Light the Shadows (A Grimm Novel) (12 page)

Sully’s fist tightened in her hair
, and she made a sound of pained pleasure. Heat swept through her, igniting every raw nerve. She rose up on tiptoe so she could reach him better. In that moment, Micah lost herself. Melted into him. Nothing else mattered. Not life or death, shadows or light. Just them.

Sully’s free hand ran up her hip, all the way up to her waist until it met the bare flesh beneath her shirt. His touch was soft but insistent as his fingers caressed the sensitive area of her lower back. Finally, his hand cupped her ass and pulled her against him like he was claiming her as his. She sighed against his mouth
, and he took that opportunity to invade it with his tongue.

Micah eased her hands up his arms, over the bulge of his biceps, across his chest to his broad shoulders. Finally, both hands tangled in his hair. She felt so small and fragile in his arms, protected. At the same time, she felt vulnerable to his fierce masculinity. She liked it, maybe just a little too much.

When he lifted her up onto the breakfast bar, her insides quivered with anticipation. Oh God, she wanted this man to take possession of her, to fill her and sate every need.

Sully pulled her torn shirt up and over her head then made an appreciative sound at the sight of her black lace bra. He hooked his thumbs beneath the straps then pulled them down her shoulders until both breasts were exposed.

Her nipples pebbled at his admiring gaze. He grazed one with the pad of a thumb, forcing her to arch her spine. She ached for so much more. Sully’s fingers swirled around the sensitized bud of flesh before finally giving it a little pinch.

His gaze swept up to her face. “It’s not too late to tell me to stop.”

Never!

Lowering his head, he took it into his mouth. He caressed her nipple with lips before flicking the hardened tip with his tongue. Micah arched her spine, desperate for his touch. His teeth raked gently across her breast, nipping at the flesh.

Micah couldn’t prevent the breathy moan that slithered from her throat. It had to escape, like the frustration and sexual energy building within her. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take.

His husky drawl sent a vibration of hunger through her and ignited a fire deep within her core. “You are so fucking hot.”

Recapturing her mouth, he pressed against her, proving just how hot, how hard she made him. Micah whimpered, and he drew his mouth away from her lips. Just like his tongue and hands, his incredibly sexy eyes ignited a fire within her.

“Sully.” She bit her lower lip and reveled in knowing she was the reason he was so hard.

His fingers were at her waist, unzipping then dragging the dress pants down her hips. Micah trembled with need as he shucked them from her legs and dropped them onto the floor. He closed the space between them, and her thighs closed around his waist. Her sex drowned with desire, clouding her mind with seductive thoughts and want. With him so intimately close, his hard-on pressed against her through the damp lace of her panties. She shifted her hips, and Sully rewarded her with a groan.

“Tell me something.” He grinned wickedly then slid his fingers up her inner thigh. They inched closer to her pool of desire and made her heartbeat race. “Are you wet?”

Her hands lifted from his shoulders, ran through his silken hair and down to his chest. Her nimble fingers fluttered across his shirt and even reached the second button before his hand closed over hers, stilling it. He prevented her from going any further by pulling her hand to his mouth. One by one, he kissed her fingers.

She frowned and pulled away from him to look up into his eyes. “Sully, I want…”

“I know what you want, doll.” His eyes glittered with feral passion.

A gasp shuddered past her lips when Sully’s index finger slid past the ribbon-thin panties then traveled downward. His finger slid through the tight coils of hair at the juncture of her thighs then lightly grazed her most delicate area. She clutched his shoulders and tightened her thighs around him. “Sully!”

"Want me to stop?" His voice was full of gravel and sexy as hell.

She nipped his bottom lip. "Don't you dare."

Sully tugged the lace past her knees. With what she hoped was a sexy purr, she pulled him toward her and thoroughly ravaged his mouth.

Sliding his hands up the insides of her thighs, he forced them open. Now she was fully exposed to him. She gripped the sides of the counter and stared him in the eyes, daring him to take it further.

Sully accepted the challenge. He ran a finger along her slit, gathering the silken moisture pooled there. “Mmm, you’re so wet.”

He stroked the delicate bud with his thumb until she was clawing at his shoulders and rocking her hips. With the other hand, he traced the outline of her labia then ever so slowly slid a finger inside her. She clung to his shoulders, certain she would pass out from the sheer ecstasy of it.

His fingers curled inside her, touching something that made what little poise she clung to shatter completely. When another finger slid inside, she was lost to it. She was swept away on a wave of passion as he thrust his fingers in and out of her. His free hand searched out her swollen clit. The pad of his thumb circled and rubbed the sensitive area. Paired with his thrusting fingers, it nearly drove her insane.

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All she could do was rock against Sully’s wicked fingers and …
oh!

Micah’s legs locked around his hips, heels digging into his ass as her insides quivered
, and she lost all sensation except in that one deliciously sensitive area. Eyes squished shut, she breathed his name on a shaky whisper. When her entire body tensed and she was sure she couldn’t take any more, Sully removed the fingers that had given her such mind-melting pleasure.

Micah cried out in despair. Surely he wouldn't leave her longing for so much more. Before she could voice her needs, he gripped her hips with both hands and pulled her forward on the countertop.

She reached for the gorgeous man standing in front of her, pressing her palm against the erection behind the zipper of his jeans. “Sully, I need you.”

His hands left her momentarily. The growl of the zipper was music to her ears. Grey gaze smoldering, he asked, "Is this what you need, Micah?"

She kissed him hard and breathed into his mouth. “God, yes!”

With one hand between them, she smoothed fingers down his length. Using her thumb, she stroked the head of his cock, spreading pre
-cum over its head. It jumped in her hand, thick and ready.

Micah buried her face in Sully’s shoulder and groaned with pleasure as the head of his cock nudged at her entrance. This was really happening.

“Micah?” Someone screeched from the front of the house. The jangle of keys rattled her nerves.

It took a second for her to realize what was going on. She and Sully had just a moment to look at one another in confusion before the front door flew open.

“Oh my God! What are you doing here, Nancy—er, Mom?” Micah squealed as she scrambled out of Sully’s embrace then ran for the back hall. She snatched her clothing from the floor and struggled to cover herself. Nancy barging in and finding her doing the nasty on the breakfast bar with her panties hanging around one ankle was unexpected! Hadn’t the woman thought to call first?

Micah was reduced to feeling like she was in high school again and had been caught making out beneath the bleachers. She was twenty-four years old, damn it. She shouldn’t feel embarrassed or awkward for living her own life … even if it was borrowed.

When she came back into the kitchen, Nancy looked at her in disbelief then glanced at Sully with saucer-sized eyes. In Micah’s opinion, her mom’s gaze lingered just a fraction too long at the man candy standing on the other side of the breakfast bar. Thank goodness it served as a barrier between him and Nancy. He might scare her with the size of that erection. At least he'd had time to button his pants.

“Nancy Farris,” her mom said in a no-nonsense voice.

Sully arched an eyebrow, but seemed undaunted. “James Sullivan.”

Nancy looked like a wary mama bear as she stared up at him. Finally, her gaze slid in Micah’s direction. “Am I interrupting something?”

“It’s kind of late. What are you doing here, Mom?” Micah asked, not bothering to disguise the venom in her voice. You didn’t get to the point she and Sully had been at then get interrupted without feeling bitter about it. Shaking and left unsatisfied, she tried to turn off all the parts Sully had so expertly turned on.

“I’ve been calling all week, Micah. You haven’t returned my phone calls
, and I was worried something was wrong.” Nancy’s shoulders dropped and she sighed. “Roger said you probably just needed some time to sort things out, but now I see what had you so preoccupied.”

“Everything is okay,
Mom. I had a little car trouble tonight,” she lied. “And Sully brought me home. That’s all. I must have left my phone in the car.”

             
Nancy moved around the bar then allowed her gaze to drift from Sully’s boots, past his rumpled shirt to his tousled hair. She pursed her lips, clearly not believing Micah’s story.  Instead of arguing, she jerked the fridge open and peered inside. “Are you taking care of yourself, getting enough to eat? You’ve lost a lot of weight since the accident.”

             
“Mom,” Micah said with just the right amount of warning in her voice.

Nancy’s brow creased. “Do you want me to make you some casseroles or something you can snack on throughout the week? You used to like it when I did that."

              Micah filled with remorse when she noticed Sully edging around the counter. He was going to leave. Anxious dread filled her gut as Sully’s gaze swept past her toward the door that would lead to his freedom. He said nothing, and she just knew he’d take off at the first opportunity. Nancy must think she could run him off by sticking around and waiting him out.
Damn it, she is probably right.

             
Nancy looked through the pantry and cupboards. Seeming to approve of their contents, she crossed the short distance to her daughter. She tucked a stray hair behind Micah’s ear. “What have you done to your hair?”

             
Micah lifted a hand to run fingers through her finger-tangled locks. It felt ten times lighter now that it wasn’t hanging past her shoulders. With the messy chin length style she’d chosen, it was a hell of a lot more stylish, too. “I needed a change.”

             
Nancy looked at the highlighted tendrils around her daughter's face. Then she placed her hands on Micah’s upper arms and leaned close to gaze into her eyes.

“What?” Micah asked, feeling squirmy beneath Nancy’s close scrutiny. Did she suspect something?

From the corner of her eye, she saw Sully walk out the front door without so much as a glance in her direction. Micah’s spirits crashed and burned. Would she ever see him again?

“What about bills? Do you need money, sweetheart?”

Micah’s brow puckered. Jeez, did the old Micah rely on her parents for everything? Nancy cooked her meals, and Roger paid for the whole shebang? “No, I’m fine. Really.”

The front door clicked closed behind Sully. Would Nancy be offended if Micah ran after him?

Nancy followed Micah’s gaze then said, “Who was that guy?”

Micah bit her bottom lip. How do you tell your faux mom that he's probably the hottest guy you’ve ever met and he was about to bang your brains out … until she walked in and ruined the moment. In fact, she was still shaking from Sully’s kiss, his touch
, and the abrupt way he’d walked out. Thanks to Nancy, he’d left her unsatisfied, and she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again. Cold showers and self-love wasn’t going to cure the burn Sully had ignited within her.

Her mom bent to rummage beneath the sink. She found a bottle of spray cleanser then squirted the cabinets, including the breakfast bar. She glanced at Micah then wiped it with a wad of paper towels. "It’s just that I've never seen him before."

“He’s just, ah, he’s a friend.” This was so hard. “A new friend.”

Nancy’s lips twitched until finally she couldn’t hold back a smug smile. “I hope you’re being careful with your new friend.”

“Mom!” Micah’s cheeks burned with embarrassment because she knew deep down that having sex with Sully was probably a foolish thing to do. “It’s not like that.”

Now she looked serious again. “I just want you to get better, sweetie. I don’t want you to lose sight of what’s important
—and that’s you. Just don’t try to do too much too fast, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt. Physically or emotionally. Just take it slow."

Not knowing what came over her, Micah pulled Nancy into a hug. “Thanks,
Mom.”

Nancy seemed a bit taken aback by the impromptu hug. She hesitated a split second then her arms closed around Micah. "I don't know what's come over you, but it's nice."

A few minutes later when Micah walked Nancy to the door, Nancy said, “I’m sorry I barged in on you like that. That must have been pretty humiliating.”

“It’s okay.” Micah offered a genuine smile. “It was probably for the best.”