Promises Reveal (15 page)

“That’s it.” He nipped her lower lip, gathering up her gown. “That’s what I want.” Another flick, another pleasured cry. “Just give me that.”

And she did, copying every move he made, reflecting back to him the desire in which he wanted to drown, luring him into deepening the kiss, challenging his control with the creative side of her nature. When she caught his tongue between her lips and sucked, he swore and tore his mouth away.

“Witch.” He finally reached the end of the fabric. “Lift up.”

With only the slightest hesitation, she did, clinging to his shoulders like he was all that she trusted, whispering as the gown floated to the floor, “You like me naked.”

He suppressed his grin. “What makes you so sure?”

“I felt your . . . cock twitch.”

Just the word on her perfect lips was enough to bring him to the edge. “Where the hell did you hear that word?”

Eyes crinkling in amusement, she trailed her fingers up over his nape to twine in his hair. “I’m twenty-five, Brad, and men aren’t as careful as they could be when it comes to their speech. Yourself included.”

“I’ll be careful tonight.” Very careful not to scare her. Careful not to forget himself, but it was going to be damn hard with her looking the way she did right now, all pink and white, her breasts hard tipped with passion, the left bound to his will.

“Not too careful. I hope. I want to have fun.”

So did he. Every bit he could wrestle from this night. Evie was like no one he’d ever known before. Indulging himself with her wasn’t safe, wasn’t sensible, but when she drew her foot up his calf under his pant leg, her expression absorbed as she memorized the feel of his skin, the changing pressure of his cock, he didn’t care. No matter what the price for this time with Evie, he’d pay it, because this was different, unique, and he’d be damned if he’d throw it away. “Then you might want to hold back a bit on the words you use.”

“Why?” Adjusting the angle of her hips until the ridge of his cock was intimately nestled, she gave a luxurious sigh and pressed up. “I think you like it when I use that word.”

Like it? He dropped his forehead to hers, laughter rippling from him in a soft wash of amusement. “Evie darling, I’m so far past ‘like,’ it’s a wonder I can still talk.”

“It’s almost over?”

If he’d taken her chocolate away, she couldn’t have sounded more disappointed. “Not by a long shot. I have a lot of advice to work through.”

“Advice?”

He inched lower. “According to what I’ve been told, virgins are shy, timid creatures who fear the pleasure of a man’s touch.”

“You thought because I was a virgin, I’d be stupid?”

He laughed again at her indignation. “Prospective grooms are treated to a lot of advice.”

“And you listened?”

“A smart man always listens.”

“So what was the advice?”

“Keep the lights off.”

Her palms cherished the planes of his chest. Her fingertips discovered the curve of muscle, the rough edges of bullet wounds, and the longer, narrow slashes of the whip, scars that would later bring questions but right now did nothing more than cause a slight pause. Her “Absolutely not” made him smile.

“Go fast or slow, touch or don’t touch. Feed alcohol—”

She gave him the bite of her nails. “That you tried.”

He kissed his way down to the valley between her breasts, nerve endings snapping to attention as her nails dragged up to his shoulders in a sensual tease.

He couldn’t resist giving the ribbon a little tug. “Feed chocolate.”

“Oh, lands!” She caught her breath. “I would have liked that.”

The spot two inches down from her breastbone was sensitive. He lingered there, sucking at the taut flesh, absorbing the resulting shiver against his open mouth before stroking his tongue over the rise of goose bumps. Her high-pitched little sigh drove him crazy. Pressing into her heat, he did it again, feeling cheated when this time she only caught her breath. He wanted that sigh, that proof of her submission. He wanted the barrier of his pants gone from between them. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Moving down her body, gritting his teeth when it required he leave the intimate hug of her groin, he continued with his litany. “I’m also supposed to ignore your protests.”

Her fingers wove through his hair. “At your peril.”

He smiled. “Encourage your wildness.”

“That you’ve done.”

The well of her navel drew his attention. “Not enough.”

Her abdominal muscles rippled at the graze of his teeth, sucked in at the probe of his tongue. Her hands fisted in his hair as he continued his journey. He made it another inch before her fingers tugged. “What are you doing?”

Looking up between her pert breasts, he stated the obvious. “Kissing you.”

“My mouth is up here.”

Those weren’t the lips he was interested in right now. “And I’ll get back to them in just a bit.”

“I’m not sure . . .”

He was. He nibbled his way lower, sliding his hand up her thigh, pressing outward. “Trust me, Evie darling. You want this.”

With a breathless hesitancy she asked, “How do you know?”

Her legs parted. He pressed a kiss to the top of her mound, the dark blonde hairs beneath tickling his chin, calling him to come play. Nuzzling his way down, he accepted the invite, pressing a kiss on the silken folds, steadying her through the shock with the press of his palm. “Because I’m going to drive you wild.”

“Oh, dear.”

She might be shocked, but she was interested. With a leisurely pass of his tongue, he took the indecision out of her hands.

“Sweet, Evie.”

“I can’t believe you did that.”

He couldn’t believe he’d waited this long. “Brace yourself. I’m going to do it again.” He suited action to words. “And again.”

She gasped. The sheets rustled as she arched her hips up.

“That’s it.” He smoothed his thumb across the swelling nub of her clit. “Make it easy for me.”

She did, pulling his mouth closer, chasing that whisper of pleasure with everything in her.

“Just like that.” With his thumb and forefinger he separated the outer lips, revealing the bundle of nerves within. Taking advantage of the position, he slipped his hands under her buttocks, sinking his fingertips into the lush curves as he held her to the tenderness of his kiss, the lash of his tongue, that first surge of heady passion.

“Brad!”

“Right here.”

“It’s—”

He stole the words from her throat with the stroke of his tongue, that sexy high-pitched sigh he sought, his reward. “Good.”

“Yes.” She shifted into the experience, rocking with the rhythm he set. “Very, very good.”

He sped things up, applying a bit more pressure, giving her a bit more friction, steadily driving her higher, listening for that one sound that signaled he’d found the perfect pressure, lingering when he got it, focusing his passion on her. Needing this for her, for him. Needing to give this one time so maybe when he took later, the scales would balance. She whimpered and gasped. He growled and nipped. Another cry, another sigh. She was almost there.

Reaching over, he grabbed the sponge from the small bowl on the bed stand. The scent of vinegar overrode the scent of desire. For a second he held the bit of sponge, debating. It would be so easy to forgo this step. So easy to fall into the role and to hell with the consequences. He imagined Evie round with child, allowed himself one small moment of joy, and then he squashed both the image and the emotion, his father’s mocking laughter ringing in his ears. With practiced efficiency, he eased the sponge into her tight sheath, irrationally resenting the scent, the act.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

He pushed the sponge high, holding it while the muscles of her channel clenched around his finger. She was so damn tight. So perfect. “Protecting you.”

“I don’t understand.”

He didn’t want her to. Brushing her hands aside, he nuzzled back in, distracting her with a series of kisses that expanded to a gentle suction, testing her readiness with another finger when her hips lifted in invitation.

“Oh, dear heavens.”

“Easy,” he murmured as she twisted away. She needed to be easy and let him make her ready.

“You be easy!”

Her heels dug into the mattress and she bucked as she fought the building climax, but she took all he offered with a hard clench and release that had him gritting his teeth. He couldn’t wait to be in her.

“It’s going to be good, Evie.”

“It scares me.”

The whispered confession cut to his heart. Shit. Of course it scared her. She was new to this. To him. And he was supposed to be making it good for her. Containing the wild lust pounding through him, Brad backed his finger from her tight sheath, gentling his touch, his expression, as he came over her. At least he hoped to hell what he managed was gentle.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She didn’t move as he cradled her, just stared at him, big eyes wide and measuring the veracity in his words. He couldn’t blame her for the doubt. Brushing his lips over her temple, he mentally kicked his ass. A man didn’t come at a virgin crazy with lust. “You’re not going to be in control when it happens, Evie, but you don’t have to worry. I will be. I’ll keep you safe.”

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

Her lip slipped between her teeth. “What if you forget?”

To stay in control?

He never forgot. His life, as far back as he could remember, depended on remembering. “I won’t. Ever.”

There was a long pause that stretched finer than his control and then her lids dropped and she eyed him from behind the screen of her lashes. “Good.” She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and smiled as he shook first one and then the other arm free. “Because I believe I mentioned I’ve spent a long time waiting for this moment?”

That smile shot past his control and wrapped around his heart, squeezing tightly. In the golden flicker of the lamp, her skin took on a creamy luminescence, her eyes a seductive shadowing, but what held him enthralled was the sheer vibrancy of her personality, which she was letting free tonight. With him. For no other reason than because she believed a promise
he’d
made kept her safe. Brad touched the tips of his fingers to the edge of her cheekbone. And maybe it did. It was hard to fathom, but Evie really did bring out the decent in him.

“I think we both have.”

 
I THINK WE both have.

Evie slowed her frantic tugging. The cotton shirttail wrapped around her fingers as she studied Brad’s expression. She had the impression of seriousness, a hint of surprise, definitely wry acceptance, and something soft. That touch on her cheek was incredibly tender. Special to her in the possibilities it presented. She’d accepted that she had Brad’s passion and was prepared to enjoy it, but passion, she’d observed, could be a fleeting thing for a man, something he only held dear until the newness wore off. But tenderness was bigger than passion. Stronger. Tenderness was the first step toward a bond on which she could build. She wrapped her fingers around his wrists, feeling solidness of bone and muscle and a ridge of scar tissue. Tenderness was a beginning.

“Make love to me, Brad.”

If she’d taken a whip to his flesh he couldn’t have reacted more strongly. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. Tracing her hand back up his arm, she worked it between their bodies, skating down the rigid plane of his stomach. “Please.”

His lips brushed her ear as his big body shifted down. “You don’t have to beg, Evie darling.”

No
, she realized. She didn’t. And neither did he. That moment of tenderness had given her something to hold on to when that searing, scary, overwhelming passion came back. And it would come back. Brad did not have the look of a man who intended to settle for half measures.

“Promise me something.”

He lifted his head from where he was nibbling on her neck. She missed the press of his mouth. “What?”

“Don’t get mad if I get nervous.”

“Promise me something back.”

His eyes were so dark with passion beneath the rakish fall of his hair that she couldn’t see the blue. He looked like a bandit, an outlaw, a predator, and she was the only game for miles. Having that much desire focused on her should have been unnerving. Instead, she found it exhilerating. “What?”

Tucking his fingers between her neck and the pillows, he pressed gently, arching her mouth up to the descent of his. “Promise me that when you get scared, instead of running away, you’ll sink those pretty little nails into me and hold on tight.”

It was remarkably easy to give that promise. “I can do that.”

His lips touched the right side of her mouth and then the left, featherlight brushes that tormented more than satisfied. “Good.”

He kissed her hard and deep, parting her lips with a gentle nip on her bottom lip, taking possession with a firm swipe of his tongue. After that, all she could do was hold tight as joy, desire, and anticipation spilled through her. He tasted of man, whiskey, sex, and pleasure. He tasted of him and faintly of her. It was shocking. It was heady. She wanted more.

Against her stomach, his cock throbbed. It felt harder than before. Bigger. She worked her hand between them, under the waistband of his pants. The sharp contraction of his stomach muscles eased her way. Her fingertips brushed smooth, hard flesh.

With a shake of his head he broke the kiss. “No.”

“But I want to know.”

“And I want this to last.”

She made note of the want. So much want just waiting to be unleashed. “What can I do?”

“I already told you, practice your sighs of pleasure.”

His hand cupped her breast. The pressure was divine. The ribbon slid against the side in a sultry caress. With two tugs, he freed her nipple from the intimate bondage. At first there was nothing, but then sensation came back, starting with small tingles that soon turned to darts of fire that flickered over her skin, stealing her breath. “Oh.”