“Oh, I’m coming,” she cried, bucking against his face with unabashed pleasure.

Garrett replied with a hum against her pu**y and buried his fingers inside her as she rode out the wild pulses, licking her through the most intense orgasm she’d had in a very long time. He held her, his mouth firmly clamped to her sex, while she rocked against the pulsing waves that seemed never ending. When it was over, she felt light-headed, spent, yet still wanted more.

He took her down easy, kissing her hip bone and belly as he moved up her body, bringing her back by lingering at her breasts, using his thumbs to tweak her nipples, which fired her body to life all over again.

This had just been an appetizer. She was ready for the main course.

She was ready for Garrett.

SIXTEEN

FEELING ALICIA’S HEART POUND NEXT TO HIS CHEEK was sweet satisfaction for Garrett.

She’d been so responsive, her body like a live wire as she’d bucked against his mouth when she came. He’d loved listening to her, tasting her, feeling her body shudder against him. But they were just getting started, and he intended to rev up her heart rate all night long.

He stood, then grabbed her hand and pulled her off the sofa.

“Let’s finish this in the bedroom.”

Before she could say anything, he scooped her up into his arms.

“I can walk, you know.”

He grinned at her as he carried her down the hall. “And ruin my chance of playing your knight in shining armor?”

“I’m more worried about your shoulder.”

He gave her a look. “If I can’t carry someone as lightweight as you, I might as well retire.”

“Okay, fine. I’m not hurting your shoulder. But this is a little . . . provincial.”

He kicked the partially ajar door open and deposited her on the bed. “You’re ruining my moment, Alicia. You’re not big on romantic gestures, are you?”

She sat up on the bed, and he had to admit he liked seeing her na**d. She had a beautiful body. And those long legs that he couldn’t wait to feel wrapped around him.

Just the thought of being buried inside her had his c**k straining against his sweats.

She graced him with a soft curving of her lips. “Sorry. It was very romantic. You should get na**d now.”

He let out a laugh. He had to give her credit for being practical and to the point. She didn’t need to be swept off her feet or wined and dined. She wanted sex. So did he. That made this whole thing a lot easier.

And damn, was she ever a sexual creature. Going down on her gave him a lot of pleasure. She was responsive and hot, and she tasted so good that as soon as she came he wanted to take out his c**k and plunge inside her.

But there were some things a guy really did need to finesse, and the first time with a woman was one of those things. So whether she liked it or not, she was going to get the best he had to offer.

Starting with him getting na**d. He yanked off his shirt, then shoved his pants to the floor. Her eyes gleamed and she smiled appreciatively.

He climbed onto the bed.

“I have a confession to make,” she said.

He swept her hair behind her ear. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“I saw you last night. On the beach. When you were jacking off.”

His lips curved. He liked the idea of her watching him. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“What did you think?”

Her breath came out in a soft pant. “What did I think? It turned me on.”

He pushed her back on the bed and laid his hand on her stomach. Her skin was so soft; he wanted to touch her all over. He snaked his fingers upward, teasing the tight points of her nipples. “Yeah? Did you do anything about it when you watched me?”

“Yes. I slid my hands in my panties and touched myself.”

His c**k twitched at the visual of her watching him, being so excited by what she saw that she had to dip her hands inside her panties to touch herself. “Did you get off?”

Her breathing deepened. “Yes.”

“Show me.”

She gave him an off-kilter smile. “Well, I’m not wearing panties right now.”

He gave one of her ni**les a teasing pinch. “Smart-ass. Show me how you touch yourself. You got to watch, but I didn’t. Though I have a confession of my own to make.”

Her lips parted, her breaths coming faster as she slid her hand between her legs. His balls tightened as he watched her spread her pu**y lips to tease her sex. “What kind of confession?”

“The afternoon you locked yourself in your room and got yourself off? I was at the door listening.”

She gasped but not in outrage. She lifted her h*ps and swept her fingers over her clit. “You listened? I tried to be quiet.”

“Not quiet enough. I walked by and could hear you breathing. Not just regular breathing or I’m-having-an-asthma-attack breathing, but I’m-sexing-myself-up breathing.” He covered her hand with his. “Trust me, babe, I have radar that tells me when a woman is on the verge of orgasm.”

She sighed. “Good to know. And did you enjoy yourself?”

She was wet, and he coated his fingers with her, sliding them over her plump lips. “I got hard thinking about what you were doing in there. Listening but not being able to see you drove me crazy. I had to use my imagination.”

When he slid his fingers inside her, she let out a whimper. He pressed his c**k against her hip and rocked against her, the need to be inside her nearly breaking him.

“And what did you do after?”

“Later that night, I went into my room and jacked off.”

She lifted her hand and wrapped it around his aching dick. “Another missed opportunity.”

He pushed her hand away, using his thumb to circle her clit. Alicia raised her h*ps and he knew he could make her come. But this time, he wanted to be inside her when she did.

“I think it’s time we do each other instead of ourselves,” she said. “I want your c**k inside me.”

He couldn’t agree more.

“I like the way you think, Alicia.” He rolled over and kissed her, diving into her mouth like he was starving for a taste of her. She met his kiss with a fervor that drove him between her legs, the tip of his c**k hovering near the entrance to her pussy.

It would be so easy to plunge inside her right now. But he jerked away and reached into his nightstand for a condom.

Alicia licked her lips, her body quaking with anticipation as she watched Garrett roll the condom on. He laid one hand on top of hers, wound their fingers together, and inched inside her.

“I like the way you talk to me,” he said, his voice low and dark, coiling around her belly and making her tighten with need. “I like that you’re honest with me, that you tell me what you want, what you think about, what you need.”

“What I need? This.”

He buried himself deep then stopped, his c**k pulsing.

“You’re what I need, too, Alicia. Everything I’ve needed ever since I met you.” He swept her hair away from her face. “You feel good surrounding me.”

She clenched around his cock, his words causing her belly to tumble.

She expected him to give it to her hard and quick. She’d come in a hurry, she knew it. Instead, he eased out then inched back in again, a slow, deliberate torment that made her feel all of him, every sensation, as if they were making love in slow motion.

Taking it leisurely like this destroyed her. A fast, furious f**k would have been emotionless. Like this, his gaze riveted to hers, was so intimate, took so much from her. More than she was willing to give. She closed her eyes and just felt, letting each stroke carry her to a place where nothing mattered but the incredible sensations threatening to drive her to the brink and over.

“Alicia. Look at me.”

She couldn’t. It was just too damn good, and she was already in over her head. She hadn’t expected this. Not with Garrett, and not so soon.

But when his lips brushed hers and he took her mouth in a kiss that was so deep her toes curled, she wrapped her legs around him and squeezed his hand.

“Open your eyes,” he whispered against her lips. “Do this with me.”

She sighed, then lifted her lids.

His eyes compelled her. So clear, so filled with desire and a hunger that matched hers. She shouldn’t be a coward, but he asked for so much. And when he pulled back and thrust again, ever so slowly, she let out a shaken gasp, sure he was going to own her in ways she’d never let anyone possess her before.

This slow, intimate lovemaking tore her apart. She wanted fun and sexy and raunchy, not this tenderness, this ease with which he slipped through her defenses and made her want to scream his name and burst into tears.

He leaned down to lick her nipples, taking long, slow sips while moving with deliberate intent inside her, shredding her with every thrust, taking her closer and closer to the cl**ax she knew was going to be monumental.

“Garrett.”

His name fell as a whisper from her lips. He kissed along the column of her throat, eliciting goose bumps along the way to her mouth. He kissed her again, still holding her hand, and when he rolled against her, levering his h*ps so she’d get the right amount of friction, she tightened.

“That’s it,” he said, the desperation in his voice inflaming her need. “Let go, Alicia.”

She panted, raised her hips, and matched his movements, daring him to f**k her harder, to make this less personal. But still, he ground against her, giving her bone melting sensations that were meant to make her explode.

She held back, until he brushed his lips across hers and she met his gaze again.

“Trust me,” he said. “You aren’t in this alone.”

He knew. He felt it, too.

She let go.

He watched her come, and she let him. She knew she gave him so much in this orgasm, revealed so much, but she wasn’t able to stop herself from letting Garrett have this level of intimacy. And when he began to thrust hard, plunging in and out of her in rapid succession, he gave her everything in return, meeting her gaze with fierce abandon as he rolled through his own cl**ax. She gripped his hand and held tight to him as he shuddered. She had never felt so connected to anyone before.

He finally collapsed and buried his face in her neck, but even then he continued to kiss her throat, and never once let go of her hand.

As she came down, one thought continued to spin through her head.

What just happened?

She was wasted, thoroughly spent, and surprised as hell that it had been so emotionally intimate.

Sex was always physical and fun, but she had an emotional connection to Garrett that shocked her. And when he rolled over, he pulled her against him. She felt the strong beat of his heart.

He hadn’t yet said anything, and she wasn’t about to. Not about this.

She was also lying on his injured shoulder.

She lifted her head then pushed away to sit up. “Am I hurting you?”

“My shoulder’s fine, Alicia.” He grabbed her and drew her close. “Lay your head on me and stop fussing over me.”

She was being overly concerned, she knew. She knew his capabilities and his limitations. Lying on his shoulder wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe she was searching for distance, especially after that—she had no idea what the hell had just happened between them. Certainly whatever it was had been something she’d imagined. It had been awesome sex, that much was certain. But it hadn’t been epic or anything.

Except that it had been epic. And monumental.

And that’s all it had been. Just really great sex. He hadn’t rocked her world or anything.

Other than like an earthquake.

This was ridiculous. She needed to get her mind off sex with Garrett and back to reality, which meant the first thing she had to do was get out of bed. Cuddling up na**d next to him let her mind wander into dangerous places, like imagining him as some kind of sex god. Which he certainly wasn’t. He was just an average—okay, make that above average—lover.

She sat up and slid to the edge of the bed.

“Where are you going?”

She could barely meet his gaze, but she was no coward. Might as well face the situation, so she looked over at him, trying to keep her expression light and easy. “Back to my room.”

He arched a brow. “Why?”

“To sleep.”

Now he grinned. “Do I smell?”

She laughed. “No.”

“Was the sex bad?”

“Oh, God, no. It was really . . . wow, it was amazing sex, Garrett.”

Now he smiled, stood, and came over to her side of the bed. He pushed her back on the bed then climbed in after her. “I thought it was pretty f**king good, too.”

He pulled the covers over both of them, then tucked her in against his side.

Alicia stared out at the moonlight and took a deep breath.

“But I really should sleep in my own bed, Garrett.”

“Why?”

She opened her mouth then closed it.

Hell if she could come up with a good enough answer for him.

“I give up. I don’t have any idea.”

“Good.” He tugged her against him. “Because if you sleep with me, I can do this.” He rocked against her, his c**k hardening again. A rush of desire flooded her body, her ni**les tightened and her pu**y quaked. When he cupped her breast and slid his c**k between her legs, she arched back to rub her butt against him.

“Now that’s going to give me ideas.”

She laughed. “You already had ideas.”

“True.” He rubbed his thumb over her nipple, making her gasp as pleasure bloomed.

He licked her earlobe, then her neck. “I want to f**k you this way. Open for me, Alicia.”