Knowing the Score (16 page)

Her heart thundering in her chest, she covered his gear-shifting hand with hers. “Who asked you to drop me off?”

Spencer turned toward her so quickly he took his foot off the accelerator and the car came to a juddering halt. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe I could spend the night at your place.” She grew uncomfortable as he stared at her with fathomless eyes. “I may have misread this situation. Maybe you’re just being friendly and now that rugby season’s started—”

With a flick of the wrist, Spencer had the car in gear again, accelerating so quickly Caitlyn was thrown back against the seat. “If you were a friend, I’d have booked a taxi for you.”

They arrived at his place in record time. Shouldering her bag with ease, he practically dragged her into the elevator and through his door. “I missed you so much,” he groaned against her mouth. “I can’t tell you...it’s been the longest time without holding you, talking to you. I’d almost forgotten what your accent sounded like. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful. You’re so beautiful.”

She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him with months of pent-up frustration. She kissed him with years of fear and insecurity.

She kissed him with such longing and desire she nearly consumed him.

His hands slid down to grip her behind and pull her tightly against his hard body. She knew she wouldn’t turn back, wouldn’t panic. She felt entirely safe with him, but not in the least bit comfortable. No, she was distinctly
uncomfortable
with the rush of tingles spreading through her, electrifying every exciting part of her, as well as the normally dull ones. Her elbows, her knees, her toes—nothing was spared the onslaught of the passion they created together.

Spencer pulled back slightly. “You have to tell me...I can’t read your mind, remember. What are our boundaries tonight?”

She stroked the bump of his nose. “No boundaries tonight. I want all of you.” He moved to kiss her again but she stopped him with a hand. “Starting in about ten minutes. I’ve been washing out of a bucket for two months. Can I borrow your shower?”

He tangled his fingers in her long hair. “You’re talking about one of my favorite fantasies, sweetheart. I’ve wanted you in the shower for a long time.”

She blushed but hoped he couldn’t tell in the darkness. “Maybe not for the first time, not when I desperately need to reacquaint myself with soap.”

With a groan, he dropped his forehead to hers and rubbed her lips with his thumb. “As long as you promise to be as fast as you can. Do you need anything?”

“A spare toothbrush would be handy. And a razor. My toiletries are somewhere at the bottom of my bag.”

“That I can definitely do.” He took her into the bathroom and opened a drawer full of travel-sized toiletries and dozens of toothbrushes. She bit back a stab of jealousy at the thought of how many others spent the night with him that he’d need so many spare toothbrushes. For the first time, she realized how silly she’d been to assume he’d waited for her. Why shouldn’t he have been with other women while she was away? They’d never said their relationship would be exclusive, though she’d assumed it would be. After the way she’d left him, maybe he’d given up and looked elsewhere for comfort. Could she really blame him?

The twenty toothbrushes in the drawer did seem excessive, though.

As if reading her mind, he lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers racing down her spine. “I tend to forget them in hotels when I’m traveling with the team, so I always buy loads at the beginning of the season.”

She turned and pressed herself against him. “I’m sorry. I thought...”

“I know. But you don’t have to worry about that. You’re the only one. Still the only one.” He smacked her bottom lightly as her heart lurched. “Now hurry up in that shower,” he commanded and left her alone.

Caitlyn didn’t want to give her nerves any last chances to wake up, so she hummed softly as she scrubbed, shaved and brushed months of grime and fatigue off herself.

Feeling much more human, and about five pounds lighter, she stepped over her pile of rancid traveling clothes, wrapped herself in a fluffy blue towel and hesitantly walked into Spencer’s bedroom to find him stretched out on the bed.

A slow smile spread over his lips as his gaze covered her. “Is that your definition of quick?”

“It is considering how much work I had to do.”

“I nearly fell asleep.”

“Please, don’t let me stop you.”

He shrugged. “Now you’re here, you may as well keep me company.” He sprang from the bed and wrapped his arms around her, suddenly becoming serious. “Caitlyn, are you sure this is what you want? It’s a big decision and you’ve just had a terrifying experience.”

“I know. It’s what I want.” She kissed him softly. “But if you’ve changed your mind—”

“That must be your concussion talking.” He brushed the corner of her mouth with his. “I would never change my mind, and if you’re sure this is what you want, I promise I’ll take good care of you.”

“I know you will.”

“That thing that happened last time won’t happen again.”

Huh?
Wait—a few things happened last time, all of them excellent for her. Maybe not so much for him, though.

He stroked her hair away from her cheek. “I’ll last longer this time. Promise.”

Oh! She grinned, meeting his mouth in a smiling kiss, tentatively at first and then with increasing confidence as they relearned their rhythm together. Caitlyn cradled Spencer’s face as he cupped her bottom and pulled her tightly against him. Every hard inch of him pressed against her towel but she needed to be closer, to finally have no barriers between them.

She pulled away to tug off his shirt. The contours of his chest and arms fascinated her. She explored the chiseled dips and valleys with her fingertips, following the trail they made with her mouth. Smooth skin covered rock-hard muscles, tensing under her explorations.

He groaned and tangled his fingers in her hair when her tongue flicked against his nipple. “Sweetheart, I wish I could let you play for hours, but—”

“Just a little more,” she pleaded as the tip of her tongue danced around him. Before she could go further, the towel hit on the floor and she stood before him completely naked. She moved to cover herself, an instinct born of thousands of years of fear of nudity, but his reflexes were faster than hers and he caught her hands. “Now why would you want to do that?”

“I’m...round.” She stopped herself from saying “fat” but she could hear how pathetic she sounded anyway.

He stroked his hands appreciatively over her curves. “You’re round and soft and entirely feminine. Much nicer to touch than hard muscle. Believe me, I touch hard men all day long.” He cursed softly. “That sounded different in my head.”

“I think I know what you mean. I
hope
I do, anyway.” She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the wicked sensations his wandering hands provoked. His hands, his mouth, his tongue drifted across her skin with a fleeting touch here, a firm squeeze there, until she was on the precipice of something truly spectacular.

He picked her up and dumped her back onto the bed. She landed with a breath-whooshing squeak. Gripping her hips, he yanked her down until her pelvis met his. Her legs sprawled, and Spencer stared down at where her body brushed against his khakis. Blood rose, flowing through her and flushing her skin, but this time she kept her hands by her sides, gripping his comforter instead of hiding herself from his gaze.

He shook his head, as if waking himself from a trance. “I didn’t get to see you last time.” His fingertips skimmed her coppery curls, still slick from her shower. Her lower body pulsed, ready to pull him in. “You’re stunning.”

“Can I see you?” she whispered. Without waiting for a response, she tugged at his belt. It didn’t slip easily from its buckle; his erection strained the fabric, pulling the belt taut. He didn’t help her, continuing to stroke the tingling skin that throbbed harder with every beat of her heart. When she finally got his belt unfastened, she wasted no time flicking open the button and jerking his zipper down. He jumped.

“Whoa, careful there. Not enough plasters in the world to help that kind of injury.”

She bit her lip, trying to hold back her chagrined smile. “Sorry. I didn’t pinch you, did I?”

“Love, if you’d pinched me, you’d know it.”

He shoved his pants and boxer briefs down, standing at the foot of the bed long enough to kick them off. Good
Lord.
His biceps weren’t the only massive muscles in his body. When he crawled back over her, she sighed. “I had no idea men could be so beautiful.”

His chuckle sounded strained. “God, this is gonna kill me.”

He unclasped one of her hands from the blanket and pressed a kiss against her palm. Then he guided it between them and wrapped her fingers around his erection. He pulsed hot and harder than she would’ve expected for such a vulnerable part of him. “You’re—”

She censored herself, not wanting to sound stupid. He nuzzled her ear as his hand taught her the rhythm he liked. “Tell me.”

“You’re hard.”

She heard the grin in his voice as his breath tickled her ear. “Very. Because of you.”

She gripped him harder and he groaned, making her immediately release him. “I’m sorry!”

Lowering himself, he pressed his whole body against her, capturing her in an openmouthed kiss that shook her to her toes for several long minutes. He pulled back, nudging her nose with his. “That was a happy noise, love. Very happy. Do it again.”

She ached to learn all of his noises. To know him so well she felt his pleasure and pain as her own. The thought froze her. She couldn’t have that, couldn’t open herself to him that way. She’d put that part of their deal in place to protect herself. She forced the thought aside and let her mind drift, the way his hands did over her breasts, her belly, her thighs.

When he touched her center again, she jumped. He soothed her, allowing her time to get used to the connection before he rubbed a fingertip harder against her entrance. Shivers shot through her, and her legs fell open, cradling his hard body against her soft one. He kissed her again, distracting her as his finger pressed inside, stretching her. The sensation was so foreign, invasive yet heart-stoppingly pleasurable as he rubbed her higher up with his thumb. Fingers and tongue ran circles around her as his body stroked her, connecting them from toes to nose. Her body opened to him. She fought to remove herself from the sensation, to stay distant while she thrummed to join with him.

Half lifting off her, he reached into a drawer in his nightstand and pulled out a box of condoms. He ripped a packet open with his teeth, but she stopped him before he could put it on.

“Can I do it? I did it once before.”

He looked at her in surprise. “When?”

“Junior high health class. With a banana.” She took the condom and held it against the tip of him, biting her lip in concentration. “I hope you don’t bruise as easily as it did.”

Spencer tore it from her hand and nearly jumped off the bed before he saw her shaking with repressed laughter. There. That felt more normal, putting herself back in control.

He growled. “You’re going to pay for that, my little friend.”

He spread her legs wide and buried his face between them, sucking and pumping with his fingers until he brought her to the brink of madness. Forget control—she lost it completely. Just as her body began to pulse toward relief, he pulled back, making her cry out at the injustice. He grinned up at her, his voice husky with affection. “Ready?”

Her head jerked in something meant to be a nod. Her eyes drank him in as he crawled up her body and knelt between her spread thighs. He lowered his mouth to hers, teasing her lips as he pressed something cold into her hand.

“Put it on me,” he murmured between nibbles. He drew her hand down, guiding her fingers as they prepared him together.

“No bruises?” she whispered after the condom was on.

His lips smiled against hers. “None. You were very gentle.”

Throat convulsing, she swallowed hard. Everything inside her ached to be with him, to be part of him. She struggled against her desperate need, shocked as it grew so large she couldn’t contain it. Spencer kept his mouth fused to hers, and she kissed him with all the passion boiling inside her. She wrapped her arms around his back and neck, clinging to him as he nudged his pelvis enough to push a little way in.

She wriggled in discomfort, her legs shifting restlessly to find a less vulnerable position, to no avail. Spencer took his time, pushing slowly until his hips ground against hers, overwhelming the twinges of pain as he filled her. All of her. Her body, her soul, her heart pumped full of searing tenderness and aching joy. A mewling groan escaped her, and Spencer brushed his lips against her cheekbone, panting with his obvious effort to go slowly. His voice sounded strained as he asked, “All right?”

No, not all right, but she couldn’t say it, could only arch until she buried her face in his rock-hard shoulder. She was breaking apart inside. She needed him so badly. Her body drew him in even as all her fears exploded into a shattering warning:
You need him.

“Caitlyn?”

She bit his shoulder, earning a throaty moan from him before his control shattered. He pulled back and plunged forward, clasping her hips as her body eased to make way for him. He hit a spot that made her shiver with pleasure. Suddenly, the discomfort disappeared and all that remained was him. A hell of a lot of him, all around her and inside. Keeping his pelvis hard against hers, he thrust and rubbed until her pleasure coiled, spiraled beyond her control. “Oh, God.”

He made an incoherent noise.

“It’s good. So good.” More than good. She’d never felt anything so incredible.

“It’s fucking perfect.” Spencer lost it completely, the massive muscles of his arms flexing to squeeze her tight. He thrust into her over and over, each time ramping up her need and her pleasure. She moved her hips in time with his, gripping his head and ass as they thrust hard.

“More. Please,” she begged.