As he came to his knees on the floor in front of her and dragged her butt to the edge of the couch, his hand went unerringly back to her mound. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath, and he realized in that moment that she'd regained her faculties. It almost killed him.
"Nick, no."
"No?" Christ, he was going to die.
Her face crumpled as she ran her hand down to his and tried to stop him from caressing her clit. "I can't do this. We can't make love."
"Why not, baby?" he asked, forcing his voice to maintain a degree of normalcy. At the same time, while they stared into each other's eyes, he grabbed her fingers where they had a death grip on his hand. Enclosing them with his, with a gentle manipulation, he brought them to her clit until she was touching herself, with his own hand holding her fingers captive there.
She gasped and tried to back off from this new intimacy, but with a strong grip, he held her hand over her mound, while they massaged her together.
Nick glanced down and the eroticism of the moment was almost more than he could stand.
She began thrusting her hips up to his hand, tiny, soft little thrusts, but her brain was still fighting her body because she said, "We can't make love or we won't be able to get an annulment."
The absurdity of the notion hit him and he barked out a harsh rasp of caustic laughter. That's what had been in that crazy-assed female brain of hers? "There's no way in fucking hell we're getting an annulment," he bit out.
"Please, Nick," she begged in entreaty. "I'm so confused right now."
Whatever was going on inside her mind wasn't something Nick completely understood, but he remembered her speech the day he'd manipulated her into going to the courthouse. And right now, even though it might damn well kill him, he knew he had to be the man she needed him to be. He wanted nothing more than to be that person, he wanted her to understand that she couldn't live without him.
"Okay, sweetheart," he soothed, promising her something that went against the need gripping him by the throat. "But I need to at least touch you," he cajoled. "But just touching, no penetration, I promise, okay?"
Her eyes flared as she immediately grasped his meaning. No intercourse, but they would play. A few tense seconds ticked by as they stared into each other's eyes while Nick continued to caress her mound, attempting to seduce her into agreement. "Okay," she finally whispered.
"I love to touch you, I want it so much," he said slowly as he continued to tease her clit with his fingers on top of hers. "You want that too, baby, right?"
She nodded her head and at the movement, he slid his hand down and found her wet opening, slipping his finger inside. He heard her breath catch, and soon she was moving against him in a way that told him she was completely ready. But goddamn, so was he. He was wild for her; he had to come.
He glanced up and as gently as possible, removed his touch from her and laid her out on the sofa. She was pliant in his arms and he took the opportunity to slide her shirt over her head.
He stood and leaned a knee on the couch where she lay on her back and put a single finger on a peaked, luscious nipple. Her body jerked in reaction. She looked completely helpless, and it was turning him on, making him even harder than he already was. "You trust me?" he asked shortly, knowing exactly what he wanted if he couldn't penetrate her with his cock.
"Yes," she breathed out.
Watching her for one second longer, tugging on her firm little nipple once more, he let go, and turned her body until she was lying on her side, facing out toward the room, facing him. With his knee on the sofa beside her, he put his hand back to her breast for a moment, wanting to keep her as hot as possible, and then he slid his fingers to cup her wet heat.
She began undulating again within seconds, and dropping down beside her, he lay beside her, only he lay opposite of her, his head between her thighs and his groin so close to her sweet little mouth that he had to bite the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood, just so he could have a modicum of control.
He felt her suck in a breath, and wasting no time, he put his hands on her, spreading out her sweet, wet lips until her hot little opening was exposed to him. He stroked his tongue down and then up, repeated the movement five or six times until she moaned loudly and grasped his erection in her hand.