Belonging.

"Lady..."

She reached between them and touched him. In some rational part of her mind, she couldn"t believe what she was doing. Couldn"t wrap her mind around it...and she didn"t want to try.

Caution had dictated most of her life. She"d always looked before she leaped and she was miserable.

Aching. Hungry. Tired of it.

If she slowed down for just a minute, she might think. Might think enough to let embarra.s.sment take hold, let her fears roar to life.

She didn"t want that. So don"t think, Cori told herself fiercely.

It was easy to lose herself to the hunger. She"d been ignoring it for too d.a.m.n long and now she was all but lost to it. She could have pulled back. It would have hurt and she probably would have half died from the pain, but she knew that she could have.

If he had pulled away.

He didn"t pull away, though. He reached down and covered her hand with his, groaning under his breath as she molded her fingers to him. He rocked forward into her touch and dipped his head, kissing her shoulder through the black sweater she wore.

"You"ve got to be freezing," he muttered. He brushed his fingers down her neck and she gasped as that simple touch left a trail of fire in its wake. "Your skin"s cold..."

"I"m not cold." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his chest, dragging the scent of him into her lungs, flooding herself with it. Hot and male-so d.a.m.n intoxicating.

Faintly, she caught the scent of whiskey on his breath as he nuzzled her neck but it couldn"t make her stop.

His hands came down, cupped her hips. "Hold on to me," he rasped, lifting her feet completely off the ground.

She was so slight, her body felt so delicate against his. And cool. Slipping one hand under her sweater, he trailed it up over her back, stroking his fingers over silken, cool skin. His mind had gone all hazy again but he couldn"t attribute so much to alcohol this time. It was hunger, pure and simple. Hot, potent, demanding hunger and he couldn"t f.u.c.king believe what he was doing.

If he could step back, for just a second, he would be appalled, disgusted with himself. The woman had almost been a.s.saulted and here he was pawing her. But even as he tried to find the strength to turn away from that sweet body, she reached between them and unb.u.t.toned his jeans, slipped her hand inside and closed those cool, soft fingers around his aching d.i.c.k. He groaned at the pleasure and arched into her hand.

A cold wind blasted through the alley and he swore as she shivered. "You"re cold," he muttered.

"No. Not cold."

How could she not be cold, though? Turning her against the wall, he put his body between her and the wind. She wore no jacket, just a fluffy sweater and a skirt that he could feel tangling around their legs in the wind. He caught a fistful of her skirt and dragged it up. Pressing his brow to hers, he muttered, "I don"t believe this. Is this really happening?"

She tightened her fingers around his c.o.c.k, stroked her thumb across the head. "Do you want it to happen?"

"h.e.l.l, yeah." He tried to catch her mouth but she turned her head aside, pressing her lips to his neck. She shuddered against him, a low, desperate moan escaping her lips.

She sc.r.a.ped her teeth over his neck but then pulled away and glanced upward. In the dim light, he caught the impression of a narrow, cat-like face and big dark eyes but then she averted her head. Once more, that dark hair hid her face. "Then it"s happening."

It"s happening-h.e.l.l, she wasn"t kidding. He was about to f.u.c.king happen. She released him from his jeans and Levi swore as his c.o.c.k sprang free into the cold air. Then she was touching him again, her hand wrapping around his c.o.c.k, starting at the base and then stroking upward. Her fingers-they"d been colder than that- almost as cold as the frigid wind that blew through the alley. But now her touch was warmer. Her scent hotter.

Addictive. d.a.m.n, he could drown in it-sweet, ripe, mysterious and somehow fresh. Clean.

Dipping his head, he nuzzled her neck, trying to find just where that teasing scent was coming from.

Perfume? It was stronger at her neck, between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and he suspected lower but even as he started to sink down on his knees in front of her, intent on finding just where that erotic scent was the strongest, she tugged him closer. So close that their bodies aligned and he felt the slim, soft curves of her lower body. That d.a.m.n skirt was still in the way and he grunted, aggravated. Gathering the material in his hand, he pushed it to her waist. With his free hand, he palmed her a.s.s, stroking the soft, subtle curve.

Satin-soft skin, even warmer now. Lifting his head, he stared at her from hooded eyes and brushed the back of his hand against soft, dewy, wet curls. She gasped. "Do you want this to happen?" he gritted out- needed to know, needed to make sure. A few more minutes and he didn"t know if he"d be able to stop.

"Yes."

"Look at me," he rasped. "I can"t see you. I need to see you. You want this to happen?"

"It"s dark...you can"t see me." Then she slipped her hands under the waistbands of his jeans and boxers and pushed them down. "I want it to happen. Make it happen."

He squinted in the darkness, desperate to see her face. See her mouth. h.e.l.l, even taste her mouth because every time he tried to kiss her, she turned her face away. Soft, warm fingers stroked his c.o.c.k and then lower, cupping his b.a.l.l.s in her hand. She squeezed, light and quick. "Make it happen."

With a snarl, Levi caught her hips in his hands, wedging her thighs apart. She cried out as he pressed the rounded c.o.c.k head against her slick, wet heat and then whimpered as he pushed inside. Deep, deep-her p.u.s.s.y tight, hot and slick around his d.i.c.k, clenching down, almost resisting his intrusion even as she wrapped her legs around his hips and arched, trying to take more of him.

"f.u.c.k...." He wheezed out, his eyes almost crossing from the pleasure as she convulsed around him. She whimpered, doing a mad little shimmy with her hips that was doing a serious number on his already faulty self-control. "Baby, slow down, please-f.u.c.k, you"re killing me."

"I"m dying." She pressed her mouth to his neck and kissed him, her tongue rough and warm against his flesh, leaving a burning trail. "I hurt. I hurt so bad. Make it stop."

"Hurt-f.u.c.k," he swore, started to pull out. "I"m hurting you."

She tightened her legs, squeezing with a strength that seemed at complete odds with her slender, delicate muscles. "Don"t stop."

It was a soft, desperate plea and the sound of it almost broke his heart.

"Please don"t stop. I"m so empty inside. I hurt so much." Her breath hiccupped in her throat.

Threading a hand through her hair, he tugged, once more trying to see her face. Overhead, the clouds parted, revealing just a thin slice of the moon before it disappeared once more. That faint flash of silvery light splashed across part of her face, highlighting just her eyes, but he couldn"t even look into her eyes because they were closed. The hot, slick walls of her p.u.s.s.y convulsed around his c.o.c.k and she rocked against him, trying to take him deep, ride him hard. Hunger burned, threatening to blister both of them.

He pressed his lips to her temple. "I won"t stop. Hold on to me." He guided her arms around his shoulders and then slid one hand down the smooth flesh of one thigh, anchoring her knee against his flank as he rotated his hips. She moaned. Levi did it again and again. Shifted his weight so that he rode high on her body as he shafted her, the head of his c.o.c.k rubbing over that one sensitized area high in her p.u.s.s.y.

Pressing his mouth to her neck, he nuzzled her, licked her. "You taste sweet," he rasped, raking her skin with his teeth.

She cried out and cupped her hand over the back of his head, holding him tightly against her. Against his belly, he could feel the ripple of muscles contracting in her abdomen. Her body all but shuddered with the force of her need-a swirling violent maelstrom that threatened to suck Levi under as well.

"Do it again," she whispered into his ear then she arched her neck, baring it for him.

He bit her and she keened, a wild sound of female hunger that sent hot streaks of fire coursing down his spine, arrowing straight in on his b.a.l.l.s. His c.o.c.k swelled. Snarling, he wrapped an arm around her narrow hips, anchoring her tightly against him and then he started to shaft her-deep, hard-f.u.c.king his way through slick, tight tissues that alternately resisted and caressed his length.

She slipped her hands inside his coat, down his chest until she could grab the hem of his shirt and then she shoved it upward. She raked her nails down his exposed torso, then leaned forward, curling in on him until she could sink her teeth into his left pec. She bit down, almost too hard, but all it did was throw gasoline on a fire that already burned out of control. He cupped her chin in his palm, tried to guide her mouth to his. "Kiss me, baby...I want to taste you."

Her lips, cool and sweet, brushed against his but before he could take the kiss deeper, she shifted. Her lips pressed against his hand. "Let me taste you," she purred, her voice harsh, throaty, the s.e.xiest d.a.m.n sound he"d ever heard. Then she kissed his hand again, using hers to hold him steady as she brushed her lips against his busted, b.l.o.o.d.y knuckles. He tensed but all he felt was a sweet, liquid heat sliding through his abused flesh, a heat that swelled and spread with every brush of her lips, every gentle lap of her tongue. Her tongue...licking him.

Licking... His mind tried to kick back up then, but the attempt died a quick death as she caught his index finger in her mouth and sucked on it.

His c.o.c.k jerked in jealous demand. In turn, the hot, snug walls of her p.u.s.s.y flexed around him and she arched. Tightening her knees on his hips, she pushed away from the wall so that her weight was completely supported on his body-centered square on his aching c.o.c.k as she started to ride, moving against him in a slow, teasing rhythm, her p.u.s.s.y alternately clenching and then releasing its delicious grip on his c.o.c.k.

Levi groaned and cupped her a.s.s, pushing her farther down. Not enough...d.a.m.n it, he couldn"t get deep enough inside her.

"Make it stop hurting," she whispered, pressing her lips to his neck. "Make it stop...don"t leave me so empty."

He couldn"t resist. Even if he"d tried, Levi couldn"t have pulled away. Resting one hand on her waist, he guided her rhythm. His other hand cupped her a.s.s, tracing the soft curve, reaching down behind her and tracing the delicate skin where her p.u.s.s.y stretched tightly around him. She shuddered.

Through the soft knit of her sweater, he felt the hot stab of her nipples against his chest. Felt her getting hotter, hotter, until the air around them seemed as hot as a d.a.m.n inferno. "Please," she demanded, her voice a harsh, choked plea.

Swearing, he crushed her against the wall and slammed into her. Hard. Deep. She screamed and came and kept moving against him, begging, pleading. Her ankles locked just above his a.s.s. She rocked, pleaded, bucked, shuddered, came again...and again...and still, she begged.

Still she whimpered and pleaded.

Still she rocked and squirmed and moved against him, though her convulsing p.u.s.s.y was so d.a.m.n tight, he had to fight just to sink inside her, had to work past those clinging, sleek muscles.

"It hurts...please..."

Dipping his head, he caught her mouth-finally-and kissed her, pushing his tongue into the sweet cavern.

Hot. An odd, spiced taste. Something metallic. Addictive... She groaned into his kiss and tried to avert her head. Growling, Levi fisted a hand in her hair and held her, wouldn"t let her pull away.

She bit him then, her teeth sinking into his lower lip. Pain and pleasure flared, blurred together until he didn"t know one from the other. Behind his closed lids, dark pinwheels of color exploded. His skin went hot and tight, warning tingles racing along his skin, drawing the sac of his b.a.l.l.s tighter, tighter, tighter...

She tore her head away and slammed it back up against the brick wall, a wordless, all but soundless cry ripping from her.

Another climax slammed into her and it was one so d.a.m.n powerful that even Levi felt the impact. Like a tidal wave, it pushed him under, sucking him along for the ride. A hot, slick, sweet, wet ride that left his head spinning, his c.o.c.k jerking and pulsing, and his brain one vague, fuzzy blur by the time it ended.

She was still shuddering against him. Still shaking. Soft little mewls fell from her lips as he lifted his head and tried to smile at her, though why, he didn"t know. He couldn"t see worth c.r.a.p.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, nuzzling her neck and stroking her tangled hair back from her face before she could hide behind it again.

She leaned forward and kissed his chest but instead of answering his question, she whispered, "Thank you." Dazed, Levi laughed. "I ought to be thanking you." An awkward silence hovered as he stepped back, carefully smoothing her skirt down before adjusting his pants. He wouldn"t let it linger, though. Wasn"t going to let what was the best d.a.m.n five minutes-if he was lucky-of his life be ruined by awkwardness. "Do you live around here? I should take you home...and then to bed. Let me take you to a bed."

She pressed her lips against his wrist. "I don"t live around here. Heading back home tonight."

No!

"Maybe..." his words trailed off and he once more tried to make out some feature of her face. "Maybe we could have some coffee...find a place to get a bite to eat."

The woman laughed and it was a sad, desolate sound. "I"ve already eaten but thank you."

Just like that? Levi fought to catch up, fought against his body"s urge to just collapse in a hot, sated puddle. Fought the confusion that tried to swamp him. Confusion and pain. Just like that, she was done.

A cynical voice in the back of his mind laughed. She wanted a quick f.u.c.k and you gave it to her. h.e.l.l, for all you know, you interrupted some mini-orgy. Maybe those guys weren"t out for rape. Maybe she was just on the make.

No. Didn"t fit. Even if it had, it wasn"t really his business. Everything inside him rebelled against that thought. "I don"t just want to let you walk away," he whispered, pressing his lips to her temple. s.h.i.t, he was desperate enough to beg, he realized. There were all sorts of psychological reasons for his unwillingness to let her disappear but he didn"t want to think about them.

He just couldn"t quite stand to have her walk away. "Just some coffee. A little while longer."

"Coffee." She leaned in and pressed her lips to his neck. "I can do coffee."

Hindsight is twenty-twenty. It wasn"t just a saying, it was a d.a.m.n fact, Levi admitted to himself five hours later.

His mystery woman had kissed him and then gestured toward the mouth of the alley. "Can you give me a minute to..." her soft, throaty voice trailed away and she"d ducked her head, giving the impression of shyness. Although how she could be shy after she"d just given him the ride of his life...

He"d given her a minute.

His biggest mistake, he realized now, was giving her an extra thirty seconds before heading back into the alley to look for her again. Dark. How the h.e.l.l could the shadows seem that much darker? But it had been like walking inside a cavern fifty feet below the earth"s surface, so dark that not even a sliver of light shone. After walking into a brick wall and busting his knee on G.o.d only knows what, he"d retreated back to the mouth of the alley.

Once more, he could see, but anything more than ten or fifteen feet past the street was lost in the darkness.

She wasn"t in there.

Worried, he turned and scanned the streets, but he didn"t even know what she looked like. Vaguely, he was aware of the others around him as he headed toward his car. People heading into the bar. Heading out.

He unlocked the car and grabbed his flashlight, the solid, heavy metal weight familiar in his hand, rea.s.suring even.

He slammed the door shut and headed back to the alley. Across the street, down another alley, he caught sight of a group of people huddled around a fire that had been built inside a huge metal trash can. As he headed back to the alley, he pa.s.sed a couple of people and, though very little light shone from the bars lining the street, he could make out their faces. Their eyes.

It hadn"t been that much darker inside the alley, had it? Talk about weird.

He turned the flashlight on and headed into the alley, automatically holding it up and off to the side as he searched. It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to do that simple task, as if the powerful beam of his flashlight couldn"t quite cut through the darkness.

Something silver caught his eyes, a few feet away from the spot where the guys had cornered her. Keys.

Car keys, a key fob. Frowning, he stooped down and grabbed them. Where they hers? Pushing them into his pocket, he blew out a breath and stared into the darkness.

His hair blew back from his face. Something dark moved, just out of the corner of his eye. Relief flared, and then died as he turned and stared at absolutely nothing. Backing out of the alley, he looked left. Looked right. There were people across the street but not a one of them was a slight, pet.i.te female.

"Where did you go?"

Chapter Four.

"Ms. Hughes?"

Big, strong arms tightened around her waist and Malachi sc.r.a.ped his teeth down her neck as somebody knocked at the door again. "Ignore her," he demanded.

Kelsey happily did just that, wrapping her arms around her husband"s neck and opening for him as he kissed her. Distantly, she heard the footsteps moving off and she smiled against his lips.

"Smart girl," Malachi muttered as he slid his hands under her shirt and palmed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, teasing her nipples with his thumbs.

Kelsey groaned and arched into his touch.

A knock pounded at the door and this one threatened to rattle it from its hinges. "Hate to interrupt but we got a problem," a grouchy male voice called through the door.

"Tell Duke he"s going to have a big problem if he doesn"t leave," Malachi suggested, reaching for the b.u.t.tons of her shirt.

Kelsey caught his wrists and pressed. Blowing out a sigh, she looked at him from beneath her lashes and scowled. "I can"t. You know him-he wouldn"t have come down here if there wasn"t something wrong."