First Take (Star-Taken) (13 page)

She stepped closer and cupped her hands behind his neck. “Wonderful. Heavenly.”

He dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers. “Mmm, this is what I’ve been missing the past few days. Actual contact.” He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips and she opened for him. Then he claimed her mouth, stroking and sucking until her knees threatened to buckle.

A honking car horn made her jump
, breaking the kiss. After clearing her throat, she said, “I guess we should get a room.”

At least then, they wouldn’t be in full view of any paparazzi, or hell, even a random stranger with a camera.
Unease gripped her as she glanced around, but the area was deserted. Her concerns were silly, and besides, if they were going to date when she returned to New York, she’d need to get comfortable with the idea of less anonymity. New York wasn’t exactly paparazzi-free after all.

He grabbed her hand
, flashing that sexy half-smile, and all her worries fled. “Good thing I already have one, huh?”

~ * ~

TWELVE

Five minutes later, Rachel and Stephen, locked in an embrace, fell through the door to his hotel room. Before the door swung shut behind them, they were tugging at each other’s clothes. Rachel’s arms got tangled in the long sleeves of her sweater, and she broke away with a breathless laugh, yanking on the cotton. Before she could free herself, Stephen spun her to face the wall.

“What
do you think you’re doing, Mr. Raymond?”

He leaned his chest against her back and whispere
d, “Experimenting. Stay still.”

Then the warmth of him at her back was gone
. A light swat landed on her jean-clad bottom, and she shrieked, though the smack surprised more than hurt.

He chuckled and swatted her again, this time hard enough to draw a slight sting. “I did say you needed a spanking.”

If the zings winging their way through her extremities were anything to go by, she’d enjoy a spanking; though she’d rather be laid across his hard thighs. She wiggled her bottom. “This doesn’t seem like the best position or place for that.”

“Hmm.
” He pressed his chest against her back, his breath tickling the strands of hair at her neck. She shivered as he said, “You have a point. We appear to have a fondness for entryways.”

With a laugh, she said,
“You’re the one who won’t let us get more than a couple of feet past the door.”

Stephen
stepped away then grabbed her shoulders and spun her again. Teetering, she faced him once more, but before she could get her footing, he stooped and grabbed her thighs. Standing, he hoisted her, the momentum throwing her upper body over his shoulder like she was a big sack of potatoes. She squealed then squirmed when he swatted her upturned bottom. “Hush. Don’t want the neighbors reporting us for being too loud.”

She snorted.
“Then you better put me down and take me out to eat or something else instead.” Their time together in New York had proven he could make her scream. Given the arousal pumping through her system, there was no reason to believe she’d be any quieter this time.

His chuckle vibrated through her belly, amplifying the pulse of desire until a dull ache throbbed between her thighs. “I’ll take my chances.”
As he walked deeper into the room, his hard shoulder pressed into her hips with each step.

“Lucky me.”
She kicked a little, sending her flats flying. One landed against a table with a solid
thunk
and the other in a chair with hardly a whisper.

“Glad you think so.” And though h
e smacked her again, the sting sending tingles spiraling through her core, she could hear the smile in his voice.

Who knew playfulness went well with sex?
She’d lived a very boring life until Stephen came along…

Stephen
dropped her on her butt onto the thick coverlet of the king-sized bed with her arms still tangled in her sweater and trapped behind her. Wiggling her shoulders and alternately grabbing the cuff of each sleeve, she freed herself from the clingy cotton, which she then tossed aside to land who cared where. Reclining on her elbows, she watched as, muscles rippling, he shed his shirt.

H
is body is the perfect packaging for one of the most caring souls I’ve ever met, and for some reason I’m the woman he wants to pamper.
Her heart stuttered and her breath hitched. He’d asked if she was half in love with him. The more important question was how did he feel about her? How long could she wait before the need to know forced her to ask? Shying away from the seriousness of her thoughts, she said, “Take your time.”

He quirked a brow. “Are you asking to be spanked?”

Heat washed over her and she squirmed. Was she? She raised an eyebrow as well. “Maybe later.”

Laughter barked from his lips as
he climbed onto the bed then slid a jean-clad knee higher and higher between her spread thighs. “Duly noted.” After brushing a strand of hair off her face, he skimmed a hand down her arm then slid beneath her bottom to lift her onto his heavily muscled thigh. “Right now I’ve got something else in mind.”

“Mmm” was the only thing
Rachel could manage while he dropped butterfly kisses on her cheeks and lips and eyes, all the while rocking her against his leg. She dropped her head backward, and Stephen answered her silent plea, turning his attention to kissing her chin and the exposed length of her neck until goose bumps dotted her skin.

Then, w
ith his tongue, he traced a path from the dip between her collarbones upward along her throat. When he reached her chin, he gave it a playful bite. A fierce need to use her teeth on him gripped her and she raised her head, but before she could claim his lips, he nudged her chin to the side with his nose then bit her earlobe. She gasped as her arms threatened to give. Their previous sexathon had been hot and frantic and mind-blowing but hadn’t involved anything that could leave marks, well, aside from whisker burn, which she’d had between her thighs after their movie date.

H
e growled in her ear and trembles of desire shook her. “You like when I use my teeth?”

She met his hooded gaze. “You have to ask?”

The corner of his mouth curved upward. “You know I like to hear you say it.”

Time paused for a heartbeat. She did know he liked it when she told him what turned her on. Just like she knew when she touched a certain spot at the base of his spine or another at the juncture where hip met thigh, it would likely result in him tossing her onto her back then delving between her thighs to us
e his mouth to drive her crazy.

Was it normal to know those things in such a short time? It’d taken months with previous boyfriends to figure out likes and dislikes, but she was tuned into Stephen, in the bedroom at least.
What did it mean?

“Babe?” His hot breath blew softly into her ear, time resumed
, and all questions fled.

“I
want you to mark me,” she admitted with a whisper. She wanted to be his, wanted a reminder, even if only temporary, that he’d claimed her.

He covered her lips, bruising them with
a long, hard kiss. Their teeth met as their tongues tangled. There’d be no evidence, but still, he stole a piece of her she hadn’t known existed.

The endless kiss
coupled with the constant pressure he kept on her clit drove her closer and closer to the edge. When she was on the verge of shattering, Stephen retreated to bite her lower lip. Electricity arced from her lips to her nipples to her clit, and a small spasm tore a gasp from her abused mouth.

Slowly, he released her lip. Their breath
s mingled in ragged, chest-heaving pants by the time he pulled away. “How many times do you think I can make you come today?”

Rachel
sucked in desperately needed air through her nose as another tiny tremor rippled through her. His chuckle rumbled against her breasts and belly, amplifying the tremble. His hands at her hips ground her tighter against his thigh as he bit the cord running the length of her neck, and she went flying over the edge. “Oh God!” The previous small spasms had only hinted at this one’s intensity. She rolled her hips, chasing every small aftershock.

Stephen released
his hold on her neck then kissed the now throbbing spot before gently lowering her bottom to the bed. She collapsed onto the firm mattress as her arms turned to complete rubber. With a self-satisfied smirk, he knelt above her, his hands resting on his knees, the hard ridge of his arousal evident against the zipper of his jeans.

She raised an eyebrow. “Happy with yourself, Mr. Raymond?”

The smirk turned to a smile. “No, I’m happy with you, babe.”

Her heart still
ed, stuttered then raced as her insides liquefied. “God, you’re lovable.” Her breath halted.

It’s okay, Rach. Breathe. You
said “lovable,” which isn’t the same as “I love you.”

But now the
concept was out there. Fire and ice warred for dominance in her blood. Loving a star from afar was one thing. The possibility of loving one for real….She couldn’t even contemplate premieres and awards, and oh my God, the paparazzi—

“Since I left you speechless, I guess I’ll have to entertain myself with something other than your conversation.”
That sexy half smile appeared as Stephen slid his hands beneath her T-shirt then skimmed upward.

H
er mouth went dry and her mind blissfully blank while the smooth skin of his palms warmed her ribs. She rose slightly and lifted her arms above her head so he could whisk off the garment.

He eyed her grass green bra. “My second favorite color.”

Mine too.
It matched the brightness of his eyes. Not that she’d expected to see him today. She’d just wanted the reminder of him. When he settled above her, Rachel ran her hands over his arms and chest. The reality of him was so much better.

He dropped a kiss on her nose then attacked her neck with his lips and teeth and tongue.
She dug her fingers into the unrelenting muscles of his shoulders, wishing she had long fingernails so she could mark him as well. However, typing for eight hours a day wasn’t conducive to having nice, pretty nails.

With one hand, he fondled her breast, occasionally skimming his finger against the hard bud
poking against the bra cup. She arched against him and let her head fall to the side, wanting more of everything. His touch was magic, driving her arousal higher.

Stephen didn’t believe in letting her bask in the afterglow.
What a lucky girl am I.
A smile curved her lips.

Stephen p
layed his tongue along the edge of the bra cup then lightly blew across the path. She shuddered at the coolness competing with the flush of arousal. He slipped beneath the material, leaving a damp trail, and tweaked her nipple before retreating. Her protest was cut off when, with his free hand, he tugged the bra aside then took her nipple into his mouth. When he bit the tight bud, she gasped and pressed closer to the leg wedged between hers. Liquid heat poured from her core. He returned the pressure, the hard ridge of his erection like a steel rod against her hip.

“Please.” She needed him inside her.

He bit down harder and more tremors washed over her. Was it possible to die from bliss? She didn’t know, but he seemed intent on the kill. He slowed his mouth and fingers. Then levering himself upward as if he was doing a push-up over her, he said with a smile, “More?”

She
stretched her arms above her head and purred. “I thought you had a plan.” She’d be dead before the night was over if he delivered on giving her innumerable orgasms.

“Oh, but I
do.” In less than a minute, he had her jeans unbuttoned and the zipper down. He smiled. “And matching panties. I should’ve guessed.”

“Of course.”
It was one of the things she did to feel feminine. She also had some less-than-attractive bikini briefs, but he’d never see those if she could help it.

He tugged off the
lacy boy shorts and jeans, standing to finish the job. The absence of pressure between her legs allowed blood to race through the area, intensifying the throbbing there, leaving her squirming with need. The jeans landed on the floor. Then his head was buried between her legs, and he was lapping at her folds.

T
hreading her fingers through his thick strands of hair, she gasped. “You know,” she sucked in a sharp breath as he scraped his teeth across the sensitized bundle of nerves, “you’re setting a high bar.”

His
mmm-hmm
reverberated through her core. Then he slid a finger inside her and set a relentless pace. She let her thighs fall open and rode out the storm he called forth. As the tension built to unbearable heights, he played a finger along her rear hole. She tensed. Stephen’s
uh-uh
reminded her that she’d liked it when he’d played there before, and she relaxed, blowing out a heavy breath when the finger slipped inside that dark channel.

For long moments,
Rachel followed the intricate dance his fingers and tongue performed. Then, as the tension spiraled out of control, she clawed at the comforter and screamed. Stephen relentlessly drew out every spasm until she was a spineless heap.

But still she wanted more. None of it compared to having his hard length inside her when she orgasmed.
“That’s it.” She gasped for air. “Your turn.”

H
e started kissing his way up her torso. Along the journey, he dipped his tongue into her belly button then flicked it across each nipple. She let out a contented sigh as he feathered his lips along her left collarbone and said, “Who says this isn’t all for me?”

“Mmm, if this is you being selfish, then you’d surely kill me with your generosity.” And it would be a happy death.

With a chuckle, he finally claimed her mouth. She savored the flavor of her juices on his lips and tongue, reveling in the knowledge that he cared about her pleasure. He’d left his fingers inside her, and now he fluttered them in time to her slow strokes along his tongue.