Parker's Passion (9 page)

A woman like Kaitlin deserved gentility. A tender touch. Not a man so stretched on the rack of desire that he would dry hump her on her porch after a date.

He pulled away, released her. Sucked in a breath. Raked his fingers through his hair. “Kaitlin…”

She smiled. A beatific smile. It sent shudders of remorse through him.

How could he
? How could he have such base urges for an angel like—

“Would you like to come inside?” Her voice was soft and
danced away on the cool night breeze, but he heard it. Hell yeah, he heard it. Every cell in his body hummed.

“Y-yes.”

She unlocked the door and took his hand, pulling him inside. He stared at her foyer, as though he’d never seen a foyer before. It was done in art deco. A runner led down the hall to the kitchen. A staircase curved upstairs—

But he didn’t let himself thin
k about upstairs.

She’d invited him inside. Maybe for a drink. Maybe for something else. He couldn’t
allow himself to think about what.

S
he led him to the left, through an elaborately molded archway into a sitting room decorated with antiques. They sat, side by side, on the tiny couch. He folded his hands in his lap. She did the same.

After a long moment, she spoke. “I’ve been waiting for that, Parker.”

His heart lurched. “Waiting…for what?”

“For you to kiss me again.” She glanced at him shyly, through the lace of her lashes. “I’ve been wanting you to kiss me again.”

“I’ve, ah, I’ve kissed you after each date.”

Her chuckle wreathed the room, warmed it. “Not like that.” She leaned closer. “Not like this.”

And then, to his shock and delight, she threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled his head down. Shivers rippled over his body, danced on his skin, as she kissed him. It was tentative and unskilled, and in that, it delighted him. She tasted him, tenderly, testing, lapping and licking. A nibble perhaps. All the while, she stroked his scalp, soothing him, caressing his nape and shoulders.

It was beyond
excellent. It was miraculous.

The pain, which was never far away, dissolved completely and he was filled with an unfamilia
r joy and… What was that? Peace?

B
y the time she drew back, he was aching, but it was a different kind of ache. A good ache.

He stared at her, taking in her shining eyes, her damp mouth, that riot of red curls haloing her head. Something odd filled his heart. Something he had never felt before. That peace was part of it, that bone-deep comfort when he looked at her, surely. But there was more. Raging desire,
coiling panic and scorching determination to have her. Somehow, all these emotions swirled together in a unified surge, filling his heart and mind and soul.

And with a shock, he realized what it was, this thing he’d never felt before.

He loved her.

He
loved
her.

He would have sprung from the couch and dashed from the room—so terrifying was the prospect of loving anybody—if she hadn’t
entwined her fingers in his just then and said, in a matter-of-fact voice, “Shall we go upstairs?”

And
so he couldn’t spring from the couch and dash from the room—as his instinct for survival demanded—because all the blood rushed to his cock.

Perhaps every drop of it.

“Kaitlin…”

Her smile dimmed as he resisted the tug of her hand. “Don’t you…want to?”

“Oh, God, yes. Yes. I want to. I haven’t been able to think of much else for weeks.”

She perked up at that. Glowed, perhaps. “Really?”

“Really. Sweetheart…” He flinched as he said the word, a word that really had no business between them. He covered his gaffe by pulling her into his arms and kissing her again. Showing her—he hoped—just how much he wanted her.

She was panting when he drew back. Her eyes were misty and her lips were damp.

“You see. I do.”

“Then…why?”

He gestured to his chest, the scars lurking beneath his long-sleeved tee shirt. Always lurking. Always present. Burned into him. “I think you know.”

“Parker…” she set her hand on his chest. Right where it
ached most. Right were the bullet had scored through him. Oddly, it didn’t hurt. It usually always hurt. “Parker, it’s okay. I don’t mind about your scars.”

He eased away. Hated that he eased away. “I do. I mind. I couldn’t… I just couldn’t
… knowing you were looking at them.” It was a little humbling, admitting his performance anxiety out loud. But she needed to know. A brilliant idea twined with his desperation. “We could turn off the lights…”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to turn off the lights. I want to see you, Parker. I want to see your face. It’s important for me to see your face.”

He kissed her. On the forehead. “I would like very much to see your face too.” And God, he would. As she came… It occurred to him that while she had pleasured him, he had not returned the favor. He vowed to do so. Sometime. Just not tonight—

“Then leave your shirt on.”

He gaped at her.

“Leave it on.” A smile quirked her lips and it blossomed
mischievously. Her hand skated onto his thigh and then—
holy crap
—to his crotch. She cupped him. “This is what we really need bared, isn’t it?”

Take her for the first time? Clothed? “I couldn’t.”

She laughed. “I’ll keep my shirt on too.”

What?
He glanced at her breasts. His lip came out in a pout. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Whatever you want, Parker. Whatever makes you comfortable. It’s fine with me. I just want…”

“What? What do you want?”

“You. Tonight. Now.”
The sincerity, the interest, the arousal, came off her in waves.

She was irresistible. Absolutely irresistible.
A tsunami of lust swept his nervousness away.

She squeezed his cock.

He gulped. “Let’s go upstairs.” His voice cracked. He didn’t even care.

Chapter Nine

Trepidation and
arousal whipped through him as he followed her up the stairs to her room. Though everything was a little blurry, on account of the pulse jerking in his left eye, he did notice that her bedroom was frothy and frilly, the bed festooned with lacy pillows. This did not calm his nerves.

She pushed all the pillows off the bed and then smiled at him.

His heart stuttered.

Lord almighty.

He glanced around, as though seeking escape. Which was insane. He didn’t want to escape. He wanted…this.

She stepped closer. Too
k his hand in hers. Stroked his palm with her thumb. It comforted him. And then, guilelessly, she unzipped his jeans and knelt before him.

Fuck
.
He thought he was hard before?

Rolling do
wn his briefs, she reached for him. And as much as he craved that…he stopped her. “Kaitlin…”

She
looked up at him, her lips parted and glistening, her eyes wide. “Yes. Parker?”

“No.”

Her expression dimmed. “No?”

Did she know her hand was moving? Stroking him? He nearly lost consciousness at the pleasure of that alone.

“I can’t…I won’t… I won’t be able to last if you do that.” And God, he wanted to last.

For some reason, his
humiliating admission seemed to delight her. She released him and sprang to her feet. “Okay,” she said. “What would you like me to do?”

Myriad visions flooded his mind. He took a
second to process them, to revel in this moment before he answered. “Take off your shirt.” Yes. He needed to
see
her.

He’d always thought her shy and a little reserved, so it stunned him when she ripped off her t-shirt revealing her breasts, beautiful creamy mounds, cupped in a lacy pink bra.

His fingers twitched.

“What now?” Her grin was a little impish. He liked it, but it did not abate his nervousness.

“The-the bra.”

She reached behind and undid the clasp, then let it fall.

His lungs locked. He stared. So perfect. Rounded and full, crested with rosy nipples. He licked his lips.

“Kaitlin…”

“What now?”

There was no reason for him to shake like this. He was a grown man. He’d been with a woman before, for
heaven’s sake. “Your jeans?”

She shimmied out of them in a rush. Kicked them off. They landed on the carpet on the other side of the room. She stood before him, naked, but for her panties.  They were also pink, he noticed, in some part of his brain that was still working.

“Shall I get on the bed?”

His heart lurched. “I, ah, yes, please.”

Now he knew she was teasing him, the way she sauntered away, hips waggling. The way she glanced at him over her shoulder.

Yeah, he was a grown man. He’d had a woman before. But he felt unaccountably like a virgin as she arranged herself on the bed, leaning
against the headboard. She looked at him expectantly. “Are you going to join me?

His nod was jerky. He forced his feet to move—then realized he still wore his shoes
, and his jeans were bunched around his ankles. Hastily, he yanked all that off and sat beside her, although being careful not to touch.

He wasn’t sure why he was so careful not to touch, when it was the one thing his soul craved at the moment. He suspected it was his lingering fear. He tried to thrust it away, but failed.

So they sat, side by side on the bed.

He linked his fingers and
studied them, unwilling to admit to her he wasn’t quite sure what came next. He didn’t want to screw this up. Didn’t want to freak her out or try any of the crazy things he’d been dreaming of. So he said nothing. And didn’t move.

After a while, she broke the silence, taking his hand in hers. At her touch, his confidence welled.
“Parker, there’s something you should know.”

Damn. She was beautiful. 
He swallowed. “Okay.”

“It’s
…it’s been a while since I’ve done something like this.”

Relief gushed through him.
“It’s been a while for me, too.”

“How long?”

“Years. I had…a bad experience.”

She blew out a breath. “Me too. I think I’m over it now. I think I’m ready now.”
She leaned a little closer.

He leaned a little closer
as well. “I’m ready now too.”

And he kissed her. It was a soft buss, a gentle exploration. But her lips parted and she welcomed him in, so it quickly became something more. He shifted toward her and cupped her cheek, holding her steady as he explored her mouth. After a moment, when he’d worked up the nerve, he took her breast in his hand and squeezed. Her nipple peaked against his palm. Her moan rumbled through him.

“Oh Kaitlin. Kaitlin,” he murmured, working his way over her cheek to her neck, tasting her, nuzzling her, exploring the velvety skin. She shifted to give him better access, then fisted his hair to hold him at a spot that gave her pleasure.

Her response was invigorating, emboldening. He dipped his head and did the thing he’d been dreaming about for far too long. He drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked.

She arched into him, her moan a tantalizing warble. He wanted to hear more.

Shuttling back and forth, he kissed and licked and nipped her breasts, drawing on her nipples until they became thick and swollen, until each touch made her wriggle and sigh. As he worked, he slid his hand lower, over her side, across her hips and into the warm juncture of her thighs.

She froze. Her breath hitched. He thought, perhaps, he’d moved too far, too fast, but then, ah then… she parted her legs.

Exhilaration
swamped him.

She wanted this. She liked this.

He lifted his gaze and stared at her, taking in her expression as he lightly stroked her crease through the silk of her panties.

Her lips formed a tantalizing
O
. Her eyes glazed over. Her breath came out in pants.

“Do you like this?” he whispered.

“Oh yes. Please.” Her legs parted more.

He took this as an invitation to slip beneath the silk. When he touched her, skin to skin, a little ball formed in his belly, and grew. She was wet. Hot. Ready.

He circled her clit, toying with it, dabbing at the underside and putting pressure on the swollen head. Slickness dampened his fingers. The musk of her arousal rose in the air.

His head swam. It had been so long for him. On the one hand, the urge to just lay her down and shove himself into her was strong.
But he wanted to make this good for her. He wanted her to come—

Even as the thought occurred to him, she grabbed his arm in a brutal clutch and threw back her head and bellowed.

Bellowed.

Something about it, that feral sound, lit a fire in him. He yanked down her panties, settled between her l
egs, opened her with his thumbs, buried his face in her heat and tasted her.

Delight scoured him. She was sweet and delicious an
d heavenly. An angel.

A very aroused angel.

“Please, Parker. Please!”

He did not allow her surcease. He went on the attack, sucking and nibbling and tugging at her clit, eating her, devouring her. She writhed beneath him, grunting and groaning and muttering his name and imprecations and incessant pleas. She fisted his hair, wrapped her legs around his head, a
nd thrust herself into him.

He gloried in it.

After she came the second time, he touched her again, this time with questing fingers, easing into her channel. He wanted to know, needed to know—

God. She was tight.

He shuddered; his cock surged in anticipation.

He
pulled out—she whimpered—and he eased back in, with two fingers. She winced, wriggled a little, and then let out a sigh. “Ah, more.”

He worked her, explored her as he sucked and lapped at her clit.

She stiffened. “Parker…”

“Mmm?”

“
Par-ker
!”

She’d been wet before. That was nothing compared to the flood raining down with this orgasm. She’d shivered and shook before. Nothing next to this orgasmic quake. She arched up on the bed, wrenching away from his touch altogether. The sound from her throat was guttural, insistent and tinged with desperation. Or bliss. He wasn’t sure.

He was feeling both at the moment himself.

After she collapsed with a deep groan, he continued to stroke her gently, over the skin of her t
highs, her belly, her arms, as she struggled for breath.

When she recovered, s
he perched up on her elbows and stared at him, her eyes filled with wonderment. At least, he hoped it was wonderment.

“Did you…like that?” he asked, hating the catch in his voice.

She blew out a laugh. “Like it? No.”

His belly dropped.

“It was the most phenomenal thing ever. I loved it!”

He perked up at that. “Really?”

“
Ohmygod
. Parker!” She grabbed his face and yanked it to hers, kissed him brutally. “I had no idea it could be so—“

“So—?”

She leapt from the bed and spun in a circle, arms wide, hair flowing out behind her in a cloud. “Wonderful! Magnificent! Stupend—” She froze and then whirled to face him. “Can we do it again?”

He couldn’t hold back the chuckle. “Most definitely.”

“Oh, excellent.” Her gaze landed on his cock.

Yeah. It was hard.

It bobbled at the mere caress of her attention.

Her smile blossomed.
“But first…” she marched—naked—to the dresser and opened the top drawer. She pulled out a box and displayed it with a flourish.

Everything in him clenched when he realized what it was.

A box of condoms.

He nearly swallowed his tongue.

She came back to the bed, working the cellophane wrapping with her nails. It was resistant and she muttered beneath her breath. He took it from her as she plopped down beside him.

“I hope you don’t think I’m too forward, buying these.”

He snorted a laugh. “Not at all.” Thank God she’d thought of it. He certainly hadn’t.

She draped her arm around his shoulders and leaned against him as he worked the damn cellophane. That her breasts were pressed against his arm didn’t help his concentration. And her perfume, whatever it was, besieged him.
He struggled to focus. Finally, he got a corner up and ripped the plastic away.

“Are they the right size?”
she asked, peeping up at him shyly.

He stared at her. His lips worked.
The right size?
Hell, he didn’t know. It had been years since he’d bought a condom.

There were sizes
now?

He tipped up the box and
studied it. It was not forthcoming.

God, he hoped it was the right size.

His hands shook as he pulled a packet out and ripped it open. He resisted the urge to measure the latex sheath before he rolled it on. It fit. Relief gushed through him.  He turned to her and forced a grin. “Size doesn’t matter,” he said. “Haven’t you heard that?”

She giggled. “Yeah. That’s what
he
said.”

It was a joke, an awkward one, one that belied her nervousness. And somehow, the fact that she was edgy too, calmed him. He cupped her cheek and kissed her, calming them both, reminding them what they were about.

His cock needed no such reminding.

The knowledge that, in moments, he would be
in
her, raked him.

He stroked her breast as he nuzzled her lips,
stroked her belly, her thighs, her hair. She melted in his arms, scooching down on the bed, pulling him with her until they both lay flat. He touched her clit. Rubbed it. She sighed and spread her legs. A welcome if he’d ever had one.

“Are you-are you ready?” he asked.

“Oh, yes,” she said. And then she put her hands on his hips, as though to guide him.

He needed no such guidance, but h
ell, he would let her. He’d allow her anything in this moment.

He positioned himself between her legs and
set his cock to her entrance. Nudged.

Heat scored him. Walked through him, dancing on his nerves and shimmering
through his soul.

This was it.

This was the moment he’d been waiting—

“Parker.” Her fingers tightened on his
skin.

He froze. Looked
down at her exquisite face, all bunched in a pout. “Yes, Kaitlin?”