The Rebel's Redemption Page 11

  God, she was intoxicating.

  Her hands raced across his body, sending waves of need crashing through his system. He wanted more.

  And apparently so did she. Her hands landed on his chest and shoved. “Oh, yeah? And what exactly do you think I want?”

  Giving in to the momentum, Stone let his body fall backward onto the double chaise.

  But he sure as hell wasn’t going alone.

  Using his hold on her, he pulled until Piper followed, sprawling across him. The impact of her had the breath inside his lungs whooshing out.

  “Obviously, you want trouble. You’ve been spoiling for it since we left your place.”

  “No, I’ve been fuming since we left my place.”

  “Same thing.”

  A soft laugh rushed through her open lips and across his skin. “No. No, it isn’t.”

  Tangling his fingers in her hair, Stone surged up at the same time he drew her down until he could claim her mouth. It was not only the best way he’d ever found to quiet her, but she also tasted so damn good.

  Her tongue sparred with him just as much as her words had. But this was the kind of argument he could get behind. And he wouldn’t even care if he lost.

  After several seconds he let go, sprawling beneath her. Above him, Piper’s pale blue eyes flashed a fire that he felt burning through his own belly. She watched him, her chest heaving as they both tried desperately to find some equilibrium.

  But he was finally starting to realize there wasn’t any equilibrium where Piper was concerned.

  “Piper, if you don’t want this then get up and walk away right now.”

  Stone tried to do the right thing by letting go, but his fingers wouldn’t listen. Instead of releasing his hold on her hips, his grip tightened. “In about thirty seconds I’m going to strip the rest of that bikini down your body and not stop until we’re both begging for mercy.”

  He might have missed her silent gasp if he hadn’t been watching every subtle shift of her body. Her shoulders jerked with the motion of it and her breasts swayed, taunting, tempting.

  He waited for her sanity to save them both. But instead of pushing away, Piper shifted closer, spreading her thighs wide across his hips. The hot cradle of her sex settled over the hard ridge of his desire for her.

  Dropping to her elbows, she flattened the luscious curve of her breasts against his chest. Leaning close, she found his ear and whispered, “Promises, promises,” at the same time her hips rolled.

  And Stone was pretty damn certain the world erupted in a shower of sparks raining fire across his skin.

  Grasping Piper by the waist, he picked her up and flipped them both so she was beneath him.

  “No fair,” she groused.

  “Sweetheart, I haven’t been with a woman for ten years and I’ve wanted you for every one of them. Longer. My control is razor-thin.”

  The harsh edge of need pulling at her features disappeared. “Dammit,” she breathed out, and reached for him. Her fingers smoothed his hair back from his face, tangling in the strands and gently drawing him close.

  His mouth touched hers. Heat simmered through the connection as he savored the feel of her soft lips. He drank her in, relishing the sigh of pleasure she gave him.

  But he wasn’t satisfied with that taste of her. “I want all of you.”

  His lips trailed across her skin, down her throat, over her collarbone and the soft swell of her upper breast. The tips of her nipples puckered into rosy buds that beckoned him to suck deeply.

  With the tip of his tongue, he drew an ever-tightening swirl, closer and closer. Her back arched and her hold on his hair tightened, urging him where she wanted him to touch.

  And the whole time she watched him, blue eyes glittering with a maddening combination of fire and ice.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and the attention was rewarded when his teeth finally tightened over the nub of her breast. He sucked, deep and hard. A whimper fell from her lips. Her eyes closed and her head rolled back.

  And he almost exploded at the sight of her bliss.

  But it still wasn’t enough.

  He moved farther down her body, using his mouth to give little nips and kisses along the way. Sucking at the taut skin just below the band of her bikini bottoms until a pink mark appeared. Relishing the way she writhed beneath him, her body searching out more of what he was giving her.

  Snagging his fingers in the waistband, he dragged the small triangle of material down her legs, exposing all of her to him. Tossing them aside, Stone stood at the end of the chaise and stared at her.

  “You’re gorgeous,” he finally breathed.

  Grasping her thighs, Stone used his grip to pull her down the chaise. Dropping to his knees, he didn’t even feel the sting of stone as he draped her thighs over his shoulders and spread her wide.

  All he could see was the perfection of her sex, glistening wet with the evidence of her need for him. The scent of her was hot and heady and made the blood pound harder through his veins.

  Diving in, Stone took a single lap of her, humming in the back of his throat. Her hips lifted, chasing after his mouth. Placing a palm on her belly, he held her in place, knowing they were both going to enjoy this ride. Dropping his thumb down beside the tight bundle of nerves at the top of her sex, Stone gave her clit a couple quick strokes before going in for more.

  This time he relished, lapping and sucking, using his entire mouth to give her pleasure.

  The first orgasm startled them both. It hit so hard and quick that Piper’s entire body bucked under the force of it. And all Stone could think was that he’d never get enough of this.

  Of her.

  * * *

  Piper was pretty certain the world had tilted on its axis. Or at least her world had.

  She was twenty-eight. She’d had sex. Good sex. Or so she’d thought. Nothing compared to what Stone had just shown her. With nothing more than his mouth.

  She was in some serious trouble here.

  Not that she cared at the moment.

  Stone wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back up the chaise with him. Her body was limp, replete, and yet somehow still hungry.

  She’d wanted this man for a very long time and what he’d given her was nowhere near enough.

  Stone nuzzled at her throat. He rained kisses across her face. The warmth of his body stretched beside her was heaven. But for the first time she realized she was completely naked and he still had on shorts and a button-down. How had that happened?

  And what was she going to do about it?

  Fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt, it didn’t take her long to figure it out. Popping the top disc through the little hole, Piper let her gaze trail down the strong column of his throat. The urge to lean forward and press her lips to his skin, to lick and absorb the salty taste of him, was overwhelming.

  It wasn’t a foreign sensation. It was something she’d thought many times, back then and now. Suddenly, Piper realized she didn’t have to force herself not to give in.

  The freedom of that realization made her dizzy.

  Fingers brushing the tangle of hair away from her face, Stone ducked his head until his gaze snagged hers again. “What are you thinking? That sexy brain of yours is whirling so fast I can practically hear it.”

  Piper licked her lips. A tangled knot of sensations coiled in her belly, chief among them trepidation. Considering just moments ago the man had had his face buried in her sex that seemed like an asinine reaction. But there it was.

  Old habits died hard and the thought of being honest with him about her feelings now felt like taking a giant leap out of a soaring airplane...without a parachute.

  “I wanted to taste your throat.”

  “Ooookay.” Stone drew out the single word. “Explain why that would make smoke pour out
of your ears.”

  “Because I’ve wanted to do that and more to you since I was fifteen. Thirteen years is a long time for you to star in my fantasies. I’m still a little shell-shocked I finally have the chance for it to be real.”

  “To be fair, I wasn’t exactly accessible for ten of those.”

  Piper slammed her palms into his chest and shoved. “Jerk,” she said, the laughter she couldn’t quite deny ringing through the single word. “You think just because I couldn’t see you, touch you or talk to you that I forgot about you? That I stopped wanting you? Needing you? Caring about you?”

  Stone rolled to his back, pulling her with him. His hands wrapped around her wrists, holding her in place above him.

  “I’d hoped.”

  Gone was the playful tone they’d shared a few moments ago. Now he stared up at her, earnest, his tawny eyes full of regret that she never, ever wanted to see again. A lump formed in the back of her throat and not for the first time, Piper wanted to scream.

  To yell at the sky until someone answered back and explained why life had to be so unfair.

  But there wasn’t an answer. Because it just was.

  It was her turn to brush soft fingers across his cheek. To lean close and whisper, “You’re a fool,” before locking her mouth with his.

  The taste of him exploded through her, as it always did, filling her up. The rough texture of his shirt abraded her skin, a contrast to the weight of his hand as it settled against the small of her back. His touch reminded her that she was naked. And she wanted him that way, too.

  Making quick work of the buttons on his shirt, Piper spread it wide. And nearly swallowed her tongue. She knew he’d grown a ton of muscles since she last saw him...but the up close and personal view had her pulse fluttering.

  And had her fantasizing about running her tongue across every peak and valley of his pecs and abs.

  “Breathe, baby.” Stone chuckled. Folding one arm behind his head, he stretched his body to give her an even better view of...everything.

  A rueful expression crossed Piper’s face. “Cocky bastard.”

  His response was a half shrug. Followed by a roll of his hips that managed to prove he had plenty to be cocky about when the hard length of his erection ground against her hip.

  Her sex instinctively clenched, which made her both irritated and weak at the knees. Piper didn’t particularly enjoy being a slave to anything, including her own libido.

  But two could play that game.

  Raising an eyebrow, Piper threw one leg over his hips, but didn’t settle over him as she knew he expected. Instead, she stayed up on her knees, reaching high for the sky and giving a little stretch of her own.

  “Piper,” he growled, in warning. Although, she wasn’t entirely certain what he was trying to warn her about.

  The soft sea breeze kissed her skin, mixing with the warmth of the sunlight. Leaning back, she shook her head, enjoying the way her hair tickled across her skin. Not to mention the pinch of Stone’s fingers wrapped around her hips.

  Surging up, he wrapped his arms around her. Piper’s body jerked as he brought her flush against him. The rough hair from his chest teased her already tightened nipples. And the rest of her just burned.

  “You’re playing with fire.”

  “God, I hope so,” she taunted.

  Stone twisted his fingers deep into her hair. Not pulling, but letting her feel the strength he was using to hold back. His mouth latched onto her shoulder, teeth nipping, lips sucking.

  Reaching between them, Piper found the zipper on his shorts and yanked it open. The backs of her fingers brushed against the long length of him and she drank in his tortured hiss.

  His arms wrapped around her. Crushed her. So close, she could feel the frenzy of desire running beneath his skin. Wanted to soothe him. Give him anything that would make it better.

  Her entire body thrummed with the need of him.

  Freeing his erection, Piper let her fingers absorb the texture of him. Learn this piece of him that she’d never had before. Fisting him, she let her palm slip up and down the hot length of him.

  Satin over steel. Hard and pulsing. Piper relished the way his hips jerked with each pump of her tight fist around him. She wanted to feel him deep inside her, stroking and rubbing and grinding against her.

  But he didn’t give her very long to play before he growled, “Baby, stop. I’m not coming in your hand.”

  Yeah, that’s not what she wanted either.

  Pushing up with her knees for leverage, Piper positioned him at the entrance to her sex. Before he could react, her body was sliding down over him, taking him in.

  “Goddammit,” he breathed out, his grip on her hips digging hard.

  Piper’s head fell back. She reveled in the sensation of having him fill her up. Her body stretched to accept him, a delicious burn that she’d feel in the morning. And remember.

  The throb of her own heartbeat centered at her sex, a tattoo of need only Stone could soothe. Beneath her, his entire body vibrated, but even fully seated, he didn’t move.

  Instead, he pulled back, putting just enough space between them so that he could look deeply into her eyes.

  The world stilled, or it felt that way. The pull of the moon might have kept the tide moving and the earth spinning, but Piper didn’t feel it. Didn’t register anything except Stone and the intensity focused solely on her.

  She couldn’t untangle the emotions swirling through his eyes, but then she wasn’t sure what she was feeling herself. Elation, trepidation, hope, sadness, inevitability.

  She’d had sex, multiple times. She’d experienced intimacy, or so she’d thought. But there was something so raw about the way Stone stared at her.

  And she wasn’t sure she was ready to deal with being that naked. Not yet. Not even with him.

  Closing her eyes, Piper dropped her forehead against his and breathed deep.

  “Birth control?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “Are you on birth control?” Stone grit out. “I’m not wearing a condom.”

  “Yes.”

  “I saw Dr. Phillips when I got out and had a battery of tests. I’m clean.”

  “Good to know. I am, too.”

  That was all it took to have his hips surging up and leaving her words to break away into nothing. She couldn’t speak. Or think. Just feel.

  Piper used what leverage she had to rock against him, timing the surge and release of her thighs with the thrust and retreat of Stone’s cock. Their bodies slipped together, rubbed and connected. Found a rhythm that made the world fade.

  His grip on her hips controlled the pace, slowing her just when she wanted to race. Together, they panted, their mouths meeting and mingling in kiss after kiss.

  A sob of need built deep inside her chest. Pressure desperate for release.

  And then it was there. The orgasm exploded through her, wringing a cry that sounded very much like “Stone” from her lips.

  The world blacked out, possibly because she forgot how to breathe. And she drifted, enjoying the tiny aftershocks that rocked through her body.

  What called her back was the sound and sensation of Stone’s orgasm. Piper’s eyes popped open and there he was, filling her vision.

  His glorious body was drawn tight, covered in a sheen of sweat. Deep inside, she felt the kick of him. The shudder that rocked through him. Leaning forward, she pressed her mouth to his, drinking in his groan of relief mixed with the sweet sound of her name.

  That had absolutely been worth the wait.

  Stone collapsed onto the chaise. Their arms and legs were a tangle that neither had the energy to unravel. Beside her, his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. And a happy smile played across Piper’s swollen lips.

  Leaning up on her elbow, she peered down at him. />
  He was gorgeous. With a light touch, she swept a strand of hair off his forehead.

  His eyes cracked open, glinting at her in the sunlight. Happiness bubbled up inside her. It should have scared her, how consuming and gigantic the sensation was.

  But it didn’t.

  Sweeping the pad of her finger across his parted lips, she grinned down at him. “Well, you certainly haven’t forgotten how to do that.”

  Eleven

  She deserved to have her ass smacked for that comment, but he was too exhausted right now.

  Stone dragged her backward with him. A few minutes. That’s all he needed to gather his strength after she’d completely wrung him out.

  Then he’d pick her up. Get her out of the sun so her skin wouldn’t burn more. And if he was lucky, he’d be able to sweet-talk her into round two.

  Although, given her vocal reaction to what they’d just shared, he didn’t think much convincing would be required.

  Piper tucked her head against his shoulder and settled against the curve of his body. He tried not to think about how perfectly she fit there. Right now, he wasn’t going to look past the next several hours.

  At the moment, he felt like his entire life had just been dumped on its head. The last time that had happened didn’t exactly have a spectacular outcome.

  “Why can I never stay mad at you?” Piper’s fingers drew idle patterns across his chest.

  Yeah, he might not have been around a woman for a while, but he wasn’t dumb. He was smart enough to realize no answer to that question could lead anywhere good.

  Leaning up on an elbow, Piper looked down at him. “I mean, you’re high-handed, dictatorial and infuriating. You make my blood boil on a regular basis and have since we were little.”

  “I remember,” Stone said, a rueful smile twisting his lips as he unconsciously touched the scar that ran up into his hairline. It was so faded now that even he had trouble finding it.

  Piper’s hand brushed his away, the cool pad of her index finger tracing the jagged line. She obviously knew right where it was, which shouldn’t be surprising since she’d put it there.