Tattoo My Heart (Heroes of Seaside Point, Book 1) (17 page)

“Me either.”

He gestured at the yellow gift sack on the bureau. “Open it.”

Curious, she left his arms and rolled off the bed. Once she reached inside the sack, tears burnt her eyes and her heartbeat skittered when cool, jade-colored silk slid through her fingertips.

“Casey,” she whispered.

His low chuckle tickled her ear as he pulled her flush against his chest. “Don’t say anything. Just put it on.” He kissed the top of her head and then released her.

“Where is Travis?”

“Don’t know.”

“What if he comes home?”

“Are you a screamer?”

Annessa bit back her immediate response. A screamer? Hmmmm…. “Actually, I’m more concerned about Travis finding us tangled up naked.”

“I can handle Travis.”

“I’m sure,” she agreed, “but I would feel much better if I knew exactly where he is.”

He folded his arms across his chest, almost as if he enjoyed her distress. “Not here.”

“What about Agent Ramano?”

“You want him to participate?”

“No! I just—”

“Annessa?”

She released a hard breath. “What, Casey?”

“You’re stalling.”

Desperate for some much needed space, Annessa grasped the nightie and headed for the bathroom. Once inside with the door closed, she squeezed the edge of the counter until her knuckles whitened and wondered if this was really some sort of twisted dream. Her body hummed at the thought of loving Casey, sliding up and down the smooth, toned surface of his body, skin on skin, heart to heart. No way on Earth would she leave that bed anything other than utterly ravished and completely satisfied. Yet, the consequences of what was about to happen still weighed heavy on her mind. Could she do this without suffering a broken heart?

Annessa quietly undressed, slipped the nightgown over her head, and then grinned when she glanced in the mirror. Things had definitely changed in seven years. Curves took center stage and the material wrapped her like skin. She wasn’t so naive to think Casey wouldn’t react; he knew exactly what he wanted when he purchased the temptation. Her confidence just wasn’t quite as solid as before. Some little flicker of fear still burnt inside her that he would turn her away.

Determined to slay this demon, she took a deep breath, gathered courage, turned the doorknob, and then stepped back into the bedroom.

Casey clenched his jaw so hard he thought his teeth might crack. Damn she was absolutely beautiful.

Her teeth worried her bottom lip. “I feel naked.”

He stepped in front of her and grasped her hips. “You look gorgeous, Ness.”

“Thank you.”

He moved one hand to her shoulder and felt a small quiver beneath his grip. “Nervous?”

She gave a slight nod.

“Don’t be. It’s me, baby.” He slid both arms around her waist and pulled her against his needy body. His cock moved against her stomach and he cursed the impatient beast.

“There are things you don’t know about me,” she said into his pectorals.

He grinned and lifted her chin to look into her sexy bedroom eyes. “I know every single thing about you. We don’t have secrets.”

“We haven’t been together much lately,” she reminded him.

“True,” he agreed, “but I’ve kept tabs on you.”

Her lips split into a sexy smile he’d waited to see all evening. “My hero.”

“No hero here.” He lowered his head until his lips were millimeters from hers. “Just Casey.”

He pressed his lips to hers with the intent of calming her but the minute the breathy little whimper left her mouth, every one of his good intentions went south. Literally. All the blood in his body headed for his dick.

Casey crushed her against him and moved a hand to cup the side of her face while he slipped his tongue between her lips to open her mouth. Annessa’s tongue wrapped his, drawing him deeper while her soft plump lips caressed his. Lost in her tender caress, he couldn’t for the life of him remember why he thought staying away from her was even remotely reasonable. No way in hell could they put a muzzle on the chemistry between them.

She pressed her palms to his bare chest and his knees damn near buckled. She lifted her lips from his kiss and he opened his eyes to find hers sparkling in the candlelight. She moved her hands down his chest until they rested against his abdomen.

“You’re so hard,” she whispered.

He released a desperate laugh while the eager soldier between his legs stood tall and proud, fighting to be released from his pants.

“No question about that.” He leaned to take her lips in another kiss when she stepped back.

He frowned. “Annessa? What’s wrong.”

“Nothing.”

“Change your mind?”

“No, but you might.”

He eased her to sit on the bed then sat beside her. “Why would you believe that?”

“I do have secrets, Casey.”

He pushed a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “You used to tell me everything.”

She gave a small smile and when her cheeks pinkened, suspicion crowded his brain. Since when did she hide anything from him? Other than murder, anyway.

“Did someone hurt you?”

“No.” Her teeth began to attack her lip again, a sure sign she was bothered.

“Stop,” he said softly while smoothing her lip with his finger. “Tell me.”

Her long eyelashes brushed her cheek as she closed her eyes for a split second, a habit she used to gather courage.

“I’ve never done this.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes you have. I threw Zach Peters out of the house on his ass.”

“Okay, so maybe I should’ve been more specific. First, second and third base, I’ve mastered. A home run, well, not so much.” Her tortured green eyes rolled and she released a long sigh. “You do understand, don’t you?”

Casey paused, studying the hidden message in her question. And then he understood perfectly. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

“You’re a virgin.”

She nodded and tossed her hair over her shoulder, almost as if she expected him to wrap her in a blanket and send her away.
Hell no
. Not this time. Never again.

“Lucky me.” He worked hard to keep the extreme shock from his voice. That, and the incredible hunger.

“I didn’t think you wanted this.”

Casey lifted her hand and placed it against his aching erection. “No question about that now.”

“You love me, right?”

“With all my heart.”

“And you want this because you love me, not because some crazy lunatic wants to kill me?”

Her honesty pinched his heart but he only blamed himself. “Want me to kill the crazy lunatic first?”

She gave him a tentative smile, almost as if she doubted him. She plucked her left spaghetti strap with her thumb and forefinger. “When did you buy this?”

“Six months ago. You were supposed to come home for your brother’s birthday.” And when she didn’t, he bought a plane ticket. The weather was the only reason he didn’t use it.

“You planned to sleep with me six months ago?”

“No. I planned to make love to you three years ago.”

“Why?”

“I love you, Annessa. I gave you plenty of time to find someone else. When you stopped calling me, I figured you made your decision.”

“I didn’t want someone else.” She rubbed her palm against the length of him and sweat gathered on his brow. Instinct made him want to kick patience in the ass, rip the skimpy little scrap of nothing from her body and enter her with a powerful thrust. Seven years was just too fucking long.

“I know that now.” He took a long cleansing breath and gently moved her hand to his chest. At least he could tolerate that touch without scaring her to death. He would tease her without mercy, make her come with his fingers and his mouth. Then there would be no question in her mind what he wanted.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think there’s ever been a time I didn’t want you.”

He pushed the spaghetti straps from her shoulders, bared her lush breasts, and then lowered his head. His tongue circled one areola and then the other until both nipples stiffened. Annessa moaned and then her fingers tunneled in his hair, forcing his head closer. And then his tongue was all over, swishing back and forth from nipple to nipple, biting, sucking, licking like a starved man.

“Casey.” He didn’t miss the desperate need in her whisper.

He lifted his head long enough to lay her back on the bed. “Have you dreamed about this, Annessa? Me touching you like this?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

He moved the nightie up until it was bunched under her breasts.

“No panties,” he murmured.

“There weren’t any in the sack.”

He gave a low chuckle and moved his hand over her bare mound. “This is nice.”

She lifted her hips. “Touch me.”

“You’ve thought about that too, haven’t you?”

Her head gave a shaky nod just before he lowered his head and placed a kiss on the baby soft skin of her abdomen. “Do you touch yourself when you think about me?”

Her stomach muscles quivered beneath his lips. “Yes.”

“With your fingers or something else?”

Her hips jerked again. “Like what?”

“I’m thinking a long, thick vibrator.”

“Mostly my fingers,” she murmured.

“Mostly?”

“Casey,” she groaned as her head rolled back, “please.”

He took another deep breath of restraint and then lifted his gaze to hers. “Show me.”

She paused for several seconds, her eyes focused directly into his, and he wondered if he’d pushed too far. And then her hand moved down the length of her body, one fingernail stopping to trace his bottom lip on the way, until finally, she rested one finger against her clit.

“Do it,” he whispered.

She gave a low groan and began to work the distended nub.

Casey watched, hypnotized by the sight of Annessa pleasuring herself. Her fingers strummed her folds and rubbed her clit until her breathing became labored and her hips jerked against her assault. He pulled himself out of his lusty fog.
Oh, hell no
. He wouldn’t allow her to finish without him.

He placed a kiss against the top of her mound and then eased a finger inside her. “Ah Ness, you’re so wet.”

“Casey,” she whimpered.

He slipped another finger inside, rotating from side to side, stretching her, readying her for all the pleasure he had to offer. “Keep rubbing, baby.”

She kept the pace as he encouraged, panting and grinding into his touch. Casey made one more circle inside and then began to thrust his fingers in and out of her, matching her own rhythm.

“Make me come,” she rasped.

Now too far gone to deny her, he brushed her fingers from her body and then took her clitoris between his lips. Her hips slammed against him and he felt her fingers back in his hair, tugging, forcing his mouth further against her. With both fingers now buried deeply inside her, he latched onto the sensitive nub and suckled. Her thighs closed around his head. Her inner muscles gave his fingers a good hard squeeze and then she came apart under his touch.

He unclamped his lips but continued to coax her down with his tongue while she whimpered her satisfaction. Once she quieted, he moved beside her and took her lips between his again.

She groaned and pushed both palms against his chest. “Take off your pants.”

He lifted one of her hands and slid his lips across her knuckles. “Be very sure.”

“I’m so sure that if you don’t lose your clothing in the next three seconds, I’m removing it myself.”

He chuckled and rolled to his back to do as she asked. Or demanded. He always knew exactly where he stood with her.

His dick gave her a standing ovation as soon as it sprang free of its restraint. And then screamed when she squeezed it in the confines of her fist.

His stomach muscles contracted when he sucked in a hard breath. “Easy.”

“Did I hurt you?” Her grip loosened.

“No.” He reached between them and tightened her hold. “But if you’re not careful, I’ll paint those pretty blushing breasts again.”

She released another groan and stroked him from tip to base and back again. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something, damn, anything to distract his cock from exploding. He took a deep breath as she continued to play and fell into an even, slow rhythm. One he could tolerate for a few tortured minutes, anyway.

And then his control went straight to hell.

He had no idea why he didn’t see it coming, but Annessa now had her lips wrapped around the head of his very angry cock.

He plowed his fingers into her hair and yanked. “Oh God, Ness, no.”

“Yes.” Her soft breath tickled him while her breasts brushed his shaft. “I don’t think you really want me to stop.”

No, God help him, he didn’t. But he didn’t want to lose his load in her mouth either, not as much as he wanted the sweet treasure between her legs.