Page 66 of On Merit Alone

“Yes, sweetheart,” I breathed. “If you keep asking, you're going to make me worry what you want to do.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll like it.”

I wanted to ask her what she was planning on doing, since the mirth in her voice made me a little nervous. But the feel of her mouth on my neck, hot and hungry stopped all coherent thoughts and brought a soft rumble from the bottom of my throat.

Damn she felt good. Her wet little mouth kissing and sucking my skin like she was determined to leave marks.

Slowly, she kissed up to my jaw and then to my mouth, immediately slipping her searching tongue inside and devouring me like she wanted to suck my soul from my body. I moaned, and then I jerked.

As her mouth moved upward, her hands moved down, slipping the waistband of my pants and finding my briefs underneath.

She palmed my thigh first. Kneading my muscles and groping me like she wanted to know something they weren’t telling her.

And then she did that nail thing. Dragging them softly along my skin until she reached the inner part of my thigh. I almost choked on my growl.

“ Merit .”

“You said whatever I want,” she whispered breathlessly onto my jaw. Then she dragged her wet mouth down, down until she was kissing along my collarbone. “I’m going to touch you, Ira.”

“No, not?—”

My words cut off at the feeling of her palming me over my boxers. I was already hard as a rock, but somehow the sensation of her taking hold of me and rubbing firm hands that were a little clumsy from alcohol and a lot eager from her horny little heart, had me stiffening to the point of near pain.

“Merit,” I breathed as I let my face fall into the side of her neck, moaning as those fingernails dragged along the length of me slowly. “No more. ”

Her little laugh was wicked. All amusement and arousal. It was almost husky as she said, “There’s no safe words here, King.”

“Fuck, baby.” I was so hard and her being sexy wasn’t doing anything to stop that.

“Okay?” she asked, waiting on my confirmation to continue even after her dirty little words.

“Mhmm,” I said, my brain half dissolved in a lusty haze. “Just for a bit.”

She was determined to drive me crazy, and her slipping a hand into the front of my briefs and sliding a gentle palm around me before she gave a long, slow tug…

yeah, that was going to send me right over the edge.

My grip on the wall tightened and I grunted, my hips chasing her and the slide of her hand, up and down.

“You’re dripping already, Ira. I think you’re going to make a mess,” she said slowly. She tried to hide it, but she was enjoying it as she continued to work my hardness over with her hand. “Is this alright?”

I grunted again. Panted. “It’s good, but… but we should go?—”

She hummed happily before returning her lips to my throat.

Slowly, she removed her non-busy hand from my hip where she was tracing slow circles and ran it up my arm until she had a hold on my wrist. Lifting it off the wall, she moved me so that my hand traced down the side of her face to the front of her neck.

At the same time, her other hand twisted in a move that made my hips pump slightly and had my hand tightening involuntarily on her flesh as she worked me.

Against my sane mind, I kissed her. Forcing my mouth down on hers, hard and bruising as she drove me crazy with her hand alone.

Ripping away, I cursed. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”

“That’s okay,” she said, breathless and turned on.

I knew she was turned on, and all I wanted to do was make her feel good too.

Make her feel like she was making me feel.

Drive her crazy just like this. But she shook her head, crushing those thoughts with the continued motion of her hand.

“This is your punishment. You’re going to come right here, just like this. ”

“Not here,” I growled. Then panted because she was still jerking me off. Still moving in a tauntingly perfect motion that was starting to make my legs tremble. My next words were choked. “Not before I get to have you, Mer.”

She shook her head. “I get to have you first.”

Surprisingly, she had me there.

This was the real punishment. How many times had I thought about having her as mine?

Giving to her not only emotionally but her body as well.

Of course I would be lying if I said I didn’t want this.

I think my being on the edge of coming in her hand that very second was the proof of how much I wanted this—her.

But I wanted to give to her first, and it was the ultimate punishment to think that wasn’t going to happen.

And at this rate, it wasn’t going to happen.

My mind had gone hazy, my body shaky. And to top off her torture, Merit had started to guide my hand down lower. Right over her chest. My groan was loud as I felt her softness pool into the palm of my hand.

Perfect. She was so perfect and she felt so good and she was doing the twisting thing and moaning into my mouth as I couldn’t help but pinch her hard peaks with my fingers. My other hand came around to cup the back of her neck and pull her closer to me as I lost myself in her.

Adjusting, she gripped me in a way that made her thumb drag along the soft underside of my shaft, and I melted. Dissolving into little more than grunts and jerks in her hands.

“Yes,” I groaned into her mouth. “Yes, baby. Just like that.”

“Now you want it?” she teased.

“I need it,” I growled.

“I like when you beg, Ira.”

“Please, baby,” I shuddered, the edges of my release tickling my spine and threatening to take me out at the knees.

Everything about her was so sexy, so perfect, everything I wanted.

Her soft flesh ready in my hands. Her mouth explored me thoroughly.

Her words, unfiltered and honest. Carnal. Mine . “Please, I can’t take anymore.”

Leaning upward, she brought her mouth to my ear and said in a gravelly voice that was transparent about the fact that she wanted me. This. Us . “All you have to do is ask and you can have anything you want from me.”

She bit my earlobe and pumped me harder, faster, more, more, more until?—

“Fuck!” I hissed and buried my face into her neck so I wasn’t shouting as my body lost control and spilled over and over and fucking over again into her hand and my fucking pants.

“Mmm,” Merit moaned lazily as she slowed her movements. Coaxing the rest of my release out of me and making me tremble every time her hand grazed over the sensitive head.

The room was moving, my breath ragged as my lips stayed plastered against the crook of her neck and I came down from whatever planet I was on. “Ira?”

“Give me a minute, sweetheart,” I said, but I tightened my hold on her to let her know I was still here.

I felt her smile on the side of my face in response before she kissed me sweetly on the jaw and whispered, “Okay.”

Removing her hand from my pants, Merit picked up the cup of water she’d discarded beside her and took a small sip before using the rest to pour over her hand, washing away the residue of my release as she did.

She didn’t seem bothered to have to dry her hand on the side of her skirt, or shy about checking me for “wet spots” as she so subtly put it.

My legs trembled, but I willed myself to stand straight. And when she looked at me, her eyes impish and still a little drunk and looking a lot accomplished with herself, I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed both sides of her face and pulled her to me.

Slanting my mouth over hers I kissed her long and slow. Sweet. Rough. Teasing and tame. I kissed her all kinds of ways. I kissed her until I was sure I didn’t have to tell her how satisfied I felt right now, even though I would tell her anyway.

I kissed the shit out of her before breaking away and panting over her mouth, “We are going to have to talk about what ‘within reason’ means.”

She laughed so full and happy, that I knew—oh, I fucking knew—this girl had me forever.