Up All Night-nook Read online

  “Sweetheart, if you move any lower, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”

  Her gaze flew up to his. Oh crap! She thought she’d only been thinking about touching him and snatched her hands away and clasped them behind her back, mortified. Yes, it was definitely a six-pack. “I’m so sorry.” She stared up into his eyes. They were deep green pools, so dark they seemed almost black. But she still saw the flecks. They appeared amber now, like caramel chips in a very rich…

  “Don’t be. I just wanted to give you fair warning.”

  Stella recoiled and closed her eyes. The very last thing she needed to do was get lost in this, this playboy’s eyes, his magnetic charm.

  She really needed to get a life outside of work, a boyfriend, a dildo…something. “Can we walk? Just walk for a little bit?” She needed to shake off this desire for him.

  Ian reached around and grasped a hand and led her down the beach. He was quiet for a few minutes before he asked, “Would it be so bad? Making love to me?”

  Her gaze swung up to his, and she became acutely aware of how close their bodies were, that every inch of her felt his nearness, the heat of him, the desire radiating off his skin. She attempted to release him and launch herself a few feet away, but she tripped over a pile of sand and started falling. Ian caught her, spun her around as if she weighed ten pounds, and fell first so he’d break her landing. They lay tangled on the sand, torso to torso, leg wrapped around leg.

  “Are you okay?”

  He held her in his arms and rubbed his hands down her back.

  “I’m fine. Don’t…” But his hands, oh his hands were warm and gentle and caressed her until his thumbs touched the underside of her breasts.

  Stella gasped and tried to shift off of him, but he held firm, shaking his head. “If you have an ounce of sympathy for me at all, please don’t squirm like that.”

  She froze and watched ardently as his mouth moved, saw him grit his teeth, all the while thinking about what she would love to do to his mouth if given the chance. But she’d had her chance, hadn’t she? Had it now, in fact, but she was too chicken shit to do anything about it. Standing quickly, avoiding as much of his lower body as she could, she continued down the beach again, the gritty sand sliding beneath her feet in her sandals, so she stopped and took them off. By the time she cradled the straps between her fingers, he was beside her again.

  The thought of how close they’d come to sharing a kiss, right here on this magnificent beach, the moonlight reflecting off the rippling waves of the ocean, had her pulse racing.

  Behaving inappropriately with Ian went against every choice she’d made in her life. Choices like discipline, structure, and always doing the right thing, the logical thing.

  She would chalk this mishap up as a weak moment when she’d almost, almost yielded to temptation. She was a woman, after all, and wasn’t immune to the wiles of a sexy man. It was perfectly natural for her to want to taste a piece of the forbidden.

  Evidently, Ian felt the same, although she didn’t understand why. Stella didn’t fit the type of women she usually saw him with; tall, beautiful and sophisticated, with a willingness to fall into his bed with no regrets. Even though she couldn’t ignore the way her heart hammered in her chest and how the palms of her hands felt damp just thinking about it, she refused to become one of those women. She had to regain some control. “Why do you do it? Why do you always tease me?” she whispered, almost afraid of her own voice.

  “I’m attracted to you, Stella. I always have been, from the first moment I saw you.”

  “You don’t even remember the first time.”

  Reaching for her hand again, he swung her around to face him. “It was at Harper’s mother’s house three years ago, at her annual Fourth of July picnic. You were wearing a yellow sundress.” He twisted a tendril of her hair around his finger, pulled her to him, and slid a digit down her back. “And your hair was all the way down here.”

  A tremor went up her spine. “That was right before I c-cut it.”

  Ian nodded his head. “You had on white sandals, just like the ones you have in your hand, the necklace you’re wearing now and a gold ankle bracelet just like it.”

  Stella fingered the heart at her neck. “The chain of the anklet broke.”

  He dropped her hand and kept going.

  The necklace and anklet were the last gifts her grandmother had given her before she’d died. Immediately after that, with the little money she’d received from the insurance policy, she’d taken charge of her life and gotten as far away from her mother as possible and began a new life. One with purpose, structure, and free of men. The weekend she attended that party was the first time she’d gone out to socialize since moving to Florida. “I still haven’t gotten it fixed. I can’t believe you remember all that.”

  Ian stared straight ahead and quirked a sly smile. “I remember wanting you from that first moment, Stella, wishing I could tempt you into one of the upstairs rooms.”

  Heat skittered right to her center. “Stop saying these things to me. It’s not right.”

  “What’s not right about a man wanting a beautiful woman, Stella?”

  He thought she was beautiful. Desire, raw and dark bloomed inside her, but she refused to give credence to what he said. “You don’t want me. You just want another conquest, a notch on your bedpost.”

  Ian twisted her around and before she knew it, she was back in his arms again, his hands wrapped around her waist, and she felt the pulse of him throb against her stomach.

  Oh boy.

  “I’m not saying it’s true, but what if I did?”

  Then he began to touch her, from the tips of her fingers, to the side of her neck. A little tingle started somewhere inside her belly when he replaced his fingers with his mouth.

  “What if all I wanted to do was taste every inch of your delectable body? What if I wanted to slide my tongue inside your wet heat and make you come?”

  The tingle threatened to become an all out shudder when Ian’s hand palmed her between her legs and applied pressure. She was sure he felt the moisture coating her panties.

  “Then I’d glide my cock so far inside you you’d never want me to remove it.

  Every ounce of oxygen inside her froze. She’d never been so turned on in her life. Sizzling liquid heat oozed out her pours. The idea of Ian touching her, tasting her… She wanted him with a fierceness she never before experienced.

  “And these breasts.” He cupped both and coasted his thumb over the nipples until they were tight peaks. “What if I wanted to put them in my mouth so I’d know if you really tasted like strawberries and cream?”

  The night breeze blew over her skin with teasing fingers as his hands rounded to her butt. “But this ass. I’d love to take you from behind and watch my cock slide in and out of your body all night long? Would that be so bad? Is it wrong for me to want you like this?”

  Stella wanted to deny him. She wasn’t this woman, was she? She’d resisted these urges all her life, not wanting to end up like her mother. Could she just give herself over to Ian for one glorious night of hot sex and then forget about all of it the next day?

  One time, Stella. Just one time.

  It wouldn’t be a permanent black stain on her soul if she did it. Just one itty bitty dot, a speck even.

  Give in. You know you want him.

  * * * * *

  Come on, beautiful. Give in. Ian pictured the two of them sliding against the hot sand, running his tongue over her skin to see if he could elicit that little gasp he’d heard earlier.

  He worked hard to maintain his self control because, heaven help him, he caught the smell of her wet pussy on the wind. He only had to crook his foot around her ankle and tumble her backward onto the sand and bury his face between her thighs. He leaned in close and coasted his lips over her chin. “I want you, Stella,” he murmured.

  Her pupils went dark as pitch, and she gazed at him as though he were a mixture of angel and devil and
guaranteed a trip to the fiery gates of hell. Shaking her head slowly, she said, “I couldn’t…” But she tugged at her lower lip with those perfect white teeth.

  “When was the last time?” he asked.

  When her back went ramrod straight and she crossed her arms, he knew he’d hit a nerve.

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she hissed.

  For a second, he could swear there were tears in her eyes. Damn. He hadn’t meant to upset her. He unfolded her arms, took a hand, and brought her fingers to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the palm, sliding the tip of one digit between his lips. Teasing Stella had become a habit for him, a need really, but as he watched her pupils grow huge and her lips part on a sigh, his body reacted with a speed that made him suck in air.

  He was rock hard and wanted nothing more than to be inside her. And at that exact moment, Stella’s fingertip brushed his bottom lip, and she looked at him with her beautiful brown eyes. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” he croaked.

  She drew a deep breath and nodded.

  Any other man would have probably taken her right there on the beach, letting the sea salt air mingle with the scent of sex, but Ian knew better than that. His first time with Stella needed a big bed, cool sheets and a closed door because he had no plans to stop until the sun came up tomorrow, and maybe not even then. Though it would probably be romantic as hell in the future sometime, today she deserved more than a gritty sand beach. He turned with her hand in his and led her back to the beach house almost at a dead run.

  Not saying a word, he led her upstairs to her room at the far end of the hall. After he closed and locked the door, he turned around. She stood by the bed, her arms rigid at her sides. Two steps and he was in front of her. He saw intense heat shimmer in the depths of her eyes before he lowered his mouth to hers.

  * * * * *

  Stella shivered a little when he tilted his head. She opened her mouth to speak but she never got the chance. Once his lips touched hers, she forgot everything and found herself being thoroughly kissed. The moment she felt his tongue invade her mouth, she lost every inhibition she’d buried deep inside her.

  Ian introduced her to a range of sensations she never knew existed. It started in her toes and turned her knees into jelly. An erotic tingle began in the middle of her thighs, snaking up her pelvis to her breasts, squeezing her nipples into hard points.

  Turbulent emotions, so unfamiliar to her, erupted across every inch of her skin. His lips were sure and potent, his mouth a feast of sugar and spice. An unexpected sizzle had her gripping his shirt, holding on for dear life.

  The kiss was deadly. Blood rushed everywhere at once, fast and furious, with each swish of his tongue. He lapped at her lips, leaving her entire body shuddering from the inside out.

  He tightened his arms around her waist, almost stealing her breath, and when he shifted, she found her back flat against the soft mattress, scorched by the heat of him, the thick hardness behind the zipper of his linen shorts pulsing between her spread legs. When she arched her hips, he moaned deep in his throat.

  Ian released her mouth, and she protested until he brushed kisses across her forehead, eyebrows, cheeks, and temples. His hands eased from her waist to smooth up her stomach before cupping her breasts.

  “Stella, you’ve been driving me crazy for years,” he muttered and moved back to her lips, allowing her to feel each glorious inch of muscle and man.

  Stella gripped the front of his shirt and yanked. She heard the buttons scatter. Some hit the headboard, others the bed and the carpeted floor. Ian swore softly and pulled her up, ridding her of her blouse with a subtle and practiced ease.

  He sucked a quick gulp of air into his lungs. “You’re exquisite,” he said, dragging his finger over the lace of her bra. “I knew you would be.”

  It pleased her. The only thing Stella ever splurged on was her underwear, loving the feel of silk against her skin. She might be prim and proper on the outside, but she knew how to sex it up on the inside, even if no one ever saw it.

  Until now.

  Until Ian.

  He moved off the bed to remove the rest of his clothes, and she drank in every magnificent inch of him. His light honey brown skin, the thatch of thin silky hair on his stomach that led into his pants.

  Stella’s pulse thudded. She’d had fantasies about nights like this. None of them had included the likes of Ian Hollis though. Being kissed by him, having him make love to her, made her wish for things she had no business yearning for.

  Staring at his naked chest reaffirmed what she thought. He wasn’t a big guy, but he was fit, muscular, and oh yeah, he most definitely had a six-pack. When his hand went to the zipper of his linen shorts, a heated sensation began to travel along her nerve endings.

  Did she dare? Was she that brave?

  Tonight, she would be.

  She scooted to the edge of the bed. “May I?”

  He froze, looked down at himself, then back at her and raised his hand, palms out.

  Stella reached up, took the waistband of his pants and saw the sharp intake of breath in his belly when her knuckles grazed his stomach. Inwardly, she smiled. She undid the button, eased the zipper down, and almost flinched back when his penis jumped.

  “He wants you,” Ian said when she looked up, a cocky grin on his face.

  She smiled, pleased with his confession. “Well, he can have me,” she said daringly.

  Instead of torturing herself and doing each piece one at a time, Stella went for the gusto and pulled his shorts and underwear down at the same time.

  She stared at his feet, which were large and masculine. He had excellent calves and muscular thighs. All her senses felt hot-wired, and her heart pounded like crazy in her chest when she stared at his most important part.

  Big. Ooooh boy big. She licked her lips. “Oh m-my,” she stammered.

  Her breasts felt achy as she looked at it. It seemed to swell larger the longer she watched. She caught her lip between her teeth. Standing in front of her, impossibly sexy and mouth-watering, was a man who definitely made women drool. Hell, she was drooling. The man had a voice and a body that made her forget about being a good girl and enjoy the hell out of being bad.

  No clue what she was supposed to do next, Stella continued to stare. This was a new experience for her, but she planned to enjoy every last freaking bit of it because it would probably be her last.

  “Touch me, Stella.”

  Her gaze flew up to meet his. “T-t-touch you?”

  Ian nodded his head, took her hand, and wrapped it around his erection. He guided her palm from the base to the tip and back down again.

  “Shit,” he hissed. “Keep doing that.”

  Stella was mesmerized. She wasn’t a virgin, but the two times in her life she’d had sex, once in high school, the other in college, were nothing like this. Neither of the guys had asked her to touch. All they’d wanted was inside her and even that hadn’t been pleasant. But Ian was different. He was experienced and knew what he wanted, and if this was the last and only chance she got, she was going to learn how to pleasure a real man.

  He was hard and soft at the same time, and the contradiction fascinated her. The veined ridges pulsed in her hand, the skin smooth beneath her fingers, but the hard long strength of him sent an electric current straight to her pussy.

  * * * * *

  Ian halted her touch, the pleasure of her fingers almost unbearable. He didn’t want to embarrass himself and cream all over her arm. “I need you naked,” he told her and slid the straps of her bra down her shoulders. Then he reached around her back to unclasp it, and her breasts spilled out, perfect twin mounds with long dark nipples he couldn’t wait to tug into his mouth. His hand trembled as he touched and fondled her nipples between his eager fingers. Her breath came out in a husky moan, and her eyes darkened to a rich milk chocolate.

  Pulling her up, he grabbed the waistband of her shorts and disbursed with the fabric in one swift move. She
stood in front of him in lacy black panties that barely covered her mound. He took the thin straps and skimmed them down, over her legs.

  “Damn,” he said as she stepped out of them. “Lie back on the bed.”

  After she did as he asked, he began at her feet, inched up her legs, past her knees to her smooth thighs and delighted in the little hitched breaths she made the closer he got to her pussy. Blood rushed to his head as he enjoyed the sight of her, her gorgeous body lying against the soft downy comforter. The delicious scent of her did something to his senses.

  He grazed his thumb over her soft folds and was delighted when she lifted her hips and gasped. Moving up further, he admired her breasts, soft and round, the nipples making his mouth water. Bending his head, he captured a tip between his lips and began to suck.

  “More Ian. More,” she whispered.

  Moving to the other breast, he licked around it, enjoying her taste and marveling at the sounds she made. Back and forth, he took each pebble into his mouth, pushing them together to enjoy at the same time. Her jutting hips collided with his legs, and he knew what she wanted, what her body craved. Easing his hand between her legs, he slid a finger into her creamy slit and watched as her pupils dilated with pleasure.

  “Oh yes. Yes,” she moaned and arched her back.

  He flicked a finger softly across her clit, felt her jerk, while he continued to lick her breasts.

  “God, yes,” she moaned again, lifting her hips

  Ian dipped a single digit inside and moved it in and out. Stella pumped against his exploring fingers, bucked against his hand, taking harsh and uneven breaths.