Combustion (8 page)

“Of course I can. What year do you think this is?” Astrid hopped up on the worktable, legs dangling freely. “Eli, you can hang on to whatever outdated notions of propriety work for you in your world, but I'm not going to deny myself what I want just because I'm worried about what people will think.”

Taking deep, calming breaths, he studied her. Maybe she had a point. Maybe it wasn't his responsibility to protect her reputation. Maybe she did want to sleep with him. Damn, he wanted to believe her.

Seeming to sense his acquiescence, Astrid made him an offer. “Look, I'm only talking about one night. Resolve this tension between us, and then we can get back to work like normal.”

It was tempting. He hesitated, running through the pros and cons in his mind. She was so damn sexy, sitting there swinging her feet, her dark eyes sparkling in the light from the lanterns. He'd sworn off relationships after Mallory, wasn't going to go through that heartache again. But Astrid wasn't proposing a relationship—and he wasn't surprised; she was dynamic, bold, adventurous, and he was a straightforward businessman like every other businessman. She was proposing sex. If it didn't mean anything, couldn't they share one night and be done with it? No heartache, no complications?

“Just one night. One night, and this never happens again.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Right?”

“Of course. You're still a self-righteous prude, and I doubt I'd be able to stand more than one night.” Her smile indicated that she was teasing, but she'd made it clear what she thought of him already.

He looked around the workshop. “So…what happens now, exactly?”

Astrid hopped down off her bench. “Now, I think you take me home.”

Chapter Fifteen

Astrid had a half-mile walk and four flights of stairs to consider what she was doing, but she couldn't think of a better choice than to take Eli Rutledge to her bed, right then. They walked mostly in silence, neither willing to break the spell. When they finally reached her flat, she fumbled with the lock on her door before sliding it home and stepping inside.

When she turned to him, she knew at once he was having second thoughts. He leaned against the closed door, hands in his trouser pockets, looking around as if he hadn't seen the flat a few days earlier. Hands on her hips, she waited for him to process whatever protest he was considering. At last he said, “Astrid, are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“One night.” He held up a finger for emphasis.

She nodded, managing not to roll her eyes. “One night.”

“Then back to business.” He ran a hand through his hair, as he always seemed to do when he was nervous.

“All work and no play, just the way you like it.”

He ignored her comment, seeming to steel himself, his shoulders tensing and then relaxing, as if he were preparing for some great test. “All right.”

When he turned to her again, all trace of his restraint vanished. He stepped into her, pressing her back against the closed door, his own body flush against hers as he kissed her again. Astrid felt arousal running through her as his mouth moved seamlessly from her lips to her jaw and up to her ear, nipping at the tender skin of her earlobe and whispering into her ear, “God, I want to fuck you so badly.” Hearing the prim, proper Eli Rutledge whisper “fuck” in that low voice made her legs wobbly. She'd thought she'd be leading the way, but he kissed as if he was well-versed in it, and she could feel her body yielding. His breath felt hot against her ear and neck as he slid his mouth down to her throat. She'd forgotten the thrill of a rough beard against her skin.

As Eli dipped his tongue into the hollow of her throat, Astrid leaned her head back against the door, hands reflexively clutching his shoulder blades. He nipped her collarbone, first gently, then harder, making her moan. Yes, wherever he had learned to do this, he was definitely not new at it. Eli's hand slid from her back to the curve of her ass, then down to her thigh before he hitched one of her legs up over his hip and drew her up on tiptoes. His erection rubbed her clit through the thin fabric of her skirt, the friction enough to wring another gasp from her. Yes, more of
that
. She pressed against him, riding him through his trousers, wanting to prolong the sensation.

When he stepped back, she moaned at the loss of contact, but he was only drawing her farther into the room, his lips returning to hers. “Where is your bed?” he asked against her mouth.

It only took a minute to drag him into the bedroom and push him down onto the bed and straddle him, her skirt riding up her thighs. He ran his hands up beneath her skirt and stopped when he found skin, his face lighting up with a smile. “This is what you wear to our workshop? No underthings?”

“I'm a fan of convenience.”

His fingers played with the upper edge of her stockings, fingering her garters, and she shifted slightly to press down against his hardness again, looking for that delicious friction. The pressure wrung a moan from him, his fingers tightening almost painfully against her legs. So he liked that, did he? She leaned down to kiss him and rocked her hips forward, feeling his cock twitch in his pants.

Eli drew back from the kisses to look at her, really look at her, in a way that made Astrid flush all over her body. He scooted back until he was sitting up against her headboard, gaze skimming her body as she moved forward with him. When was the last time someone had looked at her that way, with pure, unbridled lust? She felt dizzy and hot all over beneath his direct gaze. “Let's slow things down,” he murmured, voice husky, and traced a finger down the front hooks of her corset. “I want to watch you take this off.”

Eli's eyes followed the movement of her fingers as she unhooked each hook and eye, finally letting the whole corset fall behind her. Her blouse was loose and almost sheer, and his hungry gaze roamed over her breasts visible beneath it. Before he could reach up to touch her, she began unbuttoning the coat he still wore and pushed it down off his shoulders, then moved on to his vest and starched high-collared shirt.

Astrid could feel Eli's breathing quicken as her fingers brushed his chest, unfastening each button, his white undershirt soon the only garment between his skin and her touch. It had been a long time since she'd touched a man like this, and after she slid his shirt down off his shoulders, she ran both hands up his arms. The tight muscles moved beneath her hands, his forearms sinewy with lean strength.

Before she could capitalize on her advantageous position, Eli lifted her off him and slid out from under her. He took a moment to remove his own shoes and set them aside. Then he knelt down in front of her and began unfastening her boots. His eyes didn't leave hers as he slid her boots off, his fingers tracing down the stockings that covered her calves. She'd never considered boot-removal sexy before, but when he placed a kiss on the inside of her knee, she had to press her lips together to stifle a moan.

Still kneeling, Eli took hold of the hem of her blouse and pulled it up and over her head. Astrid lifted her hips to allow him to slide her skirt off, the action leaving her naked except for her stockings and garter belt. Eli exhaled in a long, slow, measured way as he stared, taking her in, his gaze raking over her body. How could a man's stare make her come undone as if he were touching her? She let him look, lying back on the bed and enjoying the naughty feeling of having him watch her. She propped her head up on one arm and draped the other arm across her stomach.

“You look…God, you look fucking incredible.” The timbre of his voice made her throb. He lay down next to her, still mostly clothed, and brought his mouth again to hers.

Eyes closed, Astrid yielded to the incredible feelings as Eli began stroking his palm across her breasts, touching each in turn, cupping them reverently. His touch felt gentle, cautious, and when he brushed his thumb across one nipple, the contact was so light she barely felt it. Before she could ask for more, though, he pinched harder, then harder still, gauging her reaction and swallowing her moan with his lips. Then he bent his head to her breast.

Fuck, he was
really
good at this. Astrid clutched his scalp as he bit and sucked at her nipples, sending sharp bursts of pleasure through her. His lips and teeth moved with practiced ease, worrying the sensitive flesh until she began to squirm beneath him.

She felt his smile against her skin. “Take it easy.” Opening her eyes, she watched Eli pull off his undershirt, revealing a muscular chest dusted with dark brown curls. As she reached up to lightly flick one of his nipples with her fingertip, Eli caught her hand in his. “Not yet. I'm not through with you.” Before she could reach out to him again, he moved to sit between her legs, parting them gently but firmly. At his insistent gaze, Astrid felt herself growing even wetter, the indecency of their situation making her more aroused. This man seemed completely different from the Eli who shied away from her in their workshop. How had she ever thought him to be a prude?

Astrid couldn't help but gasp when he pressed his fingertip against her clit, already feeling the spasms of pleasure that curled her toes against the comforter. A tiny part of her brain registered their earlier conversation and was able to note the irony, since he seemed no stranger at all to the clitoris, nor to any of her other parts, either.

He began to rub her clit in small circles. “Feel good?”

How was she supposed to speak coherently if he kept doing that? “Mmm,” she managed, a murmur that turned into a moan as he dipped one finger into her, then a second.

“Seems like someone likes this.” He slowly stroked his fingers in and out, curling them up on each stroke to press inside her, and she could do nothing but ball her fists in the blankets and try not to pant. How the hell did he know how to do this? Someone had taught him, and she wanted to thank whomever it had been.

When he withdrew both fingers to slide them into his mouth, she nearly lost her mind. None of the men she'd been with ever wanted to taste her, but the intimacy of the act made her quiver. She wanted to touch him, now, to return the pleasure, but when she went to sit up, he pushed her back down.

“Not yet. I said I'm not finished here.” With a few quick flicks of the wrist, he unfastened her garter belt, and the ease with which he did so belied any of his earlier conservative behavior. Eli Rutledge, for all his apparent prudishness, had definitely done that more than a few times before. She put the thought aside as he rolled the stockings down, revealing her knees, calves and feet. He then ran his hands slowly up her legs, tracing her skin with his fingertips, his hands lingering on her inner thighs. She could feel herself quivering with anticipation when he drew his finger up through her folds again, her body trembling beneath his touch, knew from his smile that he could feel it too. Then, bending down, he kissed her stomach right above her curls, and she bit her lip in anticipation.

“Has anyone ever done this for you before?”

She should probably tell the truth; a man with his head between her legs definitely deserved that. “No man has.”

When he caught her meaning, he drew back, his eyes widening as he smiled. “I see. I imagine your standards are fairly high, then?” With just a fingertip, he brushed against her again, and she arched reflexively as her head fell back. Fuck, get on with it, already. She felt taut with anticipation.

“Just…just…” She waved her hand in a “go on” motion, and he smiled before lowering his mouth to her.

The first touch of his lips felt light, delicate, almost invisible. On the next touch, he swiped his tongue firmly over her, rubbing straight up across her clit, and she pressed her body against him with a cry as dizzying pleasure rushed over her. Oh
yes
. He focused right there on her tight bud, laving it slowly and firmly with his tongue, and she couldn't stop arching up to his mouth with each stroke. It was so good, intimate and overwhelmingly hot, and she felt her entire body tingling as he switched from licking to sucking on her clit. His beard scraped against her folds, and the touch of his coarse hairs against her tender skin made all thought leave her, because that was new and
wonderful
.

As he slid two fingers into her again, she began babbling despite herself. “Oh God…oh God…Eli…oh fuck…fuck…
fuck
…” When he pressed upward, finding that fantastic spot that made her vision white out, she could no longer find words, could barely breathe as he expertly drove her higher, pushing her closer and closer to orgasm. His lips moved over her in no rush, pleasuring her with methodical and deliberate precision, enjoying driving her out of her mind. She grabbed the covers again as her whole world dissolved down to the sensations between her legs. She was close, her body beginning the steady, inexorable climb to the point of no return, dizzying pleasure shimmering out of reach but washing ever closer with each stroke of his tongue or press of his fingers.

When he sucked hard on her clit, her whole world exploded. She arched up into his mouth, body wracked with spasms, the climax more intense than she had felt in a long time, maybe in forever, and he was right there, taking her through it, holding her in the throes of ecstasy for longer than she thought possible.

At last she came back to herself, barely able to catch her breath. She opened her eyes, and he was stretched out next to her, his hand resting on her hip, still wearing his trousers. He hadn't even undressed yet. She couldn't think of a witty comeback or any kind of comment at all. The only thing she could do was exhale, slowly and shakily, and continue to lose herself in those dark eyes.

“How was that?” He sounded hesitant, his eyebrows raised in genuine interest as though he didn't realize he'd just driven her out of her mind with his fingers and tongue. So he knew what he was doing, but he wasn't confident in those abilities? Did she even know him at all?

Astrid had regained enough sense of self to flirt, to play, to make some impish or sarcastic comment, but she felt beyond those things in that moment, so she didn't answer at all, just smiled. Without preamble, she sat up and reached for his trouser buttons, helping him out of the rest of his clothes. He let her, lifting his hips so she could undress him. When at last he was naked, she straddled his thighs and took to examining his cock.

As someone who made imitations for a living, she felt qualified to say it looked fantastic: precisely the right length, maybe a tad thicker than she was expecting, well-shaped and rock-hard. He let her study him, but his amused smile changed to a slack-jawed gasp as she took him in hand.

She rubbed her thumb over the tip and was rewarded by his head lolling back with pleasure, eyelids fluttering. With her other hand, she cupped his sac as she began stroking his shaft from root to tip, loving the way his hips moved to press into her hand. She couldn't wait to feel that hard cock inside her. Although she loved her toys, there was no substitute for a real partner.

After only a few minutes, though, his hip thrusts seemed to grow slightly more erratic, and he reached down to stop her. He was beginning to come undone, and the feral expression on his face was enough to make her quiver inside. She rested both hands on his chest and leaned down to kiss him, his erection pressing between them. This time, his kiss was less restrained as he devoured her mouth.

Eli took her breasts in his hands again and flicked his thumbs across the nipples. “I want to be inside you,” he said against her lips.

Astrid pulled back to look down into his eyes. “Give me a minute.” She climbed off him, deliberately brushing against his erection as she passed, and turned away to her bedside table drawer.