Challenging the Center (Santa Fe Bobcats #6)(50)

He held completely still.

Kat’s eyes closed briefly as if she were fighting back emotion. And he wanted to kick himself. “He was the only guy I’d ever been with. Is the only guy.”

Maybe it made him a macho *. Maybe he was a Neanderthal. Maybe… no, there was no maybe about it. He had no problem mentally smudging a pink eraser over the douchebag’s face and inserting himself as the only man she’d been with.

“Fuck him,” he growled. “Erase him. He doesn’t exist. There’s just you and me in this bed. Period.”

That had her blinking. Confusion, then relief swarmed into her eyes. “So you’re not… stopping?”

“Kat, if you think now that I’ve got you here, I’d walk away without being inside you…” Michael shook his head, almost wanting to laugh at the thought. How the hell could he ever walk away now? Lowering himself over her fully so she could feel the weight of him, his thick arousal at the cup of her thighs, he growled, “The only way you’re leaving here unf*cked is if you say no. Are you saying no?”

“No!” she blurted out, then her eyes widened. “I mean yes! I… oh, shit, just do me, please?”

He couldn’t stop the chuckle then, which somehow morphed into a full-throated laugh. God, she slayed him. Nuzzling her neck, he dipped one hand between her thighs and coaxed them slowly apart. The muscles were reluctant, and he had a bit of fun feeling every inch between those quivering quads as they relaxed enough to part. As his hand dipped between them, feeling her wet arousal at his fingertips, he groaned.

“This… this is the most feminine thing I can imagine ever experiencing. You’re so soft here, so amazingly ready for me.” Her flesh trembled under him as he worked and soothed and teased with his fingers. “Gorgeous.”

Her face flushed.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You’re beautiful.” He kissed her again because she needed the reassurance. Then parted her thighs more, encouraging her to raise her knees so he could slide down between them. He waited for some sort of token protest women always gave. Oh, you don’t have to do that. Oh, I’m so embarrassed, don’t look at me there.

But she stayed silent, even spreading her legs a little farther to give him room to settle his shoulders between. Her eyes met his, and she didn’t break eye contact. She’d taken his words to heart, and wasn’t going to shy away from him.

Good.

He spread her with his thumbs, and her eyelids dropped down in response to the cool air touching her heated flesh. With one lick, she moaned and her eyes closed the rest of the way. He flicked his tongue inside, swirling and tasting her. Her hips moved, enough that he lost his rhythm and planted his palms on the inside of her thighs to keep her still.

That drew a grunt of annoyance from her but nothing more.

Interesting. Though she wouldn’t have chosen it, she clearly wasn’t pushing back against him taking charge in bed.

He danced around the area he knew she wanted him at most, licking and sucking around her wet center, taking his time until she finally bucked up once, hard. Her patience had worn itself out, and from the way her stomach heaved with her breaths, so had her body. He finally moved up and gave her a few teasing licks to her clit and watched her explode.

Her entire body convulsed, each muscle spasming intensely as her head thrashed on the pillow. Michael had to fight to keep from being thrown off, losing contact. God, she was strong, and that was an insane turn-on. Then her hands fisted in his hair and jerked, a sign he knew to let up, that she couldn’t take any more.

But she didn’t reach for him, just collapsed back onto the bed, breathing heavily.

He stood, shedding his clothes quickly while she seemed all but incapacitated. After rolling a condom on, he crawled back in bed and nuzzled at her breast.

“Alive?”

“Mpphf.”

One hand came up to cup the back of his head, cool fingers trailing lightly over his warm neck. It was amazing. He could have stayed there for hours.

“You’ll need to be more awake for the next part. Much as I like this quiet, contained version of Kat, I’m not really into doing sleeping chicks.”

She smacked his ass—hard—for that one. He ground his hips down, pressing his erection into her thigh in response, and she opened her legs wide to accommodate.

“I’ll take that as a sign you want to proceed.” Reaching down, he positioned himself at her entrance, then pressed in an inch.

Her eyes opened, and Michael nearly sucked in a breath at the moment that passed between them. Something hot but more. More enough that he hesitated an instant before continuing on. Something in him needed acknowledgement she felt that something more too.

Then she nodded, craned her neck up to kiss him, and he sank fully into her. It was electrifying, the feel of her clamping around him, her arms on his back, her mouth on his. They combined to create a full body onslaught, and he barely had to move before he felt his own climax reaching up to get him.

“God, Kat… damn it, too close.”

She stopped meeting him in the middle of each thrust. “Foot fungus.”

“What the f*ck?” He reared back, staring down at her in horror. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She grinned slyly. “Not thinking about coming now, are you?”