Touching Lace (Vaughn)

Lacey didn’t know what to say. From the beginning of this odd arrangement, she’d worried she would be the one getting too emotionally involved. That she’d be the one to bear the scars of their encounter. Now she knew Nick was putting his heart on the line, too. A tremendous weight lifted away and she wanted to shout to him everything in her heart, but the look in his eyes held her back. He needed her and she needed him. Declarations of love everlasting could wait…just a little while longer.

Instead, Lacey gave him an easy answer. “I don’t have a problem with that.”

He’d have to settle for that, Lacey thought stubbornly. After all, there were limits as to how far a girl would go. She didn’t want to end up a blithering idiot if he chose to walk away.

Nick rewarded her with a smile, his eyes turning hot and wild, as he started backing her towards the kitchen table.

“Ever have sex on a kitchen table, baby?”

“Uh, no.” Lacey turned and looked at the large oval slab of oak. Skeptical, she asked, “Er, is that thing going to hold us?”

“Oh, yeah.”

He picked her up and plopped her down on top of it, only releasing his hold long enough to yank her shirt up and off.

“I have to taste you, baby,” he groaned. “I need to know if you’re as sweet as I remember.”

Lacey laughed at the absurdity of his words. “It wasn’t all that long ago.”

He lowered his head and mumbled something about short-term memories against her nipple then pushed her backwards until she lay flat against the cold, hard surface of the tabletop. When his mouth grazed her flesh, all reason fled. He had the most addicting way of knowing exactly how she liked to be touched. The teasing scrape of his teeth against her flesh drove her to clutch his head in both hands and pull him more firmly against her. The strokes of his tongue on her nipples turned her sex liquid. She lifted her legs, wrapped them around his waist and pulled his pelvis forward to meet hers.

Nick lifted away from Lacey’s breast and stared as if in awe at the glistening wet orb. “I just love the way you’re built.” He cupped both breasts in his hands and squeezed, wringing a whimper out of her. “Your perfect tits are so fresh and lush.” He looked into her eyes as he said, “And all mine.”

Self-consciously, Lacey mumbled, “I’m not lush.” She thought again of Christy’s bountiful chest and wanted to cringe.

“Just my size.” Nick grinned then leaned down and kissed each of her nipples lightly and bit the turgid peaks. This time when he looked back into her eyes, she saw a fire burning that hadn’t been there before. Lacey wanted him to take her, hard and fast, but he seemed hesitant.

“Don’t ever put yourself down again,” he warned then pulled her off the table and hitched her higher around his waist. He began walking them out of the kitchen without another word.

Lacey was confused. On fire, but horribly confused. “I thought—”

“Yeah, so did I, but I’ve changed my mind. I want you in my bed instead.”

Lacey was starting to get seriously annoyed with Nick’s high-handed attitude. Deciding to take advantage of the fact that her legs were still firmly wrapped around him, Lacey squeezed, hard, gaining his attention immediately.

“What about what I want? Did you even bother to consider that?” she snapped, feeling a wild need to scream.

His smile rocked her right off her axis. “Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. This is the way I want to see you. Full of fiery passion and doing something about it. You’ve not been very forthcoming with what you want, Lace. So, it’s been up to me to decide what was best.”

“What’s best?” she ground out from between clenched teeth. “Are you tryin

g to piss me off? It’s not like I’ve been all docile and crap.”

He shrugged. “I am the sex instructor, remember?”

“Yeah, but it’s not as if I’m a submissive little lamb. You of all people know it.”

Lacey wriggled and pushed against him until he reluctantly set her back on her feet. She put her hands on her hips and all but declared, “I won’t have you deciding things for me. I am all for a guy being forceful and dominant, but pushy and arrogant is another thing altogether.”

He leaned down until he was nose to nose with her. “That,” he said in a seductive voice, “is lesson number three, my little spitfire.”

Lacey scowled. “Lesson three?”

Nick took her hand off her hip and brought it to his mouth. He kissed each fingertip then slowly licked and bit at her sensitive skin. She could come with the smallest touch from him. It had been such a chore to gain a single orgasm from a man before Nick came along. It was humbling and stimulating at the same time.

“You aren’t the kind of woman to follow along, Lacey. I only gave you a little reminder.”

His eyes heated as he took in her naked, heaving breasts. In her anger, she’d forgotten she was standing topless in front of him. He hadn’t.