Sam turned away from her computer and gave her a faint smile. "You and I both know what"s up with that. He"s up-probably most of the time-and figured being close is just another way to get me into his bed."
Mac nodded, knowing what she said was probably right. "I"ve never known Blade to work this hard for a woman. You might have become an obsession with him."
Sam shrugged. "As long as it"s a healthy one I don"t have any problem, because it"s coming to an end soon."
Mac leaned forward in her chair. "He"s not going to like it if he discovers you"ve set him up, teased him with no intention of delivering."
"He"ll get over it."
"And if he doesn"t?"
"Then it"s his concern and not mine."
Before Mac could respond to that, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Sam said.
Patsy Ackerman, the young woman who worked for them part-time as a paralegal, stepped in. "Here are those reports you wanted to look over for the Collins case."
Sam smiled at her as she accepted the folders. "Thanks. Now I have to make time to read them before our court date in a few weeks."
Patsy nodded and then glanced at the flowers on Sam"s desk. "You got more flowers. They"re pretty."
Sam studied the arrangement and couldn"t help but agree. "Yes, they are pretty, aren"t they?"
"And you still don"t know who"s sending them?"
Sam lifted a brow, wondering how Patsy knew the flowers were being sent by an unknown admirer. "No, it"s still a secret," she replied honestly, seeing no reason not to.
Moments after Patsy had left, Mac silently stared at Sam. "What?" Sam asked, seeing the concerned look on her friend"s face.
"I hope you know what you"re doing. Blade"s a player, true enough, but he"s also a Madaris. They don"t like being crossed."
Sam frowned. "Then maybe he needs to learn how to keep a certain part of his anatomy in his pants."
"Maybe so, but be forewarned. If you"re trying to teach him a lesson, your self-control just might be tested, as well."
She didn"t doubt that. It was tested each and every time she breathed the same air as Blade. Each and every time she remembered what he"d done to her that night in the parked car. She couldn"t look at his mouth and lips without remembering, without feeling a tingling sensation at the juncture of her thighs, and without her panties getting wet.
"I can handle Blade, Mac."
Mac drew in a deep breath and said, "A Madaris man can be lethal when he has one thing on his mind, so for your sake I hope that you can can handle him." handle him."
The knock sounded on Sam"s door at exactly six o"clock, even though she hadn"t expected Blade to be late. But she hadn"t expected him to be standing there with a huge bouquet of flowers-more beautiful than all the others he"d sent her-and wearing a Stetson that shadowed his eyes and did everything to emphasize those oh-so-s.e.xy lips of his. She thought he looked good in a pair of jeans and white shirt and his signature blazer. He smelled good, too, with whatever cologne he was wearing.
She couldn"t help but smile when he stepped inside her house, thinking that all those other floral arrangements, although beautiful, hadn"t done anything for her, but for some reason these did. Maybe the reason was because there was no secrecy shrouded in these flowers. With these, he was finally admitting that she was definitely the object of his seduction.
"These are for you," he said, tossing his Stetson on her coffee table with a perfect aim before handing her the flowers.
"They"re beautiful, Blade. But then they always are. Thank you."
He gave her a funny look and shrugged his masculine shoulders. "You"re welcome."
She turned to put the flowers in a vase and set them on the table. She felt his gaze roam over her body, taking in her short denim skirt and the white halter top stretched tightly across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which she wore without a bra. She had seen the outfit on a mannequin in the store today and had known it would be perfect for tonight. It was just the thing to get a man"s erection throbbing. It was designed to get him hot and definitely bothered.
Sam turned back around and her gaze automatically went to his zipper, although she couldn"t have missed the ma.s.sive bulge even if she had wanted to. He was huge and appeared as hard as a rock. He was as aroused as any man could be, and he wasn"t trying to hide it. She doubted he could have hidden the colossal protrusion even if he"d wanted to do so. She hadn"t counted on blood pulsating rapidly through her veins upon seeing him in that state and realizing the degree of his desire for her.
And just like she was checking out every single aspect of him, he was checking her out, as well. His gaze moved all over her, from head to toe, but paused for more than a second on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. And then, as if his eyes sent some kind of erotic message, the nipples of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s started feeling sensitive, almost achy against the material of her top. She also felt the tips swell under his unwavering gaze.
If she"d been any other woman, into casual s.e.x just for the h.e.l.l of it-and if he"d been any other man, and not a player whose philosophy was to always bed and never wed women-she would have seriously considered being his s.e.xual playmate for a while. She"d never thought about doing such a thing before, but he would have been a temptation she might have given in to.
"I hope you"re hungry," she heard herself saying, as his gaze continued to scan her up and down.
His eyes returned to her face and he smiled. She forced herself not to melt right there on the spot at how s.e.xy his smile looked, while he stood there with his hands shoved into his pockets, staring at her as if he wanted to eat her alive. He"d nearly done so before and the memory sent sensuous shivers up her spine.
"Yes, I"m hungry," he said, breaking into her thoughts. "So, what"s for dinner?"
Now that he"d asked...Sam sauntered across the room to Blade, deliberately swaying her hips in the process. She saw red-hot desire in the depths of his dark eyes. And his erection seemed to swell even more.
She reached up and placed her palms on his shirt and brought her body flush against his. She felt his hand go immediately to her backside and was well aware of him inching up the back of her skirt.
She looked up into his eyes, smiled and said in what she hoped was a s.e.xy voice, "Me. So let"s start cooking."
She then pulled his mouth down to hers.
If this was an appetizer, he didn"t want to imagine what the main course was, Blade thought as he tightened his hold around Sam"s waist. He hadn"t expected this, for her to give herself to him on a silver platter, to let him know he would be feasting on her tonight.
She wasn"t just kissing him, she was whipping up something so delicious that he couldn"t do anything but groan in delight. Her tongue was working magic on every part of his mouth, not leaving any place untouched as she explored from crevice to crevice.
Her tongue was tangling around his and was feeding at his mouth with an intensity and hunger that let him know they had mutually greedy appet.i.tes tonight. Unable to help himself, he took the kiss deeper, and his hand roamed over her backside, pressing her closer to his hard form. He wanted her to feel him, wanted her to know just how hot he was for her.
To his surprise, he was the one who finally pulled his mouth away, not because he couldn"t handle any more of her kisses, but because he was ready to move from the appetizer right on to the main course. She stared at him, and he studied her kiss-swollen lips and couldn"t help wondering what she was thinking.
Sam couldn"t believe that the kiss she and Blade had just shared had nearly blown her away. She was supposed to have been in control, but the moment his tongue began tangling with hers, and when he pressed her center close to his and the throbbing of his erection increased, sending vibrations of pleasure shooting to all parts of her body, she had gotten lost in a way she"d never gotten lost in a kiss before.
He stepped back and her eyes became glued to him when he removed his jacket and tossed it aside. Next came his shirt, and she gathered that he intended to strip right in her living room and wasn"t wasting any time. She wouldn"t stop him yet. She would take this as far as she could. Besides, she wanted to see him naked. After tonight it would probably be her only chance to see him in the raw.
She tossed her hair back along with the notion that such a thing bothered her. Blade Madaris was due his due, and she was going to be the woman who would make sure he got it.
But she couldn"t help the knot that formed in her throat when his hands went to the zipper of his jeans. She"d said she was his dinner, and he wasn"t wasting any time digging in. Maybe she should stop him, after all, before things got too out of hand, especially while she still had some control of her senses. Once he undressed, she wasn"t sure just where things would go.
But she didn"t stop him. She was afraid she might miss seeing something if she did. That sounded so awful, but it was the honest to goodness truth. So she stood there and watched as he leaned over to remove his boots and socks and then kicked them aside. He then slid his belt out of the pant loops before easing his jeans, along with his black silk boxers, down his legs. By removing those two pieces of clothing she saw just what she"d been waiting to see, in all its entire glorious and swollen splendor.
His shaft was huge. It was more than enough to fill her hands. She doubted it would even fit into her mouth, and she was having serious misgivings about her ability to get it inside of her-not that such a thing was going to happen.
But still, there was nothing wrong with getting an appreciative eyeful. And she had to admit it was definitely an impressive sight, painstakingly erect amid a groin area covered in dark curly hair. Whoever said that when you"ve seen one you"ve seen them all evidently hadn"t seen this one.
She shifted her gaze to study the rest of him, fully unclothed, beautifully naked with sculpted arms and shoulders, and gorgeous abs. He had muscles all over, and his body was both defined and refined from head to toe. He was truly a work of art.
"Come here, Samari."
She couldn"t explain it, but things happened to her whenever he said her full name. The sound of it coming from those incredible s.e.xy lips not only seemed to caress her skin, it also made goose b.u.mps appear all over, and sent p.r.i.c.kling sensations throughout her body.
A voice inside her head cautioned her-warned her that this was where she should call everything off. Urged her to reveal to him that it had been all fun and games, and that she wasn"t interested in taking things any further. But the truth was she was was interested, if for no other reason than to test her resolve. Besides, she might as well get something out of this before sending him on his way. interested, if for no other reason than to test her resolve. Besides, she might as well get something out of this before sending him on his way.
She felt herself moving, drawn to him in a way she"d never been drawn to a man before, yet at the same time determined that this night would end no differently than with any other player she"d dealt with.
Keeping her eyes fixed on his, she kept walking and then came to a stop directly in front of him. She watched as his gaze lowered from her eyes to the top of her blouse, seeming to linger on her swollen nipples. If there was any doubt in his mind of her reaction to him, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were telling it all, sending the message he needed to hear.
He then returned his gaze to her face. "Do you have any idea just how long I"ve wanted to get inside of you?" he asked in a voice that set her juices flowing. "When I saw you at the rehearsal dinner I wanted to suggest then that we forget everything and go somewhere and make love."
She noticed he"d said "make love" and not "have s.e.x." She didn"t think that players knew the meaning of making love, and that the only thing they thought about was having s.e.x with women. She"d seen the look of interest in his eyes that night and figured he"d planned to make her the next notch on his bedpost-his flavor of the hour. And the next day, at the wedding, she figured he would hit on some other woman. That"s how players operated.
"Take off your top so I can see your b.r.e.a.s.t.s, Sam."
She swallowed. She had a feeling that wasn"t all he wanted to do with them, and before she could talk herself out of doing so, she lifted her halter top over her head and tossed it aside. His gaze zeroed in on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and she could feel them swell even more before his eyes.
Suddenly, as if he had every right to do so, he reached out and cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his hands as he leaned forward. Before she could draw her next breath he used his tongue to lick a wet circle around the hardened tip of one, and then drew a nipple into his mouth and began sucking. Every pull on the swollen bud sent sensations rippling throughout her body.
Searing heat seemed to thrum between her legs and she released a deep moan and squeezed her eyes shut. She"d never gone this far in her game of revenge, never had been tempted to do so. But Blade was doing more than just tempting her, he was reminding her in every possible way that she was a woman, a woman with needs. A tight feeling erupted in her chest at the thought that for the first time in her life she wanted a man.
His mouth finally released her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and she felt the sense of loss, but he eased downward to nibble on her belly and she opened her eyes to find he had dropped to his knees in front of her. He was definitely getting serious, and she immediately knew where all this was leading. She also remembered her one weakness when it came to him.
"Blade, I-"
Whatever words she"d been about to say ended in a moan when his fingers found their way inside her panties and touched her achy flesh. She felt weak in the knees and all but slumped across him. He tugged down her skirt and she knew she shouldn"t let him go any further. And when he proceeded to remove her panties and toss them aside, she couldn"t muster the strength or the will to stop him.
But she knew whatever she did with him, she would have to do with caution. Blade"s lovemaking had a way of getting her so wrapped up in pleasure that she would forget everything except how he made her feel. And the one thing she could not forget was that he could not go all the way with her. At some point she had to end things and ask him to leave.
But not now, she thought when she felt the tip of his nose rubbing against her feminine charms. He was muttering things she couldn"t entirely understand, but she could make out the words sweet, hot, delicious sweet, hot, delicious.
And before she could strain her ears to make out anything else, she literally gasped when he suddenly used his arms to widen her legs, and at the exact same moment jabbed his tongue inside of her.
"Blade!"
He didn"t respond. Not that she"d expected him to. Neither did he stop what he was doing, nor had she truly expected that, either. She grabbed ahold of his shoulders when his mouth became relentless in what he was doing to her-more relentless and hungrier than the night in the parked car. It was as if he was intent on consuming her alive.
Pa.s.sion and l.u.s.t made her womanly flesh throb even more and made sensations sweep through her body. She threw her head back while he held tightly to her thighs and his tongue penetrated even deeper.
Her moans became cries, her groans became gasps and her heart began racing as if it would never, ever slow down. And just when she thought he couldn"t possibly torture her any more, his tongue delved even deeper and made moves, some incredible thrusting motions that nearly had her screaming.
Suddenly an o.r.g.a.s.m hit and it hit her hard, slamming into her with the strength of a tractor trailer. Her hands left his shoulders and grabbed the sides of his head, not to pull him away but to hold him in place. She could tell that he was a man intent on finishing what he"d started, and didn"t plan on going anywhere until the last spasm left her body.
It was then that she pushed him backward, sending him tumbling to the floor, and she quickly proceeded to crouch down on top of him. Before he could say a single word, she became the aggressor and captured his mouth in hers, tasting herself on his lips and tongue.
Her flavor mingling with his did something to her. It made something snap inside of her as she continued to take control of his mouth. She was very much aware of his erection poking her belly.
She released his mouth and leaned downward, capturing his erection in her hand, and proceeded to feather it with kisses before taking her tongue and licking it as she would a lollypop.
"d.a.m.n, woman, what are you doing to me?" He choked out the words while his body exploded and he groaned out her name. When his shudders subsided, he grabbed hold of her hair and gave it a fierce tug.
"Ouch!" She released him, and the moment she did so, he caught her off guard and shifted positions so that she was the one on her back and he was towering over her.
"I got to get inside you, Samari. Now!"
He had spread her legs with practiced ease, and then suddenly, before she could react, she felt the hard thickness of his manhood enter her, stretching her wide in the process, and she flinched in pain. It was then that she realized just how far out of hand things had gotten. He was halfway inside of her. "Stop!"
That single word startled Blade and he froze. He didn"t go any farther, but neither did he pull out. He stared down at her with l.u.s.t-laden eyes, as if trying to figure out why she"d told him to stop. He blinked, and then as if it dawned on him, he pulled out of her and reached for his jacket, which he"d toss on the floor nearby.
Before she could say anything, he told her, "Sorry about that. I can"t believe I forgot to put on a condom."
She watched as he shook his jacket, and a dozen or more foil-wrapped condom packets went flying everywhere, all over her floor. She was amazed at the number and couldn"t help wondering just how many he"d planned to use on her. As if the question going through her mind showed in her expression, he laughed. "When it comes to you I"ve discovered I have a huge appet.i.te."
She could only stare, and tried to force out of her mind just how good he"d felt inside of her for that brief period of time. Her womb was literally weeping at the thought that he wouldn"t be back. When he had invaded her, her muscles had clamped down hard on him like a vise.
She shut her eyes at the memory, but quickly opened them when she felt his hands grab hold of her thighs again. Already he had put on a condom and was ready. And so was her body, although she didn"t want it to be. More than anything she wanted him back inside of her, too, but she knew that couldn"t happen. She pulled herself up into a sitting position. "Blade, wait. We need to talk."
He looked at her, surprised. "Talk?"
"Yes."
Confusion replaced the surprised look in his eyes. "Now?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"You"re kidding, right?"
She pulled in a deep breath that was filled with the aroma of s.e.x. She could certainly understand why he thought she was kidding. They were on the floor, naked, with condoms spread all around. And he had a huge erection, poised and ready for action, with his hands planted on her thighs with the intent of spreading her legs. He"d been there before, so he knew she was wet and ready-just waiting for his return.
She met his gaze and shook her head. "No, I"m not kidding."
She watched him swallow and then saw how he released a deep breath. "Is it because I forgot the condom? Look, I"m really sorry about that. That"s not the way I usually operate, and nothing like that has ever happened to me before. When it comes to making out with a woman I"m usually in better control. I can"t explain what the h.e.l.l happened."
She could, and easily. Like her, he had gotten caught up in the moment, wrapped up in the most intense kind of pleasure. Their bodies had reacted and had left their minds behind.
"It has nothing to do with the condom," she said, pulling away from him, and grateful when he let go of her thighs. What she was about to say wouldn"t be pretty. She intended to make it sound worse than it was. He would get p.i.s.sed. She broke eye contact with him to reach for her skirt, blouse and panties.
"Then if it"s not about the condoms, what is it? Why aren"t we finishing what we"ve started?"