Allison Brennan - Cutting Edge

She couldn’t see, she couldn’t think, the edge of the cliff was there, in front of her. She grabbed Duke’s shoulders, holding on as if she would drown; a rainbow of light burst, and she exploded with a cry that sounded far, far away.

She tried to catch her breath while trying to find his mouth with hers. But instead of kissing her, he hauled her up off the floor, and over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. Duke carried her down the hall to her bedroom. He tossed her on the bed and she finally opened her eyes and saw him, looking as hot and needy as she felt. His skin glistened with perspiration, and between her dining room and her bedroom, he’d lost his jeans. He towered over her naked, his cock long and hard in front of him.

“God, you’re gorgeous.” His voice growled, rough and gravelly, as he bent over her, his hands on either side of her head, slowly, until he kissed her again.

Duke had wanted Nora English since the first time he’d seen her four years ago. Every time he’d consulted with her squad, before the arsons, he’d wanted her even more. One look at her, and he’d known she wanted to explore him just as much, but she wouldn’t let herself. Nora never gave herself a minute to indulge in what she wanted. He needed her to open up to him, to talk to him, so he could find out everything about her, why she was so driven, so serious, so dedicated. He needed her to open her body to him, just like this, though her wanton response was far more thrilling than he’d imagined. He thought he’d have to work harder, but as soon as he called her out for her feelings, she caved, and he loved it. She was an open book, and everything he thought he knew about her was both very right and wrong at the same time. Nora was everything she appeared to be, but more . She had more depth, more passion, more everything than what appeared on the surface.

And here, now, the way she looked at him, giving herself fully and completely to him and their mutual pleasure was turning him nearly desperate with lust.

He wanted slow and easy, he wanted to show her how strongly he felt about her, but the depths of his desire were greater than he could control. He gave, she took and returned everything back, her hands firm and unwavering in their exploration of his chest, his back, and then she reached down and grabbed his cock and squeezed. A guttural growl escaped his chest.

He swallowed her mouth, grunting with restraint as she moaned out his name.

“Nora,” he whispered into her ear, sucking the lobe, kissing the soft, delicate skin behind her ear. “Nora,” he said again, “You had me from the beginning.” He kissed her neck, her body moving beneath him, her hands moving back up his body, her short nails scraping neither too light nor too hard up his back, but with confidence.

She grasped his hands, squeezed, and pulled them above her head, trapping herself beneath his body, holding tight, her body moving to a tempo they both heard in their collective heart.

He didn’t need a road map, his body moved into position, his cock twitching between her legs as it sought ground zero. When he touched her, she gasped, her eyes fluttered closed, and her heart raced against his chest.

Duke sank slowly into her, a nearly primal groan vibrating his chest. Nora gasped beneath him and held her breath, her mouth open, her eyes closed, her face an open book of pleasure tinged with discomfort. He realized then that she was sharing something precious with him, that she didn’t jump in bed with just anyone, that she was opening up far more of herself than he’d hoped for. And he would take it all, and pray he could return every ounce of trust she’d placed in him.

Nora couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex, but she knew it had never been like this.

She released Duke’s hands and wrapped her arms around his back, her fingers pressing into his hard muscles as she stretched herself for him. There was nothing in the world like this, being here, with Duke. Her mind didn’t wander, her body didn’t betray her nervousness. In fact, she wasn’t nervous. She had a confidence that emboldened her, that pushed her to seek more from Duke, more from herself, than she’d thought she’d wanted.

She arched her back and without having to say anything, he pushed himself fully into her. She bit back a cry as she lost her breath. The needful sounds, the rich, earthy scents, the texture of his body on top of her, inside of her, wrapped around her, heightened her perceptions. It was as if she were fully and completely absorbed into this man. She didn’t know where she ended and Duke began. She didn’t want to know. Never had she felt so at one with another human being, never had she felt so desired or hungry. He filled her, melting her, becoming part of her.

He pushed up off her chest, giving her air she didn’t want but sorely needed, his hands on either side of her head.

“Nora,” he whispered, his voice throaty and deep, sending shivers that vibrated through her body and made him grunt.

She opened her eyes, his deep blue eyes only inches from hers, his square jaw set. She couldn’t tear her eyes away as his hips moved, slowly up, then down until she gasped, a tornado building again inside her, bigger, stronger, more powerful than the twister that overtook her in the dining room.

He knew it, too, his face darkening, as he forced himself to go slow. She felt his biceps; they were hard, his veins pronounced as he controlled his movements. His sweat dripped onto her skin, their scents mingling. Her entire body responded to Duke, her hips meeting his as they quickly developed a perfect rhythm, a tempo that with every beat increased the pace.

In another flash of light and heat, Nora cried out, her body arching as if pulled up by an invisible string, and she wrapped one leg around Duke’s waist to hold him there, right there, as waves of her orgasm crashed into each other, one after the other. Duke wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her tight to him as his own orgasm exploded into her. The intensity, the incredible high of their shared pleasure, left Nora dizzy and completely satiated.

Duke eased down on her, his heart pounding so hard she was lulled by the rhythmic power. He kissed her on her cheek, her neck, her lips, soft whispers of affection, of satisfaction, of comfort.

“That was …” she began, but her mind was mush and she smiled and sighed, squirming beneath him.

“Incredible,” he finished. He rolled over, pulling her with him, and managed to find the sheet that had fallen she didn’t know where. He wrapped the sheet around them, and held her.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said emphatically.

“Good,” she whispered and snuggled into him. Her eyes closed and she sighed with contentment. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

Duke watched Nora as she drifted off to sleep. Her hair was damp from their activities, and he tucked it behind one of her ears so he could see her profile. So soft, so beautiful, so peaceful in rest. She looked vulnerable, something that she hid very well most of the time.

The urge to protect was common to him; it was part of his job. But the need to keep Nora safe overwhelmed him. This wasn’t Duke’s job, this was more. He couldn’t bear for Nora to be hurt, he had to keep her safe and protect her not only from predators, but from her own relentless drive, her strong empathy, and sense of guilt for things she had no control over. Nora never had anyone looking out for her: not her mother, not her boss, not even her sister. And certainly not Nora.

But now she had Duke. This was far more important than a job. It involved his heart, and he was losing it to Nora faster than he could tell her he loved her.