All of You: The Lonnigans, Book 1 Page 7

  Her smile still had the effect of discombobulating his thinking. “You should really sit down. It’ll help.”

  “Help what?” Smooth, smooth. She’d never guess he was hanging on to the railing as if it were supplying his life’s blood.

  Her mouth quirked. “I had a brother once who hated small spaces. Especially elevators.”

  Just once? You mean you can trade them in somewhere? “Who said I hate small spaces?”

  “Considering you broke into a sweat the second the car stopped and you’re barely looking me in the eye, I put it together. My brother used to throw up. You’re not going to do that, are you?”

  God, he hoped not. “I won’t if you stop talking about it.”

  “Sounds fair.”

  His breaths were coming in short pants. “You’re being awful calm for someone who just got knocked into a metal box with a man she hates.”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  Kyle decided not to get his hopes up. She had that cool, robotic tone Lucas used when he was about to be a bastard.

  “When I’m not absolutely enraged with you, I actually think you’re funny and interesting. Since I have no idea how long we’re going to be stuck together, I see no reason to waste energy being angry.”

  Yup. Smart conservation of optimism. “Not until you know you can walk out sometime soon.”

  “Exactly.” She scrunched her nose and dropped her heavy bag to the ground. She sat next to it, her long legs extended in front of her, crossed at the ankles. She couldn’t have looked more comfortable if she were on a pillow. “By the way, that counting thing you’re doing will only distract you from your problem for so long. If you don’t find a way to get past it, eventually, you’ll run out of spots in the ceiling or cracks in the wall. Then it’ll just be you, three walls and two locked doors.”

  “If you’re looking for revenge, you’re getting it.”

  “This isn’t revenge. Revenge would be telling you we don’t have one of those state-of-the-art braking systems that keeps us from skidding slowly down the elevator shaft to our fiery doom.”

  Kyle swallowed at her cheerful tone.

  “I’d be lying, but that’s not the point.” She watched him evenly for a few seconds before chuckling to herself. “It’s no fun if you don’t faint, Kyle.”

  “I’ll have to do better the next time we get hijacked in an elevator.”

  “Careful what you wish for. If Dory finds out you’re claustrophobic, she’ll find a way to trap us in a shoebox together.”

  “I thought she liked me.”

  “Oh, she does. She’ll just be hoping my inner Florence Nightingale will come out and take care of you.”

  “Would it?” It might be worth faking an injury for that.

  “Not even if you were on fire. Apple slice?” Jessica flipped open her satchel and pulled out a plastic container.

  He shook his head as she opened it, snitched a fruit slice and crunched into it without batting an eyelash. For the first time he could remember, he wasn’t hungry.

  “How’d you end up this way, anyway? You’re usually so easy in your skin.”

  Which didn’t sound like a compliment. But it was interest. “Spend nine months in a small dark place with Lucas and no way out. Believe me, you’d be permanently scarred too.”

  She laughed, this time with none of the underlying anger. This could be positive. Oddly, his chest lightened a little at the sound. “Yes, but I doubt that’s what caused your problem.”

  “Why are you so interested in my psychological problems?”

  “I’m not, but it passes the time. So, what happened?” She waited, as if he were actually going to tell her.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Joykill. Your brother would tell me.”

  It was his turn to laugh, albeit uncomfortably. “Lucas doesn’t admit weakness. He definitely doesn’t know about this.” The sarcastic ass would bring it up every other day if he did.

  “If I promise not to tell him, will you tell me?”

  “Isn’t that extortion?”

  “Yes.” She shook her head at him. “Don’t look so surprised. It’s not as if you really know me. We had a nice night together, but good sex doesn’t mean I’m not capable of eating a man alive.”

  Even in his strained state, Kyle had to smile as she realized what she’d just said. Her hand stuttered on its way to her mouth. She popped the remaining apple bit into her mouth and with wide eyes began chewing as if her next breath depended on it. She’d almost had him for a second there. Right up until she choked on her double entendre.

  Why was she working so hard to make him think she was unfeeling? She was right, one amazing night didn’t mean he knew everything there was to know about her. He didn’t know her favorite color or why she ate in those tiny, nibbling little bites. True, he didn’t know what motivated her or what she did in the quiet times of the day. But did she think he didn’t remember those hours they’d spent before trying to devour each other in her bed? She hadn’t wanted to, but she’d shown him her personality, her interests, a tantalizing peek of the woman behind the professional mask.

  Enough to make him want answers to those other questions.

  He wanted to understand why just looking at her made him feel like the world stopped spinning. Or why sparring with her verbally gave him such an adrenaline rush. Why touching her felt better than touching anyone or anything else in the world.

  Why she was so damn scared of him.

  “We could always talk about us.”

  “Oh no you don’t. Every time you talk about us, it’s some new approach to get back in my bed.”

  He slid down to the ground, still holding on to the rail but feeling less desperate. “You have a nice bed.”

  “I know. And I don’t plan to share it.”

  “Ever?”

  She munched another apple piece. “Allow me to rephrase. I don’t plan to share it with you.”

  “Why not? You didn’t have any complaints last time.”

  She made a choked, incredulous sound. “I’ve had nothing but complaints!”

  “Not about the sex.”

  Her mouth pursed tightly, but rather than admit the truth, she shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to sleep with you again. So all your elaborate plans, the meals, the plants, the ambushes…there’s no point. Set your sights on easier game.”

  “Hey,” he replied, his temper sparking. His life up to this point might have been superficial and okay, somewhat wasteful, but he wasn’t a predator. Ever. “I don’t hunt women. The women I sleep with know what’s going to happen and they’re equal participants. Even you. And they all knew there weren’t any promises. No commitment. No happily ever afters.”

  She didn’t look like she believed him. “What about what you said in the stairwell? And everything else you’ve been doing the last few days? What do you call that?”

  A change of heart. But Dory had warned him expressly against letting Jessica in on his hopes. She offered him another apple slice and this time, he took it. Handling it gave him time to think of the right answer. Or it would have if he weren’t thinking how the tart fruit fit her—always a sting before the sweetness.

  “You’re different,” he finally said with a shrug, not wanting to lie, even in this. Maybe especially in this. “I’ve never been with a woman who challenged me on so many levels. A woman like you brings a whole other dimension to the word stimulation.” He paused, watching her until he was sure she was taking him seriously. “The truth is, one night with you just wasn’t enough for me.”

  She stared at him, her blasé mask finally gone. But she didn’t look happy. “It was hardly a night.”

  He made an effort not to raise his brows, but one might have gotten away from him because she sighed.

  “Fine, since you’re never going to let this go, yes, I liked what happened between us. But all I want in a man at this point in my life is one who can be good in bed and good enough to
leave when we’re done without taking it personally.”

  Well, it wasn’t the open-armed acceptance he’d been hoping for, but as Dory said, if Jessica didn’t set it on fire…

  “I can do that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t an invitation, Kyle.”

  “Wasn’t it?”

  She was cute when she stumbled through an attempt to speak. Her cheeks colored a soft rosy shade and she puckered her mouth over and over again, trying to find a word.

  It was impossible to ignore.

  He leaned over, letting go of the rails, and pressed his mouth to hers. He felt her gasp and was careful to keep the kiss gentle. Caressing. He could easily push too hard, move too fast, because of how hungry he was. He let himself breathe in her honeysuckle scent, savored the softness of her lips and felt pure relief that she wasn’t pushing him away. He smoothed his hand over her jaw, gliding his thumb over the silk of her cheek, tipping her chin closer. Her lashes fluttered closed, but she didn’t return the kiss. No matter how much it pleasure there was in just touching her, it wasn’t enough.

  He needed more than acquiescence.

  He needed her to want him back.

  “Say yes, Jess.”

  Her heavy-lidded gaze met his.

  He licked her bottom lip, almost a nip. “You know you want to.”

  The dreamy haze in her eyes cleared in an instant. Too fast, damn it. He knew it. Too eager. He braced himself for her retreat.

  Instead she slid her arm over his shoulder and pulled him down for her kiss.

  This is suuuuuuch a bad idea.

  But it felt like a good idea. A delicious idea. Jessica closed her eyes and decided to let reason talk to her later. Right now, her body was fully in control and it was getting happier by the second.

  Happy to be touched.

  Happy to be with him.

  They sank into the kiss, her body humming to life beneath him. Their hands wandered, caressing, kneading, pulling at inconvenient clothes. But there wasn’t much give, not tucked against the corner of the elevator floor. She pushed at his shoulders, taking a much-needed gasp of air when he jerked upward, his sensual mouth poised to apologize. She took another kiss, hard and fast, just to keep him from speaking, then shoved him off her. She didn’t want him to talk. Didn’t want him to say anything that might remind her why she shouldn’t be doing this. She wanted blind sensation and the amazing part was, she was actually going to take it.

  Kyle came down on his bottom, back to the wall, this close to frowning in confusion. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re mean?”

  “You’re the only one. Now, quiet.” She grinned as she shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it behind herself so hard the fabric slapped the metal doors. His blue eyes had lost that glassy, panicked look from earlier. Now they were heated, concentrating only on her. She didn’t let him look away, even as she pulled up her skirt to slide onto his lap.

  She watched with satisfaction as one corner of his mouth curved slowly upward. His palms curled around her thighs, warm and invigorating. She shivered, remembering what those hands could do.

  But she wasn’t ready to let him have his way. All the fantasies she’d had over the last few days were finally going to be satisfied. Especially the one about giving him a taste of his own medicine. She pulled his hands off her, lifting them back to the rail. “You’re going to want to hold on to this.”

  “What? Why?”

  Rather than answer, Jessica kissed him again, rubbing her breasts across his chest, wanting to purr like a cat at the friction. She slid down, biting her lip as electric sensation tingled her hardened nipples through the thin white blouse and bra. Was it Kyle or her over-sensitized body’s needs that made her feel like a hungry inferno?

  Dragging her fingers over his light blue shirt, she found his belt clasp and made short work of removing the metal tongue from the hole in the leather. She continued to the button, unhooking the slide clasp. She made sure to be careful, slow, as she pulled the tab of his zipper over the insistent flesh of his erection. Disappointed to find his black briefs, she satisfied her want by palming him through the sleek fabric. He leapt against her hand and she considered stroking him to begging right then, but that wouldn’t be as satisfying as playing his body as he’d once played hers.

  Still, she allowed herself to keep stroking a few moments more before she reached into his shorts for the smooth, hard flesh her body had been craving for days. His hips lifted as she grasped him, his breath pushing out through suddenly tight lips. In her palm, his erection was smooth, thick and urgent. Hers.

  Backing up, she lowered her face, running her cheek over the silken head until she grazed it with her lower lip. Carefully, she nuzzled against it, her breath growing fast. Did Kyle know he was sexually addictive? That he could leave a woman wanting more, all the time? Until she was insane enough to go down on a man in an elevator that could open at any time, in a building that didn’t even acknowledge sex? He probably did, but just because she’d given in didn’t mean she was about to lose control.

  She parted her lips over him and slowly slid him into her mouth. Kyle watched her, not even breathing, as she pressed her tongue against him and pulled him just as slowly back out. His hands grappled with the rail and she felt her wicked smile return. Then she went back to her plan to drive him crazy.

  Using her lips and her tongue, she took him deep, surging over him and sucking him all the way down her throat before sliding up again right to the crest of his erection. Up…and down, over and over again, and when he’d lift his hips against her, she’d soften and touch him only enough to tease, flickering her tongue under the rim of the head.

  The sounds of his groans and her own wet slurps heightened her arousal until her own sex felt as slick as the cock shuttling between her lips. Faster and faster she moved on him, the motion rocking her whole body. Her thighs pressed together and every shift of her raised hips had them adding pressure against her clit. Not enough to give her what she needed, just enough to make her demand more. Demand it from him with every driving thrust over his flesh.

  This was what she’d wanted, what she’d craved and needed. Her blood rushed through her, hot and wild, urging her on. She curled her fingers around his width, pumping her fist in time with her mouth, so that her lips met her fingers on each downward thrust. He moved his hips upward, not so much fucking her mouth as desperate for the orgasm she would only let draw so close.

  “More,” he groaned, lifting his weight with his hands, pushing his hips closer to her face. She pulled equally far back. “Take all of me, Jess, I know you can.”

  She shook her head, smiling evilly when his eyes rolled back at the sensation. She would…when she was ready. Instead she slowed her pace, running her tongue over the head and sucking it like a ring pop instead of a sensitive part of his body. He all but growled, but, she noted before she drew him back in, he didn’t stop her from lovingly running her tongue up the underside, from base to tip.

  Eventually, his fingers sank into her hair. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to be good to your toys?”

  “I thought I was being good to you.” She barely recognized her own voice. As if she’d swallowed warm honey. She liked it. Loved it, this whole moment and the heady, lusty delirium of it. For another long minute or two, she prolonged the torture, just so he knew she was in control, then gave him what he wanted, taking him in slowly, carefully, and swallowing around him. After all, it was what she wanted too.

  Too soon, he pushed at her shoulders. “I’m gonna come, Jess.”

  She rumbled her approval of that, but he shook his head and pushed her shoulders away again. She followed this time without thinking, letting him guide her until she was back to sitting on his lap, positioned there by his firm hold on her hips. His hands let go, slipping to her spread thighs, but his smoldering gaze never broke from hers. The heat of his touch moved over her skin, caressing firmly upward and taking her skirt with it. She looked down, blinking a
way the intensity of his stare as those hands caressed inward, his fingertips slipping deftly beneath the gray fabric to find the panties beneath. Shuddering, she let her head fall back as he moved the silk aside to touch her moist folds. Soon she felt his mouth on her neck and she moaned.

  “I want inside you, Jess.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, sliding her own hands into his hair. She wanted his mouth everywhere. Over her neck, on her breasts, her belly…and right where his fingers were gently stroking, sinking into her.

  “I want you.”

  Something in his tone had her lashes fluttering upward, but his fingers found that sensitive spot inside her just as his thumb caressed her clit. She clenched around him, panting. Her body coiled tight, her nipples stinging from the fabric of her bra. She pressed against his mouth, a strange sound escaping her throat. It almost sounded desperate. Or maybe relieved.

  His free hand was climbing up the ripples in her skirt to the pearly buttons of her blouse, plucking from the bottom to the top. Cool air spread across her skin as each button came undone. When it gaped open, he pulled back, just to look at her. For that instant, she couldn’t look away. The moment hung suspended. There was an expression on his face, as if he were looking at the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  Part of her, the largest part of her, immediately pulled away. It urged her to yank her shirt closed, get off him and back as far away from Kyle Lonnigan as she possibly could. Claw the walls to get away if she had to. But something else, something small and strangely compelling, made her stay. Made her keep absolutely still and bask in that stare she didn’t want to interpret.

  Finally, he lifted his hand and touched her, gliding his fingertips over the line of her bra. Back and forth he caressed, teasing her nerve endings until they were almost burning. Just when she was about to grab him and force him to sate the need, he leaned forward, pulled the satiny bra away and took her nipple into his mouth.

  At the first draw, he began stroking her again, making her gasp and quake. Inside, she felt herself tightening, getting closer and closer to bursting. So close, just a little…