Melting Ms Frost (31 page)

Aidan swore then, as though helpless against her words, his arms wrapped around her and he exploded into a flurry of action. Hot gaze locked on hers, he pumped into her hard and fast.

Clamped to him with nowhere to go, she watched his restraint shatter, took everything he had to give. ‘God, yes! Like that,’ she demanded, urging him on, surging towards the peak of her own pleasure.

With a growling sound, Aidan raised a hand and buried it in her hair, pulling none too gently to force her head back onto his shoulder. ‘Jesus, Annabel,’ he said, hot breath thundering in her ear. ‘You’re going to ruin me. Going to make me lose … oh, fuck, I can’t … YES.’

He pressed his face hard into the side of hers as his hips gave two fast, powerful jerks that all but lifted her right off her toes and threatened to send them sprawling. Flinging an arm out to the mirror to steady them, Aidan jerked once more, held deep inside her as far as he could go for a long moment before he shuddered and groaned and his whole body slumped.

Panting, he raised his head and looked at her in the mirror, pulling his lips into a self-deprecating smile. ‘Well, that was over much faster than I’d expected it to be.’ Using the hand still buried in her hair, he turned her face so he could kiss her. ‘You do test my control, Ms Frost. Round one goes to you.’ The hand tightened just enough to cause her scalp to sting, his teeth nipped at her lower lip. ‘But don’t think you’re going to get away without paying for it,’ he promised darkly.

Annabel had been so close to her own release that she was still shaking like a leaf as he pulled out. She stumbled on a low moan of frustration, reaching out to the mirror for support.

‘Steady,’ Aidan said and guided her towards the bed, sitting her on the edge of it and lifting her chin as he leant down for another kiss. ‘Don’t move. I haven’t finished with you yet – not by a long shot. I’ll be right back,’ he said, and made for the en suite to no doubt deal with the used condom.

Feeling suddenly drained of energy, Annabel let herself keel gently over to one side and sprawl on the mattress. She felt boneless, utterly spent, the place between her legs tingled with warmth while somewhere deeper, something spread that felt very much like the heavy weight of post-coital satisfaction. But how could that be when she hadn’t even had an orgasm? It seemed too hard to think about the answer right then, too hard to fight the soporific trance that deepened her breathing, closed her eyelids, slowed her thoughts …

Satisfaction?
Had that seriously been her last waking thought the previous evening? Annabel lay motionless on her back, keeping her eyes closed and her breathing even. Judging by the way her nerve endings hummed like she’d been jump-wired to a high voltage battery this morning, it hadn’t been satisfaction that caused her to pass out last night, it had been utter exhaustion.

And to prove just how dissatisfied her body felt, it had woken her with an insistent throb of frustration. Even the brush of the bed covers against her skin was almost more than she could stand. If she didn’t get some relief soon, she’d scream.

She could sense Aidan beside her in the bed. Although their bodies weren’t touching she’d been aware of the heat of his presence since she’d first surfaced from sleep. And that awareness, combined with the memories of what he’d done to her last night was only making her predicament worse.

At least her preoccupied state meant she didn’t have to obsess too much over the significance of having shared his bed all night. She’d never fallen asleep with a lover before, let alone woken up beside one. It felt strange. Nice. Strangely nice.

Given her current situation, she’d have thought that having a big, sexy, and no doubt naked man next to her in bed would be the perfect answer to her needs. But as the man in question was Aidan Flynn, she doubted it would be so simple. After pushing him to the point of losing control last night she couldn’t help but worry that he’d make good on his promise to make her pay.

She suppressed a shiver at the thought of what price he’d exact, knowing it would more than likely involve more torturous frustration for her. For the sake of her own sanity, then, she knew she had to take some alone time before she could even contemplate surviving another round with him. Maybe she should take advantage and sneak out now, tend to urgent matters before he even woke?

The prospect of imminent of relief caused the most inflamed parts of her anatomy to twinge with enthusiasm. Cautiously, so as not to risk disturbing him, she turned only her head, cracking one eye open to check Aidan’s sleeping form.

She found him lying on his side facing her, black bed-hair ruffled around his face and his pale eyes, bright and wide open, waiting. Disappointment barely had time to register against the warm wave of desire that washed over her when he smiled, teeth very white against a shadow of morning stubble which lent him even more of a roguish look than usual.

‘Good morning, Annabel. I wondered how long you were going to lie there pretending to be asleep.’

She couldn’t even be irritated by the dig, not when the covers were down around his waist, showing those wonderful broad shoulders and chest, the ridges of his abdomen. That maddening throb of frustration intensified. God, what wouldn’t she do to get him to provide the relief she needed.

‘I’m sorry I fell asleep on you last night.’

‘It’s all right, I didn’t take it personally. You’d had quite a stressful day all in. You were out cold in a matter of minutes – still in your shoes, too.’

His voice husky with sleep, he sprawled lazily, the very picture of sexy, mellow contentment. Her pulse picked up. Maybe she’d get what she needed after all. Maybe he was more amenable now that he’d had his own satisfaction?

She turned on her side to face him, slid one hand slowly across the sheet toward his chest. ‘We could pick up where we left off.’

He caught her hand before it reached him. ‘We will. All in good time,’ he said, and looking closer she saw that the core of steely determination was still there, lying beneath the relaxed exterior.

Damn it.

She jumped as the door chime sounded. Honestly, being around Aidan Flynn was playing havoc with her nerves.

‘That’ll be breakfast,’ he said, kicking off the covers and rolling to his feet. Annabel got her first good view of the back of him as he walked naked to the bathroom and she had to admit it was nearly as good as the front view. He reappeared tying on a towelling robe a moment later and let himself out of the bedroom door.

There was no way she was going to sit through breakfast in the state she was in. Rising from the bed, she gathered her scattered clothing and slipped through the interconnecting door to retreat into her own bedroom.

She used the toilet and rinsed her hands, checking her reflection to gauge the damage a night in make-up had done to her face. Not too bad. Her lipstick hadn’t survived long enough to make it to the bed anyway, and her mascara had smudged only a little. As she checked the state of her hair, her eye caught on the shower cubicle reflected over her shoulder.

‘Oh, thank you,’ she murmured when she spied the hand-held spray attachment fixed to the wall beneath the shower head, already imagining the delightful tickle of those fine jets against her highly sensitised flesh. Oh, yes, a quick wash was definitely in order.

She turned on the water and pulled on one of the robes that hung behind the door. Grabbing a hair clip from her wash bag, she twisted her hair up as she went to tell Aidan that she’d be out in a minute.

Opening her bedroom door, she saw him crossing the spacious sitting room, heading back towards his bedroom door with two glasses of orange juice. He detoured when he saw her.

‘I was going to see if you wanted breakfast in bed,’ he said as he came up and held one of the glasses out to her.

‘Oh. That would be nice.’ She took the glass and watched him take a long drink from his own, gaze locked on that strong throat working to swallow. ‘But I’m a bit, you know, sticky after last night.’ She indicated the sound of running water coming from behind. ‘I’m going to jump into a quick shower first.’ She took a hasty sip of her own juice to cover any inadvertent clues she might give away as he studied her face.

‘Good idea.’ He smiled, and she nearly sighed with relief at having got away with it.

‘Great,’ she said, trying to close the bedroom door but finding him in the way. She gave him a look. ‘I won’t be long.’

Instead of retreating he advanced a step.

‘Er, I meant I’m taking that shower right now?’

‘Yes, I know what you meant,’ he said, reaching out to take her glass from her.

‘But – I can manage from here.’ She watched as he strolled past her into the room to place the glasses on the dresser.

‘Oh, I’m sure you can, Annabel.’ He turned back to her. ‘Which is why we’ll be showering together. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.’

He knew. Of course he did. At this rate she was going to have to start wearing a balaclava to avoid him reading her face. Her plans for self-pleasure foiled, she scowled.

Laughing, he came up in front of her and used the belt of her robe to pull her to him. ‘And don’t think I’ve forgotten about last night or am inclined to let you off payment.’ Wrapping one arm around her, he clamped her flush against him, reminding her of all the hard strength hidden beneath his robe. His other hand clasped lightly around her jaw, tilted her face up to his. ‘I know you must be nearly climbing the walls by now.’ He gave a satisfied smile, his eyes glinting as they searched hers. ‘But you won’t be coming until I’m buried deep inside you again,’ he said. ‘And that might not be for some time yet.’

Before she could complain, he lowered his face and claimed her mouth with a kiss. A kiss that went on and on until her anger and his humour had melted into liquid desire. A kiss so lovely that it had her raising her hands to his head to hold him there forever, her fingers burying themselves with delight into the silky black waves of his hair.

Behind one ear, she found an unexpected ridge that ran in a long thin vertical line. Long enough to have her breaking away in surprise to see what she’d discovered.

‘What’s this?’ she asked, brushing his hair aside and gasping at the sight of the six-inch scar that ran all the way down to the top of his neck.

‘A souvenir from the stroke.’ Aidan turned so that she could see better. ‘Where they operated.’

‘I had no idea,’ she said quietly, laying a gentle touch at the base of the raised silvered line. ‘It must have been bad.’ What was she saying? Of
course
it must have been bad, when was a stroke ever good?

‘I had a bleed in my brain that needed to be stopped. For the rest I’ve been lucky; the only other souvenir I have is this.’ He turned back to face her and pointed to his lopsided smile. ‘For some reason a few of my facial muscles haven’t returned to normal after the paralysis.’

Paralysis? Annabel could barely believe it. He seemed so dynamic, so strong. She brought her fingertips around to touch that spot too, thinking how strange it was that something that seemed such a charming part of him should have come from something so devastating.

He grabbed her fingers and kissed them before using them to tug her after him towards her bathroom. The room was already warm and humid from the running water but even so, she shivered when he undid the sash of her robe with a single pull, swept it back off her shoulders and ran that intent silvery gaze over her. His robe followed a moment later, joining hers in a pile on the floor as he wordlessly used his big, naked and very vital body to herd her into the large shower cubicle.

He followed her in, filling the enclosure not only with his physical size but with the palpable force of energy that radiated from him. He overwhelmed the space with his very presence – she could feel the weight of it pressing in around her, stealing the air.

That didn’t seem to matter a moment later as she forgot how to breathe anyway, watching him step under the spray, tip his head back into the water and stretch that torso as he reached his hands up to slick his sodden hair off his face.

He smiled knowingly at her as he stepped out from under the stream and reached for the shower gel. After squeezing an amount into his palm, he passed it to her.

Annabel took the bottle, but couldn’t seem to do anything beyond clutch it as Aidan began to wash himself in front of her. Couldn’t look away from the sight of his hands slipping over the contours and ridges of his torso, sliding over long, lean muscle.

She stared as his ministrations worked lower, until he grasped the shaft of his erection in his fist, soaping the thick length of it, lifting to allow his other hand to cup the taut testicles beneath.

‘Something on your mind, Ms Frost?’ his husky voice snapped her attention up to his face. But she couldn’t answer, she was speechless, had never shared a moment of such intimacy with anyone.

‘If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll be obliged to jack myself off for you.’

The thought of him pleasuring himself, putting on such an unashamedly carnal show for her was enough to make her breath stutter, which of course he saw. With a growling sound he stepped closer, crowding her back against the tiled wall. He pinned her with those eyes, which looked paler and more penetrating than ever fringed by black lashes clustered together into wet spikes.

‘Would you like that?’

‘Yes,’ she breathed, unable to deny the truth when she could feel the rhythmic brush of his knuckles against her stomach, could see the flex of his biceps in the periphery of her vision as he continued to stroke himself.

‘Even if it meant that you’d have to wait longer for your own relief?’

Did she want to put that off in order to watch him bring himself to the peak of pleasure, to see all that control, that masculine strength disintegrate, to see him tremble and lose himself for her viewing pleasure?

‘Yes.’

He bent his head and pressed his wet lips softly to hers, brushed his tongue against them until he coaxed them apart, then dipped inside. Even as she was aware that he continued to work himself, she felt the touch of his other hand on her neck, felt his fingers slide down over her chest and the curve of her breast, felt him circle her nipple once, twice, his touch a slick, feather-light tease that had her dropping the bottle of shower gel and raising her hands to his shoulders as she arched forward for more.