“Because you’re irresistible.” He kissed her forehead. “And I can’t stop thinking about all those sexy sounds you made, how you looked and smelled and how it felt to be inside you with you squeezing me so tight.”
Instead of pushing him away, her fingers curled against his muscular flesh. “Cannon.”
“Sex isn’t always like that.”
What an understatement. “Not for me anyway.”
He shook his head. “Not for me either, honey. Maybe you don’t realize, but we’re good together. Better than good.”
It’d be nice to think they had something special going on, because for her it was so much more than physical.
But how could she be sure? “You’ve always enjoyed sex.” He’d told her so.
“True. But with you, it’s more.” Plumping up her other breast, he brushed his lips over her nipple, making her want so much more. “It’ll always be more.” He blew gently against her, then met her eyes. “I know it, whether you do or not.”
Squirming against him made her very aware of his erection on her belly. Hoping to forestall the inevitable, she twined her arms around his neck and slid her foot up his hairy calf. “We could talk later.”
Taking her by surprise, he caught her hands and slowly stretched them up high over her head. He took his time, pinning her legs with one of his.
Excitement shuddered through her. Yes, she could use a quick trip to the bathroom. And she wouldn’t mind a quick gargle to ensure she didn’t have morning breath. But everything was secondary to how he made her feel right now.
Anticipating what he’d do next, she held her breath and tried not to wiggle.
“Now,” he murmured, after a soft suckle of her nipple. “Tell me about your dream.”
Wait, what? Experimentally, she tugged at her wrists; he held her secure. Frowning, she shook her head to deny him. “It was dumb.”
He shifted both her hands into one of his. “Tell me anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because,” he said, then gently sucked at her nipple until her breath left her in a vibrating moan. Curling his tongue around her, he tugged free, leaving her nipple achingly taut. He blew against her, then whispered, “I want to know.”
“You’re diabolical.”
“I’m incredibly turned on.” His gaze met hers. “And incredibly determined to get you to open up to me.”
“If I tell you, are you going to stop teasing me?”
“I’ll only stop if you don’t.”
Well. That was incentive enough to get her talking. “It really is dumb.”
“Most dreams seem that way once you’re awake. Not so much when they’re happening.”
True enough. She tried to ignore her embarrassment. “I...I was in the dark.” Her face heated. As an adult woman, she shouldn’t still be afraid of the dark.
But sometimes she was.
“Go on.”
“I couldn’t see much but I knew people were watching me.” It didn’t take a trained shrink to know why she hated to draw attention. “I could hear them in the shadows.”
Cannon petted her, over her hair, her jaw, her shoulder. “That sounds pretty awful to me.”
It had been. But she knew that Cannon, if ever faced with that situation, dream or reality, would bravely face the darkness. Finally, she admitted the worst part. “I smelled...kerosene, too.”
“Damn.”
More than most, Cannon understood the significance of that, how she’d been threatened to be burned alive.... The dream, the latent feelings it had invoked, returned, and she started shaking, her breath strained.
He kissed her cheek, maybe to remind her she wasn’t alone—maybe just to get her talking again.
“Hands started grabbing me.” No matter which way she’d turned, they were there. She looked into his beautiful blue eyes. “I was ready to scream.”
Very gently, he asked, “Why didn’t you?”
“I woke up.”
Quiet, still petting her, now down her side and over her hip then back to her hair again, Cannon soothed her. “All things considered, that’s a pretty gruesome nightmare.”
All things considered. She swallowed hard and nodded.
“Thank you for telling me.”
So kind and understanding. And so brave. Without thinking it through, she said, “I wish I was more like you.”
He gave a gruff laugh and bent again to her breast. “I’m eternally grateful that you aren’t.” Taking the very tip of her nipple into his mouth, he touched his tongue to her.
God, he was good at this. At teasing and revving up the urgency.
She wasn’t nearly as good at taking it. Straining in his hold, she shivered. “If you’re not going to follow through, then you have to stop that.”
To her disappointment, he released her and sat up. “Know what I think we should do?”
Knowing she would never understand him, she shook her head.
“Let’s grab a drink, juice for me and coffee for you.” He stroked his hand over her belly, between her legs. “We’ll let things simmer a bit.”
“Simmer?” She was already boiled over, damn him!
“It’s hot enough, but anticipation will make it more so. We can shower together. What do you think?”
“You’ll have sex with me again?”
He grinned. “Count on it.”