Savior (An Impossible Novel) (3 page)

I was overwhelmed by the desire to touch him, to run my fingertips along the contours of him.  Pushing myself up, I reached for him.

“I thought I told you to stay,” he said sternly.

I gasped in shock, and my body reacted before my mind could catch up.  I dropped back onto the mattress, my arms falling to either side of me with my wrists facing upward, willingly exposing my physical vulnerabilities.  “Sorry,” I whispered automatically.

His grin was both pleased and predatory.  “You really do like it when I’m bossy, don’t you?”

I smiled back at him wickedly.  “You don’t know the half of it.”

“I’m sure I don’t,” he agreed easily.  “But I’m a quick study.”  His rough fingertips brushed against my inner thigh, and I jumped as even that slightest contact sent pleasure arcing through me.  He instantly withdrew his touch, fixing me with a reprimanding stare.  He didn’t have to say it aloud again for me to know what that look meant:
Stay.

This time, it took concerted effort to force my body to relax.

He waited before touching me again, watching my reactions as he drew out the tension.  The longer he waited, the hotter I got for him.  God, the man was teasing me with nothing but the sight of his body and the mere promise of his touch, and already I was close to begging him to give me what I craved.  When his palms finally slid up either side of my waist, slowly peeling my dress off my body, I couldn’t hold back a strangled sigh of relief.  But my torment was only just beginning.

I shi
fted my arms compliantly so he could tug the dress over my head, but he suddenly stopped his steady progress.  The thick, stretchy material still covered my eyes, and my arms were trapped on either side of my head.

“Stay.”  The command was a low growl at my ear, and I shuddered in delight at the sound of it.  I could easily get out of this makeshift bondage if I wanted to, but I
so
didn’t want to.  If I had thought my body was alive with need before, all of my nerve endings were positively crackling now that I could no longer see what Clayton was doing to me.  He was everywhere and nowhere; his warm breath, hot tongue, and clever fingers roved over my body, but he never quite touched me where I needed it most.  All of my muscles tensed until I was taut as a bowstring from the effort of staying still.

“Are you… sure… you haven’t done this before?”  I panted, my voice trembling almost as violently as my body.

Clayton’s warmth withdrew abruptly, and a soft whine escaped me at the loss.

“No.  Why?”  He asked.  “Am I doing it wrong?”

“No!”  I cried desperately, yearning for his maddening caresses to resume.  “God, no.  Please…”

His low, rumbling chuckle moved over and through me like a palpable thing, making me shiver.  “That’s what I thought.”  His tongue traced along the bottom of my earlobe before drawing it between his teeth.  He bit down, and the sharp little pain contrasted beautifully with the soft flicks of his tongue.  The raw, lustful sound that was pulled from my throat shocked me. 

“I told you,” he said smoothly.  “I’m a quick study.”

It probably wasn’t healthy that I found his smug tone so incredibly arousing.  His cocky attitude only further inflamed my desire, and my nipples and clit were already throbbing painfully.  “Please, Clayton…”

“I like that part,” he commented as he trailed whisper-soft kisses down my neck.

He wanted me to beg?  If that was all it would take to get him to release me from this sweet torture, then I would do it gladly.

“Please.  Please touch me.”

I gasped as he kissed the swell of my breast.  He was so close, so close…

“Say my name.”

“Please, Clayton!”

Some dim part of me knew that I should be alarmed at the intimacy of what was passing between us.  But the entirety of the rest of my being was focused on the gathering storm inside of me.

He grasped my breast and squeezed roughly, pinching my nipple between his thumb and forefinger.  At the same time, his other hand stroked my aching clit.  He swallowed my ecstatic scream as his lips came down hard on mine.  His tongue plundered my mouth as I came, as though he could consume the pleasure that he had harvested from my body.

I had only just begun to come down from my high when he ripped the dress off of me completely.  The light that suddenly flooded my world seared my eyes, and I blinked hard to clear the spots that clouded my vision.  Clayton’s gaze captivated me instantly.  He looked… ravenous.

“Touch me,” he
ordered, his voice harsh.  I clearly wasn’t the only one who had been suffering while he teased me.

He didn’t have to tell me twice.  My hands eagerly explored him, roving over the hard planes of his chest and his rippling abs, dipping lower to tug at the trail of light curls that led to his throbbing erection.  He let out a low curse and tore open another condom wrapper.  As soon as it was on, we tumbled back onto the bed.  My legs were wrapped around his waist, inviting him in.  I writhed beneath him as he entered me slowly, stretching me.  The lingering soreness from our first frantic coupling only make the sensations that much more erotic.  A sheen of sweat glistened on Clayton’s brow as he visibly held himself back this time.

“Harder,” I begged.  “Like before.”

“
I won’t last long that way, beautiful,” he admitted, his voice tight with strain.

“I won’t either.  Please, Clayton.”

“Fuck!”  Those words were like a trigger, and the wild beast within him was back in control.  His ferocity, his raw power, when he was like this completely overwhelmed me.  I gave over to mindless lust, allowing my body to clash with his instinctively.  My orgasm claimed me with a violence I had never known before, and my fingernails raked down his back as I strained to hold him impossibly closer.  He roared out his orgasm, throwing his head back as his cock pumped within me.

I don’t know how long he lay atop me, s
till inside me, but I knew I never wanted it to end.  But even when he did finally free himself from me, he still held me close.  I rested my head on his chest, breathing in his enthralling scent as I fell into blissfully peaceful sleep.

Chapter 2

Damn, he’s hot.

Possibly the hottest guy I’d ever hooked up with.  Okay, so he
was
definitely
the hottest guy I had ever hooked up with.  Hands down. 

The sun was
just coming up, and I knew it was time for me to get the hell out before he woke up.  But I couldn’t resist lingering for a few minutes longer in order to drink him in, ensuring that the image of him was burned into my brain so I could revisit it again later.  My greatest conquest to date.

I frowned at myself.  Something about that thought seemed wrong.  Although I preferred being controlled in the be
droom, I had always enjoyed the heady sense of power that came with luring a man in.  Clayton had fallen into my trap beautifully.  But the swiftness with which he had turned the tables on me once I goaded out the Dominant side of him…

No man had ever made me feel so deliciously vulnerable, so utterly possessed.  And to be honest, that scared me as much as it thrilled me.  For the first time in years, I was tempted to stay in the morning.  I allowed myself a brief fantasy where he awoke to my touch and took me again.  Maybe we could even have breakfast afterward.  He had been a damn good fuck, but I found myself smiling at the memory of our banter in the bar, as brief as it had been.

I mentally slapped myself and shook my head to clear away the fantasy.

Stop being an idiot.  You’re just some random woman he took home from the dive bar.  He won’t want you hanging around in the morning.

And
I
didn’t want to hang around.  I didn’t.  Besides, I needed to get back to Greg before I had to go to work.  I prayed he hadn’t found his stash.  Although I dreaded seeing him go into withdrawal, he should be okay for a little while at least.  I longed to have my baby brother back, if only for a few hours while he was lucid.

I suppressed a sigh so
I wouldn’t rouse Clayton.  It really was time to go.  Still, I couldn’t help studying his perfection for a few moments longer.  I foolishly longed for him to open his eyes so I could look into those electric blue depths that literally took my breath away.

Time to go, Rose.

Drawing on years of experience, I carefully got out of bed in a way that wouldn’t jostle him and moved in almost complete silence as I pulled my dress on over my head.  I held my high heels in my hand so they wouldn’t click on the floor as I left.

“Leaving so soon?”

I jumped at the sound of his deep voice.  The way it rumbled with a hungry edge made me want to shiver.  I ruthlessly pushed down the urge.  My eyes darted to him, and I stopped myself just in time to avoid meeting his stare.  I knew if I did I would be helpless to resist him.  Unfortunately, this meant that my gaze fell on the sheets where they were tented at his hips, making his impressive erection obvious.  I cursed myself for licking my lips at the sight.  Images of tasting his cock as he fisted my hair in his hand made my mouth water.

With a great effort, I turned away from him.

“I have to get to work.”  It was a struggle to force my tone to come out calm and detached.

I barely made it two steps before he was behind me, his hand snaking around my stomach and pulling me back against his broad chest.  I could feel his insistent hardness against my ass, and I couldn’t help pressing back into him as heat flared between my legs.

“It’s early.  Stay.”

It wasn’t a request, and I thrilled at the word.

“No,” I said, hating how breathy and weak my protest sounded.  “I have to go.”

His hands were on my shoul
ders, spinning me around so I was facing him.  I was careful not to meet his eyes.  That would be a mistake.

“Okay,” he said gently.  “I’ll take you to dinner then. 
How about tomorrow night?”

I hated the longing that expanded in my chest, pressing against my heart al
most painfully.  But I knew he didn’t mean it; he was one of those “honorable” types who would make the halfhearted effort just so he didn’t look like a dick. He was
doing the obligatory song and dance. 

“Let’s not pretend
this was something it wasn’t,” I said coldly.  I couldn’t bear to look at him.  If I did, I would see that judgmental expression, the one that had
slut
written all over it.

But he clearly wanted to torment me further.  He hooked a finger under my
chin, forcing my head up so I had no choice but to meet his gaze.  My breath caught in my throat as I saw no disdain there, only consternation.  He even looked slightly affronted.

“I told you.  I don’t do one-night-stands, Mary.  I want to see you again.”

I hated the sound of my false name on his tongue far more than was prudent.

But it didn’t matter.  Even if he was sincere, I couldn’t allow myself to become involved.  I had to think of Greg; I didn’t have the time to commit to anyone else.  Besides, judging by his apartment and his suit, Clayton was clearly successful.  And he
was
honorable.  He deserved someone better than me.

I couldn’t summon up the words to refuse, but I forced myself to shake my head.  Clayton’s frown deepened, and he reached for my purse.

“What are you doing?”  I asked, puzzled.

He didn’t answer as he pulled out my phone.  I was embarrassed by its age and beaten-up appearance.  It screamed
poor. 
No doubt Clayton had a fancy iPhone.  And I wished I had one too as he started fiddling with the buttons.  What I wouldn’t give for a locking passcode in that moment.  Did the man have no sense of boundaries?

Satisfied, he slipped my phone back into my purse.

“You have my number now.  Call me.”  His voice was stern; he clearly wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer.

“Okay,” I lied.  I would have said anything at that point in order to escape him and those damn entrancing eyes.

It took a great deal of willpower to step away from him.  Although I told myself it was a mercy he had released me, I felt a twinge of regret that he didn’t pick me up, throw me down on his bed, and ravage me.

“Aren’t you going to put on your shoes?”  He asked.  “There’s no need to be quiet now that you’re not sneaking out.”

I flushed at his words.  As much as I wanted to leave, it would look stupid if I walked out barefoot now.  I bent down to lace up my strappy black fuck-me heels, carrying out my task as quickly as possible.  My cheeks flamed hotter as I could practically feel his eyes burning into me, staring at my ass.  Not looking at him, I straightened and gave him an awkward wave.

“Bye,” I mumbled as I half-ran for the door.

In the elevator, I found myself bouncing on the balls of my feet as it seemed to descend the ten floors to the lobby at a snail’s pace.  I was careful not to look at the porter when I exited the building; my clothes screamed “walk of shame”.  To my great relief, I was able to hail a taxi in less than two minutes.  I couldn’t really afford a cab, but there was no way I was going to take the bus in this outfit.  Although I usually brushed off commuters’ judgmental looks with my head held high, oozing nonchalance, I just couldn’t face it today.  Clayton had really shaken me up and thrown me off my game.