So Sensitive (7 page)

Wade had seen Gracie in her prim little outfits at Serene Comfort and thought her body perfect. He’d seen her in the flimsy hospital gown and knew instinctively that her ful , round breasts would fil his palms; the curve of her hips would create the perfect cradle for his cock. Stil , nothing could have prepared him for the eyeful he’d gotten earlier.

“Fuck,” he growled. Pushing a hand through his hair, Wade fel onto the couch and wished like hel he had the right to simply go to her, slip in between the sheets, and spend the rest of the night touching, tasting. He wanted to hear her cry out his name as she climaxed. He ached to strip her bare and lick every blessed inch of her.

“Don’t you ever sleep?”

Wade shot off the couch so fast he ran his shin into the coffee table. He cursed and twisted around, then froze. Gracie stood in the entrance of the dark room, her fiery red hair a disheveled mess. She’d removed the sling from her injured arm and was now cradling her fractured wrist in her good hand. He stepped around the couch, closing the distance between them. “You okay?”

She winced. “I rol ed over on my stomach and caught my wrist on the bedside table.”

He felt like a complete shit. He’d been wal owing in unrequited lust, and she’d been in pain. “Come on, you need your sleep.” He cupped her elbow and took her back to her room. Wade didn’t bother with the light. He’d memorized the layout of the entire place hours ago. He led her across the room and held the covers up for her to slip beneath. He tucked her in and started out of the room, away from temptation, when Gracie’s quiet voice floated over to him.

“Don’t leave.”

Wade looked over his shoulder, for the first time in his life unsure what to do. “You want me to stay?”

She clutched the blanket in a white-knuckled fist. “I-I’ve been denying myself for so long, and I’m just so tired of it. I’ve let him dictate my every move, Wade.”

Knowing he should let her sleep, but unable to ignore the pleading in her voice, Wade covered the distance in two strides. He sat down on the bed, and their bodies touched. He had to grit his teeth against the need to pul the blanket away so he could be closer to her. The green fire in her eyes pul ed at something in him, something basic and primal. Even in the dark he could make out the need in those gorgeous green eyes. He fingered one of the straps on her gown and murmured, “I’ve been thinking about you al night. This nightgown . . .” He wasn’t sure how to put his thoughts into words. He sucked at poetic, romantic moments.

Her shoulders seem to slump. “It’s shapeless and blah, I know.”

“Hmm, maybe. But it’s also see-through in the right light.”

Her eyes grew round. “It is?”

He smiled, tracing the delicate line of her col arbone. “Every curve was on display for me earlier. It’s a look that’s been burned into my psyche, baby.”

She bit her lower lip and looked away. “I didn’t intend to entice you.”

Her sweet innocence made him want to hide her away from the big, bad world, even as he imagined al the wicked things he wanted to teach her. “I know. But you need to understand something, Gracie.”

“What’s that?”

“Everything you do entices me,” he admitted, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I see you walk, and my cock gets hard. You tear strips off my hide with your wicked tongue, and it’s al I can do to keep my hands to myself.”

“I’ve wanted you, too, Wade. Turning you down has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

He lowered his head until his lips brushed hers. “Then I propose we make up for lost time.” He kissed her, careful to go slow, to be gentle, but when he licked over her bottom lip and her taste hit his tongue, everything in him shifted, changed. So soft and plump and delicious. Christ, wild horses couldn’t drag him away from her now.

7

“S
weet as sunshine,” Wade whispered. He let his tongue tease the seam of her lips until final y she sighed and let him in. Mint, and the warm flavor of Gracie. Hel , a man could become an addict. He lifted his head and stared down at her. Gracie’s eyes were closed, and her tongue swiped over her bottom lip, as if reliving their kiss. When she started to lift her injured hand toward him, her eyes flew open, and he could see the pain there.

“I forgot about my wrist.”

I should not be here
. “You’re in pain. I should let you get some rest, sweetheart.” He had to force the words out between clenched teeth.

She quickly looked away. “You didn’t like it.”

He didn’t have to guess at what she meant. He cupped her chin in his palm and forced her gaze back to his. “I loved it. I want more. I want al night. I’m so damn hungry for you I’m about to self combust.”

She lifted her good hand and pressed it to his chest. “Then why do you want to leave?”

“Only an asshole would try something with you right now.”

A spark of fire lit her eyes. “I know what I’m doing. You aren’t taking advantage of me. Injured or not, I would stil be lying here aching for you.”

His cock leaped with joy over the bold admission so quietly uttered. Stil , he tried one last time to do the right thing. “You’l be pissed at me in the morning, Gracie. When we come together I want you smiling the next day, not fretting over whether it was the right thing to do or not.”

She placed her palm on his chest, directly over his heart. As if she held some sort of power over him, his heartbeat accelerated. “You aren’t listening, Wade. I’ve wanted you from the moment you came into Serene Comfort. Even before you asked me out. I’ve kept my hands to myself for so long. Now, I want to know what I’ve been missing.”

Something inside Wade snapped. Hearing the ache, the desire, in her husky voice was too much. Hel , he wasn’t a damn saint. “You’re sore and bruised, sweetheart, and nothing on this earth could convince me to make that ache worse.” When she started to speak, to continue pleading her case most likely, he plowed on. “But I can give you a taste of what’s to come.”

Gracie had a sexy little smile on her lips, and her hair was like satin. The perfect red halo. It covered the pil ow and gave him a perfect view of her slender, delicate neck. He might wel have been a vampire in some other life because the need to taste her pulsing vein with his tongue and bite into her pale, ivory flesh there, marking her, was nearly overpowering.

Wade leaned closer and whispered, “Looking at you in this bed is turning me on right now, baby.”

“Good. That means we’re on the same page then.”

He chuckled at her matter-of-fact tone and reached out to stroke her cheek with the tip of his index finger. “Close your eyes for me,” he gently ordered.

She shook her head in denial. “I want to see you.”

“And you wil , but first, close your eyes.”

She obeyed, and Wade’s cock hardened. He wanted her total submission; nothing less would do. Not for him. He wanted to seduce her, to mesmerize her into doing as he wished. Her lashes began to flutter open, but he touched each lid with a kiss, effectively keeping them closed.

“Keep them that way until I say.”

She remained quiet, but her lids never lifted, thril ing the hel out of him by her sweet surrender. He caressed her hair with his fingers, stroking the silky tresses. “I love your hair, sweetheart. So soft and baby fine.”

Wade trailed his hand down the silky length to smooth one finger over her neck. He touched the pulse beating wildly in her throat, and it seemed to quicken right under his fingertip. Leaning in, he inhaled her feminine fragrance. “Your scent is making me nuts. Bet you didn’t know I’ve thought about you like this, did you, Gracie?” Her mouth fel open, tempting him. He covered it with his own, tasting both surprise and arousal. He kept it quick; otherwise he might not be able to stop until he had her under him, his dick firmly locked inside her tight pussy.

“At night, when the rest of the world is asleep, my thoughts drift to you. I imagine you lying under me, your soft body pressed against mine as I take you, fil you. I’ve had my fair share of hot, erotic dreams of you, sweetheart.” His voice grew raspier with the fever that ran through his veins.

A fever only she could cool. He knew that to be a fact, because he’d tried to date other women. None were Gracie. None had her backbone, her green eyes, her lush body.

He bent his lips to her pulse and licked the length of her protruding vein. “You want me, huh? You trust me with your body, baby?” Her jerky nod gave him exactly what he needed, her total acceptance.

“Mmm, so sweet. I want more of you too. So much more. I want to know al your hot little buttons. The ones that cause your blood to pound through your veins and have you quivering with need. I want you begging and wriggling beneath me . . . for me.”

He bent and tasted her succulent, ivory neck. It cal ed to something primitive in him, something even he didn’t recognize. He licked her soft skin and suckled, luxuriating in the little sounds coming from Gracie’s pouty little mouth. Soft whimpers that he wanted to turn into cries of satisfaction. When he bit her lightly, branding her, Gracie lifted her hand to the back of his head, holding him in place, as if loath to let the moment end. Wade lifted up, forcing her to drop her hand, and stared down at her pliant body. Damn, she looked good enough to eat. “You may open your eyes now, sweet angel.”

Gracie let her lids drift open, her body burning with need. When she saw the raw hunger in Wade’s dark gaze, she knew it was the same for him. She wanted . . . Wade. His kisses, his caresses, his demands. Like a child being given a bite of a cookie, it wasn’t enough. “The things you do to me, the way you make me feel . . . It’s never been this way for me before.”

“Careful, baby. I’m only a man. Words like those could get you more than you ever bargained for.”

“What does that mean?”

He smiled and fingered the neckline of her nightgown. “Ah, there’s that sweet touch of innocence I told you about before.”

“You make me sound like a virgin. I
have
been with other men, Wade.” Unable to help herself, Gracie reached out and clutched his forearm.

His rough, tan skin and powerful muscles had captured her attention too many times to count. She’d only dreamed of touching, stroking. Now that she had him so close, she wasn’t about to waste even a second.

“Have you ever been with a man who was into bondage? Voyeurism? Have you ever played the submissive for a dom?”

The images his words invoked had her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She couldn’t speak, could only shake her head, hoping it was enough.

“That’s sort of what I thought. The things I like to do with a woman, the things I want to do with you, they’re very specific, Gracie.”

“You want to tie me up?” Why did the idea of being at Wade’s mercy intrigue her so? She should be scandalized. Instead her pussy flooded with liquid heat.

“We’l leave my
wants
for another day.” The finger that had been playing with her neckline dipped beneath. The rough texture of his skin against hers had her head spinning. “Right now, the only thing that matters is you,” he whispered. “I want to see this pretty body, Gracie. May I?”

“Y-Yes.”

Wade removed his hand and stood. He crooked his finger at her and growled, “Come here.”

Gracie tossed the blankets aside and brought her legs to the edge of the bed. As her feet touched the floor, Wade held out a hand. She placed her palm in his and let him pul her up. He raised her hand to his lips and left a soft kiss on her knuckles, before releasing her and stepping closer. He clutched fistfuls of her gown and started to tug upward. Blood rushed through Gracie’s veins as she realized he would be looking at her for the first time. Her too plump body, the bruises from the crash, it’d al be on display for him.

And so would the piercings.

Damn.

When he had the material up around her waist, she stopped him with her uninjured hand against his chest. “Wait.” He quirked a brow at her, clearly puzzled by the sudden change. “There’s something you should know first.”

His eyes softened. “You can tel me anything, baby.”

“I have . . .” Her throat went dry. She swal owed and tried again. “What I mean to say is . . .” Anxiety had her stal ing out. Damn, this shouldn’t be so difficult!

Wade smiled, his tone playful when he said, “Sometimes it’s easier to just blurt it out. Like a bandage, just rip it off, Gracie.”

“Piercings,” she muttered. “I have piercings.”

Wade’s smile fel flat. “You have pierced ears? That’s the big confession?”

“They aren’t in my ears.”

His gaze shot to her breasts and lingered. If it were at al possible her face heated even more. At this rate they’d have to cal the fire department just to put out the blaze in her damn cheeks.

“You had your nipples pierced?” Wade’s voice sounded as if he’d swal owed sandpaper.

“Years ago. I went through a rebel phase, I guess.” She took a deep breath before asking, “Do you think it’s strange?”

He licked his lips, his gaze stil on her chest. As he started to tug her gown up, Gracie grasped one large hand in her own and halted his movements. His head snapped up, brown eyes, now nearly black, locked onto hers. “Let me see.”

The quiet demand nearly did her in, but she wasn’t budging. Not until she had an answer to her question. “You didn’t answer me.”

He licked his lips, and Gracie found herself watching, wishing, so very desperate to feel that sensual lick between her thighs. “No,” he murmured, “I don’t think it’s strange. I think I’m about to come in my jeans right now. I think if I don’t see you I’m going to die. I think my mouth is watering for a taste of you.”

Gracie hadn’t real y expected Wade to be anything less than total y honest. It just wasn’t his way. Stil , the heat behind his statement scorched her and sent her into another realm. She wasn’t terribly sure she was ready to deal with it. Then again, hadn’t she just told the man that she was tired of not taking what she wanted? She had him in her bedroom, undressing her; this was her chance.