Sawyer (Carolina Reapers 2)

“Come on,” she said, her tone dropping as she held out her hand. “I’m not going to jeopardize your virtue, West Coast, I promise. Those bruises under your eyes are physically painful to look at. You need to sleep.” She looked over her shoulder, spotting the lone open door that led to the bedroom.

“I need to walk you back to your car,” I argued even as my body moved toward hers.

“No need. I didn’t drive to work. I’ll grab a Lyft. Don’t look at me like that. Your fancy-schmancy doorman isn’t going to let anything happen to me.” She wiggled her fingers until I took them in mine.

I wasn’t sure if it was the smile she gave me, or the simple pressure of her fingers against mine, but exhaustion was instantly the last thing on my mind.

“You can’t tuck me in,” I said slowly as she tugged on my hand to follow her.

“Why not?” she asked, backing away from me with a glint in her eyes.

“Because if I get you anywhere near a bed, I’m not sure I’ll let you leave it,” I admitted, even as my feet moved, following her lead.

“Feeling that confident in your skills, are you?” she asked, continually moving backward.

“I remember exactly what you taste like, Echo.”

She paused, her lips parting. “I said I’m tucking you in. I didn’t say anything about fucking you.” She lifted an eyebrow in an obvious effort to stay unaffected, but she ended with a swipe of her tongue over her lower lip.

“I didn’t say I was fucking you,” I answered, my eyes dropping to the rise and fall of her breasts. “But I know if I get you in that bed—hell, near that bed, I’m going to kiss you, and it would be a shame to end this night with you slapping me.”

“It’s not like you haven’t kissed me before.” She took another step, almost reaching the threshold.

“Trust me, I know,” I challenged her with her own words. “But that was on a dare, and this isn’t. It’s on me if I kiss you again.” Fuck, just thinking about it had my dick hardening.

She switched directions, stepping forward. Then she rose on her toes and kissed me softly, her lips lingering on mine just long enough to taste her.

Fuck, I wanted this woman.

“There,” she whispered. “Now I’ve kissed you, and that’s on me, not some stupid dare.”

“Echo,” I warned. I wasn’t against one-night stands, but the problem was that I didn’t want her to be a one-night stand.

“If you don’t trust yourself, then trust me. Come on, Sawyer. You’ve run yourself ragged taking care of everyone else. Let me take care of you.” She tugged, and I followed.

The bedroom was lit by the single bedside lamp I’d left on, casting a warm glow over the dark furnishings. Echo took it all in with a quick glance, then stopped to linger on the king-sized bed that took up the majority of the room.

“Sit,” she ordered, pointing to the nearest side of the bed.

I did.

She dropped in front of me and pulled off my socks. The strange intimacy of the act caught me off guard. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had done that. If someone was undressing me, they were usually after my cock, not my feet.

She rose, and ran her fingers through my hair, watching me with an intensity that stole the oxygen from my lungs. Then she reached for the hem of my Henley and tugged.

I lifted my arms as the fabric slid over my chest, then left me bare from the belt up as the shirt hit the floor next to her.

“Whoa.” She sighed in appreciation, her fingers trailing from my neck to my pecs, and down the lines of my abdominals. “You are…” She shook her head, then tugged her lip between her bottom teeth.

A smile lifted my lips. “It’s part of my job to stay in shape.”

“Yeah, well, good job,” she muttered.

I gripped her waist and tugged her between my spread thighs. “What are we doing, Echo?”

“Whatever we want,” she answered. Then she straddled me, her knees on either side of my hips. I sent one hand to the nape of her neck and kept her waist secure with the other.

Her lips crashed into mine.

She tasted like cherries again, and I groaned at the realization that she really did feel as good as I remembered.

I gave her control for as long as I could stand it—which was probably about thirty seconds. Then I parted her lips with mine and took over, thrusting my tongue against hers and claiming her mouth.

She whimpered and rocked forward, bringing us so close only fabric separated our bodies. She met me kiss for kiss, her hands tangling in my hair, her mouth slanting with mine over and over again.

Our breaths grew ragged, and even though I told myself I wouldn’t take this all the way tonight, I knew kisses wouldn’t satisfy either of us. I’d grown too hungry for her in the weeks we’d been apart.