Pick Your Pleasure (16 page)

“Of course not. Go ahead. There
are matches in the dish beside the pillars.” Linley watched as he stalked from
cluster to cluster of the pretty votives, jars, and sticks. She adored candles
of every variety.

Flame caught as soon as he
touched the head to the striker. She could sympathize with the poor bit of
tinder. He’d set her ablaze with as little effort. When he’d finished ringing
them in the warm yellow glow of flickering light, he extinguished the overhead
lamp and returned to their nest.

He rolled until they faced each
other on their sides. Lounging in bed, they whispered as they kissed and
caressed each other through their clothes. For how long, she couldn’t say.
Maybe hours. They joked. Discovered sensitive areas and practiced reducing
their partner to sighs of delight.

When she couldn’t stand it
anymore, Linley got to her knees on the mattress.

“What are you doing, love?”
Chase smiled up at her, his attentive stare following every move she made.

“Getting rid of some of these
pesky barriers.” She collected the hem of her dress in her fingers and began to
draw it upward.

When Chase licked his lips, she
teased him by lowering it once more.

“I’ll be good, I promise.” He
winked up at her.

“Why don’t I believe you?” A
laugh fell from her parted lips as she wished she hadn’t stopped kissing him.
The skill with which he infused desire into his smallest movements had her
longing to return to his embrace.

“Because you’re smart.” He
chuckled along with her.

This time she lifted the
material until all of her legs were on display. A tiny bit more and she’d
reveal the black lace of her thong to his hungry gaze.

“Show me.”

“Are you sure you want to see?”
The longing in his eyes didn’t lie. Something about him made her flirtatious
side emerge.

She hadn’t even known she had
one before tonight.

“Positive.” Chase lounged
nearby, appraising her. His deceptive relaxation made her imagine a lion
sunning itself, yet ready to explode into action at any given instant.

His fingers toyed with her knee
and the bare skin just above it. Though he could outwait her, she didn’t care
about the contest of wills. It delighted her that he seemed content to drink in
her display and humor her artless seduction.

Simple pleasures sustained them
both.

Except she’d waited so long… She
yearned for more.

Linley forced a deep breath past
her flipping insides and the tight band of hope squeezing her in the vicinity
of her heart. With her courage dialed up, she peeled her dress above her hips
and paused with it ringing her mostly flat belly.

“A little faster, love.” Chase
hadn’t blinked in a while. Perhaps his impatience was mounting too. He began to
creep closer, stalking her from his prone position on her enormous bed.

She swallowed then whipped the
stretchy fabric over her head and flung it into the corner where it draped over
a wingback chair she loved curling up in to read. When time permitted, which
hadn’t been often enough. Tonight was one of the few things she’d done strictly
for fun in a while.

Parts of her whispered that what
she’d stumbled across was something more important than physical amusement, but
she jammed the rational side of her back into the closet before the fuddy-duddy
could spoil the entertainment for the evening.

“Wait,” Chase rasped. “Stay just
like that.”

Linley froze with her hands up,
tangled in her hair, where she’d been unconsciously finger combing the mussed
strands. She met his intense stare. “Why?”

“Because I’m taking a mental
picture.” He groaned. “You’re gorgeous. This place, the light, your bed—you. So
soft, like a secret hideaway where a fair maiden is just waiting for me.”

“I’m not exactly a virgin.” She
snorted. They both cracked up at her faux pas. Laughing in bed with him had to
be one of the biggest turn-ons of all time. “Are you a knight in shining armor?
Or maybe a prince?”

“Not exactly. If you’d wanted
that option, you should have stuck with Ryder.” He grimaced.

“What?” She canted her head.

“Shit. Sorry.” Chase reached for
her, and she tumbled willingly into his hold. “You’re making me lose my mind. I
shouldn’t have said that. Club rules and all.”

“Is he really…?” Linley
attempted to put that mantle on the rough-and-tumble man yet couldn’t manage
it.

“Yeah. But you didn’t hear that
from me.” Covering her mouth, he kept them from discussing the topic in any
more detail. This time his hands roamed across her naked flesh. They were warm
and gentle but not too soft. Quickly, all thoughts of other men fled her mind.
They vanished from her bedroom. “That’s better, love.”

He gazed into her eyes as he
traced the contour of her smile with one fingertip. “So, should I finish
undressing you? Or would you like me to even the score?”

“That.” Stealing her ability to
speak intelligently, she selected from his menu of options. “The second one.”

She couldn’t wait to see him
naked. The press of his firm planes through his clothes guaranteed the view
would be spectacular.

Linley propped herself on the
heap of pillows at the head of her bed and tucked her feet beneath her.

“Would you like some popcorn?”
He chuckled though she had to make sure she wasn’t drooling when he worked the
knot of his tie loose. His long, thick fingers began to deftly tuck the buttons
of his Oxford through the holes.

“Shh…” Linley played along.
“Don’t talk during the good parts.”

“I didn’t think I’d gotten there
yet.” He spread his shirt wide, treating her to a glimpse of his washboard abs.

“Oh yeah, I think that’s going
to be one of my favorite sections.” Dying to run a single finger down the
center of his gorgeous body, she clasped her hands in front of her to ensure
she behaved.

“Hmm.” His wry smile did funny
things to her. “I hope there’s at least one you like better.”

With that he worked the buckle
of his belt apart and slid the length of leather from around his trim waist. It
hit the plush carpet with a dull thud. Practically before it sounded, he’d
drawn his zipper down and separated the placket of his trousers.

Already she could see the
silhouette of his arousal through the gray boxer briefs he wore beneath. “Okay.
You win. I’m pretty fond of what you’ve got going on there.”

Chase chuckled as he shucked the
pants along with the open shirt. His underwear followed a moment later. The
lithe flex of his body had her dreaming of a whole new level of pleasure he
could drive her to tonight.

And that was before she allowed
herself to check out the length of his erection, standing thick against his
lightly-furred stomach.

Linley blinked. Then did it
again.

“Thanks, love.” He whipped one
side of the covers back then lifted her and slid her beneath them. Cocooned,
she didn’t even squirm when he attacked her panties. His fingers tucked under
the lace and peeled it from her. She lifted her ass, helping him divest her of
the final obstruction between them.

Well, second to last really. But
it only took him a few instants more to have her bra unhooked and falling from
her arms. When the cups released her body, leaving her nipples to harden with
the wash of room temperature air, she ducked her head.

With a man as fine as him…

“Never doubt how beautiful you
are, Linley.” Chase nudged her chin up until he could reclaim her lips.

He rubbed hers with his,
transferring some of the dampness there. The intensity of his stare never
abandoned her eyes while he massaged her tongue and gums. Simultaneously, he
soothed her and aroused her. It shouldn’t have been possible. But with him,
almost anything seemed to be.

When he sank lower, his bare
chest made contact with her breasts and his cock prodded her thigh. She arched,
pressing closer, as tight to his heat and generous affection as she could get.
Candlelight glinted off the bronze highlights in his hair. He looked like a god
come to life.

Yet he seemed equally as
enthralled by her.

Their lips drifted apart as he
slowly retreated. Next he placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, teasing her
permanent smile. After he’d finished paying his respects to the joy they
created in unison, he trailed his open mouth along her jaw, then beneath her
ear.

A shiver rubbed her against the
length of his body.

They both groaned.

That didn’t impede his progress,
however. He licked at her collarbone then the swells of her chest. Linley
attempted to feed him her nipple but he danced around the edges, threatening to
make her crazy with need.

Finally, his other hand cupped
one of her breasts, plumping it as his mouth drew on the peak of the other. She
gasped and threw her head back, her hair splaying on the pillow around her
face.

It was a sight he must have
appreciated when he glanced up because his cock throbbed against her thigh.
Linley wrapped one leg around him, attempting to draw him inward.

“Not yet,” he whispered.

“I think I changed my mind.” She
couldn’t help it. Her nails pressed crescents into his powerful shoulders,
loving the pads of muscle there, which absorbed the tiny pricks. “Maybe we
should go fast after all.”

“I don’t think so.” He clasped
her nipple between his teeth and tugged ever so lightly. “Stay strong, love.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re out
of reach.” She pouted just a bit. “Let me put my mouth on you and see how you
feel then.”

“Not tonight.” He shook his
head. “This is about your pleasure. This is what you’ve picked. Enjoy what I
can give you.”

As if he sensed her limits were
nearing, he ducked his head and kissed his way down the middle of her torso.
When he reached her mound, he paused. The wash of his breath caressed her
exposed flesh and highlighted the nerves beneath the damp area.

“You smell delicious.” He
nuzzled her, breathing deep.

His body spread her legs bit by
bit until she splayed before him. Settling into the valley she made for him, he
showed her just how well they fit together. Her thighs rested on his shoulders
and his arms swept beneath them to support the arch of her back.

Comfortable and surprisingly not
awkward, she relaxed into his hold. Good thing he had quite a grip, because the
instant his mouth settled on her pussy, she bucked. It would have been
impossible to stay still at the rush of sensation he imparted.

Sure, guys had gone down on her
before. Never with the finesse and attention he devoted to the exploration led
by his tongue, backed up by the rest of his mouth. Chase applied suction over
her clit, making her whimper and swing her hips in an arc designed to feed him
every ounce of the juices coating her.

Each lap of his tongue
encouraged more to spill from within and onto his chin. He didn’t seem to mind.
If anything, the unmistakable confirmation of their chemistry spurred him on.
Before she could beg for more, he granted her the addition of his finger.

He slid one digit deep inside
her with hardly any effort.

Still she hugged it tight, the
walls of her pussy undulating around the invasion in time to the manipulation
of his tongue, which now flicked over and across her clit.

Linley’s eyes rolled back in her
head. Her mouth hung open to emit the steady cries he inspired. Her fingers
speared into his hair, holding him exactly where she needed his attention most.

She wanted to warn him that he
teased her too much. Nothing would work right, or maybe sex before had never
been so good it disengaged the link between her brain and mouth. His name tore
from her throat as she lifted her head to look at him directly.

Chase glanced at her long enough
to take stock and wink. Then he delved deeper into her folds. Resisting would
have been impossible. The shimmering pleasure coalesced. It turned random
spasms into a pattern of delightful clenches that built toward an orgasm.

Gentle rubbing of his finger
from the inside paired with his skilled nibbling on the outside to send her
pussy into convulsions.

Linley’s heels drummed on his
back as she shattered.

She came so hard she could have
sworn the candles floated in her vision. Meanwhile, Chase’s praise blanketed
her as did his comforting kisses and featherweight touches.

Despite all his efforts, nothing
quieted the desire raging inside her. Temporary relief wouldn’t be enough to
quench the fire they’d lit tonight. When he kissed her softly then pulled away
to smile, she whispered, “I want you.”

“Give it a minute.” He settled
in beside her, cradling her. “There’s no hurry. I’m not leaving unless you’d
prefer—”

“No!” She tempered her denial,
toning it down just a tad. “I wouldn’t like that at all. And I think I’ve
waited long enough to have you.”

Linley knew he’d understand she
meant far more than the brief time they’d spent in anticipation tonight. She
couldn’t believe she’d gone her whole life without the intimacy of this
connection. Sex with Chase made her previous lovers seem like a joke. A ghost
of what might be.

So when he rolled out of her
arms, she tried to grab him. It wasn’t her proudest moment. She didn’t give a
damn.

“I’m not going far,” he promised
as he lunged for the side of the bed. “Just to get a condom from my wallet.”

“Oh.” She blushed. “Right then.”

As simply as that, their
laughter returned, even in the face of searing heat and potential awkwardness.
He smiled as he teased her. “Nice to know I’m wanted though.”

Linley licked her lips as he
ripped open the foil packet and rolled the thin latex over the length of his
erection. It seemed even bigger now than it had on first glimpse. Tentatively,
she reached out. He moaned when her fingers curled around him then stroked from
root to tip a few times.