Knock Out (The Billionaire's Club: New Orleans) (6 page)

“Renata.” Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he pulled her close and repeated her name on a groan as a shudder wracked his body. “Good God, you feel good.”

“So do you,” she breathed as her inner muscles flexed to accommodate him. “I’m ready for my workout, Mr. Delacroix.” Splaying her hands on his shoulders, she began to ride him, a smooth, steady rocking of her hips that slowly but surely drove her toward her peak.

“Ride me, baby,” he muttered against her lips as he matched her rhythm. “I don’t know how long I’m going to last.”

“There’s always the next round,” she told him, quickening her pace. She didn’t want him to hold back. An unrestrained Bas was the best lover she’d ever had. She wanted him to be as on fire for her as she was for him, just as wild, just as needy.

One of his hands slid down between them, his thumb unerringly finding the engorged bundle of nerves sitting atop her entrance. He stroked her, strong circular motions just the way she liked, guaranteed to send her up and over. His tongue slid against hers, passionate, sliding strokes that mirrored his thumb on her clit. Her hips jerked in an erratic motion as pleasure spiraled higher, tighter, until she broke. She came on a long rough groan, grinding down on him as he devoured her mouth.

With a soft curse he pulled her off him. He stood, set her on her feet, then turned her around. “Hands on the wall. Now.”

She immediately complied, pressing her hands to the wall, still wanting, still needing. He slapped at the control panel, changing the steam bath to a multi-jet shower. A shuddering groan broke from her as the spray danced over their sweat-drenched skin from multiple directions, massaging her body from throat to thighs. One jet in particular pulsed directly on her throbbing clit. Her knees almost buckled again as sensations assaulted her. “Oh, God. Bas.”

“I’ve got you.” Settling his big hands on her hips, he entered her from behind, ramming into her core with single-minded intensity that almost lifted her off her feet but allowed the stream of water to caress her clit like stroking fingers. This was fucking, and now that she’d taken the edge off, it was exactly what she needed, surrendering to pleasure, surrendering to Bas. Letting go of everything but the passion bombarding her body.

She pushed back against him as he drove into her, the slapping of their bodies muted by the splashing water. But she could hear Sebastian, hear his sinful praises and promises ramping up her desire again. Caught between his thrusts and the sensual play of water, she could only give in to the passion, let it take her wherever he wanted. When he shifted, rolling his hips, her whimpers became mewls of pleasure. All too soon she could feel it, feel her orgasm building, approaching with all the force and power of a freight train. “Bas,” she gasped. “I’m almost—”

“Let go, baby,” he urged, his voice ragged, his hips thudding into hers. “Come with me.”

She threw back her head on a guttural wail as the orgasm ripped her apart, leaving her in tatters. She dimly heard his answering shout as he stiffened against her and came, his cock pulsing deep inside her.

Renata slipped into the bubble-filled tub. It was a hard choice between the decadence of the soaking tub and the multidirectional heads of the shower, but the sweet soreness in her muscles and between her thighs made the choice for her.

Sighing, she settled deeper into the steaming water, the heated waves from the jets soothing her humming, over-pleasured body. She’d lost count of how many times they’d had sex in the past month, but it seemed to happen morning, noon, and night. Even her monthly cycle, light as it was thanks to training and regulation through birth control pills, wasn’t much of a deterrent for either of them. She needed to invest in some of those Hard Knocks supplements if she intended to keep up with him and her own voracious desire.

That desire threatened to lead her into dangerous waters, waters she couldn’t afford to tread. It was all too easy to slip into the mind-set she’d had five years ago, the foolish dreams of having a future that included Bas. Back then, their passion had burned just as hot, just as intense—and then for Bas, had burned out.

A quick shot of remembered pain cleared romantic notions from her head. No, she couldn’t fantasize about a future with Bas. That would only screw up the present. She needed to enjoy what was happening now, while it was happening, and not let anything derail her plans. It was the only way she’d be able to cope when her time with Bas ended.

“Morning.”

She turned to the doorway at Sebastian’s low greeting. He leaned against the doorjamb dressed in a black robe, his hair wet and slicked back, his jaw free of stubble and a soft smile curving his lips. Need pulled at her anew. “Morning yourself.”

“You left before I got to show you my surprise.”

“I’m still recovering from the last one.” She sank lower in the tub. “I doubt there’s anything better than this.”

“Not even coffee?” He pushed off the doorjamb, and that’s when she noticed two mugs in his hand. “There’s a wet bar in the dressing area between the two master closets. Complete with a coffeemaker. But if you’d rather I leave …”

“Ooh.” She made grabby hands. “Give me that.”

Chuckling, he crossed the room and handed her one of the mugs. Café au lait. She took an experimental sip. “Mmm,” she moaned, her eyes sliding closed. “Just the way I like it. Bonus points for you. A girl could certainly get used to this.”

“A guy could too.”

Her eyes popped open as she felt the water shift, giving her a glorious glimpse of a naked and aroused Bas slipping into the tub. She held her coffee aloft as he arranged himself behind her, pulling her back against his chest. “I thought you’d already taken a shower.”

“I did. And now I’m enjoying you enjoying your coffee.” His hands settled on her shoulders and he began a gentle massage, his thumbs stroking up her neck to the base of her skull, relieving the headache she didn’t realize she had.

“Hmm. And I’m enjoying you enjoying me enjoying my coffee.”

“Your ad campaign officially broke yesterday, and we’ve got tons of hits on the Web site and our YouTube channel,” he informed her. “Your phone will probably blow up today. If you want, you can forward your calls to Chris and let our PR team handle your interview requests.”

“I can handle a handful of interviews, Bas.” She snorted. “I mean, there wasn’t much noise when the press release went out. How bad could it be that I’d need your PR team?”

“You broke with your former trainer and fiancé. In a matter of weeks, you land a championship title match, and now you have an extremely lucrative endorsement deal and a former heavyweight champion as a trainer.”

“Oh.” She sighed. “I guess there’ll be a bunch of people curious about how that all went down.”

“Even more curious if they knew about our history.”

“Damn.” The coffee roiled in her stomach. “Yeah, I think I’ll turn everything over to Chris. I really just want to focus on my training, not the song and dance that goes with the championship. At least not until we have to go to Vegas.”

“All right. I’ll let Chris know.” He dropped a kiss to her forehead. “I have to go into the office for a little while today. I’ll probably be out until noon at least. If I could deal with it from here, I would.”

“That’s okay, Bas. I don’t expect you to spend all your time with me.”

“I enjoy spending time with you.”

“Same here,” she said, glad he couldn’t see the lopsided grin that spread across her face. “But we’re not joined at the hip.”

He shifted behind her, the thickness of his erection sliding along the crease of her buttocks. “Maybe we’re not joined at the hip,” he murmured into her ear, “but we can be joined in other ways.”

“Bas!” She laughed. “I’m a fan of making up for lost time, but parts of me need a break. Besides, I know you have a company to run and probably multi-jajillion-dollar decisions to make with Raphael and Gabriel. I’ve got things to do too.”

“Glad one of us is being the responsible one.” He continued the delightful massage, his fingers strong and sure as they kneaded her spine. “What sort of things, if I may ask?”

“I’m meeting with the board of the Girls Up Foundation. It’s a nonprofit focused on helping girls from all walks of life achieve their athletic and academic dreams. I’d heard some good things about them, and I’m hoping to do some work for them, especially if I win the title.”

“When, not if.” He trailed his hands down her arms, sending shivers through her. “Sounds like a great cause to lend your name to. If they ask you for donations, I happen to know a guy who could be convinced to contribute.”

She laughed softly. “What if they want you for a bachelor auction or something like that?”

“I’d do it, but only if you were bidding.” His fingertips gently glided up her sides, leaving chills despite the temperature of the water. “No matter who won, you’re the only one I intend to go home with.”

“Bas.” Her head fell back against his shoulder as he cupped her breasts. Want pooled low in her belly as his thumbs stroked her nipples to tightly sensitive points. Soreness fled as her body hummed with need, pressing back against him.

His lips grazed the side of her neck, below her ear. “Renata,” he whispered, his voice low and gravelly. “Why can’t I get enough of you? I try to step away from you, I try to give you space, and I get pulled back. I see you smile, hear you sigh, and I come running, hot and ready and wanting.”

His hands slid down the flat planes of her stomach to the crisp strip of hair between her thighs. Floating on a haze of desire, she parted her legs for him, needing the relief his questing fingers could provide.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me when you respond like this?”

She pushed back against him again, moaning. “Do you have any idea what you do to me to make me respond like this?”

The first stroke of his fingers on her wanting flesh had her burrowing back against his chest, wanting as much contact as possible. Fatigue and soreness fell away as pleasure flooded her bloodstream.

“Kiss me,” she moaned, craning her neck. His free hand cupped her jaw as their mouths met. That hot mouth crushed hers in a kiss that revealed the hunger that always simmered between them, making her dizzy, desperate, demanding.

Growling, he lifted her just enough to slide his cock between her thighs, the thick length sliding along her outer lips as his fingers continued to tease her. She groaned again as his free hand rose to her left breast, fingers plucking her nipple to painful awareness and creating an answering zing of pleasure below.

“All that fire,” he breathed against her throat. “All for me. All mine.”

She couldn’t deny his words even if she’d wanted to. Her body knew the truth. She’d been his from their first shared orgasm, his since their first kiss. She’d been his from the moment their eyes had met her first day at the gym. “Bas …”

Water sloshed as he pushed against her, the motion bumping the head of his cock against the bottom of her clit. Bas had reach in more than his right hook. She moaned, arching her back and grinding down on him and those decadent fingers. She was on her way to gone, but not so far that she was able to suppress the whimper when he thrust two fingers inside her.

He stilled. “Renata?”

Her cheeks flamed with heat that had nothing to do with passion. “I … I have some tenderness there.”

She nearly whimpered again when he pulled his fingers away. “Why didn’t you tell me? If I’d known I wouldn’t be sitting here pawing at you like a beast with no self-control.”

“Because I was afraid you’d stop, and I don’t want you to.”

Stop he did, his arms going around her waist. “With you, I forget myself.” He rested his forehead against the back of her neck. “I know you’re strong, and I know exactly how tough you are. When I’m with you, I’ve always been able to drop my guard and not worry about being too forceful or too strong, not worry that I’m hurting you. But I did.”

The remorse in his voice cut her to the quick. Sebastian was a big man, with all of the strength and power befitting his size. One didn’t become a heavyweight boxing champion without being a force to be reckoned with. She also knew he was afraid he’d inherited his father’s violent tendencies toward those weaker than himself, and he went to great pains to avoid any hint of it.

“Bas.” She gathered his hands, pressing kisses to his fingertips. “How are you supposed to know I’m hurting if I don’t tell you?”

He was silent a moment. “I should know when you’re hurting,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I should know when I hurt you.”

A wealth of meaning in those few words had her throat tightening with sudden tears. She captured his hand in hers and guided it back down to the juncture of her thighs. “Please don’t stop, Bas. It always feels good when you touch me.”

He pressed a button, stopping the bubbles swirling through the water. “Then let me touch you my way.”

He grabbed her vanilla-scented soap then lathered his hands. Just as before, he massaged her skin, his touch gentle but sure as they moved in soothing circles. Renata relaxed under his ministrations, her passion easing into something far more tenuous, far more dangerous. Still, she reveled in it, starved for the simple pleasure of being cared for. Sebastian made her feel treasured, precious. Made her feel more than wanted, more than needed. Made her feel as if he loved her.

Stop thinking
, she admonished herself.
Just enjoy the feelings while you can
.

She did, surrendering to Sebastian’s ministrations, discovering a gentleness to him she doubted he even realized he had. Hazy, intoxicated by sensation, she stood docile while he dried her with a warmed towel. He repeated the process on himself, then gathered her in his arms. With long, purposeful strides, he walked into the bedroom she hadn’t slept in for weeks.

When he placed her so very carefully on the bed then drew away, she reached out for him. “You’re not leaving?”

He hesitated, then smiled down at her. “It’s early yet. I suppose I can stay a while.”

He stretched out beside her, blue eyes considering and considerate. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek, a light press of his skin against hers. He seemed subdued, cautious, and so unlike the Sebastian she knew she wondered if something was wrong.

“Your touch won’t break me,” she told him truthfully, ignoring the cramp of fear in her belly. She worried more about her emotions getting the better of her, leading to a heartbreak she wasn’t sure she could recover from.

“Renata.” He kissed her, a soft press of his lips as if tasting her, testing her. She opened for him as he dragged his tongue over her lips, licking at her mouth, coercing mewling sounds from her.

When she thrust her hands into his hair to pull him closer, he stopped. He pulled her hands up until her fingers connected with the wrought-iron headboard. “Hold on,” he ordered. “If you let go, I’ll stop.”

It was the best threat he could have made at that moment. She wrapped her fingers around the cool metal. “Kiss me.”

He’d do that and more. “No more talking, and no letting go.” Sebastian gave her his most wicked grin, rewarded by a delicate shiver sweeping her body. “Good things come to those who wait, and especially those who obey.”

She opened her mouth to make a snarky reply, but one raised eyebrow from him stopped her revolt. “Good girl,” he crooned. “Now, where was I?”

Taking his time, Sebastian kissed his way down her throat, savoring her. Worshipping her. Apologizing with each breath, each kiss, each stroke. His need for Renata consumed him, a living, breathing thing that had yet to be satisfied. He doubted it ever would. He was completely and utterly addicted to her moans, her cries of passion, the way her pussy gripped him when she came.

He needed inside her every day, several times a day. The fact that he’d caused her even a hint of pain sliced through him. It didn’t matter that she’d been just as enthusiastic as he’d been, he’d vowed that he’d never hurt her again. He had to prove that he could be gentle with her. Prove it to her and to himself.

With each press of his lips, glide of his tongue, and nip of his teeth he laid claim to her body. Her hands tightened on the bars as he palmed her breasts, the rough pads of his fingertips teasing her nipples to full wakefulness. Her deep groan of pleasure as he suckled the distended peak into the warmth of his mouth was sweet music to his ears.

He released her nipple with a wet, sucking plop and stared up at her face, her cheeks flushed with passion. She bit her lip, fighting to keep her reactions contained, but he knew firsthand that she’d always been vocal with her desire. A chuckle rumbled from his throat. “I don’t expect you to hold back your pleasure, sweetness. I love the sounds you make. But no snappy comebacks and no letting go. All right?”

She nodded quickly, her legs restless, her thighs quivering where she cradled him. He turned his attention to her other breast, teasing the nipple with teeth and tongue. So conscious of his big body between her thighs, the heat he generated, the want that coursed through her. She didn’t give a damn that she’d been sore before. She wanted him. She needed him.

He continued his leisurely journey, kissing his way down her rib cage and the flat planes of her abdomen. Tensing with anticipation, she held her breath as he gently parted her folds.