Safe From the Fire (8 page)

Matt
groaned into her mouth, his hands coming up to gently tuck her against his
incredible chest as her lips explored his, pleasure reeling through her as she
hungrily took everything she’d been fantasizing about since the first time
their eyes had met.

Grace
liked taking a submissive role in the bedroom, but she was so starved for him that
her only thought was grabbing what she could get in this incredible, insane
moment in time, of getting her fill before he came to his senses.  She found
her hands swiftly unbuttoning his shirt to greedily explore the hot golden skin
poured over slabs of muscle beneath. Never letting their lips part, she
propelled Matt off the step and back toward the living room couch until the
world tilted and they sprawled together on the soft cushions, her legs
straddling his hips as he lifted a hand to caress her jaw and then swiftly
started pulling the pins from her hair.

“Hold
still,” he murmured against her mouth. 

The
command sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine and Grace whimpered as her
hair tumbled around them.  A thrill went through her as Matt took control of
the kiss, his hands moving to her waist, easing her down until her throbbing
core was pressed against a rock hard bulge that was startling in size,
promising endless pleasure for the taking.

She
was supposed to be teaching him a lesson, but maybe she’d been wrong.

Maybe
he wants what I want?

Hope
made her heart beat faster as she started moving against him, determined to
find out.

MATT
WAS GOING TO be gentle with her if it killed him, but the way Grace was rocking
against him made his eyes cross with the need to grip her hips and drive deeply
inside her welcoming heat, thrusting until he’d claimed her with every inch of
his body, until she surrendered to his superior physical strength and
unrelenting lust.

Madness
.

Whatever
nonsense she had in her head about not being good enough for him was something
they’d have to deal with, but later.  Right now, Matt would have been hard
pressed to string a complete sentence together, with her hot little hands on
his body, her breasts cuddled against his chest, and her tongue in his mouth. This
was his chance to prove himself to her, and he wasn’t going to fuck it up.

He
carefully placed his hands on her thighs, lightly stroking her satin skin and
sliding up under her skirt to explore the lace-covered curves of Grace’s ass
instead of holding her captive to move her the way he wanted to against his
throbbing dick.  With monumental self-control, he kept his mouth gentle against
hers, tasting and savoring with slow, hot licks, though every muscle in his
body strained with the effort to hold back and not crush her to him, demanding
everything she had to give.  Grace tasted incredible, as he’d always known she
would.

She
was rocking harder against him now, widening her thighs to press her sweet
pussy more firmly against the heavy bulge in the denim, burning him alive
through the layers of cloth.  The little sound she made in the back of her
throat was nearly his undoing, a hot little moan of disapproval at his light
touch, an insistent plea for more.

“Easy,
sweetheart,” Matt tried not to beg.

Grace
traced a pattern across his chest with sharp little fingernails and a shudder
rippled through him, which she seemed to enjoy.  He cringed at the sound of
ripping lace, and as she gasped, Matt pulled his mouth away from hers to stare
at the frilly black scrap tangled around his fingers, erotic evidence that some
of his control had slipped and Grace’s soft flesh was now naked against him. 
As if he needed the reminder. 

Rather
than voicing outrage, Grace cooed softly and wriggled until he had no choice
but to cup the glorious
bare
cheeks in his big hands, stroking and
kneading, rougher than he intended to be.  Matt caught a flash of her grin as
her lips lowered to taste his throat, and the sensation had his eyes rolling
back.

“We
have to stop,” he managed, shaky.

Matt
was fast losing control of the situation – that much was clear, because he knew
that if he slid his fingers down that enticing crevice to dip into the hot, wet
folds beneath, he was going to forget all of his good intentions and fuck her
like a beast.

“Grace
– ”

“Mmm-hmmm…”

Her
intentions were clear as well, her fingers learning the ridges of muscle,
tracing his waistband with curious fingers, her touch a blessing and a curse. 
Grace’s movements were jerkier, her breath coming faster, and her eyes gleamed
as she lowered her head.  Matt’s mind went blank at the feeling of her lips,
her tongue, and those sharp little teeth scraping his nipple.  The shard of
pleasure/pain that ripped through him as Grace bit delicately into his flesh
pulled a rough groan from deep inside, and for one insane moment he tunneled
the fingers of one hand through her incredible hair to hold her mouth to him,
his cock cradled between her thighs, millimeters from Paradise. 

Perfect
.

A
whisper of leather and the feel of his belt loosening broke the spell, setting
off alarm bells.  Too much, too fast.  He’d never hang onto his control if she
kept up this pace. Grace was like flame in his arms, and Matt needed time to
mentally prepare, so that he didn’t just pin her to the nearest available
surface and pound into her until he passed out, with no finesse or care
whatsoever.  So that he didn’t hurt her.

What
was she worried about?  That they weren’t compatible?

Fuck
that.

Matt’s
mind went blank as Grace slid her hand past his zipper and into his boxers,
wrapping warm fingers around his cock, the pressure sublime as she
squeezed.

“You’re
so big,” she murmured, nibbling his abs, “
Everywhere.”

With
monumental force of will, Matt wrenched himself away, dislodging Grace so
quickly that she tumbled off the couch and to the ground in an undignified heap,
her flirty little skirt hiked high up her thighs.  Matt had to close his eyes
to block out the sight while he got his body back under control.

“What
the hell was that for?”  She was pissed.

“I
can’t.  Not like this.”

Grace
pulled herself to her feet, smoothing her skirt down with shaky hands.

“I
knew this was a bad idea,” she said, “Would you mind taking me home?”

And
she turned around and walked out.

GRACE
FOUGHT TEARS AS she headed out the door, kicking herself for being so monumentally
stupid, her body still singing from his touch.  The sight of Matt sprawled on
the couch, all bare skin and hard muscle, his thick cock rigid and huge as it
rose from the opening of his jeans, and his eyes blue fire, was going to stick
with her for a while.

Like
for the rest of my life.

She
didn’t think he was a prude – and he certainly didn’t kiss like he had anything
but a healthy male sex drive, but if he couldn’t handle a little aggressive
petting on the couch…

The
door banged behind her and Matt stormed out, looking pissed, and sadly, fully
dressed.  He caught her arm as she reached the SUV.

“What
the fuck, Grace?”

“I
told you, we’re not a good fit.”

“I
only wanted to slow you down a little, sweetheart, not drive the car off a
cliff.”

He
studied her in the scant light from the porch light, unconsciously stroking the
soft skin of her inner arm with his thumb.

“Do
you want to tell me what this is all about?”

“Not
really,” she whispered.

“You
make me feel – God, Grace, just tell me.  Whatever it is, I promise we’ll
handle it.  The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

“But
I want you to hurt me!” she blurted out.

Okay,
that sounded bad.
 

Grace
tugged her arm free, wrapping her arms around herself. Matt looked a little
stunned.  She took a deep breath and plowed ahead.

“Well,
a little at least.”

Matt
frowned, trying to understand, and Grace realized that she had to come clean. 
The time to politely back away was way over, and had been since she’d had her
hand wrapped around his dick, big and hard, and pulsing with life.  She wanted
to groan, remembering it.

“I
want you to tie me up and spank me,” she said tightly, “I want you to handcuff
my hands behind my back and clamp my nipples and order me to suck you off.  I
want you to pin me down and take me hard and fast and make me beg for more.”

She
paused.

“I
want you to fuck my ass.”

Matt
said nothing, his face shut down – blank.

“I
like being dominated, Matt.  I’m not looking for hearts and flowers romance, or
someone who’s going to take it too far the other way and be a bully, but…submitting
to a lover turns me on.  It’s not a phase.  It’s just – me.”

“I
can’t – ” Matt finally choked out, “I can’t do that.”

If
Grace had had any lingering hope, those four little words would have killed it. 
Nothing to do but suck it up.  She could try, give a plain relationship a shot,
but she knew that an important side of her would remain unsatisfied.  She
didn’t want to be the one who broke Matt Harris’ heart, and she had a horrible
feeling that with very little effort, he could shred hers if she let him in. 
Grace hoped that he couldn’t see that she was near tears, and opened the car
door.

“Grace,
wait,” His voice was gentle and a little desperate as he turned her around.

“Please,
Matt – ”

Whatever
she was going to say was lost as his mouth came down on hers, so sweet and
seductive that her heart turned over, but controlled, gentle, making her squirm
for something deeper, harder.  She pulled away, panting.

“You
can’t tell me you don’t feel anything,” he said, resting his forehead against
hers.

“At
some point I’ll want more.”

And
you can’t give it to me.

The
words hung, unspoken between them.

A
loud
ring
interrupted the moment.  Matt’s phone.

“You
should get that.”

“This
is more important.”

Grace
bit her lip.

“What
if it’s a fire?”

Matt
glared down at her, and then fumbled for his ringing phone.

“Shit,”
he muttered, answering it.

THE
DRIVE UP INTO the hills was short, for which Matt was grateful, taking the
corners as fast as his SUV would allow.  He was still reeling from Grace’s
confession.  Hell, this whole night had been one shock to the system after another. 
The disapproving glances at them during dinner, the explosive electricity that
sparked between them on the couch with Grace’s lush lips against him and her
deft fingers sliding down his body to wrap around his dick, and then the
mind-blowing revelation of what she wanted from him – what she
needed
from a relationship to be satisfied.

The
news of another fire seemed almost tame in comparison, and Matt was ashamed that
he felt slightly relieved at the change in course.  He needed time to process,
time to get his feet back on solid ground by doing something he was actually
sure he could do.  Grace had insisted on accompanying him to the site up in the
hills.  Rafael had assured him that two units had already been dispatched, but
Matt knew they would need all the help they could get.

He
glanced at her in the darkness of the cab.  Grace was quiet, her hair still
tumbled down around her, looking straight ahead, lost in thought.  She looked
more like herself this way, but Matt was beginning to realize that he didn’t
know as much about her as he thought.  Sure, she was edgy in her looks and her
tastes, and the rumors had swirled around town for years, but Matt had
dismissed them as lingering resentment over her brother’s behavior.  Instead,
he’d focused on her sweetness, her kindness, and her love of books and
children.

You
suspected she had a wild side
, his libido whispered, and his fingers
clenched on the steering wheel.  He’d ignored it, too focused on controlling
his own dangerous desires to think about what she might ask from him.

Stupid
, said his
brain.

Unfortunately,
his cock didn’t seem to care, swelling demandingly behind his zipper.  Every
breath he took filled his head with wildflowers and Grace, and her words
wouldn’t leave him alone.

“…Tie
me up and spank me…make me beg for more…”

Something
dark slithered through him, running a hot tongue of sensation up his cock.  The
little sex fairy who had uttered those wishes in no uncertain terms was now
sitting next to him, quiet and tense.  And he knew that she wasn’t wearing
panties, because he’d ripped them off himself.

“Son
of a bitch,” he muttered, and Grace darted a look at him from under her lashes.