Текст книги "Scorched"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter 13

Andrea

“You’re not paying attention at all.”

Fighting a grin, I denied the truth. “I am totally paying attention.”

“Liar.”

I was a total liar, and I barely smothered a giggle as I refocused my attention on the movie Tanner had found after dinner in the stash inside the cabinet. All I knew was it was a Transformers movie, but I had yet to see a Dinobot.

Today had been one of the most…chill days I’d had in a long time. After our talk by the pool, when I thought I could float right up to the sun, we’d hung out there for a few hours, talking about nothing in particular until we were both starving. Yeah, we’d picked at each other, but it was teasing instead of fighting or being mean. It was almost like we were together, like really together. And it had been years since I’d felt that way.

At some point, around five minutes after the movie had started, Tanner had gotten hold of my legs and placed them in his lap. And that was pretty much at the point where I’d gotten distracted. It wasn’t my fault.

Totally all Tanner’s fault.

He started off with his arms folded across his chest, not touching my legs while I rested against a pillow I’d shoved between my back and the arm of the couch. But then his hands had dropped to my ankles and I’d jumped a little at the contact. All he’d done was cast a sly grin in my direction, and my tummy had tumbled a bit. His fingers had curled loosely around my ankles at first, and as I pretended to pay attention to the movie, he pretended not to be doing anything.

I bit down on my lip when his thumbs started to move in slow circles around my ankles, and I almost tasted blood when one of his hands traveled up my calf. Those fingers worked deftly, easing the tension out of my muscles, but creating a whole different kind of tautness throughout the rest of me. When he reached the sensitive spot behind my knee, I swallowed a moan that would’ve embarrassed me.

Each pass of his fingers, each touch sent waves of heat licking up my leg. Blood simmered in my veins as I desperately tried to curb my body’s reaction. There was really no point, though. By the time his hand had reached the inside of my knee, I was having trouble sitting still and not squirming.

Tanner’s gaze was fastened on the many explosions occurring on the TV, and it almost seemed like he had no idea what he was doing to me, but I doubted his innocence and I also doubted how I’d be able to successfully pretend I wasn’t affected.

But the most amazing thing that was happening had nothing to do with the pleasure he was slowly creating inside me, but everything to do with the fact I was even sitting there. I was trying, like I’d said I would, and I wasn’t letting my head get in the way or allowing all the self-doubt to pile up on me. I was just there—right there and no place else, and I wasn’t letting myself go anywhere else. And there were no outside influences. Well, other than the rather major influence Tanner was turning out to be.

His hand reached the spot where my legs were pressed together, and I swore my heart skipped a beat as I stared at where his hand rested. Slowly, I lifted my gaze. He was no longer paying attention to the movie. Our eyes locked, and even in the low light of the living room, those bedroom eyes of his were full of heat.

I caught my lower lip between my teeth as I opened my legs to his wandering hand. One side of his lips tipped up in response. He didn’t look away as he slid his hand further up, the tips of his fingers nearly reaching the sensitive crevice near the apex of my thighs.

My heart was pounding as his hand moved underneath the skirt of my dress. I could barely catch my breath as he turned his attention back to the movie. I was completely lost, though. No pretending. My eyes drifted closed and then my head fell back against the thick cushion. His touch was featherlight against the inside of my thigh, but it was still driving me crazy. With each pass of his fingers, he came dangerously close to my center. He never quite reached there, and it was the sweetest kind of torture. A tingling warmth invaded me, quickening my breaths. He touched, he explored and caressed all without touching me there, but my desire was ramped up. A fine tremor danced over my skin. I wanted him, needed him to touch me where I ached.

Unsure of how much time had passed, I opened my eyes and found him watching me. For a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t even drag in a deep enough breath. Then I was moving without thinking, and there was something beautiful in that, the freedom.

I shifted onto my knees, and Tanner must’ve been thinking along the same lines, because he gripped my hips and hauled me into his lap. A heartbeat passed before our mouths came together, and there was no slow seduction in that moment.

We devoured each other, and when I pressed down, I felt how affected he was. He might’ve looked like he’d been paying attention to the TV, but he’d been focused on what he was doing.

His hands slid down my hips, under my skirt. The rasp of his calloused palms over my skin was probably one of the most sensual things I’d ever felt. “I was wondering how long it would take you,” he said, his lips brushing mine. “I was starting to get disappointed over here.”

I laughed softly, but it ended in a moan when he raised his hips against mine. I clasped his cheeks, loving the way the bristle along his jaw tickled my palms. “You were driving me crazy.”

“Were?”

I kissed him. “Are.”

“That sounds better.” His hands smoothed over my bottom and squeezed, causing knots to form low in my belly.

My body rocked against his as he broke free from the kiss and blazed a path down my throat. His hands moved deftly, sliding back down my legs, and then they were at the top of my dress. Before I could take my next breath, he’d tugged the top part down, exposing me.

The dress had one of those built-in bras, so now there was nothing between me and his hungry gaze. I cried out, my head falling back as his mouth found the way to the tip of my breast. He licked and nipped as he teased and taunted me.

There was another explosion on the TV, and I was close to exploding myself. He sucked greedily once his mouth clasped down, and a riot of sensations floored me. I moved on him, riding him in a way that made me wish there were no clothes separating us.

One of his hands—I couldn’t keep track of which one—made its way under my dress again, and I really loved where it was heading. His fingers slipped under the band of my panties, toyed there for a few moments, and then slipped out. I didn’t have a chance to be disappointed, because the next thing I knew, I was on my back on the couch and his hands were on my knees.

“I want to taste you,” he said, voice rough, and I shivered.

My mouth dried, and there was no mistaking what he meant when he said that. I didn’t protest when he eased my knees apart. This was so intimate, almost too intimate. Air lodged in my throat, and I fought against the urge to close my legs.

Thick lashes lifted as his eyes met mine. “You want this?”

Nervous and excited, I could barely get the word out. “Yes.”

“Thank fucking God, because I’ve been dying to know what it’s like to have you come on my tongue.”

Goodness, the words alone almost sent me over the edge. He rucked the skirt of my dress up above my hips, and then his hands slid up the side of my leg. He reached my panties and tugged them aside.

Cool air washed over me as his lips parted. “Fuck. I want to get in there.”

I wanted him in there, wanted him everywhere. As he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me softly, my heart seemed to swell in my chest. It was such a simple kiss, a beautiful one.

Then his hand was moving again, finding me with unerringly precision. He skimmed his finger along the center, causing my hips to jerk. He made another pass as he lowered himself down my body, stopping to linger at my breasts, and then his head was between my thighs.

“Oh God,” I whispered. The image alone, of seeing him down there, was almost too much.

Then he pressed a kiss against my thigh.

The swelling in my chest increased and there was a good chance I’d float straight to the ceiling, maybe even beyond that, but he tugged me back down when his mouth brushed over me.

“Tanner,” I gasped, my hands fluttering to his head.

The intimate kiss spun my senses, and he so knew what he was doing. It was wet and hot and shattering. He kissed and he licked and he did things with his tongue I didn’t think were possible. The way he worked me told me that he enjoyed doing it. No chore for him—oh no, he couldn’t be happier.

Neither could I.

My head was kicked back and my hips arched against the steady delving of his tongue. I met his strokes, repeating his name over and over. Raw and primal sensations pounded through me. Tiny noises I didn’t recognize were making their way out of me, and then I felt his finger slipping through my wetness. My entire body clenched. He went deeper, harder.

My eyes flew open as I coiled tightly, and all I saw was him.

The release took me off-guard, pounding through me, and I was swept up in the intense pleasure. Liquid heat poured through me. Tanner pulled back, kissing my inner thigh before he rose above me, planting one hand on the arm of the couch.

He breathed heavily as he stared down. “I’ve never heard anything more beautiful than the sound of you calling out my name like that.”

Every few seconds, an aftershock traveled through me, and I was still shaken and breathless. “I never felt anything more beautiful than that,” I admitted.

The blue of his eyes seemed to have deepened. “Then I guess it was a first for both of us.”

That swelling in my chest was turning into an epidemic. “Yeah.”

He drew his hand down to my thigh and squeezed gently. There was something in the way he stared down at me that made me feel like one of the most beautiful women in the world, and there was something priceless about that. Just a look, but it was possibly more powerful than any words that could’ve been spoken.

And that’s about when the craziest words known to man tiptoed to the tip of my tongue. I love you. Oh God, those words were legitimately resting on my tongue, ready to be spoken. My heart stuttered. I loved him? Was that really what I was feeling? The swelling in my chest? Or was it just lust? No. I’d been in lust before. I knew the difference. This…this tingling feeling in my fingers and the warmth in my chest was not lust. It was hope and yearning and anticipation. It was tenderness and acceptance and a thousand other endless wants and needs. When in the world did this happen? I had no idea. Did it start all the way back during my freshman year? Or was it over the course of a handful of days?

I love you.

For three little words, they were really terrifying. It was the power the words symbolized, the ability to change everything.

I couldn’t say them, because no matter how wonderful he was being to me, he couldn’t feel the same way as me. There was no way. My heart wanted to go there, but my brain was like hell to the no, but I could show him.

That was the best that I had.

I could show him just how much I cared for him without truly putting that out there between us, and most likely ruining everything.

My hand shook under the weight of what I was feeling as I cupped his cheek. I took a deep breath. “Can we go upstairs? To bed?”

Tanner stilled above me as understanding crept into his handsome face. When he spoke, his voice held an edge that sent a shiver across my skin. “Babe, if we go upstairs and we end up in a bed, I’m gonna…well, I’m going to have one hell of a time stopping myself from getting between those pretty legs.”

My cheeks flushed. “I wouldn’t want you to stop.”

His eyes flared and a long moment stretched out between us. “You sure?”

I love you. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes.”

Chapter 14

Tanner

I was literally at a loss for words as Andrea took my hand in her smaller one and led me up the steps. It was like I was fifteen again and minutes away from losing my virginity. No shit. That was how it felt. Nervousness. Anxiety. Anticipation. All of those feelings were rolled together.

Never in my life did I think I’d feel that way again.

Wasn’t sure if that was even a good thing.

As we rounded the top of the stairs and Andrea looked over her shoulder at me, smiling shyly, I realized that yep, that was a damn good thing.

She started to turn into her room, but I stopped her. I wanted her in my room, in my bed. I pushed open my door and then closed it behind me. She stopped a few feet from the bed as I walked over to my duffel bag and rooted around until I found what I was looking for.

“You brought condoms with you?” she asked as I tossed a few on the nightstand.

I grinned, somewhat sheepishly. “I try to keep them on me. You never know when they’ll come in handy.”

She arched a brow. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

“It’s a good thing.” I turned to her. “At least, it’s turning out to be a good thing, but seriously, I didn’t think I’d be using them this week.”

“Really?” Doubt crossed her face as she walked toward me, wrapping her hands around the edge of my shirt. “I remember that bet you made with me.”

“Actually, there was no bet. You wouldn’t play along.” I lifted my arms, letting her tug the shirt off.

Her gaze flicked up to my face and then down to my chest, and I saw the appreciation in her gaze. “I do remember telling you that was never going to happen.” She slid her hands down my chest, to the button on my jeans. “And yet here I am.”

“Here we are.”

She leaned forward and kissed the center of my chest as she reached down, cupping my erection through my jeans. My body jerked at the bold, hot-as-fucking-hell touch. “Does that make me easy?”

“Fuck no. Do you really think that?” If so, this shit was going to stop right now. I caught her wrist, pulling her hand away. “Do you?”

She lifted her chin, inclining her head. “Not with you. No,” she answered after a moment. She pulled her hand away and then pushed me down so that I sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s strange.”

“What is?”

Her gaze traveled over me, hungry. “I never thought that I’d be this comfortable around you.”

I wanted to gather her in my arms and lose myself in her warmth. “I’m glad you do.”

Andrea stepped back. She had fixed her dress downstairs, which had been a real visual disappointment, but now I was thrilled. As I sat on my ass and she stood in front of me, lifting her fingers to the tiny-ass straps of her dress, I was going to get to see her undress, and shit if that wasn’t a beautiful thing.

She slipped the straps down her arms, letting them dangle as she reached behind her. The tinny sound of a zipper going down had me aching.

I spread my legs out, but it didn’t help. “You’re killing me.”

Her lips curved up. “You killed me earlier.”

“I did?”

The loose curls around her face bounced as she nodded. “What you did down there, on the couch?” The dress loosened around her and she caught the material before it slipped down her breasts. “I thought I’d died for a moment.”

I leaned forward, my eyes never leaving her. Hell, a flesh-eating zombie could stroll into the room and I wouldn’t look away. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was,” she said softly, and then let the dress slip down her body, pooling at her feet with a soft whoosh.

Holy damn, my heart rate doubled. It was like seeing a goddess in the flesh, and I suddenly didn’t feel worthy of laying my eyes on her. The delicate skin of her throat flushed pink and that blush spread down to her full breasts. My mouth watered at the sight of those hardened tips and my fingers tingled just imagining sliding down her ribs, over the sweet curve of her waist and to those damn silky panties that covered her rounded hips.

“Is there a bow on your panties?” I asked.

“Yes. Because I’m sweet and demure.”

I chuckled hoarsely, but then straightened as she stepped toward me. My gaze was fastened on that purple bow right up until the moment her fingers slipped under the sides of her panties.

Never in my life had I been so fucking turned on.

Andrea bent slightly, and I sucked in a sharp breath as her breasts swayed and that scrap of purple lace slipped down her thighs, joining the dress, and then she was completely nude.

“Holy fuck,” I groaned, shaking my head slightly as I looked my fill.

She curled one arm across her waist, over her navel. “Is… is that a bad thing?”

“No. Hell, no.” I stood on oddly weak legs. “Andrea, you’re beautiful.”

The pink in her cheeks brightened as her lashes lowered. “I feel beautiful when you…you look at me this way.”

“I’m always going to look at you this way, so you better get used to it.” My gaze drifted over her body, lingering on some areas more than others, but I found myself staring at her feet. One foot was turned toward the other and her toes were curled. It was such a shy and sweet position that it tugged at my chest.

I wanted to do right by her.

Slowing this down was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, because I was so hard, so ready to be inside her that it was almost painful, but I didn’t want this to be fast. I wanted her to remember this always and I wanted this to erase every fucker that’d come before me.

As I approached her, she lifted her gaze and her lips parted. Gently, I touched the sides of her face with the tips of my fingers and tilted her head back. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her softly, taking my time to explore the depths of her warm mouth and her sweet taste.

I moved closer, welcoming the feel of her body brushing mine as the kiss went deeper and became more erotic. Our tongues tangled, and when her hands dropped to my pants, finishing with the zipper, I moaned as she barely touched me.

Stepping back, I finished with the jeans and the boxer briefs, shedding them quickly. I straightened, grinning when I saw what she was staring at. “You like?”

Her tongue darted over her plump lower lip. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Another husky laugh radiated out from me and then I took her hand, drawing her to the bed. As she lay down, I grabbed the condom off the nightstand and tossed it beside her.

Andrea arched a brow, and I grinned as I reached down, wrapping my hand around the base of my cock. “Keep an eye on that condom. Make sure it doesn’t run off.”

Her gaze dropped. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”

“You never know.” I put a knee on the bed beside her as I slowly moved my hand along myself. She seemed to like that by the way her chest rose sharply. “You like that, don’t you?”

“Like what?” Her voice turned richer, thicker.

I moved my hand faster. “This. You like watching me do this.”

Dammit, I loved the way her cheeks could turn pink at a drop of a hat. I expected her to lie, but after a moment, she nodded. “I do.”

My jaw was beginning to ache from how hard I was grinding my teeth. “I’m going to have to file that little piece of knowledge away for later.”

“Later?”

I smiled. “Oh, there’s going to be a later. Lots of laters.”

Andrea seemed to relax in that moment, and I hadn’t noticed how much tension filled her until then. “I like the sound of that.”

Staring at her, I felt my heart do something funny in my chest. Like it had jumped. Damn, she was going to break me in the best possible way.

I forced myself to lie down, stretching out on my side beside her. Drawing my hand down the length of her body, I idly brushed my thumb over the rosy peak of her breast. Fuck, I really liked the way she felt. I really liked the tiny feminine sound she made when I caught her nipple between my fingers. I liked the way she tilted her head back, lifting her chest in a silent invitation for more. Man, I just really liked her. My heart was pounding in my chest like a steel drum as I leaned over, placing a kiss on the little dip at the base of her throat.

“I like that,” she said, running her hand up my arm. “I like everything you do.”

I smiled against her skin, more than pleased to hear that. I rolled the tight nub as I kissed my way down her lovely breasts. She shuddered, and there was nothing sweeter than that. I could eat her up, one lick and nibble at a time, but there was no way I’d last if I went for round two of that.

Trailing a path along the underside of her breast, my hand drifted down her soft belly. I lifted my head, watching my own progress as my hand disappeared between those sweet thighs. I slipped a finger through the wetness there. She was tight and hot and wet. She was ready.

The foil package was already in her hand, and I had to laugh as I grabbed it from her, carefully ripping it open. My damn hands shook as I rolled it on and then I rose above her, forcing myself to breathe slowly as I shifted my weight onto one arm and kneed her thighs apart.

Her warm brown eyes held mine as she spread her fingers across my cheek. “I want you.”

I closed my eyes briefly, shaken by the need I felt. “I will never grow tired of hearing that.” I reached between us, guiding myself to her entrance, and then I grasped her hip, tilting her up. “I’ve wanted this since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

A strange look crossed her face, gone so quickly I wasn’t sure if I even saw it. She smiled. “Let’s not wait any longer.”

Magic words spoken right there.

I eased into her, groaning as her tightness enveloped me inch by fucking torturous inch. She was so tight and hot, a tremor rolled down me. I stilled, gasping. “You’re okay?”

Andrea’s hands slid down my sides to my hips. “Yes,” she whispered.

Her gaze was dark and warm, and the restraint evaporated like smoke. I thrust my hips forward, filling her completely. Her head kicked back as she gasped, my name falling like a musical note between us.

I moved over her and in her, slow and steady at first, and she drew her legs up. Her feet slid along my calves until her thighs pressed against my hips, holding me there as she rose to meet each thrust. I had never felt such intensity, never such rightness. I hadn’t even known it was possible to feel that way.

My back bowed as I drove into her, fisting one of my hands in her hair, yanking her head back. Our mouths met. The kiss was fierce, my tongue plunging into her, just like my hips were. Sweat dotted my brow and my back. The bed shook under the force. I devoured her with a hunger I didn’t even know I was possible of experiencing.

I was losing control.

Maybe I’d never had control. My hips pistoned in and my hand dug into the flesh at her hip. I tried to pull back, mentality and emotionally, but I couldn’t. In the back of my mind I was afraid of hurting her somehow, but she tightened around me, clamping down.

“Oh God,” she gasped, her eyes going wide and smoky with pleasure. “Tanner, I…”

“Let go,” I grunted out. “God, just let go, because I’m gonna—”

Andrea let go. Throwing her head back, she cried out. Her body spasmed around me as her fingers dug into my skin. There was no rhythm or grace in how I moved. I drove into her, the pounding motion moving both of us across the bed. Her lashes swept up and our gazes collided for an instant. What I saw in her stare proved that she hadn’t broken me before, because I broke right then, splitting wide open. An intense, all-consuming release powered down my spine. My senses were fucking obliterated. It was all too much.

I came, my hips jerking wildly as I buried my head against her neck. The sounds of her pleasure were lost in my pounding heart and my own harsh groans. Fuck. I came for what felt like forever, the spasms never ending. My hand tightened around the back of her head as I shook and trembled.

I had no idea how much time passed before my body slowed its roll, but I slowly became aware of her hand gliding up and down my spine. Dragging in a ragged breath, I lifted my head.

Her half-hooded gaze met mine. “Hey,” she whispered.

My lips twitched. “You okay?”

“Perfect.”

Another rough breath parted my lips. “I’m probably crushing you.”

She shook her head slowly. “I don’t mind.”

Neither did I, but seriously, I wasn’t a small guy. I shifted onto my arm and carefully eased out of her. My legs felt strangely weak as my gaze dropped to hers. Again, I was at a loss for words as I leaned down and kissed her softly.

When we parted, I was unwilling to leave the bed, but I had to. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded as I rose. Padding across the floor, I got rid of the condom and then made good on what I’d said, getting right back to where I was.

But Andrea was sitting up, drawing her knees up to her chest. “I can leave now if you—”

“What?” I shot her a look as I dragged the covers back on one side. “Leave?”

She glanced at me and then her gaze darted away. “I mean, I can hang out with you in here if you want or I can go back to my room.”

I stared at her for a moment. “Get your ass under this blanket.”

Her brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not going anywhere,” I told her. “I want you in here, with me. So get that pretty ass under these blankets. I want to snuggle.”

“Snuggle?” She didn’t move for a moment and then she did, shaking her head and then scrambling under the blanket, on the far side of the bed.

I climbed in before I fell in, and as soon as my ass hit those cool sheets, I reached out and circled an arm around her waist, drawing her back against my front. “Snuggling,” I explained, “requires two people to be close together.”

“Understood,” she said, and then wiggled her bottom a little, as if she was getting comfortable. “Tanner?”

“Yeah?”

I felt her draw in a deep breath. “Thank you.”

I frowned. “For what?”

“For…for all of that.”

Lifting my head, I looked down at her, and I froze for a moment. Thick lashes fanned her cheeks, and her slightly swollen lips were parted. The height of her cheeks was flushed, and even though we’d just fucked like two wild animals, there was still an odd air of…peace around her. It didn’t make sense, but that’s what I saw and felt. It had to be one of the rarest moments to see her like that.

I settled back down. There were a lot of words I wanted to say as I kissed her shoulder. There were a lot of things I was feeling as I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against her shoulder, but at that moment, words didn’t seem adequate compared to what I was feeling, so I held her tighter to my chest and did something I couldn’t recall doing before, with anyone.

I fell asleep with Andrea in my arms.