Elemental Pleasure (4 page)

A
s if her thought summoned him, another door opened.
Lance emerged, looking around. His gaze swept the room before settling on her. Carly went back to the bar and picked up her glass of champagne, draining it, then reaching for the bottle to refill it.

“Carlene.”

His voice was warm and low, carrying a note of command that had her turning before she knew what she was doing.

Lance literally marched across the room. The word
warrior
drifted through her mind. Lance Glassco had to be military. She’d created enough soldiers for her games that she recognized the posture, the self-assurance, the
take no prisoners
look.

“Carly, call me Carly.” She sat on the barstool, feeling safer that way, though she realized her error when he boxed her in, one hand on the back of her chair, the other on the counter.

“Carly.” His gaze moved over her face. “It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re gorgeous. I was angry about all of this until I saw you.”

“Angry about what? Aren’t you a part of the Trinity Masters?”

“I am. I have been since the Academy.”

“Then why were you angry?” She ignored the fact
that she wasn’t exactly gung-ho about the whole thing either.

“I don’t like losing control.”

“And that’s what this is?”

“Isn’t it? We had no say in who we were going to be partnered with.”

“That’s the way it works. You knew that going in.”

Lance shrugged. “I’m not as young and impressionable as I was when I joined the Trinity Masters. Years of experience have taught me to ask questions rather than follow blindly.”

“It sounds like you’re not happy about your vow.”

He shook his head. “I told you. I
wasn’t
. Past tense.”

“
Oh, that’s right. That changed when you met me.
” Carly stood, her breasts brushing his chest. She expected him to move, but he didn’t. Instead he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tight to him. It was a power play, pure and simple. And as much as Carly hated to admit it, the strength of his hold was the equivalent of throwing gasoline on smoldering embers. She’d felt an instant physical att
raction to Lance the second he
removed his hood in the ceremony room. Now…in his arms…that attraction was turning into an ache, a desire for more.

“What do you think you’re d
oing?” She wished her words
sounded more insulted. Instead, her voice had gone husky and even she couldn’t mistake the flirty dare she’d just issued.

Lance studied her face, looking far too pleased. Damn, she was clear
ly failing to hide the lust being in his arms inspired.
“Right now? I’m going to take advantage of my favorite part of the situation.”

His eyes were like warm chocolate, and his chest and arms seemed to radiate heat.

She licked her lips
in blatant invitation
, loving the way his deep voice seemed to vibrate along her skin, stroking her without touch. “Let me guess, the part you want to take advantage of is…me.”

He grinned, showing off straight
,
white teeth. Lance obviously treated his body like a temple. No coffee in his mornings, no late night runs for fast food while the game was on pause. She’d bet her majority ownership of Nexus Six that he started his day with one of those vile protein shakes and
a
seven-
hundred mile run.

One of Lance’s hands moved down to her ass, as the other moved up until he cupped the back of her head. Carly to
ok a breath, waiting, wondering
what he’d do next.
And wishing he’d hurry up.

*****

Lance savored the feel of Carly’s curves pressed against him. In the cab on the way to the hotel, he’d focused on the image of her standing in her lingerie, rather than on that Preston guy’s attempt to kiss him. He had to focus on something he could recognize. While emotional things confused him, he never had a
ny problem with the physical.
Carly was giving off sexy signals a blind man
couldn’t miss. Her breathing had accelerated the second he pulled her into his arms and
her body had softened.

He’d been lying on the bed debating whet
her he should jack off when he
’d
heard
a
noise. L
ance had been delighted when he
opened the door to find the object of his desire waiting on the other side, looking sexy in her black dress and boots. There was precious little about this whole fucking situation he could control, but by God, he could take charge of Carly’s body, give her an orgasm she’d never forget. He’d handed over too much of the power today. It was time to get some back.

“Lance…”

He silenced her with his lips. She tasted like champagne and woman. He craved it, wanted more. Pulling her away from the bar, he scooped her up and carried her to the next closest thing—the pia
no. He set her on the bench
and heard her gasp.

He
bent over as he
kissed his way down her neck and her fingers twisted in his hair. He needed so much more of her—her breasts in his hands, her legs wrapped around his waist, her lips on his cock. Tugging at her dress got him nowhere, so he set her on her feet once more. His patience was in tatters.

“Take it off.”

“Lance, wait. We should…” She motioned to a door.

He didn’t understand her sudden hesitance. It was obvious she still wanted him.
“You should take off that dress before I rip it off.”

“We shouldn’t do this without Preston.”

Lance struggled to remain calm, but he was quickly passing a point of no return. Carly’s mention of the other man’s name went t
hrough him like a bullet to
the gut.

“I don’t feel like sharing right now.” He spun her around, pressed her against the piano and held her in place with one leg while he unzipped her dress, yanking it down so it pooled at her waist.

She whirled, her wrists caught in the sleeves.

“Better.” He took
her breasts in his hands.

She shuddered and her head fell back. Carly’s hair spilled over her shoulders in dark ropes. He rubbed her nipples through the lace. When they pebbled, he pinched them, twisting a little. Carly moaned, the sound one of sheer desire. Mercifully,
she stopped trying to fight him
.
“Oh god,” she whispered.

Dropping to one knee, he jerked her dress off. He could see she was wet, the silk fabric at the seam of her sex dark with moisture. He rubbed two fingers along her slit, forcing the fabric into the folds of her sex. Finding the nub of her clit
,
he pressed it, rolling it between his finger and the hard plate of her pelvic bone.

She gasped and jerked. Lance looked her over, his cock rigid in his pants. She looked like sin and sex in her black lace, wearing those hot fuck-me boots. She was his. The thought caught him unaware.

His.

No one had ever been his before.

He
rose, still working her clit as he
cradled the back of her head. Previous lovers had called him aggressive in bed. Some women had enjoyed his rough touch, while it had driven others away. Carly liked it. He could see in her flushed face, in her heavy-lidded eyes. She wanted more.
And he wanted to give it to her.

He kissed her hard and deep. Her hands fumbled with his shirt, undoing enough buttons that she was able to slide her fingers inside, digging her nails into his skin.
There was
fire and passion within her. For the first time today, something made sense. They fit.

Lance used both of his hands to yank down the lace covering her breasts. She gasped, her hands coming up to hide herself.

C
arly shook her head. “Wait
. We can’t do this, not like this.”

“Yes, we can. We have to
.”

“Lance…”

Taking her wrists, he forced her hands down, bent his head
,
and took the tip of one breast in his mouth.

She tried to free her hands and he bit her nipple gently. A warning. He switched to the dry nipple, flicking it with his tongue before taking it in his mouth.

“Stop, Lance. W
e should…should…
oh…
”

He sucked harder, grinning in savage satisfaction as her objections trailed away. He pressed his leg between hers, forcing them open.

He took one of her hands and brought it to his fly. Her fingers curled around the hard length of him through the fabric of his pants.

“I’m going to fuck you,” he w
hispered against her breast,
raising his knee until he felt the wet heat of her sex against his thigh.

Her hand jerked away from his cock. “We can’t do this, not without Preston.”

Lance’s teeth ground together. That name. Jesus. He struggled
to calm down, to understand
. “You want him, not me?”

“What? No, but we’re supposed to be together, the three of us.”

Years of military training reared its ugly head. Lance only knew one way. Kill or be killed. “If he wants you
,
he’ll have to come and take you.”

Grasping her by the
hips, Lance turned her and
bent her over the piano. Her ass rubbed against his cock, driving him wild. Grabbing one of her wrists
,
he forced it to the small of her back, using it to hold her in place as he opened his fly.
She shuddered at his bondage, moaning quietly. God, she was a wildcat.

“We shouldn’t,” she whispered, even as her hips rocked back against him, enticing, inviting.

He jerked her panties down. He couldn’t get them off because of the garters, but it was enough. He slid his finger into her sex, rubbing her clit and then pressing two thick fingers inside her. She shivered in pleasure, her tepid protests gone. “God. Lance. I—”

“What are you doing?”

Preston stood in the open doorway of a bedroom. His black gaze swept over the tableau before him. Lance pressed his fingers deeper into Carly and rubbed her clit, wringing a
nother
moan of pleasure from her.

“Carly and I are getting to know each other.”

“I heard her tell you to stop.”

“She thinks you need to be involved. I think otherwise.”

“You…you ass.” The words were muffled until Carly tossed her hair back and said it again. “You ass. Let me go.”

Lance frowned. She sounded angry, no longer aroused. Lance wanted to howl in frustration. The moment had clearly passed, but he wished someone would explain that fact to his throbbing cock.

Lance refused to give up. It was his biggest fault—and the thing that had earned him more commendations than any othe
r
Marine o
n his team. “Carly,
I know you want this.”

“I believe the lady asked you to let her go.”

Carly braced her free hand on the piano and pushed. Acting on pure instinct, Lance leaned into her, holding her more securely.
Control was slipping from his grasp again. For a split second, he’d held the reins, but now they were being stolen from him again.

Preston darted across the space and knocked Lance’s hand off her back. “Let. Her. Go.”

“So you can have her? I don’t think so.” Lance curled his fingers inside her, felt her body react. “She wants me.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Preston grabbed the wrist of the hand that was still buried in Carly’s warm sex.

“Mo
ve that hand
or you’ll lose it.” Lance tensed, ready to fight.

“Stop!” Carly pushed herself up. Lance’s hand slid from her body and, as she stumbled back a step, she forced them apart. Preston
caught her around the waist.
Lance’s hands curled into fists. She was so fucking sexy with her hair mussed, breasts spilling out, panties around her thighs, showing off the trim line of hair on her sex.

Preston released
her and Carly ran from the room
after shooting an angry glare Lance’s direction.

Preston retrieved her dress from the floor. For a moment, Lance braced himself, expecting the other man to throw a punch.
Hell, he almost hoped he would. Lance deserved the pain.

Instead, Preston simply followed Carly.

Lance ran his hand through his hair. Well, he’d fucked that up royally.

The worst part was she was right. It was a mistake for two of them to enjoy each other
without the third
present. But that seemed complicated and messy. He didn’t like either of those things, spent a majority of his life cleaning up shit like that.