Dangerous to Know (7 page)

Greer started up his bike and headed out, tailing Mercer through the winding hill roads. He needed to focus on the mission. Regret would show up later.

It always did.

*   *   *

Mercer kissed her before she got off the bike using a handful of the leather jacket to pull her close.

It was a hungry kiss, his mouth claiming hers, and no matter how impulsive it was she kissed him back just as hard.

She wanted to know what he tasted like.

“Let's get inside…” His voice was sharp and his words clipped. He lifted her right off the back of the bike with one hand, dropping her on her feet with an ease that made her breath catch again. Somehow, in the nice, civilized world that surrounded her, she'd never really come face-to-face with just how much stronger a man was than herself.

It was both alarming and sexy, the two sensations mingling to produce an edgy sort of anticipation that made her steps clumsy on the way to her front door.

Mercer was right behind her. Shoving the door shut and slipping one arm around her waist with the other one beneath her knees, he swept her off her feet in one sure motion.

“A little over the top, carrying me off to bed…” She wasn't entirely sure what she meant. The truth was, she was grasping at the remains of her control.

He took her right up the stairs without missing a beat. “Not planning on giving you time to consider reaching for that pepper spray.”

He spun her loose in her bedroom, the light from downstairs illuminating him. She was being so impulsive but it felt too damn good to stop.

“I'd rather keep you besotted…”

“You're mighty sure of yourself.”

He stripped off his own jacket and the shirt beneath it. Her mouth went dry. His torso was far more impressive bare than she'd thought it was covered by his T-shirt.

“I'm sure of how we react to each other, double sure I want to see how much more intense it can get.”

His voice was hypnotic, and the way he moved set chills down her body. Right … wrong, she didn't give a damn at the moment. She wanted to know how much deeper the sensation might go.

She wanted to wrap her bare thighs around his equally bare skin.

She chucked the leather jacket aside and reached for the hem of her shirt but Mercer beat her to it. He ripped it up and over her head with a satisfied grunt.

“Your nipples have been driving me crazy.” The soft cups of her bra proved no barrier for him. He slid his hands down over the tops of her breasts and beneath the beige fabric. She shivered when he curled his fingers around each globe and lifted them above the lace edge. There was so much sensation flooding her, just standing took too much effort.

“Beautiful rosebuds.” He brushed each peak with his thumbs while backing her up against the foot of her bed. “I bet they taste delicious.”

Her bed didn't have a footboard. Mercer grasped her waist and tossed her onto the mattress. She bounced a few times and actually giggled.

“That's it, honey, let loose a little. Let's play, like adults.”

He crawled up onto the bed, every muscle in his arms visible. He just looked too damn male. Her belly tightened with anticipation, her humor evaporating. Heat consumed her. Need ate at her like a living force. She wanted to scratch and bite. She wanted—to take. Just … take.

But Mercer pushed her back, hovering over her like the predator she'd decided he was. He nuzzled her belly before moving up her body to where her breasts had slipped back behind the cups of her bra. He still found her nipples with his mouth, sucking one through the fabric of the undergarment. She gasped, her spine arching to make sure he maintained his hold on the sensitive tip.

He chuckled but it sounded dark and dangerous. He found the waistband of her jeans and popped the button open. Pleasure mixed with the need burning inside her until he released her nipple, sending a little jolt of frustration through her. She reached for his shoulders but he rose above her and flipped her over. Her hair went flying and her face sank into the goose-down comforter.

“I don't think I ever enjoyed unwrapping a present more than I am right now.”

He unhooked her bra and slid his hands down to her hips. A moment later her jeans went slipping down her legs and onto the floor. She half turned to see him sitting on his haunches, magnificent torso illuminated by the entryway light. But what made her hesitate was the look on his face. The raw expression of hunger. It glittered in his eyes and drew his features tight. Her body filled with a longing that hurt. The ache centered in her channel, making her almost desperate to have him inside her. It frightened her with its intensity, but it also made her want to lunge toward what she craved.

Wild abandonment … no holds barred.

She suddenly had a new understanding of the phrase. The urge to chicken out pricked her, illuminating the fact that all control was about to be ripped from her hands. She'd never done anything so rash, so utterly impulsive.

I'm not a kid anymore …

Which made it so damn tempting.

“Show yourself to me, baby. I want to see you.”

Mercer wasn't asking, he was demanding. Anticipation took command of his features and she turned over, amazed at her power to captivate him.

“You're stunning,” he muttered before his hands hit the bed and he began to crawl back up her body. “Unbelievably beautiful.”

He paused over the triangle of her panties. Her clit gave a crazy twist of excitement as she felt his breath against her folds. It was stunning just how sensitive her body was. She couldn't recall ever feeling such an abundance of need and sensation. Sex had never felt so damn good before, or so incredibly necessary. A tiny sound escaped her lips.

“We can do better than that.” His hand landed on top of her pubic bone, pressing down on the soft flesh with just enough pressure to send a bolt of need through her. “A whole lot better.”

He slid his hand lower, rubbing against her entire slit. She gasped, shivering as the need to climax became almost unbearable. She grasped the bedding and lifted her hips for the next downward motion, but it didn't come. Instead Mercer grabbed the thin straps of her panties and snapped them.

“Still not enough,” he announced before pushing her thighs wide. “I want to hear you scream.”

His last sentence came out between clenched teeth. Zoe wasn't even sure it made sense to her because she was so focused on the need burning her alive. Her eyelids closed but she didn't need to see; touch was the only important thing.

Mercer didn't waste any time fulfilling her need. He leaned back down and caught her folds between his lips. Sandwiched between the delicate tissues, her clit responded to the pressure with a crazy spike of pleasure. It ripped into her belly, sending a moan past her lips.

“That's more like it.”

He separated the folds before returning to her spread sex. “But there's room for improvement.”

Zoe opened her eyes but squeezed them shut a second later when his tongue swept over her clit. The sensation almost qualified as pain but it was completely mind blowing, taking her past a threshold she hadn't realized was there inside her. Conscious thought ceased; all that remained was response. She twisted beneath the motions of his tongue. Her hips lifted, seeking more pressure, just a little more to send her over the edge into release.

Mercer didn't leave her hanging. He thrust two fingers deep inside her sheath at the same time his lips closed around her clit. The combination sent her body spiraling into climax.

“Oh sweet Christ!” Pleasure snapped hard and sharp along her nerves. It drew her muscles tight while she strained toward the source of pressure giving her release. The moment felt like an eternity, and when her brain began functioning once more she was gasping because she'd forgotten to breathe. Perspiration dotted her forehead and her limbs ached from the ways she'd been straining. Another first. Climax had never been such a whole-body experience before.

“Much better.”

Mercer growled, his fingers still gently working in and out of her sheath.

“But … you didn't enjoy that…”

One dark eyebrow arched. “Didn't I?”

His voice was coated with satisfaction. “Don't doubt I enjoy making you respond, baby.”

She curled up, propping her elbows behind her so she could stare at him. “You sound so controlling and smug.”

His lips curled into an arrogant grin that flashed his teeth. “And you loved it.”

He pushed back onto his haunches and opened the front of his pants. Her mind stopped functioning on a rational level again, her attention drawn to the hard flesh he pulled into sight. His cock was rigid. Long and thick, it was crowned with a ruby head. Despite the satisfaction still rippling along her body, her vagina demanded a taste of it.

“In fact, I think your last few boyfriends have been too complacent to suit your needs, Zoe. Great sex is sometimes hard and demanding.”

He reached out and grabbed her hips. The bed rocked again, letting out a squeak when he tossed her over onto her belly. He grasped both sides of her hips and pulled her up onto her knees, sending a spike of anticipation through her.

She whimpered when he rose up behind her, the sound of a condom wrapper crinkling before the head of his cock slipped between the folds of her sex. He leaned down, covering her back with his length, his skin hot against her own. His breath brushed the side of her neck, on that tender spot that was so vulnerable. She quivered, caught between helplessness and anticipation. Mercer didn't give her time to dwell on her feelings. He pulled free and plunged back into her with a solid motion.

“You need to be taken sometimes, Zoe, admit it.” His grip tightened on her hips. “You want to feel my strength. It makes you fucking hot, doesn't it? Admit it.”

“I'm not into slave play.” But her voice was husky and needy. The head of his cock was now only teasing the entrance to her sheath, tormenting her with how hard and thick it was. She pushed back, trying to impale herself, but he held her steady. He leaned back down and captured her earlobe between his teeth. It was a tiny bite but the sensation rippled down her body, fanning the flames of desire, making her skin hot.

“Does that mean you're sorry you submitted to me tonight, Zoe?” He thrust forward, only a few inches, but it drove the head of his cock into her pussy, stretching her sheath. A strangled sound escaped from her lips, need and anticipation threatening to drive her insane.

“It feels like you're as pleased as I am that we aren't sitting in some restaurant trading details of our lives while trying to ignore just how much we'd rather be fucking.”

“You're being an asshole,” she snarled. The response startled her but Mercer chuckled.

“So be a bitch.” He straightened up and thrust forward until every last inch of his cock was lodged inside her. “Tell me what the hell you want and refuse to take any shit from me.”

Her body liked that idea. Loved it. Her clit pulsed, demanding to be pressed against his rigid length, but he held tight to her hips, keeping her on her knees.

What I want?

“Fuck me.” She didn't recognize her voice. It was far too sultry. “Hard.”

Satisfaction coated his words. “Yes, ma'am.” He growled at her again, savage and primitive, but it fed the need eating her.

“Now.”

She didn't need to prompt him but she liked doing it. He was already in motion, keeping her in position with a grip that almost hurt, but she barely noticed because she was too absorbed with the way his cock felt moving in and out of her. Pleasure slammed into her every time she felt his balls against her slit. She couldn't recall being so full before, the walls of her pussy aching just enough to tell her she was being stretched. She pressed backward, matching his rhythm, and heard him snarl with satisfaction.

“Take what you want, Zoe, and to hell with what anyone else thinks is right. Go with your feelings.”

Being lured away from convention had never appealed so much. He leaned down and teased her ear with his breath. “I want to see what kind of fire you have in your belly.”

“Turn me over.”

She needed more friction; her clit was pulsing with need again. But she wasn't the only one craving release. Mercer pulled free and sent her rolling with one push on the side of her hip. She hadn't truly landed on her back when he pressed his weight down on her. Someone groaned but she wasn't sure who. He pushed her thighs wide, returning his length to her pussy.

“Then again, I like having you on your back …
a lot
.” He growled softly.

This time she felt every inch of his hard flesh pressing against her clit with each thrust. She twisted, unable to decide how to release all the pleasure contained inside her. There was no thought, only response. He slammed into her and she rose to meet each thrust. Her fingers curled into talons on his shoulders, digging into the skin, but it only gained her an increase in pace. Pleasure exploded, shooting up into her womb. White-hot and uncontrollable, it sliced through her. Mercer snarled something before he buried his length and she felt the shudder of his release. It increased the pleasure, deepening it, and left her battling to remain conscious. She heard him roll over and the bed groan when he landed on his back, but her body was too flooded with satisfaction for her to do anything but lie there. She opened her eyes in surprise when he rolled back toward her, one arm securing her against him. He was solid and warm, everything she had no right to expect. She floated off on the ripples of delight, without another thought for how wise it was to fall asleep with a near stranger in her house.

Because the moment felt perfect and she just didn't have it in her to argue with perfect. Disillusionment could fucking wait.

*   *   *

Mercer fought the urge to pass out. His balls ached, proving he'd come harder than he had in a long time. It shouldn't have felt so good, shouldn't have become so consuming. His thinking was clouded with satisfaction now. He wanted to sink down into the afterglow and forget the details of how he'd come to be in Zoe's bed. She fit perfectly against him. Hell, he even liked the scent of her skin. It wasn't a perfume, just her own musk. One that struck him as sexy.