Riding Steele: Aftershock (3 page)

“I’m sorry, Steele.” She took his hand and locked gazes with him. “It’s not you. You know that. I just have to … get past this.” She drew his hand to her lips and kissed his rough knuckles. “I know you can help me do that.” She leaned forward and kissed the tip of his raspy chin. “Will you help me?”

*

Steele watched as she reached behind her neck and untied the halter, then lowered it, revealing her naked breasts. His heart clenched and his cock stirred. For days he’d held back, wanting her, but knowing he had to give her time. And every time she pulled back from him, he had died a little inside. He knew she didn’t mean to reject him, but that didn’t change how it made him feel.

She took his hand again and pressed it to one mound. He groaned softly.

Fuck, he wanted her so bad.

He felt a tug on his jeans as she pulled down his zipper, then her hand slid inside. His heart raced as her delicate fingers wrapped around him.

God, he needed to be inside her. His body ached with the overwhelming need.

He had to fight the compelling drive to shove her back on the couch, tear her clothes away, then drive into her. Hard and fast.

He kept tight control on himself, but what if he got carried away? What if he acted on that need? Would she ever trust him again?

Her fingers glided his length and he moaned, his hand tightening on her soft breast.

He should stop her.

But he couldn’t. Her tender touch met a need deep inside him. Made him feel special and loved. She was like a drug he couldn’t shake.

She stroked his cock until it was so stiff he couldn’t think straight. Then she stood up and pushed off her jeans, then climbed onto his lap. Her fingers wrapped around him again and she pressed his tip to her hot, melting core.

He grasped her waist. “Oh, God, Laurie, you feel so good.”

She stroked his hair back, then smiled as she lowered herself onto him. He almost gasped at the feel of her warmth surrounding him. Being buried inside her was the most exquisite feeling he’d ever experienced.

She lifted and lowered herself, gliding on him in a sweet, passionate caress. His cock ached at the sublime sensations. He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in her.

He filled her again and again as she made love to him, gliding up and down, her loving hands stroking his chest. He groaned as she squeezed him inside and she moaned softly at her own pleasure.

She sped up and the pleasure heightened. She squeezed again and his groin tightened, then he erupted inside her, the pleasure blossoming to pure joy.

She gasped, rocking her hips on him, then moaned as she found her own release.

He held her close as she rested against his chest, all soft and feminine in his arms.

The experience had been incredible. Loving and soft and exciting. It was exactly what she’d needed, and he was happy about that. She’d been in control and set the pace. She’d kept everything exactly the way she needed it.

And he had no problem giving her control. Sometimes.

But could he hold back all the time? Could he stop himself from doing something that would emotionally throw her right back in that cage Donovan had put her in?

*

Laurie listened to Steele’s heartbeat, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She’d taken a first step and she knew now that they could move forward. Feeling Steele inside her … his big cock filling her as she moved on him … had been heaven.

And he’d been so patient with her. So loving.

She knew she could trust him to be there for her. To give her what she needed.

She gazed up at him and smiled, but he seemed distracted. Distant.

She stroked his cheek. “Is there something wrong?”

“What, baby?” He met her gaze. “No, of course not.” He kissed her, a gentle brush of his lips. “Just tired.”

He stroked her hair back, and his gentle touch made her feel warm and protected. “Are you okay? I mean, was that okay?”

She smiled, warmed by his concern. She leaned in and kissed him again. “It was wonderful,” she murmured.

He nodded, but she could tell he was unsettled. Well, she had freaked out every time he’d touched her for the past few days. He was definitely still gun-shy.

“How about you just relax while I make some dinner?” She stood up and pulled on her jeans, and she didn’t miss the heat of his gaze on her bare breasts as she tucked them back into her halter top and tied it behind her neck.

He stood up. “I think I’ll go out for a ride.”

She glanced at him in surprise, but didn’t say anything.

“Okay. There’s a spare key in the bowl by the door.” Laurie watched him walk to the door, pick up the key, then close the door behind him.

As hard as these past few days had been on her, they’d been hard on him, too. She thought he’d be happy that they had taken this step forward, but something was bothering him and she wished she knew what it was.

But right now, he needed a little space.

All she knew was, now that she’d allowed herself to open the door and share intimacy with him again, she needed more. He’d stoked the fire and it was blazing inside her.

After dinner, she’d show him just how much she needed him all over again.

*

Steele mounted his bike and let out the throttle. The roar of the engine was comforting. Reliable. As he rode the bike along the road, the wind whipping at his face, it was a part of him.

The moment he’d slid from Laurie’s body when she’d stood up, he’d ached at the loss of her warmth surrounding him. She’d become a drug he was addicted to. A need that had buried itself deep in the pit of his stomach.

He wanted her. Emotionally. And physically. But he needed more than the sweet, delicate lovemaking they’d just shared.

He knew she needed time. She needed tenderness and love to get past the trauma she’d endured at the hands of Donovan. And he’d give her that. He’d give her whatever she needed.

But what if he fucked up? What if his urges—his intense desire to bend her to his will—got the best of him and he did something stupid? Something that scared her. Or traumatized her even more than what Donovan had done.

Not that he’d do something worse. But coming from him … someone she’d learned to trust and rely on …

Fuck.

*

It was close to seven and Laurie stirred the chili again, wondering where Steele was. She walked back to the living room, a glass of red wine in her hand, and sank onto the couch. Steele was used to total freedom. Keeping his own hours. He probably wouldn’t appreciate her telling him to be home for dinner at a certain time.

The two of them were so different, lived such different lifestyles, but somehow they would find a way to make things work.

She heard a key in the lock and Steele stepped inside.

He glanced at her, but he seemed preoccupied. “Dinner smells good.”

She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “I hope you like chili. There are homemade buns, too.”

He nodded. “That sounds great.”

“Okay. Well, sit down and be comfortable, I’ll go serve it up.”

He sat on the couch. “I could use a beer, too.”

“Coming up.”

She returned with two bowls of chili and the beer and set one bowl in front of him on the coffee table, then returned for the rolls and butter. They put on an adventure movie while they ate.

She wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but she realized she needed to let him talk in his own time. When they were finished, she cleared away the dishes and sat beside him. She cuddled up to him, and he slid his arm around her, then drew her close. A few minutes later, he tipped up her chin and kissed her, his lips moving softly on hers.

But then he pulled back, staring at her with eyes filled with heated need and anxiety.

“I want to do this with you. I want …” He sat back, his hands balled into fists. “But … Fuck, I don’t want to do anything wrong.”

“You won’t.” She rested her hand on his muscular arm. “I want this, too.” She tightened her fingers around him, gazing at him imploringly. “Please, Steele. Make love to me.”

A growl rumbled from deep inside him and he pulled her into a deep kiss, then he slid his arm under her knees and he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. Silently, he stripped off her clothes, slowly and purposefully, then he stood up and shed his own. Her gaze wandered over his glorious, muscular, tattooed body. Sculpted arms, broad shoulders, ridged abs. Everything about this man was spectacular.

And his cock. It had grown to an impressive length, and it was so thick. He pressed her back on the bed and prowled over her, then kissed her deeply. He tested her readiness by gliding his fingers over her slit, finding slick wetness, then he pressed his cock against her. She drew in a breath as he glided into her, filling her with his thick, hard shaft. She tightened around him, embracing him in the most intimate way she knew how.

He moaned. His lips found hers and he began to move. Drawing out, then gliding deep again. Drawing out, then gliding deep again. He set a smooth, sweet rhythm, driving her pleasure higher and higher with each stroke.

She trembled with need, wanting him with an intensity she’d never known before. She kissed him under the chin, his whiskers raspy against her lips.

Joyous feelings swelled within her. Feelings she couldn’t keep to herself.

“Oh, Steele. I love you.”

He sped up, driving deep into her. Again and again. She held tight, riding the intense waves of sensation. Then he thrust deep and groaned.

The feel of his liquid heat filling her catapulted her over the edge. She clung to him, as rippling sensations quivered through her, then her body exploded in the sweet ecstasy of release.

Once the shimmering orgasm waned, she collapsed against him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She drifted into sleep, his big cock still inside her.

*

Laurie awoke with a start. The big warm body she expected to be in her arms was gone.

She pushed back the covers and stood up, then grabbed her robe. Had Steele left?

She walked into the living room and her anxiety waned when she saw him sitting on the couch, a coffee in his hand.

“Good morning.”

But he just nodded, then gestured to the couch.

“Laurie, sit down. We need to talk.”

Uh-oh.

She settled beside him. “Sounds serious,” she said, trying to keep her tone light.

He glanced at her, then stared at his coffee.

“Look, who are we kidding? You and I are never going to work.”

Shock vaulted through her and her heart compressed. “I don’t understand. Why do you say that?”

He shrugged. “Look around. You have a home here. It reflects who you are and what you want. Stability. Security. You aren’t going to get any of that with me.”

“Steele, I want to be with you.”

Irritation flared in his eyes. “You might think you want me, but I don’t believe you’ll be happy if you leave your normal life to ride with me, and I can’t see myself giving up the open road to live in one place.”

She sat there, numb. The thought of leaving her home behind was unsettling, but now that she’d come to terms with her feelings for Steele, she was sure they could work something out. Love could find a way.

She didn’t want it to end between them, and she couldn’t believe Steele was willing to throw away what they had.

Maybe she should be practical, but her heart didn’t care about practicalities. Her heart wanted Steele.

She
wanted Steele.

“And even if that weren’t true,” he continued at her silence, “you need to figure out how to be who you are. You got way in over your head with your relationship with you ex. You figured out it wasn’t right and tried to leave, but then you wound up with me. Another Dominant wanting to control you.”

She wanted to reach out to him. To stroke her hand over his whisker-roughened cheek. But instead, her hands clenched into fists in her lap.

“But I like being dominated by you,” she said. “With you, it’s totally different than what he did. You treat me with respect and”— she gazed at him—“love.”

His lips compressed. “Look, you were in my care and I protected you. You’re right that, fool that I was, I convinced myself I was in love with you. But we were both caught up in high emotional stakes and what I thought was love was just a strong protective instinct.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. What I saw in your eyes … what I feel when you kiss me … That’s real.”

He frowned. “That’s passion, not love. You and I have great chemistry together. And what you said last night …” His hands clasped between his knees. “You only
think
you love me.” He gritted his teeth. “And when you say you like being dominated by me, you don’t really get it. You were in my care. You’d been traumatized.” He leaned in close, his eyes blazing. “I held back.”

“I can handle it.”

He stared at her, assessing. “Are you sure about that?”

Her heart pumped faster as he leaned a little closer, his powerful aura filling the room. She wanted him to touch her. To tear the clothes from her. But panic welled in her. And fear. She leaned away a little.

He grabbed her wrists and pushed her down on the couch, trapping her hands beside her head. He captured her mouth, driving his tongue inside. Claiming her.

She could hardly breathe. She was excited, her body trembling with need. Aroused and … anxious. Her insides heated as he plundered her mouth, longing for him to take her. He released one of her wrists and slid his hand over her breast, stroking it until her nipple swelled to a tight bud.

“Fuck, I want you.” His lips found hers again and he slid his hand under her top, then cupped her breast. His fingers teased her nipple, then he squeezed it between his thumb and finger, leaving her breathless.

His nostrils flared. “Do you still think you can handle it?”

She stared at him wide-eyed, but nodded, then gasped as he grabbed the neckline of her shirt and tore it open, then his mouth found her nipple and he sucked.

He sat up and unzipped his jeans and pulled out his cock. It was hard with wanting her.