Hearts in Darkness Read online

  Caden had to admit it. He was falling for Makenna. Before tonight, he would've put money against the idea of being able to fall for someone after only knowing them for one day. Good thing he'd never placed that bet.

  Makenna's hands cupped his jaws. She leaned into him further, her breasts crushing against his chest. Caden threaded his left hand into the thickness of her hair and took control of the kiss, tilting her head back so he could get better access to her mouth. She tasted phenomenal and, combined with her sweat-heightened scent, was driving him crazy. He shifted his hips again, though she was frustratingly too far away to provide the friction he sought. She sucked hard on his tongue as she drew her head back. He growled and tugged a fistful of her hair. She gave in to his unspoken demand and tilted her head, then Caden laved his tongue against her throat, paying special attention to the spot just below her ear that made her squirm every time.

  "I want to touch you, Makenna. Can I?"

  She swallowed hard under his lips. “Yes."

  "All you have to say is stop."

  "Okay,” she whispered as she cupped the back of his head with one of her small hands.

  His left hand still tangled in her hair, Caden slid his right around her body and cupped the underside of her breast. He paused there, letting her get used to the sensation, giving her time to halt his movements if she wanted. He moaned his approval into the soft skin of her neck when she pressed herself into his touch.

  He squeezed her gently and brushed his thumb back and forth. When he stroked her nipple, Makenna rose up onto her knees and reclaimed his mouth. He ravenously swallowed her appreciative moan and set about to elicit others by repeating the movement until she was whimpering.

  The darkness intensified every sensation. The sounds of their pleasure were amplified. Textures sprang out against his fingertips. He was swimming in her scent. He couldn't wait to see her, but as he sat holding this sensual woman in his arms, he wasn't complaining he couldn't.

  He slid his left hand out of her hair and raked it down her body to her other breast. She rested her forehead on his. He groaned at the feeling of her warm, firm breasts filling his hands as her hair cascaded around both of their faces.

  In between panting breaths, she pressed kisses against his forehead as he fondled and stroked and teased her breasts.

  She worked her lips and tongue down his temple and he braced himself for her reaction to what she'd find at the edge of his eyebrow. Finally, he felt her tongue, right there. She gasped. “Oh God, more?” she whispered.

  Caden had no idea whether her reaction was positive or negative until he heard her moan as she lightly sucked the barbell piercing into her mouth.

  He grunted his pleasure at her enthusiastic acceptance and thanked her by concentrating his fingers over her nipples. She cried out, her breath fanning into his ear. He couldn't help thrusting his hips again. He was hard and aching and didn't think he'd ever been as turned on before from kissing.

  "Under,” Makenna pleaded.

  It took a moment for his brain to defog and realize what she was asking. Hell, yes.

  Together they fumbled at the little pearl buttons on her blouse. Caden slid his fingers inside the satin of her bra cup and found warm erect feminine skin. The proof of her arousal felt incredible, but all his mind could think about was how good he knew she would taste.

  Makenna thought she should be worried about how far this was going, and how much further it might go. But then Caden tugged at her hair or sucked on that sensitive spot under her ear or asked her permission to go just a step further, and she lost all capacity for restraint.

  Time and again, Caden's mouth and fingers played her just the right way, as if they'd pleased her many times before. She already thought him an attentive lover, as he repeated every action that elicited a moan or a whimper or writhing from her.

  She was hot and wet and needed his big hands on her body. She wouldn't let this go too far, but she had to have something, she had to have more. And she couldn't recall the last time she'd felt so sexy, so passionate. So alive.

  The pads of his fingers were rough and felt phenomenal as they gently rubbed and tugged at her sensitive nipples. She could tell her bra was restraining his movements, so she freed her hands from wandering over his body and reached down to tug the satiny cups out of his way.

  "You feel so good, Makenna,” Caden murmured around their kisses.

  She moaned as she felt him stroke his thumbs through the exaggerated cleavage created by the way her disheveled bra pushed her up and in. Needing to feel him too, Makenna's hands dropped to his stomach. She pulled at the softness of his cotton T-shirt until she could slip her hands underneath.

  Caden groaned and squirmed when her fingers landed in the trail of small curls leading underneath his waistband. She played with them as she slowly walked her fingers upward, then finally splayed her fingers out until her hands were flat on him. His stomach twitched and flinched under the teasing touches of her hands. Makenna rubbed her thighs together. She soon found his nipples and lightly scratched her short fingernails over them.

  "Aw, hell, Red,” he groaned.

  "Like that?” She punctuated her question by fingering one of his nipples again while lightly tugging the other. When he grunted his answer, she smiled wickedly against his lips.

  She was surprised and disappointed when his hands left her breasts. But then he slid them under her arms and lifted her up higher onto her knees.

  "Oh, God, Caden,” she cried out when he kissed a circle around her right breast, then rubbed his nose back and forth over her nipple. Her anticipation was nearly at its breaking point for the feel of his mouth there.

  He didn't make her wait long. One of his arms embraced her, locking her to his mouth, while his other hand teased the unattended breast. He pulled her so tightly against him she finally had to free one of her hands from underneath his shirt to brace against the wall behind them.

  His mouth on her was a riot of sensation. His tongue flicked her nipples. His teeth gently nipped. His lips sucked and tickled and taunted. His piercing bit thrillingly into her skin. Back and forth he went between her breasts until she thought she'd lose her ever-loving mind.

  Makenna clenched her thighs together rhythmically, so far gone from his stimulation to her breasts she didn't care if he felt her shifting herself against him.

  "Tastes so good, Makenna. Feels so good."

  "God, you're killing me."

  He plunged his tongue into her cleavage and slowly licked up her chest. It was erotic and thrilling and wanton. She groaned imagining him plunge that skillful tongue elsewhere.

  His fingers returned to her nipples and pinched and twisted as he tilted his head back. Makenna braced her hands on his broad shoulders and looked down, sensing him all around her even though she couldn't see him. She lowered herself slowly until their mouths rediscovered one another in the darkness.

  Caden pulled back a little and rubbed his rough cheek against hers. “I want to make you feel good."

  "I feel so good with you."

  "Mmm...can I make you feel even better?"

  Makenna's head grew dizzy from the promise of what he was offering. She couldn't believe she was even considering it, but her body screamed at her for thinking she might turn him down. She nodded her face against his.

  "Tell me, Red, you gotta say it out loud. I can't see your face or your eyes, and I don't want to make any mistakes here."

  If she'd been just a little unsure a moment ago, she wasn't any longer. “Yes. Please...make me come."

  "Oh, fuck, you can't say shit like that right now."

  His words brought a smile to her face. She hoped she was affecting him as much as he was her. His words also made her feel bolder, so she teased him, just a little.

  "I need to come, so bad. Please?” She bit her bottom lip at her brazenness.

  Caden growled, “Mmm, yes.” His hands flashed to her hips. He tried to pull her up onto his lap, but her skirt was too
tight. Her thighs couldn't spread wide enough to straddle him. “Can I—"

  He hadn't needed to ask. Makenna's hands were already at the sides of her thighs hitching her skirt up so she could put her legs over his. She was shaky with want and anticipation. He helped guide her. They both moaned in needy satisfaction when the heated junction of her thighs settled over the bulge in his jeans.

  Caden eased her into it. She adored him for it. He started back at her mouth again, exploring her with his tongue while his thumbs and forefingers teased her nipples. She couldn't resist licking and sucking at the metal on his lip, never imagining how incredibly sexy she'd find such piercings. And she especially loved how her attention to them made him grunt in satisfaction.

  Now that Makenna had a source of friction, she had to use it. She ground herself against his considerable hardness and whimpered at how good he felt, there. His hands fell to her behind and rocked her against him even harder. With a firm grip on her ass, Caden helped her find a rhythm, encouraging her to use him for her pleasure.

  Makenna moaned every time he pulled her against him, though that was nothing compared to what she felt when he finally lowered his left hand to the outside of her panties. His fingers there unhinged her. She cried out and swallowed hard and fought for a breath to ease the dizziness the pleasure caused.

  He cupped her mound and grunted. “God, you're so wet."

  "Your fault,” she gasped.

  His voice dripped with arrogance. “Happy to be blamed for this."

  "Still smack you,” she managed as his fingers began to move, to rub, over the soaked-through satin.

  "Maybe later,” he rasped. “God, you feel fantastic."

  Moaning appreciatively, Makenna clutched herself to Caden's broad shoulders as he helped her thrust against him with one hand while he stroked her with the other.

  "Oh God.” Everything—tension, butterflies, tingles, quivers—it all pooled in her lower abdomen.

  "I wish I could see you come for me, Makenna."

  "Oh!” was all she could manage to gasp out. He moved his fingers harder now, in a circle right over the nerves at the top of her sex. And it was just right. Exactly what she needed to get there.

  "Yeah. It's okay, baby. Let go."

  "Caden.” She let out a high-pitched whimper as pressure built up under his tormenting hand. Her mouth dropped open. He sped up his movements just a little. Pressed just a bit harder.

  Her orgasm was going to be tremendous. The whole middle of her body was already tense from the build up of tingling pressure that felt impossibly hard to contain. His fingers were so good. She concentrated hard on the way he was stroking her, on the connection between him and the center of her arousal, and gave herself over entirely to the pursuit of pleasure.

  God, just a little more...almost...oh God.

  The elevator whirred and shook. The lights blinked back on.

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  Chapter Six

  Makenna groaned.

  The light might as well have been a bucket of ice water—it was uncomfortable and dampened the fire that had raged in her body only seconds before.

  She clenched her eyes shut against the unexpected brightness and buried her face in Caden's neck. The light seemed to affect him too. His now-still fingers remained wedged between their bodies, but his face was curled into her to block out the blinding onslaught of the lights.

  Several moments passed. The lights remained on. Makenna guessed they were on to stay. Still tucked into Caden, she experimented with opening her eyes enough to get used to the brightness again. It was surprisingly hard. Her eyes protested, blinking and watering for what seemed like minutes.

  Finally, she was able to open her eyes all the way. Her shoulders relaxed against Caden's broad chest. And then she realized.

  Holy shit! I'm half naked. With a complete stranger. Who currently has his hand up my skirt!

  A stranger I've never seen.

  Who's never seen me!

  What if he thinks I'm a troll? A plain troll. Or homely—God, I've always hated that word. Homely. Homely. What kind of word is that to describe a person anyway? Oh God, I'm insane.

  The near miss of her orgasm didn't help either. Her body felt strung tight and like fluttery Jell-O all at the same time.

  "I guess the power's back to stay this time,” Caden said in her ear with a husky, strained voice.

  "Um, yeah.” Makenna rolled her eyes at her conversational brilliance, certain she was in the process of losing whatever mystique she'd had with the lights out.

  Still resting her head on his shoulder, Makenna looked down between them and gaped. Caden's shirt was pushed up around his ribs and all down the left side of his toned stomach lay a swirling abstract tattoo that wrapped around to his back. It was stunning against his skin, which wasn't nearly as fair as her own. Before she really thought about it, her finger traced a curve of the black design. His stomach clenched, and he sucked in a breath at the touch. She smiled.

  All at once, she had to see the rest of him.

  Slowly, she lifted her head and sat back on his lap, keeping her eyes on his stomach all the while. She worried about what he might look like, then hated herself for even thinking about something so shallow. She finally resolved to set those worries aside. Makenna admired so much of what she knew of Caden already, there was no way she wouldn't perceive his internal beauty in his physical appearance, whatever it was.

  She fought the instinctive desire to cover herself, to pull the two sides of the gaping silk closed, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She didn't want to close herself off to him after all they'd shared.

  Her skin tingled all over, as if she could feel the path his eyes blazed as they moved across her body. Finally, she took a deep breath and trailed her eyes up from his stomach, over his tight-fitting, threadbare black T-shirt, across the hard angles of the strong jaw she'd nibbled, to his face.

  She couldn't stop trembling, her body unexpectedly flooded with adrenaline as she drank Caden in through her final sense.

  He was...Oh my God!...so damn rugged and...masculine...and just...darkly beautiful.

  The enticing angle of his jaw combined with full lips and high cheekbones and a strong brow framing intense brown eyes with impossibly long, full eyelashes. His shaved dark brown hair came to a widow's peak in the center of his forehead. Two small silver loops embraced the left side of his bottom lip. The piercing on his right eyebrow was black metal and shaped like a barbell.

  He had a face that, with a certain set of his jaw and eyes, could easily appear harsh, intimidating. But she knew he was neither.

  With a shaky breath and a hard swallow, Makenna got up the nerve to meet his eyes. He was watching her look him over, his eyes guarded. Not cold, but not warm either. Despite the intimate way they were still touching, Caden's shoulders bunched with tension, and the muscle in his jaw ticked. She got the distinct impression he was bracing himself for rejection.

  She'd just been sitting there gawking without saying a word. Hating the idea he might interpret her silence the wrong way, she blurted out, “You're freaking gorgeous!” Her eyes bugged at her unfiltered honesty. She slapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head in embarrassment. She wished the lights would go off again as the blush roared over her skin.

  He smiled. And it changed his whole face.

  His eyes came to life, sparkling with amusement and happiness. Deep dimples creased his cheeks, bringing out a boyishness not otherwise apparent in his strong masculine features. He quirked an eyebrow at her as his smile shifted to a smirk so playful and sexy it curled her toes against the outside of his thighs.

  She dropped her hands from covering her mouth and rested them against the firmness of his stomach. His playfulness brought out hers and, when she felt his hand twitch where it was wedged under her, she groaned and flew at him.

  Caden's emotions were so all over the map he couldn't even catalog them. Panic had unleashed a torrent of adrenaline
through his system when the lights flashed on. It was soon clear they were on to stay and, as the panic subsided—thanks once again to the calming balm of Makenna's soothing touch and grounding scent, frustration at the god-awful timing of the power's return made Caden grind his teeth as he attempted to acclimate his eyes to the brightness.

  The position of his head in the soft curve of her neck allowed him to drink in Makenna's sexy nakedness. And she was...all peaches and cream skin and pert rosy nipples and feminine curves. A milky way of muted freckles ran across the top of her right breast and Caden swallowed against his desire to taste that decorated patch of skin with a long lave of his tongue. The creamy paleness of her thighs highlighted the tan on his dragoned arm where it was still wedged between them, his hand disappearing under the hem of her pulled-up skirt. Even from outside the silky fabric of her panties, Caden could feel the warm wetness of her arousal. His hand absolutely throbbed to resume its movements. He hoped like hell she'd give him the chance.

  Caden was so lost in his pleasure at seeing her body he didn't at first realize she was pulling away until his headrest disappeared. He sucked in a breath and girded himself. His mind raced with worry over what she'd think of him. Makenna was a professional, educated, highly intelligent woman. Where she was well adjusted, he was anxious and withdrawn. She looked classy in her gray suit with its little white pinstripes, while he didn't even own a suit and rarely wore anything but jeans except when he worked. Her skin was pure and unblemished, while his was inked, pierced, scarred. Caden wore his past on his body; in fact, he'd used the pain of the tattoo and piercing guns to work through his survivor's guilt. He cringed and clenched his jaw as he wondered what her cop brother would think if they ever met.

  Caden cut his eyes from her abdomen to her face as she sat back. Unconsciously, he raised his knees to give her better support as she still straddled him. He watched her face and eyes carefully, looking for any clue, but he couldn't decipher her expression.