He swiftly obliged, his tongue laving one nipple until it glistened, then the next, before latching onto each of them in turn. He circled his tongue over her pink areola, then gently nipped the hardened peak, before repeating on the other side. It relieved the ache there, but made her stomach tremble with need.

He didn’t move, forcing her to try to twist in his arms. If she’d had her hands free, she would have pushed his head down, moved him where she now needed his mouth so desperately. Knowing that he wouldn’t go elsewhere until she asked him filled her with frustration, and yet power, too. She was in control here with nothing but her words.

“Lower,” she gasped as he sucked her nipple harder.

Crew obliged, running his tongue along her stomach, trailing light kisses up and down her torso and sides. He traced every inch of her skin there, stoking her heat to white hot, making need layer on top of need until she felt she would explode.

“Lower,” she called breathlessly, and he moved to her thighs, his tongue slipping along the inside of her legs, licking the sensitive skin just outside her core. He sucked on her quivering flesh, but he still wouldn’t give her what she truly wanted.

The throbbing inside her seemed to be taking on a life of its own. Could she possibly blow up if he didn’t relieve the ever-mounting pressure? She was certain that could happen. If a boiler built up this much steam without someone pulling the valve and letting it release, there would be a giant crater in the ground. She just had to do something, say something, now.

“Lick me, Crew, please,” she begged. His tongue ran along her thighs. “No! Take my heat; make me come in your mouth!” she demanded, tossing her head from side to side.

“Oh, my…” she screamed when his lips clamped down on her swollen core. The textured tip of his tongue ran in circles around her moist flesh, and she felt the buildup of pressure go into the red zone.

“Yes, Crew, yes!” she praised. This was the spot. This was where she wanted, needed his masterful technique now.

With a few more exquisite passes from his tongue, Haley exploded into a paradise all her own. There was no gentle falling. This was a detonation of light and sound, of pure adrenaline almost to the point of pain, a wonderful, mind-blowing pain. Never had she imagined feeling such intensity.

She shook as his hand moved below her, gripping her quivering backside as he ran his tongue across her flexing skin a couple of times more. When he released her, she melted into the bed, her eyes rolling into the back of her head behind the silk tie still secured there.

When she felt his hands at her arms, she jumped, her flesh feeling like one big erogenous zone. She couldn’t possibly do anything else.

All of a sudden, she was free. Her arms fell limp to the bed, and she felt his gentle fingers rubbing over them, making the blood run through their length. Next, the tie came off and she squinted at him in the dim light as she forced her eyes open.

“That was magnificent,” she told him and smiled lazily into his strained face.

“It’s about to reach a whole new level, Haley. I’ve only begun.”

“Ooh,” she said in a whoosh of breath. The thought of more should have terrified her, but a stirring began in the pit of her stomach, where her body still trembled from the powerful release he’d just given her.

“What do you want now?”

Her eyes widened. She was still in control, able to demand anything she wanted from him. As she looked down his perfect body, she knew she wanted only one thing.

“You. Deep inside me.”

Crew seemed to speak another language his words were so inarticulate before he immediately sheathed himself and then lay on top of her. Thinking he would slam inside without preliminaries, she tensed, waiting for the initial pain again.

When he lubricated her moistness with the tip of his erection and slowly inched in, she felt herself relax, enjoying the stretching of her skin, as inch by beautiful inch he filled her.

“Deeper,” she called, “faster.” She was done with slow and steady. As her stomach tensed with a renewed need, she wanted speed and friction — she wanted the burning release she’d received only from him.

“Like this...?” he asked seductively as he pushed forward, burying himself deep inside her.

“Yes, Crew. Always like this, always! Take me,” she demanded as her legs wrapped around him. She didn’t know who she was anymore, but his presence was giving life to an insatiable monster, a man-eater, even, and she hoped the creature never retreated.

“Open your eyes, Haley. I want to see the pleasure explode in them when I slam against your body.”

She did as he asked, looking deep inside his eyes as he began moving his hips, bringing her closer and closer to the peak again. She could do this night and day and still it wouldn’t make up for the years she’d lost without it.

How could she somehow experience something so magical and then never do it again? She didn’t think she could ever let him leave the bed after this night.

Sounds of pleasure and slick coupling filled the air, heightening her craving for more. Her mind had only one thought — how to find the way to another delicious orgasm. As he tightened against her and called out her name, she fell with him, lost in an abyss of darkness, her body turned to liquid and sated to the fullest.

As he pulled from her, she turned, snuggling down deep, deciding she’d never leave the safe softness of his bed again.

His hand stroked along her side, and Haley smiled, loving his touch, completely content in this perfect moment.

“Round three, beautiful. We’re not done yet,” he whispered, making goose bumps appear on her skin.

He had to be kidding. She was spent. Yes, she’d just told herself that she never wanted this to stop, but surely there were limits to human sensation. There was no possible way she could do that all over again. Her nervous system just couldn’t take it.

Haley ignored his words, but as Crew continued to stroke her skin, unbelievably, her body awakened again, and she found herself turning toward him.

It was a couple of hours more before, despite a touch of soreness, she found the sweet pleasure of oblivion. Her last thought before she descended into sleep was that the pain was well worth that incredible night of lovemaking.

Chapter Twenty

Waking up with the morning sun streaming through Crew’s window, Haley stretched her arms and connected with the firm muscles of Crew’s naked chest.

Deliciousness.

For just a moment, she practically purred, but reality quickly dropped down with a thud. She didn’t know the rules of a game such as this. Was she supposed to slip quietly out the door? When she’d slept over before, he’d woken her up and had her out the door so fast, she didn’t have time to think about any of those things.

Crew Storm could have any woman he wanted, and he had many of them figuratively notched on his impressive bedpost. She knew she was a novelty item, the virgin who’d asked him to be her teacher. Thinking back, she’d been quite naïve and unaware of what she’d been asking.

Teach her he had, though. She could feel confidence flowing through her. Though it wouldn’t be easy, or even possible, to be an entirely new person, at least she felt attractive, and she knew she didn’t belong in a corner. The problem was that she wanted to belong by his side.

Should she play it cool? Act as if this were no big deal? He was well aware that it wasn’t something she did all the time, but he seemed to prefer confident socialites — that’s what she’d read, anyway — so should she try and mold herself into one of them to stay at his side a while longer?

No.

Even if that was what he wanted, she couldn’t pretend to be one of those shallow women. She was just Haley Sutherland, a girl who’d missed out on life while the rest of the world continued spinning rapidly around her. I am what I am.

Just as she was deciding it was time to get up and sneak off to her room and wait for his next move, his arm snaked out and pulled her tightly against his side.

“Good morning, my little siren. I hope you slept well,” he mumbled against her neck, making all sorts of tingles dance in her stomach.

“Very well, thank you.”

“I could use a large cup of coffee, and a gigantic breakfast. I feel like I ran a marathon,” he said with a laugh.

His positive mood was a good thing. She’d just take her cue from him.

“The coffee sounds wonderful, but I need a hot shower first,” she said as she stretched her legs out and felt the soreness in her thighs. Feeling it made a grin spread across her face. She’d take her workouts beneath him any day over on top of a treadmill.

“Scratch what I said before. I’ll join you — coffee can wait.” His mouth was doing wicked things to her body, but she couldn’t go there again so soon. Maybe after a day of rest…

“I think I’ll take the shower alone for the sake of my sore…muscles,” she replied, giggling.

“Ah, you have no imagination,” he said with a wolfish grin, but his grasp loosened as he sat up in bed, then gently gripped her beneath the arms to help her up, slinging one of his arms around her back so she was still snuggled against him.

The feel of his hand massaging her back had her melting into him. His touch could turn her on fire, or soothe away her fears. A very talented man.

Her heart suffered a sudden pang of alarm while he held her in his arms. Many times she’d see lovers embracing in a park, or cozying up together at the movies. She’d envied their obvious ease in each other’s company. Now that she was getting a taste of it, she feared having to give it up.

Idly, her fingers stroked along his chest, memorizing the map of his toned muscles. She could sit like this the rest of the day and feel that there was no better thing to do in the world. Who needed to get up and work when they had a strong man to hold them in his arms all day, instead?

“I’m loving just holding you, Haley, but my body has other ideas. I don’t know how, but it does. If you don’t run away to the shower soon, I can’t be held responsible for my actions,” he warned with a playful nip on her shoulder.

The heck with being sore. It was worth it to have him pressed against her. As if he could read her thoughts, he gently shifted her away and rose from the bed with a pained but resolute expression across his beautiful features.

As he turned, her eyes were glued to his magnificent backside while he walked toward his discarded clothes and bent over. The muscles flexing in his legs were a sight to behold. She’d never been interested in painting, but as the early morning sun streamed down on his rock-hard body, she suddenly had a desire for a paintbrush and canvas. Perfection such as his should be recorded for all time.

Inspiration hit when she saw her new cell phone on the nightstand. With a quick lunge, she snatched it up and focused on his bare behind, then snapped a couple of shots. He turned incredulous eyes on her when he heard the click.

“All right, woman, get your shower. I’ll have breakfast waiting when you come out,” he said, glaring at her small black device before coming back over and giving her a lingering kiss. A low growl escaped his throat, but he turned and walked from the room.