Rush (Eligible Receivers #3)

Chapter Fourteen

“Did you have a good time?”

They’d been driving in silence for so long that Linc’s question, coming out of the blue as it did, startled her. For the evening being such a joyous occasion, he’d been quietly subdued through most of it.

“I did. But the better question is, did you ?”

“I did.” She was about to call his bluff and accuse him of lying when he clarified, “For parts of it.”

The interior of the car was too dark to read the nuances of his expression. Not even passing under the occasional glowing street light helped. “Which parts didn’t you enjoy?”

She couldn’t imagine what they could be. Their dinner of filet mignon, fondant potatoes, and glazed baby carrots had been amazing, and she’d seen Linc’s expression when he’d opened the ring box after a heartfelt speech from the team’s coach—with the emotion she’d seen displayed, there’s no way he’d been disappointed then.

“Right before we sat down to eat and after, during the dancing.”

Pursing her lips, she thought back over their evening. Before dinner had been the meet and greet and while she enjoyed meeting all his friends, she could see how Linc would think it’d been a bit tedious. But during the dancing? Nora supposed she had monopolized most of his time, only giving him a respite twice when she danced with Oz and then Jay. Did he not enjoy dancing with her?

Dejected, she stated, “But you danced every dance with me.”

“Yes, but you didn’t.”

It took a few seconds for what he implied to fully sink in. It would be ridiculous for her to think he was bothered by her dancing with Oz so that only left Jay. Was he jealous? The last thing she would do was assume anything. She’d been wrong before when it came to Linc. This time she wanted clarification. “What are you saying?”

“I didn’t like you dancing with Jay.”

Her heart skipped a beat. That was direct, but still not enough. “Why?”

“I don’t like other men touching you.”

Heart feeling like it was about to pound out of her chest, she pushed, “Why?”

The car came to a stop. Linc disengaged his seatbelt then leaned across the space that separated them and released hers. Reaching around her with an arm, he slid her along the bench seat until her body was flush with his. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his face mere inches from hers. “Because I want to be the only man who has that privilege. I’m tired of trying to fight my feelings for you. I want this to be real.”

There was no way to mistake that declaration. Left speechless, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

Catching the action, his gaze flicked down and locked. When she got his eyes back they were like twin orbs of heat. “I’m going to kiss you. You have two seconds to tell me no.”

She’d imagined a moment like this so many times the past few weeks. With her mom’s words from so long ago floating through her head, she made her decision. Linc made her heart race. His touch set her body on fire. When he kissed her it felt as if she were about to explode. That’s what she’d been waiting for since she’d first discovered boys so there was no way in hell she’d say no and blow this opportunity.

“Time’s up.” His lips touched hers. Soft at first but then they grew more demanding. His tongue swept her bottom lip before claiming her mouth. Unlike the many shared kisses they’d performed for the press, this one was full of intent, urgency, passion. He was staking his claim.

His hand slid into her hair, cupping the back of her head. Her hands clutched at the lapels of his jacket, her fingers twisting into the expensive fabric.

“Let’s take this inside,” was murmured against her lips right before she heard the car door open.

Cool night air hit her flushed cheeks, and she opened her eyes as Linc pulled away to step out of the car. Grabbing her bag, she quickly followed, taking his extended hand as he helped her out. His assistance was much appreciated, she soon discovered, as her wobbly legs barely supported her. Falling against his side, his arm encircled her waist as he slammed the car door and told the driver they were done with him for the evening. Then he swept her up into his arms, cradling her to his chest as his long strides ate the distance to the front door.

He didn’t bother with any lights as he kicked the door closed, dropping her to her feet and pressing her against it as his lips immediately found hers again. Unlike in the car, his hands roamed, sliding into and parting her bodice, cupping her breasts. He broke their kiss so his lips could follow, trailing down her neck and over her chest.

She sucked in a deep breath when he captured a nipple, sucking it into his mouth. Fire immediately raced to her core and a groan fell from her lips. Then one of his hands found the slit in her dress and his hand skimmed up her thigh until she felt his fingers slip under the elastic of her panties.

Everything was happening too fast.

Shoring up her nerves, she took a deep breath. “Before this goes any further, there’s something I need to tell you.” She wasn’t sure what the proper protocol was, having never been in a situation like this, but she felt like she needed to say something. It seemed deceitful not to. “I think you should know, I’ve never done this before.”

His head lifted from her chest, revealing a smirk playing on his lips. “Never had sex against a door? Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it fast enough.”

She swallowed. “No. I mean like ever. I’ve never had sex before.”

There was an instant change in the air as his whole body stilled. She wasn’t sure he even breathed. “You’re a virgin?” He drew his hand from her panties and from under her dress.

Feeling her golden opportunity slipping from her fingers, she blurted, “You’re not stopping, are you?”

A small crease formed between his eyes, but he answered, “I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.”

A sigh of relief rushed from her lungs. “Okay, good. I don’t want you to either.”

He wasn’t finished though. “But, for your first time, I’m not going to fuck you against a door.” He fixed her bodice, putting it to rights, then smirked again, “That can come later.”

Her lips quirked, liking the sound of that. More because it implied this wouldn’t be a one-shot deal.

“But for now, we’re going upstairs so I can make love to you properly.” He dipped his head and his lips brushed her ear when he murmured, “In other words, nice and slow.”

She shivered.

Before she had a chance to respond—if she even knew how to respond to something like that—she was once again swept into his arms. Only this time he took her upstairs.

Although he usually left his bedroom door open, she’d only been inside Linc’s room that one time when she’d woken up alone in his bed. Being in the state she’d been in that morning, she hadn’t taken the time to take a good look around.

She didn’t take the time now, either. Like a horse wearing blinders, the large bed in the center of the room was all she could see. Then, when Linc set her on her feet, it was only him.

She stood and watched as he stripped out of his jacket and toed off his shoes. His tie came off next and then his shirt, his deft fingers almost hypnotizing her as they slipped each button through their hole until the cotton fabric parted and he shrugged it off, tossing it to land on the floor with his tie.

She’d seen his bare chest many times—when he came home from a run and he would remove his tank as he made his way up the stairs to shower or when he took Sophie swimming—but never with the invitation to touch. She did that very thing now. Taking the couple of steps that separated them, she placed her hands on his upper stomach, feeling his abdominal muscles twitch under her palms. His skin was as smooth as silk but as hard as stone. If the man had an ounce of fat, it wasn’t evident as she continued her exploration, up over his ribcage, pausing when she reached his pecks.

His hands appeared and encircled her wrists, moving her hands behind her back.

She protested like a child denied their favorite toy. “I want to touch you.”

“Later. My control is walking a very fine line right now. More of your touch will put me over the edge.”

She wasn’t about to argue, not when his hands moved to the clasp at her neck, releasing the bodice of her dress. The material fell to her waist, exposing her breasts which were immediately swallowed by Linc’s hands. She lowered the zipper at the back of her dress and the material fell to pool at her feet, leaving her only in panties and high heels.

Hearing a low growl, she noticed Linc’s gaze raking her body, coming to rest on the scrap of red lace between her legs.

“Sit on the edge of the bed.”

Without thinking, she did as she was told, stepping out of her gown and taking the couple of steps to the side of the bed. The soft comforter was chilly against the back of her thighs and the sensitive skin left exposed by the barely-there coverage of her panties.

Linc knelt before her and started undoing the buckle of her shoe. “As sexy as these are, I hate to see them go.”

She’d seen it referenced enough in movies and books to know men loved high heels, especially during sex. “Then leave them on.”

She was learning to love his smirk. It usually meant she was going to like what he said next. “Maybe next time.” And with another reference to more sex with Linc, that time was no exception.

He slipped her left shoe off and placed her foot on his shoulder, giving her ankle bone a light kiss before moving to her right foot and repeating the process until other than the scrap of red lace, she was completely exposed.

“Lie back.”

Not complying wasn’t a thought as she fell back into the pillowy softness of the comforter. Eyes trained on the ceiling, she felt his warm breath accompanied by a whisper-soft touch as he explored over the silky fabric of her panties before nudging under the gusset. His fingertips gently stroked while his lips teased.

It didn’t take long until she was squirming. Wanting, no, needing more.

“You like that?”

“Yes.” God, she was practically panting. How embarrassing.

“Then you’re going to love this.”

His mouth covered her. Through the thin lace she could feel his tongue play along the seam of her lips, pressing harder as it neared the top to find her clitoris. Then her panties were pushed to the side and his tongue was touching her without the barrier, finding it and flicking before his mouth covered her and sucked.

Her toes curled into his shoulders as a finger slipped inside her. And then two.

Moving in and out she felt the stretch but also something else. A wave that was building and building. Mouth sucking, tongue flicking, fingers working, her orgasm didn’t just hit, it exploded.

Legs jelly, her feet thumped to the floor and shaky arms supported her as she got up on her elbows as Linc peeled off her panties before standing.

His smirk was back as he unfastened the button on his slacks and then lowered the zipper. Her eyes followed as his pants fell to the floor and he kicked them aside. The man was an athlete and it showed. All lithe muscle. Strong and powerful. He just stood there, letting her take in her fill, her heartbeat quickening when she zeroed in on the intimidating bulge seen through the tight fabric of his trunks. And then those too were gone and he was left standing in front of her naked.

She swallowed.Hard.

Oh, god.