MisTaken (Miss Match #1.5) (8 page)

It was better than he imagined, though, because this was real. She was here. And the sticky buns still so hot from the oven that the frosting melted down the sides like candle wax—they were a nice touch.

Without a word, he opened the door wider. Whatever was to be said, even if this was just a neighborly visit, it would be better in private. After the door was shut, he turned to her. He wanted to say the
right
thing, though he didn’t have a clue what that would be. Silly since he’d been told many times that he had a way with language.

Turned out he didn’t need to speak because Jaylene had her own speech to deliver. It was only two words, but they were the only two he needed to hear. “Show me.”

Silently he took the plate from her hands and set it on the closest end table. Then, though he really wanted to pull her into his arms, he had to be sure she really wanted to be there. On his terms. “We don’t have to, Jay. Not this time. We could—”

She didn’t let him finish, pushing herself into his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Show me,” she said again before crushing her lips to his in a frenzied, hypnotizing kiss.

Well, lesson one would be that he directed the seduction, but this was awfully pleasant as well.

Their kiss lasted for what felt like hours. Or perhaps it was just seconds. It was consuming and passionate and time didn’t exist in the space that their lips were molded to each other. Their mouths moved greedily and her hands rushed to keep up, stroking the length of his chest with urgency.

Soon she was pushing him toward his couch. It was hot how demanding she was, how out-of-control needy she felt in his arms. Only thing her direction was lacking was submission. And really, did she think he was going to give her the best night of her life on a freaking couch? He grabbed her by the ass and picked her up bodily. She made a small noise, but didn’t protest as he carried her, mouths still entwined, to his room.

As they stood at the foot of his bed, his tongue tangled around Jaylene’s, Noah decided to forget the whole “show me” request, and instead just let their passion play out. He’d meant it when he said he didn’t have to have things happen a certain way, at least not every time. And this—Jay’s aggressive fondling and scratching at his clothes—it was turning him on with a blaze he hadn’t felt in quite a while.

But just as Jay had controlled all of the seduction thus far, she undid Noah’s decision when she suddenly broke from his lips and fell to her knees in front of him.

“Um…” He had to cover his mouth so he wouldn’t laugh. She did look sexy like that—her head bowed, her eyes on his feet, as if she thought that was the pose of a submissive. It wasn’t so far off, but her execution was all wrong. She was missing the whole point, acting out of an assumed obligation rather than letting herself go. If she could just do that—if she could give herself over to him in earnest, then she’d see.

He’d have to teach her.

He stroked his hand down the side of her face then bent to help her stand. Her brow wrinkled in confusion, but he kissed her forehead in an attempt to ease her. “Follow my lead, Jay, okay?”

“Okay, but…” She swallowed. “I don’t know what I’m supposed—”

He shushed her with a brush of his thumb across her bottom lip. “I’m going to tell you. All you need to do is relax and focus on me, okay?”

She paused, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”

Her mouth opened slightly and then closed again, and Noah knew she was fighting against her impulse to ask more questions. He let the silence settle between them so she could get used to it, get used to not being able to control the speed of their interaction. He knew her well enough to know this would be the hardest part for her, so he didn’t try to rush it.

When he felt that she’d grown somewhat comfortable with the unknowing, he gave her the guidance she longed for. “Okay, here’s the rules.” He stroked his hands from the top of her spaghetti straps down her bare arms. “I’m the boss. You don’t argue with me. You don’t refuse my commands. If you don’t like something I ask you to do, just tell me and we’ll go back to something you’re more comfortable with. But the pleasure in this comes from trust. If you constantly question my requests, then neither of us will be as fulfilled as we can be. I won’t hurt you. Not really. Though I may bite. And spank. You are not allowed to do anything to me without permission. If you want to kiss me, you have to ask. If you want to touch me, again, you have to ask.”

“Do I have to ask for permission to speak?”

He chuckled. Expecting silence from Jay was irrational. Besides he loved her voice, loved the things she had to say (most of the time), loved the sounds she made in the back of her throat as they kissed. And he certainly couldn’t wait to hear what she’d cry out when he made her come.

His pants grew tighter in anticipation. “No, you can talk. But I may ask you to be quiet at times, and then you’ll have to obey. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Noah.” Her brows creased. “Or am I supposed to call you ‘sir?’”

He barely controlled his eye roll. “Noah’s fine.” Yes, he liked to be the dominant in his sexual encounters, but he was by no means a true Dominant. He didn’t do the leashes and the collars and the sex clubs. Not that they didn’t sound fun for a night or so, but it wasn’t his lifestyle. He simply liked to control the pleasure exchange between him and his lover. He was good at it.

But Jaylene couldn’t know that yet. She’d find out soon enough, though. He ran his hand through her hair, careful not to let her feel like she was being petted like a dog. “Any other questions?”

“Just one.” She peered up at him with lust-filled eyes that held only a hint of trepidation. “Be worthy of me, okay?”

God, that simple request tore him down, made himself question everything he’d ever thought he knew about what it meant to be a man. Made him want to be better, to be worthy of her in a way he’d never been worthy of anyone. His voice was so choked he couldn’t speak. So instead, he kissed her. Kissed her in a way that told her he’d give her what she wanted. That he’d make every attempt to be the lover she didn’t even know she needed.

It was then that he decided how he’d be with her that night—slow and patient. He’d boss her around, but it would be all about her. He’d teach her to relax and he’d show her how freeing it could feel to let someone else have the reins for once. He’d be worthy of her. And maybe, as she let her guard down for him, he could learn to let her in, too.

*   *   *

Noah’s kiss was amazing. It stirred her in places she hadn’t known were able to be stirred. More than anything, it made her want to move further—to rip off his clothing and force him back onto his bed.

But she controlled herself, hard as it was. When he broke from her, she couldn’t help smiling. Even though it was the exact opposite direction that she wanted to be moving, she’d let him lead, and that gave her a silly kind of self-pride.

He took a step away from her and issued his first command. “Take off your dress.”

It was baffling how Noah’s low and gritty voice could be so spine-tinglingly erotic. The way he looked at her, the way that he appraised her as she reached behind her and unzipped, the way his eyes dilated as she moved first one strap off a shoulder then the other, letting her clothing fall to the floor in a pool at her feet—it aroused her as much as if he was already rubbing her toward an orgasm.

Usually she was the type to throw clothes off as fast as possible and get to the banging. She’d had no idea that simply stripping for a man could be so hot. She’d been braless, so when he slowly scanned up her body, he lingered at the curve of her breasts, causing her nipples to rise to attention. His gaze held so much weight, and it took everything not to cross her arms over herself and try to hide. It was as if he were touching her with his eyes, skimming across her skin like feather-light strokes of his fingers.

Imagine when he touches me there.…

Or wherever he touched her, because he might
not
touch her there and she had to trust that if he didn’t it would be all for the best. And she did trust him, surprisingly. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be there in the first place.

“Beautiful, Jay,” Noah praised her, sending waves of goose bumps down her arms. “I appreciate that you’re not trying to cover yourself up.”

Another burst of pride shot through her. A nagging voice at the back of her brain said she was being ridiculous. She didn’t need his praise to know she looked good. And she certainly didn’t need his permission to decide how she was going to stand before him.

But that voice was wrong. Not because she actually did need his permission or praise, but because she wanted both and that was why she stood there for him. That didn’t diminish her strength as a woman. Did it?

If it did, she wasn’t thinking about that now. Now she was following as Noah led her to the chest at the foot of the bed. He sat down and turned her to kneel in front of him, her back toward him. Which was a little strange. Until he started massaging his hands through her short hair. Then it was anything but strange. It was magical.

“Oh, God,” she moaned as his fingers kneaded into her scalp, sending sparks of electricity down her neck and spine. Her first instinct was to tighten up, but she breathed out slowly and leaned back into his strong hands.

Noah leaned down to brush his lips across her shoulder. “That’s it. Relax. Enjoy this. Enjoy me.”

His hands moved down to the muscles of her back, rubbing them with deep pressure that felt almost too hard to bear. Instead of pulling away, though, she steadied herself with deep breaths, releasing into his touch. Soon, she was loose and her tension a distant memory. Noah brought his arms around her chest then and began to knead her breasts. An entirely different kind of tension began to build up—the sexual tension that she’d somehow forgotten while he’d been attending to her. It was thrilling how he could do that—how he could dictate what she was going to feel and when—and along with the thrill was an anticipation that threaded through her with a steady pulse. She was on the edge wondering,
what next?
Already she was sure this would be the best sex she’d ever had, and Noah still had all his clothes on.

Noah broke their physical contact abruptly. “Stand up and turn toward me.” Jay did as Noah asked without a second thought, immediately missing the warmth of his touch, but eager to see what he had planned.

“Undress me.”

She thought he’d never ask. Wrapping her fingers around the hem of his T-shirt, she tugged it up and over his head. Her breath caught at the sight of his chest. He was thin, but well-toned. She longed to trace the dips and valleys of his sculpted muscles, and her hand reached up to do so until she remembered his rule:
No touching without permission.
She could ask though, and she did.

“Not yet.” His denial caught her off guard. It also made her want to touch him even more.

But, incensed as she wanted to be, she obeyed.

“Now, my pants.”

She worked at his fly and zipper and was grateful when he stood up without her asking so she could pull his jeans to the floor, leaving him in his boxer briefs. He stepped out of the pants and kicked them to the side. It was her turn to study him, her eyes settling on the thick bulge at his pelvis. Even constrained as he was, she could see his size was impressive. She licked her lips as she found herself hoping that he’d order her to her knees again, this time to take him in her mouth much like that erotic story she’d read at Book Nook. She even hoped he’d reward her with a “
Good girl.
”

God, wasn’t that something she never thought she’d wish for? Was she going to regret this later? She didn’t want to. More to the point, she didn’t regret it now. She would regret, however, not reaching out and stroking him. He wouldn’t mind just a little tiny bit of a fondle, would he?

Before she could think about it, she’d cupped her hand around his shaft. He twitched once in her hand before Noah swatted her away. “Uh-uh. I said no touching. I was going to let you finish undressing me, but since you disobeyed, you’ll have to wait. Touch me again and there will be further consequences.”

“What consequences?” She hadn’t really meant that to sound as challenging as she’d made it sound. Or maybe she had. Actually, the idea of unknown
consequences
was somewhat exhilarating.

“That’s not for you to worry about.” He turned her so he could nudge her back onto the bed while he talked. “But maybe there will have to be some binding after all.”

If her legs hadn’t already been jelly before, they were now. The thought of being tied up and overpowered by Noah …

Jesus Christ, what kind of a feminist was she?

“Stop thinking,” he said, pushing her legs up into a bent position. “I can hear the wheels turning. And I didn’t give you permission for that.”

“Okay.” It was easier to say than to do. But she made an effort to concentrate on nothing but Noah’s hands as they stripped her of her panties. After that, she didn’t have to put much effort at all into not thinking. Because Noah had settled his face between her thighs, and his mouth on her clit, and each swipe of his tongue scattered every thought before it even had a chance to form.

“Yes. Yes!” Damn, he was good, sucking and nipping at her sensitive bud, sending her up, up, up. He lapped at her mercilessly. As she neared the edge, her hands flew to his hair, needing something to grab on to.

Immediately she realized her mistake. Noah stopped his heavenly assault and eyed her.

She let go of him. “I’m sorry. Please, don’t stop. I didn’t mean it. I’ll be better.”

She was begging him.
Begging him!
But she was so close and she needed him, and the primal desire that drove her to plead would do much worse if only he’d return to his task.

He considered. “Do I need to tie you up?”

“No. I’ll be good.” The tying did sound hot, though. She’d admit it. But not now, she wasn’t willing to lose the momentum he’d created. “Please, keep going.”

“Say it.” His eyes twinkled as they met hers. “Say what you want.”