She couldn’t speak, could only nod. But that was good enough for him as he gently spread her legs and tied her ankles down too.
* * *
She was so damned gorgeous, her limbs spread, her skin creamy and flushed with arousal. He wanted to dive on her, take his fill, drown in her, make her scream. Yet he wanted it slow too, wanted to build her to a climax that would rock her world and his. He wanted to worship her body for hours.
And more than anything, he wanted to erase the sorrows of today. Yes, she’d learned a great deal about her brother, but even being the most positive and hopeful person he’d ever met, the dead ends racking up one after the other had to be a killer.
The champagne, the blindfold—and everything else he’d bought—were a temporary escape. As much as he could possibly give her.
“Is this okay?” He didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d found that when sight was taken away and movement was impossible, all the other senses kicked in, intensifying every sensation.
“I’m a million times better than okay.”
Did she have any idea what her eagerness did to him? Especially when it was so perfectly matched to his. “Tell me the moment you’re not. And I’ll stop.”
“Don’t stop.” Her lips were luscious, begging him to taste them. “Please don’t stop.”
He leaned in for a kiss, realizing too late that it was a huge miscalculation. Because one kiss was more than enough to drag him all the way under, rather than allowing him to continue to tease and tempt her until all thoughts but pleasure were driven from her mind. So when his cell phone rang just then, he realized answering it just might be the perfect way to drive her absolutely crazy.
“I’ve got to take this.”
For a moment, she was completely silent, her head turned slightly toward his voice. Then she said, “What?” with total disbelief. “While I’m lying here spread-eagled?”
“It won’t take long.” He grinned. “And while I’m on the call, I want you to lie there thinking about what I’m going to do to you.”
“But—”
He laid his hand gently over her mouth as he picked up the call. “Bruce, thanks for calling me back. I take it you’ve had a look at the spreadsheet I sent over?”
She didn’t make a sound, simply licked his palm—and the shock was so great, so hot, that he almost forgot about Bruce altogether. He simply wanted, his body hard and raging.
Barely listening to his accountant’s response, Matt dragged his fingers down to her knee, only to slide up once more, this time gently slipping his palm over her hot, wet center. She stifled a moan, her body shifting restlessly.
“Sounds good, Bruce,” Matt said, trailing fingers over her abdomen, her skin jumping beneath his touch. “Thanks for taking a look at it so fast.”
By the time he hung up the phone, Ari was writhing on the bed. And it was so damned good, exactly what he’d wanted—to give her long minutes, even hours, where there were no bad things and no sorrow.
Just all the pleasure he had to offer.
* * *
Everything was sharper like this—the sound of Matt’s voice, the feel of his hands. She couldn’t see, could barely move. But she could feel him with every sense. And that made it all the more powerful.
His touch on her while he talked to his business associate had been so hot—and so unlike the calm, intelligent businessman and loving father. She loved how, on the road, his outer mask was falling away to reveal the sexy, predatory male he was at his core.
Hearing the sound of his clothes being tossed across the room, one piece after the other, she couldn’t wait for the taste of him, for the feel of his skin against hers as she dragged him inside her. But when the bed dipped a moment later, rather than his hands and mouth on her, the touch was as light and airy as…a feather.
“Tell me how it feels,” he urged as he stroked her nipples, swirling around them.
“Sexy.” Especially when she felt the downy caresses on her breasts. “So soft it makes me crazy.”
He played along her arms, her belly, her thighs, her knees, and down to the soles of her feet, making her tremble as though her entire body was an erogenous zone. Then he ran the feather between her thighs, the fleeting touch sparking off minor explosions along the surface of her skin.
Finally, he swooped in, sucking her nipple deep into his mouth, and her body arched involuntarily with a pure shaft of pleasure. Then he nipped her…and everything that had coiled so tightly inside her burst wide open.
“Matt,” she cried out. He laid his hand between her legs, barely stroking her at all, making her come simply from the heat of his touch.
She was still floating, hazy and deep in pleasure, when the bed moved, and he padded softly across the carpet, then back again. He scuffed the side table, and the mattress dipped beside her once more.
Cupping her head, he tilted her until a glass touched her lips. “Drink.”
The champagne was cool, fizzy, delicious, and she swallowed thirstily.
“Now this. Open your mouth.” He touched something to her lips, and she tasted chocolate. “Bite.”
Sweet, succulent fruit spiked with dark chocolate detonated on her taste buds. Chocolate-covered strawberries. She ate greedily, then Matt licked her lips clean, setting her insides completely ablaze. It was almost more than she could bear when he caressed her nipples with the cool fruit, trailing from one to the other.
“Look at that sticky mess I made.” His deep, sexy voice rumbled over her. Through her. “I have to clean you up.”
Oh God, she could come again from nothing but the raw need in his voice. And as his tongue followed the path of the berry, licking, sucking, tantalizing, she twisted her hands, grabbing hold of the silky scarves binding her wrists, stretching them as taut as her body felt.
Tapping another strawberry against her lips, she took another bite, and then he smeared the other half over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. Straddling her body, he licked her clean. The pleasure was almost more than she could bear, especially when he drizzled champagne onto the mix and licked that too.
When he’d used his tongue over every inch of the strawberry’s path, he kissed her. He tasted like champagne and chocolate and the salt of her skin. He sizzled in her mouth, taking her luxuriously, sucking her lips, her tongue, then going deep.
Finally, he peeled himself off her. But he wasn’t done. The bed shifted again, followed by a pop, more sounds, rustles. With a pfft of air, something cool and creamy shocked her skin.
ouldn’t speak, could only nod. But that was good enough for him as he gently spread her legs and tied her ankles down too.
* * *
She was so damned gorgeous, her limbs spread, her skin creamy and flushed with arousal. He wanted to dive on her, take his fill, drown in her, make her scream. Yet he wanted it slow too, wanted to build her to a climax that would rock her world and his. He wanted to worship her body for hours.
And more than anything, he wanted to erase the sorrows of today. Yes, she’d learned a great deal about her brother, but even being the most positive and hopeful person he’d ever met, the dead ends racking up one after the other had to be a killer.
The champagne, the blindfold—and everything else he’d bought—were a temporary escape. As much as he could possibly give her.
“Is this okay?” He didn’t want to frighten her, but he’d found that when sight was taken away and movement was impossible, all the other senses kicked in, intensifying every sensation.
“I’m a million times better than okay.”
Did she have any idea what her eagerness did to him? Especially when it was so perfectly matched to his. “Tell me the moment you’re not. And I’ll stop.”
“Don’t stop.” Her lips were luscious, begging him to taste them. “Please don’t stop.”
He leaned in for a kiss, realizing too late that it was a huge miscalculation. Because one kiss was more than enough to drag him all the way under, rather than allowing him to continue to tease and tempt her until all thoughts but pleasure were driven from her mind. So when his cell phone rang just then, he realized answering it just might be the perfect way to drive her absolutely crazy.
“I’ve got to take this.”
For a moment, she was completely silent, her head turned slightly toward his voice. Then she said, “What?” with total disbelief. “While I’m lying here spread-eagled?”
“It won’t take long.” He grinned. “And while I’m on the call, I want you to lie there thinking about what I’m going to do to you.”
“But—”
He laid his hand gently over her mouth as he picked up the call. “Bruce, thanks for calling me back. I take it you’ve had a look at the spreadsheet I sent over?”
She didn’t make a sound, simply licked his palm—and the shock was so great, so hot, that he almost forgot about Bruce altogether. He simply wanted, his body hard and raging.
Barely listening to his accountant’s response, Matt dragged his fingers down to her knee, only to slide up once more, this time gently slipping his palm over her hot, wet center. She stifled a moan, her body shifting restlessly.
“Sounds good, Bruce,” Matt said, trailing fingers over her abdomen, her skin jumping beneath his touch. “Thanks for taking a look at it so fast.”
By the time he hung up the phone, Ari was writhing on the bed. And it was so damned good, exactly what he’d wanted—to give her long minutes, even hours, where there were no bad things and no sorrow.
Just all the pleasure he had to offer.
* * *
Everything was sharper like this—the sound of Matt’s voice, the feel of his hands. She couldn’t see, could barely move. But she could feel him with every sense. And that made it all the more powerful.
His touch on her while he talked to his business associate had been so hot—and so unlike the calm, intelligent businessman and loving father. She loved how, on the road, his outer mask was falling away to reveal the sexy, predatory male he was at his core.
Hearing the sound of his clothes being tossed across the room, one piece after the other, she couldn’t wait for the taste of him, for the feel of his skin against hers as she dragged him inside her. But when the bed dipped a moment later, rather than his hands and mouth on her, the touch was as light and airy as…a feather.
“Tell me how it feels,” he urged as he stroked her nipples, swirling around them.
“Sexy.” Especially when she felt the downy caresses on her breasts. “So soft it makes me crazy.”
He played along her arms, her belly, her thighs, her knees, and down to the soles of her feet, making her tremble as though her entire body was an erogenous zone. Then he ran the feather between her thighs, the fleeting touch sparking off minor explosions along the surface of her skin.
Finally, he swooped in, sucking her nipple deep into his mouth, and her body arched involuntarily with a pure shaft of pleasure. Then he nipped her…and everything that had coiled so tightly inside her burst wide open.
“Matt,” she cried out. He laid his hand between her legs, barely stroking her at all, making her come simply from the heat of his touch.
She was still floating, hazy and deep in pleasure, when the bed moved, and he padded softly across the carpet, then back again. He scuffed the side table, and the mattress dipped beside her once more.
Cupping her head, he tilted her until a glass touched her lips. “Drink.”
The champagne was cool, fizzy, delicious, and she swallowed thirstily.
“Now this. Open your mouth.” He touched something to her lips, and she tasted chocolate. “Bite.”
Sweet, succulent fruit spiked with dark chocolate detonated on her taste buds. Chocolate-covered strawberries. She ate greedily, then Matt licked her lips clean, setting her insides completely ablaze. It was almost more than she could bear when he caressed her nipples with the cool fruit, trailing from one to the other.
“Look at that sticky mess I made.” His deep, sexy voice rumbled over her. Through her. “I have to clean you up.”
Oh God, she could come again from nothing but the raw need in his voice. And as his tongue followed the path of the berry, licking, sucking, tantalizing, she twisted her hands, grabbing hold of the silky scarves binding her wrists, stretching them as taut as her body felt.
Tapping another strawberry against her lips, she took another bite, and then he smeared the other half over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. Straddling her body, he licked her clean. The pleasure was almost more than she could bear, especially when he drizzled champagne onto the mix and licked that too.
When he’d used his tongue over every inch of the strawberry’s path, he kissed her. He tasted like champagne and chocolate and the salt of her skin. He sizzled in her mouth, taking her luxuriously, sucking her lips, her tongue, then going deep.
Finally, he peeled himself off her. But he wasn’t done. The bed shifted again, followed by a pop, more sounds, rustles. With a pfft of air, something cool and creamy shocked her skin.