Dangerous to Know (19 page)

“I'm fine…”

She turned over, away from Mercer, because she honestly just couldn't deal with anything else.

Like how good he smells?

Yeah, like that.

Or how much she really wanted to fling herself at him and just take solace in the way her hormones jumped the moment he touched her.

It would be pure indulgence.

Yeah, at the moment it sounded perfect. Right up until she realized that she'd be using him.

Two wrongs didn't make a right.

He released her wrist, and her breath caught at the parting. She slapped a hand over her mouth but too late. She heard him draw in a hard breath. He was just a shadow but she saw him reaching for her. Felt her skin tingle, her mouth go dry as anticipation gripped her.

“I can't…”

He cupped her shoulder and rolled her onto her back. She expected him to press down on her, craved it actually, but he hovered just out of contact, tempting her unbearably.

“Hoping I'll make it easy for you, Zoe?”

His voice was deep and husky, need and passion edging it.

“I want you,” he declared.

It felt like something snapped inside her. She curled her fingers into the bedding to keep from reaching for what she wanted.

“And I've got as many doubts as you do,” he continued. He was closer now, his breath teasing her lips, awakening all the little receptors on her delicate skin.

“So what are you doing, Mercer?” She forced the words past her crumbling resolve. “Waiting until I make a grab for the bait … again?”

The word
bait
shattered some of the need dulling her sense. She sat up, pushing him away from her. He sat on the edge of the bed, his face a study of angles.

“Maybe I was hoping you would since I'm out here, with you, my ass on the line. I'm not sorry about it.”

“I'm glad you're here.” She was ten kinds of a fool to confess her feelings to him, but the words just tumbled past her lips. She was talking to the man who had woken her from a nightmare. To the part of him that had freed something inside her, even if he'd been on a mission when he did it.

She just couldn't regret discovering that part of her sexuality. It was a gift, in its way. A knowledge that filled her with confidence and the understanding of the difference between being a girl and becoming a woman.

But that thought brought her up short. Mercer lifted an eyebrow when she stopped halfway across the bed to him. “I don't want to use you…”

“You're sweet, Zoe.” It wasn't really a compliment. In fact, there was a definite ring of disappointment in his voice.

“But the thing is…” He reached across the space between them, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her into contact with his hard body. “I like the way you use me, baby.”

She shivered.

It was a full-body reaction. One that rose up from the connection with him as much as the sound of anticipation in his voice.

God, she wanted to rise to the challenge she heard in his tone.

It felt like something was uncoiling inside her. Stretching up, seeking him like some sort of life-giving force. She reached up, threading her fingers through his short hair. He arched his neck back, his lips curling away from his teeth as he sucked in a harsh breath.

“Yeah … like that … baby.”

When she'd reached the back of his head, she pulled her fingers toward her, tipping his face down again so that she could lift herself up and kiss him. All of the reasons to refuse crumbled. In fact, every type of thinking came to a standstill. There was only impulse and action.

As she stretched up to kiss him he met her halfway, taking control of her head with a firm grip before claiming her mouth. He was pressing her down but she didn't want to go. Didn't want to yield so completely.

She wanted to take.

Their kiss was hard.

And wild.

And everything she craved.

Mercer growled, biting her lower lip. It was a soft nip, the sensation rippling down her body and raising goose bumps. He stroked her, running his hands down her arms and onto her thighs before he captured the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up.

She ended up being dumped back onto the bed as her arms went up with the removal of her clothing. The night air feeling like a relief because her skin was so warm.

“Nice…” he said as he reached out to cup her breasts. “So fucking …
nice
…”

Somehow, she'd never realized how much she liked having her breasts handled. Her eyes were slipping shut as pure bliss rolled through her.

“They taste good, too…” Mercer continued.

Zoe opened her eyes in time to see him targeting one of her nipples. He pushed her back, the bed rocking. He claimed the puckered point between his lips while capturing her wrist and stretching one of her arms above her head. Her other arm was useless because he was leaning over her and trapping it with his body.

That quickly, the power shifted between them. Her belly twisted with the knowledge and the feeling of being caught. She wiggled, unwilling to surrender. Mercer chuckled around her nipple. He raised his head, looking at her, showing her the smug, arrogant twist to his lips.

“Mine,” he said slowly, softly. “All mine now.”

It was a threat and a promise. One that made her shiver and lick her lips.

“It gives you a crazy kick … doesn't it, Zoe?”

He kept her still when she wiggled, teasing her wet nipple with his index finger while watching her. “Knowing I have you … knowing I'm going to touch you … play with you … take you…”

He trailed his finger down her body. Her skin was ultra-sensitive, tightening as he drew his hand across her body and down to her belly. He teased the soft skin there, rubbing it in a slow circle while she listened to her breathing become rough.

So bluntly sexual.

Honestly, it should have offended her sensibilities or bruised her personal sense of independence, but all that mattered was being suspended in the moment, enjoying the feeling of his fingers on her skin. Noticing the increased throbbing in her clit as he moved his hand lower, he caught the waistband of her pajama bottoms and dragged it down until he found her curls.

“Are you ready, Zoe?”

She arched. “Ready for more than teasing.”

“There's my sassy bitch.” He toyed with her curls, sending tingles of enjoyment through her passage.

“I don't think I'm done teasing you, though…” He pushed deeper, slipping into her folds. “You're not wet enough …
yet
…”

There was a hard promise in his voice. One he made good on immediately. She purred when he touched her clit. Her nipples puckered tighter as he rubbed the little bundle of nerve endings. Her thighs had parted for him, shamelessly eager.

Mercer caught her with a kiss, taking her mouth with a demand that stole her breath. The dual stimulation jerked her out of reality completely, tossing her into a realm where she twisted and strained toward the building climax his fingers were driving her into. She wanted to hold back. He rubbed her clit fast and harder, pushing her toward the end without giving her the chance to shatter his control.

She felt the climax breaking through her as he held her down, rubbing her clit. It was like the snap of a whip, sharp and stinging. The pleasure raced along her spine, up to her brain, where it exploded, blinding her while she lifted her hips to gain that last bit of pressure against her clit.

He was still fully clothed.

That was the first thought that made it through the haze clouding her brain.

And it wasn't right that he was so unaffected.

Not fucking right at all.

His grip had slackened, his guard lowered because he thought she was still dazed. She took advantage, twisting free and rolling over. His sweatpants pulled down easily, his cock springing free.

“My turn to drive you insane.”

She'd never meant a statement more. It was like a burning need actually. She clasped his cock, enjoying the feel of his skin against her palm. Hot. Smooth. The damn thing was gorgeous, hard with distended veins running its length. She stroked it as he settled back, threading his fingers through her hair.

“No.”

She looked up at him. He was propped up on a few pillows, one eyebrow raised. Zoe lifted herself up until she was on all fours and sat back on her haunches. His gaze slipped to her breasts, his lips thinning. She cupped them, rubbing her own nipples with her thumbs.

“You don't get to touch right now, Mercer.” His attention rose to her face. “Only I do. Fair is fair.”

He scoffed at her, looking every inch the badass she'd thought him to be when she first saw him.

“Told you before, Zoe.” He had his fingers wrapped around her nape in a second, one of her breasts claimed by his free hand as he hovered over her lips. “I don't play fair.”

“What makes you think
I'm
going to?”

She reclaimed his cock, stroking it from base to tip and teasing the slit on the top of it. A drop of fluid was already there, proving he was being pushed toward his limits, too.

“I'm going to suck you dry. Because I'm not a fucking baby doll.”

He chuckled, the sound dark and untamed. “Give it your best shot.”

He was cocky.

But she liked that trait of his personality.

Liked it way too much. Common sense had fallen victim to it completely, so there was only one thing left to do.

Make sure he suffered a similar fate.

She teased his length, stroking it, enjoying the feel of it in her hands before she leaned down and licked it. He groaned, the sound a soft boost to her confidence. It also whipped up the need to best him. She licked him again, this time trailing her tongue around the ridge of flesh that crowned his length.

“Fucking
incredible
…” He caught her head again.

“Hands off.” She sounded bitchy and wasn't about to apologize for it. Mercer pressed his lips into a silent kiss before lifting his hand away.

“As the lady likes…”

“I'm not planning on being a lady.”

“I hope not.”

There was just enough yearning in his tone to satisfy her. She opened her mouth and sealed her lips around him, hollowing her cheeks as she cupped his balls.

He bucked beneath her.

“Oh … hell yeah…” he groaned.

She sucked harder, closing her fingers around his staff and pumping him as she used her tongue on the underside of his cock head. He was lifting his hips toward her now, thrusting up into her mouth as she worked her hands on the part of his cock that didn't fit. He wasn't content to sit back now, gripping her hair and holding her in place as he fucked her mouth.

But she didn't let him take complete control. She sucked him, making sure he felt her lips driving him toward the edge of reason. His breath was ragged, his grip hard enough to pull her hair. He was arching, his body beginning to twist. She opened her jaw wider and gripped his balls.

“Shit!”

His voice was guttural and harsh.

And perfect, because he was tumbling over the edge. His cock pumped into her mouth, his cum wetting her tongue. She licked it away, sucking him hard until he finished.

“Now let's fuck.”

There was a rawness to his words, a hard, blunt edge, which pleased something inside her. It was exactly what she craved.

He curled up off the bed, reaching over to open the side table drawer. There was a crinkle of foil before he was sheathing his cock. She tried to mount him but he shook his head.

“Not a chance, baby…” The bed rocked as he rose up and captured her hips. “I'm going to fuck you until you scream.”

He turned her around, maintaining his grip on her hips. His cock was still hard, slipping easily between the wet folds of her sex. He pulled her back as he thrust forward, impaling her with a harsh grunt.

“You're going to take it, Zoe … Every last bit of it…”

He leaned over her back and pressed her shoulders down until she was on her elbows, completely caged by his body. He hadn't moved, hadn't pulled his length free. She felt stretched to her maximum, his cock almost too large.

“You've got a tight little pussy…”

He pulled free and pushed back in as he kept his lips next to her ear. “Makes me want to come again but that would be way too fast…”

“Um …
hum
…” It was more a whimper than an answer.

“Your turn to not move…” He caught her neck in a soft bite. The little nip sent a tingle of pleasure and pain down her spine. “Stay right … there.”

He straightened up, drawing a groan from her because it felt like he was being ripped away.

“Don't worry, baby … I'm going to give you everything you need.”

He held her hips hard as he started to move. It wasn't a fast-enough pace for the churning need inside her. She tried to push back into his thrusts, seeking more friction, but he held her ruthlessly in place.

“I'm doing the fucking, Zoe…” He plunged into her and held her there for a moment of pure agony. “And you're going to take it.”

“Like hell I am.” She shoved back, sinking his cock back into her.

He delivered a light slap to her butt in retaliation.

She gasped, surprise making her mute. The sting from the blow rippled over her cheek and mixed with the pulsing in her clit. A low moan escaped her lips before she realized she was going to make any sound at all.

There was an answering chuckle from Mercer. “Like hell you will…”

He unleashed a series of slaps on her backside. making her butt sting and her insides twist with hunger. She was grinding her teeth, the need to come driving her insane.

“So when are you planning on getting to the fucking part?” she demanded. “Maybe you should reconsider letting me be in the driver's seat since all you want to do is play.”