Rory Read online

  Outside the door, he stared at the number on the door. 6A, painted on with purple paint, badly. Sky had done it, he just knew it.

  It would be fatal to go back in there.

  No longer have a choice. Got to go back for the stick.

  If he didn’t God knows what she’d do with it—hide it somewhere he’d never find it just to irritate him, most likely. Her rebellious streak was trouble, always had been. Things she thought were amusing were often dangerous.

  Of course if she hadn’t kept it in the first place, this would be over already. That was typical of her. He’d have met up with her anyway, and the gear was too dangerous to treat as a toy.

  Staring at her door handle his thoughts gelled. The lock was outdated and pitifully easy to break. By rights he couldn’t leave her vulnerable. She’d shrugged off his comments about security though. Rory smiled. She’d only believe what he’d said about the lock if he proved it to her.

  Fishing his wallet out of his pocket, he dug deep and pulled out the strip of Kevlar he kept stored at the bottom. So far, he’d only ever used it to get into abandoned properties, but it would do the trick here.

  “Appalling lack of security,” he said quite loudly—by way of explanation to anyone who might happen on him—while he jimmied Sky’s Yale lock.

  He was proving a point. And he only had another forty seconds or so to do it before the bloody light went out again.

  It wasn’t about her, he assured himself. It was the USB, and the lack of security. But she was in his mind as he fiddled with the lock, repeatedly glancing along the corridor in case anyone approached. The last thing he needed was to be arrested for breaking and entering when he was just proving a point here.

  “If you break in you can claim a reward.”

  Her voice flitted around his mind, distracting him, making him think about taking charge of her, making the fire in her eyes burn brighter still, making her cry out because he was inside her.

  His fingers skidded on the lock.

  Cursing, he counted to five and then continued.

  Still she filled his thoughts. The sight of her in the tight black dress had blanked his brain for a while there. She was so perfectly packaged. He’d always been attracted to her. The secret smile, the curious expression, her rebellious streak. She looked as if she always had something on her mind. The store card buckled. Concentrate. It’s a matter of security. The thought of someone else breaking in, doing her harm, made him even more determined. It also made his blood boil.

  The lock clicked open.

  He took a deep breath, shoved the Kevlar into his pocket, and pushed the door open. Expecting to hear her shout at him, he prepared to explain “As I said, poor security…”

  Once the door swung wide, he saw she wasn’t where he’d left her, standing with the sad, almost resentful look in her eyes when he declined her invitation.

  From beyond the bathroom door he heard the sound of a shower.

  She was in there. Presumably naked. The sound of the shower drummed in his brain. The door to the tiny bathroom was ajar, just slightly, and steam wisped out as he watched.

  Okay, he told himself, get the stick, and go. But his feet were fixed to the floor like cement blocks were holding him there.

  He had to tell her he’d been able to break in, proving he came back.

  Just pick up the USB, write her a note, and leave. It would be the right thing to do and he wanted to do the right thing. Stepping to the futon, he reached down and pushed his hand along the fold in the mattress, quickly latching onto the lanyard. Pulling the stick free, he shoved it in his pocket. Now leave. You can tell her to change the lock tomorrow.

  His mind presented a picture of her, naked in the shower. It wasn’t hard to imagine. He’d seen her flitting about the house in a towel back at home in Cadogan. She’d always been a provocative little Madam. She’d told him she wanted him.

  Then he thought he heard her voice, and it sounded as if she was cursing.

  Unable to resist, Rory moved quietly around the futon and over to the bathroom door. The sound was muffled, but she was definitely mumbling to herself.

  With one finger, he pushed the door a little wider, straining to hear what she said. He didn’t intend to actually look, but steam billowed over the top of the shower curtain and — with it — the sound of a frustrated moan.

  The sound was so incredibly sexy, he couldn’t move.

  Again a breathless moaning sound came from inside the shower curtain.

  The sound of it made him harden. He should leave. It was wrong to be standing there, listening to her. Should he try to warn her? Yeah, sure. He could shout out while she was in the middle of showering, naked. That would be a good way to announce his presence.

  The desire to see her grew overwhelming.

  She had invited him to stay, after all.

  The scent of musk filled the steamy atmosphere.

  Maybe he should have turned away, but instead he saw her red painted fingernails as she pulled the curtain aside to put the shower gel on the nearby shelf. Then the sound of the water ceased.

  One hand grasped the edge of the shower curtain and pulled it back. She reached for the towel rail, pulled the towel free and wrapped it around herself as she stepped out onto the bathmat.

  It was too late to walk away, even if he’d wanted to.

  Her naked, wet body had been revealed to him. The towel was too small and barely covered her damp outline, the curve of her bottom showing beneath its hem. He’d just about processed the information when all the blood left his brain.

  Sky turned his way.

  Gasping audibly, she stepped back and butted up against the sink. Reaching around with one hand, she steadied herself. As she did the towel began to slip free.

  “I’m sorry” he blurted, hands lifted in a guilty plea. “I didn’t know you were having a shower.”

  Rory half expected her to scream, or at least tell him to fuck off and to stop staring — because he couldn’t help staring right then. No man in his right mind could help staring then. Mascara smudged beneath her eyelids. Her red-streaked black hair clung to her head and neck, the tips trailing across her chest, dripping water.

  But she didn’t scream. Instead she laughed softly, as if at some private joke. “You came back.”

  “I came back, to prove your security was lacking,” he explained as he attempted to tear his gaze away. He tried to chill, lowering his hands.

  “Is that why?” Curiosity flashed in her eyes.

  And for you, I came back for you. He was past denying it now.

  “I guess you wanted to check the locks in here too, did you?” Her eyes were incredibly bright, her strawberry lips curved.

  He shook his head. “Sky, I can’t leave now, not after seeing you like this.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  She wanted him too, it was there in her eyes and it was such a turn on. He had to touch her, to bring her to that moment in his arms. Closing the small gap between them in a heartbeat, he shrugged off his leather jacket and threw it out the open door behind him.

  Sky looked up at him, eyes wide, lips parted.

  He paused a moment, lifted her damp hair free of her cheek, easing it back. Her eyelids fluttered and she inhaled sharply.

  “You asked me to stay. Is this what you had in mind, or am I interrupting your private bathing time?” She could always say no.

  “The shower was your fault,” she declared. “You got me so wound up.”

  Grasping the towel to her chest with one hand, she put the other on his shoulder, inviting him closer.

  Rory ducked his head and kissed her, cupping the back of her head in one hand, the other finding the curve of her hip to pull her against him.

  She was so soft in his arms, and eager, matching and meeting him, her fingers tightening their grip on his shoulder. When her lips parted, he thrust his tongue in to her mouth, hips landing against her abdomen. The soft curves of her body lured him, and his erec
tion strained to be part of it. He kissed her deeply, his body keen and primed, his tongue thrusting into her warm, damp mouth.

  She was as hungry for it as he was, leaning into him, rubbing her body against his, sending him into autopilot. He couldn’t wait to touch her all over.

  She gasped when he drew back.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He heard the hoarseness in his own voice. “Can I see you?”

  She nodded.

  He pulled the towel from her grasp, letting it drop to the floor.

  Those lush curves of hers drew him like a magnet.

  “Always wanted you,” she whispered, and grasped his upper arms, stroking them, measuring his muscles tentatively, and then lifted her face, lips parted.

  Those words and the look in her eyes tugged something inside him. Even though they’d flirted and kissed and even talked about it, it was astonishing to hear her say it.

  Moving his hands he cupped her luscious breasts with their adorable nipples, groaning when he felt how hard the peaks were. Ducking down he kissed one nipple, then the other, stroking his tongue over each one.

  “Rory oh, oh,” she cried out, “that’s so good.”

  He didn’t need any more encouragement. He flicked his hair back, desperate to watch her reactions while he made her come.

  He ran the back of his knuckles over her tummy and lower, one finger nudging against her warm groove. “Okay?”

  Moaning softly, she nodded. Bracing herself against the sink, she opened her legs and let him move his hand between her thighs, where she was damp and slick. He eased two fingers back and forth across the bump of her clit, occasionally dipping lower to where she was wet and slick. With his free hand he stroked her damp hair back from her face, suddenly high on the way she looked. She was reveling in the sensation and all he could was stroke faster, rubbing over her clit while watching her face. His erection strained inside his jeans. Tension prickled up his spine.

  When he glanced down he could see his own fingers glistening. He wanted to taste her. She looked so good he wanted to lift her in his arms and shove his cock deep inside her, so she could really feel it. He wasn’t holding back now, that was long gone. He wanted her.

  Rubbing her clit until she reached orgasm was too good. Dropping her head back, she closed her eyes for a moment

  “Look at me,” he instructed.

  Her cheeks flushed, but she did as he asked, meeting his gaze.

  Her feet shifted restlessly. She was getting close. He moved his hand faster. Her mouth opened as she reached her peak. Her head dropped forward, then back.

  His fingers were coated in her juices. She mumbled his name then cried out, loudly. Rory kissed her forehead, nodding at her words, grasping her damp face in his hands as he kissed her deeply. Whoa, coming made her even hotter.

  For a moment she just stood there, trembling. Then she reached out and ran her hand the length of his erection through his jeans. “You’re so hard.”

  “Sky, be careful.” He closed his eyes a moment.

  “Oh,” Sky murmured, laughing softly, her hands shifting to his shoulders, her body moving closer against his. “Did I do something wrong?”

  He shook his head quickly. “No. I just want to do this properly.” He sighed. “It was always this way with you. You’re always in a rush and you’re always trouble.”

  Her eyes flashed with mischief.

  “I can’t think straight because you’re in here.” He pointed at his head. “All the bloody time!”

  “You’re going to have sex with me to save your sanity, is that what you’re saying?” She laughed, low.

  It was such a sexy sound. It ramped up his need to be inside her.

  Fired up, he pinned her to the sink, hips hard against her. “It always had to be done. We need to fuck, long and hard.”

  Shifting, he let her feel the thrust of his hips.

  Gasping, her expression turned serious.

  Oh yes, this was going to be good. She was as edgy as he was.

  His hands closed over her breasts and he trapped her nipples between his fingers and tugged on them.

  A loud cry escaped her lips and she glanced away.

  After a painfully long moment, in which his balls began to pound, relentlessly, she returned his gaze directly. There was a shimmering glaze to her eyes, and then she bit her lower lip, almost as if she was silencing herself, another hot flush of color rising on her cheekbones.

  The way she looked up from under lashes was a bigger invite than the verbal one he’d received. “I want to be inside you.”

  Her eyelids lowered. Moving, she rested her forehead against his chest, snuggling there a moment. “I want that too…but there’s something you should know.”

  He stalled, his hands pausing as he stroked her body. “What?”

  “I haven’t. I haven’t been with anyone, not like this.”

  Confusion swamped him. “You’re kidding, right?”

  She quickly shook her head. “I always wanted it to be you. That’s why I tried so hard to get you to stay tonight.”

  He stared down at her, disbelieving. Then the magnitude of what she’d said hit him, and he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. She wanted him and he was going to be her first. Cupping her around the bottom, he lifted her from her feet, kissing her beneath her jaw as he did so,

  Laughter escaped her. “Rory!”

  Turning with her held in his arms, he eased through to doorway and back into the main room “How in hell does this futon work?”

  She wrestled in his grasp and broke free, made some swift maneuvers with the mattress and wooden plinth below.

  He watched and copied on the other side of the bed, assisting. Once it was done, she sat down on the mattress and laid back, one arm across her chest as if to hide her breasts from his eyes.

  Kneeling down beside her, he eased her arm away. “You’re too pretty to hide any part of you.”

  “I’m a bit embarrassed,” she murmured.

  “No need.” He forced himself to pause. “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes, it’s what I’ve always wanted. You. You’re what I always wanted, Rory Rattigan.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sky had imagined this moment so often, dreaming of it as she drifted to sleep at night, torturing her libido with images of Rory climbing over her, and now here he was. Dizzy with arousal, she stared up at him from where she lay on the futon, and forced herself to ask the question preying on her mind. “Do you have a condom?”

  “Yes.” He smiled slowly, one corner of his mouth curling. Then he lifted the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head and off.

  Sky stared, she couldn’t help herself. He’d always been muscular, but he was bigger built now, his chest, shoulders and torso delineated by ridges of muscles. As he shifted, casting his T-shirt aside, his biceps flexed. Arousal pulled heavily in the pit of her belly, making her skin sizzle and her fingertips twitch

  “Ever-ready-Rory, huh?” She tried to sound nonchalant, even though nerves assailed her.

  Rory on the other hand had a determined look about him, like he was a man on a mission. That alone ratcheted up her desire. For a while there, after he’d taken off, she thought he didn’t find her attractive, like he was just flirting with her for amusement. Casually rolling onto her side, she watched as he kicked off his biker boots.

  “I bet you’d make an even cheekier remark if I didn’t have a condom on me, wouldn’t you?” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket, extracted a shiny silver packet, and threw it on the mattress beside her.

  She pouted, but she couldn’t help being curious. Did he have loads of women he slept with? “So you’re a stud in demand, always got a condom on hand?”

  “You have to be prepared.” Dropping his wallet on the floor, his hands went to his belt. “You never know when a gorgeous Welsh lass is going to invite you back to her apartment.”

  Unfastening his belt buckle, he went for the button
and fly.

  Sky glanced away. Her heart beat hard and fast, her blood racing. By the time she looked back, he was naked. She stared at his chest, not brave enough to look down.

  Resting one knee on the mattress beside her, he reached over and wrapped his hand around her ankle. Unsure of his intentions, her pulse raced.

  In one swift movement he pulled her legs apart.

  Startled, she cried out.

  He dropped to his knees between her open legs, one hand either side of her body, then ducked down to breathe warm air over the sensitive skin of her breasts and throat. The heat of his body instantly made her arch up to him, the touch of his skin electrifying hers.

  Hovering above her he held her gaze, not allowing her to look away. Tension filled the air, clinging around them. He studied her. It set loose a wild fluttering at her centre, the intensity of that stare. She saw the lust in his eyes. It was blatant, raw, and incredibly powerful. He wanted her. A sense of joy rolled through her, her chest tightening.

  “You’re sure you’re ready to take this to the next level?”

  She nodded.

  He put one finger under her chin, looking deep into her eyes. In that one touch he conveyed so much. Confident, self-assured and determined, the authority in his expression made her whimper with desire. Then he looked at all of her, his gaze traveling over her, devouring her.

  Awkwardness assailed her. “Rory, you’re embarrassing me.”

  “You’re going to have to get used to me looking at you, if we’re going all the way.” He moved closer still, so close she could feel his breath on her face, and he ran the back of his knuckles down her neck. “You’re even more beautiful, naked, than I would’ve imagined, Sky Vaughn. And believe me, I’ve imagined it a lot.”