Masked Read online

  It was the only word to describe the look on his face. His eyes held complete adoration. Their corners showed crinkles of admiration. He even sneaked his tongue out, moistening his lips as he emitted a low growl.

  Once more, just for a moment, I had power over him. I closed my eyes, hoping to process the enormity of the feeling. In the end, I settled for simply savoring it.

  “Open your eyes.” His voice was a rough abrasion on the air. “Look at me, Claire.”

  I willingly obeyed. My stare locked with his. My senses celebrated how he drank me in like a parched man stumbling on an oasis. “Wow,” he stammered.

  “Good wow or bad wow?”

  We both laughed softly. My reference to that first night in his office was an assurance of shared memory. As the chuckle faded from his lips, he reached out to stroke my nude flesh with both hands. “Good wow,” he grated, thumbing my nipples to attention. While I sucked in a breath at the electrifying contact, he went on, “You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined. How that’s possible, I’ll never know.”

  He lifted both my breasts and then tugged at their taut points. I moaned and pressed into his hold, needing more contact. I’d dreamed about this so much, but the reality was far better than my fantasies.

  “Killian,” I blurted. “Ohhh…”

  “Tell me.” Thank God he didn’t command me to look at him again. That possibility had been flung to the land of the impossible. I was drunk on the sensations he surged through me, swaying from them as if I’d downed a dozen bottles of wine.

  “Your hands on me…my God…”

  “Tell me.”

  “It feels so good,” I confessed. “Tingles…and heat…and pressure…damn. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

  “Greedy girl.” He chuckled as I nodded fast in agreement. “Mmmm. Beautiful girl.”

  He pinched harder on my erect tips before rolling them between his fingers, extending my pleasure with the slight pain. He didn’t let up, even while lowering himself to the edge of the bed. Once there, he shifted his hold to my thighs, caging them as he applied his mouth to the same tasks, kissing and licking my nipples until they pouted and throbbed for more. When I writhed against him, certain I couldn’t take more, he added little bites. I gasped as he captured each hard nub between his teeth and pulled gently at the flesh. Then not so gently.

  “Killian! God!” I dug my fingers through his raven hair, holding on for balance. His lips, so talented and hot, zapped jolts of desire from my breasts, down my torso, straight to the core between my legs. A storm raged over my body’s landscape, and its glorious name was Killian.

  “Oh yes, baby…” He kissed his way into the valley between my breasts, officially turning the majority of my body into mush.

  “Please,” I begged. “My knees are buckling.”

  He looked up and grinned, clearly pleased with himself. Smug, stunning bastard. Nevertheless, his happiness was contagious. Overwhelmed with the feeling, I leaned down and kissed his luscious mouth with all I had. He groaned as I plunged my tongue in, reveling in his spicy, masculine taste.

  Within seconds, I started thrusting in and out, emulating what I yearned for him to do with other parts of his body. In this position, filled with lust and need, I was finally able to forget Killian the CEO, Killian the public figure, even Killian the half jerk who’d flung my senses on the weirdest emotional roller coaster of my life. He was simply Killian the man, entwined with every cell that made me a woman. Awakening that woman in so many miraculous ways.

  A satisfied snarl prowled up Killian’s throat, as if the universe had ratted out my thoughts. I didn’t care, especially when he grabbed both sides of my face in return, reclaiming control of the kiss. As our mouths and tongues mated, he dropped his grip to my shoulders. I gasped when his hold tightened, pitching the sound into a squeal as he leveraged it to flip me over onto the bed. The Taj Mahal mound of pillows cushioned my fall, billowing as he laid me back and kissed me deeply again.

  When he pulled up, his jaw went tight and his eyes darkened to midnight. The starch in his cuffs turned his caresses down my arms into sizzling teases, making me shiver all over again.

  “I want the rest of my dessert,” he declared while sitting up. I emulated the move, but he sent me back into the pillows with a determined push. His long fingers became commanding wands. “Ohhh, no. You stay right there. No more running, fairy, remember? This bird is outfitted with a lot of perks, but the last time I checked, there were no little cages or leashes to be found.”

  That caused me to hitch up on my elbows, a glower in place. “Cages or leashes?”

  “You heard me.” He sent the admonishment with a sly smile. “You run for the damn hills every time I turn my back. Hell, even when I don’t turn it.”

  My gut twisted a little. Despite the grin, I detected his words had come from a hurt place inside. I said nothing, knowing I deserved the jibe.

  The decision turned out to be for the best. The next moment, I wasn’t sure I’d be capable of words anyway. I watched with parted lips and a hungry stare as Killian unbuttoned his dress shirt, pulled it free, and then laid it on the stool at the foot of the bed. Damn. He had to be the most beautiful man ever created, his torso a collection of chiseled bronze muscles, tapered into gorgeous rows of abs. Breathtaking, meet thy new spokesmodel.

  I was pretty certain my mouth watered. I know my palms itched from the yearning to touch him. The sight of him kept me riveted, despite the unnerving stare he fixed in return. He didn’t avert his gaze an inch while unbuckling his belt, unfastening his slacks, and letting them slide down his beautifully carved legs. All I could do was lie there like a fool in my pajama bottoms, wondering what the hell I’d done to deserve these moments with this incredible man.

  Still moving with deliberation, he reached into his pants before draping them atop his shirt, pulling his wallet from the pocket and producing several condoms from within. Like a dork, I stared at those too—all the way to where he placed them on the table by the bed. My gaze didn’t have far to travel from there to the sight of his boxer briefs, tented from the erection that strained to be freed.

  I quickly wet my lips. That tent was impressive.

  Killian, clearly pleased with my perusal, slanted a cocky smirk. “Now, where was I? Hmmm. Ohhh, yes.”

  Without further warning, he leaned over, reached for the waistband of my pajamas, hooked his index fingers in, and dragged the fabric off my hips. His heated stare made me forget I had no panties to pull off with the clothes. He made quick work of tossing the pants away before climbing back on the bed and pulling me up into a groaning, open-mouthed kiss.

  It was heaven, albeit an unbelievable one. I was naked in a huge bed in the back of Killian Stone’s private jet, making out with the man like we’d become air to each other. The realization sent bubbles of giddiness through me and a giggle up my throat.

  Killian lifted his head, bewilderment on his breathtaking features. “Do I amuse you, Miss Montgomery?”

  “I— I just—” I shook my head. How did I begin to explain my ridiculous stream of consciousness? “I’m having a little trouble believing this is real.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  “You do?” I shrugged and bit my lip, hoping for a dash of impish levity. “Maybe you’d better kiss me again, just so we’re both convinced.”

  Glints of sensual intent flashed through his gaze. “Sweet Claire, I’m going to do more than kiss you…I absolutely promise.” His hands drifted down, cupping my ass as he suckled my neck. “I don’t want an inch of your body untouched by my mouth, a shred of your memory not filled by my touch.” He trailed his lips around to cover mine, kissing me, commanding me. His fingers threaded through my hair, locking my head in place while he laid a trail of carnal kisses over my chin and down the column of my throat. As he worked his way back up to my neck, each nibble grew more intense until I whined and whimpered beneath him. “Every time you look in the mirror tomorrow, you’ll remembe
r who’s been all over your delectable body. You’ll feel my touch on you, my body twined with yours…inside and out. Repeat it to me, Claire. Tell me you understand.”

  It took his words a few seconds to pierce the haze of my senses. Several more before I comprehended his crazy demand. My thoughts whirled at least a thousand miles outside my body, and he wanted me to lasso enough of them to form words? “Y-Yes,” I finally stammered. “Oh yes, Killian. Your touch in my memory…”

  He reached up to twist my left nipple, deliberately rough. The jolt of pain surged yet more moisture between my legs. “And my name in your thoughts,” he growled.

  “Yes. Your name in every thought.”

  “And on your lips.” He administered the same sexual torment to my right breast.

  I moaned in unabashed pleasure.

  “Yes. Yes. On my lips.”

  “And screaming from your throat…every night when you pleasure yourself.”

  With his final filthy thought, his hand slipped between my legs. He glided his strong, sure fingers through the soaked layers there. Some distant instinct yelled that I should have been embarrassed by my condition, but only one need consumed my brain, and it fell from my pleading lips.

  “More. Please, Killian. I need more.”

  “Oh, there’s more, sweet girl. Trust me. This is only the beginning…for both of us.”

  “Wh-What do you— Ohhhh!”

  One moment, he used his fingers to slick arousal deeper into my pussy. The next, his tongue was there, blazing heat into my folds as his hands pressed my thighs apart.

  “Lie back, my fairy queen. Let me make you feel good. Let me drink you up before I fuck you hard.”

  My body sank against the sumptuous pillows again, melted by the erotic power of his words. “Killian…” It spilled from me on a moan as his tongue explored me more, sending pressure and heat through my sex, my thighs, my ass.

  “Spread your legs for me. Farther, baby. That’s it. Damn, you have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed about tasting you here, about how sweet you must be. Now I know…your pussy’s as delicious as it looks.”

  I couldn’t speak. I simply watched him, fixated on his face as he refocused his decadent mouth between my thighs. His dirty talk spiked my need so high I already drifted on a plane somewhere between ecstasy and explosion.

  “You’re ruining me,” I finally rasped.

  “Oh, I hope so.” He flashed his Lucifer grin in response to my mocking glare. Damn it, the man knew exactly how to use that foul, beautiful mouth, and I couldn’t do anything about it but wait, trembling and needy, for his special touch of sin on my swollen flesh.

  He pulled my thighs even wider, propping my feet up on the bed and spreading my trembling tissues with his strong, sure thumbs. I’d never had a lover make such a production over me before…or made me wait longer, taut and edgy and breathless, for his tongue to find me—

  There.

  “Ohhhh!”

  I gripped the bedding, trying not to writhe as a matter of pride, accepting my failure a moment later. After the anticipation he’d built, I’d been afraid of hitting orgasm as soon as he touched the tenderest part of me. That didn’t happen, thank God, but as he toyed with my clit, swiping it with expert motion, my pleasure soared to mind-bending proportions.

  “Claire.” He worshiped me with the word. “You’re so perfect. So pink and soft and wet. My sweet Claire.”

  “Oh, my God.” The words burst from between my frantic breaths, manifestations of pure instinct. I didn’t have a thought to call my own or a sensation that wasn’t commanded completely by his magical mouth.

  He pressed in again, flattening his tongue along one side of my engorged ridge and then down the other. He repeated the motion again—then again and again—warping my senses into erotic madness. When I adjusted to the sensation, he added a new move, circling the delicate nub at the top. After that, it was a small nibble before sucking my entire clit into his mouth. I was on edge for what felt like hours, my lower abdomen tight and so damn ready, my throat vibrating with a constant mewl, begging for something to send me over the top.

  “Claire?”

  “What? What?”

  “Are you ready to come for me?”

  I almost laughed. Confident bastard. Did he think he knew exactly what he was doing, that my body was that easy to control?

  He slid two fingers up inside me, proving that he did. And could. And would.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped. “Oh, Killian. It’s— It’s never been so—”

  “Let it go, babe. I don’t need the thesis. I just want your surrender. That’s it…”

  “Please.” I had no idea how I didn’t tear the stuffing out of at least three pillows as I thrust my soaked body deeper onto his long, masterful fingers. “Please, Killian, please.”

  “That’s it, beautiful Claire. Release it for me. Come for me.”

  A few more circles of his clever tongue, along with the steady pumping of his fingers, and my body burst into a thousand points of light. With my mouth parted on a silent scream, I let the explosion crash through my limbs and then shimmer through my whole body. It was, without a doubt, the most fantastic orgasm I’d ever experienced. Wave after wave of heat pulsed through me until I finally dissolved, limp and amazed.

  As Killian sprawled himself beside me, I lay back with eyes closed and what had to be the dumbest grin on my lips. I felt the weight of his eyes on me but couldn’t bring myself to look back yet. He started dropping little kisses to my shoulder, and I let out a long, high sigh.

  He finally whispered, “Hey, you okay?”

  “Of course I’m okay.” I still smirked like a fool. “That was…fantastic. Thank you.”

  He seemed to consider that for a long moment—before rolling right on top of me. “Just fantastic?”

  For a second, I forgot to answer. His erection, still hard and trapped in his boxers, pressed incessantly against my belly. But even in that condition, the man’s size and heat were breath-stealing. Remarkably, my heartbeat revved into the red all over again. I’d never had a lover keep me in such a state of constant desire.

  He’s not your lover. He’s not anything except the center of one of the best hours of your life—so enjoy him while you can, Montgomery.

  “All right,” I responded on a little giggle. “Maybe better than fantastic. Much better…”

  My words trailed off into the thorough kiss he lowered to my lips. As he pushed inside my mouth with hungry intent, I reached between us to stroke him through his boxers.

  “Claire,” he grated, circling his hips against my fingers. “Fuck, that’s nice.”

  I relished his groan as I squeezed his hard, hot crown, now moistening his underwear with evidence of his need. “Hey, Chicago?”

  “Hmmm…yes, San Diego?”

  “It would appear you’re overdressed.”

  He groaned softly. “I will not contest that point.”

  With a smile, I took advantage of the moment to curl my fingers into his waistband, tugging his shorts down his lean hips and over his firm ass. Finally, I hooked them with my toes and dragged them the rest of the way, setting his cock free. Harsh breaths sawed from his nose as I roamed my fingers up his body, exploring his sleek physique with their tips.

  Wow. Every inch of him was magnificent, but his backside was a work of art. I couldn’t keep from kneading the muscles there as he prodded my legs apart and fit his body into the apex. The position flooded me with memories of being on his desk in his penthouse. Had it been only a handful of hours ago? And had I really been that scared of him—and then that snotty to him?

  I buried my face in his shoulder, drowning out the negative thoughts. I swore every one of them off, vowing to bask in this moment. Perhaps tasting him would help banish the demons. Without wasting a moment on hesitation, I sank my teeth into the tempting meat of his shoulder. His skin was hard, a little salty, a lot delicious—but as I went in for another sample, he speared me with a mockin
g glower.

  “Naughty girl. No biting for you. That’s my job.”

  A shiver skittered through my body. “Is that so?”

  He nodded while reaching for the condoms. His attention to the foil in his hand wasn’t so suave. With a fast rip, he pulled the latex out and then leaned back on his knees to roll the protection on.

  “Killian…wait. I should…” I hoped the way I looked at his shaft, licking my lips, conveyed that I’d be more than willing to return the favor he’d just done for me.

  “No way.” His retort was damn near a drill instructor’s bark. “No shoulds for you right now, fairy. And no regrets. And no fears. No other orders to heed—but one.”

  He punctuated it by looming back over me, his full erection in hand. I couldn’t help slicking my lips again, watching him poised at my weeping entrance. “Wh-What’s that?” I managed as he braced above me, re-securing my stare with his. My fingers dug into his forearms as I waited, breathless with anticipation for the first flood of ecstasy as his body filled mine.

  “My name.” He guided his head through my wetness and pushed his way in. “On”—he was achingly slow—“your”—exquisitely hot—“lips.”

  He was still only halfway in. Until that moment. With a thrilling thrust, he slammed all the way in—stealing my breath, my thoughts, and any hope I had of thinking this was a night I might, in thirty or forty years, forget. Dear God…this man…

  We moved together now, thrust for thrust, my hips meeting his lunges with perfect timing. He never looked away. His stare was hypnotizing, drenched in countless layers of dark intensity. I couldn’t clear my head or catch my breath. I was captivated. Annihilated. I dug my hands into his thick black hair and pulled at his scalp. An aroused growl curled deep in his throat, so I repeated the move, crying out my own pleasure as he buried his face in my neck and sank ravenous teeth into my skin. Once again, he was right. He’d do the biting. And I’d be the one reveling in it.

  After the hurricane of carnality he’d wrought, I was stunned to feel a second orgasm building low in my abdomen. It was a rare event in my sexual history, one never achieved like this. But oh yes, the pleasure mounted as Killian readjusted his angle, pulling away to achieve the full distance between our bodies. My eyes widened as I waited, almost nervous about the next marvel he’d unleash on my body.