Big Easy Temptation (11 page)

After a lingering kiss, he stood again. She watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and
tugged it off. That spectacular chest of his came into view. The sight almost had
her gaping. Powerfully built, muscle and bronzed skin covered his arms, shoulders,
and torso. His slacks rode low on his hips, showing off the notches there. Now she
understood perfectly what he’d meant about wanting to lick every inch of her, run
his nose over her flesh. She wanted to learn his touch, his taste, his scent. Wanted
to surround herself with him until nothing and no one else existed. Only Dax.

He knelt on the floor and turned her to face him as he settled in, his big body twisting
until he wedged his shoulders between her thighs and found a place for himself at
her core. “I want to make you fly, sweetheart. I want to be the only man you come
for ever again, the only man who gets to see and taste and touch you.”

He lowered his head and licked his way through her wet flesh to her clitoris.

Holland groaned, reached for him. Need pounded through her. She let her head fall
back as he parted her flesh even more and licked her again, spearing her with his
tongue. Another flash of lightning heat sizzled her, scorching along her skin until
all that mattered was the pleasure he gave her and the intimacy they shared. He unwound
her polite façade, obliterated her protective walls, and reduced her to a trembling
bundle of need. And she knew that he alone could put out this fire and save her.

He slid his tongue deeper inside her before replacing it with one of his thick fingers.

“You want more?” His husky murmur taunted her just the slightest bit.

When she looked down her naked body to find him staring up at her with a decadent
grin, he tantalized her by rotating his finger deeper inside.

She nodded.

“No, you have to ask me,” he chided gently. “Ask me to make you come, Holland.”

He was a bastard to make her beg, but she was too far gone to fight him. “Please.
Dax, please make me come.”

“My pleasure,” he growled against her needy flesh.

He picked up the pace, adding another finger as his lips closed around her clitoris
and began to work the little button hard. His fingers curled up inside her, rubbing
and exploring while his tongue worried her sensitive nub. Holland clutched at the
pillows around her as her head thrashed. Dax’s big body held her down or she might
have come off the couch as he found some magical place inside her body that had her
gasping with a growing ecstasy she could barely fathom. Between his fingers inside
her and his mouth all over her, she couldn’t fight orgasm a second longer.

Pleasure swamped her, hard and fast, and as she splintered, she cried out his name.
Her body shook and stiffened as the orgasm became her everything. He didn’t let up,
forcing her higher and higher. She could have sworn her peripheral vision began to
fade, narrowing her whole world to just Dax.

Finally, he let her go and she relaxed, limp and satisfied. Her blood flowed through
her system in a pleasurable thrum. He scooped her up and stood, cradling her to his
body. And she felt both delicate and adored in his arms.

Holland let her head roll onto his chest and she listened to the speeding gait of
his heart with a punch-drunk smile. “Now I know why they call you Captain Awesome.”

His eyes flared as he marched toward her bedroom. “Oh, sweetheart, I haven’t even
started showing you how awesome I can be.”

Holland sighed. If the last few minutes hadn’t been the peak of her day, then she
just might have found heaven. She should have known Dax would be the one to take her
there.

D
ax was fairly certain his libido was running on a short fuse. He was set to explode
at any moment, and he would be damned if he came all over Holland like a seventeen-year-old
kid with his first woman. He’d had to apologize profusely to Gabi Webber, a pretty
senior at the girls’ school near his prep school alma mater, Creighton Academy, because
he’d ruined her uniform. Not happening tonight. He would give Holland the best he
had. His past, his thoughts, his heart . . . they all led him right to this woman.
He belonged with her.

He forgave her for refusing him all those years ago. She’d been young. Hell, he probably
hadn’t been ready, either. He would have expected her to be a good Naval wife, to
stay home and have their children. But Holland needed a career every bit as engrossing
as his own, and asking her to live alone and eventually single parent wasn’t entirely
fair. He understood that now. She was driven and needed to achieve outside the home,
and he would do everything he could to make that possible for her. This time, they
were both ready for something more, something lasting. Nothing was going to tear them
apart. He would make sure of it.

He stepped into her bedroom and eased her down to the bed. The room was functional,
the furnishings comfortable and feminine without the frilliness of other women’s bedrooms.
All grays and creams with a hint of peacock blue. He liked it. He felt at home in
her tidy apartment.

He’d definitely felt at home when he’d been between her legs, his mouth on her pussy.
She’d been so hot, the feel of her around his fingers had singed him. He’d tasted
her sweetness as she shattered against his tongue. It had been everything he’d fantasized
about and so much more because Holland was real—stubborn and smart—and she’d chosen
him. She’d spread her legs and welcomed him inside.

Now he intended to brand her with pleasure so profound that she’d ache deep inside
whenever they were apart. He would feel it, too. Neither of them would be complete
unless they were together in every way possible.

She turned over, bracing her head in her hand, that glorious body of hers laid out.
“Do you know how much I want to see you naked, Captain Awesome?”

He didn’t want to get into that shit. “Just Dax.”

She sighed. “Dax, could I please see you naked? I’ve wanted to for so long. Unlike
some of your friends, you’ve been careful about not getting caught by the press with
your pants down.”

He had to grin at the thought. He’d been lucky, especially after that wild weekend
in Vegas with Harry and strip pool. He’d been a much better pool player than the English
prince. “Did you watch for me?”

Her smile dimmed the slightest bit. “Always. I suspect you’re going to be gorgeous.”

Hearing her say that made him feel about ten feet tall. She wouldn’t believe it, but
he rarely had a woman look at him with such open and honest desire. The fact that
she knew and wanted him—and that her feelings had nothing to do with his friends,
money, or position—did something for him.

He reached for the fly of his slacks and he undid them, letting the garment slide
to the floor.

He didn’t wear underwear, and when her eyes widened and she gasped, he just smiled.

Holland sat up, staring, her breath hitching. He groaned inwardly, his cock harder
than he ever remembered. When had he desired a woman more than his next meal, his
next sunrise, his next breath? Dax knew the answer.

He couldn’t believe he was finally about to have the woman he’d always wanted. A part
of him ached to simply jump on her and find some blessed relief, but he wasn’t going
to rush this or her.

When she scooted to the edge of her bed and touched a soft hand to his chest, it was
the sweetest torture. Her palm glided over his torso, her fingers tracing every line
and muscle that defined his body. Soon, she raised her other hand. It joined the first
in her exploration like twin butterflies brushing a soft, aching path across his skin.

Then she leaned forward and pressed her mouth right over his heart.

He clenched his fists at his sides so he didn’t toss her to the bed and penetrate
her in the next five seconds. “You’re going to make me crazy.”

She gave him a Mona Lisa smile. “I’m going to explore you the way you explored me.”

Holland bowed her head and ran her tongue over his nipple. A pleasant shiver went
up his spine. He bit back a groan as he sank his hands into her gloriously soft hair.
“Bite me. Just a little nip. I want to feel your teeth.”

Her lips curled against his skin and he tensed, waiting. Then she nipped him. It was
blissful torment, exactly enough to drag him back from the edge. It made his dick
jump, too. But now he could stand still and give her what she wanted.

She shifted to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment. He looked down, watching
her golden hair brush across his skin. It was like a web he could get lost in. Holland
was usually so tidy in her appearance—sleek suits, neat skirts, never a hair out of
its perfect and
functional swept-back do. But now she looked a little primal. With her hair mussed
from his hands and those gorgeous lips bruised from his kisses, she was the most tempting
woman he’d ever seen.

She dropped to her knees in front of him and he held his breath, praying he would
outlast what she planned next.

“You’re beautiful, Dax.” Her eyes fell to his cock as she brushed her hand up the
length of his erection. She looked at him as if he was everything she’d wanted for
Christmas.

“Grip me, Holland. Tight.”

She closed her hand around his rock hard flesh and Dax’s eyes nearly rolled into the
back of his head. She pumped his shaft, finding a rhythm that started a slow build
in his system. Her grip felt both soft and firm, and he forced himself to look down,
take in the sight of her giving him pleasure. Her nipples were hard, and he rolled
his tongue around his mouth, remembering the feel of them. Then—dear god—she inched
closer and spread her knees, bracing herself. The pose put her sex on display. That
had been the sweetest pussy he’d ever put his mouth on.

She stared at his rigid length for a moment, held him in her hand, her blue eyes glazing
over just before she leaned in, lips parted. Her pretty pink tongue peeked out and
he nearly came right then and there.

Dax sucked in a breath, his entire body tensing with the grip of pleasure.
Oh . . . hell.

He had to take back control. The way he felt now, he’d never last if she licked every
inch of him.

His fingers tightened. “Stop. I want to feel you all around me. I want to make you
come again before I do.”

“Yes,” she breathed. “I want that, Dax. I want that so much.”

He was going to have her. Finally. After all these years, he was going to make love
to Holland Kirk. Then she would be his.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he worried that he was being selfish. He was committed
to finding out the truth about his father’s scandal and death. He understood now that
it would be dangerous.
While he’d been fighting the asshole who’d taken her laptop, he’d practically sworn
he would walk away from her. He’d even tried to leave her. For her sake.

But lost in her sweet scent and silky skin, he could barely remember now why that
had seemed like a good idea. She was a capable woman, and he would do everything in
his power to keep her safe. He would worship her and make any unpleasant part of the
investigation worth her while. No one in the world mattered to him the way she did.
She was the be-all, end-all of his existence. He’d done without her for nearly a decade.
He couldn’t live without her anymore.

He hauled her up, his passion cresting as he lowered his mouth toward hers. Lust churned
his blood as he kissed her, crushing her body against his. Finally, he could feel
her bare flesh. Chest to chest, heart to heart. Hips met. Thighs touched. When he
gripped her waist and pulled her closer, forcing her softest flesh against his cock,
she felt soft and wet.

God, she was perfect.

He slanted his mouth over hers, tangling their tongues. He could spend hours kissing
her. Later, he would. But he needed her now—so fucking badly.

He pressed her back against the bed before realizing he’d forgotten something. Damn
it. He bent and fished out his wallet, happy that he’d started carrying an emergency
condom there decades before.

One day he wouldn’t need it. Even as he opened the packet and began rolling it over
his cock, Dax realized he didn’t want to wear one with her. He would for now. They
needed time together to solidify what he knew in his heart. But one day he wouldn’t
need that thin piece of latex to separate them. She would welcome him as he planted
his seed. She would carry his babies. Together, they would have a family.

First, he had to convince her that they would work.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew that tonight wouldn’t solve their problems. They would still
exist tomorrow. So he had work to do if he wanted to make her believe in them the
way he did.

And he had decisions to make. After hearing about her mother’s sad life and Holland’s
fears, maybe the time had come to exit the Navy. He would work in the private sector.
Sure, he’d always believed he would retire as a Naval officer, but the idea of leaving
Holland behind to keep the home fires burning for months on end didn’t sit well with
him. He couldn’t imagine not spending time with her, not being here to protect her.

Maybe it should surprise him that she’d become more important to him than any career.
It didn’t.

He secured the condom and climbed over her, spreading her legs and settling himself
between her thighs. “I’m crazy about you, Holland.” He couldn’t divulge the true extent
of his feelings. She wasn’t ready to hear them.

Her smile was lazy and sexy as she reached up for him. “Back at you, Spencer.” She
touched his face and seemed to sober a bit. “I’m crazy about you, Dax. Have been since
the day I met you.”

He pressed his stiff flesh against her soft opening, remembering the day. Joy had
been dating Zack for a few months before Dax had gone out to San Diego for some R&R.
The gang had been there, everyone meeting Zack’s girl for the first time, but all
he’d been able to see was Holland. He couldn’t remember if the sky had been full of
gloomy rain or brilliant sunshine. All he remembered was the yellow sundress she’d
worn and the way her smile had lit up the room.

After tonight all he would be able to remember was how delicate she felt in his arms
and how her eyes looked sleepy after she came even as she still welcomed him into
her body.

Dax eased inside her hot, slick channel. Damn, she was so tight around him. He worked
his way in, inch by inch, joining their bodies together. She wrapped her arms around
his neck. When he pressed in deeper still, her eyes flared wide.

He froze. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Those nails of hers dug in slightly. “Don’t you dare stop. It feels good. So good.
I’m not fragile, either. Don’t treat me like I am.”

She wasn’t weak, nor would she break if he was a little rough. She’d been built to
take him, his need, his passion, then give it all back.

With a savage groan, he pushed inside her.

Fuck. It felt so perfect. So fucking right. He held himself still inside her, moving
in to take her lips again. He slid his tongue against hers, showing her the rhythm
he intended to use when he took her body. He thrust in and out of her mouth, just
as he would the rest of her until he made a home for himself deep inside her soul.

He ground his hips against her as he started to thrust in sync with his kisses. Instantly,
sensations swamped him. This was beyond anything he’d felt before. He was connected
to her—and not just by their bodies. He could feel her all around him, her quiet reserve,
her feminine strength, her intelligence, that sass she often hid.

Holland gasped and tightened her legs around him. She clung to him, her nails not
so gentle on his back as he withdrew then sank deeper than before.

God, he loved it. He liked the little bite of pain from her nails as he ramped up
the pace, shifting to hit the sensitive spot he’d found inside her. Her breath caught.
She looked at him, stunned and needy, before she closed her eyes and cried out. She
dug her fingers into his shoulders as she went over the edge. She couldn’t seem to
help herself. And he’d done that to her, given her that pleasure. That jerked him
off the leash. Dax let go of his restraint and pounded inside her.

She tightened again around him, her body tensing. She screamed his name.

His spine tingled and his whole body tensed. His heart slammed into his chest. Pleasure
brewed, bubbled and rose, engulfing him in a torrent. It morphed into a consuming
ecstasy that burst free and had him moaning with a guttural roar as he came. He gripped
her as if he’d never let go and gave her everything he had, the bliss drowning him
as it dragged him under in waves.