Chapter 12: The Brazen: Chapter 11

KISSING HER WAS RECKLESS. It went against my better judgment, but the moment my lips found hers again, nothing else mattered. Not the past. Not the future. Nothing but Kerrigan.

I slid my tongue against hers in a lazy swirl. The move earned me one of her sultry mewls. Threading my fingers into the hair at her temples, I tugged the strands free from their loose knot. I let myself drown in her for a moment, savoring her taste before moving my lips away from her mouth and down the column of her throat.

“Pierce,” she whispered as her fingertips skimmed my abs.

I found her pulse and sucked, then pulled myself away to search those sparkling eyes. They brimmed with the same desperation that coursed through my veins, filling my blood. It was like being drunk on the most exquisite wine.

“God, how I want you. From the moment I saw you, all I could think about was your mouth.”

She smiled, lifting her hand to my face and letting her palm scrape against my beard. “I wanted to slap you that day on the sidewalk.”

I chuckled. “I deserved it.”

Her other hand rose and with both palms on my jaw, she dragged my mouth to hers. Any hope of keeping control was lost.

I dove into her mouth, finding her tongue ready for a duel. We twisted and tangled together until the kiss wasn’t enough. Wrapping my arms around her, I hauled her flush against my body. Beneath the towel and my board shorts, my cock was painfully hard and I pressed my arousal into her belly.

“More,” she panted against my lips, her hands roving my shoulders. Her fingertips dug into my skin as they moved, trailing up and down and up again, like she was trying to touch every inch of me.

With a fast swoop, I hoisted her up and off her toes. The towel wrapped around her chest came apart and I ripped it away, letting it drop to the floor with a muted thud.

Kerrigan’s legs wrapped around my hips, dislodging my towel too. We left both in a heap as I pivoted and set her on the island before dotting a trail of nips across the soft, taut skin of her collarbone. Her whimper echoed in the kitchen, the sexiest sound I’d heard in my damn life. It was enough to make me pull away because otherwise I’d be coming in these drenched board shorts.

Sitting on a counter, dressed only in a soaking-wet lingerie set, Kerrigan was temptation personified.

Taking her might be the most selfish thing I’d ever done. There was so much happening in my life, things that I’d been avoiding that would soon be unavoidable. Things I couldn’t explain to her, not now.

I should stop. But I wouldn’t.

I wanted Kerrigan while I still had the ability to want for myself.

“You are beautiful beyond words.”

Her breath hitched. “Pierce.”

“It’s selfish of me to have you.”

“Not if I want you too.” She crooked her finger, beckoning me forward.

Instead, I held out my hand.

She placed her palm in mine without any hesitation and hopped off the counter. Then I hauled her out of the kitchen, heading for the bedroom. Except when her hand ran up my spine as we walked, I didn’t make it past the couch.

The moment my feet hit the plush rug in the living room I spun and slammed my lips on hers. I gave myself one kiss before I started stripping the straps of her bra off her shoulders.

She reached behind her back, freeing the clasp. My hands were on her breasts before the lace could land on the floor by our feet.

“Yes,” she hissed when I kneaded the curves, my fingers finding her pebbled nipples. I’d thought her lips were her most perfect feature, but now that I had my hands on her bare skin, I realized I’d been wrong.

Kerrigan arched her back, pressing into my touch. Then her hands dove for the drawstring on my shorts, tugging it free. But I didn’t let her drag them off, not yet. I captured her wrists, holding them back as I dropped to my knees.

Her eyes flared. “What are you doing?”

I answered by pressing my mouth to her navel, letting my tongue dart out for a slow lick of her belly.

“Pierce.” Her hands came to my hair.

I glanced up and gave her a wicked smile. “Hold still.”

“With you on your knees? No chance.”

I chuckled and kissed her again, right above the line where her panties were hiding my treasure. My fingertips slipped into the lace and, inch by inch, I removed them from her hips. The entire time, I kept my eyes glued to hers. Only after she stepped out of her panties, did I take in her bare mound. “You are perfect.”

My hands went to her thighs, spanning her creamy skin and forcing her legs apart. Her chest was rising and falling in quick, short gasps. Her nipples, peaked above me, begged for a suck, but instead, I dove into the apex of her thighs.

One stroke of my tongue and she swayed, her hands clenching my hair to keep her balance.

“Oh, God,” she moaned, her head lolling to the side.

I shifted my grip to her hips, holding her tight, as I went in for another stroke through her glistening folds.

She trembled beneath my tongue and I ached to watch her come undone.

Lick after lick of my tongue, she rocked into my mouth as I sucked and nipped and savored her taste. I avoided her clit, waiting until she was soaked and trembling. Then I finally found the little bud and drew it into my mouth.

“Pierce,” she hissed. My name on her tongue was as erotic as her taste.

“Get on the couch.”

She swallowed hard but obeyed, perching on the edge.

“Lie back,” I ordered, taking one of her ankles to spread her wide.

She opened for me, with one leg draped over the couch and the other dangling toward the rug. Thank fuck she was flexible because that was going to make this a lot of fun.

Bare and wet and ready, the sight of her pussy made my cock throb. I leaned in, flattening my tongue and dragging it along her slit until I reached her clit, then I latched on and sucked. Hard.

“Ah,” she cried, her hips coming off the couch.

I held her in place and feasted on the woman who’d ensnared me from the moment she’d cursed my name on a sidewalk in Calamity.

I devoured her, shamelessly loving her juices on my face. Each lick made me want another. And as she trembled and writhed, I brought one hand to her center and pushed a finger into her hot channel.

She moaned, her neck arching. “I’m going to come.”

I added a finger. “Come, babe.”

Flicking my tongue over her clit, I kept at her until the flutter of her inner walls warned of her orgasm.

On a cry of my name, her body pulsed, quake after quake as she broke. As it rang through her body, I closed my eyes and memorized her taste. The sound of her coming. The silk of her skin and the warmth of her heat.

Someday, I hoped she’d remember this night and smile. I hoped she’d think of me as often as I’d think of her.

I already longed for her and she hadn’t even left yet.

As her first orgasm eased, I planted a kiss on her inner thigh, then shifted to take in her face.

There was a gorgeous flush to her cheeks and her chest. She panted, trying to regain her breath. Then her eyes cracked open and sheer pleasure swam in those chocolate pools.

“That was the best orgasm of my life.” A flash of shock hit her face and then she smiled, slapping a hand over her eyes. “That was supposed to stay inside my head.”

I chuckled and moved on top of her, pulling her hand away. “Don’t hide your confessions.”

Her gaze softened and she lifted, pressing her lips to mine, tasting herself on my lips. Then she reached between us for my shorts.

I caught her hand. “I don’t have a condom.”

“Oh.” She froze. “I don’t either. But I’m on birth control. And I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”

I gulped at the idea of sliding inside of her bare. “I’m clean.”

She bit her bottom lip and tugged her hand out of my grip. Her palm came to my erection, dragging along the length. “Then fuck me, Pierce.”

“Jesus.” I couldn’t get naked fast enough.

Kerrigan kept her legs spread wide, waving at me to hurry.

The moment the shorts joined her wet panties on the floor, I gripped my shaft and dragged the tip through her folds.

“Yes.” She arched into me. “Pierce.”

My name was all I needed to surge inside. “Oh, fuck.”

She clamped around me and my God, she was tight and wet. I buried my face in her shoulder, taking a moment before I made a goddamn fool of myself.

Summoning every ounce of my control, I leaned back and pulled out, only to glide inside, burying myself to the hilt. “You feel . . .”

“So. Good.” Her arms snaked around my ribs, her hands splaying on my back and holding me to her.

How could I have thought we’d only need tonight? It wouldn’t be enough.

I shoved up on one arm so I could watch my cock disappear into her body as I thrust inside once more. Kerrigan’s gaze was on us too. She fit me like the two of us had been meant for this.

That was not the thought I should be having. One night. Maybe two. That was all we had together. So I blocked out everything in my mind screaming to claim her, to make her mine, and focused on giving her another orgasm.

We moved together, her hips rising to meet mine, like practiced lovers. Her hands explored the contours of my back while mine traced the swell of her breasts and plucked at those rosy nipples.

Her breath hitched as I moved, faster and faster, until the sound of skin slapping skin chorused off the living room walls and the tremors in her limbs vibrated against mine.

Her mouth parted, her eyes flashed. Then she was coming, clenching around me so hard that it had to have shoved the orgasm I’d given her with my mouth to a distant second place.

I closed my eyes as she squeezed around me and let go of my own release on a roar. White stars broke across my vision as I poured into her, and the entire world ceased to exist. It was simply us and our bodies, reaching the highest peaks and tumbling into the oblivion.

It took minutes, hours, to return to the room. When I opened my eyes, I was splayed on top of Kerrigan, her hips cradling mine as her legs wound around my lower back.

“Damn.” I planted a kiss on her neck, then lifted to an elbow.

Her hair was mussed and spread everywhere. A strand was caught in her mouth. I pulled it free as she opened her eyes and stared up at me.

Normally this would be the time to pull out and head for the shower. But I stared at her, unsure of what to say, because everything I’d been thinking moments before coming inside her was written on her face.

It wasn’t enough. There was something here, something deeper than either of us had expected. She was more potent than any drug. She was more addictive than any game. She was more powerful than money.

Tonight wasn’t enough.

But it would have to be.

So I swept her off the couch and into my arms, carrying her to my bedroom. If I could never forget this night, neither would she.

LIGHT STREAMED through the windows and onto my pillow. I twisted and stretched an arm to the other side of the bed. Cold. I shot off my pillow. The room was empty and beyond the door, it was silent.

“No.” My stomach plummeted, and I flung the covers free, swinging my legs to the floor. I sprinted for the closet, swiping up a pair of pants. I hopped into them as I moved toward the door.

“Kerrigan?” I called as I jogged down the hallway.

Nothing.

The house was silent.

Goddamn it. This was bound to happen. This is what to happen. But I wasn’t ready to let her go. Not after last night.

The kitchen was empty, but the coffee pot was full. I passed the living room and stopped when I looked at the couch. How many times had I sat there?

Every single moment on that couch had been erased because when I stared at the leather, I only saw Kerrigan.

Now she was gone.

It was probably easiest this way. The longer we were together, the harder it would be to hold back the truth. If she left, I didn’t have to explain. I didn’t have to tell her everything that was happening with Jasmine. I didn’t have to say a word.

But she could have at least said goodbye.

“Fuck.” I ran a hand through my hair just as a scraping noise came from outside.

My gaze whipped to the windows and the snow still piled against the glass. The tufts caught the sunshine and cast a blinding glow into the house. I moved for the entryway and the source of the noise.

A flash of a red coat. My grandfather’s red coat I’d found in his closet.

There was only one person who could be wearing that coat.

A wave of relief hit me so hard I had to take a moment to steady my feet. She hadn’t left. She was outside shoveling the damn sidewalk.

I shook my head and threw the door open.

Kerrigan whirled around, standing straight. Her cheeks were flushed and the tip of her nose was red. The woman was so stunning, wearing a too-big coat, that my heart skipped.

“What are you doing?”

She lifted the shovel. “Shoveling.”

“Why are you shoveling?”

“Why not?”

“There’s a maintenance crew who will do that.”

She waved it off. “That’s silly.”

“Will you come inside?”

“I’m almost done.”

“Kerrigan.” I leaned against the door, crossing my arms over my bare chest. “Come inside.”

Her gaze tracked to my arms and my naked torso. The desire in her eyes was as bright as the morning sun. “Okay.”

As soon as she was close enough, I took the shovel from her hand and propped it beside the door, then I grabbed her arms and dragged her into mine, kicking the door closed as I crushed my lips to hers.

She moaned as my tongue swept inside her mouth. I kissed her long and slow like I’d planned to do in bed.

“Morning,” I murmured when I pulled away.

“Morning.”

“You snuck out of bed.” I unzipped her coat.

She shrugged it off her shoulders, revealing my sweats beneath. “I can’t sleep in.”

“When I’m in bed with you, there’s never a need to sleep.”

“Noted.” Her hand ran up my chest, then she leaned in and pressed a kiss to my heart. “Want some breakfast?”

“Not yet.” I bent and, in one smooth motion, tossed her over my shoulder.

“Pierce.” She giggled and swatted at me to put her down, but I carted her straight to bed, tossing her onto the mattress and diving for the waistband of the sweats.

“No panties.” Goddamn, this woman. I was instantly hard.

She sat up and ripped the hoodie over her head. “They’re drying in the laundry room.”

My pants joined hers on the floor and then there was no more talking. We picked up exactly where we’d left off the night before, exploring and tasting and touching, until we both crashed into our pillows, totally spent.

There was a smile on her pretty lips as she stared at the ceiling.

“What are you thinking?” I traced a circle around one of her nipples.

“I haven’t had this much sex in, well . . . a long time.”

“Neither have I.” I moved over her, taking in the line of her cheeks and the shape of her forehead. I touched the tip of her nose. “Don’t go today.”

“I should get back.”

“Have you checked the road report?”

She shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Then don’t. Let’s pretend we’re still trapped here.” One more day to be reckless. To live this dream. Then I’d go back to reality.

“Okay.” She didn’t hesitate. “Would you like me to help you clear Gabriel’s things out today?”

I groaned and buried my face in her hair. “I don’t want to.”

“You can’t avoid it forever.”

“Why not?”

She laughed and brought her hands to the back of my head. “I’ll help.”

The two of us roused from bed and restarted the day with coffee and a late breakfast. Then we worked together, going room by room and sorting through Grandpa’s cabin. Anything that I wanted to keep was put in a corner of the living room. I’d pay someone from the club to pack that pile and ship it to me in Colorado. Everything else was either put in trash bags or in a guest room where I’d instruct the caretaker to donate the items to charity.

In the end, the keep stack wasn’t more than a cluster of framed photos and a few mementos. I’d found a carved wooden camel from Morocco. I had a matching one in my penthouse that he’d given me as a gift from the trip. There was a letter opener engraved with his father’s initials. And his wedding ring from when he’d been married to my grandmother. Mom had looked for it at his Denver home but hadn’t found it.

“That’s it.” I stared at the pile. “Should it be bigger?”

Kerrigan slid an arm around my waist, tucking herself into my side. “It’s big enough.”

“Why do you think he wanted me to go through this place?” There hadn’t been anything shocking in his belongings. I’d feared I’d find a letter or note. But the only item that had been difficult to see had been Heidi’s photo and I’d thrown that out days ago.

“Most of those photos are of you, Pierce.” Kerrigan looked up and gave me a sad smile. “I think he wanted you to see that he loved you.”

Nearly every shelf in his office had held a picture of the two of us amongst the books.

I leaned into her, dropping my chin to her hair. “He could have simply told me.”

“Would you have listened?”

“No,” I admitted.

I’d been so angry with him. I wouldn’t have heard a word he had to say. The last words I’d spoken to him had been in a rage. I’d told him never to speak to me again. That he was dead to me.

And now he truly was.

All I had left of him were a pile of photos and unspoken regrets.

My chest tightened. “I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive him.”

Kerrigan simply held me tighter.

We stood there together, unspeaking as the memory of Grandpa filled the room, until a pounding came at the front door. The knock was followed by the doorbell’s chime.

I didn’t let her go. I didn’t move.

“Pierce.”

“Don’t,” I pleaded.

There was no question who was at the door. It was likely a maintenance crew or the club’s caretaker checking to make sure I was alive and had withstood the storm. And if they were here, then it meant the roads were beginning to clear.

The doorbell rang again.

“Stay the night.”

Kerrigan loosened her hold, then she rose up on her toes to press her lips to mine. “Okay.”