Keeping Her Close Page 8

  “Remember what happened back at the hotel, how I made you come?”

  I opened my eyes and nodded.

  “Good, because I’m going to make you do it again, only this time, I’m going to make you come so hard, you’re not going to be able to stand.” He rubbed his hand in a circular motion, massaging my clit as he teased my nipple into a sharp peak. “Then, before you can recover, I’m going to do it again.”

  I moistened my lips as I curled my fingers into his hair. “How?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

  “Watch the mirror and I’ll show you.” He increased the pressure of his fingers, sending a bolt of desire through my body. As I focused on our image in the mirror, I could see the hunger and intensity in his eyes. It matched my own.

  Nibbling my lower lip, I had to admit that we were quite the sight. Max’s dark skin was a sharp contrast to my pale skin, and together the combination of light and dark was highly erotic.

  “Don’t look away. I want you to see everything I’m doing.” Adjusting his position, he inched his fingers underneath my thong and slid them between my folds. I gasped and tightened my grip as he massaged around the rim of my opening. Once, twice, on the third time he plunged deep inside, penetrating my core and gliding along my inner walls.

  “Yes.” I pressed my hips down, wanting him deeper.

  “That’s it. Take all of me inside you.” He turned his hand so that his palm spread out over my mound. Every time I sank down, his finger slid along my inner walls and his palm pushed against my clit.

  It felt incredible. I undulated against him and clung to his clothes. With each thrust, the pressure inside of me built, and as I moved, he watched me through the mirror with those intense and hungry eyes.

  “You’re a greedy one, aren’t you?” he asked.

  I groaned as I raced toward the edge. This was going too quick. Everything was happening so fast. “Max.”

  “Let it come. I want to feel you coat my fingers.”

  Yes. I moved my hips over his hand, loving how his cock rubbed up against my ass with my thrusts. He exchanged one finger for two, then two for three, constantly spreading me, teasing me, as I stretched toward that unseen goal.

  The pressure inside of me continued to build as I watched his dark head against my skin. Never before had a man been so focused on giving me pleasure. It only made me want him more.

  “Yes, that’s it.” He switched from one breast to the other, massaging and pinching and pushing me closer to oblivion. I was close, so close. If only he could go deeper, spread me wider . . .

  I shifted my foot on the dresser, hoping to allow him better access. The movement knocked over my purse, but I was beyond caring. He pushed harder, faster, tugging my thong with each thrust. I made short feminine cries, arching my back as I came closer . . . closer . . .

  My orgasm came hard and fast, robbing me of breath. Pleasure burst through my core, numbing both my body and mind to pleasure. My legs started to shake, and he tightened his grip around me, holding me upright as ecstasy crashed through my system. He eased his thrusts, lengthening the ribbons of joy and stretching out my pleasure. For a long, intense moment, I was cocooned in happiness and warmth. For the first time in a long time I no longer felt alone, but connected to someone. I never wanted the feeling to end.

  Eventually reality trickled back into my consciousness, and my limbs went slack with exhaustion. Max retreated and bent down low, wrapping his arm around my upper thighs. Lifting me up, he turned toward the bed and gently placed me down on top of the pillows.

  “That was beautiful,” he said as he licked the moisture from his fingers. “Simply beautiful.”

  He glanced down to where my purse had spilt. A puzzled look crossed his face.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid we knocked over your things.”

  I chuckled. “It’s okay, it wasn’t an expensive purse.”

  He bent down and started picking things up off the floor. “I’m afraid everything fell out and—”

  I sat up on the bed. “I’ll get it.”

  “No, there’s no need.”

  I was too late. He straightened into a standing position, holding my lipstick vibrator in his hand. The top had fallen off, and it was obvious that the contraption wasn’t used to apply makeup.

  “Look what we have here.”

  “That’s mine, give it back.” I reached out to grab it, but he only pulled away and smiled.

  “I don’t think so.” He turned the compartment and flicked the switch. A soft hum filled the air as the sex toy began to vibrate. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of these before,” he said.

  Oh God, did he really just find my vibrator? How embarrassing. “Look, I can explain—”

  “Oh, no need to explain. I’m just glad I found it.”

  “You are?”

  “Yes.” He tossed the purse aside.

  “Why?”

  He handed me the vibrator and then started taking off his clothes. “Because now we get to use it.”

  Surprise numbed my brain as he peeled off his shirt and pants. My gaze immediately fell to his waist, where his large cock stood out thick and long from his body.

  “You want me to use it on myself?” I asked.

  “Would you prefer if I used it?” There was a wicked gleam in his eyes.

  I moistened my lips and nodded. Anticipation rippled over my skin as he climbed up onto the bed and situated himself between my legs. Reaching down, he slid his fingers up over my chest, briefly cupped my breasts, and then eased them back down to my waist. Despite just having an orgasm, I could feel the tingles of awareness ripple over my skin.

  He hooked his fingers into the waistband of my thong and smiled. “Lift up your hips.”

  I did as he asked, and Max gently slid the thong down my thighs. I watched in disbelief as he tossed it aside then pressed my thighs apart.

  “Beautiful.”

  This was strange. The other men I had been with had rushed toward penetration, thinking only of getting themselves off. Max was denying himself, taking his time to ensure that I was enjoying things as much as he was.

  “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

  He quirked his brow. “You don’t want to pleasure yourself?”

  “It’s not that, it’s just . . .” I nibbled my lower lip, searching for the right words. “These toys are designed to be used alone, not with someone else.”

  “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong.” He lifted me up into a sitting position and helped me take off my sweater and bra. “While I’m sure sex toys can be enjoyable alone, they are often much better when used with someone else.” After I was completely naked, he plucked the vibrator from me fingers and grinned. “Here, let me show you.”

  I gasped as he pressed the vibrator inside my knee, then slowly skimmed it up my inner thigh and toward my center. I fisted my hands in the sheets, groaning as he circled the tip of the toy around my opening.

  “See? It can be pleasurable.” He inched it up in between my folds and held it against my clit. “You just have to keep an open mind.”

  Wow. I arched my back and whimpered as pleasure bolted up my center. “Yes.”

  “What? I can’t hear you.”

  “Don’t stop.”

  He smiled and pressed it harder against my clit. “I love giving you pleasure.” He ran the vibrator up around my nipples, teasing and tormenting me until I wanted to scream in protest.

  “Max.” I curled my fingers on the sheets as my muscles tightened with need. “Please.”

  “I could do this all day.” He slowly lowered the vibrator to my mound, then glided it over my folds.

  Oh God, all day? He couldn’t possibly be serious. I gasped and arched my back as he returned to my clit. The sensation pushing me closer to the edge. Minutes passed, and he continued to torture my body, pushing me higher than I had ever felt before.

  “Max,” I whispered. “I’m close.”

  H
e gently pulled the vibrator away and switched it off. “While I’d love to make you come with this toy, I have a much better plan.” He reached over and pulled a condom out of the box on the table. Using his teeth, he tore it open and put it on.

  “Are you ready?” He asked as he positioned himself against my opening.

  I was more than ready. I nodded as he ran his palms along the underside of my legs, then pushed them up and apart. “Good.”

  He eased into me slowly, making sure I felt every inch of his long, thick cock. I groaned as my body adjusted to accommodate him, wishing he could go faster. He spread my legs wider, pushed deeper, and we both groaned when his hips finally pushed flush against mine.

  “You’re so wet,” he whispered as he let go of my thighs and placed his palms on either side of my torso. “God, I can’t hold back.”

  “Don’t.” I lifted my legs higher in the air, spreading them apart as far as they could go. He retreated and entered me once more, starting a rhythmic thrusting that created a sense of urgency I had never felt before.

  “Yes.” I held my knees apart as he pushed into me again and again. His grunts mingled with my cries, and as the world around us faded away, I concentrated on the sweet friction he was generating in my core.

  We came together like animals, and as the air around us heated, I felt myself being pushed closer and closer to oblivion. Letting go of the sheets, I reached for him, desperate for him to be deeper inside my body.

  The action caused him to shift position, and on the next thrust, he hit a sensitive spot deep inside my core. My orgasm slammed into my body, filling me with ecstasy. I came hard, so hard that it must have triggered his own orgasm. As his movements became more focused, he called out my name, pushing deep inside of me as he shuddered with his own release.

  For a long moment we hung there, suspended in time. Never before had I felt anything so intense. I wanted to bottle it, to hold onto it forever, but I knew that such things were never meant to be.

  Slowly, reality settled around us once more. As the last ripples of pleasure faded, Max removed himself from my body and disposed of the condom. He quickly returned, pulling down the sheets and making sure I was comfortable before climbing in himself. I sighed with content as he spooned his body against my back.

  “You are amazing,” he whispered into my hair.

  “I bet you say that to all of the girls.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I didn’t want to know about the other women in his life. What was I thinking?

  “No other women,” he murmured. “Just you.”

  My whole body warmed at his words, until I remembered where we were.

  “Sam is going to be pissed when he finds out what we did in his girlfriend’s bed.”

  I couldn’t help it: I giggled. Part of it was the thought of having sex in someone else’s bed, the other part was from relief. Max didn’t have another woman in his life, just me.

  At least, not yet. Thanks to someone trying to kill me, he was forced to be by my side, but what would happen once this was all over? My heart chilled as I realized that moments like these would only last until I was safe. Then all bets were off. Somehow, losing Max didn’t gave me this feeling of utter dread. It was a long time before I was finally able to fall asleep.

  Chapter Ten

  Max

  Things were getting out of hand. Last night had been amazing, but I could tell from her questioning after sex that she had been jealous. Who would have thought that a strong, independent woman like Tess would feel jealousy over my brother’s girlfriend? Alexa would laugh if she ever found out. She had remarked on numerous occasions how one of us had to have been adopted. We were so different.

  For example, my brother knew how to cook. He could whip up a breakfast fit for a king in under an hour. Me, well, I could make toast, but that was about it. That was why, when the sun streamed into the room early this morning, I had slipped out of bed and made my way down to the corner donut shop to pick us up some breakfast. I had no idea what Tess liked, so I got a little of everything, and now the kitchen table was filled with all sorts of tempting pastries, waiting to be consumed.

  “I hope she likes sugar,” I murmured as I dumped some cream into my coffee. If she didn’t, we were in trouble.

  The breakfast actually served two purposes. The first was to fill our stomachs—we had a long day ahead of us. The second was to make sure we were both on the same page concerning this relationship—if this was indeed a relationship. I didn’t do commitment. My job didn’t allow for me to become too attached to any one person, and I wanted to make sure she understood that. While sleeping together was fun, it could never be anything more.

  I had come from a long line of cops in my family, and all of them had tried to keep stable relationships without success. Just take my father for example. He had three boys with two different mothers and both women ended up hating his guts. The strain of his constant undercover work was just too much, and after the second woman, my birth mother, left, my father made sure his three boys learned that women weren’t worth the trouble.

  “It’s better to remain single and shoot blanks,” he had said. “It’s less messy that way.”

  We had all taken his advice to heart, but that didn’t mean that I was celibate. Over time, I had developed a certain reputation. Women knew that when they went home with me it was for a little fun and nothing more. Some women, like those two last year, thought that they could domesticate me, but they were wrong. It was much easier in my line of work to remain single.

  Tess was a different situation, however. She had been emotional, and I had taken advantage, something I had sworn I would never do. Now it was time to fix the mess I had made.

  “Hey, stranger.” Tess entered the kitchen, walked over and hugged my waist.

  “Hey.” I gave her a quick hug and handed her a coffee cup before things got too crazy. “Breakfast is on the table.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and widened her eyes. “That’s a ton of food.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything.”

  She sat down and immediately grabbed a chocolate donut—my kind of girl. “Oh, this is heaven,” she said after she took a bite. I had to admit, the way she closed her eyes and moaned her approval made me a little jealous.

  I sipped my coffee and smiled. Normally, I’d be digging in right along with her, but the upcoming conversation had left me with little appetite.

  “I’m surprised no one saw you,” she said after she took another bite.

  “People don’t tend to talk to police in this neck of the woods.”

  She put down her donut and raised her eyebrows. “That dangerous, eh?”

  “Yeah.”

  She stood and closed the distance between us. “Well then. I guess that means we’ll have to stay in this apartment all day.” She started to slide her arms around my waist and it took every one of my willpower to stand and walk a safe distance away.

  “What happened?” Tess asked.

  “Nothing.”

  She wiped her hands on one of the napkins and leaned against the table. “No, it’s definitely something. You were all affectionate last night, and now you’re giving me the cold shoulder. What’s going on?”

  “Tess, look . . .” I swallowed the lump in my throat. I knew what had to be said—I had been practicing the words all morning—but for some reason I couldn’t push them past my throat.

  After a long moment, she nodded her head and turned away. “I get it.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah.” She collapsed into one of the seats. “I get that you are done playing around, so now you’re pushing me away before things get too serious.”

  It was the truth, but the way she said it made it seem so cruel. “Tess . . .” I took a step closer, but she waved me off.

  “You think you’re the first guy to push me away?” Her chuckle seemed forced. “You’re not.”

&nbs
p; “Tess, I didn’t mean—”

  “No, none of you mean it. Not really.” She picked up her donut, turned it around, the put it back down again. “Back when I was a child, things were different. My mother was still alive, and my father wasn’t so over-protective. Then she got skin cancer, and everything changed . . .”

  Pain spread out over her features. I started to close the distance between us, but she stood up from her chair and moved away.

  “No, let me finish.” She continued to talk without looking at me. Instead, she slowly paced the kitchen, staring at the ceiling, the walls, anything to avoid looking into my eyes. “My mother had skin like me, you see. That’s where I get it. She was always careful, but sunblock back then wasn’t like it is today, and she loved being outside . . .” She swallowed and paused her steps. “We didn’t have the medical advances back then, either. Her death had hit my father hard.”

  “What about you?”

  She shrugged and resumed her pacing. “I was too young to really understand it. At three you think that everyone will live forever.” She sighed and crossed her arms around her middle. “My father had lost one woman he loved to the sun, and he was determined not to lose another. He kept me locked up inside our apartment in London, deciding to home-school me rather than to risk me going outside and getting too much sun. He hired the best tutors and bodyguards to look after my well-being. I wasn’t allowed out of the house without his approval. Looking back, I know it was because he was afraid that I’d suffer the same fate as my mom, but back then, it was hard to understand his actions. I thought them unfair.” She stopped talking and looked down at her feet, as if lost in some memory.

  “So you turned to the one way you could escape,” I offered. “The internet.”

  She sighed and met my gaze. “Yes. He wouldn’t let me be around people, so I sought out friends online. As a result, I became sort of reclusive. That is, until I made contact with Peter.”

  “Peter?”

  She smiled to herself. “He runs a charity in Canada to help people like me.” She leaned against the kitchen counter. “In the Western countries, albinism is pretty much accepted. We get a few stares, a few people questioning, but for the most part, people treat us with respect. The same cannot be said for people in Africa.