Eli (Mallick Brothers 4)

"How about, when you're here, you can connect with me?" I suggested, going ahead and leaning almost fully back into him like I had been wanting to do since he moved in behind me.

"Autumn..."

"I know what I'm offering, Eli. I'm just seeing if you are interested. You want a safe place to reconnect? Why not here? Where there is no one to flip your switch, where you don't have to worry about rage or family or the man you were versus the man you are trying to become. You can just be. With me. That's it. No expectations."

Except maybe some mind-blowing orgasms.

The pause after my words made me suddenly wish I could just suck them right back in. My belly flipped uneasily as my pulse seemed to start to pound in my throat, wrists, and temples.

"I just want to be clear on what you're offering here," he said, his warm breath teasing over the skin of my neck.

Anything he wanted, that was what I was offering.

But, ah, I guess that wasn't the best thing to say to a man you hardly knew.

"Sex. A friend. Whatever you need on any given day."

There. That didn't make me sound like a giant slut because I wanted him so badly, right?

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you offer me friendship or sex?"

Okay, so there was a very distinct pre-orgasm tightening just hearing him say the word sex. My body was responding like I was still some blushing virgin. Weird.

"Well, we've kind of had a friendship going on and off for the last couple of years," I hedged.

I should have known he wouldn't let that slide.

"Why do you want to offer me sex, sweetheart?" he asked, his hand pressing in just in the center of my lower stomach where the pressure was already almost unbearable, like he knew that fact, and was more than willing to exploit it. Which was, well, hot. "Is it because your panties are soaked just standing here with me? Is that it?"

Good God, yes.

My head fell back against his shoulder as I took a long, steadying breath.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, voice low. "Though, just to make sure, I should probably investigate further, don't you think?"

I felt my lips twitching at that, loving when a man could play a little, when sex wasn't always serious.

"That might be wise," I agreed, taking another deep breath, not surprised when it came out shaky.

I barely got the words out before his hand was suddenly in the hair at the base of my neck, pulling, twisting, and using it to turn me around, slamming me back against the counter as his lips crashed down on mine.

I had no idea what I had been expecting, but whatever it was, this was harder, hotter, without a shred of self-control.

His lips bruised into mine. His fingers pulled my hair until my lips parted on a whimper, giving him the space to surge inside.

My hands fisted in his shirt, my nails digging crescents into the skin beneath.

His hand released my hair, grabbing the back of my skull instead, tilting backward to give him better access, half curling me over the sink as he did so.

His lips ripped from mine, leaving them swollen and overly sensitive, to trail down my neck, his scruff scraping over my delicate skin in a way that I knew there would be beard burn there for a day or two after, and finding myself almost unreasonably pleased by that fact.

"You smell fucking amazing," he growled as his teeth scraped my neck, sending a visible shiver through my body.

I had no idea what I smelled like since I was pretty sure after my shower this morning, I hadn't remembered to put on lotion or perfume. But, hey, if my natural scent was turning him on, I was willing to give them all up permanently.

His fingers found the bottom of my tee, not even pausing before sliding under, grabbing my bare breasts in his large palms, thumbs flicking over my half-hardened nipples, dragging a ragged moan out of me.

"Fuck," he growled, yanking the shirt up and leaning down, sucking one of the hardened points into his mouth, lavishing over it with his tongue as his thumb and forefinger pinched the other one painfully.

My body, so unused to touch for so long, and having long-since forgotten the sensation of pain/pleasure through my system, trembled hard as my leg raised, wrapping around his hip, pulling his pelvis to mine, groaning shamelessly when his hard cock pressed into me through his jeans.

"Off," I growled, raking my hands down his back to grab his shirt. "Take this off."

I needed to feel his skin on mine like I needed my next breath.

He pulled backward, reaching down to pull off his sweater. I meant to reach to pull my tee off, but as his belly and chest got exposed, I couldn't do anything but watch. Each inch of exposed skin was like a treat. His skin was somewhat pale, likely thanks to years inside, but no less delicious as it hugged the subtle outlines of his abs. They weren't the same abs they had been in that poolside picture from his Instagram, but they were abs nonetheless, and I had a sudden urge to lean forward and run my tongue between them.