Wilde Thing

Chapter 4

Steve heard Liz suck in a quick breath, and watched her eyes widen at his blatant and earthy declaration of what he wanted to do to her. He wouldn't apologize for his outrageous behavior, nor did he intend to back down from the statement he'd just issued.

He deliberately meant to startle Liz, shock her even, and he expected her reaction to go one of two ways. If he'd offended her, she'd probably slap him or turn him down flat, and he'd know he'd stepped beyond her comfort zone. If she was daring enough to join him in a more erotic, forbidden world of pleasure that included unrefined, primitive sex, then she'd welcome him inside her place and they'd indulge those carnal fantasies, and more, together.

Now that the time had come to take that next step, he needed to know she was game for everything uninhibited and unadulterated. He wanted to be assured that she was a match for his sexual appetite and a willing partner to his aggressive, more dominant nature when it came to sex. He liked his encounters hot and vigorous, and what he had in mind beyond that closed door was not gentle, polite, or altogether civilized by most women's standards.

Her answer would be the determinating factor of whether he kept their affair tame and within the confines of conventional sex or she granted him permission to allow his inner wild man loose with her.

Few women had.

He lifted a dark brow. "Well?" he prompted.

Her expression gave none of what she was thinking or feeling away. "Let me put it this way. If you weren't here to fuck me, I'd be pretty pissed after the way you left me hanging tonight."

Oh, yeah, the woman definitely had spunk, and that turned him on even more. "Touché."

He plucked her apartment key from her lifeless fingers, and when she didn't object to his take-charge attitude, he opened her door and swept a courteous hand inside the darkened entry-way. "After you."

Once they were both in her apartment and Steve had the door shut and locked behind them, that was where his gentlemanly manners ended. Taking advantage of the first hard surface they came into contact with, he maneuvered her up against the living room wall and pinned her in place with his big body, wanting complete control of tonight's seduction- and Liz's surrender. He dropped her keys to the floor, along with her purse and that small fan she'd told him about over the phone, which intrigued him with all the possibilities inherent in that little toy.

With one arm braced on the wall next to her head, and a dim light from the kitchen illuminating them, he held her gaze and slowly, gradually freed the buttons on her blouse with his other hand. "Did you think I was going to leave you on edge all night long?"

Mild accusation glimmered in her gaze. "That's what you wanted me to think, wasn't it?"

He dipped his head and nuzzled her neck, mostly to hide a smile at her accurate guess, though he wasn't about to admit that she was right. No, it was more fun sparring with her, and he liked her fearless, rebellious attitude, which would make her acquiescence all the sweeter.

"Only a cad would be so insensitive," he replied playfully. Done opening her blouse, he pushed a sleeve and bra strap over one shoulder, tenderly kissed the flesh he bared, and felt her shiver in response.

Her hands fluttered between them, finding her way into his leather jacket and tugging the hem of his shirt from his jeans. "Funny, that's exactly what I thought of you after we hung up."

He laughed, low and deep. "I guess I'll just have to do my best to redeem myself after being so greedy and leaving you so hungry."

"You're going to have to work hard for my forgiveness," she said brazenly, though there was no mistaking the provocation in her tone.

"Oh, I plan to." He brushed his fingers over the swells of her breasts and watched them quiver from his touch. "The thing is, if I hadn't come earlier, I wouldn't have been able to go this slow with you now. Think of it this way. Our earlier phone sex was merely an appetizer for me, and you need to catch up before we get to the main course."

A blond brow arched humorously. "That's quite an analogy."

He shrugged. "I needed that release so I can concentrate on giving you what you need now." Leisurely he drifted his fingers to the hard points of her nipples, straining against her sheer bra, and pinched the engorged tips gently, just enough to give her a taste of what was to come. "And what I plan to do to you is much more effective and pleasurable in person. And I can take my time doing it, too."

As much as he'd enjoyed sharing fantasies earlier, their phone sex hadn't been enough for him, despite what he'd gained from the encounter. He was a man who ultimately needed a physical connection when it came to sex. He needed to feel Liz's soft curves against him, taste her skin, hear her moans, and feel her hands on his body, too. Eventually.

Her eyes shone bright with hot anticipation and female invitation. "Who says I want slow?" she asked, all sultry, seductive temptress.

He recognized her taunting for what it was, but wasn't about to let her take charge this early in the game, if at all. "I'm not giving you a choice, sweetheart. Not this time, because I've thought about this moment since the first time I laid eyes on you at the cafe. Of stripping you naked, seeing your breasts bared, and watching you come, again and again."

She looked up at him through lashes that had fallen to half-mast. "Considering how you left me earlier, I don't think coming is going to be a problem."

He groaned at the thought of all that pent-up passion just waiting to be unleashed. "Once I'm done with you, I think you'll forgive me for being so selfish earlier."

"We'll see," she taunted once again.

She reached out, and the muscles in his stomach flexed and rippled as her cool, slender fingers caressed the heated skin of his belly. Knowing he'd never last as long as he intended to with her hands all over him, he dragged the other sleeve and bra strap down her arm, just past her elbows. The stretchy lace material covering her breasts lowered, too, and his mouth watered at the bountiful flesh he'd exposed-ripe, full breasts that begged for the touch of his fingers, the wet rasp of his tongue, the slow, heated suction of his mouth…

Summoning patience, he quickly and efficiently used Liz's bra straps as makeshift ties by wrapping the corded material and the loose ends of her blouse around her wrists. Before she realized what he was doing, he had her hands tethered and fastened, and the excess fabric of her top secured into a knot just below her breasts, which effectively pinned her arms to her sides and restricted her reach.

She tugged on the bindings, her expression reflecting be-musement that he'd so easily managed to restrain her with her own clothes-leaving her physically vulnerable and sexually defenseless. "My… aren't you clever," she murmured.

"I'm a very resourceful kind of guy. I said slow, and I meant it, and tying you up assures me that I've got your full cooperation and I can do as I please with you." He took a small step back, giving himself just enough room to reach down, slip his hands beneath her skirt, and shove the hem up around her waist. Unable to help himself, he skimmed his palms around to her backside and squeezed her buttocks, liking how soft and giving her body was-everywhere.

She gasped, the sound filled with surprise-and excitement, too. "Now what are you doing?"

"Feeling you up," he said with a grin, then took in his handiwork, pleased with the effect he'd created. Half dressed and trussed up in the bondage he'd devised, she looked deliciously sensual with her breasts swelling, nipples stiff and dark, and her honey-blond hair tousled around her pale shoulders and beautiful face.

Her legs were long, her thighs gently curved-the kind that could cradle a man's hips in infinite softness as he thrust hard and deep. He'd left her panties on-mainly to save his own sanity, but those would be gone just as soon as he took care of other matters first.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he tossed it onto a nearby chair that was part of a dinette set, then unbuckled the shoulder holster he wore. He carefully laid his weapon on the table, then stripped out of his black T-shirt and added it to the pile.

"This is so not fair," she complained huskily, her eyes glazing with desire as she watched him undress. "I want to touch, too."

It was nice to know that she liked what she saw. "I never said I play fair." He strolled back to where she was still leaning up against the wall. His cock pulsed, already hard and aching for her. Again. "But maybe, if you're a good girl, I'll let you play later."

Her appreciative gaze traveled over his well-defined chest; then she eyed the tattoo encircling his right biceps, with undisguised interest. "I like your tattoo. Any special meaning to it?"

Not one he wanted to discuss at the moment. He'd gotten the tattoo right after his divorce years ago, as a symbol of his newfound freedom and bachelor lifestyle, and to cover up the scar the bullet had left on his arm. Yet despite the rebellious act, he'd been compelled to weave a name within the intricate design, of the one and only female who would ever be permanently linked to his heart. And he didn't want to discuss that with Liz, either.

He smiled lazily. "It's just a plain ol' tribal band."

Her fingers flexed at her sides, as if she wanted to reach out and touch the etched design. "It makes you look tough and dangerous."

"I am tough and dangerous." His attempt at being serious was lost in the light laughter vibrating in his tone.

"Of course you are," she agreed generously, though it was obvious to him that she wasn't intimidated by him at all. At least not in a malicious sort of way. Sexually, however, he was feeling very aggressive and intense.

She licked her lips, leaving them damp and shiny, beckoning for him to nibble and taste. "All that toughness and danger turns me on, and that tattoo makes me hot."

She was deliberately provoking him, he knew. "We can't have you burning up on me, now, can we?" Inspired by their earlier fantasy on the phone, he picked up the spritz fan and switched the small unit on, sending a cool gust of air across her skin.

Her nipples automatically puckered and darkened to a deep raspberry hue, and her luminous eyes widened in astonishment… and realization. "Steve…"

Dismissing the mild protest he heard in her voice, he pulled the trigger and sprayed a fine mist of water on her throat and breasts, then did the same to her bare belly and naked thighs.

Her entire body trembled, and her breathing deepened as he stared at her wet skin and lush body, fascinated at the way the dewy moisture gathered in places and slowly trickled downward like a soft, drizzling rain.

God, he'd never seen anything so sexy, so mouthwateringly tempting as the delectable feast she presented. Then again, she was the first woman to allow him complete trust with her body and so much control over her pleasure. And that in itself was a huge turn-on for him. Undoubtedly, Liz was a pure, reckless addiction to his senses, and like a junkie, he intended to get his fill of her.

Aching to caress all that slick, glistening flesh while she remained helplessly bound, he set the fan aside and flattened his palm around the curve of her throat and followed the slick path down to an enticing amount of cleavage. His hands captured her breasts, encircling them with long, possessive fingers and gliding his thumbs across her rigid nipples before he continued on with his lazy journey… skimming his palms across her quivering belly and down to her smooth, sleek thighs. Thighs he couldn't wait to feel wrapped tight around his waist.

Liz moaned, giving herself over to the delightful feel of Steve's hot, questing hands sliding along her deprived body, bringing feminine nerve endings to vibrant life and arousing her to the point of dizzying torment. His fingers gradually trailed their way back up her sides, tracing the dip and swell of her hips and waist, stroking the outline of her pale breasts; then finally his hands came to rest on the wall behind her, surrounding her with the male scent of him, the virile power and heat he emanated.

She whimpered at the momentary loss of contact, but he didn't make her suffer long. By slow, agonizing degrees, he closed the scant distance separating their bodies until the hard, masculine contours of his broad chest crushed against her sensitive breasts. Their bare bellies touched, skin searing skin, as he pinned her hips and thighs to the wall, leaving her no escape.

Their eyes met in the shadowed darkness, and there was no mistaking the hard, solid length of his erection jutting against her mound. He rolled his hips, letting her feel the full effect of that massive ridge, and she reacted with a low, purring sound she was helpless to hold back.

"You like that?" he murmured.

She widened her stance and arched toward him, silently seeking more. "Oh, yes," she whispered anxiously, frustrated at his slow, mindless seduction and her inability to use her hands to take what she wanted.

"Then I think you'll like this, too." Lowering his head, he brushed his mouth across hers, his breath warm and scented with mint. When he slid his silky tongue against her lower lip, she opened her mouth and eagerly let him inside. He deepened the kiss, voracious and hungry, and she answered, sliding her body sensually against his in a rhythm that matched the thrust of his tongue.

One of his hands grasped her gyrating hip while the other slipped over her panty-clad bottom, past her thigh, and hooked his long fingers behind her knee. He lifted her leg up to his waist, wedged his thigh tight between hers, and pressed his groin to her sex, urging her to feel him, all of him.

Every single hard inch.

The overwhelming pressure of his stiff male shaft rubbing against her intimate flesh, along with the friction of coarse denim stroking wet cotton, all combined to give her body the climax it had been craving for hours. Days. Weeks.

Sensations as exquisite as they were intense rippled through her in undulating waves of passion, beckoning her to let go. Curling her fingers into tight fists at her sides, she continued to move sinuously on his muscular thigh until her entire body began to shake. Tearing her mouth from his, she finally took her pleasure with a soft, keening cry of release.

If Steve hadn't had her pinned to the wall with his powerful body, she would have sunk to the ground in a boneless heap.

He nuzzled his way along her neck with soft, damp kisses until his mouth reached her ear. "Do you want more?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly, uncaring that she sounded greedy. It had been so long, and the orgasm had felt so good, but she knew once wasn't going to be nearly enough. Not if he was offering more. "But not like this. Untie me."

"Not yet."

Their bodies separated only long enough for Steve to unzip the skirt still twisted around her hips and yank that article of clothing and her panties ruthlessly down her legs and off, leaving only her blouse and bra knotted around her waist, which provided no covering at all. His eyes flickered appreciatively down the length of her bared body, still damp in places from the water he'd spritzed onto her skin, making her unbearably aware of her wanton appearance.

"This is one of my fantasies," he murmured, his burning gaze coming to a halt at the crux of her thighs. "Having you at my complete mercy."

And she was. He could do absolutely anything he wanted to her… and she knew she'd let him.

Lifting a hand, he glided one long finger through the thatch of blond hair covering her mons and traced the line between her delicate nether lips-a soft butterfly stroke that made her tremble all over again. She moaned and jutted her hips eagerly toward him, and he rewarded her with another brush of his fingertip, just enough to tease but not appease the renewed hunger building within her.

Her sex felt swollen, slick with her own desire, and his illicit caress was driving her mad. She rolled her head back against the wall, willing to beg for what she yearned for. "Steve… please."

He rested his forearm next to her head, bringing her face to face with his bold, masculine features even as he lazily continued exploring the silken textures of her female flesh. She could see the restrained arousal blazing in his bright blue eyes, could feel his chest graze her aching breasts with each deep breath he drew.

He inclined his head impudently, giving her the impression that he could go on touching her just like this for hours. "Please, what?"

She licked her dry lips. "You promised me more."

His smile was full of sinful intent. "Umm. So I did."

He didn't give her what she expected-another quick, blinding orgasm. No, instead he lowered his gaze to the bountiful display of flesh he'd yet to pleasure. Her breasts grew tight in anticipation, her nipples puckering so hard they were almost painful.

Dipping his head, he rubbed his cheek against that pillowy softness, his dark, midnight stubble rasping deliciously across the tender tips. When his lips brushed across one of those beaded knots of flesh, she nearly wept with relief. His tongue lapped and swirled until he finally drew a nipple into his hot, wet mouth and suckled her. At the same time he pushed a finger deep inside her, and she gasped at the unexpected invasion. Before she could recover from that sensual assault, his teeth gently tugged at her nipple and he added a second finger, stretching her to accommodate him, making her whimper at the dual sensations he'd inflicted upon her.

Her mind slid into a long, slow spin, yet her entire body tensed when she felt him work the tip of a third finger into her. "Stop," she panted. "No more."

He immediately heeded her request but didn't remove the first two fingers still embedded deep within her. "You're so damn tight," he groaned against her breast.

She managed a burst of hoarse laughter. "I think it's a combination of it being a long time for me, and you having very big hands and long, thick fingers."

"Yeah, I do." He nipped at the underside of her jaw and laved his tongue down her throat. "And if you feel this snug with two fingers, then my cock is in for a real tight fit."

The image brought another rush of moisture spiraling down to her core, along with a tingling warmth right where he'd delved the pad of his thumb against the hood of her sex. The steady pressure was agonizing, and she knew she'd have to ask for what she wanted, what she needed. "Steve… make me come."

He obliged her, stroking her with a knowing touch. That easily, he sent her over the edge again, her insides clenching in a deep, wrenching throb of pleasure. Before she fully recovered from that climax, before she had a chance to catch her breath and regain her equilibrium, Steve was on his knees in front of her, his dark hair an erotic contrast to her lightly tanned skin.

The tribal band encircling his upper arm flexed as he splayed his hands on her quivering thighs and pushed them farther apart, giving her no choice but to obey his command. His palms slid upward, and he used his thumbs to open her wide, to expose the tender nub of flesh hidden between her legs.

He groaned like a dying man and leaned in closer, inhaling deeply. His unshaven cheek chafed her thigh, and his breath gusted over her sex just before he tasted her with a long, slow lick. The air in her lungs felt trapped, and when he used his lush tongue to push delicately inside her, all she could manage was a whimper of sound. He leisurely slipped in and out of her feminine folds, leaving wet, burning trails in the wake of his languorous and very intimate French kiss.

He found her pulsing clit, and his tongue circled it with wet flicks and slow, suctioning swirls, accelerating her heart rate off the charts. Then his lips closed over her, and he took her eagerly, hotly, greedily, sending her over the razor-sharp edge of another orgasm.

She braced herself for another wild ride, and this time she came with a white-hot burst of passion that made her hips buck and her back arch away from the wall. Unable to stand being constrained by her blouse any longer, she tugged, hard, and loosened the tie around her waist. Another fierce yank, and the material completely unraveled, making her realize that she could have freed herself at any time.

Threading her fingers through Steve's hair, she grasped the strands in her fist and pulled his mouth away. "Oh, God, no more," she uttered on a long, shuddering breath. "Please."

He laughed huskily and leaned forward to nip at her soft belly. "We'll see," he said, mocking her with the same words she'd spoken earlier.

She pulled his head back before he could distract her again, forcing him to look up at her, instead of her naked body, though his gaze did stray to her breasts. His eyes were dark and fevered with desire, his lips damp with her essence, and in his subservient kneeling position, he looked like a slave worshiping his mistress.

A tiny thrill shot through her. Standing above him, and currently the one in control, she realized she sort of liked being on the dominant end of things.

"Are you threatening me with another orgasm?" Her tone was playfully imperious.

"Baby," he rasped, a shameless, bad-boy grin making an appearance, "I'd say it's more of a promise. I'm not done with you yet."

In one fluid, agile movement, he stood, his muscles shifting as he straightened. In another flash, he hefted her over his shoulder and had her dangling upside down with her bottom in the air and his strong arms wrapped around her thighs- proving to her who was really the master in this scenario.

"Where's your bedroom?" he demanded as he headed through the small living room and toward the darkened hallway.

"The first room on the left," she said, and seconds later he unceremoniously flipped her onto her back in the middle of her double-size mattress.

The room was dark with shadows, and the sound of him releasing the leather strap from his belt buckle sent a frisson of excitement unfurling in her belly. Wanting to see that magnificent body of his completely naked, she reached over to the side of the bed and snapped on the small lamp on the night-stand, illuminating the room in an incandescent glow.

She'd been running late this morning and hadn't made her bed, and the rumpled sheets felt wonderfully cool and crisp against her backside as she reclined against the pillows. She watched Steve remove a few foil packets from his pocket and toss them on the bed before ripping open the front of his jeans. He skinned the denim and his briefs down his legs and kicked them off, then straightened, giving her the first full-frontal view of him.

Completely, unabashedly nude and all hot and aroused for her, he stole her breath in a way no man ever had.

Her fantasies of this particular bad boy didn't compare to the real thing. She knew he had broad shoulders, but they appeared so much wider in comparison to his lean waist and narrow hips. And then there was that tattoo on his biceps that she found so fascinating, a mark of a rebel who seemed to live by his own rules and did whatever he pleased. The man was tough and virile, from the dark stubble of his beard to the intense look in his eyes, to the hard, square set of his jaw. Everything about Steve Wilde was powerfully, incredibly male.

She took in the light dusting of hair on his chest, followed the narrowing path down to his rippled belly, and lower, to the most prominent, impressive part of him. She swallowed hard. His thoroughly erect cock was parallel to his stomach, pointing straight up to his navel, impossibly long and hard and thick.

"Spread your legs for me," he ordered gruffly.

As she parted her thighs to make room for him, he grabbed one of the condoms, tore open the package with his teeth, and rolled the latex down his shaft. Sheer, primal lust shimmered off him in waves; she could detect his need in his quick, efficient movements and witnessed the hunger in his eyes as he swept a heated look up the length of her.

A muscle in his cheek clenched in barely controlled restraint, and his nostrils flared like an animal scenting his mate. "You do realize that this first time isn't going to be slow and gentle, don't you?"

There was a subtle warning in his tone, and while she appreciated the chance he was giving her to say no, he'd already given her slow. What she needed now was something just as untamed and uninhibited as he was suggesting. "I know."

From the foot of the bed, he crawled up onto the mattress and knelt between her legs. Hooking his fingers beneath her knees, he dragged her toward him until her widened thighs were draped over his and her pelvis was tipped up in offering. He eased over her, using his thighs to push hers up higher on his waist, which also effectively trapped her beneath the weight of his body. His forearms came to rest next to her face, and he shifted his hips, lodging the thick head of his penis against her very core.

Staring into her eyes, he pushed into her an inch, letting her feel the size of him, teasing her with the promise of more. "Once I'm inside you, it's gonna be hot, hard, and fast." His voice deepened into a rough growl.

She touched her fingers to the stubble along his jaw, the prickling sensation heightening her arousal. "I'm ready for that," she said huskily. "I'm ready for you."

"Then take me. All of me." He plunged into her, strong and deep, impaling her to the hilt with that first unbridled thrust.

Despite being primed for him, she sucked in a startled breath as her inner muscles clamped tight around his shaft. His eyes flared wide in response, giving her a brief glimpse of passion, heat, and something else warring in their hot blue depths. Before she could analyze that last emotion, before she could dwell on the initial discomfort of being thoroughly consumed by him, he began to move, his body undulating and grinding against hers as he increased his rhythmic pace.

A low, throaty, on-the-edge moan escaped him, and he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with a desperate, fierce passion that caught her off guard. His tongue swept into her mouth, matching the rapid, pistoning stroke of his hips and the slick, penetrating slide of his flesh in hers.

Tremors radiated through her from the sensitive spot where they were joined so intimately. She felt thoroughly possessed by him, body and soul, in a way that defied their impersonal bargain and the simplicity of an affair. In a way that aroused feelings that had no business being a part of this temporary relationship.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she concentrated on the pleasure he gave her, and how alive he made her body feel. Running her hands down the slope of his spine, she curved her fingers over his taut buttocks and locked her legs around his waist to pull him closer, deeper, and abandoned herself to yet another stunning orgasm.

This time, he was right there with her when she reached the peak of her climax. Groaning, he broke their kiss and tossed his head back, his hips driving hard, his body tightening, straining against hers.

"Liz." Her name hissed out between his clenched teeth as his body convulsed with the force of his release.

When the shudders subsided, Steve lowered himself on top of her and buried his face against her throat. His ragged breathing was hot and moist against her skin, his heart racing just as unsteadily as her own.

A smile drifted across her lips as she trailed her fingers back up his spine, all the way to the damp, silky tendrils of hair at the nape of his neck, savoring the delightful feel of him inside her, draped over her. She'd never felt so utterly satisfied, so sexually, physically content.

Undoubtedly, Steve Wilde was a fantasy worth waiting for, in every way. One she planned to take advantage of until their time together was over.