Yes, now she knew just how good the guy was. Some of it was the packaging, some of it was chemical, but most of it was attitude and skill. He had every right to be the cocksure dude he was. And which was more important to Nadia right now—deflating his ego or having the time of her life?
Time of her life. Hands down.
Maybe he felt it—the moment of pure surrender, the subtle relaxation of her body as she gave in. Maybe the desperation was all too obvious in her expression. But he smiled and lifted away from her. Maintaining blatant, blistering eye contact as he extended a hand to haul her up.
She awkwardly walked the few paces across the grass to get back to the path, her thighs so wobbly she doubted she could skate any more. But some kind of muscle memory locked in. Some last shred of dignity—the need to mask how completely shattered she’d been by those few moments in the grass and pretend some more it had all just been the exercise. As she began to recover a little co-ordination he started to jog. She skated faster to keep up.
‘We’ll continue with the plan and go get my bike,’ he said, sounding too damn unruffled and making her doubt everything again—especially that hungry stare he’d subjected her to as he’d pressed her into the grass.
She concentrated hard on the concrete path, not wanting him to see how disappointing his words were. She was gutted that they hadn’t done everything right there and then. Had he recovered his reason now? Was he going to go back to being the gentleman—not the rogue who always took what he wanted without giving a damn?
She really wanted him to take what he wanted. She wanted to be what he wanted. She skated as her energy returned to comic book superhero levels—courtesy of frustration. As she sped up, so did he, until they were moving swiftly out of the park, down the paths, easily avoiding the pedestrians—as if they really did have some kind of superhuman co-ordination and speed.
She glanced at him, absorbed the effortless grace of his big body in motion. He was fit—surprisingly fast for someone so tall. And maybe it wasn’t so effortless—because as she looked closer she saw his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white, his big biceps more defined than ever. Anticipation sent adrenalin licking through her veins again.
His hand suddenly closed on her upper arm, and he gave a sharp tug so she veered off course, spinning in a half-circle and colliding against him. His other hand caught her round the waist, pressing her chest and belly to his and keeping her there.
‘We’re here.’ He lifted her, keeping her clamped to him, and jogged up the three steps to the main door, wincing as the toe of her boot accidentally connected with his shin. She was too puffed, too turned on, to apologise. At the top he lowered her, releasing her arm to reach behind her. His other hand kept her pushed hard into his hot body. She heard a series of beeps, figured he’d pushed a security code into the pad next to the big door. Sure enough, she heard a click as it unlocked.
‘Can you manage the carpet with your skates?’ He didn’t wait for an answer, just pushed her so she rolled in backwards.
The door slammed shut behind him.
He stopped on the first-floor landing and pulled out a key. ‘Hot again after that exercise?’ he asked, dripping with innuendo.
Oh, yeah—as if it was the exercise warming her up. What a liar she was. She’d been hot for days, since that kiss after the movies. It was all him. But while she wasn’t about to deflate his ego this minute, she wasn’t going to puff it up even more either.
‘Not hot enough,’ she said bluntly, and slid past him onto the wooden floor of his apartment, gliding down the hall and into the main room. It was a big apartment—tasteful. Not that she took in many details.
She heard the door shut and his fast pace. His hands caught her hips and drew her back against him, his mouth hot on the side of her neck. She instantly angled her head so he could access more skin. Her skates propelled her forward, away.
He growled as he pulled her back against him and nudged his leg between hers. ‘It’s like a teen fantasy. Your legs literally slide apart.’
For him they did. They would even without the wheels.
He shaped her body, cupping her breasts and then sliding down her stomach. She loved the size and firmness of his hands. Her breathing escalated—fast, shallow—and she shamelessly leaned back against him, encouraging him to continue the hot trail of kisses over her skin.
‘I wasn’t going to do this,’ he muttered, furiously nuzzling into her neck.
‘You could always stop,’ she taunted, pressing her butt harder against his erection.
‘You know that’s not possible.’ He groaned, gliding hard and firm down the length of her body, pressing pleasure into her skin and deeper into her muscles. ‘You sure you can handle the hurt?’ he asked roughly.
‘Is there going to be hurt?’
‘I didn’t think there was usually. But people have been at pains to point out to me that I’m wrong on that. So I think it’s only fair to warn you.’
Amused by his flash of conscience, she teased him some more with her body. ‘Who’s to say it’ll be me who feels the hurt?’
‘You’re the one with the venomous website.’
‘I’ve already been warned, Ethan. Don’t worry.’
He lifted the hem of her tee shirt and she instantly lifted her arms to let him take it right off. But as he released his hold on her she glided forward again.
He swore in annoyance and then simply pushed her forward some more, until she crashed into the back of a leather armchair. Her feet couldn’t move further forward now—and he was in place firmly behind her. She bent at the waist so she could feel his hard length pressing closer to her core. She reached into the cup of her bra and pulled out the condom she’d hidden there, passed it back to him.
He grunted. ‘A woman who knows what she wants. Full of surprises, aren’t you?’
With barely leashed ferocity he undid her bra and held each strap in his hands—using it like a bridle to control how far she could lean to and from him.
And she wanted to be ridden. ‘Harder,’ she moaned, thrills shivering along every vein.
He pulled tighter, flattening her breasts against the cotton, her nipples sensitive against the material. He teased with his hips. Round and round, pressing hard and close and then away again, while he kissed from across from one shoulder to the next, stopping to nibble at her neck and her upper back. Her breathing shortened, keeping rhythm with the circling motion of his pelvis against her. She was going to come again, and he was still fully clothed.
Not okay. She wanted him inside her.
She rocked harder, faster, circling her hips back against him, wanting to stir him beyond restraint so they’d strip and screw right now—now, now. Suddenly he picked her up and started walking across the lounge back towards the hall. She struggled so much he dropped her, and her feet went out from under her. She crashed onto her hands and butt.
‘What’s wrong?’ He thudded to his knees beside her.
‘I don’t want to see the notches on your bed.’ She scrambled to get on all fours. ‘I’d rather be out here on the floor.’
‘I haven’t slept with nearly as many women as you seem to think,’ he spat back, equally furious, his hand shooting out to grasp her wrist. ‘And so what, anyway? Isn’t it now that matters? I’m not sleeping with anyone else right now. I’m not going to do that to you.’
‘I still don’t want to see your room,’ she growled. ‘I just want to…to …’ Her lungs jerked so hard she could hardly speak.
‘You just want a quick shag—is that it?’
‘Now,’ she said bluntly.
‘Well, we’re getting rid of the skates first.’
‘Fine.’
He fought with one while she worked on the other, until with heavy thuds he tossed them both over his shoulder and in one smooth movement pulled her beneath him as he rolled over her. She liked that he was fearless about being on top of her. She liked how much he weighed her down.
?
??That’s what you want, isn’t it?’ He grinned evilly down at her. ‘Like to be dominated, darling?’
‘Watch your step, Ethan. You’re more vulnerable that you realise.’
‘You think?’
She ran a nail down the side of his neck while she slipped her other hand between them. She cupped his balls though his shorts and squeezed ever so slightly. He flinched and rose on all fours astride her, suddenly smiling—even though she knew he was as angry at her as he was turned on.
He yanked the dangling bra free from her body and then with two hands pulled her black leggings down, revealing her knickers.
He slid them halfway down her body and stared at the plain white panties.
‘Cotton Lycra.’ She tried not to sound too apologetic. ‘Comfortable for exercise.’
‘Indeed,’ he said. ‘And nice and stretchy.’ He grasped them, pulling them to the side, and very gently blew warm air over her. ‘Something very tantalising about it.’ He let the material cover her again and pressed his open mouth against the cotton.
She’d just about burst out of her skin at the luscious breath, and now the wet heat of him through the cotton was absolute torture.
‘Damn it, Ethan,’ she groaned. ‘You make me mad. You make me laugh.’ She banged her head back on the floor, arching as he licked her through the cotton. ‘You drive me crazy.’
‘Well, that’s totally fair.’ He switched to sucking and twisting his tongue into the cotton. ‘You do the same to me.’
She shook her head frantically. But it didn’t matter now—too late. She cried out through clenched teeth and contracting muscles as she came again.
She opened her eyes to see Ethan’s satisfied smile as he stripped the last of her clothes from her body and then stripped himself. He dealt with the condom and then looked up, his brows flickering when he saw she was watching avidly.
‘What shall we do now?’ he asked innocently.