Turbulent Desires(22)

She inhaled their scent and that simple gesture stirred images of her  trailing her nose down his body doing the same to him. Dang! It was hot  outside, and the house felt like a furnace had exploded.         

     



 

"What are we eating?" she asked as she trailed after him into the small  kitchen. She found a vase and took her time arranging the flowers until  she had them just right.

"Salmon and rice," he said. His voice must have been tight, because she  looked up a bit startled, but Mav knew she had feelings for him. He  could see it in her eyes, feel it in her body. He wanted to scrap dinner  and go right to dessert, and the sweetness he wanted to devour had  nothing to do with whatever she'd been working on this afternoon.

"That sounds great," she said before moving away from the flowers and pulling something out of the oven when the timer went off.

"Something smells delicious," he said as he peeked at the cake she was taking out.

"It's just a cake with chocolate and strawberries," she said nervously.

"Mmm, aphrodisiacs," he told her with a laugh.

"They are not!" Her eyes went wide as she gazed at him in surprise.

"Are you nervous around me, sugar?"

He backed her into the counter as he brought himself a little bit  closer, inhaling her sweet perfume mixed with the scent of the sweet  dessert in the air. He needed just one little taste. Barely brushing his  body against hers, he leaned in and gently sucked the skin of her neck.

"No," she panted. "Okay, a little."

The sigh escaping after her words made his thickness even harder. There  wasn't a time he ever recalled wanting a woman as much as he wanted this  one-especially without taking what he wanted. Hell, nope, not even  then. This desire was unquenchable, he feared.

"Shouldn't we . . . um . . . cook?" she asked breathily.

"Definitely. I'm already hot," he told her. But he backed off, almost  satisfied with the glow in her eyes. He could tell how much she desired  him.

They worked side by side, cooking the salmon and rice, and chopping a  salad. He felt high every time she laughed. During all the prep, he  continuously brushed against her, making sure she was more and more  comfortable with his touch.

There was a radiant glow about her cheeks the entire evening, and the  one thing Maverick knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that he had to  have a taste of her. He had to show her how great and unselfish  lovemaking could be.

He just prayed he had the restraint to keep himself together while giving her this gift.

The two finished dinner, and then it was time for dessert. His favorite  part of the day. Undoing the top two buttons of his shirt, he followed  her back into the kitchen while she pulled out a couple of pots and  several ingredients, including chocolate and strawberries.

That had him instantly hard again. But tonight wasn't about him finding  satisfaction. It was about helping Lindsey feel good about herself and  helping her to feel safe, especially in her own home.

"This is a chocolate strawberry layer cake," she told him as she took  the cake portion and began frosting it. She set it in the freezer to  rapidly cool.

"Looks good," he said, trying to calm himself as he swiped a taste from the bowl she'd mixed the frosting in.

"Um . . . yeah." Her gaze was centered on his lips as he sucked the  frosting off, and the look in her eyes made his body pulse painfully.

She went back to the stove and began mixing more ingredients until she  had a creamy chocolate mixture. Then she pulled the cake from the  freezer, set it on the counter, and placed strawberries on top. When she  grabbed the chocolate sauce and drizzled it over the top, he thought he  just might have a high-school moment and embarrass himself right there  in front of her.

Maverick couldn't remember the last time his body had ached so much from  wanting a woman. It was just about killing him. But when a dribble of  chocolate splattered the counter and she wiped it up with her finger and  then sucked on it, he knew it was over.

Taking the pan from her hands, he carefully set it aside, ignoring the  slight tremble in his own fingers as he backed her against the kitchen  island.

"I need to put the cake in the fridge to cool," she huskily told him.

"You know that's not the dessert I want, sugar," he said as he pressed  against her, making sure she had no doubt how turned on he was.

"Oh," she replied barely above a whisper. "It's really good."

Her gaze was looking right at his lips again and when her tongue came  out and ran across her bottom lip, he knew he had to taste her. But he  couldn't lose control. This night was about her-and her alone.

"Let me show you exactly how I like my dessert," he said before dipping  his finger in the melted chocolate and swiping it across her lips. She  stuck out her tongue to lap it off, but he shook his head. "Allow me."         

     



 

Though he wanted to ravish her, he slowly leaned forward and ran his  tongue along the outline of her mouth, lapping up the chocolate that was  bitter compared to her sweetness.

She shuddered in his arms and he had to remind himself not to lose  control. With just a touch of the chocolate left, he clasped his lips  onto hers and dove inside her mouth, exploring, savoring, enjoying every  moment they were connected.

The sigh escaping her sweet lips fed his soul, and he wrapped his arms  around her so he could lift her to the counter, his chest pressing  against hers, his hips pushing inward. He rested his hardness against  her hot core.

Too many clothes were between them.

But that was good. If he lost control, she might never trust him or any  other man again. He couldn't do that to her-wouldn't-even if it nearly  killed him.

"I'm going to show you what trust is all about, Lins. I'm going to give  you pleasure without taking any for myself," he whispered as he moved  his lips along her jaw and brushed them across her ear.

"Wh . . . what do you mean?" she panted.

"Your voice undoes me, sugar. I want you so bad," he sighed before  sucking on her neck and inhaling her sweet, sweet scent. He paused for a  moment as he pulled strength from deep inside. "I'm going to please  you, sug, and then I'm going to leave so you can think about it over and  over again, and you can want me. When you're ready, we can both be  pleased, but for now, all of this is for you."

She said nothing, but her breathing deepened as he continued sucking on  her neck. He took his time, not wanting to startle her as he took off  her apron and tossed it aside. He slowly undid the buttons on her  blouse. Moving back to her lips, he drank from them as the last buttons  were freed.

Her skin was as silky smooth as he remembered it. He ran his fingers up  her quivering stomach and over the lace of her bra before reaching her  shoulders and pushing the shirt down off her back.

"Mav, I want you . . ." The tremble in her voice told him she was nervous. He needed her not to be.

"I won't hurt you, sug. I promise I won't hurt you," he whispered before  gently kissing her. He took her shirt off her arms and pushed it away.  "Remember how good it is between us. Remember that I only want to bring  you pleasure."

His hands moved up and down her back as he hungrily sipped from her  lips, relearning every secret hideaway of her mouth. Only when she was  squirming against him again did he undo the clasp of her bra and pull it  away, sending it flying off onto the kitchen floor.

She groaned into his mouth when he brought one hand around and cupped  her tender breast, the nipple hard and responsive as his palm ran across  it.

"Oh, Mav, don't stop . . ." The trembling hunger in her voice pushed  him, made him want to strip them both down and finish what he'd started.  He had to remember this was about her, no matter how difficult that was  going to be.

Breaking his lips away from hers, he slowly leaned down and kissed a  path to the breast he was holding. Beautiful, so absolutely beautiful.  He cupped the other one and then took a moment to savor the beauty of  her full breasts spilling from his fingers as her hard cherry nipples  begged for him to taste them.

Leaning forward, he did exactly that, taking one perfect bud into his  mouth and sucking it deep, making her buck against him as a cry of  pleasure escaped her. Her fingers wound through his hair and he felt the  gentlest of tugs as she held him against her.

He took his time moving from one luscious nipple to the next until she  was more than ready for him to make her come. Kissing his way back up  her body, he looked into her half-closed eyelids and ran his fingers  across her cheek.

"Trust me not to hurt you, Lins. Tonight is only pleasure," he said before kissing the corner of her mouth.

She might have nodded, but he wasn't sure she was even fully aware in  her excitement. He knew how pleased she was feeling. But he  wanted-needed her to know that this was only about her.

Lifting her up, he carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her on  the bed, the spill of her hair on the pillow too gorgeous not to take in  for a few breathtaking moments. Then he joined her and began undoing  the clasp of her pants. That's when she stiffened.