What You Need(58)

“I would’ve tried to keep my hands off you.”

“Boring.”

I leaned closer and placed my lips near her ear. “But I would’ve failed miserably.” I inhaled the scent of her—warm skin and citrus. I wasn’t sure if it was her lotion or her shampoo; I just knew it hit me like a damn drug.

She shuddered and made a low moan.

I continued to nuzzle her fragrant flesh. “And if I would’ve touched you, I would’ve failed both of us. Because as crazy as I am to have you naked and wild beneath me, I’d have put the brakes on, believing I needed to savor you rather than gorge on you. So our first time as lovers would’ve been . . . nice. Because I’m a considerate lover, Lennox.” I brushed my lips over the shell of her ear. “I’d make sure you came at least once before I got inside you. And we would’ve been face-to-face in my big bed, me making love to you slowly, learning what you liked, whispering how good you felt, asking if what I was doing to you was okay.” I buried my face in the curve of her neck. “Does that sound okay to you? Does that sound . . . nice?”

Lennox didn’t respond.

“When I got home, I was glad you’d taken a cab and weren’t there, waiting for me to seduce you properly.”

“Brady.”

I rubbed my mouth up and down the section of her throat next to her voice box. “So in the past twenty-four hours, I’ve had time to reflect. And know what I’ve come up with?”

“What?”

Then we were eye to eye, almost mouth to mouth. “Not a damn thing. When I fuck you, it won’t be some lame-ass preplanned seduction. It’ll happen in the heat of the moment. When I can’t wait another second to know what it’s like to be buried inside you.”

She swallowed hard.

“Until then, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of building us up to that point.”

“So I don’t get a say in this?” She reached down and palmed my erection. “What if I said take me right here, right now on the kitchen counter? That’d be spontaneous.”

“Would it? Or are you just goading me?”

“I’m goading you, definitely.” She smirked and kept stroking me. “And you seem to like it.”

“That part of me likes it and wishes you’d never stop. But thankfully my brain isn’t in my boxers.” I removed her hand and clamped my hands on her ass, pulling her closer. “My turn. Truth or dare.”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to give sexual control to me.”

Lennox blinked. “What?”

“You always call the shots when it comes to sex, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

I leaned forward and pressed my mouth below the hollow of her throat. “By letting that go, you can prove that you’re spontaneous and not stuck in that rut of always having to be in control. Trust me to take care of you and give you what you need. On my time frame.” I followed the ridge of her collarbone with my tongue. “I dare you, dancing queen.”

“Does that mean no messing around at all?”

Christ, I loved the pouty way she said that, as if I was taking away her favorite treat. “That’ll be up to me to decide, won’t it?”

She moaned when my lips grazed the upper swell of her breast.

“Unbutton your blouse, Lennox, and let me at you.” My heart hammered as I waited for her to play along or retreat.

Then her fingers were between us and she undid the buttons. One quick twist and the front clasp of her bra popped open. Watching my eyes, she pulled the fabric back on both sides, revealing her bare torso.

A low growl rumbled free and I had the overwhelming urge to sink my teeth into that abundant flesh and mark her as mine. She was beautifully feminine, all soft white curves and pale pink nipples. I opened my mouth over her right breast and sucked hard, feeling that sweet tip harden beneath my stroking tongue.

She made the sexiest noise and I wanted to keep doing that over and over to see how many more times she’d sigh and moan with bliss.

But I backed off and looked up at her.

Lennox met my gaze. “I’ve never been able to resist a dare.”

I grinned. “Good to know.” I refastened her bra and redid her buttons, starting at the bottom. I placed a kiss below her belly button and worked my way up. I pulled her down until her mouth was level with mine. I said, “You are one sexy woman, Lennox Greene,” before I swept a fleeting kiss across her mouth. “Now let’s see what there is to eat.”

Mary had left us a veritable feast: a pork roast with a side of sage and apple stuffing, a veggie medley of diced squash, corn and green beans, and homemade wheat rolls. We heated the food in unison as if we’d done it several times before, and afterward we cleaned the kitchen up. The domesticity wasn’t familiar. The women I’d dated more than a few times had never cooked for me, or I for them.