Technically, I've invited him to spend the night
, Courtney thought. A first for her. But she'd had no qualms in issuing an invitation to Lake. And from the dark look in his eyes, he intended to accept it.
How could she explain to him that sleeping with a guy she'd met barely two weeks ago wasn't the norm for her? Usually she would slow things down before they got a chance to move too fast. But with Lake, she hadn't been given the chance. She couldn't claim that he had taken her by surprise, not when she'd seen it coming. Her only excuse was that she had been too far gone to deal with him on that level. However, now after a little bit of small talk and a rather laid-back getting-to-know-you session, she felt they were more than ready to get it on.
Before she could think anything further, she was
suddenly scooped up into massive strong arms, and a hungry mouth clamped down on hers. Then the only thoughts that flashed in her mind were that she could get pushed over the edge just by kissing him. He had the ability to awaken every sense she possessed and send enough heat storming through her body to melt her bones.
And then he was lifting his mouth off hers, gazing down at her with an expression that looked as if he was trying to regain his control. She knew the feeling. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked in a deep, husky voice that seemed to trace along her nerve endings, causing even more pulsating desire to overtake her.
She knew what he was asking and why. He wanted her to be absolutely sure before they went any further. “Yes. I want you, so that means this
is
what I want.” Then she put it back on him when she asked, “Are you sure this is what
you
want?”
“I know it is,” he quickly said. And then as if following her lead he said, “I want you, so that means this is what I want.” And then he was kissing her all over again, sending her mind and body into a tailspin of desire. She once again became lost in their kiss and responded in ways that only he had the ability to make her do.
This time when he lifted his head, he studied her for a moment before taking his finger and gently tipping her chin up. “Fair warning,” he whispered throatily. “I want you
bad
.”
She looked at him quizzically, knowing he was trying to tell her something. “Which means?” she asked.
“It won't be over any time soon.”
She stared at him, understanding completely. “Will I be able to go to work tomorrow?”
“Probably not.”
She drew in a startled breath. “Oh.”
“What do you have to say to that, Courtney?”
She couldn't quite bring herself to say anything, but since she knew he was waiting for some sort of response from her, she said, “Thanks for the warning.”
With Courtney cradled in his arms, Lake headed for the bedroom. Never had making love to a woman meant so much to him, mainly because he had determined from that first night that she wasn't just any woman. She was his woman, his soul mate, and she had been signed, sealed, and delivered to him in a way he couldn't deny. And now he would connect their lives together in a way neither of them would forget.
When he entered her bedroom, he crossed the room to the bed and lowered her to the mattress and then he took a step back. “The first thing I plan on doing is undressing you,” he said in a voice so low, he barely recognized it as his own. She was sitting on her haunches in the middle of the bed, looking as sexy as any woman had a right to look.
“Now it's my time to give
you
fair warning,” she said.
He zeroed in on her gaze. “About what?”
“About the fact that when it comes to my breasts, I'm overly sensitive there. If you touch them too much, I'm liable to ⦔
He lifted a dark brow. “To what?”
“Come.”
Damn, he wished she hadn't told him that. Didn't she know that sharing information like that with a man was paramount to sealing her fate? If what she'd said was true, then she would be coming a lot, because he definitely planned to touch them. In fact, he planned on doing more than just touch them.
Returning to the bed, he reached out his hand and she took it, and he slowly drew her closer to him. First her blouse and bra had to go, he thought, anxious to get a taste of her bare breasts, as well as to see if her warning was true. Once her breasts were exposed, he leaned over and latched on to a nipple and began sucking on it, liking the taste, the way it fit in his mouth. He could feel her nipple getting firmer in his mouth, and his tongue enjoyed the feel of it doing so. In no time at all, just as she had warned, an explosion hit her and he could feel her intense shivers in the depth of his mouth. But that didn't stop him as he continued to make love to her breasts, sucking on them like a newborn baby.
Afterward, he pulled her trembling body into his arms, propped his chin on the top of her head, thinking what just happened was special. He whispered, “Baby, you can come for me anytime.”
He heard her soft chuckle before she said, “I don't have a choice, Lake. It happens.”
And he wanted it to happen again, but later. There were other parts of her he wanted to explore and taste. Gripping the soft material of her skirt, he slowly eased it
down her legs. Then her sandals went, leaving her clad in only a pair of black panties. He reached out and touched them at the center between her legs. They were drenched with her wetness. That knowledge had a direct hit on his erection. He felt it get even more hard.
Lake held her gaze as he slipped her panties down her legs, inhaling her feminine scent. As soon as she was naked in front of him, his focus and attention went directly to her womanly core, and he thought it had to be the most beautiful site on her body. His erection throbbed at the thought of claiming it. Making love to it. But not before he got a chance to taste it.
He made a guttural sound all the way in the back of his throat when he gently eased her back on the bed and began kissing her mouth. Moments later, he was kissing her all over as he made his way down south. She had closed her eyes, and when she felt the warmth of his breath against her thigh, she opened them back up and gazed down at him.
He felt her body immediately tense, and could tell from her reaction that no man had gone down on her before. That was fine with him. He would enjoy introducing her to this special form of lovemaking. He placed a wet kiss on her stomach, right below her navel, before moving lower. And then he gripped her hips before nudging her thighs apart with his nose.
She whispered his name just seconds before his tongue entered her, and then it began to move with sure, powerful strokes. The more he tasted, the more he wanted and the deeper he delved to be satisfied. He gripped her
hips tighter when she began thrashing about in the bed. And nothing, not even the loud scream she suddenly made when her body was hit with another orgasm, was enough to pull him away. It did just the opposite. It urged him on, and he could feel her inner muscles contracting around his tongue. Her hand reached down and clutched at his head, at first in an attempt to pull him away, but then to hold him there.
When the last tremor had passed through her body, he eased off the bed to remove his clothes. It was time to acquaint her body with the only man it would need to know from this day forward.
He wasted no time removing his clothes, knowing her eyes were on him the entire while. Even when he pulled a condom from his wallet and slipped it on, she stared. Especially at that area of his body that showed just how much he wanted her. Seeing was believing.
Naked, he crossed the room back to her, eased onto the bed, and immediately placed his body in position over hers. He met her gaze. Words he'd never said to another woman were there on the tip of his tongueâright along with the taste of her. He wanted to tell her how he was dealing with emotions he'd never dealt with before, but he knew she wouldn't believe him if he did. She was a skeptic, but it was his intent to eventually make a believer out of her.
He reached his hand down and gently stroked the area between her legs. “I'm about to get naughty,” he whispered, and before she could make any reply to that, he entered her in a thrust that was so deep, she bucked her body in response.
And then they mated.
She lifted her body to meet his every thrust and he gave it to her, over and over again. He closed his eyes as a raw, urgent need consumed him, and he blotted out everything, except for how she was making him feel. When he was inside her, he felt he was there at the base of her womb, and that's when her muscles would contract and tighten around him to hold him inside her. He would manage to pull out only to thrust back in again.
He set the pace; she followed. Her nails dug deep into his back, but he couldn't think about pain, only pleasure. Tonight he was testing his strength, his endurance. He had no power to fight the next climax that hit them, nor did he want to. And when he felt her legs tighten around his waist, he threw his head back and gave in to a fierce release that shook his insides. A guttural sound escaped from between his clenched teeth, and he knew one thing was definitely for certain. Courtney Andrews was everything he could possibly want in a woman.
Courtney could feel Lake stir beside her while he slept, and she glanced over at him, thinking the man was simply amazing. Even now her body was poised and ready for him to wake up so they could do it all over again. Not that they hadn't done it enough already.
All through the night, he had made love to her. The only time they had taken breaks was when he had gotten up to go into the bathroom to dispense of his condom and put on another one. And then there was that time after
their last mating session when he had gone into the bathroom to retrieve a warm washcloth and a bottle of body oil.
In a move she felt was intimate as well as caring, he gently wiped her body down and then applied the oil in certain areas. They were areas he felt he might have scratched with his beard. After giving her such personal care, he had pulled her into his arms while they had both drifted off to sleep.
Now she was awake, and her body was throbbing again for his touch. She shifted in bed and immediately felt the soreness between her legs. No wonder he said she wouldn't be going into work today.
She gazed up at his face. He looked peaceful while he slept. Even relaxed. Definitely sexy. She like the way his beard was neatly trimmed around his mouth, giving him a somewhat roguish appeal.
Her glance went to the window. It was daylight. And she believed it would be a beautiful day. As beautiful as the way Lake had made her feel last night.
“You're awake.”
She shifted and tilted her head toward the sound of the voice. She met his gaze and smiled. “Yes, I'm awake.”
Concern then appeared in his features. “Are you okay?” He asked the question at the same time she could feel his hand drift over her body, moving lower to the area between her legs. He gently touched her there. She wasn't used to a man touching her so freely but liked the feel of his fingers.
“Yes, I'm okay.”
“Good.”
And then he leaned over and kissed her, and the moment their lips fused, she felt sensations overtake her. His tongue scorched every part of her mouth it touched, stroked, sucked, and when he shifted, placing one of his thighs over hers, she felt the hardness of his erection pressed against her.
He wanted her again like she wanted him. And this time when he eased his body over hers and entered her, pushed all the way inside, she wrapped her legs around him, needing and wanting everything he was giving. He broke the kiss and glanced down at her and smiled. “I'm about to show you just how naughty I can get.”
He withdrew a little and then thrust back in. Over and over again. She whimpered in the back of her throat, an instinctive reaction to what he was doing. “I thought you had shown me. Last night,” she managed to say.
“I'm not through yet.”
And went on to prove that he wasn't.
He made love to her slow and easy, then fast and hard. Then slow and deep all over again, sending waves and waves of pleasure rushing through her. He seemed to know just what spots to hit, what moves to make, what liberties to take. And she moaned out loud in response. By the time an explosion hit the two of them, she was convinced that a naughty Lake was worth knowing.
Lake stood in Courtney's living room before the painting that Jetrica had done. He was still simply amazed that
the smart-mouth kid he'd met last night was capable of creating something like this.
“I don't care how much you like it, you're not getting it.”
He turned to the sound of Courtney's voice when she same out of the kitchen and smiled. After making love that morning, they had showered together. Afterward, he had gotten dressed to leave. If he stayed any longer, she would never get the rest she had been deprived of the night before.
She came to stand beside him wearing a robe. His gaze drifted down her body. It didn't help matters knowing she was naked underneath. His groin ached for more of her, and he suddenly felt like one greedy bastard where she was concerned.