Michelle Maddox - Countdown

He looked at me with some uncertainty and a bit of fear. Couldn't he see in my eyes how much I wanted him? How I'd always wanted him but been too afraid to trust my own feelings? He didn't pull away from me or my hands as they slowly explored his body.

"Just kiss me, Rogan." I rose up on my toes and crushed my mouth against his. A small groan escaped his lips. His hands moved down to my waist.

I slid my tongue into his mouth and tasted him, swirling my tongue around his. He didn't pull away or try to say anything to stop me.

I broke off the kiss, feeling breathless, and our gazes met. His was filled with passion and deep, dark need.

"Kira …" he murmured again. "You don't have to do this."

"Oh, but I want to. Very, very much."

I gave him a wicked grin, then sank down to my knees in front of him. I wrapped my fingers firmly around his length and was greeted by a gasp from his lips. Before he could say anything to either stop me or urge me on, I swirled my tongue over the head of his cock, then slowly took him into my mouth.

His knees buckled, but he stayed on his feet.

"Oh, God, what are you doing to me?"

Hmm. If he didn't know the answer to that he'd been in jail for longer than I thought.

Every moan I coaxed from his lips, every groan of pleasure made my heart swell. I'd never wanted anyone as much as this man I'd been through hell with.

Forget the damn buffet. Rogan was my reward, my tarnished prince, and all I wanted was to make him happy.

After another minute he grabbed my upper arms and yanked me up to my feet, covering my mouth with his, touching, tasting, licking, my hand still curled around him, working him with smooth strokes until he pulled me away from him.

For a moment I thought that he was trying to end this, but instead he yanked at the tie at my waist. My robe slipped off and I stood naked in front of him. For a moment I felt terribly exposed. I'd been with only two other men in my life, but it was in shadows and silence, and out of necessity or mild fondness. Not this … this need I felt for the man who stood in front of me, looking at me with such dark, aching hunger. I'd known him for only two days, but I wanted him more than anything else in the world.

"Kira," he whispered against my lips. "You're so beautiful. I want you so much."

Then he kissed me again, slow and long and perfect. Our tongues slid against each other, deeper and deeper. He backed me up until the backs of my legs hit the bed and eased me back onto the soft surface. He moved his mouth down to my breast and captured a hard nipple, biting down on it gently, and then moving his tongue around it in slow circles.

I moaned at the sensation, starting to feel out of control, and gasped as his right hand found its way between my thighs and the evidence of my raging desire for him. I felt him smile, his rough whiskers teasing my breast, as he looked up into my heavy-lidded gaze.

"You like this?" he asked, as the fingers teased and then slid slowly inside of me.

I arched off the bed with a soft scream. "Oh!"

"Do you want me, Kira?" he breathed into my ear.

I just nodded, barely able to speak. Barely able to think. "Yes … now. Please!"

His smile grew. "No, not quite yet."

I raked my hands through his dark hair as he traced his mouth lower on my body, my breasts, my stomach. He nudged my legs farther apart so I was fully exposed to him. And then I felt his tongue against me while his fingers still moved deep within.

That did it.

My world exploded-fell apart completely as I came over and over, screaming his name, and I reached behind me to grab on to something, anything. When I didn't think I could take it a moment longer, when the pleasure was too intense, I felt his mouth on mine again, kissing me deeper and harder than before.

He entered me then, slowly stretching me to accommodate his width. I spread my legs farther and grasped at his firm ass as he began to pump in and out of me.

Oh, God, it was too much. He felt so good. Nothing had ever felt this good in my life.

"Kira, oh, Kira…" My name was hardly recognizable as it left his lips, slurred with passion and hard-edged lust.

The dam of whatever self-restraint he had broke, and he began to lose control. Each thrust deepened and was more forceful-Rogan was a man who had been isolated in prison and had not known physical contact in years, and I felt the dark need begin to overwhelm him.

It made me realize how lonely I'd been, too. When I was with Rogan, I wasn't lonely anymore. We were in this together, just the two of us, and we would find our way out. Somehow.

I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and I stared up into his eyes, now glazed with desire. He felt so good, so incredibly good as I ran my hands up and down his hard, muscled back and arched again, each thrust of his body bringing with it a wave of pleasure. I never wanted this to end-I wanted him inside me forever.

But then with a hoarse cry and a last deep thrust of his hips he collapsed on top of me. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close until his breathing came back to normal and his mouth found mine again and he kissed me over and over.

We gazed at each other for a long time as we lay side by side in the warm, comfortable four-poster bed. I traced the scar on his cheek with the tip of my finger, and then followed that with a line of kisses along it that led back to his lips.

"I'm very glad you're my partner," he murmured in my ear. "I think I'd hate to have a reward level like this with some guy named Biff."

I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling too widely at that. "You do realize I only had sex with you because now I know you're really rich."

He laughed, a rich sound deep in his throat. "I figured as much."

"We're getting out of this, Rogan. You and me. We're going to win this."

He kissed me, pulled me closer, and I wanted him again so very badly.

"And with Kira and Rogan enjoying the afterglow of their mid- Countdown tryst, we hope that you enjoyed the bonus footage, subscribers."

I felt cold. "What was that?"

Rogan pulled the sheets up to cover my nakedness, his gaze wildly scanning the room. "I didn't see any cameras. I swear I didn't."

I clutched the sheets against me and my heart began to thud even harder. "Neither did I."

The door opened and five men in white coats marched in. Jonathan came in last.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But the reward level is officially over."

What had just happened with Rogan had been broadcast to the subscribers? Oh, my God. The thought made me sick.

"You said that I'd have privacy," I managed as my face grew warm with embarrassment and anger. "It was part of the reward."

His expression was grim. "You must know by now that I'm a liar, Kira. There is no privacy in this game. Get dressed."

He nodded at one of the men, who then threw a pile of clothes at us. But they weren't the clothes I had before: cargo pants, tank top, and my stolen red sneakers. These clothes were new and black, with black boots that hit the floor by the bed.

"You have three minutes," Jonathan said. Then he turned around and left the room.

"Fuck," Rogan said under his breath. "Kira, I'm sorry. I didn't see any cameras. I honestly thought we were alone. Stupid of me."

"How do we get out of this? You created this show. How does a competitor get off it?"

His mouth straightened into a thin line and he slid his hand into my hair. "Used to be just by losing, but now there are only two ways off the show: winning or dying."

He swung out of the bed and grabbed at the new clothing. He pulled on a pair of black pants and slid a black shirt over his head. The clothes fit tightly against his body, almost like a costume. He sat on the edge of the bed and laced up the boots.