Nowhere to Hide (27 page)

His mouth replaced his fingers at her breast, and he suckled, felt the nipple stiffen even harder. Scraped with his teeth. Tiny moans escaped her lips, and she arched to meet him.

He heard the quickening of her breathing, saw her eyelids flicker. Tried to ignore the pressure building inside him.

Concentrate on her. Forget yourself
.

He moved to her other breast and started again. He could lose himself in her breasts. Warm, soft, the thought of them was enough to teeter him on the brink. Her hands caressed his back, stroking, clutching, scraping.

He slid his hands behind her head, ran his fingers through her hair, damp near her scalp. He covered her lips with his again, giving kisses, taking kisses. He heard her soft whimpering, felt her start to writhe. His fingers traced the contours of her torso, from her collarbone to her waist. Kisses followed his fingers. He savored her scent, her taste. When she groaned, he moved his lips back to her mouth, found her waistband with his fingers and worked the button free. He fumbled with the zipper, and Colleen’s hands pushed his away as she yanked the two halves apart and raised her hips to remove her slacks.

“
Let me,” he said and he slid them down her legs, following their downward journey with more kisses.

She flinched when his lips touched her scar. He stroked the dimpled flesh. “No,
mo chridhe
. This is part of who you are. Never be ashamed.” He kissed and caressed her there until she relaxed. “It’s a badge of honor. Wear it proudly.”

He reached between her thighs, cupped her through the fabric of her panties, now damp and hot. Her hands rode faster up and down his back. She reached for him, tried to pull him onto the couch atop her.

“
Wait,” he said. Her eagerness was stretching his control to the limit. “There’s no hurry. You concentrate on you.” He increased the pressure at her crotch, squeezing, rubbing.

She groaned in response, and he moved his hand inside her panties to tease those soft curls between her thighs. She shifted to take him, and he slid his finger into that hot, wet, silky place. Fondled the spot that made her hips move to meet his strokes. Slowly at first, then faster, and she moved with him, went where he took her.

His mouth roamed from breast to breast, up to her lips, and back to her breasts. He watched her face, head back, eyes half shut, lips parted, breath ragged. His fingers moved faster and he saw a flash of green when her eyes snapped open as her hips bucked and she cried out.

Her eyes closed. She shuddered and lay still, except for the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and brushed the damp hair from her face. Her hand reached for him even before her eyes opened and she ran her fingers across his forehead.

“
Wow,” she said. Her eyes opened slowly, then widened. “But … you. You never … you didn’t … Aren’t you …?”

“
Shh. I told you there was no hurry. Are you all right?”

She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in the hollow above his collarbone. He felt her tongue, her teeth and he stifled a groan. Her lips moved up to take his, kissing him, nibbling, probing. Her fingers played through his hair, stroked behind his ears.

“
I’ll take that as a yes. Shall we move to the bedroom?”

Colleen didn’t want to let go of the feeling—totally exhilarated and relaxed at the same time. She wanted more. Wanted to please Graham. She finally released him and pushed herself to a sitting position.

“
I think I can walk now,” she said.

He stood and offered his hand. Daylight had faded, and the flickering candlelight bounced shadows around the room. She reached for the blanket on the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it. Refusing his hand, she got up and moved around the room, blowing out the candles.

“
Don’t need a fire,” she said. He remained by the couch, his hair tousled, his shirt untucked, his desire obvious. She took his hand and led him to her bedroom. Pulling back the covers, she inhaled the scent of the freshly washed sheets she’d put on the bed that afternoon. When she turned, he stood at the foot of the bed, shirtless, barefoot and his hands at his belt. Waiting. Giving her a last chance to change her mind.

In response, she unwrapped the blanket and let it fall to the floor. She watched the rise and fall of his chest. Saw the bulge in his briefs when he let his trousers drop. She still wore her panties, and he left his briefs on when he climbed onto the bed.

Her heart raced. Her entire body flamed. What was she supposed to do? Graham lay propped on one elbow, waiting, and when she curled up beside him, he rolled onto his back and pulled her toward him.

She pillowed her head on his chest, letting her brain meander back to a semblance of coherence. His heart throbbed beneath her ear, and the coarse hair on his chest tickled her nose. When he’d sent her over that cliff, it was as if nothing else existed. Already, desire welled again. She was sated, yet hungry. Her naked breasts came in contact with his bare skin, and heat coursed through her. His hands stroked her back, cupped her buttocks. It seemed as if her body centered itself on whatever he touched. His touch became her universe.

But what about him? Locker room conversations of conquests and prowess swirled through the back of her mind. She’d heard plenty of sex talk, but this was something else. Well, she’d made it clear she was inexperienced. She inched her fingers down his chest, fingering his nipples the way he’d touched hers. He moved enough to fondle her breasts in return. She couldn’t help but gasp as the pleasure surged through her.

Tentatively, she slid her hand lower, reached his underwear. She touched him through the cotton, felt his heat and the hardness of his erection. Ran her fingers over its length. He moaned and took her wrist.

“
No?” she asked, afraid she’d done something stupid.

“
Yes,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “But wait. Before I forget. Need my wallet.”

Shit. What had he done to her brain? This afternoon, when she’d been shopping and preparing, everything seemed laid out so logically. She’d covered every detail. Then, he showed up at her door, and she had the mental capacity of an earthworm.

“
Wait a second.” She reached into her nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom packet. She handed it to him and watched him tear the foil and place it on the nightstand on his side of the bed.

He kissed her forehead.

Snuggled next to him, she felt warm, safe, and relaxed. Boneless. “I thought choosing crackers was a challenge. You should have seen me trying to decide what condoms to buy.”

He pulled her closer. “What did you decide?”

“
After standing there for fifteen minutes, I decided to close my eyes and grab. I hope it’s okay.”

“
I don’t see why not. Besides, if I don’t like it, we’ll have to try again with one of mine.” He brushed her lips with his. She teased his tongue, felt the passion all the way to her toenails as he answered her kiss. He turned her on her back again, this time removing her panties. She reached for his briefs, and he helped her work them over his hips. When he sprang forth at rigid attention, she couldn’t control a gasp. This was going to happen. Now.

“
Is there a problem?” he said, his mouth turning up at one corner. “It’s standard equipment, I assure you.”

Mortified, she wanted to crawl into a hole. “It’s … well, it’s so … close.”

He lay down beside her once more. “Relax.”

Once his lips and fingers started moving over her body, she was far from relaxed. His breath sent hot puffs of air against her neck, her breasts. Lightning bolts shot through her. She wanted him to touch her everywhere at once. She wanted to touch him everywhere at once. Touching him aroused her as much as his touches did. She wanted to discover every inch of his body. She reached between his thighs and her fingers brushed his testicles. The skin contracted and puckered. Fascinated, she fondled his sac. He moaned, and she released him.

“
Don’t stop,” he murmured. “So good.”

She stroked gently. His hips jerked.

He covered her hand with his. “Hang on.” He rolled over and reached for the condom. Fascinated, she watched as he got to his knees and sheathed himself. He straddled her, taking one breast in his mouth and fingering the other. Her hips arched up for him, craving more. He guided himself to her entrance.

“
Relax,” he whispered as he pressed against her.

Slowly, he inched his length inside her. She shifted. Stretched. Took him as he filled her in a way she could never have imagined. It was as if he belonged there, as if they were two parts of a single being.

He lay still for several heartbeats, then began moving in long, gentle strokes that quickly increased in tempo. “Sweet Jesus,
mo chridhe
. You’re so tight. So hot. I can’t …”

He moved faster, his breathing ragged. She heard the slap of flesh against flesh, the sound of her own panting breath as he pumped faster. He reached between her legs to the place where all sensation focused. She rode the crest to its peak. A tidal wave crashed around her. She heard her name, felt a thrust deeper than all those before it, and for a moment, there was nothing.

He blew out a deep breath and shifted some of his weight to his elbows. The cool air whispered across her chest and she hugged him back down. “You’re not that heavy. I want to feel your heartbeat.”

He rolled onto his side, taking her with him. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to breathe if I fall asleep on top of you.”

“
You’re planning to sleep?” She ran her fingertip down his nose.

“
It’s a guy thing. Fantastic sex makes us need a nap.”

She cuddled against him, his hips snug against hers. Fantastic, he’d said. She took his arm and hugged it between her breasts and listened to him breathe. Soon, the rhythm of her breathing matched his, and she slept.

*****

When she opened her eyes, the room was shrouded in darkness, except for the glow of her bedside clock. She felt Graham’s warm body behind her, exactly as it had been two hours ago when they’d fallen asleep. Well, almost exactly. She wriggled her butt against him and he stirred, muttering something between a grunt and a sigh.

He nuzzled her ear. “What time is it?”

“
A little after eight. I guess we were tired.”

“
Mmm hmm.” He reached for her nipples and rolled them with his fingers. Heat rushed through her veins. How his touching her breasts could send the tingling down below amazed her. Reaching behind her, she took his erection in her hand, ran her fingers up and down its smooth length. His sighs of pleasure aroused her further, and she turned to face him. She stretched her full length against his, trying to have every part of her in contact with his warm, naked body. Ground her hips against his, wanting him inside her again.

His fingers reached between her legs. She turned and groped for the nightstand drawer, tore open the condom package and he helped her roll it down his erection. This time, the urgency was gone. He was slow, gentle, and tender. She knew what to expect, how to meet his strokes, how to anticipate the miracle of climax. And he knew her, and brought her to the edge and then backed off until she thought she might die, until at last, he carried her over with him.

She lay back in contented exhaustion. “I could kill those nuns. I have so much catching up to do. Sex rocks.”

Graham was propped above her on his elbows, his blue eyes clear and bright. He burst into laughter. “It certainly does. I’ll be happy to help.”

“
You need another nap?”

“
Right now I need food.”

Damn. She’d thought of breakfast, not dinner. “I’m not sure how much I have in the house, even considering your phenomenal ability to create delectables from nothing.”

“
Don’t let it get out, but I don’t think I could stand up long enough to cook. You’ve drained me, woman.”

She glowed. She could get the hang of this. “I’ve got a bunch of restaurant flyers. I’m sure some of the local places deliver. Pizza? Chinese? I think there’s an Indian one too.”

“
Use your magic condom selection method. Close your eyes and pick.”

She grabbed her robe and went out to the kitchen drawer where she’d stashed all the menus. Graham followed, his warm breath feathering against her neck.

She handed him the menus. “You pick. I should be starved, but nothing seems appetizing.” No need to tell him her system hadn’t been able to stomach much more than cereal and scrambled eggs, or a quick yogurt at the Convention Center on her half-hour meal breaks.

He set the menus on the counter. “Got anything to drink?”

“
Whatever you can find. Everything’s in the fridge.”

He’d hitched a sheet around his hips and she admired the way it hugged his buttocks as he bent to look through her meager offerings. He poured himself a glass of Coke and carried it to the living room, where he started making inroads into the veggies and dip. When he’d gulped half his drink he looked up at her.

“
Hey, you. Come over here. Sit with me.”

She poured herself a glass of Gatorade and joined him. He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her to him. “You all right?” he asked.

“
More than all right. No regrets, I swear.” She nibbled on a cracker. “You?” There was a silence and a bowling ball settled in her stomach.

He took her hands. Fixed those eyes that turned her insides to jelly on her, and she saw a vulnerability. “Seriously, Colleen. You’re … different. I won’t pretend I haven’t had other women, but with them it was more like—”

“
Like when you finally get to pee after a long shift?”

He smiled. “I never thought of it like that, but yeah. Release, relief. Not much more.”