondered her own naiveté in sexual matters. Despite her limited experience, she asked, “Do you…?”

“What?” His slow smile came again. “Bite?”

The humor and hunger and tenderness in his black eyes made her stomach feel empty and her skin feel hot. But the room was dim and quiet, the day still early. Asking intimate questions seemed as perfectly timed as possible. “Yes.”

His lids lowered sensually and he moved his mouth to the place where her shoulder and neck met. Celia shivered, then quickly braced herself when she felt his mouth open, felt the touch of his teeth. He did bite, but it didn't hurt. Just the opposite. The bite was wet and soft and he immediately soothed it with his tongue, making her nerves tingle.

“I would never do anything to hurt you.”

Her eyes drifted shut. “Alec…”

He scooted downward in the bed, kicking the sheet away and situating himself comfortably. His mouth stayed on her, taking small delicious nibbles all along the way until he reached the tip of her breast. Her heart thundered so that she wondered why it didn't explode. He prepared her, plumping her breast, smoothing the nipple with his calloused thumb until it stiffened and stood turgid beneath his attention. Every nerve in her body seemed suspended, waiting. Then he nipped her.

Celia jumped, groaning at the same time when Alec held her firmly in place. He did it again and again, sometimes plucking with his lips, sometimes tugging with his teeth. It was an erotic mixture of foreplay: taut expectancy—though no real injury ever came—and sinful teasing. Her toes curled under the sheet, her hands fisted in his soft, cool hair.

The man was cruel, playing with her for long minutes and when she did finally think he was through, he only switched to the other breast. When she moaned out a protest, he mumbled something about breakfast and continued. Celia curled her legs around him and squeezed. That didn't help, so she pushed herself against him and Alec helped by curving one large hand over her derriere and urging her into a slow, hypnotic rhythm against his body.

She'd thought herself fully experienced, even jaded after her time with Raymond, but she'd never done anything like this, or anything like last night. Alec was either the most inventive lover in the world, or her experiences with Raymond hadn't been adequate to prepare her for Alec.

She tended to believe it was a mix of the two. Especially when she felt herself on the verge of a climax. Alec seemed to sense it, too. He lifted his head, staring at her hard, his jaw working as if he felt undecided.

His eyes narrowed, and very slowly, he pushed her back away from him. Her heart broke and she wanted to cry out in shame and disappointment, but he didn't give her a chance. He grasped her hips and leaned down, then nuzzled his face into her belly.

Celia was genuinely shocked. He wasn't leaving her, he was…
“Alec.”

He held her firmly against the mattress, stilling the automatic surge of her body, and sought her out with his tongue, laving her much like a cat. Nearly mindless in sensation, she fought against him even while struggling to get closer. He controlled her with almost no effort, occasionally turning his face and softly biting the fleshy part of her inner thigh. Each sharp nip added to her pleasure, taking her a little higher, forcing her a little closer to the edge until she was beyond desperate.

“Come.”
Alec gave his command with supreme confidence, then caught her small bud between his teeth to torment her with his tongue, and Celia screamed, fully obedient, arching her back, digging her fingers into the mattress, so overwhelmed with emotion and sensation she could do nothing more than ride along on the wave of extreme pleasure. Nothing, no past experience, no mature knowledge, had prepared her for this.

When it ended, she couldn't exactly say. Her body buzzed, her mind felt blurry. One minute she'd been insensible, and the next, Alec was leaving the bed. She barely got her eyes open. “Alec?” The word was a breathy whisper.

He turned, kissed her hard right on the mouth, making her eyes widen a little, then growled, “I need an icy shower, babe. Just stay put and give me a minute. Then we'll get breakfast and talk.”

He stalked, beautifully, sinfully naked into the bathroom and kicked the door shut. A second later the shower started.

Still staring at the closed door, still seeing that sexy, naked, hard-muscled behind, Celia blew out a slow breath.
Oh wow.
She wasn't prepared for this, didn't know how to handle it. Why did he keep giving her pleasure while taking none for himself? Did he expect her to think he didn't want her? Ha. He'd looked ready to self-destruct when he left the bed, all flushed, hot, ready man. Any other man
wouldn't
have left the damn bed.

Did this have something to do with what he'd told her last night? That ridiculous business about insisting she ask for him? Actually, she thought she had. Several times.

She may have even begged.

She'd also thought she knew about sex, but then, no one had ever told her about Alec Sharpe.

S
HE'D EATEN NEARLY
as much as he had. Alec grinned. The little lady had worked up an appetite. Or rather, he'd worked one up for her.

Damn, he could still taste her, and she'd been much tastier than the eggs and ham. Delicious, so sweet she could easily become an addiction. Everything about Celia was unique, so he wasn't at all surprised. His own restraint was the only shocker. How the hell he'd summoned up the willpower to walk away from her was the million dollar question. But he knew. Even now, she wouldn't quite meet his eyes, and she blushed every time he spoke to her.

She was ashamed, embarrassed, and he wanted to drag her back off to bed and keep her there until she got over her absurd hang-ups.

He hadn't realized he'd begun scowling at her until she slapped down her fork and finally looked him square in the eyes. “What are you up to, Alec?”

He choked on a sudden laugh, something he hadn't done in too many years to count. His day-to-day life didn't consist of lighthearted moments. Few people ever used that hostile tone with him, even fewer demanded answers of him. But Celia, though she was pink-cheeked and fidgety, managed to dredge up the spunk. He took a sip of his coffee, letting her stew, then said calmly, “Just waiting for you to accept a few facts.”

She actually sneered at him, forcing him to repress another smile. “What facts? That you're a great lover? Ha! I'll never know, will I, when you keep running from the bed.”

He would not let her rile him. Her bravado was a front for the real issue—her hurt feelings. And he regretted that. “I'm good enough, but then you make the effort a real pleasure.”

She started to stand and he caught her wrist. “Don't cause a scene, honey. Remember, you have a cover around here to protect.”

With the meanest look he could have imagined on such a sweet face, she reluctantly resettled herself.

“Now,” he said, keeping his hold on her delicate wrist, “I wasn't insulting you. No, just listen. I want you, Celia. Don't doubt that, but like I told you, I'll be damned before I add to your skewed perspective on what's shameful and what isn't.”

She toyed with her napkin. “After what you…we did, we might as well have…you know.”

Taking another sip of unwanted coffee, he stalled for time. He had to play his hand carefully, had to measure his every word. “Do you feel dirty this morning, honey?”

Judging by her reaction, he should have measured a little more. Her small hands fisted on the table and the color in her face now was from anger, not embarrassment.

“Is that it, Alec?” She spoke in a low whisper, mindful of the one other couple in the café so early in the morning. “Are you out to use my own weaknesses against me? If you're hoping I'll give up on Hannah and go home just because you can make me—”

She gasped when he stood and pulled her up from her chair. “Not another word, lady.”

She jerked her arm free and turned to walk out. Alec threw money on the table and followed her. Leaving the restaurant was fine by him; what he planned to say to her would be better said without an audience.

Celia stomped across the motel parking lot and started up the outside stairs to her room without once turning to see if Alec followed. That added to his rage as he wrapped his arm around her waist and steered her toward his truck instead. When she started to fight him, he tightened his grip. “Oh no, you're not getting off that easy. We have plans to make today and regardless of your temper, we'll stay on schedule. You want to save little Hannah, well fine. But we're definitely going to get a few things straightened out first.”

The day was already sweltering, and heat rolled off the blacktop parking lot in waves. It was nothing compared to his ignited temper. He opened the truck door then waited while she threw him a malicious look before climbing in.

Alec slammed his own door hard enough to rattle the interior. He jammed the key in the ignition, hit the button to lock both doors, then gripped the steering wheel with all his might. Losing his control wouldn't help anything. Oh, Celia was doing her best to act unconcerned, but he knew her well enough by now to read her every thought, and he had her nervous. Rather than cooling his temper, that put it over the edge and he jerked around to face her, barking, “
Goddammit,
I would never hurt you so stop cowering in the damn corner!”

She bristled up like an angry racoon. Shooting across the seat to face him nose to nose, she yelled, “You don't scare me!”

A red haze clouded his vision. Very slowly, his arms crept around her, keeping her from retreating. “Then tell me what you're thinking, damn it.”

She hesitated only a moment, biting her lip before lifting her chin. She didn't try to escape his hold, and that was a blessing, because Alec felt entirely too possessive and territorial to have her inching away. He wanted her close, and he wanted her to admit to liking it, too.

She touched the front of his shirt. “I don't understand you, Alec. I don't know what you're doing or why you suddenly got so mad.”

Alec dropped his forehead against hers, and allowed his hands to tighten on her just a bit, bringing her breasts closer, arching her into his body. He took several slow breaths, regaining control. “I'm sorry.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Obviously she hadn't expected that. And with good reason. He couldn't remember ever apologizing to anyone before, at least, not since he'd been a kid, not since he'd learned his own lessons.

To further surprise them both, he admitted, “I don't like it when you compare me to Raymond.”

Celia shook her head, her confusion apparent. “I didn't.”

“Oh yeah you did.” He released her to face the windshield, staring out at the hazy sunshine and the few clouds in the sky. “You do it all the damn time. Raymond is the one who used you, not me. Raymond is the one who played games with your body and your feelings. Not me.”

She bristled again, her face going hot and her eyes glittering, though this reaction was tempered with confusion. “And you don't think what you did last night or this morning qualifies as a game?”

“No.” He turned his head toward her, but his hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. “When I'm making love to you, it's strictly for pleasure, mine and yours. It's not to hurt you in any way, or to manipulate you.”

She barked out an incredulous laugh. “You never take any pleasure!”

He stared at her. “Just seeing you is a pleasure. If you think I can look at you buck naked, that I can make you scream when you come, and not enjoy the hell out of it, you're not as smart as I thought you were.”

Her face flamed again, but her eyes turned softer, more accepting. “That's not what I'm talking about, Alec.”

He thumped the steering wheel once with a fist. “I want you to trust me. That's all. I want you to see that what's between us is damn good.”

She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “For as long as it lasts?”

He didn't like the way she said that, as something of a challenge. But he wouldn't let her corner him into making false promises. He turned away and started the truck. “Nothing lasts forever. But in the meantime, we're wasting a hell of an opportunity.”

“What if I want more, Sharpe?” Her bravado had her once again facing him down, and this time he resented the hell out of it. “What if I want all the things Dane and Angel have?”

He swallowed, feeling a sudden constriction in his chest. He almost said,
What if I don't have that to give,
but he bit the words back at the last moment. Giving away that much of himself wouldn't do.

He put the truck in gear and pulled into the early-morning traffic, giving himself plenty of time to think.

“Alec?”

Now she sounded uncertain again and he hated it. “I don't know. Until Dane found Angel, I'd have said it wasn't possible. But things seem to be…working out for them.” He knew he sounded like an idiot, but this was one topic that made him extremely nervous. And he didn't like the feeling worth a damn.

She laughed, incredulous. “They adore each other!”

Turning a corner in the road, he asked, as nonchalantly as possible, “Do you adore me?”

A thick silence filled the truck and he felt himself beginning to sweat despite the icy air blasting from the truck's air conditioner. “That's what I figured. So why all the questions about happily ever after? Why not just take what we can for right now and enjoy it?”

She avoided that question by asking one of her own. “Where are we going?”

“I have to find a place to stay other than with you. It's possible Jacobs will have you watched. If I bunk down with you on occasion, that's fine. He'll expect it of you and it'll only shore up your image of being the type of woman he can approach. But moving in with you entirely is out of the question. Jacobs doesn't prey on women who have protectors.”

“You're finally admitting that I was right? That Jacobs is scum using women like Hannah? My, my. This is turning into one eventful day.”

Alec hid his grin behind a look of reproach. She was so full of herself, taunting him. But he preferred that any day over her insecurities or her damn questions about the future. “I did my research, honey. I know what Jacobs is capable of and I never denied that he's a bastard, only whether or not Hannah appreciated the setup he gave her. If she's really unhappy with him, why doesn't she just call her mother and go home?”

Another of those heavy, uncomfortable silences filled the truck and Alec regretted his words. He didn't want to put her back in a dark mood. But then she turned to face him, and her determination was plain to see.

“You wouldn't know what it's like, Alec. You're strong and independent and able to take care of yourself and any situation. I can't imagine anyone or anything ever really hurting you.”

She made it sound like an insult, as if along with his strengths he'd become too empty to care. “I'm not invincible, damn it.” Far from it, he thought, briefly focusing on the past and a time that was too painful to remember for long.

“You sure seem invincible to me. You see everything as black and white and you always stick to your convictions. But I remember how ashamed I was after Raymond turned out to be such a user.”

“Celia…” He didn't want to talk about Raymond again. If he could, he gladly would have erased the man from both their memories.

She didn't plan to give him any choice. “You can just sit there and listen, Alec Sharpe!” When he remained silent, she continued, though she was obviously ruffled just a bit. “I started wondering about Raymond long before I knew how truly evil he was. But by then, everyone knew I had planned to marry him, and my mother accepted him, and you and Dane never once questioned me about him.”

Alec glared at her. “Dane thought you were happy. He didn't want to do anything that would hurt you.”

“And what was your excuse?”

Alec narrowed his eyes again and said through his teeth, “I knew if I got too damn close to you, which included poking my nose into your business, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you. I wanted to get rid of Raymond just so he wouldn't be in my way.”

Celia blinked at him, awed by this outpouring of confessions. “I…I had no idea.”

“Bull. From the second we met, you felt the pull as much as I did. Don't lie about it now.”

She tightened her mouth, but didn't deny it. “All right, maybe I had a clue or two. But you're not an easy man to figure out and I had my hands full already. I was too embarrassed to admit what an awful mistake I'd made with Raymond, that I didn't love him and didn't want to marry him, that I had been duped so thoroughly.”

“You weren't the only one he had fooled.”

“He didn't fool you. Right from the start you seemed to despise him, and Raymond never understood it. He'd talk about you sometimes, in this almost fearful, reverent way. But he got really angry if I even mentioned your name.”

“You mentioned me to him?”

“Oh, for pity's sake. Don't look so smug.” Celia rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Mostly I talked about what a reprehensible character you seemed to be.”

Alec laughed.

Another silence stretched out, and Alec glanced at her.

Celia wrung her hands. Speaking in a soft, nearly inaudible voice, she said, “Whenever I mentioned putting the wedding off, Raymond would…”

“Celia.” He wasn't at all sure he needed to hear this.

“He'd take me to bed.”

She closed her eyes and Alec wished he could do the same. Thinking of her with Raymond tortured him. But this was obviously something she wanted to get off her chest, and if it would ease her, he'd listen. “Go on.”

“Everything he'd taught me was so new and exciting. At first I thought I loved him, and that made it seem okay. But little by little, I resented the way he used my…sexuality against me. He'd taunt me over how easy I was and tell me how shocked my family would be if we didn't marry considering I acted like a…a…” She hesitated, drawing a deep breath.