“Fletch!” Laughing, she grabbed his face in both hands. “Get a grip. You’re good, but you’re not that good.”
His eyebrows rose. “Is that a challenge?”
Too late, she saw the warning light in his eyes. “No, I just—”
“I think it was a challenge, and this ol’ boy never backs down from a challenge.” With lightning speed he scooped her off the stool. The blanket fell away as he hoisted her over his shoulder, her bare bottom in the air.
“Put me down!”
“Not a chance.” He carried her, squealing and pounding on his back, toward the bedroom.
“Stop this! I need a shower first!”
“You’ll need a shower afterward, too, so let’s forget about that now, shall we?”
With no more ceremony than he’d shown this morning, he tossed her down on the bed, but this time he followed her there, pinning her to the mattress with his large body. “Not that good, huh? We’ll just see about that.”
Six
Fletch wasn’t about to let Astrid blame herself for what had happened on the bridge, especially after he understood why it had happened. If anyone should take the blame, he should, for kissing her in the first place. But because they were alive and frolicking on his bed, he didn’t plan to wallow in guilt over that, either.
She wanted him, apparently far more than he’d ever imagined, and that was the best news he’d heard yet. She no longer mentioned the stumbling block that he was a client. As he kissed his way down her warm, silky body, he was fairly sure she didn’t think of him as a client right now.
When he reached her moist triangle of blonde curls and used his tongue to find that all-important spot where her orgasms lived, he doubted she was thinking of anything. That’s exactly what he wanted, to distract her from the scary events of the morning and remind her of the pleasure they could enjoy in this bed. Judging from her moans and the pressure of her fingertips against his scalp, he was succeeding.
He gave her one quick cli**x to lay the groundwork, and then he nestled more securely into the cradle of her thighs and slowed the action. He loved taking his time on the second go-round, loved building the pressure and backing off, increasing her excitement and easing back. The erotic taste and scent of her hardened his cock, but his c*ck would have to wait. This was all about giving her an orgasm that she begged for, one that had been promised for so long that when it arrived, it would rock her world.
When she began to thrash around, he knew he was achieving his goal. Her moans grew louder, and she even—this made him smile—started to swear. She saved the begging for last, with a few threats thrown in.
He hoped she’d make good on them, because he enjoyed this game, too. He wouldn’t mind having her full mouth give him some payback for what he was doing to her now. In fact, he was counting on her need for revenge, because in this case, revenge would be sweet for both of them.
But he was struggling with his own needs, too, and finally he burrowed in and gave her what she’d pleaded for, because he couldn’t wait much longer for his own cli**x. She yelled as she tumbled over the edge, and then yelled some more as the spasms rolled through her. Breathing hard, she collapsed on the bed.
While she lay gasping, eyes closed, he worked fast to unzip and grab a little raincoat out of the drawer. He didn’t bother taking off his clothes. This one would be fast. Moving over her, he knelt between her thighs.
“My turn,” he murmured. His mouth, flavored with her passion, settled over hers as he slid home. He’d thought she was wrung out, but she lifted her h*ps and squeezed his c*ck in welcome. Then she wrapped her legs around his, locking him in. Her arms came around his back, and he felt the imprint of her fingers.
Okay, then. Maybe she could come again. He revised his plan of quick and easy. Her tongue met his as he began stroking deliberately, shifting his angle, absorbing her response. Oh, yeah. She was right there with him.
Heat shot through his veins as he realized that he’d found a woman who could take what he had to offer and be ready for more, a woman with a sexual appetite for him that matched the one he had for her. He’d despaired of finding such a woman, yet here she was, her body moving in perfect rhythm with his. His cli**x neared, but so did hers. He could feel her tightening.
Lifting his mouth from hers, he looked into her flushed face. “Open your eyes,” he murmured.
Her lashes fluttered, and she looked up at him. Her eyes were so dark they were almost navy. She gulped for air. “You are . . . that good.”
“So are you, lady. So are you.” Holding her gaze, he increased the tempo, and in seconds, they came, their triumphant cries mingling as they shuddered in each other’s arms.
Slowly the rocking stopped, the trembling stopped, and he could breathe almost normally. But he couldn’t stop looking at her, and she seemed equally focused on him. She opened her mouth as if to speak, and then . . . didn’t.
He took the risk. “Okay, I’ll say it. It’s never been this good.”
Gratitude shone in her eyes. “You’re braver than I am. It’s never been like this for me, either, but . . . I think you’re more experienced than I am, and I wondered if maybe you always—”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not like this. I’ve never felt so completely in tune with a woman as I do with you. That’s why I wanted to see your eyes. I needed to make sure you knew it was me making love to you and not some anonymous guy.”
She stroked his back. “You could never be anonymous. You’re an amazing lover, Fletch.”
“Careful. You know how easily I get an inflated opinion of myself.”
“Justifiably so, too. You just changed my whole outlook by hauling me into this bed and having your way with me. I was berating myself for the accident, on the blame train headed nowhere, and you derailed me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, but I had my own selfish motives. It’s tough to have good sex with a guilt-ridden lady.”
She smiled. “Well, you’ve made me a very happy lady. You should probably patent that thing you do with your tongue.”
“Thanks.”
“How does that work, exactly?”
He chuckled. “Trade secret. But I’m glad you like it. And that you’re happy. Ready for that shower now?”
“If you’ll wash my back.”
“I’ll wash your back, your front, and everything in between.” He waggled his eyebrows. “All the better to touch you, my dear.”
“Something tells me this is going to be a very long shower.”
***
They ran out of hot water before they ran out of fun things to do in Fletch’s shower stall. Astrid loved the sexy play, which wasn’t so much about achieving orgasms as it was about thoroughly exploring each other and splashing water everywhere. They cavorted in the spray like a couple of kids. She’d never seen this uninhibited side of him, and he brought out the silliness in her, too.
When the water turned cold, they dried each other off and mopped up the mess they’d made. She didn’t realize until they were almost done that this morning’s horror had faded during their long shower. Earlier today, water had been her enemy. How healing it was to reacquaint herself with water as a friend. She didn’t know if Fletch had meant to do that, but she wouldn’t be surprised. He had depths she’d suspected but had never seen so clearly before in the months she’d known him.
She handed him a pile of soggy towels. “We should go see Janis.”
“We should. That’s a great idea. Herman sent me a text saying she was doing fine, but I’d like to check it out myself. I’ll get your clothes.”
And her clothes would be dry by now. Even though Fletch could be spontaneous, he also kept track of things, like knowing her clothes needed to go into the dryer before they took their shower. That kind of attention to detail impressed her and fostered her trust.
He returned quickly with her jeans, shirt, and underwear. He’d dried the bra, but she wasn’t about to complain. A guy wouldn’t think of air-drying anything, and they didn’t have time for that, anyway. She was grateful for the warm, clean clothes.
“I won’t be able to take vital signs for Janis or Buddy,” she said as she pulled up her jeans and fastened the snap. “But I should be able to confirm whether all is well, even without my instruments.”
“I look forward to hearing your professional opinion.”
The huskiness in his voice made her glance up. He gazed at her bare br**sts with a soft glow of desire in his eyes. On cue, her n**ples tightened.
“Sorry.” He looked away. “You’re just so beautiful. I’m sort of obsessed with your nak*d body. Hope you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind, but under the circumstances, you probably shouldn’t try to operate heavy machinery.”
He laughed so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes. “You are a kick, Astrid Lindberg.”
“I am?” She’d never thought of herself that way. Intelligent, yes. Reasonably good-looking. Efficient. But no one had ever accused her of being a kick. She liked it.
“You absolutely are. I never know what’s going to come out of that luscious mouth of yours.” He put on his shirt. “That reminds me that during certain events this afternoon, you made some dire threats against my person.”