Playing with the Prop: (Rugby erotic romance)(Strathstow Sharks) (3 page)

“I want to take you home. Take you to bed,” he whispered against her lips before claiming them again.

Her answer was everything he’d hoped for, and more. “Well, what are we still doing here?”

***

Harry lived alone, a fact which surprised Ashley, but not as much as the neatness of the flat he let her into. They’d slipped from the bar without any of the team noticing and grabbed a taxi. They hadn’t talked on the way home, the silence in the cab laden with expectation.

She shivered as she stood in the middle of the small living room. Harry’s keys hit the coffee table by the door in a clatter, a background noise as he headed her way. He stopped less than a step away, the heat of his body beating at hers through her thin dress.

The room was in darkness, the street lamps outside the only illumination. Shadows made his features harsh, but the shiver that chased over her skin was nothing to do with fear. He reached out to slide an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. Hard. Pressed against him from chest and to thighs, her breath left her lungs in a shudder. The long, thick bar of his cock pressing into her belly left her in no doubt of his feelings.

She bit her lip, holding in the whimper of pleasure that wanted to escape. This wasn’t the smiling, laughing man she knew. Instead, he was harder, darker…letting her see the alpha male beneath the smiling mask. She knew he had a temper. She’d seen it flare on the pitch in altercations with opposing players, but she couldn’t imagine him mad at her. Right now, her imagination presented her with all sorts of different scenarios, none of them featuring him angry. Some had him dominant and forceful, yeah, but not pissed at her.

“No,” he whispered, driving a hand into her hair. “Don’t hold back. Not with me.”

She didn’t get a chance to answer. His mouth covered hers in a kiss that stole her ability to think. In fact, every kiss he’d given her short-circuited her brain, leaving her operating on pure instinct. Like her body had decided not to let her sensible side, the one that wanted to scream about the age difference and other issues, ruin things.

Pleasure hit her in a hard shimmer, surging through her veins. Not bothering to hold in her whimper of need, she wound her arms around his neck. He responded with a hard sweep of his tongue to part her lips, and then drove inside to plunder the sweetness within. Her moan was lost in his mouth, her knees threatening to buckle underneath her and spill her to the carpeted floor in a boneless puddle of pleasure. She’d never have guessed that his kiss would be so damn hot.

He stroked his tongue along hers, the caress hot and torrid. Her breathing shortened, heart picking up pace as the fluttering low in her belly intensified. He broke away to nip lightly at her lower lip, and chuckled softly at her start of surprise. The brush of his tongue over the abused flesh made her pussy clench hard and drew another soft murmur from her.

His grip in her hair tightened, drawing her head back so he could reach her throat. Off balance, she clung to him, her hands gripping his heavily muscled upper arms. Bent over backward, she wrapped her leg around his, trusting him to not drop her. He was so strong. Just being in his arms triggered all sorts of primal female instincts. To submit…to yield to his every whim and desire.

“Ashley…fuck, I can’t even think straight,” he groaned, resting his forehead against her shoulder. “So much I want…” He looked at her, concern shining bright in his eyes. “I know I’m a bulldozer at times, but I don’t want you to think you just have to go along with everything. I’m not that kind of guy—“

His concern melted her heart. Reaching up, she stopped the flow of words with her fingertips, a smile on her lips. “How about you stop thinking, and let’s just see where things go?”

She held her breath as he searched her eyes, then smiled and nodded. For all his laughing and joking around, and his fire and temper on the pitch, she was quickly coming to realize that Harry was a total sweetheart. The sort of man a girl would take home to meet her parents. The sort of man who, in her experience, was so hot he shouldn’t
be
that sweet. He should be a total jerk. But he wasn’t. Which meant it wasn’t just her damp panties that were in danger of being torn apart, but her heart could be on the line as well.

He slid his hands forward until he cupped her face, gaze intent. “I’m going to take you to bed, Ashley. Then I’m going to make you scream.”

Oh god, yes please
.

She barely managed to keep the words in her head, and nodded instead. He smiled, and her pussy clenched again, but not as much as it did when he swept in for another kiss, his lips dallying with hers.

Without breaking the kiss, he backed her up.

Step. Kiss. Another step. Another hot kiss.

The process continued through the living room and along the short corridor until he pushed a door open. Bunching her fingers in the front of his T-shirt, she backed up, leading him with what she hoped was a sultry expression on her face. Why he’d picked her when he could have any woman he wanted she wasn’t sure. She didn’t even know if he wanted more than a night with her, but right now, she didn’t care. If one night was all that was on offer, then she’d take it.

Letting go, she back-stepped until her legs bumped the side of the bed, then sat down. “Take it off,” she ordered, motioning in the direction of his clothes. “I want to see what I have to play with, just in case I’m not paying attention when we get to the screaming part.
If
we get to the screaming.”

“If? What’s this word if?” He lifted an eyebrow and dropped his hands to the bottom of his shirt. He pulled up the fabric, revealing a taut, six-pack and her mouth went dry. “There will be no if, buts, or maybes about it.”

The shirt hit the floor. She swept her gaze upward. His chest was broad, and seemed broader with nothing covering it except a light smattering of hair. Heavy pectorals ran into clearly defined abdominals, the oblique’s tantalizing her as he twisted to toe his shoes off. Oh my, someone sure had hit the gym recently.

“Yeah?” She tried to sound normal. Like she was unaffected by the sight of a man, this man, getting naked mere feet from her. It didn’t work. Her voice emerged high-pitched and breathy. Too breathy. “Sounding awfully confident there, cowboy. Sure you can back up your claims?”

“Cowboy?” He started to undo his belt, strong fingers making short work of the buckle. “Well, you know what they say…”

She frowned, mesmerized by the movement of his hands. He unsnapped the first button on his fly, then the next, and the next. His cock sprang free from confinement, accompanied by a soft groan from the depths of his chest.

“I-I d….don’t know… What do they say?”

Reaching down, he wrapped a big hand around his shaft and stroked. She bit her lip and fought the urge to squirm in place on the bed. Crap, she was so wet. She daren’t move for fear he’d see the damp patch.

“Save a horse…ride a cowboy.” He chuckled, taking a step toward her as he stroked again. “You wouldn’t want those poor horses to suffer, now would you?”

He reached the bed, standing in front of her with the tempting thick length of his cock on a level with her face. To his credit, he didn’t try to shove it toward her like some men would. Instead, he just stood there, stroking himself while he watched her.

She tried to hold his gaze but the flushed, purple head flashing in and out of his fist in her peripheral vision was too distracting.

“No, not at all,” she agreed, her attention not on what she was saying at all.

She gave up all pretense of looking up at him and leaned forward. Her mouth watered at the long, perfect example of a cock in front of her, and she licked her lips. He groaned, the sound tortured, but moved his hand to allow her access. His cock bobbed for a second after he released it, the muscles in his stomach clenched tight as she reached for him. Her fingers barely met around the thick shaft, the soft skin over it silky and smooth, but she didn’t let that stop her. Stroking in long, firm movements, she glanced up to gauge his reaction.

“
Shhhhhaahhhh
…” He hissed and dropped his head back. Every line of his body snapped taut. Each muscle bunched and pulled into high definition. His cock jerked in her hand as though begging for more attention. A request she couldn’t refuse. Moving closer, she blew a warm breath over the tip.

His head snapped up, and the blaze in his eyes scorched her to the bone. Lust and darkness warred for dominance in his eyes, the usual smile banished for now. Reaching out, he drove his hand into her hair, forming a fist. She expected pressure. For him to pull her lips toward his cock, but he didn’t. He just seemed content to watch her, as though enraptured by the sight of her lips tantalizingly close.

A shiver rolled through her. That she had such a physically powerful man subject to her every movement thrilled her, filled her with a sense of her own power that she’d never felt before. But then, her previous boyfriends had always rushed to get to the main event, never wanting to linger. Hell, half the time she’d resorted to faking orgasm and retreated to the bathroom afterward to finish the job herself.

She doubted very much that would be required tonight.

Parting her lips, she flicked her tongue out and over the broad head of his cock. His grunt was accompanied by a quick clench of his fist in her hair. Not much, nothing that would hurt, as though he’d realized and limited his reaction.

“God, Ashley. Do that again. Please,” he begged in a hoarse voice.

Begging, she liked that. The brief taste had whetted her appetite, so she gave him what he wanted. Not in a hurry, she tilted her head and ran her tongue up the underside of his shaft until she reached the top, then ran the tip of her tongue around the rim of his cockhead. He swore again, but she ignored it, concentrating instead on a long, slow lick over the top. Parting her lips, she engulfed him in the warmth of her mouth.

“Fuck!” His curse this time was swift and hard, but he remained still for her. She had to give him credit for control, because his grip in her hair didn’t tighten, not even when she bobbed her head and slid him deeper.

Hell, he was big. Her eyes widening, she took him deeper and deeper. Too much of this would give her jaw ache, but for now, his swearing, and the jerk of his cock in her mouth made it all worth it.

Pulling back, she kept the suction on his cock, only releasing it to flick her tongue over the head. She hummed in the back of her throat, and slid over him again, deeper this time. She did it again, and again, until his hand tightened almost to the point of pain in her hair and his hips started to move, to thrust forward each time she took him deep. Then, just to be wicked, she swirled her tongue around the sensitive head.

He yelped, the sound somewhere between a growl and a bark, and pulled her off him and to her feet in a quick movement.

“That’s it.”

He covered her lips in a quick, hard kiss. No complaining about the fact she’d just had his cock in her mouth, instead he parted her lips and kissed her. Hard. Ruthless. A man who took what he wanted, when he wanted.

She whimpered, the sound lost as he moved. Big hands covered her shoulders, sliding around to search for the zipper to her dress. His fingers met smooth fabric at the center of her back, and he broke away.

“Crap, where is it?”

She smiled, grateful for the chance to get her breath back and guided his hand to her side. He kissed the side of her neck and yanked the zipper, grumbling when it caught halfway and slid the rest of the way slower. The fabric gaped and the wash of colder air over her exposed skin made her shiver, but not as much as the brush of his hands as he pulled the dress this way and that, trying to figure out how to get it off her.

“Fuck’s sake. Is this some kind of bloody test?” he demanded, lifting his head.

She smiled, her soft chuckle of amusement catching his attention.

“Oh, think its funny, do you?” He yanked her dress up around her waist and cupped her ass to drag her closer.

Her breath escaped in a gasp at the feel of his strong fingers over her bared skin. His other hand joined the first in exploration, fingertips tracing the line between her buttock and her thigh. A finger from the other hand found the back of her panties and slid under it, twisting and curling the thin strip of satin.

“Thongs,” he whispered. “I like thongs. Show me how to get the dress off you, or I’ll fuck you with it on.”

Her breath caught, her lungs unable to process the air within them as the butterflies in her stomach went into overdrive.

“J-just here…at the shoulder and neck.”

She managed to get one of the fastenings undone, but his hand replaced hers. His strong fingers made light work of the complicated frog-closures, and the front of her dress fell away. He stepped back, his heated gaze sliding over her exposed body.

Biting her lip didn’t provide the relief that she’d hoped for. She wasn’t tone and tanned, nor preened to perfection like most of the women who hung around the players regularly. She’d tried fake tan. Once. After she’d gone a funny color, she’d never bothered again. And her hair? Well, the best thing to say about that was the last time she’d been inside a hair salon for more than a quick trim was months ago.

“You’re—”

She held her breath, waiting for a compliment about her eyes, or some variant on “I love your personality.” Instead, he lifted his head and speared her with a gaze so hot that it could have powered a small sun.

“Perfect. You’re absolutely perfect.”

Her body melted at the words, uttered with such awe. Yet more shivers assaulted her as he stripped the dress from her shoulders with sure fingers. Amusement lurked in the back of her mind. Some cougar she’d turned out to be. Shouldn’t she be seducing him, rather than the other way around?

“What’s so funny?” he murmured, bending to smooth her dress over her hips. His big hands almost encircled her waist. Every brush of his skin against hers left whispers of pleasure in their wake. Leaning closer, the wash of his breath over her was her only warning before he pressed a trail of hot kisses along her ribs and the soft swell of her belly.

“Nothing.” She wriggled, trying to hold in the giggle as he found all her ticklish spots. But he held her still, a chuckle deep in his throat, kissing her ruthlessly until she cracked and laughed, pushing at the wide expanse of his shoulders.

“I was just thinking I failed the cougar test.”

“Hmmm, test?” Her dress dropped to the floor around her ankles. Still kneeling in front of her, he helped her step free of the fabric and scooped it out of the way. “What test?”

His hands swept up the outside of her legs, pausing for a moment to caress behind her knees with strong fingers. Pleasure surged through her, another wave of liquid heat escaping her. She gasped, clutching at his shoulder for support this time, instead of pushing him away.

“The cougar test,” she explained, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “Because I’m older than you…”

He stayed where he was, on his knees, looking up to search her face. “Sweetheart, you’re way too young to be a cougar. Age is just a number.”

His hands reached her hips, his fingers curling under the narrow straps of her panties. Holding her gaze with his, he pulled them down inch by slow inch. The lace and satin slid over her hips, pulled taut for a second, then loosened as he pulled further, and they dropped around her thighs. Without his prompt, she parted her legs, lifting one foot, and then the other to let him pull the panties free. They disappeared over his shoulder and finally, he swept his gaze across her body again.

Her breathing stuttered, halting, then starting up again, hard and fast, as his gaze lingered on her bust, still showcased by the pretty satin and lace bra she’d picked out for tonight. Just in case.

Oh, who was she trying to kid? She’d hoped this would happen. In the locked away area deep in her mind, she’d thought about the possibility for months.

“That needs to go as well.” His voice was soft, but he didn’t make a move to undo the bra. Emboldened by his reactions to her body, she reached up and unsnapped it, one arm folded to hold the fabric in place for a second.

“Lose it…please?” he urged, hands on her hips, palms warm as he spread his fingers. Lord, his hands were so big. His skin so rough. She shivered.

She dropped her arm, sliding the straps away and letting the bra drop to the floor. At his deep groan of appreciation, she arched her back, her breasts firming and tightening under his gaze. He moved, sliding his hands up the side of her waist and around. He easily engulfed each breast in his big palms. She closed her eyes in pleasure. He didn’t need a second invite. Surging into movement, he stood, one arm sliding around her waist as he caressed her. Soft. Gentle. His fingers closed around her nipple and gave a small tweak. She gasped, fire arching from her nipple straight to her pussy, and she melted against him.

“Hell, Ashley. You’re killing me here. I’ve wanted to do this for months.” He swooped in and claimed her mouth again. His tongue parted her lips with a hard sweep and drove inside, thrusting in as he shoved his hips against hers—a dual assault that scattered her senses.

Without breaking the kiss, he eased her backward, using his strong body as a cage to lower her to the bed. She clung to him, reveling in the strength he used with such gentleness. The slight brush of his knee parted her thighs, and she sighed as he settled between them, still kissing her. His arms bracketed her, holding him above her. With the immense upper-body strength he had, she knew he’d never crush her. In fact, he was treating her like she was made of fine china, something delicate that he was worried about breaking.