Page 50 of Earl

“Cathy…”

“No.”

“Dammit, stop interrupting me!” His gray eyes flashed fire. “We felt something for each other. The chemistry between us sizzled even when we were simply communicating via texts. When we started talking over the phone, it got even worse. I…,” he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck, causing a lock of his hair to settle on his forehead.

Cathy felt her body igniting. She wanted to rush over and brush that errant lock off his face. She wanted to feel…, her fists clenched, and she took a deep breath.

“I want to make love to you,” he said hoarsely, “I want to feel your skin against mine and explore your body with my handsand then my tongue. I would like to be given a second chance, and I swear on everything I hold dear that I will never hurt you that way again.”

“You just want to get laid.” She jumped reflexively when he shoved out of the chair and came to stand in front of her.

“Get up…” He hissed between his teeth.

“You don’t tell me…”

A gasp escaped her when he took her hand and hauled her up. Heat radiated between them. Passion sizzled, the air became still and for a minute, they just stood there staring at each other. The robe she had on became nonexistent, the wispy silk inadequate covering for her suddenly flushed body.

Her nipples were hard as pebbles and her middle was aching and swollen.

Earl felt as if he was being strangled, as if his entire body was one huge erection. He was acutely aware of her. The intensity of his desire frightened him so much that it had him going still.

He was straining the front of his pants, his loins throbbed with a heaviness never before felt. His eyes dropped to her parted lips, and he felt his body going warm and then incredibly hot. He was gripping her hand, fingers digging into her wrists.

His expression became lambent, as he stared at her.

She was powerless to do anything, but just stood there waiting for him to act and he did. Letting go of her hand, he picked up the fat plait and started to undo it. All this time, his eyes never left her face.

His fingers slid through the silken waves, his breath coming fast between his lips. His hand encircled her neck, his thumb pressing against the erratic beat of her pulse. Her skin was soft, incredibly so and her body pressing against his made him want to tear her apart.

Lust flooded his body with a force that almost had him dropping to his knees. His hands cupped her face, eyes lingering on hers before bending his head to brush his lips on hers. It took only that evocative motion to set the already unstable blaze afire.

A moan escaped her as she curled her fingers into the silk of his sweater, her body vibrating with a need so keen, she felt like crying. Her sex was throbbing, nipples aching with the need to feel his touch.

Lifting her head, she parted her lips, expecting his tongue to meet hers. But he held back. Earl knew that the minute he deepened the kiss, he would be dragging her to the floor. Finding the strength to contain his rampaging desire, he brushed his lips back and forth, keeping his tongue away from her.

She tasted like honey; her breath was an aphrodisiac that coursed through his veins with the rapidity of bush fire. He had never felt this energized, this alive, this aroused in his life. He had been having sex since he was thirteen. Even though they had been sheltered, he had found ways to get rid of the restrictions placed on him by his parents.

His first initiation had been his twenty-five-year-old French tutor who had taught him to please her. The student had quickly become the teacher. But nothing he experienced then and after could come close to this. He felt as if he was burning from the inside out.

And he had to touch more of her. With that thought burning the inside of his mind, his hands wandered from her smooth throat to her arms, until he was pulling at the sash around her waist. When it melted away, he closed his fingers around her ribcage, his thumbs edging up to the flesh of her generous breasts.

Her moan was swallowed deep inside his throat when he finally dipped his tongue into the crevice of her intoxicating mouth. Her large nipples branded him through the sweater, filling his loins to overflowing. When he cupped her breasts, the flesh filled his palms and spilled over.

The kiss took on a madness that was almost consuming them. One hand went to the back of her head, fingers grabbing thick strands of silky hair as he held her steady for the hungry movements of his mouth. Her breath staggered him, drawing from him an animal desire that was impossible to contain.

The need to possess her was so great that it was swamping every conscious thought.

Moving his head from one side to the other, he wanted to swallow her whole.

Somehow, amid all the insanity, Cathy managed to tear her mouth from his. Her breathing laboring, her skin feverish to the touch, she stepped back, eyes huge in a face, her bosom moving up and down rapidly. With trembling fingers, she pulled the robe together and tied the sash.

“You cannot deny…”

“No.” She shook her head. “I am not a hypocrite. There is something between us, but I need time.” She took a step back when he started to advance. “Please stay where you are and if you really want me to consider this, you will give me space.”

He stopped immediately. “What do you mean?”

“You have trust issues, and I get where you are coming from. But I have trust issues as well. I need time to think about this,” she gestured between them.