My Man Michael (26 page)

From the moment he’d met her, her mouth had drawn him. She had a mouth that’d drive any man nuts, and now it was his.

When she licked her bottom lip, her tongue touched his lips, too. Just to let her know how much he liked that, he gave a low, measured groan. It encouraged her, and she did it again, more deliberately this time, slowly stroking his bottom lip.

Yeah, he’d figured her for a quick learner—and he wasn’t wrong.

Mallet opened his mouth to match her, greeted her tongue with his own. Her hands gripped his, a telling reaction that thrilled him. She leaned closer and he felt her tight little nipples graze his chest.

Everything masculine in him clenched hard.

She tasted so good and felt so right, it took concentrated effort not to rape her mouth. He breathed deeper, turning his head a little to let her seek a more intimate kiss.

“Michael?”

The whispered, husky way she said his name was as effective as a hot stroke along his dick. Shaking a little from the restraint, he kissed the corner of her mouth, her chin, her bottom lip. “Whatever you want, baby.”

She leaned back the tiniest bit, looked at him, then melted into him again, her mouth full on his, wet and hot, her movements unschooled but hungry.

Anxious to advance things a bit, Mallet teased the seam of her mouth with his tongue, and when she opened, he sank in, slow, deep, and hot. Moaning, she squirreled closer to him, letting him feel her naked breasts on his chest, her belly on his abdomen.

No way did she miss his hard-on, considering it was caught between their bodies, getting stroked by her squirming movements.

She tried to free her hands, but he held on, knowing that if she started playing touchy-feely, he’d never get through this as planned.

Against her lips, he said, “I love your mouth, Kayli. I swear, girl, I’ve dreamed about it.”

Before she could try to respond, he kissed her again, letting her feel some of his urgency.

“But there are other places to kiss, too.” As he said that, he trailed small, damp kisses to the corner of her mouth, along her jawline to her neck, then down to her shoulder. “Do you like that?”

Her eyes closed; her head tipped back. “Yes.”

“You’ll like this, too.” He opened his mouth on the sensitive hollow where her neck met her shoulder. Very gently, he let her feel his teeth, then the stroke of his tongue.

She gave a shuddering inhalation, then a throaty purr of building excitement.

After another gentle love bite that made him want to eat all of her and caused her to shiver, he licked his way back up her throat to her ear. “God Almighty, woman, you taste so damn good.” He touched his tongue to her ear, traced the delicate whorls, and then nipped her earlobe.

A willing participant, Kayli tipped her head to accommodate him, and parted her kiss-swollen lips on increasingly hungry breaths.

Perfect, Mallet thought. Better than perfect. At this rate, she’d be ready for him in no time.

Forcing himself to keep to a slow pace, Mallet moved their locked hands to the small of her back, arching her body into his, hugging her close.

It was a perfect pose for a woman as strong as her, a supplicating pose in direct contrast to all she was used to. Seeing her like that made his lust rage.

Her breasts were fully exposed now, small, but firm, rising and falling with deep breaths. He moved her against him, and the feel of her breasts on his chest was sweet and exciting.

Feeling pretty damned powerful in this role of instructor, he licked her throat again, kissed her temple, and then took her mouth as he wanted, with all the heat and need he felt.

Her response was electric, without an ounce of reserve.

Trying to get closer, Kayli pressed her breasts to his heated skin, rolled her slim hips against his straining cock.

Mallet couldn’t take it. He wasn’t a saint, or a monk, or a eunuch. He felt himself on the verge of snapping.

Before he totally lost sight of his plan, he released her and dipped backward into the chilled water. The dousing did little to cool his lust, but at least it gave him a moment to collect himself.

God knew that with Kayli, he’d need all the help he could get.

CHAPTER 14

W
HEN Mallet emerged, he found Kayli still standing where he’d left, waist deep now, her arms wrapped tight around herself. The sight of her body drew him, but even more than that was her expression. With only the moon for illumination, he saw her confusion, her hurt—and her desire.

Hoping for inspiration, he shoved his hair back and kept his distance. “I’m sorry.” Man, was he sorry. “We have to stop now.”

She barely moved except for a fine trembling and uneven breaths. After a prolonged stretch of time that felt like the ticking of a bomb, she nodded, but asked,
“Why?”
And then, even more agonized, she added, “Did I do something wrong?”

She looked so sexy standing there, so small and female and so much
his
that he barely got the words out. “Oh no, babe, don’t ever think that. You’re . . . perfect. More than perfect. Truth is, you’ve singed me—and that’s a good thing. It’s just that things aren’t going quite the way I expected.”

“Oh.” She looked away from him, her head lowered, her arms squeezing even tighter around herself. “I didn’t behave as you thought I would. I was . . . too immodest.”

A jolt went through him.

“What?”
The little goof actually thought she’d disappointed him? Not possible.

Mallet came toward her so fast, with so much purpose, Kayli gasped and tried to get out of his way.

She wasn’t quick enough.

He lunged, caused a big splash, and then he had her back in his arms, where she damn well belonged.

Water dripped down her face, off the lashes of her wide eyes. Her mouth opened with a startled gasp.

Opening one hand on the back of her head, the other on the small of her silky back, he pressed her close. “You’re incredible. Don’t ever think otherwise. But I’m only a man, Kayli. Before meeting you, I’d gone through a long stretch of celibacy because of the damn injuries. After meeting you—well, hell, not only have we traveled time, but I don’t want anyone else now, and the fact is, I’m not good at denying myself.”

She stared at him with stark incomprehension. Mallet felt like smacking himself. How could Kayli understand uncontrollable lust when she was a virgin? A woman who’d barely been kissed, much less indulged red-hot need?

“Here’s the thing. We need to go slow, but I’m not a guy known for my patience or my finesse.” He had to kiss her, and he did, quick and hard. “Being a fighter . . . women throw themselves at me. I’ve never had to go without, and I’ve never had to go slow.”

That wasn’t quite right, and he shook his head. “That is, I’ve gone slow, but only to tease, because that’s what we both wanted. Not because the lady needed time to adjust . . .” He sounded like an ass, telling her about other women. Damn. “Look, Kayli, this is new for me, too. I’m trying to be really considerate—”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” Warm and a little dazed with unfamiliar need, she slipped her fingers over his collarbone, then down into his chest hair. Her gaze flickered up to his. “Deny yourself, I mean.”

God, she looked so ready.

His heart started thumping double-time. His dick twitched with encouragement. Mallet had to remind himself that Kayli didn’t know what she was saying, that sexual desire was new to her.

He had to be the strong one, and damn it, when it came to sex, he usually just gave in.

He stopped her hand from the sensual exploration and kissed her palm. “Not right now, honey. Not tonight. Not like this.”

“But . . .” Her lashes fluttered; heat poured off her. “I don’t want to stop.”

Futuristic chicks were into torture, he understood that now. His smile hurt, but he managed it anyway. “I know how it is, Kayli. I know what you’re feeling, believe me. The problem is that lust distorts things, and makes us forget our priorities.”

Offended, she drew back a little.

He pulled her close again, determined to make her understand. He would be considerate damn it, even if it killed him.

“But before this, before
now
, you’ve made it clear how you feel. Your colony has some pretty strict moral codes about showing . . . affection.” What a crock. Affection? He was dying for her. “If I did to you what I want to do to you, it’d definitely cross a line. And later, when you had time to think about it, you’d regret it, and then you’d be pissed at me.”

Maybe.
He looked at her, at her warmed eyes and trembling shoulders and thought,
But maybe not?

Then he shook himself.

No. Damn it, he would be noble. Kayli deserved that much.

She deserved everything he could give her.

Her hands flattened on his chest. In a small but daring voice, she tested her newfound feminine wiles. “What is it that you want to do to me?”

Mallet couldn’t believe it. Despite his hesitation, she felt comfortable enough to tease him? He’d call that definite progress.

Fighting a triumphant smile, he said, “You little temptress.”

“Am I?”

Now she sounded pleased with herself. “Oh yeah. You’re sure as hell tempting me.” He searched her face in the moon shadows. “We’re both naked, Kayli. We’re alone. And we haven’t done the whole union thing yet. But you’re not worried or afraid?”

“I was,” she admitted, her eyes dark and her voice breathless. “Now I’m just . . . warm and shaky and my stomach feels . . . tingly.”

Oh God. He needed to drown himself. “Good.” He sounded like a dying man. “Those are all signs that you want me.”

Somehow, she snuggled closer without seeming to move. “I want something. I’m just not sure what.”

It hurt, but he said, “You’re a smart girl. Try guessing.”

Challenged, she said, “Okay.” She looked at his mouth with scorching intensity. “I want more kisses.”

“Not a problem. On that score, I’m happy to oblige.” He started to do just that, but she put her fingers to his mouth.

Her sigh, ripe with frustration, warmed his skin. “Somehow, I know that kissing won’t be nearly enough.”

It was a dangerous game, heightening his own need as much as hers, but Mallet couldn’t call it quits. Not while she was being so daring, and not when it might work to his advantage in the long run, getting him closer to her.

“No? Then what else do you want?”

“I want you closer.” As she spoke, she moved, almost without thought, driven by basic desire to brush her body into his.

To still those tantalizing movements, Mallet hugged her close, as near as two people could get without making love.

Her fingertips pressed into the muscles of his chest and her forehead rested against his sternum. Voice broken with need, she whispered, “Closer than that, even.”

Tilting his head back, Mallet stared up at the glowing moon. He could feel Kayli’s heartbeat, the tremors that shivered through her. Knowing this was probably the first time she’d felt the overwhelming swell of sexual desire, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her unfulfilled.

His plan to ease her into things had backfired in a big way, mostly because he’d underestimated how innately sensual she was.

Not that long ago, it had felt like his entire world had crashed in on him. Now, here with Kayli, Mallet knew he wouldn’t change a single thing, because all that had happened had brought him here, to this moment.

Knowing how badly she needed him tempered his burning lust with an even hotter tenderness. The feeling was new to him, but then, everything with Kayli was new. And wonderful. And fun.

Using fresh insight and an altered plan, Mallet tangled his fingers in her fair hair and tipped back her head.

A pulse beat wildly in her throat. She looked hot and ripe. “I can help you if you’ll let me.”

Her fingers continued a deep caress on his pectorals, but she seemed unaware of it. “Help me how?”

Anticipation swelled inside him. “I can make you feel better, honey. Much better. More relaxed.” He brushed his mouth over that telltale pulse in her throat, touched with his tongue, teased with his teeth.

“I am . . . tense.” Her eyelids drooped, her lips parted. “It’s the strangest thing, Michael. The way I feel, I mean.”

“Tell me.” As he said it, he began easing them toward the shoreline where large rocks offered stability for what he intended to do next. To her. For her.

His heart swelled with his purpose. He’d have his fingers on her, in her, stroking her until she came, and it didn’t matter if it was selfish or altruistic.

The end result was a lot of eagerness on his part.

Her tongue slicked out slowly over that killer mouth of hers. “I feel . . . jittery inside, but also warm and thick and . . .”