He stared at it. ‘There’s no such word as “aa”. Acronyms aren’t allowed in our version of the game.’ He grinned gleefully.
‘Actually “aa” is a form of solidified lava,’ she said. ‘Feel free to look it up if you need to, but I think you’ll find I’m right. And that I’ve just won by a point.’
‘Solidified lava, huh?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘That’s right.’ She tilted her chin. ‘If you’re up for it, you can always challenge me to a rematch.’
James’ eyes narrowed. ‘All right. But it has to be speed Scrabble.’
Thirty minutes later she chuckled. ‘Did you want to try for best of three?’
‘No, thanks. I concede the Scrabble crown to you.’
‘And now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I might retire.’ Caitlin smiled, somewhat embarrassed.
She looked over at James’ parents happily relaxing with all their sons home. Even if one of their sons hadn’t been remotely relaxed.
She really shouldn’t be intruding on this. Yet they’d made her welcome. She’d just been Caitlin again—with no cloud of doom hanging about her. Fitting in had been fun.
‘Thanks so much for having me to stay,’ she said. And meant it.
Ten minutes later there was a knock on her door and he slipped straight inside.
‘What was with the delay?’ he growled, pulling her close and spinning her to push her against the door. ‘We could be on our third round by now.’
‘I needed to flash my Scrabble skills.’
‘Flash me some other things,’ he muttered, his hands sliding over her dress. ‘Fast.’
She laughed. ‘But I won.’
‘And I’m your prize.’ He bent his head. ‘I need to be in you. Now.’
His impatience was an incredible turn on. But there was something more that drew her to please him—that hint of raw.
‘I never knew Scrabble could be foreplay,’ she mused, teasing him as she began to unbutton his shirt.
‘I’ve been waiting so long.’ He looked into her eyes. ‘I need this.’
Why? When they’d just had a perfectly pleasant night. But he kissed her before she could ask.
Sex. She reminded herself as she leaned into his kiss. It was just sex for him. It wasn’t her he’d been waiting for. But the ecstasy, the physical release.
‘You’ve been laughing all night,’ he said, pressing kisses across her jaw line. ‘Your laugh turns me on. I want to capture it. Capture you.’
‘You have me,’ she breathed, confessing the truth in a tease. ‘Any way you want me.’
‘Every way.’
Passion filled her. She needed to kiss him, touch him everywhere. Feel him. The thrill of being near him had never lessened. Chemistry was an incredible thing. She laughed now with the delight of it. Quickly he cupped his palm over her mouth. Hard.
Oh. Wicked excitement flamed inside her.
He smiled at her widened eyes. ‘Can’t have your sexy screams keeping everyone awake,’ he whispered.
She twisted her head, lifting her mouth free of his muzzle. ‘I don’t scream.’
‘Yeah, you do,’ he taunted with a wicked smile. ‘But first you sigh, then you pant. The panting gets quicker and louder. Then you scream.’
‘I’m that predictable?’ she asked, already breathless.
‘Pretty much.’
‘Keep your hands off my mouth,’ she ordered in defiance. ‘Your lips off mine. I can be quiet.’
‘Can you now?’ he dared.
Oh, hell, she wanted him so badly. ‘You won’t hear a peep. Promise.’
‘But what if I were to do this to you?’
She jumped. Just slamming her lips together in time to stifle the yelp as he cupped her sex with an invasive hand, his thumb working in circles around her already swollen, pulsing clitoris.
His smile widened and he stepped in closer, bracing his other hand on the wall beside her head. ‘You’re really going to stay silent?’
Slowly she nodded, knowing they were in a game now. The thing about James was that he liked a challenge. Well, so did she.
‘You think you’re so tough,’ he said softly. ‘A tough nut to crack.’ His mouth curved again and he leaned close to nip her lips. ‘Like a macadamia. Delicious. But so hard to break into.’
‘I’m not a nut,’ she whispered furiously.
He chuckled loudly.
‘If you don’t want people to hear us, then you need to whisper,’ she hissed.
Suddenly he moved, bending to pick her up. In three strides he deposited her on the bed. Coming down hard on top of her. She gritted her teeth to hold back her groan of delight. She loved taking his weight.
But then he lifted away and started to torment her. His hands feathered over her skin in horrendously slow, delicious strokes. He carefully lifted her dress, exposing her to him inch by inch. Touching, tasting every part of her as he revealed it. He slipped the dress from her shoulders. Pressed kisses along the edge of her bra as he worked to unclasp it. Then he went to work on removing her knickers.
Slowly, teasing. Sending her insane.
She reached for the pillow, bit down on the corner of it, clenching down on the torture. So close to coming. But she couldn’t squeal.
‘That’s cheating,’ he reproved, pulling the pillow out from her teeth.
Her jaw snapped. She breathed hard. ‘Bastard.’
‘Insulting my mother when you’re in her home?’ he chuckled. ‘Bad girl.’
‘And you’re the bad boy for sneaking around to have sex with one of the guests on the sly?’
‘You were the one who wanted this to be clandestine.’ He gazed down her body as he slid his fingers along her slick sex. ‘So let’s have a silent orgasm then.’
He bent and added his mouth, his tongue to where his fingers already played. His mouth was hot and wet and wicked. His tongue skilled, his fingers fast.
Her lips parted, her head thrust back. He licked her again and again. He reached one hand up to her breast, strumming her nipple. The other hand working between her legs moved faster. One finger, two, three. He filled her while sucking and licking and kissing. Until she was rocking her hips like an animal, wildly running her hands through his hair.
She drew a deep, burning breath. Held it. Releasing it harshly as the sensations tumbled through her. Roughened breathing was not screaming. She’d done it.
‘Not bad,’ he said matter of factly, as if he were judging a cake contest. ‘But I like it most when you’ve completely lost control.’
He stood from the bed, roughly removing his clothes as quickly as possible, rolling on a condom he’d pulled from his trouser pocket. And then he pinned her.
His hands gripped hers, pushing them to the mattress, his full weight on her body. His legs pushed hers wider apart as he plunged to the hilt.
She clamped her mouth shut, barely able to hold back the moan. He kissed down her neck, across the vulnerable skin over