The Deception (25 page)

She sat her glass on the table and leaned forward. “How long have you lived here?”

“Nearly six months.” He hesitated. “I bought it right after my brother died.”

She remained silent, remembering the conversation they’d had about his brother—among other things—a couple of nights before.

“It’s okay, Savannah. Really. Cole did what he had to do. I might still be angry at myself for not seeing how close to the edge he was, but the saner part of me knows he made the decision all on his own. Dad and I both tried to get him help. Short of an actual intervention, there wasn’t anything we could have done.” His lips compressed. “Of course, knowing how it ended, we should have done just that.”

“We’re all geniuses with the aid of hindsight,” she murmured, wanting to remove the shadows from his eyes.

“Yeah. That’s what I told Dad. At least, I tried to. He took it hard.”

“What about your mother?”

His eyes turned cobalt with emotion. “Mom died during childbirth. They couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

Savannah bit back a gasp of surprise, unable to believe the pain Will had experienced over the course of his life. With nothing more to offer than meaningless platitudes, she remained silent.

Will drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “Dad has always lived in the eastern suburbs. After Cole’s death, I had to get away from that side of town.” He lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “So, I bought here, in Kirribilli. Every time I leave work and I’m heading for home, I turn north. It’s kind of like turning my back on it all and moving forward.” He averted his gaze, appearing a little embarrassed. “At least, I hope I’m moving forward. It sounds silly, I know.”

Tenderness surged through her. “It doesn’t sound silly at all and I know exactly what you mean.” She moved her chair closer and stroked him gently on his stubble-roughened cheek.

He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her fingers. “I think you really do.”

He moved his head until his lips were inches from hers. Moments later, there was no distance between them at all. His lips moved hungrily over the lush softness of her mouth and he groaned.

Her arms went around his neck and he deepened the kiss. She opened her mouth to his probing tongue. It swept inside and tasted her, loving her. He took her hand and pressed it against his erection.

“Let’s go inside,” he said huskily.

* * *

Will lifted Savannah into his arms and strode across the balcony. Her heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come. Opening the sliding glass door with his foot, he closed it behind them and carried her down the dimly lit hall. In what seemed like only a few seconds, he placed her gently on a king-sized bed with a carved headboard made of some kind of rich, dark wood. He lay down beside her and gathered her into his arms.

Kissing her with renewed passion, he rolled her onto her back without breaking contact with her lips. His arousal pressed against her stomach. She burned with need. Every part of her body reacted to his touch. She wanted him. She needed him. She couldn’t wait another second.

With urgent hands, she undid his shirt, the small buttons playing havoc with her clumsy fingers. With a groan of frustration, she threw caution to the wind. Grasping both sides of his partially opened shirt front, she pulled them apart with an almighty heave. The buttons popped off and flew across the bed. She gasped in satisfaction. Smoothing the fabric open, her fingers at last found his bare, tanned skin. She sighed in relief.

“Lucky I didn’t wear my favorite shirt this morning.” His murmur was just below her ear. He dropped another kiss along the side of her neck.

“To hell with the shirt.” She grinned. “I’m sure you can afford another.”

“Cheeky girl.” He grinned back at her. “Now, it’s my turn.”

Before she realized what he was up to, Will pulled the ends of her blouse out of her skirt and tore it open with a single, sharp tug. More buttons went flying. She couldn’t help but lament the loss.

“Hey, that
was
one of my favorite shirts.” She slapped at his hands playfully.

He shrugged. “So, I’ll buy you another one. Or ten. Or fifty.” He grinned unashamedly.

She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Now who’s being cheeky?”

“Enough, woman,” he growled. “You still have way too many clothes on.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” Reaching down, she undid the button on his suit pants and eased the zipper down. Running her hand over the satin of his boxer shorts, she squeezed his cock. She heard his sharp intake of breath and smiled with satisfaction.

“Easy, sweetheart. We’re going to take this much slower than last time. Tonight, I want to taste every inch of you. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since we were together at the hotel.”

Savannah felt a rush of warmth at the endearment. Her heart was going to explode. She lifted her butt and he slid her skirt down over her hips. She rolled over onto her side so he could tend to the clasps on her white, lacy bra.

Tossing the underwear to the floor, he stood and dropped his trousers. Her gaze drank in his body, from the impossibly broad shoulders that tapered into narrow hips, to the taut, flat planes of his stomach. Desire swept through her, leaving her tingling.

Stepping out of his boxers, he stood before her, proud and erect and again let her look her fill. She sat up on the bed and wriggled over to the edge.

“You’re so beautiful,” she breathed. She ran her hand lightly over his chest. Scraping his flat nipples with her fingernails, her hand wandered lower until she got to his cock.

* * *

Will steeled himself, knowing he’d die if she didn’t touch him soon. The blood pounded in his ears and even more insistently in his groin. When her hand finally encircled him, he gasped. She stroked and flexed in a rhythm that drove him crazy.

And then her hand was gone. It moved lower to wander lightly over his balls, lifting and squeezing until he didn’t think he could bear it any longer.

“Savannah.” His voice was half plea, half groan.

“
Shh
.” She opened her lips and took his cock into her mouth. Sucking and licking, her hand mimicked the movements of her mouth along the lower end of his shaft. It was excruciating. It was unbearable. He couldn’t get enough.

Grasping the back of her head, he lifted long red strands of hair away from her face so he could watch. Her small pink tongue darted out and licked the head of his cock, dipping into his slit and sliding out again.

He didn’t know how much more he could take. Gently pulling away from her, he stepped back. She looked up at him, her eyes fathomless, green pools of desire. He eased her down across the bed until she lay on her back. Climbing onto the bed beside her, he kneeled in front of her and worked the white lace panties down her slim hips before tossing them onto the floor to join the growing pile of discarded clothing.

Then he lowered his head and tasted her. Slowly at first, his tongue moved in lazy circles around her clit. She raised her arms and took hold of the intricately carved cedar headboard as he did his best to drive her crazy with his mouth.

The stubble on his chin scraped along her aroused flesh and she gasped. His tongue stroked longer and deeper. Parting her with his fingers, he slid his tongue inside her moist center and laved her. He continued the rhythmic movement until she squirmed against him. She let go of the headboard and reached for him.

“Please.” Her voice was a shivery whimper of need. “I’m going to come. I want to come with your cock deep inside me. Please, Will. Fuck me.”

Listening to her words, Will knew he ought to be shocked. But he wasn’t. Somehow, with her, the raunchy way they spoke to each other wasn’t vulgar or disgusting. It was right.

If anything, his cock grew larger, harder, thicker. She half-sat and reached down to encircle him with her fingers.

He moaned and pushed her back down onto the bed. Reaching for a condom in his nightstand, he quickly rolled it over his cock and positioned himself in front of her. Spreading her legs wide with his knees, he eased into her warmth an inch at a time. She thrust her hips upwards, encouraging him to move faster.

“Easy does it, sweetheart. Don’t be in such a hurry. We have all night.”

She groaned in frustration. “I want you. I want to feel your cock inside me.
Now
.”

He plunged into her fiercely, forcing a gasp from her. “Yes,” she breathed. Clinging tightly to his shoulders, she met his strong, rhythmic thrusts. “Yes, that’s it. Don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m going to stop, Red. You don’t have to worry about that.” His smile was strained as he fought for control.

With great deliberation, he slowed his pace and changed position, lifting her legs above his head. She moaned. He continued to thrust his cock into her slippery center.

Her eyes were shut. Little whimpering noises of need escaped her compressed lips. Her head turned from side to side with increasing urgency. She was close.

“That’s it, babe.” He gritted his teeth and continued his rhythmic stroking. “That’s it. Come for me, sweetheart. I want to see you come.”

As if his words tipped her over the edge, Savannah cried out, clutching at him as the first pulses of her orgasm caught up with her. Her inner muscles convulsed around him and it was all he could do not to bury his cock deep inside her and seek his own release.

Instead, he slowed his rhythm once again and waited until her orgasm was over. She gave a long, satisfied sigh and opened her eyes.

“
Mm
, not bad.” A cheeky grin spread across her face. “Now, it’s your turn.”

With a low growl, Will surged into her, needing no further encouragement. Within minutes, he shuddered deep inside her.

Collapsing upon her, he breathed deeply and tried to regain his breath.

“You feel so good,” he murmured, shifting his weight and pulling her in close beside him.

“You feel pretty good, too.” Savannah smiled shyly up at him.

Will pressed a kiss against the softness of her hair and then moved over to once again tug open the drawer of his nightstand.

A slight frown creased Savannah’s forehead. “What are you doing?”

Will flashed her a grin. “I’m checking the supply of condoms. I’d like to repeat our performance in the near future and I want to know if I’m going to have to duck out now and find a drug store.”

She blushed and hit him playfully on the arm. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”

He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, wriggling her bottom until she was straddling his hips.

“Yep, I am.” He grinned cheekily. “With reason, I might add.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Her soft wetness came into contact with his cock, stirring it to life once more. “Oh, yeah!” He moaned.

A look of surprise crossed her face. “You can’t be ready again? I thought when guys got older, you know, it got harder to um—” She broke off abruptly. Her blush deepened.

Will laughed unrestrained. “Hey, I’m not that old. Thirty-two is not exactly ancient. Besides, it seems where you’re concerned, parts of my body have a youthful mind of their own.”

Her face bloomed even rosier. She ducked her head so that he couldn’t see. He held her chin with gentle fingers and turned her face toward him.

“You’re so beautiful when you’re embarrassed. I can’t believe a woman of your advanced years is capable of such shyness.” He grinned cheekily.

“Oh!” She gaped, grabbing the pillow and whacking him in the head. “How rude.”

Leaning back to give him another swipe, she gulped when he snatched the pillow out of her hands and threw it toward her. Laughing, she managed to dodge the feathered missile and fell to her side next to him.

“Just how old do you think I am?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.

“
Mm
, now this is a question fraught with danger.” He smiled back at her. “It’s a question no man can truly answer and come up tops. Why don’t you just tell me?”

“
Mm
, you’re right. If you say I’m, like, nineteen or something, I won’t believe you and I’ll know you’re saying it because you think it’s what I want to hear and I’ll never know from then on whether you’re telling me the truth about something, or whether you’re telling me what you think I want to hear.

“If you say I’m like, thirty-eight or something, I’ll never speak to you again. So, I know what you mean. It’s a lose/lose situation. Even if you guess correctly, I won’t be pleased because every woman likes to think she looks younger than she is; every woman over twenty-five, anyway.”

His eyes widened in mock surprise. “Do you mean to tell me you’re over twenty-five?”

She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “You’re perilously close to getting another whack from the pillow.”

“You think?” With one quick movement, he rolled her underneath him again, pinning her helplessly to the bed with the weight of his body.

“You were saying?” he teased.

Instead of struggling, Savannah brought her hand up between their bodies and flicked her fingernail lightly across his flat nipple. Next, she wet her finger inside her mouth and drew lazy circles around the now-hardened nub.

Will groaned, enjoying the sensations she induced. When her tongue snuck out and licked him, his cock stirred once again and he pressed the hardening flesh into her softness. She peeked up at him from beneath her lashes.

“Do you like it when I do that?”

“I like it very much, Red.” He brought his head down to hers. Pressing soft, feather-light kisses against her lips, he sampled her slowly, savoring the fruity tang of wine he could still taste in her mouth.

Her arms came around his neck and pulled him down hard against her chest. Her breasts strained against him, eager for attention. He deepened the kiss and his fingers sought and found one of her breasts, kneading it with his hand. He pinched her nipple and listened to the soft gasps and moans that came from the woman beneath him.

His woman
.

His cock jutted impatiently against her center. She was still wet from their earlier lovemaking and he reached down and ran his hardness up and down her opening until he was slick with her juices.