One Hot Summer Anthology (7 page)

The compliment warmed her already fluttering heart. “Thank you.”

Laying her back against the pillows, his lips caressed her cheek and nuzzled into her neck. “I have dreamed of seeing it spread out, just like this.” His mouth traveled down and tasted her breasts, gently suckling the tips.

She melted beneath his lips, the molten fire once more gathering in white-hot force between her legs. “Yes,” she told him, already breathless. His long hair brushed over her hardened nipples. She wanted him so badly she would have shaved her head if he’d asked.

He moved on, his tongue whirling and licking as his mouth journeyed downwards. Pausing at her navel, he dipped into the shallow divot with a rhythm that caused her hips to undulate restlessly beneath him. When his lips shifted farther down to the triangle of hair between her legs, she stiffened in a mixture of pleasure and shock.

“What—what are you doing?”

His darkened gaze, lifted to meet hers. “Making love to you.” The heat of his breath blew against her.

“But—no. I can’t.” She squirmed under his foraging mouth and he clamped her hips and buttocks under him.

“You can. Let me love you.” His tongue worried the nub of her desire before delving inside her. Her heels dug into the bed, her hands clutching the bedspread. Then she was lost. She cried out as pleasure crashed over her like a tidal wave, drowning her body in pure sensation. When the last few spasms faded away, he withdrew, planting a kiss on her moist nest one last time.

“Look at me,” he ordered, sounding so rough and strained she obeyed without question. His eyes were dark and fierce, reminding her of the image she had seen transposed on his face.

“Spread your legs wider and bend your knees,” he told her. A flurry of alarm mixed with excitement rushed through her. She bent her knees, allowing her legs to go slack, while he found protection. He ran his hands along the underside of her calves and up the inside of her thighs.

“You’re so beautiful. So soft.” His hands gripped her hips on either side and he ground his erection against her still sensitive sex.

“I’m going to bury myself deep inside of you. Until you feel nothing but me.”

Dark flames of desire shot back through her. “Yes,” she breathed.

Gently, his fingers stretched apart her folds, the tip of his manhood pressing into her. His face was taut with desire, but no longer held the strange savage quality. “Tilt your hips. Like that.” He slowly sank into her body until he completely filled her. “Oh, God, you’re perfect, so hot and wet.”

She wrapped her arms around him, moving her hands down his back until they settled on the firm muscles of his buttocks. The muscles clenched and unclenched under her palms as he slipped in and out of her again and again.

Should she tell him he’d gotten what he wanted? That all she could feel was him inside her? Dear Lord, she felt him. So big, so hard within her. Every thrust, every short, teasing stab. Nothing else mattered but reaching the top again and, this time, tumbling over together.

He kissed her and she tasted herself on him, the musky scent of sex filling her nostrils. With a sobbing moan, she felt the tremors start and tried to put them off, wanting it to last longer.

“Come with me, Imani.” he rasped in her ear. “Come with me.”

“No, oh—” Her hands flailed against him. Pushing him away, pulling him to her.

“Yes.” He reached down between them, stroking her swollen nub with his thumb as he plunged deep inside her. Her hips bucked wildly, matching him thrust for thrust. Then he stiffened and cried out, letting her contracting muscles milk him.

Exhausted, Imani slumped back into the bed. Her eyes closed and she felt Carson pull the comforter over them. She cuddled into his warmth and immediately descended into sleep. And dreamed.

Very sweet dreams.

Chapter Seven

Imani reached out for Carson as she rolled over in bed. Empty. Then she heard the music. Norah Jones. What was that about? A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. She wrapped herself in a robe left at the foot of the bed and wandered to the living room. She’d made her way into a very romantic setup. Candles were everywhere, flickering, bathing the room in a magical glow. He was sitting on her couch, sipping a glass of wine, casually, as if he’d done nothing at all. The room dimmed with the blur of her tears.

At the rustling sound of the robe, he turned and lifted a brow. As one song came to a close, he stood, walked over, and then took her hand. “May I have this dance?”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she drifted into his arms. They whirled around the room with no sounds but the hiss of candles and the soft slide of satin on skin. One song turned into another, and before long, the music stopped.

She studied his face, so unbearably dear, so unbelievably handsome, and let the robe fall to the floor. At first, he didn’t move, and instead, let his gaze linger long and slow, making her blush. He lifted his hand and trailed a gentle finger from her mouth, down the line of her throat, between her breast and lower.

“I owe you an apology,” he murmured.

“For?”

He lifted her in his arms. “I should’ve done this at the start. Sometimes I’m a little slow.”

“I’m starting to find that I like it when you’re a little slow.”

Gently, he lay her down on the couch. “Good,” he murmured, his mouth cruising over her throat, and then her breasts, heavy with intent. She reached for the fastener on his pants, but he grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

“This is for you.”

Helpless to do much more, Imani closed her eyes. His palms grazed her breasts and she arched upward to meet his touch. For long, torturous moments, he did nothing but lightly circle her nipples with wicked strokes of his fingers. She felt the moisture pool inside her, pulsing and throbbing.

He lowered his head, his mouth replacing his fingers, and she shoved her fingers in his hair, pulling him close. His tongue flicked against her skin, at first gentle, sensual, and then with more purpose. His mouth pulled her nipples in deeper, almost painful, and she cried out.

Imani curled her toes, her thighs falling open, waiting for him to appease her. But he chose to ignore her pleading and instead, his mouth worked its way farther down, his tongue teasing against her belly.

“Oh, yes!”

His fingers stroked the inside of her thigh. High, but not high enough. He cupped her heat and she curled her hips into his hand, waiting to be filled.

But he had other plans. He slid his hands beneath her legs, opening her even wider. His mouth pleasured the inside of her thighs, licking the moisture coated between them. With each flick of his tongue, he moved closer, and she fisted her hands into the couch.

Incoherent pleas fell from her lips as she felt herself flying higher and higher. She bucked against him, her muscles clenching and unclenching.

Just a little more.

While his mouth continued its torment, he put his fingers inside her, touching her there. And that was all she needed.

The lights behind her eyes flashed brilliantly bright and she felt her muscles began to spasm. She cried out just as her senses exploded.

              Without saying a word, he came to her, took her face between his hands, and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was smooth and wet. She basked in its gentle warmth. But it wasn’t enough. She needed more. So much more.

             
Imani broke off the kiss, her hands sliding up his rock hard chest to clasp around his neck. “Make love to me,” she said, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. He swept her up in his arms and carried her through the doors.

             
After they entered the room, Carson set her feet down on the floor and held her up as he suckled her breasts and pushed the robe aside. She pressed against him, cupping her palm along the hard ridge outlined by his jeans. With a low groan, his mouth moved back to hers, this time kissing her with the same rough and savage passion he had in her dreams.

             
She wanted him. Now.

Imani tried to undo the metal clasp of his pants, her trembling fingers struggling with the unyielding material. He kept their mouths joined together while his hands shifted and released the fastener for her. She unzipped his fly, feeling the sound of pleasure he uttered against her lips when she dipped her hands inside. Stroking his velvet heat, she was glad he’d decided to forgo putting his underwear back on. He strained against her hand and her fingers curled around him, easily sliding up and down as she slicked the length of him with the drops of his own desire.

He took a step toward the bed, but she stopped him. The urgent need to have him inside her, right then, consumed her. “Now. Please. I want you inside me now.”

She sank down to the floor, pulling him with her so frantically he stumbled a bit before righting himself and bracing his arms on either side of her. A soft, cool breeze blew over them through the open windows as her desperate hands shoved his pants down below his buttocks. It didn’t take him long as he made the frantic motions to protect them.

As he came up over her, she flexed her hips against him. She clasped her palms on his lower back, tugging him to her. The burning throb between her legs intensified as he easily glided into her moist flesh.

It was almost more than she could bear. The need she felt for Carson was almost overwhelming. Then he began to make love to her. The smell, the touch, the taste of them blended and circulated through her senses until their differences blurred into obscurity. She cried out his name, feeling him stiffen and hesitate a moment before pulling back and sinking into her once more.

His hand slid up to caress her breast, lightly pinching the erect tip as he began a slow, rhythmic thrusting. When she tried to increase the pace, he held her hips. “Easy, now. I’ll bring you there. Just let it happen.”

Her nails lightly raked across his shoulders and he shuddered against her. “Please,” she begged him, her breath coming in gasps. “I can’t stand it. I can’t…”

“You can,” his husky voice told her. “Because I won’t stop.” He drove into her again, filling her to the hilt. “Not until you come for me.”

Her back arched off the floor as she climaxed, seized by rapture so great her breath caught in her throat and her lips parted in a silent cry. His hands left her hips to cup her buttocks, tilting them and plunging deeper into her heat as he groaned with his own release. The spasms of pleasure seemed to go on forever and yet, not long enough.

He whispered something unintelligible, nibbling at her ear. She didn’t have the strength left to ask him what he’d said.

Her hands slid down from around his back to spread along the rigid muscles of his chest, her lips burrowing into the hard chords of his neck. A sense of well-being settled over her as she lay in his arms, her heartbeat returning to normal. It was right to be here with him. Because—

Because she had started to develop feelings for him.

She had feelings him.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized it was true. She’d been tossed irrevocably, inconceivably into a storm of emotions with a man she hardly knew. And why? Because he saw her unruly dark hair as shining silk? Because he could bring her to orgasm in a way no other had? A banners flying, rockets shooting, I-could-die-right-now-because-I’ve-experienced-an-epiphany kind of climax. With Carson it wasn’t just a pleasurable melding of bodies. It was something more, something she couldn’t even put into words if someone were to ask her. As if her love for him had always been there, dormant inside her and waiting to be released the moment he entered her life. That was what was so frightening. She’d never felt this way about anyone. Carson held the power to wound her down to the very depths of her soul. That scared her more than anything else.

* * * *

              “You look mighty chipper this morning.”

             
Carson looked up from the paperwork he was reviewing to find his sister standing in the doorway. He’d been hoping to avoid her at least until the morning hours, but that must have been too much to ask for.

             
“Whatever it is, the answer is no.”

             
Kallie pouted and she neared him. “Come on, Carson. You know you want to spill it.”

             
He put his pen down and leaned back in his chair. “Not to you. I have a feeling I’d be better off calling Mom.”

             
“Ha! She’d have Dad on the first plane here and then you’d really know what it’s like to have someone all in your business. Personally, I think I should be commended for my restraint. I’ve done a great job of worrying about you in silence.”

             
He laughed. “I do have to give you credit. You’ve always been a pain in my ass. You’ve done an excellent job of staying away. So what’s changed?”

             
Throwing a hand up, he blocked the towel she threw in his direction. “There are times when I really can’t stand you.”

             
“But you can’t help but to love me.”

             
Kallie rolled her eyes as she took a seat across from him. “Unfortunately. You’ve been the best big brother in the world, so I can’t hate you too much.”

             
“Wow. That almost sounded like a compliment. You must want something.”

             
“Now that you mention it—”

             
Carson groaned. “Kallie—”

             
“Before you start grumbling, nothing too painful. I just want to make sure you’re okay. As much as you’re trying to hide it, you’re getting wrapped up in Imani.”

             
He didn’t even bother to deny it. Almost a week had gone by since he’d taken Imani back to his home and ravished her until the early morning hours of the next day. But she’d been in his bed, or he in hers every night after that point. He’d become very comfortable with the arrangement, even though time was running out. Even worse, Imani showed no signs of changing her mind about wanting to extend her vacation. If anything, she seemed more determined to get back to Charleston.

             
Every time he thought about it, it was like a swift kick to the gut. When he’d attempted to broach the topic a few days ago, she’d quickly changed the subject. He vowed then not to bring it up again.

             
“Penny for your thoughts?”

             
“If I thought you could help, Kallie, I’d spill my guts to you. But the bottom line is you can’t. The decision of what happens between Imani and I is up to her. I’ve made my interest in her implicitly clear. She still has some things to work through.”

             
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

             
“Positive. Although I do have a question for you. How likely would you be to pursue a long distance relationship?”

             
“It depends on the guy. If it’s someone I really like, I’d be willing to give it a shot as long as the distance isn’t too great. From a woman’s prospective, I want to be able to see the guy I’m interested in as often as possible. Social media capabilities has really changed the game. You can video chat with a person and it’s like they’re practically there with you. So as long as the distance isn’t too great to where I wouldn’t be able to hop in the car and be there in a few hours to see him or vice versa, I’d give it a shot.”

             
He thought about his sister’s words, pondering a few ideas he hadn’t even thought about. There was no doubt he could continue his involvement with Imani, but to what degree would be up to her. 

             
“I could try a little girl talk with Imani if you’d like.”

             
“No. Even though your intentions would be innocent, I could easily see Imani running off as fast as she could. I appreciate the offer though.”

             
“I figured the least I could do is offer.”

             
“If I ever need to take you up on it, I’ll let you know.”

             
“And I’ll be there. No questions asked. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me. You deserve to be happy, Carson.”

             
“Don’t worry. For the first time in a long time, I am.”

             
“Good to know. Now, I’m going to go out and gear up for the lunch rush. Do you want me to have your usual sent back here to you or do you want to come out and get it?”

             
“I’ll come get it in a little while. Give me a shout if you need me out there.”