At Any Cost (14 page)

She wrapped her lips around his shaft and took him deep into her mouth. There was nothing tame or tentative about it. Livy took as much of him as she could as deeply as she could. Nick's hips bucked at the abrupt motion and he let out a grunt of approval as she pulled away to the smooth glossy head before diving back down again.

“Livy,” Nick said between breaths. “Fuck, that's amazing.”

She wanted him to feel as good as he'd made her feel and then some. No matter what happened after they parted ways in a couple of weeks, she wanted him to always remember this night. Because she sure as hell would.

Livy hollowed her cheeks as she took Nick deep into her mouth. She sucked hard and then softly, working her mouth over his shaft in a wet glide that stoked her own passion as much as it did Nick's. He let out a low groan as he threaded his fingers through her hair and gave a shallow thrust of his hips. When Livy grazed her teeth along the sensitive skin of the crown, Nick's groan transformed into an impassioned shout that sent a lick of heat up Livy's spine. She teased him for long minutes, nipping and dragging her teeth along his skin before sucking him deep into her mouth.

She took his sac into her palm and massaged the delicate weight in her palm before giving a gentle tug. Nick's back bowed away from the chair and his grip on her hair tightened. “Goddamn, Livy. Do that again.”

He didn't have to tell her twice. She fell into an easy rhythm, her mouth and hands working in tandem to drive Nick to the point of no return. She wanted to know what it felt like to have him come against her tongue. To feel and taste every bit of his passion. His muscles grew harder—stone beneath her touch—with every flick of her tongue and his breath sawed in and out of his chest. When his thighs began to tremble in earnest, Livy knew he was there. Just another stroke, maybe two with her mouth and he'd come....

Nick seized Livy by the shoulders and guided her back. His eyes were alight with wildfire and his chest heaved. He gripped the back of her neck and hauled her against him before putting his mouth to hers in a fervent and crushing kiss that left her breathless and shaking.

“I want to be inside you when I come,” he breathed against her mouth. “Are you ready for me to fuck you, Livy?”

“Yes.” She couldn't manage more than the one word. She'd never been more ready for anything in her entire fucking life. “Hurry.”

He scooped up his jeans and dug his wallet out of his back pocket. With shaking fingers he pulled out a short strip of condoms and ripped off one of the packets. “I've only got four of these,” he murmured before he nipped at her throat. “Guess I'll have to go to the store in the morning.”

“Lofty goals, Officer Brady,” Livy purred.

Nick laughed. The sound rumbled through her. “I'm an overachiever.”

“I do appreciate hard work.”

“Then get ready to be worked over hard.”

Laughter bubbled up in Livy's chest. Nick could be sexy as sin one moment and an easygoing goof the next. His intensity and deep, growly voice could easily intimidate or spark a raging fire of passion. She'd never met a more perfect man. Ever. God, she hoped that nothing would break the spell she'd fallen under because if Nick turned out to be anything other than the perfect man she imagined him to be, it would surely break her.

Nick wrapped his arms around Livy and lifted her. He turned and walked the few feet from the recliner to the couch and settled her in his lap as he sat down. She rose up on her knees and cupped his face as she kissed him. The rough grit of his stubble brushed her palms and she let her fingers wander upward to weave through the short strands of his hair. Nick broke their kiss only long enough to rip open the packet in his hand. Livy kept her gaze locked with his as he rolled on the condom and when he finished, she kissed him again as though this would be the last time their lips would ever meet.

For all she knew, it might be.

Nick wrapped his hands around her waist and urged her to come up on her knees. Without breaking their kiss, she reached between them and guided him to her opening. Livy rocked down, slow rolls of her hips that took him an inch or so at a time. Nick groaned into her mouth as his kisses became more desperate and he nipped at her bottom lip. Slow and steady wasn't going to cut it. They both wanted it hard and fast.

At the same moment Nick thrust with his hips, Livy drove hers downward. Mouths pressed together, they both gasped, sharing each other's breath. He stretched her inner walls, filled her completely. Livy experienced only a moment of discomfort before she began to move, slow rolls of her hips that she finished as she came up on her knees and plunged back down.

“
Ungh
.” Nick gripped her hips tighter as the unintelligible sound escaped his lips. He guided her motions, eased her hips up and down over his erection as he used her body to pleasure himself. Livy's head fell back on her shoulders as she rode him, pleasure radiating from her core outward. With every thrust, every roll of her hips, Livy's body coiled tighter. It wouldn't be long before Nick shattered her for the second time tonight.

“Don't stop, Livy. That's it, I want all of you.” Nick's urgent command fanned the flames of her desire and she took him as deep as she could. “You feel so good. You're squeezing me so tight. God, you're amazing.”

No, it was him who amazed her. His hands abandoned her hips as he gripped the hem of her sweater. He pulled it up over her breasts and buried his face against one swell, taking her nipple into his mouth. Livy drew in a sharp breath as he nibbled and sucked. When he reached up to roll the other nipple between his fingers, she cried out. She'd never felt so good in her entire life. Her muscles became taut and Livy gripped Nick's shoulders as she rode him harder, faster. Took him deeper.

“Ah, God, Livy!” Nick exclaimed as he threw his head back. “Just like that. Don't stop.”

“I'm close, Nick,” she murmured close to his ear.

“Come for me,” he said in that commanding tone that turned her to mush. “Let me feel your pussy squeeze me tight.”

His words pushed her over the edge. Livy dug her nails into his shoulders as she came. Her world imploded as deep pulses of sensation spread outward through her body like rings on a pond. Livy sobbed her pleasure as the orgasm ebbed and then crested once again. The sensation was so intense that it stole her breath and she gripped Nick tighter as though it was the only thing keeping her from spiraling out into space.

A moment later, Nick followed her off the edge. He came with a shout as his body went rigid. He pumped furiously into her, his hips coming off the couch. Long moments passed, his breath hot in her ear, his hold firm on her hips and Livy cleaved to him as they both rode out their pleasure and their bodies melted and relaxed against each other.

“So,” Livy said on a breath, “was it good for you?”

Nick wrapped his arms around her. His laughter shook them both and Livy had to admit it wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation with him still inside her. His hands wandered up her back, down her torso, and grazed the swell of her breasts. The husky timbre of his voice sent a shiver over her skin when he said, “I fucking
love
this sweater.”

“If you and the sweater need some alone time, I'm sure we can work something out,” Livy teased.

Nick pulled away to look at her. The warmth in his dark eyes caused emotion to swell in Livy's chest. She didn't want to fall for Nick. Couldn't. But when he looked at her like that . . . ?
Dear God
.

“Let's go upstairs.” He snatched the rest of the condoms from beside him on the couch. “I've got three of these left and I want them gone before the sun rises.”

“The sweater?” Livy asked coyly.

“It's coming off,” he vowed.

“Okay,” Livy said. “But the socks are still up for debate.”

“I want you,” Nick said, suddenly serious. “Again. Now.”

“Let's get upstairs then,” she said, low. “Because I'm ready to lose this sweater.”

“Just for a while,” Nick said. “I might call it off the bench later.”

Livy smiled. She could live with that.

Chapter Fifteen

Livy snuggled in beside Nick and he came slowly awake. A chill had settled on the cabin and he burrowed farther under the covers to gather Livy in his arms. Her back molded perfectly to his chest and he curled his legs under hers.

He brought his head up from the pillow to check the time. The bright digital display read five fifteen. They'd only been asleep for a few hours, but Nick doubted he'd be able to go back to sleep. His mind raced as he tried to make some sort of sense out of everything he felt. He'd crossed a line once and for all tonight. There was no going back. He'd always prided himself on his integrity, his dedication to the job, and to justice. When it came to the woman who slept peacefully beside him, though, it seemed Nick had no integrity whatsoever. He'd gladly sacrificed everything he stood for, everything he believed in, for Livy.

And goddamn it, he'd do it all over again given the chance.

His cock stirred at the memory of what they'd done just a few short hours ago.
Three times
. He grew hard as his hand wandered from Livy's hip over the curve of her waist and up her torso. A slow, contented sigh slipped from between her lips and Nick continued with his unhurried exploration. His fingertips skimmed her ribs and skirted the swell of one breast. Livy's arm reached back and she cupped the back of Nick's neck in her palm. She didn't open her eyes; she simply teased the strands of his hair that skirted his nape with her fingers. A chill raced over Nick's skin as he captured her pert breast in his palm. The roundness filled his hand perfectly. He loved Livy's athletic body. The evidence of her strength that pulled all of her muscles taut. Another slow sigh filled the silence as he teased one nipple to a hardened peak. Her sighs transformed to low moans that heated Nick's blood. He continued with his slow exploration of her body. He teased one breast, and then the other, until Livy's breath came in quick little pants. Nick could have fondled Livy's breasts for hours. He was obsessed with them, wanted to touch, lick, and suck them. He wanted to pluck at her nipples, take them between his teeth. Damn, he wanted to
feast
on her gorgeous, petite breasts.

Nick put his mouth close to Livy's ear. He took her lobe between his teeth before gently sucking. Her gasp of breath was like a shot of adrenaline straight into his heart. He might have fucked up his life, his career, and his integrity. But until the sun came up, he refused to think about his past or his future. For the next few hours, Nick was going to live in the moment.

“I can't get enough of you, Livy,” he murmured close to her ear. She arched into his touch and the soft flesh of her ass brushed against his cock. Nick swallowed down a groan. One hand remained cupped over her breast while the other wandered between them toward her neck. He gripped her, his fingers wrapped around her throat and she tilted her head back as though to submit to his commanding touch. “I want to fuck you like this.” He rocked his erection into the crease of her ass and she gave a quiet whimper. “I want to hold your leg and open you up. Slide my cock in that tight pussy and fuck you slowly. I'd make it last.”

Livy shuddered in his embrace. He kissed her neck, scraped his teeth along the sensitive flesh while he continued to thrust into the crease of her ass. “Oh God, Nick.”

Her breathy reply caused his stomach to twist. She liked it when he talked dirty. He tried not to think about who else might have whispered filthy things in her ear. Who might have cupped her luscious breasts or thrust between her silky thighs. If he did, Nick would snap. Instead, he focused on Livy's pleasure and getting her to that place where she was so mindless with need that nothing but finding orgasm mattered.

“I love your breasts.” He released his grip on her throat to cup them both in his hands. Her nipples hardened, teasing his palms, and it caused his cock to throb hot and hard.

“They're too small,” she said barely above a whisper.

“God, no.” There wasn't an inch of her that wasn't absolutely fucking perfect. “I love that they fit my palms. That I can take them almost completely into my mouth. I love your tight little nipples, Livy.” He pinched them gently to show her just how much. She sucked in a sharp breath that made his cock twitch. “I love the way you smell, the way you taste. The sounds you make when you come.” Nick's hand wandered down the flat of her stomach and past her mons. He slid his middle finger through the swollen lips of her pussy to the wet heat they concealed. “I love the way your clit gets hard and throbs against my finger when I stroke it.”

Her nails dug into the back of his neck and her chest heaved with her quickened breaths. Most of all, Nick loved that he could drive her out of her mind with nothing more than a few heated words. “If I touched you, Livy, would you come for me?” Her grip on his neck tightened and she gave a quick nod of her head. Nick put his mouth to her ear. “Say it, Livy. Tell me you'll come if I touch your swollen clit.”

“I'll come,” she said on a breath. “If you touch my clit, I'll come.”

Nick put his mouth to Livy's throat. He kissed, licked, nipped at her flesh while he urged her legs to part. She hooked her top leg over his thigh but kept her back pressed to his bare chest. The softness of her skin was a sweet torture that Nick couldn't get enough of as he slid the pad of his finger over the knot of nerves that protruded from between her slick lips.

Livy let out a low whimper with the first contact. Her hips bucked and her leg tensed as it squeezed his thigh. Nick shifted, so that Livy lay cradled in his free arm. It provided the perfect angle for him to reach around and tease the nipple he'd admitted to being so fond of while he continued to pet her wet pussy with the other. A sense of euphoric power crested over Nick. Livy didn't trust anyone and yet, she let him hold her in his arms, cradle her delicate body as he pleasured her. She'd allowed him to cup her throat in his palm, spread her thighs willingly for him, and mewled with impassioned sighs as he teased her tiny delicate nipples and feathered his fingertip over her clit. Livy had entrusted herself to him. Her body, her pleasure.

Nick was honored to be found worthy of at least some part of Livy's trust. It also made him feel even more like a lousy son of a bitch.

And yet, he did nothing to stop what was happening between them. He was desperate for Livy. Greedy for her. His need surpassed any sense of honor or honesty. They were both players. Liars. Guarded and suspicious. Hiding who they truly were for their own selfish reasons. None of that mattered to Nick, and that's what scared him. He wanted her in spite of all of that. In spite of himself.

He was lost to her.

The upstairs bedroom was cold but Nick didn't want to be buried under the pile of blankets any longer. He kicked them away from their bodies, enjoying the way Livy's nipples puckered even tighter in the chill. Damn, he wanted to suck them. Take those diamond-hard peaks into his mouth and roll them on his tongue. But that would mean changing their positions, and Nick wasn't about to take his hand away from the wet, silken folds of her pussy.

Livy's cries filled the quiet. She tried to writhe in his grasp but Nick held her tight against him. “Nick.” The way she said his name, breathy, low, and desperate, caused his cock to throb. “Oh God, Nick. I don't know how much more I can take.”

“You can take more,” Nick assured her. He circled her clit with the pad of his finger. Careful not to go too fast, or apply too much pressure, he kept her on the edge of orgasm without allowing her to topple off. “I want you to feel good, Livy. When you're ready, I want you to come hard.”

“I'm ready now,” she panted.

“No.” Nick brought his mouth to her throat and she shuddered. “I'll tell you when you're ready,” he said against her skin.

Every muscle in Livy's body went taut. There was so much power in her body that Nick found himself in awe. He wanted to turn on the lights, watch the play of muscles that flexed and twitched with each pluck of his finger on her beaded nipple and with every swirl of his finger over her swollen clit. Instead, he settled for the glow of moonlight on her skin that shone through the window—brighter than usual in the winter sky with the white backdrop of snow beyond.

Nick teased Livy's opening before venturing back to her clit. She gasped, her thighs twitched, and her stomach tensed beneath his arm. Once again, he dipped his finger into her heat, deeper this time. Her inner walls contracted around him and he pulled out slowly before inserting two fingers deep inside her.

“Nick. Don't stop.”

He alternated between teasing her clit and pumping his fingers inside her. Her shallow breaths transformed to desperate gasps and her whimpering cries became deep, hungry sobs of pleasure that made his sac pull up tight against his thighs. Nick thrust into the crease of Livy's ass and groaned at the sweet release of pressure that the simple act provided. He wouldn't fuck her until she came for him, and like Livy, Nick wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Livy's hips bucked. Her back arched, and her nails dug into the back of his neck where she continued to hold on to him as though the simple act anchored her to the earth. Her wetness slicked her thighs and coated Nick's fingers and palm. The scent of her arousal filled his nostrils and Nick inhaled deeply. “Come for me, Livy. Let me feel you come around my fingers.”

* * *

Livy had never been so absolutely mindless with want in her entire life. Her body hummed as though conditioned to respond to Nick's touch, his heated commands. He'd kept her on the edge for so long, she wasn't sure she could find release. The intensity of pleasure blinded her, clouded her thoughts, until the world melted away and the only thing left was Nick. His stomach muscles flexed and bunched against her back, his thighs were like redwoods beneath her. His cock was hot and hard, tempered steel as it slid between the cheeks of her ass. Livy had never been so wet before. Her arousal dripped down her thighs, into the crease of her ass. She was a slick, panting, tangled knot of need, passion, and want. And if she didn't come soon, she was going to spontaneously combust.

“Come for me, Livy.”

Nick's deep, rumbling voice reached out to her through the darkness. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, focused solely on the way he made her feel and nothing else. Every word spoken coaxed chills to the surface of Livy's skin. Her nipples were so hard they ached and every time Nick plucked at the sensitive flesh, she felt only the slightest relief.

He withdrew his fingers and worked his way back to her clit. Livy gasped and her thighs quivered as he took her clit between his thumb and forefinger. No one had ever touched Livy that way and the intensity of sensation nearly brought tears to her eyes. She moaned, long and loud, the sound echoing in the sparse upstairs bedroom. Nick continued to work her clit between his fingers and Livy's abdomen tightened to the point that the muscles began to spasm. Pressure built inside her, she coiled tight until she felt as though her entire being were encased in a shape the size of a tennis ball. “Nick,” she said on a breath. “I'm going to come.”

He abandoned her clit and thrust two fingers deep inside her. Livy's back arched and she sobbed her pleasure as her world exploded into myriad pieces. Like snow in a blizzard, the tiny particles that constructed her were tossed in a frenzy as wave after wave of sensation stole over her. Livy rode the crest and came down, only to be thrown high into the air again as another wave of intense pulses contracted her pussy around Nick's fingers. She rode out her pleasure, grinding her hips against his hand until the orgasm calmed and settled.

Every time she thought Nick had reached the pinnacle of what he could make her feel, he surprised her. No man had ever made her feel so cherished, as though nothing mattered more than her pleasure, her comfort, her needs. She was more than addicted to Nick. In that moment, Livy wondered if she'd ever be able to live without him. And the knowledge that they'd soon go their separate ways nearly gutted her.

She couldn't dwell on that right now. If she did, she'd break.

Nick rolled her to her back. There was nothing tentative or gentle about it. Nick pressed her down into the mattress as he situated himself between her thighs. He reached over and grabbed the last of the condoms from the bedside table. His hands shook as he fumbled with the wrapper.

“If I don't get inside you now, I'm going to go out of my mind.”

That made two of them. A deep, hollow ache opened up inside of Livy and all she knew was that she needed Nick to fill it and make her whole. “Hurry, Nick.” The words left Livy's mouth in an urgent rush. “Oh God, hurry.”

He ripped open the packet and reached between them. He rolled it on as he thrust, as though he couldn't wait long enough to put it fully on before he entered her. Their mutual groans of relief filled the silence as Nick seated himself as deep as he could go. Livy's inner walls contracted around his girth and the dark outline of Nick's jaw as it squared let her know that he'd felt every inch of her squeeze him tight.

“Oh Livy,” Nick said on a moan. “You're fucking
perfect
.”

Perfect
. The word speared her chest. Livy was as far from perfect as you could get. The way Nick said her name, with so much heat and affection, coaxed a lump to her throat. She'd been Olivia Gallagher for so long that she'd almost forgotten she'd ever been anyone else. But right now, she didn't want to be Livy. She wanted to be the woman she'd once been. And it was that woman's name she wanted on Nick's lips.

“Nick,” Livy murmured in the dark. “Fuck me.”

A satisfied growl echoed in his throat as he began to move above her. Livy wanted to forget everything about her past and the woman she'd used to be. She wanted Nick to take her hard, to banish everything until once again the world melted away and there was only him.