He gripped her chin gently, needing to wipe that grimace from her face. ‘I don’t think you have much of an ego.’ He kissed her the way he’d wanted to do since they’d left the apartment that morning, long and lush and full of all the emotion he was afraid to put into words. Stay. Stay with me.
Turning in to the kiss, she slid her arms around his neck, making a sound that was part purr, part growl, and his body woke up. He wasn’t tired anymore. Not at all.
When that kiss ended, she drew his head down for another, fluidly rising to her knees to take control, and he couldn’t hold back a groan. Didn’t want to hold back. He wanted her to know what she did to him, exactly how much power she held over him. Restlessly he ran his hands up her sides, skimming her breasts before sliding down to her waist, tugging her closer.
He wanted more. He wanted everything. But he didn’t dare take any more, tamping down on his impatience. She’d had a rough day. He wouldn’t make demands.
But if she did, he sure as hell wasn’t going to say no. And if she didn’t, he was more than satisfied. He could kiss her like this all night long if that was all she wanted.
When she lifted her head, they were both panting and her green eyes had grown dark and slightly dazed. Her lips, shiny and plump, curved. ‘Oh yeah. I do,’ she whispered huskily.
‘Do? Do what?’
She brushed her lips over his. ‘Have an ego.’
He blinked up at her. ‘Huh?’
Her dimples appeared and he wanted to lick them. ‘You said that you didn’t think I had much of an ego, but I do. And you’re really good at . . . stroking it.’
His cock lurched and he grimaced because his pants were now uncomfortably tight. Closing his eyes, he groaned as his head fell backward to the soft sofa cushion. He managed not to buck his hips, but just barely. ‘You’re mean, Mercy. So damn mean.’
‘No, I’m not,’ she said smoothly. ‘I’d be mean if I was only teasing. But I’m not.’ With that, she stunned him by swinging one leg over him, so that she straddled his lap.
Before he could stop himself, he covered her butt with both palms, kneading her flesh as he dragged her against him. His hips punched up, needing the contact, the friction. But he didn’t need to thrust too hard because she met him halfway, grinding down on him. Hard.
‘Oh my God. Mercy,’ he groaned. He tightened his grip on her butt, stopping her from swiveling her hips. ‘You’re killing me here.’
She tunneled her fingers into his hair, pulling his head upright for another scorching kiss that scrambled his brains. ‘Not gonna kill you,’ she muttered darkly, sending a thrill rippling over his skin. She let go of his hair, her fingers moving to his tie to pull it free of his collar. ‘Not done with you. Haven’t even started.’
He shook his head, trying to clear it. ‘Wait. Just wait.’
Her hands immediately stilled and his brain rebelled. No, no, what are you saying? Don’t wait. No wait!
He forced himself to breathe. ‘Wait,’ he said again, not sure who he was talking to, because he wanted to roll her to her back and thrust inside her over and over.
But he had to be sure. She had to be sure. He opened his eyes to see her poised above him, his tie gripped in both of her fists. She said nothing, simply stared down at him. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes intense, and she delicately touched the tip of her tongue to her upper lip as if testing it.
He shuddered, wanting that tongue on his body. Those lips wrapped around his cock. ‘What do you want, Mercy? You need to be very specific.’
She smiled slowly, sensing victory. ‘I want everything.’ She licked his lower lip. ‘Everything.’
When she started to slide his tie free, he covered her fisted hands with his. ‘Wait. Please.’ He needed her to spell it out. ‘What does everything include? I don’t want to push you into anything you don’t want.’
‘You’re not pushing me into anything.’ She tugged on his tie with both hands. ‘I’m pulling you, if you want to get technical.’ She leaned in for a soft kiss, but not a tentative one. There wasn’t a tentative bone in her body at the moment.
Or in his. Some bones were far less tentative than others. ‘Okay,’ he rasped, then cleared his throat, holding on to control by the barest of threads. ‘Just so we’re clear, I want you more than I want to breathe. But I don’t want you to regret anything we do.’
‘Just so we’re clear, I won’t. And just so we’re clear?’ She tugged his tie, bringing his face a breath away from hers. ‘Everything means I want to be under you and I want to feel you inside me.’ She lightly nipped at his lip. ‘Is that definition clear?’
Oh. My. God. Heat washed over him and he arched backward, bucking up into her, groaning when she swiveled her hips, torturing him for sure. ‘Jesus.’ He gasped for air, loving the sound of her satisfied chuckle. Tentative Mercy had left the building. This was powerful Mercy and he was going to trust that she knew her mind. ‘Yes. Okay. Whatever you want.’
She grazed her teeth up his jaw, closing them over his earlobe. ‘Smart man.’
‘But . . .’ He laughed breathlessly when she ripped the tie from his collar and tossed it to one side, going for the buttons on his shirt. ‘Wait. Just one more second.’
She stilled again, this time with an impatient sigh. ‘What?’
He took her chin, tilting her face so that he could see her eyes. ‘If you don’t like anything I do, or if you want me to stop for any reason, say “stop”. I will. I promise. Tell me you understand.’
She nodded gravely. ‘I understand. I trust you. Are you finished now?’
‘Yes.’ His heart was beating so hard it almost hurt. She trusted him when no one would blame her for never trusting anyone ever again. It was a gift, and while Mercy wasn’t fragile, her trust was. He’d protect her trust, no matter the cost. ‘All finished. Well, with the PSA portion of our evening anyway. I hope the cardio portion is just beginning.’ He had no problem ceding control. Not to Mercy. ‘Where do you want me?’
She grinned, sliding off his lap until she stood in front of him. But then her gaze dropped to his body and all levity fled. He sat sprawled before her, legs spread, shirt halfway open and, he was sure, eyes sex-glazed. For a horrible moment he thought she’d changed her mind, until she slowly dropped to her knees. Frozen in place but hoping like hell, he could only stare.
‘Anywhere I can have you.’ She finished unbuttoning his shirt, then freed the cuffs on his sleeves. And then she touched him. Really touched him, her hand gripping his cock through his pants.
He hissed, arching into her touch. ‘Mercy.’