Stronger Than You Know by Lori Foster
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WELL, HEHADN’T been wrong. An hour had passed and still he stared up at the ceiling, full of conflicts and hunger, both horny and swamped with tenderness.
Seeing that look on Kennedy’s face when he’d abruptly moved away... He’d done that to her.
What should he have done instead?
He thought back to Sterling’s advice, about how he should ease into things. He’d agreed to give it a try, and then instead he’d blown it.
There wasn’t much he feared in life, but he detested the idea of pushing Kennedy, maybe making her uncomfortable with his lust.
“Reyes?”
Her voice was husky with sleep, and she shifted a little, turning to face him. “Hmm.”
“Why are you still awake?”
Because I want you so damn much, and you’re here, all sweet and soft beside me, and I can smell the scent of your shampoo and lotion, and the warmer, muskier scent of your skin, and it’s making me nuts.
Of course, he didn’t say any of that. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
And...there went his brain again, pondering all the things he wanted to do with her. He turned on his side and levered up to his forearm. “Why aren’t you sleeping? I thought you were out.”
“Close, but I keep thinking about earlier.”
“At the campsite? That’s over, babe. You’re here with me, safe.”
Smiling, she touched his cheek, then his bare shoulder. “I meant on the couch, when I made you uncomfortable.”
What the hell? “You didn’t.”
“It’s just...the way you looked at me, well, I thought you were going to kiss me.”
He’d been thinking of a hell of a lot more than mere kissing, but all he said was, “I would never take advantage of you.”
“I know.” Her fingers drifted across his chest. “But did I totally misread that? It’s been forever since I paid attention to a guy, and now I’m worried I got my signals crossed. If so, that’d be really embarrassing.” After all that, she drew a breath, and asked, “So were you thinking about it?”
Damn. He couldn’t lie to her, not when she sounded so vulnerable. With a mental shrug, he admitted, “Yeah, I was thinking about kissing you—and more. Can’t seem to help it around you. Just remember, you don’t have to worry that I’ll—”
“What if I wanted you to?” she interrupted. “Because I do. And it’s the strangest feeling, wanting something I haven’t even thought about for so long.”
Reyes swallowed heavily. What exactly did she want from him?
“If you’d rather not, I understand.”
“That’s not the problem.” God, he wished the room were lighter so he could really see her, not just the shadows and outlines of her features from the moonlight filtering through the darkened windows. “Why don’t you tell me why you’d want me to?” Once the words left his mouth, they sounded lame.
Never in his life had he asked a woman to explain desire.
She scooted closer, opening her hand over his left pectoral muscle. “Until recently, the thought of getting that close to a man was repugnant.”
“Things have changed, though?”
“With you, yes.” Stroking over him, she seemed to relish the texture of his chest hair. She explored him—and it was sexy as hell. “Now I think about it all the time. Not just kissing you, but more.”
Way to level him. “Kennedy—”
“I promise it won’t mean anything,” she rushed out. “I know it could be awkward if I got ideas, since I’m staying with you. Still... I just thought maybe you wouldn’t mind.” Her breasts pressed against his upper arm. “It doesn’t have to be more than a kiss—”
He touched his mouth to hers, as light and easy as he could, but damn, a roaring sounded in his ears.
This was Kennedy.
This was red-hot hunger.
Go slow. Be easy.
Don’t scare her.
Gently he framed her face in his hands and shifted her to her back. “I want you to tell me if at any point—”
She lifted up enough to seal her mouth to his, and he forgot what he was going to say.
In fact, he forgot his own name. As her mouth moved under his, he forgot that she’d been a victim, that he was her protector...
That this was only supposed to be a kiss.
Her arms snaked around his neck, and her lips parted to the touch of his tongue.
Half atop her now, Reyes slanted his head for a better fit and ate at her mouth with all the need burning up inside him.
With a soft groan, she shifted one of her legs alongside his hip, creating a cradle with her body. He liked that enough to trail a hand down her side until he could cup one full, soft cheek, lifting her more firmly against him.
His brain couldn’t seem to wrap around the reality of what was happening. He’d wanted Kennedy forever, and here he was, one big hand stroking over the generous curves of her ass, his tongue in her mouth, their groans mingling.
This was Kennedy.
Being so fucking hot.
She wasn’t at all like a woman caught up in past abuse. She wasn’t timid or reserved. She gave and she took, and it was the most natural thing in the world.
Even when he had a fleeting moment of sanity, she quickly pushed him beyond it again. He left her mouth to kiss her throat and made a desperate attempt at control. “Babe—”
“Don’t stop. Please don’t.” Her fingers tunneled into his hair and tightened. “Please.”
“I won’t unless you tell me to.”
“Perfect,” she purred, and steered his mouth back to hers.
Holy hell, she apparently wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. Definitely not something he’d expected, but damn, it set him on fire.
Suddenly he had to touch and kiss every part of her. He wanted light enough to see, and he wanted nakedness to finally sate his imagination.
He wanted everything Kennedy Brooks could give, and then some.
Holding her face in his hands, he slowed her down. “I’m onboard one hundred percent, but I want your word that if anything bothers you, if you want me to ease up, or stop altogether, or—”
She smashed her fingers to his lips. “Do you have a condom?”
“Yup.” He didn’t mean to be abrupt, but the more agreeable she was, the hotter he got.
“Get it, then no more talking.” She gave that quick thought, reconsidering apparently, because she added, “Unless you want to tell me something to do, something that you like.”
He’d never survive this. Shifting her small, cool hand to his cheek, he whispered, “I like you, Kennedy.” And that was more than enough.
Her expression softened. “I like you, too, Reyes.” She brushed a tender kiss to his mouth. “Thank you for giving me this.”
His eyes flared. She was thanking him for agreeing to have sex? “You are the most...” What? Sweetest? Funniest? Craziest woman he’d ever known? All of the above. “You’re welcome,” he said, then quickly slid to the side and turned on a lamp. He was already hard as granite and breathing too fast, but who cared?
Kennedy liked him.
He knew the truth—he more than liked her. His brain shied away from dwelling on that disquieting thought. At the closet, he got down a box of condoms, turned—and completely froze.
Her back to him, Kennedy pushed down her pajama pants, giving him a stellar view of the ass of his dreams.
His mouth went dry.
Straightening again, she tossed the bottoms toward the top already on the floor, and turned toward him wearing only minuscule rose-colored panties.
A wet dream, that’s what she was.
When he continued to stare, she shifted.
“I’m not very endowed in the boob department.”
“Babe, seriously, you’re perfect.” Proud shoulders led down to small, high breasts, her rosy nipples already pebbled tight. A narrow waist flared into generous hips and full thighs, down to shapely calves.
Visually, he devoured her.
Holding the box of condoms loosely in his hand, he strode over to her. “I’ve thought about you naked from that first day we met.”
Her lips lifted into a cheeky smile. “I didn’t think about you naked until we rescued Chimera.”
Ah, that alley cat had proved most instrumental in his relationship with Kennedy. And, damn it, it was a relationship. That of friends, and soon lovers.
By far the closest relationship he’d ever had with a woman who wasn’t related.
Reaching past her, he set the box on the bookcase headboard. He touched her hair, sifting the silky blond strands through his fingers and then settling them behind her shoulder. Leaning down, he kissed her throat, filling himself with the warm scent of her, absorbing her softness and accepting that she was his.
On a breathy sigh, she tipped her face up and away to give him more room. He cupped both her breasts, loving how they fit into his palms. Against her throat, he suggested, “Let’s lose the panties, too.”
She nodded but otherwise didn’t move, so he did the honors, trailing his hands over her body, tracking all those sweet curves and the silkiness of her skin, down to her waist, her hips, then around to her bottom—and inside her panties.
Stepping against him, she opened her mouth on his chest, her hot little tongue tasting his skin, her sharp teeth scraping gently over him.
While stroking her, he eased her panties down. His arms were long enough, and she was short enough, that it was an easy thing to get them over her hips, and from there, they dropped on their own.
He was a visual man, and he absolutely loved women’s bodies, so he held her back enough to look her over again.
“It’s not going to change,” she whispered with the first hint of nervousness. “This is it.”
His gaze locked on hers. “Just so we’re clear, you’re the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m going to want to look at you a lot.”
“Oh.” Her chin angled up. “I’d like to look at you, too, so drop the boxers.”
Ah, there was the confident, no-nonsense woman he knew. “Yes, ma’am.” He took two steps back and quickly shucked off his shorts. Holding out his arms, he said, “I’m not shy. Look your fill, just make it fast because I’m dying to get you under me.”
With her eyes on his dick, she murmured, “What if I want you under me?”
Was that nervousness, or just pure challenge? Was she saying it’d be easier for her in the dominant position?
He couldn’t tell, so he said, “Whatever you want is fine by me.” More serious now, he gathered her close for a devastating kiss. Yes, this. Skin to skin, heat combining... It couldn’t be more perfect.
By silent agreement, they moved to the bed, both of them touching, stroking, exploring. Reyes drew her right nipple into his mouth, flicking with his tongue, then leisurely sucking, and she went a little wild. Her fingertips bit into his shoulders and her hips rose in a frantic rhythm against his.
Nice. He could have spent hours just doing this, but she wasn’t patient enough for that. Her legs were shifting, her feet sliding over the sheets restlessly. Relieved that she wasn’t having any bad memories, at least not so far, he lowered a hand to her sex.
That got her still real quick, mostly in bated anticipation. Smiling against her nipple, he stroked over her, parted her and teased her soft, damp lips with one finger.
Her body arched in response.
Her hand covered his and she pressed, urging him to move more quickly than he’d planned.
She was already wet enough that his finger pressed deep, even as her muscles squeezed around him.
Watching her, turned on even more by her need, he murmured, “It’s like that, huh?”
“Shut up, Reyes,” she groaned, already sounding near release.
Her long abstinence had left her incredibly tight, and apparently hungry. Taking her mouth again, he kissed her with every bit of finesse he possessed while rocking his palm against her mound in coordination with his thrusting finger. He was hard enough to be lethal, but he wanted to experience her pleasure first, to know he’d accomplished that much before he let himself go. He wasn’t a bastard—her release mattered a lot to him—and so he concentrated on her, on each small reaction, the catch of her breath and every vibrating moan.
The problem was that as she got closer to the edge, so did he. Knowing he wouldn’t last much longer, he brought his thumb up to her clitoris, and that almost did it for her. She gave a harsh groan and clenched around him, her heels digging into the mattress.
Beautiful. Urging her on with whispered words, he found a rhythm that pushed her ever closer. He added a second finger, stretching her carefully, spreading her slick moisture, then pressing his fingers as deeply as he could while continuing to tease her clit with the rough pad of his thumb.
She grew tighter and tighter, more restless, her breaths fast and shallow. He loved it, every freaking second of it. After a few minutes more, she came with a low, intense groan that absolutely did him in.
The second Kennedy went limp, he literally lurched over to grab a condom, rolled it on in haste, and parted her legs to settle over her.
“Yes?” he asked, needing her confirmation, needing to know she was still with him.
“Yes,” she whispered, getting her eyes open and giving him a dreamy smile. “Definitely—”
He pressed into her in one long, smooth thrust.
“Yes.”Gripping his shoulders, Kennedy caught her breath.
Yeah, maybe he should have gone a little slower. He was larger than a lot of guys, something other women had enjoyed. But this was Kennedy, and other women didn’t matter anymore. It was what she felt, how she responded, that mattered to him.
“You okay?” She held him in a snug, wet vise, making speech near impossible. “Tell me you’re okay, babe.”
“Fine,” she breathed, tightening around him even more, followed by a shifting of her hips.
“Ah, hell.” Balanced on his forearms, he tipped his head back and drove into her with urgent need. Worry hovered around the periphery of his consciousness, because no matter the naturalness of her response, she had a dark past that could dredge up memories at any second.
But lust, tinged with something softer, stronger, drove him on despite that. As long as she didn’t call a halt, he had to have her.
It helped that she moaned, that she hitched her legs around his hips and lifted into his every heavy thrust.
When he felt her tightening yet again, he wanted to shout with pure male satisfaction. Stiffening, her head back and her body arching, she cried out with another, stronger release.
That was it. Reyes couldn’t wait a second more, so he let himself go.
Gone. Lost.
Probably a little in love.
And even that revelation didn’t unsettle him. As he sank down against her, utterly replete, his world seemed at peace.
All because he had Kennedy in it.
ONCEDURINGTHENIGHT, Reyes awoke to find her propped on an elbow, staring down at him.
“Hey,” he said, still half asleep. “You okay?”
“Perfectly fine.” She drifted a hand over his chest.
“Then why are you awake?”
“We forgot to turn out the light. The rain woke me and I remembered you were right here, that I could look my fill, and sleep didn’t seem as interesting.”
He lifted his head from the pillow and glanced at the window to see steady trickles of rain tracking over the panes. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know.” She leaned down to kiss him. “Go back to sleep.”
The lecherous look on her face amused him. “So you can ogle me?”
“Sure.”
He grinned. “I have a better idea.” Pulling her up and over him, he kissed her and wanted to go on kissing her. “We’ll sleep after, okay?”
Instead of answering, she took his mouth again.
Yeah, he could get used to this, all right.
THENEXTTIMEReyes woke, it was to see Kennedy’s naked rump sneaking from the bed. Damn, but that was an eye-opener for sure. Tiptoeing, she slipped into his bathroom. Seconds later he heard the toilet flush, then the water running, and he glanced at the clock. Seven o’clock.
With a family meeting on the agenda, it was time to rise and shine. Indulging an elaborate stretch, he came fully awake.
A deep contentment had invaded his bones. Hell, he was smiling. Who woke with a smile?
Obviously, any guy lucky enough to have phenomenal sex with Kennedy.
Creeping over to the door, he peeked in and saw her cleaning her teeth with a toothpaste-covered finger.
Still naked.
Lord love the girl, she looked fine at his sink.
“You’re welcome to use my toothbrush.”
She blanched, jerked around to face him—finger still in her mouth—and glared. Turning back to the sink, she rinsed and spit before saying, “You were supposed to stay in bed.”
“Why?” Eyeing her body, he propped a shoulder on the door frame. “You didn’t.”
Color suddenly tinged her cheeks. “I was trying to wake up enough to truly appreciate you.” She indicated the toothpaste. “And I didn’t want to have morning breath.”
Reyes grinned... Truly appreciate you. Kennedy was absolutely the most unique woman he’d ever met. “Sorry to have spoiled your fun, but we can head back to bed if you want.”
Her brows lifted over blurry eyes, her expression that of someone offered a gift. “Really?”
His grin widened. She truly amused him in the mornings with her sluggishness. “We have a little time before we need to head over to Dad’s. We can sneak in a quickie if you want, but we can’t linger. I’m sure Bernard is putting together a big breakfast.”
“So early?”
He shrugged. “We’d be cutting it close, but I can manage if you can.” It was his experience that women generally took longer getting ready than men did.
“Blast.” Looking very disappointed, Kennedy said, “If you want me verbally functional, I need coffee before I meet anyone. Lots and lots of coffee.” She huffed a sigh, then strode up to him and stood, defiantly staring into his eyes. “Look, I know I started this with wanting just a kiss, but we shot past that last night, right?”
“Er...right.” Where was she going with this? Hopefully, she didn’t have regrets now.
Then again, she’d just been cleaning her teeth with a finger and planning on keeping him in bed, so...
“Good, we’re agreed.” She opened her hand over his chest, lightly petting him, testing the strength of his pec muscle, using her thumb to brush over his left nipple.
“Kennedy—” Much more of that and she wouldn’t get a single sip of coffee.
Smiling up at him, she whispered, “Last night was a surprise. You’re a surprise.” She pursed her mouth thoughtfully. “Actually, I was the biggest surprise.”
His heart softened. “Because you enjoyed yourself?”
“Far, far more than I knew was even possible,” she confirmed. “And now that I’ve had a taste, I’m not done.”
Catching on, he asked, “You want more, is that it?” Definitely not a problem for him.
“I really do. But actually, waiting until tonight might be a good idea.” She scrunched her nose. “I’m more alert in the evening, and honestly... I’m a little sore.”
Had he been too enthusiastic? “A shower would probably help.”
“After coffee. But for now, can I count on a repeat?”
That quickie was sounding better and better. “Guaranteed.”
A beautiful smile bloomed on her face. “Perfect.” She stretched up on tiptoe to peck his lips, then headed for her top and bottoms. “Let’s do coffee before I perish. It took all my resolve to accomplish cleaning my teeth without it. The rest might have been wishful thinking.”
Reyes stood there grinning inside and out. He’d had sex, varied and often, but knowing he’d pleased Kennedy, that he’d overcome the ugly memories of her past, was a gift he’d always cherish.
Funny that, good as the sex had been, he still couldn’t compete with caffeine. Should have known there wouldn’t be a typical “morning after” with Kennedy.
She was different, so it figured this would be different, too.
With her, it was also better.
YES, REYESHADSAID, in an offhand way, that his dad was loaded. She still hadn’t expected this.
Good God, it appeared the man owned a mountain, or at least a good chunk of it, so that he had complete privacy.
And his house... Her eyes were round enough to drop out of her head as Reyes drove up higher and higher along the private road. When she spotted the smaller house to the right, she let out a breath of relief. Maybe his father lived there, and the other building was an upscale lodge or something.
But no, he went right past the very nice, moderately sized home.
“Who lives there?” Kennedy asked, thinking the smaller home felt cozier.
“That’s Madison’s place, though she, as well as Cade and I, have private suites in Dad’s house just in case there’s ever an emergency. His security is the best.”
Kennedy stared at him, agog by that notion since Reyes had his place completely locked down. “Better than yours?”
Snorting, he said, “No comparison. Everything at Dad’s is state-of-the-art shit, like the government would use, you know? Most of it isn’t even available to the public. He has some crazy-cool stuff.”
And Reyes’s weird darkening windows weren’t crazy cool? “If you say so.”
He gave her a quick, knowing look. “Don’t be nervous, honey.”
“Oh, right. You tell me your father is an ogre and that he’ll likely try to intimidate me, you say he has equipment not available to the rest of us mere mortals, and I can see he’s insanely wealthy—but I shouldn’t worry about any of that.”
“No,” he said gently, “you shouldn’t. Dad is just...my dad, you know? Sure, the situation is a little different, but you’ll hold your own, I don’t doubt it.”
“Cade and Madison will be there?”
“Sterling, too.”
That was something, at least. Safety in numbers and all that. Being among his family would serve as a buffer against her new, somewhat raw awareness of Reyes as a sexual man. Left alone with him, she’d probably keep him in the bed all day.
He’d probably like the sex, but would he start to feel smothered? Already she’d practically insisted that he keep on sleeping with her, when that had never been his intent. He’d been very up-front about avoiding commitments.
Shame that her heart hadn’t listened.
But even that, the sweet ache that filled her chest every time she looked at his impossibly handsome face, could probably be written off as lust. For so long she’d believed the scum who’d kidnapped her had stolen her sexuality in the process. In her mind, intercourse was something to be suffered, not enjoyed.
Yet with Reyes, the pleasure had been so intense she didn’t know how to describe it.
“You have a certain look about you,” Reyes mused aloud. “Want to share your thoughts?”
“Sex,” she blurted, seeing no reason not to share. “It was all so hot and powerful and—”
“Wet,” he agreed, his voice low and deep.
It felt like her stomach tumbled over in a very pleasant way. She fanned her face, feeling flushed. “Topic switch, okay? I don’t want to be flustered when I meet your dad.”
His satisfied smile nearly did her in, but he obliged her by asking, “What do you think of the house?”
“It’s big enough to be a lodge that could hold a few hundred people.” Not only did it sit partially in the mountain, but colorful aspens were everywhere, as well as giant boulders. Who needed landscaping when Mother Nature did such a remarkable job?
“You should see it at night, with all the exterior lights shining like amber along the stone columns. It’s pretty. And the sunsets here are spectacular.”
The sunsets at Reyes’s house were beautiful, too. When she left there—because eventually she would—she’d miss it so much. The fresh air, the sounds of nature all around, sunrises and sunsets, the privacy. To her, Reyes had the perfect setup, and it was much nicer than this massive structure.
She didn’t care if that wasn’t fair. Yes, the house was beautiful, stunningly so, but herein lived Reyes’s father, and she already disliked the man based on Reyes’s descriptions.
He pulled right up near the front door instead of using one of the many parking spaces. After he turned off his truck, he asked, “Ready?”
Not even. Forcing her mouth into a smile, she nodded.
As usual, Reyes walked around to her side and played the gentleman while she continued to take in the grandeur of the place.
A circular deck on the second floor created a covered porch at the front double doors. Wings extended in both directions, sort of hugging the mountain, with the entirety of the house enclosed by a smooth stone wall. The same stone was used in the giant pillars that supported the second-floor deck.
She was still craning her head around, taking it all in, when the front doors opened.
Sterling stood there grinning at her, while a tall, elegant man fussed behind her. “My job,” he stated in lofty tones, reaching past Sterling to wrest the doorknob from her hands so he could sweep the double doors wide. “Reyes,” he said, and then he smiled at Kennedy. “And you must be Ms. Brooks.”
She almost said, Guilty, but caught herself in time. “Hello. You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you. Though it’s actually Parrish’s, I claim it as well.”
Ah, so this wasn’t Reyes’s father. He had to be midsixties, tall, thin, with silver hair and a reserved expression—except for his eyes. Those eyes were full of mischief. “You’re Bernard?”
He surprised her by saying, “None other. And so we’re clear right off, Chimera is mine.”
Grousing, Reyes took her hand and tugged her over the threshold. “Let up, Bernard. She hasn’t even been here a minute.”
Bernard looked obstinate about it, so Kennedy turned to Sterling. “It’s good to see you again.”
Watching them, her gaze bouncing back and forth between Reyes and Kennedy, Sterling grinned. “Nice work, dude.” She offered Reyes a high five.
Shaking his head in stern warning, Reyes took Sterling’s wrist and lowered her arm to her side. “Behave.”
“Never. At least not with you.” She grinned at Kennedy. “I still owe him a whole lot of hassling, so you’ll have to bear with me while I get it out of my system.”
“Hassling?” she asked, confused by the whole exchange that had just happened.
“When I first came here, baby brother ribbed me endlessly, making me feel like a worn-out boot.”
“I did not,” Reyes complained, but he looked abashed as he said it.
“Come on.” Sterling latched on to Kennedy’s arm. “Bernard needs a few more minutes to finish up one of the most amazing breakfasts you’ll ever have.”
“Thank you,” the stately Bernard said. Kennedy saw a definite twinkle in his eyes.
Sterling quickly propelled her through an immense room and toward a hall. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll show you around. The place is big enough that, without a guide, you’ll get lost.” Over her shoulder, Sterling said to Reyes, “Go find your sibs. They have things to tell you. Kennedy and I will be along shortly.”
Reyes didn’t look happy about it, but neither did he reclaim her. No, he just let Sterling abscond with her.
Luckily, Sterling was with her, because it was true—Kennedy would most certainly get lost on her own.
