*
STRIKER KNEW BETTER. He, of all people, knew this shouldn’t be happening, yet he wasn’t of a mind to stop it. He didn’t want to think about how things would be in the morning. After all the heat and lust had worn off. How their protector–client relationship would have taken a hit it could never recover from. Still, knowing all of that meant nothing right now. Not when he eased Margo on the sofa and followed her there, straddling her body.
They were still clothed, but he wasn’t sure just how long that would last. Not when he wanted to strip every single stitch off her. Not when he wanted to taste her all over but especially between the legs and then slide inside of her.
“I want to pleasure you,” he finally said, not able to remain silent any longer.
He could see the shocked look that appeared on her face. “Why are you surprised by what I just said?” He definitely needed her to explain.
She licked her lips as she stared up at him and said, “I’ve never had a man tell me that.”
“No?”
“No. Not that I’ve had a lot of sexual encounters. I’m not in the habit of sleeping around for the sheer fun of it.”
If not for the fun of it, then what? he wondered. As long as it was safe sex that both people wanted, then he didn’t see a thing wrong with it. Especially if you didn’t intend to get serious, which was against his policy. And that was him. He didn’t believe in getting serious about a woman. Too complicated. What if he let a woman down by not being there when she really needed him...like he’d done with Wade? Dealing with the guilt of failing one person was enough. He didn’t want or need to take on another.
“It doesn’t matter how many lovers you’ve had, Margo. What matters is making sure pleasure is shared. I can’t wait to show you what I mean.”
The blush that touched her features suggested her other lovers had never been so blunt. “Can I ask you something?” He leaned in and licked around her lips with his tongue. He loved her taste.
“What?” she asked in a near groan.
Striker figured if his licks were getting to her, then how would she handle his brand of foreplay? When time slipped by and he’d been so into licking around her mouth that he hadn’t answered, she repeated her question. “What? You had something to ask me.”
He leaned back and looked down at her mouth. It was wet. He liked that look. “Yes, I have something to ask you. Are you into oral sex?”
*
MARGO’S MOUTH DROPPED OPEN. Shocked, she looked up at him. What man would ask a woman a question like that? Evidently the same man who had no problem telling her he wanted to pleasure her. She’d certainly never had such conversations with Scott or Brock.
“Do you have an answer for me or are you trying to decide, Margo?”
She released the breath she’d been holding. “Truth is, I—I—”
He lifted a brow. “You what?”
This was really getting out of hand, she thought. Why weren’t they just going at it? Why so much discussion? Doing so should be cooling the flame, but for some reason, talking to him about sex was actually stimulating the fire. “I’ve never engaged in it before.”
He looked at her strangely. “By it you mean oral sex, right? And not sex?”
Why had his voice gone to a deep, raspy tone, one that was like a sensuous stroke down her spine? “Of course I’ve had sex before,” she said, nonplussed. If he was waiting for her to reveal anything she and Scott had done in the bedroom, that wouldn’t be happening. Although she was certain Striker had pretty much figured out at least one thing they hadn’t done.
“Why all the questions about that, Striker?”
“About oral sex?”
“Yes.”
“Because before I get inside of you I want to taste you all over.”
At that moment Striker didn’t want to think about the fact that good ol’ Scotty had dropped the ball, big-time. Damn, it was hard to keep his chest from expanding, because he intended to pick up the dropped ball and run with it. By the time he finished with Margo, she would know what she’d been missing.
Starting now.
He leaned closer and homed in on her mouth, taking it with a hunger that had an intense degree of lust spreading through his body. When she began returning his kiss, he could actually feel his erection swell even more.
When he broke off the kiss, he whispered against her lips, “I want you, Margo.” He felt she needed to know that.
He gazed at her wet and swollen lips and the desire-filled eyes staring back at him. “And I want you too, Striker.”
A smile touched his lips. And he continued to smile when he eased off her to stand and to pull her up with him. “You are one sexy lady,” he said, brushing his fingers along her wrist and feeling her tremble. “Do you know how often I think about seeing you naked?” he said, bringing her hand up to his mouth so he could kiss it.
“No.”
“Every damn time I hear you in the shower.”
She looked at him strangely. “You can’t hear me in the shower.”
“Yes, I can,” he said, using the tip of his tongue to lick around her wrist.
“No, you can’t. My bathroom doesn’t share a wall with your bedroom, so there’s no way you can hear me.”
He released her hand to pull the tank top over her head and tossed it aside. “Okay, then, I can’t.” He wasn’t about to argue with her. Not when he had better things to do.
“Striker?”
“Hmm?” She was wearing a skin-tone lace bra and through all that lace he could see her nipples. Hard, tight and protruding.
“I asked you a question, Striker,” she said in a voice that was rising in anger. “How can you hear me in the shower?”
He needed to get her mind off what he’d said and knew this would be one sure way to do it. Reaching out, he cupped her breasts, loving the way they felt in his hands. Thick. Full. Firm.
“Striker?”
He leaned in close to release the clasp of her bra and then eased the straps from her shoulders. Perfect. His tongue thickened just looking at them. And when he took the pad of his thumb and rubbed a turgid nipple, she said his name again. This time between breathless gasps.
Instead of answering her, he leaned toward her chest and eased a nipple between his lips and began sucking on it. He felt her stomach clenching against him and knew he was boosting her desire, making her want him as much as he wanted her. He was getting her wet.
He didn’t want her just wet; he wanted her drenched. When he released her right breast, he immediately shifted his mouth to the other one, giving it the same intense attention.
“Oh, Striker!”
He pulled back. He wasn’t ready for her to come yet. He had a lot of other places to taste. Lowering his body to his knees, he removed the flat shoes from her feet. She placed her hands on his shoulders to keep her balance while he did so. His shoulders burned where her hands touched.
“I could have taken off my own shoes,” he heard her say.
“I wanted to do it.” Didn’t she know that when a man undressed a woman he covered all bases, from head to toe, and especially those areas in between? Her red nail polish was a total turn-on and complemented a pair of pretty feet. He appreciated a woman who liked looking good in her clothes, under her clothes, in her shoes and out of them.
“Now for these,” he said, reaching up to gently grab the waistband of her jeans. “They have to go.” He couldn’t wait to see what color panties she was wearing, what style. He had a feeling it didn’t really matter. They would definitely look good on her.
Another thing he noticed was that she had a pretty flat stomach that was attached to a gorgeous pair of hips. Her navel was a cutie as well, and he couldn’t resist leaning in close and copping a lick. Then another. And another.
“Striker?”
“Hmm?” He hoped she wouldn’t tell him to stop because he enjoyed the taste of her skin. He finally pulled back and looked up at her and smiled. “You like that?”