Checkmate

Chapter 22

"Change your grand larceny plans?" he asked, chuckling when he spotted Rory in the hallway, heading towards his room.

"No," she murmured with a shrug as she stepped up to him and placed her injured hand on his shoulder as her good hand moved to the back of his head.

Before he could ask her what she was doing, her mouth was on his and he forgot about bath salts and coming up with an excuse so that he could sneak out in a couple of hours and go meet her father and brothers for some fishing. He had a plan that he needed to work on after all, but right now that didn't matter. Right now the only thing that mattered was the woman teasingly nipping at his bottom lip.

"What's going on?" he whispered hoarsely, groaning when she licked his lip better.

"Getting into character," she said, brushing her lips against his as she pressed tightly against him, making everything in him go still as the plastic bottle slipped out of his hand and dropped to the ground with a thud.

There was no way that he'd just heard what he thought he did. He knew Rory pretty well and knew that she would never use her sex appeal to get what she wanted. She wouldn't bother wasting the energy for all that bullshit. She would just kick his ass to get what she-

"I want sex, Connor, and as long as you make it worth my while we're going to add it to our deal," she said as she somehow managed to back him up until his back hit the wall before adding with a teasing note, "to get into character of course."

He opened his mouth to make sure that he'd heard her right when she took advantage and slid her tongue in his mouth, taking him off guard and leaving him with no other choice but to give into the stubborn woman. She wanted him. Rory James, the woman he'd been fantasizing about since he'd first noticed girls, wanted him and he wasn't going to do something stupid like question it or bitch about her methods.

It took a minute for her words to sink in and when they did, he turned the tables on her and pressed her up against the wall. As he slid his tongue against hers, enjoying the way she couldn't seem to get close enough to him, he placed his hands against the wall by her head. After allowing himself another minute of enjoying her decadent mouth he broke the kiss, but he didn't go far.

When Rory fisted his hair and yanked him back for another hungry kiss, he indulged her for another moment before he pulled back. When she let out a rather vicious growl, he chuckled and leaned in, but only allowed his lips to brush against hers. Before she could deepen the kiss, he pulled back.

"Make it worth your while?" he repeated, making sure that he'd heard her correctly.

"Mmmhmm," she said, moving her good hand down his neck, over his shoulder and down his chest, her touch light and teasing as she traced his tattoo.

"So this is my audition?" he asked, loving the way she touched him.

"Yes."

"What exactly am I auditioning for?" he asked, already having a pretty good idea, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"Well, if you pass-"

"I will," he said tightly, insulted that she expected him to suck in bed.

"-then for the next five months," she continued as if he hadn't spoken all while she ran her hand down his chest, "we're going to give in and enjoy this disturbing attraction that's going on between us."

"Who says that I'm attracted to you?" he asked softly as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

She smiled coyly as her hand slid down between them and over the erection straining his boxers to get to her. When she gave it a light, teasing squeeze, the air in his lungs rushed out as his legs threatened to buckle and drop his ass to he floor. "This does," the tease said as she slowly stroked him through his boxers.

He'd heard several men bitch about Rory's performance in bed. Granted, he beat the shit out of those men, but not before he got an earful. Seems the men that Rory dated didn't appreciate an aggressive woman in bed. They wanted a woman that allowed the man take the lead, call the shots and decide their pleasure.

They were all fucking idiots.

There was nothing hotter than a woman who knew what she wanted and went for it. Nothing turned him off more than a woman that let him call the shots and just laid there while he took her. It was boring and only made him lose interest faster. With Rory, he knew that he'd never get bored and taking the next step with her was dangerous, but he'd worry about that later. Right now he had the woman of his dreams giving him a chance to fulfill every fantasy that he'd ever had about her.

"What are the rules?" he asked, already knowing that Rory had something in mind.

"This doesn't interfere with the project or our lives," she said, licking her lips as she worked her hand between his legs and gently massaged his balls, making him hiss in a breath.

"Fine. What else?" he asked, trying not groan as she continued to drive him out of his mind. His hands clenched into fists against the wall as he struggled not to grab her and turn her around so that he could rip off her panties and bury himself deep inside of her.

"It's just to get into character. It means nothing," she said, leaning up to brush her lips against his and for some reason that pissed him off, but not enough to turn down what she was offering.

He didn't like the idea of her trying to play this off as something that she was going to do just for her project. She wanted him and they both knew it. No matter what she said, she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. For right now he'd accept what she had to offer, but sooner or later he knew that she'd stop kidding herself. He didn't expect a future with her, but that didn't mean that he was willing to accept anything less than the truth.

"Anything else?" he asked as she went back to caressing his cock through his underwear.

"That's it for now," she said, sounding a little breathless.

"Then since this is my audition," he said, pausing long enough to break away from her so that he could bend down and scoop her up into his arms, "I think it's about time that I showed you what I have to offer."

"That's really not necessary," Rory rushed to explain, so close to crying.

She'd been enjoying herself. Would it have killed him to let her call the shots? It was probably the only way that she would have enjoyed herself, but like all the guys before him, Connor wasn't interested in what she wanted. It was not a good sign of what was to come, she thought with a small pout. Just once she'd like to find a man that wasn't greedy in bed and could handle a woman that knew what she wanted.

When he placed her on her feet, she prepared herself for a few quick kisses, a couple of gropes before she was expected to lie on her back and accept what he had to offer her. It wasn't exactly thrilling and it was starting to kill the mood. Maybe she should-

"What are you doing?" she found herself asking when Connor dropped his underwear, revealing the most impressive erection that she'd ever seen, and simply stood there, watching her expectantly.

"Letting you call the shots, Rory," he said with a hungry expression that quickly reignited the flame that had been threatening to die out only seconds earlier.

"You're going to let me call the shots," she repeated, clearly not believing him as she ran her eyes over the hottest body that she'd ever seen. She swore that when her eyes landed on the large appendage between his legs that it actually grew, which should have been physically impossible.

"Yes," he said with absolutely no hesitation as realization dawned on her.

He really didn't know how to use that thing between his legs.

As depressing as that thought was, and it really was, she forced herself to push past it and focus on what he was offering. He might not know how to use it properly, but she was pretty sure that she could figure it out. She had to bite back a smile when she realized that this little plan of hers would allow her to use Connor's incredible body in any way that she wanted and she definitely wanted.

She held up her hand and crooked a finger. With one of those sexy grins of his, he walked over to her, pulling her in his arms even as she reached for him. As his lips met hers, she couldn't help but sigh. At least he knew how to kiss, but then again, according to local gossip she shouldn't expect to see much of that skill later. That was fine, because she was sure that she could find other things to focus on, she mused as she dropped her hands away from him.

When she grabbed the hem of her camisole to pull it up, she found her hands gently brushed away. He continued to kiss her as he slowly pulled her shirt up, taking his time to run the back of his knuckles over her stomach and breasts. They both moaned as his knuckles glided over her nipples, causing the already sensitive tissue to tighten almost painfully in need.

He broke the kiss, but only long enough to pull her shirt off and then his mouth was back on hers, taking his time to tease and caress her tongue as he pulled her closer until that impressive erection of his was pressed against her stomach. He felt good against her, but not good enough. She wanted more and had no problems with taking it.

She just prayed that he'd allow her to enjoy herself before he took back control and she knew that he would. There was just no way that Connor was going to be able to sit back and let her call the shots. His pride wouldn't let him. Until that moment came, she planned on doing everything that she'd ever dreamed of and yeah, she'd thought about getting Connor into her bed a time or two. There weren't many women in town that hadn't, she reminded herself, not really liking the idea of another woman fantasizing about him so she forced it out of her mind.

He wasn't hers and most importantly she didn't want him to be, she told herself as she broke off the kiss and stepped away from him. She watched as his eyes moved from her face and slowly traveled down her body. When they reached her breasts, they became hooded as he hungrily licked his lips.

She couldn't help but wonder just how hungry he was as she turned around and slowly crawled onto his bed. She felt the bed dip behind her and wasn't too surprised to feel him behind her as she lowered herself onto the bed. As she turned to lie on her back, Connor leaned over and took her mouth in a hungry kiss, picking up right where they left off as his hand came to rest on her stomach.

As she enjoyed the way he kissed her, she waited for his hand to move, knowing that it was just a matter of time before he tried to take control. When several minutes passed and he didn't move his hand she was surprised and admittedly frustrated. While he'd been kissing her, she'd been imaging just how good it would feel to have his hands roam over her body. It was something that she desperately wanted.

"Touch me," she whispered against his lips, loving the little groan that he released as he moved to do just that.

He trailed his fingers up and between her breasts. Just when she thought that he was going to put her out of her misery and touch one of the breasts that craved his touch, he continued to move his hand up until he was cupping her face, gently caressing her jaw and ramping up her frustration.

When she reached up to take his hand and put it exactly where she needed it, he moved his mouth away from hers. His mouth trailed kisses down to the opposite side of her neck as his hand moved back down and cupped one of her breasts in his large, warm hand. She bit back a small cry as she dropped her head back, giving him more access to kiss, suckle and tease her skin with his lips and early morning whiskers that were driving her out of her mind.

His hand, with a slight roughness from years of hard work, moved from one breast to the other with whisper soft touches that were only interrupted by the occasional kneading or a gentle caress. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he continued to worship her and that's exactly what it felt like. There were no rushed or awkward moves. Connor was taking his time learning her body and she honestly couldn't remember ever feeling more wanted than she did in that moment.

But still she wanted more.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she widened her legs until she felt her right leg brush against his erection. As she hooked her leg over his, she placed her injured hand over his roaming hand and with a slight push he took the hint and allowed her to guide his hand away from her breast, down her stomach and between her legs where it came to rest over the place where she needed his touch the most.

Connor pressed one last kiss against her neck before he pulled away and returned to her mouth as he cupped her possessively. The pressure felt good, but it felt even better when he started to rub his hand up and down, teasing her and giving her what she needed all at once. When she felt his hand move and start tugging at her panties, she didn't hesitate in raising her hips and helping him pull her panties down and kicking them off when they were low enough.

He gave her one last kiss before he pulled back and looked down to watch as he returned his hand between her legs. A groan escaped him as he traced her slit with the tip of his finger. He licked his lips hungrily as her breath sped up and she registered his erection slowly grinding against her hip.

"You're so fucking wet," he said in a daze as he slid his finger inside of her and that was all it took.

If she'd been born a male she probably would have been horrified at how quickly she came, but as her body bowed, his name left her lips in a half strangled scream and she felt her body throb almost violently around his finger she couldn't find the willpower to care. As she screamed through the most powerful orgasm that she'd ever experienced, she barely registered the fact that Connor was no longer by her side.

However, when she felt his tongue replace his finger she definitely registered that move as a second, more powerful orgasm ripped through her body, leaving her helpless to do anything but scream.