Hearts on Fire Read online

  When she let go of his neck and placed her hand between them, he filled her palm with a string of foil packets. “I hope to God we have enough ‘cause I don’t think there’s any way once is going to do it for me.”

  Shannon closed her fingers over the crinkling squares, silently thanking the universe one of them had had the sense to plan ahead.

  “Tear one off, babe.”

  He let her down long enough to unzip and shove his jeans to his thighs. She dropped the extra condoms to the floor and ripped open the one packet she’d kept. Only then did she find the nerve to check him out. Mike had been…average…adequate, but Steve ….

  “Trust me, it will fit.”

  She glanced up at him and read the hunger in his eyes. A long ago memory flashed in her brain—her, lying beneath Mike, secretly wondering what it would feel like to be with a larger man. She’d felt unfaithful thinking, imagining, but she’d been single for years. She had no reason to feel disloyal.

  “I know.” The words came out sounding breathless and more confident than she actually felt. She dropped her gaze to his erection. As she covered the tip with the latex hat, he hissed out a curse, but he didn’t stop her, just put his hands on the wall behind her and flexed his hips to give her more room to work the sheath over his length.

  The moment her fingers wrapped around the base, he touched his forehead to hers. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breathing. She held on to him, not knowing what else to do at this point. He seemed to need a minute while she thought she might die if he wasn’t inside her soon.

  “Shannon?”

  “Yes?”

  “In about two seconds, I’m going to fuck your brains out unless you tell me to stop right now.”

  Instead of telling him to stop, she lifted her face and sealed her lips to his.

  He moved fast, gripping her ass, hoisting her high. Backed against the wall, her arms and legs wrapped around him, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. When he hooked his fingers into the crotch of her panties, hitched the fabric to one side, and pushed inside her, she froze for a fraction of a heartbeat. It had been a long time, but she recognized the tightening of muscles, the building tension for what it was. She couldn’t stop the inevitable. She came in a rush so intense it eclipsed even her embarrassment at coming at his first penetration. Wave after wave of pleasure overtook her body. He held her tight while she clung to him like she’d been tossed into the rapids, and he was the only thing keeping her head above water.

  When her body calmed, he remained hard inside her. She took a moment to appreciate the feel of him filling her. Resting her head against the wall, she inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of her own arousal mingled with the musky male scent that was like no other she had ever known.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, refusing to open her eyes to see the disappointment on his face.

  “Fuck, Shannon. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” To emphasize the point, he pulled almost all the way out of her then slammed back in, inching her up the wall another notch. “Hang on, babe. I need to put out my own fire.”

  Coming too fast was hot? She barely had time to think the thought before he set up a rhythm, pounding into her with short strokes so powerful they ignited another blaze inside her. Wanting to feel more of his skin, she bunched the fabric of his shirt in her fingers, inching it up until she found what she needed.

  “Jesus,” he hissed.

  She didn’t think she could get enough of touching him. His body was hard planes encased in the smoothest satin. A line of soft hair bisected his torso, leading down past where she could reach. Working her way higher, she brushed her fingers over his nipples. The move elicited a groan she felt as it rumbled from his chest. She smiled to herself, knowing her touch drove him as insane as his did her.

  Cradling his head in the crook of her arm, she bent and nipped at his earlobe. Another hard thrust and he came, his rigid shaft pulsing inside her as he ground his hips against her.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Shit. The first time hadn’t gone the way he’d intended. He’d never taken a woman against a wall before, but seeing her standing there in those scraps of lace had done something to him.

  Made me lose my mind.

  As he eased Shannon’s feet to the floor, his cock slid free of her tight channel. Fuck, he wanted to shove it back inside her, but they couldn’t stay where they were. He wanted to get her in bed where he could take more time.

  Keeping his hands on her waist to steady them both, he looked down at her. “Hey,” he said. When she looked up at him, he almost swallowed his tongue. She was so damned beautiful with her lips swollen and her skin flushed. “Sorry about that.”

  “I’m the one who should be saying I’m sorry.”

  “Because you came so quick?” He brushed his lips over hers. “That was the single hottest thing I’ve ever experienced, so don’t be sorry. I loved it.”

  “You did?”

  “I did. Think you can do it again?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

  Her shy laughter eased some of the tension between them. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve never done it before. It usually takes a while….”

  “I’m all for taking our time,” he said, reaching for the waistband of his jeans and hauling them up over his hips. “Since we’ve taken the edge off, want to try it slow?”

  She seemed surprised he hadn’t had enough, but he was more than a little worried that there wasn’t any such thing where Shannon was concerned. The way she’d come on his first thrust had nearly undone him. No one had ever wanted him so bad before that they’d come at just having him inside.

  “We’ll use the bed this time,” he coaxed. He stroked her hair from the crown of her head down to her jaw. “I’m not through with you, Shannon. I want to taste every inch of your body. I want to find every place that makes you moan and every spot that turns you to putty. I want to make you so hot you’ll come on first penetration again.”

  Indecision filled her eyes, but only for a second before she smiled up at him. “Okay. But only if I get to find all your secret soft spots, too.”

  “Honey, you’re welcome to look, but with you around, I don’t think anything on me is going to be soft.”

  They took turns in the bathroom. He went first to dispose of the condom. While he waited for her, he moved the rest of the condoms to the bedside table then undressed before sitting on the edge of the bed. When she stepped out, he stood.

  “Oh!” She stopped in her tracks. As her gaze swept over him, her fair skin flushed.

  “Like what you see?”

  “You’re….”

  “Impatient is the word you’re looking for.” He swept his gaze over her. “Turn around.”

  After a breath’s hesitation, she did as he said. He came up behind her and, pressing his body close to hers, wrapped his arms around her waist, guiding her to the wall once again.

  “Hands flat out beside your head, babe.”

  When she complied, he swept her hair to one side, giving him access to her nape. He nibbled the sensitive skin until her entire body quaked and her breathing hitched.

  “There’s a spot to remember,” he said, continuing along the slope until his tongue traced her bra strap. “This has to go.”

  Using his teeth, he slid the thin band down until it looped over her slender shoulder. He did the same on the other side then paused to admire her skin.

  “You’re so tiny. Just a wisp of a thing, really.” He traced her shoulder blades with his index finger. “So beautiful.”

  The bra strap parted easily enough. He stood, transfixed, at the sight before him. God, she was lovely. So utterly feminine, offering herself to him like this. He held her still with one hand at her nape then with the other, he learned the feel of her skin, the shape of her back, the narrow valley of her spine, and the curve of her hip. She was like a trapped bird, fragile and perhaps a little frightened in his hands
, but she held still while he worshipped her body.

  The second his palm slid over the smooth, round curve of her ass, he knew he was in trouble. He’d always been an ass man, and hers was perfect. His dick twitched in anticipation of getting up close and personal with that part of her body.

  “Want to know a secret?” he asked, sliding his index finger beneath the band of her panties.

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m a sucker for lace.” Although, he’d never expected her to be a frilly sort of woman. Crocheted panties maybe, but the delicate little nothings she had on? Not in his wildest dreams, and he’d had all sorts of wild dreams regarding her since the first time he had laid eyes on her. “But as sexy as these are, they have to go.”

  Sinking to his knees, he hooked the fabric beneath his fingers. With one tug, he bared her bottom to his eager gaze. “Jesus, woman.” Cupping both globes in his hands, he buried his face in her pillowed softness. Her skin felt like silk against his lips, and mere inches from her pussy, her scent drugged him. Like an addict, he had to have more. “Bend over.”

  Hands on her hips, he pulled her away from the wall. Arms outstretched, she braced her upper body while he steadied her lower half. When she spread her legs for balance, all her secret parts were exposed for him. A hidden pleasure garden he could no more resist than he could stop breathing. The rosiest of petals flowered open. He hesitated a heartbeat, recognizing the immense trust and courage it took for her to offer such a gift. He’d done nothing to earn her trust, but she’d given it all the same. For that, she deserved to be revered.

  Kneeling before the shrine of her womanhood, he leaned in. At the first swipe of his tongue, she moaned and pressed her hips toward him. Taking her response as invitation to proceed, he buried his face in her pussy. Using the flat of his tongue, he tasted her nectar. Sweeter than honey, she drew him in. Experimenting with different techniques, he soon ascertained her preference for deep vaginal penetration and butterfly kisses to her clit. Exploring further afield, he found tonguing her back door turned her knees to putty. God, she was more than perfect—if there could be such a thing. Everything he did, she responded to as if no one had ever touched her. He didn’t want to think what kind of an actress that made her, choosing instead to focus on enjoying every encouraging moan and ass wiggle.

  When she nearly tumbled into his arms, he guided her to the bed where he took a long second to admire her, spread like a Thanksgiving feast, before situating himself between her thighs to finish what he’d started. Slipping his hands beneath her ass, he lifted her hips. He couldn’t get enough of her sweet nectar. If they’d been alone on a desert island, he could survive on her pussy alone.

  Shannon braced on her elbows. She needed to see him for herself because it had to be physically impossible for a mouth to make her feel all the things she was experiencing. The pleasure alone stole her sanity. But it couldn’t account for the crazy need inhabiting her body, making her want to do things with this man—do things to this man.

  He knew what to do down there, sucking her clit until she writhed then switching to soft tongue flicks until she hung on the brink. A breath away from making her come, he changed direction, kissing her pussy, rimming her tender flesh before delving deep. She ached to have him inside her, in her mouth, in her pussy, in her ass. She wanted it all like she’d never wanted it in her life.

  A twinge of guilt at her thoughts made her still.

  “What is it? Did I hurt you?”

  Her heart broke a little at the concern in his eyes as he peered over her mound. “No. Don’t stop. Please?”

  Gently letting her butt drop to the mattress, he rose over her. As he braced on his hands, his erection thumped against her stomach. “Tell me what you need.”

  “I need you. Inside me.”

  He sat back on his heels to roll a condom on. She couldn’t take her eyes off his hands. Strong and angular, dusted with dark hairs, they were the hands of a working man, yet she could testify to how gentle they could be. She’d noticed them the other day when he held his daughter as if she were a cherished possession. She’d longed to feel the love and protection in his embrace for herself. He protected her in his own way today, handling the thin latex with practiced care, but it wasn’t the same. There hadn’t been any love in the action, just a practicality she should be grateful for, but the thought didn’t stop her from wishing there could be more. It had been so long since there had been more.

  He claimed her mouth and her pussy simultaneously, driving every thought out of her mind except for the wonder of connecting with another human being. It was no more than two people coming together for mutual physical gratification, no matter what her heart yearned for, and she would do well to remember it. The next day, Steve would go back to his life, and she’d go back to hers. Thanks to him, perhaps she’d be brave enough to open herself to the possibility of a new life. Though how she would ever find another man who filled all the lonely spots in her heart and her body the way this one did, she had no idea.

  Unlike their first go around, this time was slower, though no less frantic. Every time he seated himself deep in her sheath, her body scrambled to keep up. Feelings she had no control over threatened to overwhelm her. Her pussy clenched around his length, doing everything it could to hold him there where he felt so right, as if being joined with him completed her.

  Silly, she knew. She’d been complete before, and it hadn’t felt like this—raw, primal, half-crazy with lust and need. The contentment she’d known before had no place here. The very word implied settling, but she’d lost the ability to stay in one place. Stability and permanence were an illusion she no longer believed in.

  She’d always be grateful to Steve for showing her that her body could still feel, that she could still find pleasure in physical contact, but tonight could never be anything more.

  “Look at me.”

  At his rough command, she opened her eyes. Passion blazed in his hooded gaze, reducing all her practical thoughts to cinders. Sinking deep, he ground his hips against her as if he couldn’t get close enough, deep enough. She lifted her hips, taking him deeper. The approval in his gaze told her how much he appreciated the move. The next time he pulled out and sank into her, she moved with him.

  “God, you feel good.”

  Shannon stayed with him as he increased the tempo. She’d done this all before in the life she’d once had, but she couldn’t remember it ever feeling like this. Steve seemed to anticipate her body’s actions before she did, using his hands to guide and coax her into a steady rhythm that felt like floating on ocean waves, only better.

  Ocean water didn’t caress her breasts or tease her nipples with little bites and scrapes. No wave could feel as good as his lips on hers, giving and demanding in equal measure. She was drowning in Steve Rankin, and she had no will to save herself.

  The faire would be moving to another town in a few days. She’d leave this wonderful man behind but take the memories with her forever. He’d awakened a part of her she thought dead and gone for good, and she would be forever grateful. But this was nothing more than a temporary fling, never to be repeated. She didn’t want a relationship. Too many things could happen—she knew that first hand.

  No. Better to walk away.

  He couldn’t get enough of her. Her slick channel welcomed him in with each thrust, gloving him in her wet heat. He’d never been with a more responsive woman. The slightest touch could make her squirm beneath him, and, God, he might already be addicted to those soft moans coming from her throat.

  Sex had never been like this. He wanted, needed, to come, but, at the same time, he never wanted it to end. The first time had been over too quick, but she’d seemed as desperate as he’d felt. And to think he’d expected to be through with her after one time.

  Grinding his hips against hers, he couldn’t get close enough to her. As if she felt the same way, her hips lifted, rocking to take him deeper. Her inner muscles tightened arou
nd his shaft, blinding him with pleasure. He didn’t need vision to see how close she was to coming. The way she dug her fingernails into his back was clue enough even if he hadn’t noticed the way her body stilled for a fraction of a second as if to marshal all its resources like a rocket on the launch pad.

  He pulled back then drove into her tight sheath again with enough force to shove her up the bed an inch. As his pelvis collided with hers, she came, bathing his dick in liquid heat while wave after wave of contractions pulled at him. With short, gut-wrenching thrusts, he followed her into oblivion.

  Rolling to her side, he silently thanked the universe for preserving enough of his sanity to save him from squashing Shannon completely. He laid there, eyes closed and breathing hard, totally aware of her soft body beside him. Every gasping breath she took reminded him of the breathy moans that had escaped her lips when he buried himself deep inside her. God, those moans made him crazy with need.

  Twice should have been more than enough, especially since both had been as intense as any sexual encounters he’d ever experienced. But tell that to his dick. The appendage was half way to GO again.

  Give her time. Tonight might be a one-night stand—hell, it had to be—there couldn’t be more for the kind of people they were. She led a nomadic life, and he was rooted to Somerset. But they had the entire night. His cock might not like it, but he would let Shannon decide when or if they fucked again. So far, the night had been all about him and his needs.

  He rolled his head to the side, forcing himself to look at the woman with an objective eye. They’d both been going at it hot and heavy for the better part of an hour, and no matter how fit a person was, that kind of physical activity could take a toll.

  Though her eyes were closed and her breathing even, as evidenced by the steady rise and fall of her magnificent breasts, he didn’t think she slept. Then she moved her right hand over her stomach, stroking the pillow of flesh there. With each languid stroke, her hand crept closer to the juncture of her thighs. As she cupped her mound, she closed her thighs tight. His dick responded to her moan.