“Yes,” she mumbled.
“I want you with an intensity that might be a little frightening. I don’t ever want to do anything that scares you. But when I want something, I take it. And there haven’t been too many things I want the way I want you.”
Kay let out a breath, overwhelmed and overjoyed by his words. “I want this. I want you.”
Her words unleashed something in him, a wildness evident in the unbridled desire in his eyes and the firm grip of his fingers as they tightened on her hips. His thumbs slipped beneath the sides of her panties, and Kay huffed out a shocked breath at the first brush of his fingers on her bare skin.
He pulled back and reached over to where his jeans lay crumpled on the floor. When he pulled the silver packet from his wallet, her heart drummed a sudden insistent rhythm that echoed all the way to her ears. This was it.
He wasn’t going to stop this time.
Their eyes met and he dropped it on the floor next to her. Then his hands were on the sides of her face and his tongue was in her mouth. She wrapped her legs around him, holding his big body against her, reveling in the sensation of all those muscles rubbing against her. He ground his hips between her thighs, getting into a rhythm that had her crying out for him. She needed him inside her, would die if he didn’t soothe the ache he’d created.
He grabbed the foil packet and ripped it open. Then, his eyes holding hers the whole time, he pulled his boxers down. Kay’s breath left her lungs in a soundless huff. She watched, fascinated, as he rolled the protection over his thick shaft.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, stroking a hand gently over her stomach.
At her shaky nod, he flexed his hips, pushing deep. A ragged groan escaped his lips as he slid home until he was so deep that Kay couldn’t feel anything but him. She rubbed her hands over his bald head and arched up against him. He seemed to like that because his fingers tightened on her hips. She thrilled at the thought of making him lose his careful veneer of control and ran her hands over his head and down his shoulders. The movement pushed her breasts against his chest.
He dipped his head and laved a nipple before he took it between his lips. She cried out as he sucked it deep. It was too much, the gentle suction at her breast as he moved inside her. Everything about the way he touched her was so primal and erotic. He pulled things out of her that no one else could see.
Tears sprang to her eyes as her pleasure hit its peak, her body clamping down on him, trying to keep him deep inside her as she came. Long moments later, she realized that he’d stopped moving.
And he was still achingly, breathtakingly hard.
“You aren’t… I mean, you didn’t…” Kay flushed and pushed her hair out of her face. She couldn’t even say it out loud. Had she done something wrong?
“We aren’t done yet, angel.” He kissed her on her right breast and gently helped her turn over.
She flushed at the thought of what the view from behind must be like. But somehow with Eli, even when she was bashful, she never felt like she needed to hide. Maybe it was the way he looked at her or the fact that he’d made a point to tell her that he loved her body just the way it was. Either way, she’d never felt so powerful in her life, knowing that her curves were exactly the kind he preferred.
“I love the way we fit,” Eli whispered. He leaned over her, his chest warming the skin of her back. She purred when he nipped the lobe of her ear just as he slid inside from behind. “Tell me how it feels.”
Kay grabbed at the carpet, her fingers searching for something to hold on to as he used her hips to leverage her back and forth. “Full. Thick. Good.” Her words sounded almost slurred. She was drunk on pleasure.
“Do you want me to tell you what I’m feeling?” Eli asked. When she nodded, he continued. “I feel soft skin. Lush curves.” His hand slipped under her, pulling her upright until she rested against his shoulder, his hand resting lightly at the base of her throat.
“And all of it’s mine. All mine,” he rasped in her ear. His tempo increased until he suddenly stilled, his hands tightening slightly around her waist and her neck.
As his breath came hard and fast in her ear, Kay tumbled over the edge again, feeling every tremor centered in the fingers resting on her collarbone. It was frightening, this hold he had on her. It made her feel like he could make her do anything. Even control her breathing. He’d warned her that he liked things a little rough. That he took what he wanted. Pushed hard and demanded much. She’d thought she was ready. But it couldn’t prepare her for the reality of being held by him.
It couldn’t prepare her for the dark desire unfurling from a place she didn’t recognize. A place that reveled in this frightening loss of control, in the rush of pleasure from being taken by him.
From being his completely.
WAKING WITH AN armful of softness was a new experience. Eli gathered Kay closer, burying his face in her neck. It had been a long time since he’d considered himself green, but the previous night had made him feel like a teenager copping his first feel. After telling her his story, he’d expected sympathy, even a little understanding. What he’d received was complete acceptance. She’d seen him, the good, the bad, and the worse and loved him anyway. Then to have her give herself so completely… His mind was blown. She’d melted beneath his touch and, in doing so, melted his heart.
Afterward, she’d slumped in his arms, boneless and replete. Her complete trust in him to take care of her had been just as fulfilling as the sex. He’d carried her to her bed and then cleaned her up with a warm washcloth. Those intimate moments had humbled him. He’d never particularly liked sharing his bed, but last night, the thought of leaving her alone hadn’t even entered his mind. It was only right that he keep her near while he slept and warm her with his body heat. It was only right to wake up and have her face be the first thing he saw.
Reluctantly, he climbed from the bed, tucking the covers around her so she wouldn’t feel a draft. He’d asked Tank and Matt to both come over so they could compare findings. Matt had been assigned to look over the financial records of Kay’s family and friends. Tank had been busy keeping track of her ex-boyfriend and monitoring the security system at her still-empty apartment in case anyone tried to get in. As he showered, Eli thought of what Tank had mentioned the prior day. If Timothy Banner was planning on cleaning house before he ran for office, why hadn’t he contacted Kay? Wouldn’t it be easier to sweet-talk her into signing an NDA? Or try paying her off before resorting to violence?
The thought bothered him as he went about his morning routine—shaving, dressing, and preparing a quick breakfast of whole-wheat toast and two hard-boiled eggs. He passed the coffeepot and stopped. Although he didn’t drink coffee most of the time, he knew Kay lived and breathed for it in the mornings. Before he could overthink it, he measured out coffee, filled the unit with water, and set it to brew. He was still standing there brooding whe
n Kay found him ten minutes later.
“Good morning.” Kay entered the kitchen hesitantly. When their eyes met, she bit her lip and her hand fluttered to her throat. Eli’s eyes narrowed on the action. She was thinking about last night, remembering the things he’d done. The things they’d done to each other. Just thinking about it made him hot again.
“Good morning. Do you want coffee?”