Craving Candy

Chapter Fifteen

Lucas stood back and admired the erotic picture that Candy made, spread wide in front of him. The high-heeled boots she wore brought her to the perfect height and angle for him to take her this way. Her thighs were smooth and the curve of her ass was enticing as she bent forward. His gaze swept the long, supple line of her spine, all the way to the nape of her neck.

He couldn’t see her breasts, but he knew they would be hanging heavy from her body. The weight of them would be incredibly arousing for her. His cock jerked in reaction to his thoughts, reminding him of his own arousal. Her hair hung down around her face, hiding it from his view, and he wished he hadn’t removed the hairpins, wanting to see her every reaction.

In truth, he was shocked she was still here. He’d been purposely crude and demanding, trying to drive her away. But she’d met his every demand and then some. She was everything he’d ever dreamed of and more. Too bad it wasn’t real. But right now, he didn’t want to think about what had happened earlier, or what would come later. Candy was spread before him, a feast for a starving man, and he wasn’t foolish enough to turn away from it.

He could smell her arousal as he knelt behind her— a heady combination of musk and sweetness that was pure Candy. He’d never had a sweet tooth in his life until he’d met her. Now, he had a definite taste for Candy.

His fingers felt rough against the soft, silky skin of her inner thighs as he traced a path toward her core. He could feel her trembling beneath his touch, and it both humbled and aroused him that she would leave herself so open and vulnerable to him.

A cocktail of anger, lust and longing all swirled in his blood, making it hard for him to think straight. But right now all he wanted was to feel Candy come apart in his arms as he brought her to a screaming climax. Even now, all he wanted was her pleasure.

Satisfaction filled him, body and soul, as he slowly slid his fingers along the slick folds of her labia. She was so wet and hot, coating his fingers in her cream. She shifted her weight, rocking her hips slightly to bring him closer to her core. He dipped one finger deep, swirling it around before withdrawing it again. Her moan of pleasure was sweet to his ears.

Stroking backward, he circled the tight, puckered bud of her ass with his finger, using her own moisture to ease his way as he inserted the tip of his finger. She cried out and he froze, but she didn’t tell him to stop. He could hear her labored breathing in the quiet of the apartment building. His own breath was none too steady as he pushed his finger deeper into her behind. A car horn sounded in the distance, but neither of them paid any attention to it. The world outside didn’t exist for them. All of their attention was focused on each other.

Her inner muscles clenched tight around his finger as he carefully pushed it deeper. “No one has ever touched you here before, have they?”

Candy shook her head. “No.” He could barely hear her whispered reply, but it filled him with a savage satisfaction that he was the first to touch her in this way.

With his free hand, he stroked her swollen sex, circling her slit. He could feel the tension growing within her as he feathered his touch over her clitoris, barely caressing the sensitive bud. He growled with pleasure as she began to thrust her hips back and forth, taking his finger deeper within her ass. He slowly withdrew it until only the tip was still inside and then carefully surged back into her again.

Her cries were becoming more frantic now as he continued to finger-fuck her behind as well as tease her hot pussy. “Lucas.” Her voice was filled with desperation and need.

“Tell me what you want.” He needed the words from her.

“I want you, Lucas.” Her hips were pumping frantically now.

“Want me to what?” Leaning forward, he nipped at the plump flesh of her lush ass.

“I want you inside me.” The last word was more of a long, drawn-out moan.

“Not yet.” He wanted her hotter and wetter and begging him to fuck her. He slipped two fingers into her core, thrusting them deep as he continued to work his finger in and out of the tight hole of her behind. “Come for me.”

“Lucas.” She screamed his name as she convulsed around his fingers. The gush of liquid between her thighs, the clenching of her muscles and the shaking of her body… he registered every single smell, sight and sound.

When her knees bent and she sagged against the window, he eased his fingers out of her and surged upward to stand behind her. Wrapping his forearm around her waist to keep her upright, he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “We’re not done yet, sugar.”

Candy shivered as he nipped at the side of her neck, nuzzling her hair out of the way so he could place love bites on her nape. Lucas’ cock was hard and eager once again and he slipped it between her thighs, allowing it to skim across her swollen flesh. She sucked in a breath even as she tried to slide her sex across it. He laughed, pleased that he could arouse her again so easily. He’d never had another woman who suited him as well as she did.

Sliding his hands over her supple torso, he cupped her breasts. They were large and full, tipped with tight nipples. As he continued to slide his erection back and forth over her sex, he played with her lush breasts, circling the tips with his thumbs. She moved in tandem with him, pushing her breasts against his hands, while her hips moved sinuously back and forth, pleasuring herself with his erection.

Lucas nipped and licked her neck and shoulders, savoring every moment of the exquisite pain as his cock throbbed for release. His balls were heavy and every muscle of his body was clenched in anticipation of claiming her. The savage part of him, the part that demanded restitution for the earlier pain she’d given him, wanted her to plead him to take her, needed her to beg.

“What do you want?” He rolled her tight nipples between his thumbs and forefingers as he nipped her earlobe and whispered in her ear.

“You.” She rolled her hips seductively, almost pushing him over the edge.

He gritted his teeth and tried to control the need pounding in his body and brain. “Not good enough. If you want it, sugar, you’ve got to ask for it.” He gently pinched her nipples as his tongue swirled around the shell of her ear. “I won’t give it to you until you tell me what you want.”

He felt the change in her then, the release of control, the giving of herself to him completely. Triumph filled him as she gasped, “I want you inside me.”

“More,” he demanded.

“Fuck me,” she cried. “Lucas,” Candy pleaded. “Please fuck me.”

He pulled back until the head of his cock slipped just inside her slit. Without warning, he plunged inward, slamming his balls against her as he buried himself in her heat. He could feel the sensitive muscles stretching to accommodate him as she cried out, her back bowing against him. “Relax, sugar, you can take all of me.” He needed her to take all of him, to want every inch of him inside her. She felt so damned good wrapped around him, so soft and so wet. Perfect.

Too perfect. Sanity reared its head and he realized that for the first time in his life, he wasn’t wearing a condom. Part of him didn’t want to wear one, wanted her to take him as he was, wanted to spend himself inside her, marking her as his for all time. The sane part screamed caution.

He could feel her quivering in his arms, could feel her heart pounding in her chest as his hands cupped her breasts. Like him, she was poised on the edge, so close to coming. He held them both still, not moving an inch.

“Please.” Her whispered plea broke his control and he began to thrust.

“Yes,” he groaned. All thought, all restraint fled as he pumped in and out of her body. He held her tight, wrapping one arm around her waist and bracing the other against the windowsill as he slammed his cock into her over and over. Her feet left the floor with each plunge. He wanted to get so far inside her that she’d never be free of him again.

His balls drew up tight as his cock throbbed. Blood pounded in his brain, pushing him harder, demanding he claim her. He was so damned close. Candy was crying and thrashing in his arms. They were almost there. She screamed his name as her orgasm took her. He could hear her cries and feel her body spasm as he plunged again and again.

At the very last second, sanity surfaced enough for him to pull out of her. He pushed his cock hard against her back, grinding his length against her as he came, emptying himself against her soft skin.

His knees buckled and he lowered them both to the floor. Burying his face in her shoulder, he gulped air into his lungs, desperately trying to breathe. He’d never felt anything like this in his life. A fine sheen of perspiration covered them both and the smell of sex permeated the air around them.

Lucas didn’t know how long they sat there on the floor when he realized Candy was shaking. Carefully, he lifted her, turning her in his arms. Brushing back her hair from her face, he froze. She was crying. Tears seeped out from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks. “Candy?” At the sound of her name, she burst into tears.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Oh, God, what had he done? In his need to assuage his anger and hurt, he’d taken her in a frenzy, pounding out his frustration into her body. He was no better than a damned animal. His arms tightened around her and he forced himself to loosen his grip. He couldn’t hold on to something that wasn’t his to begin with.

She was right. He wasn’t good enough for her. What kind of a man would hurt the woman he loved? A man like his father, the voice in his head whispered.

And he did love her. Somehow, she’d snuck past his well-guarded heart and wrapped herself around it, claimed it as her own. And what had he done? He’d taken her without caring, like some animal in heat, pounding into her just to appease the demons within him. With the return of control came memory. He’d driven into her so hard that her feet had left the ground. He was so much larger and stronger than she was.

Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled her unique scent as he rocked her in his arms. Because he loved her, he knew he had to let her go. There was too much of his father in him and he would not risk her safety any longer. Rising to his feet, he carried her back to the sofa and sat. He reached out and snagged the towel from where it had landed on the floor and used it to wipe the sticky residue of his cum from her back before swiping it over his arm and belly.

He tilted back her head and dried her tears with his thumb, absorbing every sensation, knowing this was probably the last time he’d touch her precious face. She stared up at him, her eyes luminous and slightly swollen. She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed his hand gently over it, stopping her.

“I’m sorry, Candy.” He plucked her blouse off the floor and helped her put it on, buttoning it carefully. “We both know that this was only a temporary thing, and I think, after all that’s happened today, it’s time for it to end.”

She froze in his embrace, but he stood with her still in his arms. Reluctantly, he let her feet slide to the floor, making sure she was steady before he grabbed her skirt and helped her back into it. “Lucas.” She laid her hand on his arm and he flinched away. He didn’t deserve her compassion after what he’d just done.

Picking up her bra and panties, he thrust them into her hand as he ushered her to the doorway. He wrapped her in her coat, zipping it tight. She looked absolutely shattered standing there in the dim light. And no wonder. She’d come to talk and he’d taken her crudely and without consideration. He figured that the only reason she hadn’t run screaming was that she was still in shock.

“I’m going to call you a cab to take you home.” He wiped all emotion from his face and his voice. He had to get her out of here quick before he did something stupid, like falling on his knees and begging her not to ever leave him. He had to be strong, for her, but he knew he couldn’t hold out much longer.

“We need to talk, Lucas.” Her voice shook, but it was filled with determination as she shoved her underwear into her purse.

The sound of footsteps outside the door was like a light in the darkness. He recognized the heavy tread of boots. Yanking open the door, he put his hand on the small of Candy’s back and all but pushed her out into the hallway. T. S. froze in place, his eyes going from Lucas to Candy and back to Lucas again.

“Take her home for me. Please.” He slammed the door shut and locked it, knowing that T. S. would make sure that she made it home okay.

The murmur of voices drifted through the door and then the sound of footsteps moving down the hallway, gradually fading away. Lucas stood there naked, aching in a way that he hadn’t done since he was kid. His chest actually hurt and he rubbed his hand over it. Swearing, he whirled around and slammed his fist into the wall. Plaster cracked and crumbled. He jerked it back and just stared at his closed fist, ignoring the pain.

Going to his knees, he buried his face in his hands and cursed the man who’d fathered him, a man who had shared his blood and genes with him. A lone tear slipped down his cheek as he slowly stood and stumbled down the hall toward his workout room.

Candy stood in the glaring light of the hallway, not quite sure how she’d gotten here. She felt shell-shocked. What had just happened? One moment she been having the most erotic experience of her life with the man she loved, and the next he was apologizing and all but throwing her out of his home.

The finality of the lock being engaged from inside the apartment was like a smack in the face. Just like that, they were finished. Their affair was over even as aftershocks of her last orgasm still lingered.

“Hey, you okay?”

She jumped at the sound of the male voice, so close to her. What was his name again? She remembered meeting him on the opening day of Coffee Breaks. She nodded, not sure she could even speak if she wanted to. Right now she needed to get home. Locking her shaky knees, she walked down the hallway toward the stairs.

“Hey.” She pulled away when his hand touched her arm, practically bouncing off the wall in her haste to get away from him. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you, but Lucas wants me to take you home.”

“I don’t care what Lucas wants.” Her voice was rough, her throat raw from the unshed tears she swallowed back.

“Your kind never does.”

His easy dismissal of her fired her already frayed temper. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

T. S. sneered at her. “Couldn’t wait to be rid of him when you found out he’d been in prison, could you? You didn’t even want to know the facts.”

“No,” she replied honestly. “I didn’t, not at first. But I came to talk with him and now he’s the one throwing me out.” She turned away and brushed at the tears that slipped down her cheeks. Why was she even bothering to try to justify her actions to someone she didn’t even know? Turning, she started to walk away again, weaving slightly as the physical and emotional turmoil of the day took a toll on her.

T. S. MacNamara, that was his name, she thought as she valiantly headed toward the stairs. She sensed him watching her. Then he swore and she heard the sound of heavy work boots hurrying after her. Practically running now, she started down the stairs. In her haste, she missed one and started to plunge forward. She screamed and held out her hands as a strong arm wrapped itself around her upper body, plucking her to safety.

“What the hell are you trying to do, kill yourself?” His voice was gruff, but he was gentle as he stood her back on the stairs.

“I just want to go home.” The tears were coming faster now and she swiped them away, despising herself for shedding them. I don’t usually cry and definitely not in front of a complete stranger.

“I’m sure you don’t.” She hadn’t realized she’d said the words out loud until he commented on them. “Look.” He swiped a hand through his hair, his agitation plain. “I don’t know what just went on between you two, but I know that you hurt Lucas. Even with that, he wants me to see you home safely. You can either go by yourself and I’ll follow you or you can let me take you. It’s your choice. But either way, I’m seeing you home.”

“Do you want to know what just went on?” Candy was a woman who’d been pushed to the limits of her emotional and physical well-being and lashed out to protect herself against further hurt. “I just had the most amazing sexual experience of my life with the man I love and then he threw me out. So if I hurt him today, then we can call it even.”

Reaching out blindly for support, she grabbed the railing and stumbled down the stairs. Once again, a powerful male arm stopped her. Candy was getting sick and tired of being manhandled by large men. “Let me go!”

“Not until you talk to me.”

“There is nothing to say.” She pulled out of his grasp and kept on going down the stairs, but he was hot on her heels.

“You said you loved him.” His voice was insistent.

She refused to answer him. Her only goal was getting to the door and hailing a cab to take her home.

“What did he say when you told him?”

Candy rounded the corner and kept moving steadily downward. She was almost there.

“Will you stop!” He surged in front of her and blocked the staircase. She stumbled to a halt as he spread his arms wide, placing a palm on either wall.

“I didn’t get a chance to say anything. He didn’t want to talk. He only wanted to fuck, and once that was done, he couldn’t wait to get rid of me. I’ve had enough humiliation for one day. Now move!” She all but screamed the last two words at him. If he didn’t move, she was going to kick him where it would hurt him most. Standing a few steps above him, she had the perfect angle to do some damage.

T. S. looked shocked as he slowly lowered his arms and stood to one side. She cautiously skittered past him, keeping her eyes on him as she passed. “You mean too much to him. That’s why he sent you away.”

Candy flinched as his words hit her like stones. Her harsh laugh held no pleasure. “He sure has a funny way of showing it.”

“You’re both too much alike. Both of you trying to protect yourselves and all you end up doing is hurting yourselves more.” He fell into step behind her as she pushed open the side door and stepped out into the cold, dark night. “Give him a few days, but if you really do care, if you really do love him, don’t give up on him.”

She gave no indication that she heard anything he said. She’d think about what he said. Later. When she was safe at home. Rushing out to the road, she waved at a passing taxi, almost reduced to tears again when he just drove by without stopping.

“Let me take you home.” His voice was softer now and tinged with pity. Candy scrunched her shoulders up around her ears to try to stay warm. She didn’t want anyone’s pity. “Please.” He was closer now. “Lucas won’t rest tonight unless I come back and tell him that you made it home okay.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to his truck that was parked just up the road from the building. Unlocking the door, he took one look at her boots and her skirt and scooped her up, depositing her on the seat. He made sure she was tucked in safely before he closed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side. The ride home was made in complete silence after she’d given him her address. He said nothing when he parked in front of her building, but once again hurried to her side of the truck and lifted her down. Like a large watchdog, he followed her up the stairs and all the way to her apartment door, waiting patiently while she dug though her purse for her keys.

Just as she was about to close her door, he finally spoke. “Don’t give up on him, Candy. He deserves to have some happiness. You both do.”

“Thank you for the ride home.” She closed the door gently and engaged all the locks. It was only after the sound of footsteps faded in the distance that she finally allowed the tears to flow unchecked.

Stumbling to her bedroom, she hauled off her clothing and tumbled into bed, pulling the covers tight around her. The sound of her sobs were raw and painful as she cried for what she’d lost in her past, but most of all, for what she’d lost today. She cried so hard, she made herself sick, barely stumbling to the bathroom in time. Eventually, there were no more tears left to shed and with a cool cloth over her swollen eyes, Candy crawled back in bed and fell into a fitful sleep.