So Many Men... Read online

  Goodness, the man was big.

  When he was fully seated, he raised his head and his gaze found hers. For a long moment, he didn’t move as he seemed to search for something in her eyes—acceptance? Warmth filled her and she embraced him, squeezing him tight with her inner muscles, encouraging him to let loose some of the immense control he possessed.

  At long last he exhaled, his breath brushing her face as he moved. Her body came alive with each deliberate thrust, her nerve endings tingling. He touched her clit while he loved her, stroking in and out with a grace that matched his strength.

  She shuddered as the tension again coiled within her, each thrust bringing her closer to that pinnacle, the magic of his fingers again on her surpassed only by the power of his loving. This warrior knew how to wield his sword.

  As he stroked her into a fit of arousal a strange euphoria filled her. Each thrust brought her closer to the realization that she was head over heels infatuated with him.

  “Oh…hell…Tess.” The muscles in his neck bunched as he strained to keep his steady pace.

  She rocked against him, so caught up in the sensations stirring her, she could barely speak. “It’s okay…just…let…go.”

  A shudder passed through him and he closed his eyes. His mouth opened in a wordless cry as he plunged into her, yet his movements never varied from his rhythm, in spite of the need racking his body. He gripped her bottom and thrust hard and long, rising to his knees, so she was spread before him on the bed. She gripped a fistful of blanket and arched into him as waves of desire washed over her. His movements became frenzied, though he clenched his jaw with restraint.

  She gasped as she rode with him to a place of indescribable pleasure. Her clit burned and her sex throbbed as her blood pounded through her. Heat rippled outward from her core. He thrust deep, deeper, her muscles clenching him as the first spasm of orgasm hit her. She cried out, caught up in a world-shattering release that left her weightless and floating, barely aware as Mason yelled and emptied himself deep inside her.

  If she’d been limp before, she was positively wilted now. He lifted her and held her close to him. How he had the strength not to collapse beside her she could hardly fathom. She draped her arms around his neck and nestled against him, letting him support her, her blood pounding where their bodies remained joined.

  For a while he seemed content to cradle her against him, while his breath rasped near her ear. Someone’s heartbeat thudded, the pulse steady and strong—whether it was his or hers, she couldn’t tell, so entwined they seemed at that moment.

  When his breathing slowed he placed first one kiss, then another along her neck. Soon he feasted passionately on an area she had never thought to be quite so arousing, until now. She smiled and rolled her head to the side to give him better access.

  “Tess…” He seemed to savor her name and a delicious warmth spread again through her. “Tess, you are so lovely. Most tasty.”

  She cupped his cheek and brought his mouth to hers, suddenly hungry for his kiss. Where she got the energy was another mystery, but he energized her in a way she wouldn’t have thought possible a moment ago. He seemed to buzz with renewed vitality.

  “What a woman.” He placed a particularly loud smack on her shoulder.

  She laughed. “Well, you’re the man.”

  His chest puffed out with pride. “Yeah, I am the man.”

  Giggles bubbled out of her. She felt good. “Absolutely.”

  He joined her and it seemed their laughter lifted them up, until he pressed his face against hers, his beautiful mouth spread into a wide smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this…I don’t know, free.”

  She nuzzled her nose against his. “It only gets better from here.”

  Tilting his head, he covered her mouth with his. His kiss began teasing and light, but soon heated, his tongue stroking hers with an increasing hunger. He caressed her breasts and flicked her nipples with his thumbs. Passion flamed again through her, and an answering wave rose from him as she ground against him.

  His cock stirred inside her. Her heart quickened and she moved her hips, savoring the exquisite feel of her clit rubbing him, while he again filled her, stretching her to her limit. Their recent encounter seemed to have done nothing to lessen his virility.

  He broke the kiss to stare at her in wonder. “Look what you’re doing to me. I can’t seem to get enough of you. What kind of woman are you that you can arouse a man so quickly after draining him?”

  “Right now I’d say I’m an insatiable one, and, like I said, I always get what I want.”

  She’d had this reaction from men before, but it was her own answering hunger that surprised her. She had been uncustomarily sapped just moments before. That he could stir this intense response in her again so quickly was somehow significant.

  With Mason it seemed she wasn’t completely in control. She delved her fingers into his hair and rocked against him, eliciting a sharp intake of breath on his part as he gripped her hips and settled once more into a steady rhythm with her.

  THE SOUND OF A CHIME filtered to Mason through a sleep-filled haze. He came awake slowly, increasingly aware of the warm weight pressed to his side. Smiling, he turned to slide his arm around…Tess.

  He opened one eye. A tangle of fiery waves cascaded over his shoulder. Brushing the heavy mass aside, he peered at the beauty in his bed. Their evening together had proved that he was powerless to resist her, even in the face of his strict upbringing.

  Images of his night with her drifted through his mind: her nipples pink and wet with his loving; his erection slipping inside her; the look of bliss on her face as she drifted to sleep in his arms. His mouth watered with the memory of her taste, his fingers itched for the feel of her soft skin, and his cock stirred in anticipation of slipping inside her again.

  Who was in a rut now?

  It was unbelievable enough that he’d been able to love her throughout the night, but damned if the woman could get him all riled up and she wasn’t even awake yet. He should be sacked out, recuperating from the workout she’d given him. He closed his eyes and tried to count the number of times he had taken her during the night, but his mind hazed in a fog of lust.

  And here he was as hard as a freaking rock, ready to go at it again. She had turned him into some kind of sex-crazed maniac. Still, a man shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Whatever well this new sexual energy came from, it made no sense to waste it.

  He reached under the sheet to cup her breast. Circling his thumb, he coaxed her nipple into a hard point. She moaned softly and stretched, shifting in her sleep, unconsciously giving him better access.

  The sheet slipped, revealing the pink tip, and he couldn’t resist lowering his mouth over her. He suckled her, savoring the sexy sounds she made and the fumbling of her hands over him as she came awake. She stroked her fingers down his chest, warming his blood. She plucked at his nipples, sending tendrils of heat curling through him.

  “Good morning, Mason.” Her voice was low and throaty and sexy as hell. She stretched again and made a soft sighing sound that made him groan in response.

  “Mmm, that’s so nice. You have such a talented mouth,” she said.

  In answer he kissed a path to her other breast, circling her nipple with the point of his tongue, until she arched and reached for his aching cock.

  He closed his eyes as her fingers clasped him, and she stroked him with just the right pressure. He shifted up beside her. “How can I want you again like this?”

  A smile pulled at her lips. “It’s a gift.”

  He inhaled sharply as she squeezed the delicate head. All his nerve endings came alert and warmth spread out from his belly. He groaned as she moved over him, her hair fanning across his stomach and thighs as she maneuvered lower to where her hand still worked him. When her mouth closed over him it was all he could do to hold on and endure the exquisite pleasure.

  No woman had ever given to him the way Tess gave to him at that mome
nt. She took her time, laving his entire length, feasting on the head, then sucking him into her hot mouth, until he groaned and bucked beneath her, near the brink of his control.

  “Tess,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “I can’t take any more.”

  With one last pull of her mouth, she moved up his body, then kissed him, her tongue demanding. She straddled him, nestling her sex against his, so he had to fist his hands again to keep from moving and slipping inside her unprotected.

  At last she broke the kiss, and the desire in her eyes would have brought him to his knees had he been standing. She reached for a condom on the nightstand, but he stopped her. “Not so fast. I haven’t had my breakfast.”

  Her eyebrows arched. “You’re hungry?”

  “Starved, it seems.” He let his gaze drift to her pubic hair.

  She bit her bottom lip and relaxed on the pillow. “Well, I wouldn’t want to be anything less than accommodating.”

  “No, that wouldn’t do.”

  She spread her knees to make room for him and he moved between her legs, the scent of her arousal stirring him. He took his time savoring the sight of her luscious flesh, already swollen and wet. He touched her first, caressing her, parting her to reveal her hidden treasure, before he lowered his mouth.

  No morning feast had ever tasted sweeter. The soft sighs Tess uttered sent his blood pounding through his veins. He licked her folds before centering on her clit. Her fingers threaded through his hair and she tilted her pelvis to him. Soon she shuddered and stiffened beneath him, her moan of pleasure curling around him.

  He reached out and grabbed the condom. Heavy lidded, she watched him as he rolled it on. When he moved over her she kissed him quickly, then pulled back.

  “Wait,” she said, then turned onto her stomach. “Like this.”

  Her bottom nestled against his erection and he wasted no time in lifting her up and planting himself inside her. The long night must have finally taken its toll. He came almost immediately, then collapsed on top of her.

  “That’s it,” he murmured in her ear. “You’ve finally worn me out.”

  She rose up on one elbow and frowned at him. “That’s too bad.”

  “Don’t be disappointed. I’ll get my strength back. Just let me rest a little bit, then I’ll be ready to go.”

  “Great, it’s a date.”

  “A date? Is that what you call it?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

  “I am not talking about sex…though there will be more of that later. I’m actually a little oversated myself.”

  A sense of uncertainty gripped him. “Then what are you talking about?”

  “It’s Sunday and you’re off, right?”

  His stomach tightened. “Well, I’m always on call, but yes, I’m off for the day.”

  “Then it’s my turn.”

  “Your turn?”

  “Don’t act like you don’t remember. I agreed to go out with you last night on your terms. I ate dinner at that restaurant with you, then sat through that play.”

  “You liked the restaurant.”

  “Don’t avoid the point here.”

  He rolled to his back, the knot in his stomach turning into a feeling of impending doom. “And that point is?”

  She leaned over him, a wicked gleam dancing in her eyes. “Today is my pick. Today we share a completely spontaneous and fun day.”

  “Spontaneous?”

  “And fun. We’re going to drift.”

  “You mean what we were doing last night—and just now—wasn’t drifting?”

  “I suppose that was drifting of one sort.”

  “There’s another?”

  She nodded.

  He hesitated a long moment, fighting the unease that had gripped him. Okay, so maybe he had envisioned spending the entire day in bed with her, but this didn’t sound so bad. Spontaneous and fun didn’t necessarily spell disaster. He squelched the warning alarms in his head and sat up, lifting his chin high.

  He could do this. He could meet this challenge. A single day of spontaneity couldn’t derail a lifetime of discipline. “I’m yours then—for the day.”

  “You said it, mister.” She grabbed his hand and before he changed his mind tugged him out of the bed and toward the bathroom. “You’re mine.”

  He perked up. “Are we taking a shower together?”

  “A quick one.” She turned and frowned at him. “Just a shower—no sex. We don’t have time for that. The sun is up and time’s wasting.”

  Disappointment mingled with his returning dread. “Wouldn’t want to waste any time.”

  “Don’t look so glum. We’ll get back to that. I promise. But there’s a whole world to explore and good times to be had. We’re getting you out of your rut and into the new and exciting.”

  “But we did that last night. If that wasn’t new and exciting, I don’t know what is.”

  She smiled at him. “Yes, it was. It was a good start, but this isn’t just about sex. You’ll feel better for it. You’ll see.”

  “Right.” He padded along behind her. Good times. Something told him they had very different ideas of what constituted a good time.

  6

  MASON STARED AT THE brightly painted building near the beach. “You’re kidding. There is absolutely no way I am going in there.”

  “Come on. You can’t tell me you’ve never been to an arcade.”

  He never had, but he wasn’t going to admit that to her. “Arcades are for kids.”

  “No, they’re not.”

  “Yes—” he nodded to some children pushing through the door “—they are.”

  “Well, even you must have been a kid at one time.”

  “Nope, never.”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the dimly lit interior. Multicolored lights flashed from various games lining the walls and grouped about the open center area. Various dings, tones and computerized notes sounded from all corners.

  He wrinkled his nose at the sour smell that permeated the air, while eyeing the blotchy carpet in distrust. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Oh, come on. It isn’t going to hurt you to have a little fun.”

  “I have fun.”

  She folded her arms and gave him a wide-eyed look, waiting for him to elaborate.

  “You know, like last night. I go out to dinner and the theater on occasion.”

  “That was really nice, Mason, but I mean Fun with a capital F.”

  He scratched his head. “I’m taking Rafe to a game next Saturday.”

  “Good, but my guess is that’s more for Project Mentor and Rafe. I’m talking about fun for you, where you let go of your inhibitions and enjoy yourself, regardless of what anyone else might think. Fun outside the bedroom. Last night was about us. This is about fun for you. Just for you. When was the last time you did something just because it was something you wanted to do? Something besides sex.”

  When was the last time he’d had that kind of fun? “I like football and lacrosse.”

  “Playing it or watching it?”

  “I haven’t done much more than watch it in years, but I used to play.”

  “Doesn’t count.” She grabbed his hand again and pulled him toward a low counter at one end of the building.

  While she purchased what she called a game card, he eyed a row of plastic rings and other unidentifiable, but seemingly just as useless, objects proudly displayed beneath the grimy glass countertop. “And exactly what would you do with any of that?”

  She flashed him a grin and nodded toward a row of stuffed animals lining a shelf on the wall behind the counter. “I don’t go for the small stuff.”

  “I see. I didn’t realize I was with a big winner.”

  “This way.”

  She maneuvered her way past a guy on a pair of skis, poling his way down a snowy terrain depicted on a screen in front of him, a circular table with spinning lights and buttons that did who knew what and an air-hockey table. At least that Mason recognized. A
loud banging sounded from around a corner. Tess swerved toward the sound, stopping beside a small girl who viciously hammered mechanical rodents as they popped out of an assortment of holes.

  “I love this one.” Tess’s face glowed with excitement.

  “Hammering rodents?” He leaned back as the girl made a particularly wild swing.

  “They’re gophers.” Tess rolled her eyes at him as though he should have been able to recognize the creatures before they disappeared.

  “Of course, gophers. What else?”

  The game played out and the young girl squealed when the machine spit out a string of tickets. Tess took her place as the youngster ran off toward the prize counter.

  “So, the more rodents you hit, the more prize tickets you get?”

  Tess fed her card into the machine, then raised the hammer. “You catch on quick.”

  The music wound out and she swung her hammer with a vengeance, hardly missing the little guys as they popped up. Mason folded his arms and let his gaze drift over her as she focused on the game, her expression stern with concentration. What was it about this woman that attracted him?

  Her nose sloped a little long. Her lips were almost too full, but somehow put all together, her features worked. She flashed him a triumphant glance and he nodded to himself. It was her eyes. Tess had the most amazing blue eyes he’d ever seen.

  And the woman could swing a hammer. He winced as she struck a mechanical gopher and laughed. The sound curled around him rich and full, drawing his own laugh from him.

  “Okay, your turn.” She held the large rubber hammer out to him.

  He backed away, his hands raised to ward her off. “No, thanks.”

  “It’s a great way to get out all your aggressions.”

  “I don’t have any aggressions.”

  “Sure you do. Everyone does.”

  “Nope.” He folded his arms across his chest and planted his feet wide. “I keep a rational head.”