She climbed out of his SUV, still in her bare feet, and wearing a slightly singed T-shirt and skimpy shorts. A man shuffled down the walkway, an ice bucket in his hand.
He stopped and whistled when he saw her.
Just what she wanted. Her eyes narrowed. “Hey, jerk—”
“Fuck off,” Kenton snapped.
Then Kenton was there, catching her hand, pulling her inside room 106 and kicking the door shut behind them.
“Kent, what are you—”
His mouth was on hers. His c**k pressed against her, hard and ready, and she held tight to him as the rage and fear and adrenaline bubbled in her blood.
His head lifted, and he gritted out, “When I saw the fire, your house…”
She’d been scared, too, when she saw the flames coming for her. Get out. The words had screamed in her mind, and she’d run from the fire. Run, when she usually fought it.
“I need you,” Kenton growled. “I need you.”
Lora needed him.
Kenton pulled off his holster and set the weapon on the nightstand.
Lora’s hands trembled with the need to touch him. “Kent…”
He kissed her, an open-mouthed, tasting kiss that had her leaning into him. Her hands slipped between their bodies and she found the top of his pants.
He caught her hand, stilling her fingers. His head lifted and he stared down at her with glittering eyes. “Not fast.” He kissed her again and let her feel the sensual lick of his tongue.
He pushed her back onto the bed, and the mattress dipped beneath her. His hands stroked her body, not wild with the fierce passion they’d shown before, but soft and gentle as he stripped her.
His arousal pressed against her, long and thick, and she spread her legs, trying to feel more of that thick bulge against her.
“Easy, Lora…” His whisper.
She didn’t want easy. She reached between them again and pulled down his zipper with a hiss. His erection sprang into her hands. She stroked him, loving the feel of that hot skin.
He caught her hands and pushed them back against the mattress. “Easy.” An order this time.
She stared up at him, her heart racing in her chest. His scent surrounded her, his body pressed against hers, and she wanted him inside so badly that she ached.
Fire. Hell.
Life.
Because when she’d seen those flames and heard the crackle of the fire—in those moments before she’d run for freedom—Lora hadn’t thought about Carter or about what could have been with him.
She’d thought about Kenton.
Heard him screaming her name.
She’d run through the flames. To him.
Kenton’s mouth skimmed her jaw, then he kissed his way down her neck. A shiver had her breath catching when he licked her throat.
“I’m going to taste every inch of you.”
Her legs shifted restlessly against his.
He freed her hands and rose onto his elbows. “Every inch, sweetheart, and I’m going to take my time.”
Oh, yes.
His head lowered and his mouth took her nipple. When he sucked her, she arched off the bed. His hand eased down her body, and he pushed his fingers between her legs. His caress was slow and steady, and when he slipped one finger into her and sucked her breast, she whispered his name. She wanted her release but—
She loved his mouth.
And Kenton was working that mouth so well. He licked his way to her other breast and let her feel the soft bite of his teeth as he scored her flesh. He took her nipple into his mouth, and his tongue tasted her as he worked a second finger into her sex.
Gentle. Soft. She’d only known lust and need with him before, but this was different.
He wasn’t just taking her body. With every kiss, every touch, he seemed to be taking her. Claiming her, body and soul.
The soft stubble on his cheeks scraped her stomach as he pressed kisses down her body. She held herself still, almost afraid to move, because she didn’t want this moment to end.
His dark head lowered, and his hands closed around her thighs. “Kent,” she breathed his name.
He glanced up at her, his eyes glinting.
Then he put his mouth on her. His tongue touched her, licking her sensitive skin, sliding right over her clit. The orgasm took her by surprise, a sweet release that poured over her even as he continued to taste her, using deeper strokes of his tongue now.
Her hips pressed against his mouth, and her hands fisted in the sheets. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she just felt.
Him. The rasp on his cheeks, the soft touch of his mouth.
As promised, he took his time, tasting her flesh until she was moaning and twisting on the bed. She opened her eyes and saw him rising, a strong shadow that covered her.
He slipped on a condom, and the head of his c**k pushed against her body. Her arms lifted and curled around him as he slid inside in an easy, slow glide.
Lora lost her breath. No, he stole it with his kiss, but gave her his in return.
The bed squeaked beneath them. His thrusts were steady, driving, and she held him as tight as she could. When her second climax hit, she cried out his name as her muscles contracted around him on a hard wave of release.
Kenton kept thrusting, and he kept his eyes on her. His c**k swelled even more inside her, the friction sparking a rush of pleasure.
Her legs wrapped around his hips, and she held him tight. His neck was close, so she leaned up and kissed him, using the edge of her teeth in a light bite of her own.
He shuddered against her, and his hands curled around her hips. His head lifted, and he thrust again, again.
And, with his eyes on hers, he came. Pleasure wiped across his face, the same hot pleasure that swept through her.
He kissed her.
Her hands curled around him. Held tight.
Held… him.
“You know you scared the hell out of me.” Kenton spoke moments later in the darkness. His arms were around her. Her body against his. He’d ditched all of his clothes and lay naked with her. His heart beat beneath her palm, steady and strong. The wild rush was over. For now.
“When I realized you were in the house…”
She lifted her gaze to his. The lamp was on beside them, spilling light onto the bed. “I’m okay.” But her lips curled as she stared at him. He looked so serious, with that faint line between his brows and the stubble lining his jaw. “But if you need to f**k me one more time, just to be sure…” She leaned up and licked his lips. “Go right ahead.”
The laugh came, just as she’d wanted. A hard and deep rumble.
At the sound, something inside her eased. Finally.
“He didn’t get me,” she told him. “But the bastard really did manage to piss me off.” She loved that house. Loved it. She’d painted every inch of it herself, over Jake’s protests. The fact that the guy owned a painting company didn’t mean he had to paint her house.