The Pleasures of Autumn (17 page)

She trailed her fingers across her breast, circling her still-erect nipple. Maybe she should cave in and invite Niall to share her bed. His lips would be so hot, so skilled and so very eager. The prospect of his talented mouth
busy at her breasts sent another flare of heat to her core.

Spreading her thighs, she grazed between her soft folds. She was so wet. She moistened her fingers and rubbed lightly against her clit. The little nub was already swollen and tender.

Niall had really done a number on her. She couldn’t seem to switch off this craving for him. She imagined his tongue lapping, his broad finger pumping inside her. Her pulse raced. Every nerve ending tingled as she pictured him between her thighs. His broad shoulders holding her legs apart and her own helpless murmurs mixed with his passionate groans.

He would look up at her with those stormy grey eyes of his. Maybe she would take that leather tie from his hair and run her fingers through his tresses, holding a fistful of his hair as his mouth did its magic between her legs. And while she was still catching her breath from one amazing orgasm he would press the head of his cock against her and –

‘Sorry Sinead, I need to use the en-suite, the other shower is – Holy Fuck!’

She couldn’t have put it better herself. A towel was slung low around his hips. Even in the dim light of the room, the muscles of his abdomen were clearly defined. His hair was loose about his shoulders in the way she had fantasized about. He looked edible. And now he had caught her and, from his smug expression, he knew exactly what she had been doing.

Reaching for a pillow, she flung it in his direction. ‘What are you doing? Get out of my room.’

He caught it easily but his eyes remained focused on
her stocking-clad legs and bare mons. ‘Need a little help with that?’

She dragged the quilt across her legs. She wished she had something hard and pointy to throw at him. Icy politeness was her only refuge. ‘I’m fine. Thank you.’

‘Really? It wouldn’t take long. I don’t like to see a lady in distress.’

‘I am not in distress. I am …’

‘Horny? Believe me, after your little display tonight, that makes two of us.’

‘I did not –’

He dropped the pillow onto the floor. The lights from the street played over his bare skin as he approached the bed. Despite the heat in the room, Sinead shivered. His eyes raked over her bare breasts; her nipples peaked as if they had been exposed to a blast of icy air.

‘Oh baby, you knew exactly what you were doing. Don’t bother denying that you were as turned on as I was.’ He picked up the discarded panties and brought them to his face and inhaled.

‘You know what I smell? A little tease. If you want me, you know where I am.’ He dropped the towel onto the bed and sauntered into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

She hoped the water was freezing.

Sinead snuggled deeper into his embrace. She was back in her apartment again, the first morning they had woken up together. Niall’s large hand cupped her breast, his fingers playing with her nipples. She wriggled her hips, savouring the feel of his warmth against her thighs and the sizeable bulge against her bare skin, wanting to prolong the moment before she woke up and had to face the world again. ‘Mmm, that’s good,’ she murmured.

‘Glad you think so,’ his voice rumbled against the back of her neck.

Sinead opened her eyes. This definitely wasn’t a dream. ‘What are you doing in my bed?’

‘I think you’ll find that this is my bed.’

Niall nipped at the tender skin where her neck met her shoulder and she shuddered. His hand cruised along her hip and stroked her thigh with a feather-light touch that made her ache for more. Wretched Viking. How could he annoy her one minute and make her feel like this the next? Somewhere, she knew that Lottie was laughing at her. This was payback for teasing him the evening before.

‘This is such a bad idea,’ she said as she rolled over into his waiting arms.

‘I know,’ he murmured.

His lips brushed against hers and a rush of desire flared
between them. Sinead gave a happy little murmur and opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to sweep inside. God, the man could kiss. She parried her tongue against his, savouring the taste of him. Mint. Oh, hell, she probably had morning mouth. Breaking the kiss, she tried to wriggle away from him. ‘Bathroom,’ she pleaded.

‘Two minutes,’ he said, releasing her reluctantly.

She scampered to the bathroom. ‘Two minutes, my eye,’ she said, staring at the mirror. It would take a lot longer than that. At least the bruise was fading, but she probably reeked of garlic from Manu’s special. She brushed her teeth vigorously and had the quickest shower ever before hurrying back to the bedroom.

‘That was a long two minutes,’ he said, running his eyes over her towel-clad body. ‘You’re lucky you’re not under my command or I’d have you on punishment detail.’

Sinead laughed and pulled the towel higher around her breasts, watching as his eyes flicked over her bare thighs and back to her breasts. ‘I’m not sure if I’d like to be serving under you.’

‘Oh, I think you’d like it just fine. Now, lose the towel, soldier. It’s time for your mission debriefing.’

She hesitated, wondering how long she could string out losing the towel. One of her favourite burlesque routines was the dance of the seven veils.

‘Slowly,’ he urged, as if he had read her mind.

Sinead closed her eyes. She had no stage, no props, no music, but her blood was on fire. She wanted to tease Niall; to rouse the sleeping giant. With sure-fingered grace, she un-tucked the towel and drew it away from her breasts, never taking her eyes from his. The towel dropped
to the floor and she bent to pick it up, allowing him a perfect view of her derrière. Niall might think that he was in charge, but he didn’t have a prayer against Lottie.

She swung her hips as she walked with deliberate slowness to the chair and draped the towel over it. ‘Tell me, does Moore Enterprises do a lot of naked interrogations?’

A smile quirked his mouth and he patted the sheets, inviting her closer. ‘If you come over here, you can find out for yourself. I handle all the important cases personally.’

‘I bet you do,’ she said.

As if she was performing on stage, Sinead walked slowly towards him, with a provocative swing to her hips. Standing naked before him was almost a bigger rush than appearing on stage. The dark promise in his eyes made her tremble.

‘Is this the part where I tell you my name and rank and nothing else?’

He cocked one blond brow. ‘Sure. If you want to end up over my knee. I’m fully trained in multiple interrogation techniques designed to extract the maximum amount of information from unwilling subjects.’

‘Should I be scared?’ She pouted. ‘Tell me, what’s the bad man going to do to me?’

With an almost feline grace, he rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up. He rested his hands on her waist. Their warmth was startling against her skin. He had big hands. Not quite large enough to circle her waist, but he made her feel tiny. Drawing her towards him, Niall pressed a kiss in the hollow between her breasts. ‘Well, there’s isolation, but then we’d both suffer. Or maybe sleep deprivation – but I had enough of that last night.’

She shivered as his searching mouth fastened on one erect nipple. A hot swirl of his tongue dragged a hiss of pleasure from her. ‘What else did you have in mind?’

He drew his mouth away and she immediately felt the loss of his touch. ‘Sensory deprivation,’ he continued. ‘The elimination of sensory stimulus – sights, sounds, tastes, smells and tactile sensation. But on second thoughts …’

He pursed his lips and blew gently on her erect nipple. ‘You’re very responsive there. Maybe I should try sensory bombardment instead.’

With a strength that surprised her, he lifted her up, and despite her giggling protests, dropped her onto the bed.

‘Don’t move,’ he warned as he retrieved her stocking from where it had fallen the night before and looped it around her wrists. It wasn’t tight enough to be uncomfortable but enough to make her feel restrained. Niall moved to the other side of the bed and opened a drawer.

‘What are you going to do to me?’

In response, he tugged a sleeping mask over her eyes. Sinead lay perfectly still, her chest rising and falling rapidly, trying to figure out what he was doing. He whistled as he entered the bathroom and she heard the bathroom cabinet open and close. The edge of the bed dipped and she thought she caught the scent of mint.

She wriggled her arms. She could slip out of the restraint if she pulled hard but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. The thought of being helpless, of being at his mercy, sent a wicked thrill coursing through her. This was something she had fantasized about. She could trust him to let her explore.

‘Let’s see how responsive you really are.’

He crushed her against the quilt, ravishing her mouth with a possessive kiss. Niall’s lips trailed along her jaw, his morning stubble leaving a tingling trail in its path. She wriggled beneath his searching hands as he stroked her from breast to hip. A growl of pleasure rumbled in his chest, sending a thrill straight to her core.

Slowly she spread her thighs, seeking his touch. ‘Please, I …’

‘Soon. Don’t move.’ Sinead held perfectly still, afraid that he would stop. Her eyelashes fluttered against the black silk mask but despite her best efforts she couldn’t see what he was doing. All she could do was wait.

His hot breath teased one hard nipple before moving to the other. This was torture. Why couldn’t he …

‘Easy, baby,’ he murmured. One broad finger traced a circle around her erect nipple, spreading something cool on her sensitive skin.

She arched into his embrace as he traced a similar circle around the other. He licked a path down the centre of her abdomen and for once she was grateful for all the hours she had spent rehearsing in front of a mirror. His hot mouth paused over her mons. A puff of breath against her tingling flesh made her writhe helplessly against the sheets. ‘Niall –’

‘Patience,’ he said.

His tongue made slow circles on her heated flesh, circling the opening, ignoring her clit. She gasped aloud when it plunged into her core. The heady sensations continued until he used his finger, covering her tender nub with her own juices. A cool touch against her clit made
her gasp. Then she felt the same touch against her nipples, which began to tingle.

‘What are you …’

The tingling changed. It was still cool but it became maddeningly hot simultaneously. What had he used on her? ‘Please, Niall. Oh god. What did you do to me?’

She wriggled, trying to close her legs against the pleasure, but his hands held her thighs apart. Her nipples burnt hot and icy cold at the same time. ‘What have you …? Stop it, now.’

‘Say my name. Say, please Niall.’

She was mindless now, writhing like an eel. ‘Please Niall.’ She forced the words out through gritted teeth as the sensations flared maddeningly hot and cold.

The first sweep of his tongue against her nipple brought a hint of relief. She arched her back, seeking more of his tongue. He obliged, licking roughly, frustrating her even more. Niall turned his attentions to the other nipple and relief washed over her. It was so good. She never wanted him to stop.

The sensation between her thighs grew more heated. She raised her hips to him, rubbing herself against him like a wanton. ‘Please, Niall.’

He ignored her plea, focusing on bringing relief to her breasts. She had heard of women who could come just from this and thought they were exaggerating. But his mouth, his merciless tongue, was making her change her mind. Except for the maddening sensation in her clit, she would have stayed like this forever, a prisoner of her own pleasure.

She rocked her pelvis against him, and was rewarded with a rumble of laughter. ‘I’m heading there. Stay still.’

His slow, torturous path down her body had her pleading, until at last his mouth fastened over the tender pearl and she screamed. A rush of hot pleasure flooded her core. She could no longer hold back. Waves of ecstasy crashed over, sending tremors to every nerve ending. Her body trembled helplessly on the bed, wracked by a series of aftershocks that left her unable to move.

Finally, he removed the blindfold and she shut her eyes against the morning light and his smiling face. ‘Bastard,’ she managed to say with trembling lips. ‘What did you …?’

He waved a blue and white tube at her.

‘Toothpaste?’ He had used toothpaste on her. She could barely form the words to reprimand him further. How had he done this to her? Reduced her to a trembling pile of wanting? With
toothpaste
? When she recovered, she would make him pay.

Niall left her on the bed while he went to make coffee. The urge to make love to her there and then had been so strong it had frightened him. When had Sinead acquired so much power over him?

The sight of her sprawled on the bed, open and pliant and receptive to him had been an aphrodisiac so powerful that it almost broke him. He had to draw back from the temptation she presented or he would lose control.

Besides, a tiny part of him argued, if he left her wanting more, when she finally begged him to take her, it
would be mind-blowing. He already knew that there was a furnace of passion locked away behind her staid exterior.

He poured coffee grounds into the pot and tamped it down. He needed something strong after the sleepless night and early-morning kinks. He screwed the two halves of the coffee pot together and cursed when he realized that even something like a coffee maker reminded him of Sinead’s hourglass figure.

He licked his lips and tasted her again. Salt and honey musk. He wanted more. Could he go back and have another taste? The sound of the shower running made him frown. He liked the idea of her going around still wearing his kisses, still wet from his mouth. He wanted to mark her so that no other man would approach her.

The pot hissed as the water inside boiled up, forcing its way through the grounds. The smell of fresh coffee filled the air.

She had the most sensitive, responsive little body. It was a pleasure to see her writhing around on the bed, begging him to bring her relief. Maybe it wasn’t time for breakfast yet.

He picked up the second cup, filled it and headed for the bedroom. ‘Sinead, I’ve brought you coffee.’