Page 19

CHAPTER 19

Tempe

“I s your mom cool with you staying the night with me?” Rafferty asks as he unlocks the door to his condo.

I chuckle. “Yes. I think she understands that we’re having sex.”

Rafferty rolls his eyes, pushes the door and motions me in. As I walk past him, he gives me a sharp, playful slap on the ass.

I turn to retaliate but he’s on me as soon as the door closes. Hands to my face, his mouth to mine, I expect ferocity except we meet in a gentle kiss. It’s tender but ignites a fire within, making me ache for more of his touch. I tentatively push my tongue forward into his mouth and his breath hitches. His fingers tighten around my lower back, silently encouraging me to continue.

So I inch my tongue farther inside, savoring the taste of him. His response is immediate—a guttural moan that comes from deep down. Suddenly, his hands are gripping my head, holding me in place so he can take control.

And I let him, lost in the moment as our tongues dance. Every nerve ending in my body tingles with pleasure as our bodies press closer together. This is what I’ve been yearning for all night—the taste of Rafferty, the feel of him against me, the way he takes control.

The way he possesses me.

His lips are soft yet commanding, urging me to respond to his every touch. And oh, how my body responds. A soft moan escapes my lips as I feel his arousal for me, and it only intensifies as his tongue expertly explores my mouth.

I’m completely lost in the moment, giving in to every sensation coursing through me. It’s like every cell in my body craves his touch.

Rafferty breaks the kiss, only to peel off his jacket and urges me to do the same. I drop my purse to the floor and then he has me by the hand, leading me back to his bedroom. Once again, his mouth is on mine, palms gently cradling my face as the kiss begins anew with such tenderness.

He guides me until the back of my knees hit the edge of the bed. We both collapse onto its soft surface, his erection pressing against me and sending shivers down my spine. Unable to resist, I grind my hips against him, creating delicious friction between my legs that has me gasping aloud.

Even as our bodies move together—against each other—Rafferty maintains control over our kiss. His lips are demanding yet tender, exploring every inch of my mouth with his tongue, leaving me breathless and occasionally nibbling on my bottom lip with just enough force to make my body tingle.

As his hand slips under the soft knit of my sweater, I go still. His touch is like a feather, trailing up my ribs and leaving a spidery sensation in its wake. When he pulls down the cup of my bra to palm my breast, his body heat seeps into my skin, hardening my nipple against his touch.

Rafferty lifts his head and gazes into my eyes, his own filled with a mix of desire and wonder. “You’re so fucking sexy, Tempe. I could spend hours touching you.”

The thought that this beautiful man sees me in that light is unfathomable. “Really?”

He nods, his stare so intent, I want to squirm. “Yes, really. You’re so damn beautiful and smart and funny. I don’t know what possessed me to kiss you in that grocery store, but I think it might be the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”

His sincerity melts me, his words turning me on more than ever.

Rafferty removes his hand from beneath my sweater, but before I can mourn the loss of his warmth, he’s pulling it up and over my head. His fingers flick the front clasp of my bra and push the cups aside. He watches me for a moment before bringing his eyes back up to meet mine.

“You’re a dream,” he whispers before lowering his mouth to my chest.

His lips brush gently against the upper swells as my hands instinctively move to hold the back of his head to me. He continues to place light kisses all over me, moving lower until he flicks his tongue over my hardened nipple, then turns his cheek to rub his stubble over it. Sparks of pleasure dance before my eyes and I can’t help but let out a soft moan.

“Feel good?” he asks.

“Too good,” I gasp before taking in a deep breath. Because Rafferty leaves me breathless with every touch and caress.

His lips return to suck on me gently, then he licks and teases until I am practically trembling. Finally, he pulls back slightly and blows a soft breath over my nipple, causing it to harden even more. I didn’t think it was possible for it to become any more sensitive, but Rafferty proves me wrong.

With a swift movement, Rafferty pushes back and rises from the bed. He slowly pulls his dark, fitted sweater over his head, revealing inch after inch of muscled flesh starting at his chest and leading down to a perfect six-pack.

I can’t help but stare in awe, taking in every detail. Men like him are usually a distant fantasy, seen in movies or fitness magazines. But here he is, standing before me with an undeniable presence and a mouth-watering erection pushing against his jeans.

But what really has me near incineration is how Rafferty stares down at me, as if I’m the most perfect thing he’s ever seen. My heart pounds not just from desire, but from something that I think might be akin to love. It feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and it’s heightening all my senses, making me hungrier for him.

“Let’s get you naked,” Rafferty murmurs, stepping closer to the bed.

Then he peels off my clothes, from shoes to panties, with only slight help from me. I shrug out of my bra and lift my hips from the bed to shimmy out of my jeans. My hips jerk when his palm presses between my legs and he rumbles low in his throat. “Bet you’re so fucking wet right now.”

“Oh God,” I mutter, squeezing my eyes shut because the way he’s watching his hand between my legs is just too sinful.

But then his hand is gone and my eyes pop open. Rafferty pulls off his jeans, hungry eyes on me the entire time. He caresses my body with that ravenous look, as if I’ve cast a spell on him. I feel the same way, watching him watch me.

There’s no self-consciousness though. I even stretch out slightly, arching my back and thrusting my breasts forward, causing another growl to rumble out of his massive chest. He spins for the night table and pulls open the drawer, removing a condom.

I lift an eyebrow, my lips curling in amusement. He grins back at me. “I put a whole box in there this morning.”

“Smart man,” I purr.

Rafferty tosses the foil packet at me. “Why don’t you open that while I get rid of the rest of these clothes?”

“Like I said… smart man.”

Rafferty laughs and I grin as I pull the condom free.

My eyes lift to find Rafferty completely naked, his body a work of art. I want to take time with it, touch every inch with my hands and mouth and tongue. I stare boldly at the hard length jutting out and nearly swallow my tongue when Rafferty starts stroking himself.

“Oh wow,” I whisper in fascination. “I’ve… I’ve never seen a man do that before.”

Rafferty’s eyes flash darkly and he squeezes himself. “Keep talking like that and I’m going to embarrass myself.”

“We can’t have that now, can we?” I wave the condom at him. “Let’s get this on you.”

Rafferty crawls on the bed, but instead of taking the condom, he covers my body and resumes kissing me, this time with more heat and urgency. His teeth scrape against mine and his tongue lashes. One hand goes between my legs and a finger glides over my sensitive flesh, circling my clit and dipping inside to gather the wetness he produced.

He kisses me and runs lazy circles over that tight bud, over and over again until I think I might go crazy. My hips thrust against him, my fingers dig into his shoulders and an orgasm explodes so quickly and violently, I almost buck his body off mine.

“Fucking beautiful,” he groans, slipping a finger inside as my muscles quake around him.

I sigh as my body continues to pulse and throb with pleasure.

Rafferty removes his hand, presses his lips to mine briefly. “Give me that condom, babe.”

“What?” I murmur, completely blissed out.

Rafferty chuckles, takes the rubber from my hand and covers his cock with assured movements. Then he’s on me, between my legs and spreading them wide with big palms to the insides of my thighs. He guides himself to me and starts to push his way in.

My body feels like it blossoms, opens up for him, and he slips farther and farther in until I’m absolutely full and his pelvis is pressed to mine. Our breathing is harsh and ragged, our eyes locked onto each other. I’m no longer mellow but instead pulsing with renewed arousal.

Resting his forehead against mine, he whispers, “Feels so good inside you. Wet and goddamn tight as hell.”

He lets out a staccato breath and then starts to move. The sensation is so intense and I make the mistake of looking down between our bodies, the sight of his hard, thick length tunneling in and out of me. My head spins, my belly tightens and my hips gyrate against his movements.

Rafferty’s mouth goes to my neck, peppering it with butterfly kisses as he thrusts slowly but oh so deeply. I grip tightly onto his hips, silently urging him to give me more. The pace picks up, the bed rocks, and all I can think is harder , harder , harder .

“Babe… I’m close,” he grunts with a particularly hard thrust. “So fucking close.”

“I’m… I’m…” I don’t know what I am but I feel like I’m going to die from the pleasure.

Then Rafferty’s hand is between us, his index finger back on my clit and the sensation is too much. I lose myself, giving in to him fully and that’s when my second orgasm hits. Just as before, it comes fast and without warning, robbing me of my breath and possibly my sanity as I don’t understand how something can feel so good.

A primal sound of desperation escapes as I climax, my body quaking all over with release. Rafferty slams into me once, twice, and on the third time, he goes utterly still, as if bracing for the bomb to go off. When it does, I’m fascinated by the way his head tips back, neck muscles corded and he groans like a dying man.

“Jesus,” he gasps, collapsing on top of me.

I can’t help but smile, wrapping my legs around his hips and slipping my fingers in his hair. We lie there entwined, breathless and satiated. Everything right in my world.

“That was…” I struggle with the words, still holding on to the last tiny fizzles of my orgasm.

Rafferty lifts his head to look at me curiously.

I give him a sheepish smile. “I don’t know that the English language has created a word that could adequately describe what that was.”

He flashes a toothy grin, his eyes bright with amusement and then he’s kissing me again. He mumbles against my lips. “I think that requires further research.”

My arms wrap around his neck, and I kiss him back.

Yes, more research. That’s a great idea.