A Very Badd Christmas (The Badd Brothers #19)

9. Emerson

CHAPTER 9

emerson

D elia and I were in the kitchen, side by side at the counter next to the range; I was slicing freshly baked French baguettes while Delia arranged them into a massive wooden bowl lined with a cloth napkin.

"You did something with him," Delia hissed in my ear. "Just admit it. I can see it on your face."

"I neither confirm nor deny the allegations," I said, grabbing another baguette and slicing.

"Which is tantamount to admitting something happened. You tell me everything , Sunni. Why is this any different?"

"Because it's just different, that's why." I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to see him enter the door. "I hope he's okay. That water is cold as hell this time of year."

Mama Dru patted my hip as she took the full bowl from Delia and replaced it with a second, empty bowl, covering the bread bowl with another napkin to trap the heat in. "He'll be fine. They keep a heated blanket nearby, not to mention the life preserver, and then they go right into the sauna. I'd be more worried about the conversation than the water."

I sighed. “Yeah, I am. But Hayden is no pushover."

"He most certainly is not," Kaye said. "He's always been a bit reserved, but he will stand up and speak out when he needs to."

Kaye was helping as well, on her insistence, chopping up vegetables for the salad.

Delia bumped my hips with hers. "Spill it, sister. Something happened. You know I’ll get it out of you one way or the other."

I let out a long sigh, thinking. I did know that my sister would not quit badgering me about this until I gave her something, but I didn't want to betray Hayden's trust by telling her anything he'd be uncomfortable with.

"Dee, I…" I stopped slicing bread for a second and looked at her. "It's different with Hayden. A lot different. I have no problem giving you all the spicy details when it’s just a rando hookup. Hayden is not that." I leaned close, whispering. "And that's scaring the actual fuck out of me."

Delia snagged the last slice of baguette, peeled the warm, steaming middle away from the crust, and rolled it into a ball before tossing it into her mouth. "Wait. Hold up. You're telling me you have feelings for the boy?"

"He's not a boy; he's twenty-six and a man."

She laughed. “Well ex cuuuuse me."

I snickered. "There may or may not have been a rather lengthy and, shall we say… revealing …FaceTime last night, or this morning, or whatever."

Delia suppressed a squeal, shaking my arm. “ And ? Is he packing a surprise salami? Guys like that often are."

"Delia!" I scolded. "Surprise salami? Really?"

"You objectify your boytoys all the time, Emerson, so don't give me that fake bullshit."

"Yeah, sure, but Hayden is not a boytoy."

She shrugged. "Fair enough. But still…is he? Packing a secret surprise?"

I focused—or pretended to—on cleaning up the crumbs. "Let's just say that I was quite shocked at what was revealed."

Delia buried her face in my shoulder to stifle a laugh. "I knew it! You saucy minx! Getting freaky on the Facetime with Mr. Sexy Nerd."

I had to bite my lip. "It was so fucking hot, Dee." I fanned my face.

She whispered directly into my ear. "You want to play hide the surprise salami with Mr. Sexy Nerd in the worst way, don't you?"

I covered my face with my hands. "It's all I can think about," I admitted.

Her arm went around my shoulders. "I can run interference while you guys can sneak off somewhere?"

I shook my head. "Thanks, but no. That's not gonna work. Something tells me we're gonna need time and privacy. If he was anyone else, sure, I'd be down for a quickie. But with Hayden? No. He's not a quickie sort of guy."

"What kind of a guy is he, then?" she asked, pouring us both a glass of red wine.

I accepted the goblet and sipped before answering. "That's why he's not quickie sort of guy—because I don't know. The FaceTime was…" I sighed, resting my cheek against the cool glass of the goblet. "Amazing. It wasn't, like, weird or kinky. We just…well, you can probably figure it out. We watched each other. But it was the hottest thing I've ever done, Dee. Period. Ever. With anyone."

She stared at me for a long time. "This really is different for you, isn't it? You're not just playing coy."

I shook my head. "No, it really is. And I'm fucking terrified."

Delia sighed a laugh. "You? You —Emerson Day—are scared of a man ?"

"Not of him, you dummy."

"Of your feelings for him, then, if you simply must be pedantic."

I put my index finger in my mouth and then dipped it into her wine. "Laugh it up, baby-cakes. You're the Love Charm's next victim."

"You don't know that." She dipped her finger in her wine and swiped it down my forehead between my eyes, leaving a dripping trail.

I wiped it away with my palm. "That's how it goes, according to the family lore, and you know it. You're next. Just you watch."

She crossed her index fingers to ward off evil. "You take that back, you daft bitch. I have plans, and they do not involve falling in love."

"You just said you wanted a boyfriend for Christmas," I said.

Delia glared at me. "Yeah, a boyfriend . I want an endless amount of hot sex, fun dates, and no long-term commitment. I have plans. I have an empire to inherit and expand, and falling in love is one hundred and fifty percent not part of that plan."

I laughed. "Well, you just screwed yourself, sweetie-kins. You're definitely falling in love now."

"Fuck you! Take that back."

"I will not. I'm not in charge of the Love Charm. No one is. I'm just calling it like I see it.”

"Well un-call it!" She seemed truly desperate.

"Not how it works, hooker-biscuit."

She tipped her head back and sighed. "I do not want to fall in love. I do not ."

I frowned at her. "Whoa, hold on. This is serious, and it's news to me. What's your deal?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Nevermind."

"Delia Dru Badd. You made me spill. Your turn."

She shook her head again. "Mmm-mm. Nope."

"Delia. I am every bit as stubborn as you." I leaned close and rested my head on her shoulder. "Now spill. Tell sissy why you're scared of love. Your whole family is one giant testimony to the enduring power of true love, and you're scared of it?"

She sniffed. "Yeah, see? That's exactly why! What if I get it wrong? What if I never fall in love? I've never felt even a twinkling of love for anyone I've ever dated. Like, a mild affection at best."

"You were gaga over Jerrod McMurray and don't try to tell me otherwise," I said.

She blew a raspberry. "I was sixteen, he was eighteen, and he was the hottest guy in the school. It was a crush."

"You slept with him, Delia."

"And it was terrible! He wasn’t gentle when he took my virginity, lasted for about a minute, max, and then bragged about it to the whole school."

“Yeah, and you turned the whole school against him for it."

"To protect my reputation and keep Daddy from murdering him and dumping his body in the fucking Passage!” she protested. "And you know if Daddy found out, every single male member of my family would have shown up at his door with torches and pitchforks. You know how much pressure that is? I'm the oldest Badd girl. All eyes are on me, and who I end up with, and how."

I sighed. "Yeah, I see your point, there. But that's no reason to avoid falling in love."

"You just said you're terrified!" Delia all but yelled, and then dropped her voice. "Sorry. But you can't tell me you're terrified and then turn around and tell me not to be."

"Dee-Dee. Babe. Yes, I'm terrified. But I’m still gonna go for it. What's the worst that can happen? I get my heart broken. I have you, and Mama Dru, and Big Daddy Bast, and everyone else. It would suck, but I'd survive it. And so would you— if the worst happened. Which it may not. Again, look at your family."

Delia tipped her head back and groaned. “ Please , for the love of all that's holy, please stop calling my father Big Daddy Bast. Please . It's gross."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Never."

At that moment, the back door slid open further, and the men trooped in, flushed and laughing, with Hayden in the middle of them, carrying an armload of wet clothes and wrapped in a blanket, wearing someone else’s slides. His hair was damp, but his face was red and his eyes were merry. Whatever they said to him, it must have gone well.

I beelined for him. "So. You took the plunge. How was it?"

He laughed. "Fucking freezing. But I feel seriously alive."

"HAYDEN REGINALD MCCAFFREY—LANGUAGE!" his mother yelled, not looking up from her cutting board.

"Sorry, Mom." He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

I bit my lip. "Your middle name is Reginald ?"

He groaned. “ Mom ! See what you did? Now everyone knows my horrible, embarrassing middle name. Thanks for that."

His mom stopped chopping and looked at him. "Hayden, it's not embarrassing, it's a family name going back several generations. I have never understood why you're so embarrassed by it."

He just shook his head. "I know you don't, but I am. It's a generational thing, I think." He looked around the room. "Where's Dunc? I need the clothes I left in his room."

I saw an opportunity and seized it. "He's deep into a foosball game with Liam, Lennox, and Nolan. You're not getting him away for a while—once those four start that, it's on like Donkey Kong. They're fanatics. Come on, I’ll help you find your stuff.”

He followed me away from the main living area and down the hallway. I paused at Dunc's door, looked over my shoulder at Hayden, and then grabbed his hands and pulled him in after me, shutting the door behind him.

He caught up against the door, the blanket clutched closed. His deep, warm, expressive green eyes looked down at me. "Well hello there." An Obi-Wan Kenobi reference—I approved.

I felt tingly all over, heart pounding, pussy soaked merely from being this close to him, knowing he was naked under that blanket. "Hi."

I put my hands on his and gently pried them apart, opening the blanket, baring his body.

"Em…”

In person, he was even more gorgeous. Shredded, lean, and hard. His abs popped, flexing as he breathed. As I watched, his cock hardened, uncurling, and then pointing straight out, and then standing upright against his belly.

"Em, your whole family is out there. And my mom.”

I rested my head against his chest. "I know."

"I fucking want you, Em. In the worst way. But I…"

I touched his lips. "I know, Hayden. I just…I had to see you. I had to get you alone, just for a second."

He looked down at me with a haunted, hungry, tortured expression. And then he dropped the blanket entirely. His big, strong hands cupped my face with exquisite gentility. He leaned down, and my lips parted in anticipation.

He kissed me.

Holy god, did he kiss me.

One second, our lips were touching, breaths tangled, and then the next we were devouring each other, all teeth and tongues and lips and breath. His cock was a hard, thick ridge between us, wedged between our bodies.

I palmed his cheek with one hand, loving the rough scratch of his stubble and his soft skin. As his tongue warred with mine, I slid my other hand over his bare hip, his waist. Cupped his bare ass, first palming the taut, hard bubble and then digging my fingers into the muscle.

I had to…I couldn't be this close and not get even a single touch…

I grasped his hot, throbbing cock in my fist, moaning into his mouth as the hard length and silky soft skin filled my hand.

Hayden groaned, a low, ragged huff, and his fingers found the gap between my shirt and jeans, stealing under the waistband to grip my bare ass.

God, I've never wanted anything as much as I wanted Hayden inside me right then. I felt crazed with desire, mad with need.

I broke the kiss, sliding my fist down his length. "Fuck, Hayden. I need you."

"Em, Jesus. The way you touch me…"

I quickened my touch, stroking him faster, keeping my grip loose and light. "Yeah? Like this?"

His fingers dug into my ass, clawing hard and then loosening to withdraw and slide up my back, under my shirt.

"Em," he whispered. "You have to stop. We can't do this here."

"I don't know if I can stop," I admitted, pulling away from him to watch my hand sliding the impressive length of his lovely cock.

"Em—shit, shit, shit. It feels so fucking good. But your family—"

"I barely slept the rest of the night thinking of this," I whispered, watching as his knees started to dip in time with my strokes. "I daydreamed about touching you all damn day. I'm so fucking horny I feel like I’m going crazy. I need you, Hayden. I don't give a fuck about anything else."

"You're all I think about, all the time," he murmured. "Your incredible tits. Your perfect ass. Kissing you till you can't breathe. Making you scream my name."

"Then touch me," I whispered. "Please."

North or South? Which way would he go?

Most men go north, given the choice. I mean, I do have pretty epic tits. A big C during the season when I'm leaner and a plump D in the off-season when I'm not as worried about my body fat percentage. Firm, high, tight—I wouldn't say they're my best feature, but several guys have made that claim. Those guys never got a second go because that's shallow as fuck.

Hayden surprised me by flipping loose the button of my jeans and tugging down the zipper. Shoved my jeans and underwear down around my thighs. He cupped my sex.

"Okay?" he whispered, holding my eyes.

"Don't make me beg, Hayden, Jesus. Yes —please, touch me."

His fingers, the first three, fit themselves over my slit and his middle finger entered me, oh-so-gently sliding inside me. I whimpered, knees softening. One slow delve into my inner depths, and then he withdrew his finger and smeared my juices over my clit, drawing a shrill gasp from me.

I caressed his cock, twisted my hand around the top, and then rubbed my thumb over the tip, teased the tip with a soft scrape of my fingernail, making him jerk, hissing.

"Holy shit, Em."

He delved into my channel again and swirled more essence over my clit, and then began circling. He tried different speeds, different pressures, different patterns and directions of touch until he found the combination that had me biting his shoulder to muffle my keening—quick, light touches with the pads of his two fingers in swift circles, barely making contact. He had me buckling at the knees within seconds since I was already so worked up.

"Hayden, ohmygod—Hayden!" I bit his earlobe and then let out a shrill whimper. "How do you know my body so perfectly? You're gonna make me come, Hayden. Fuck, fuck. Fuck !”

"Come for me, Em. Most beautiful thing in the whole fucking world, you coming for me."

I lost it, then, gripping his cock with a sudden squeeze, sinking my teeth into the tendon along the top of his shoulder as I began to come apart. My knees gave out, and he held me up, one hand cradling my ass to hold me up and the other flying at my core, circling and swiping. I screamed into his flesh and muscle, grinding against his fingers, stars bursting behind my eyes.

Heat blasted through me, seized my core and behind my navel and rocketed through my every nerve and synapse until I was on fire all over, shaking helplessly as he worked me through my climax and down the other side.

When I came back to myself, I pulled away, realizing I’d left a hell of a hickey on his shoulder.

"Oops," I muttered, giggling as I kissed the love bite. "Left a bit of a mark."

When he didn't laugh with me, I looked at him—he was panting, tensed all over, eyes squeezed shut.

"Hayden?"

He swallowed hard. "Just—need…a—a minute."

Oh, fuck. He was about to come. I'd stopped stroking him and was just holding on—and squeezing pretty hard, at that—as I came.

"Oh no you don't," I whispered. "You think I'm gonna leave you hanging?”

"Em, you don't have to…" He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

I took his hands in mine, placed them on my face, and then turned my face into his palm and kissed. "You'll be even better in about thirty seconds."

"Em…"

I sank to my knees, keeping my eyes on his. Smiled up at him. "My turn."

"Em, you don't have to—"

"But I want to."

He tucked my hair behind my ears. "Emerson…" he squeezed his eyes shut as I gathered his cock in both hands, pulling it away from his body. "Holy shit ."

I licked the precum away, and his breath caught. I wrapped my lips around the plump head of his cock and tasted pre-cum beading on my tongue—tangy, almost sweet, a little smoky. Fuck, he tasted good.

I slid one hand down to the root of him and cupped his taut, heavy balls with the other, bobbing gently as far down as his glans.

His fingers tightened on my shoulders—I let go of him long enough to show him what I wanted: his hands in my hair. He gripped a double handful of my curls and held on, tugging gently as I took him in my hands again.

Bobbed down farther and then back up. Cupped my hand around the back of his length and licked up the underside in one long swipe of my tongue, taking him into my mouth and going down on him to the back of my throat, all in a single movement.

"Fucking hell, Em," he growled. "What are you doing to me? Jesus. Fuck…Emerson…fuck, fuck ."

I felt him pulsing against my lips and knew he was close. I put my hands on his and showed him the pressure I wanted him to apply; he did it exactly as I wanted, pushing me down on him just a little bit, encouraging without forcing. I tasted precum on my tongue, and his knees dipped.

I moaned around him, clawing my hands into his ass and pulling him toward me, bobbing down his length faster now, more aggressively.

"Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck— Emerson . Fuck. Oh god, oh god—I'm…I can't—"

Faster. Pulling him to me, encouraging him to move. He was thrusting now, hands pushing me down, showing me how he wanted it.

"Em!" he cried out, teeth clenched. "I'm coming, oh fuck, I’m gonna come!"

He tried to pull away, but I held on to his ass and pulled him closer, taking his thick hard throbbing cock to the back of my throat as far as I could without gagging and then bobbed there.

He keened in a rough guttural voice between gritted molars, fists clenched hard in my hair, thrusting helplessly into my mouth and throat.

And then he came.

A flood of come filled my mouth and I swallowed compulsively, gulping it down. I backed away and pumped his root with my fist and bobbed sloppily on his cock, up near the top, and he gasped, another pulse flooding my mouth with the sweet tang of his come. More and more. I swallowed it all and milked him for more, stroking him slowly as his orgasm faded. His knees buckled and he hissed through his teeth and then growled.

"Fuck, Emerson. Jesus, I…oh fuck ."

I tasted another bead on his tip and licked it away, pumping his still-hard shaft, drawing more out of him, which I licked away as well.

Softening now, I let his cock flop free of my mouth, giving the drooping tip one last little kiss.

He stared down at me for a moment, pure, unadulterated awe suffusing his features. "Emerson…my god." He buckled, stiffened his legs, and then he collapsed to his knees in front of me.

I laughed, caressing his face. "Hi there."

He seemed stunned. "Emerson, I…"

I laughed again, leaning in, kissing the corner of his mouth. "You act like you've never had a blowjob before."

His cheeks flushed. “I, um…haven't."

I frowned, pulling back. “What?"

"No one's ever done that to me before."

“How?" I shook my head, not believing him. "You had two relationships. Neither of them ever gave you even one blowjob?"

A shake of his head. "No. Nikki, my first girlfriend, was a virgin too, same as me. So that was mainly just…us figuring things out. That wasn't something she figured out, and I didn’t know any better.” He shifted off of his knees and reached for me, pulling me onto his lap—my pants were still half-down, but I just left them, settling onto his lap, feeling his now-soft organ against my ass. It was wet and sticky, but I didn't care.

"And then Darcy," he said.

"Fucking Darcy. She didn't, either, I’m guessing?”

He shook his head. "No. I'm not sure how much you want to hear, though."

"Anything you want to tell me."

He shrugged. "Okay. So, sex with Darcy was… Compared to Nikki, it was great. I don’t mean to say anything bad about Nikki. She was just shy, and awkward. So was I, but we were both still figuring it out. Darcy, initially, blew my mind. But she could only come if I was…" he hesitated. "If I went down on her, or with a toy. Made it tricky sometimes. She wouldn’t…well, anyway. That doesn't matter. She told me once that she hated giving oral. I cared about her and wasn’t about to make a big deal about it, so…yeah."

I growled, resting my cheek against his bare hot chest. "That's bullshit. She hated giving it, but the only way she could get off it was by receiving it? That's not fair at all."

He shrugged. "That did occur to me, but like I said, I cared about her. What was I going to do, make her? Break up with her because she wouldn’t?"

I laughed. “Yeah."

He chuckled. “I’m not like that. I didn't mind." he swallowed hard. "I, uh, like…doing that. A lot. Giving oral, I mean.”

I pulled away and palmed his face, tipping him down to look at me. "Well, Hayden McCaffrey, so do I." I thumbed his lip. "A fucking lot. And I have to say, I'm really, really happy I got to be the one to give you your first blowjob. Speaking of, what'd you think?"

He stares down at me, dumbfounded. "What…what did I think ?"

I giggled. "Yeah, hotshot, what'd you think? Give it to me straight."

"My legs literally gave out, Emerson. I think that sorta says it all."

I felt something stirring beneath me. "I suppose it does, at that. You seemed stunned."

"I was." He hesitated. "Tell you a secret?"

"Always."

"That's been one of my ongoing…fantasies, I suppose you could call it." He was speaking slowly, hesitantly. "It's pretty hard to talk about your secret fantasies out loud. But, yeah. And Em, you…that was…my fantasies couldn't touch the reality of how you made me feel. So…thank you. For giving me that. For making my fantasy come true in the most amazing, mind-blowing way.”

"Hayden, you gave me a hell of an orgasm, too, you know." I looked up at him, smiling. "And I can't wait to get some real time alone, in a bed, both of us naked together. You're incredible, I hope you know that. Your exes are the biggest fools on the planet." The stirring has become a definite and unmistakable hardening, thickening. I wiggled my ass. "We'd better get back out there. As much as I’d love to stay here and blow your mind a second time, we're gonna get some shit as it is."

He froze. "I…I literally just finished telling your dad how I respect you and care about you. Then I disappear with you during a family party?"

I laughed, rubbing his chest. "Breathe, Hayden. I meant we're going to get teased. I'm an adult, you're an adult, and no one will be mad at you because we took a few minutes to spend time together alone. What we did is our business, but they're gonna guess, and they're gonna tease us about it. It'll be out of love and amusement and nothing else, I promise. The best way to handle it, if you'd like my advice, is to give shit right back. When my family gives you shit, give it back twice as hard. They'll love the hell out of you for it if you do."

He sighed. "That's never been my style, but I’ll try. Now, you'd better get up and let me get dressed, or I’ll be in here even longer trying to kill my hard-on."

I stood up, somewhat awkwardly since my jeans and underwear were tangled around my knees. Hayden's eyes fixed on my pussy, his gaze darkening with desire. He rolled forward to his knees in front of me, hands settling on my hips and then sliding around to cradle my ass. My breath caught as he leaned close to me, his breath hot on my flesh.

"Em…you're so fucking beautiful." His eyes flitted up to mine, seeking my permission. "I have to taste you."

"Hayden…" I whispered, feathering my fingers through his soft, cool, damp hair. “You really think I'd stop you?"

His nose brushed my skin just above my pudendum, and his breath huffed hot over my flesh. My skin pebbled and the fine hairs stood up all over my body, and my breath caught in my throat. He pulled my jeans and underwear down around my ankles. Trailed a single fingertip down my slit. I shivered, gasped. His thumbs gently tugged my hood open and his tongue slid upward along my slit, flitting against my clit. I gasped again, a sharp, shrill intake of breath as arousal seared through me like a bolt of lightning.

"Hayden…oh fuck." I gathered his hair in my hands and gripped hard. "Please."

He moaned, a long, low rumble in his chest as if tasting a favorite meal after a long starvation. His lips fused to my flesh and he suckled my clit into his mouth, and my knees dipped. His large, strong hands clasped at my ass, holding me to himself, and he began slowly devouring me. His tongue lashed and swiped, and he suckled and licked. When my knees began dipping and my hips flexing, he stuck with the pattern that brought me there—hyper-attuned to my every breath, my every movement, learning my responses and reacting with exquisite precision. I reached the cusp, whimpering, holding onto the back of his head for dear life, crushing him to me…

Only for him to switch it up, delicately swirling his tongue over my clit, barely touching it, teasing and tickling, and then two fingers slid inside me, filling me, curling and slicking in and out. I held onto him and gave myself over to it, to sensation, trusting him to know my body and give me what I needed, what I wanted.

And somehow, he did know my body.

Or maybe he just paid attention—my knees began flexing and my hips thrusting helplessly, and he sped his touch, fingers plunging faster, tongue swirling and thrashing with ever-increasing intensity.

I felt my climax rising again, potent and wild. I gritted my teeth and threw my head back and keened and whimpered and gasped, thrusting into his touch until I was fucking his face and fingers.

I felt close to breaking and instinctively held back, a little scared of how intense it was, this close to orgasm. I've never squirted before, and this didn't seem like the best place or time for it, and I was afraid if I let go totally, I would.

Hayden seemed to sense my hesitation, that I was holding back. He renewed his assault, his fingers finding a place high inside me that made me cry out, made my knees nearly give out totally, and his lips fused to my sex. His other hand slid up my belly, covered my breast and squeezed for a moment, then tugged down the cup of my bra and palmed the heavy, aching weight of my breast. His thumb brushed side to side against my erect nipple, sending a new thread of thrills through me, eradicating my resistance. My panting and gasping became desperate, and my hips gyrated against him. Nearly unable to keep my feet, I bit down on a scream as Hayden pinched my nipple between his finger and thumb, gently at first and then with increasing pressure, timing each pinch to the flex of my hips, ratcheting the heat billowing through me to new levels.

I shattered all at once.

My legs gave out, and Hayden caught me, helping me down to my knees and then laying me out on my back, and then he was prostrate above me, face buried between my thighs, and he was devouring my pussy with feral desperation, fingers fucking me and pinching my nipple until I was screaming through clenched teeth, spine arching up and heels scrabbling at the carpet.

I came and came and came with such frenzied intensity that I broke into tears, weeping helplessly as wave after wave of crushing orgasmic madness took over, rolling through me like a tsunami. I clung to his head and rode his face, my lungs empty of breath, unable to scream, to breathe, to even whimper, mouth open in a silent cry.

The waves broke and I caught my breath, and still Hayden didn't stop, pushing me to the edge yet again, to a climax so wild I felt like I was breaking apart on some metaphysical level, shattering somewhere deep in my very soul.

Tears leaked out and trickled hot into my ears.

When I finally managed to pull in a breath, I had to beg him to stop. "Hayden, Hayden—enough. I can't—I can't take anymore. Please, fuck, fuck, fuck! Stop! Oh god, you have to stop."

He did, immediately. He reared back to sit on his feet, his mouth shining with my essence, his expression awed and self-satisfied.

I covered my face with my hands, struggling to compose myself, feeling like I was on the edge of breaking down totally, sobbing helplessly for reasons I was entirely too chicken to examine at that moment.

When the urge to have a breakdown passed—a little bit, at least—I wiped at my face and sucked in a shuddering breath. "Jesus crickets, Hayden."

I was jellied. Boneless. Utterly unable to move more than my hands.

I tucked my boob back into my bra and tugged my shirt down. Hayden moved to help, gently lifting me with one hand under my ass, the other tugging my panties back up, finger running around the waistband to settle them in place. He tugged my jeans up, next. Zippered them. Buttoned them. Scooped me up in his arms and stood up with me, effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing.

I stared into his eyes. "That was the single most intense sexual experience of my entire life, I'll have you know."

He frowned. "For real?"

"Absolutely. Without a doubt."

A smile blossomed on his face. "Watching you come is…" he shook his head. "It's a fucking privilege, Emerson."

I wiped at his mouth. “I think you've got that backwards.” I patted his arm. "Okay. Put me down, please. You have to get dressed and wash your face."

He set me on my feet, dragging his wrist across his mouth. "There's just one more thing I have to do first.”

"What’s that?" I asked, desperately trying to ignore the hard-on he was rocking.

"This."

He kissed me again, and I tasted myself on him, as I knew he must taste himself on me. This time, the kiss was slow and sweet and gentle, and somehow all the hotter for it. I lost myself in the kiss, plastering myself against him, feeling him hard between us, clinging to his neck to stop myself from letting this devolve any further.

I broke away with a gasp. "You are a dangerous man, Hayden McCaffrey. If we're not careful, I'm gonna get addicted to you."

"Would that be so bad?" he murmured.

"No. But we can’t do what I want to do here and now." I stepped back out of reach and pointed at his erection. "It goes against everything I believe in to leave you hanging like that."

He turned away, speaking over his shoulder. "Go. I'll be fine. I'll be out in a minute."

"Hayden…" I took a half step toward him.

He stepped back. “Em, I'm fine , I promise. Go, or we'll just start it all back up again and they'll have to send a search party for us."

I turned away, hand on the doorknob. "You rock my world. I hope you understand that."

"Took the words out of my mouth, beautiful. Now go, please, before I run out of self-control."

I fled, legs still shaky, mind reeling, heart flailing.

What had I gotten myself into?

I wasn't sure what would happen, emotionally, but one thing was for certain: he was going to give me the best sex of my life.

Shit, he already had, and all we'd done was mess around.

Trouble, trouble, trouble.

And I wasn't about to stop.