Kendrick glanced around his hotel room for the tenth time. He’d never been the type to have nervous energy; however, as he waited for Nicole to knock on his door, that’s precisely what he had.
Get ahold of yourself, Burrstone. This wasn’t his first time inviting a woman back to his room. But this is the first time in a while that you’ve invited a woman into your life who you like as much as you like Nicole.
All day, he’d been thinking about her. Wanting to talk to her and continue the conversation they’d started last night. And listening to Mr. and Mrs. Saunders talk about the true meaning of love had really spoken to him. His grandparents had had a marriage like that before his grandmother had passed away, but hearing the older couple recount why they loved the other made him realize just how badly he wanted a type of love like that in his life.
Don’t forget what happened last time. Even as the thought entered his mind, he knew it wasn’t possible for him to forget what he’d been through with his ex. Even now, when he thought about her, it took more effort to remember the good times than the bad.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He took one more final glance around before he opened the door. Damn. There stood Nicole wearing a pair of high-waisted jeans that were slowly becoming his kryptonite, and a white tank. A beautiful rose quartz necklace hung from her neck, and her curls were pulled high atop her head. The sight before him was so beautiful, he didn’t even hear her speak until he noticed her mouth was moving.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
She laughed. “I asked if you were going to let me in or would you rather I stay out in the hallway.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, stepping away from the door. “Please come in.” As she walked past him, he breathed in her hypnotizing scent.
“What is the scent that you wear?” he asked.
“It may sound crazy,” she said, “but I’ve mixed together two scents that I love to make this scent. I even package it up in small bottles when I travel.”
“Doesn’t sound crazy to me,” Kendrick said as he motioned for to sit at the dining table. “Especially if doing so results in that delicious fragrance.”
Nicole smiled over her shoulder before sitting down. “Wow, dinner looks amazing.”
“They just brought it up, so it’s still hot. I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I went with some good old-fashioned steak and potatoes.”
Nicole sniffed the air. “It smells really good, and you can never go wrong with steak and potatoes.”
“How amazing was it listening to the Saunderses today,” Nicole said after they had begun to dig into their food.
“The love that they have for one another is so strong, but I think what stood out to me the most is the fact that they were willing to share their struggles and the lessons they learned along the way,” Kendrick said.
“That’s true. They didn’t care that we were filming and that thousands of people would see the documentary. They were authentically themselves, and the producers encouraged them to be themselves.”
“The rawness in their part of the documentary is going to shine through and inspire many to want to have the type of the relationship they have.” Present company included. Kendrick met Nicole’s gaze and wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was.
They ate the rest of the dinner in comfortable silence. When they’d almost finished their food, it occurred to Kendrick that he’d never been so relaxed around a woman that he didn’t even need to talk to connect.
When dinner was over, he followed her lead and walked to the couch. “You must have a suite,” Nicole said. “My room isn’t this big.”
“Yeah, it’s a suite, but to be honest, I didn’t need all this space. It feels better now that you’re here.”
She playfully hit him on the shoulder. “You’re just saying that.”
“I’m being serious,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to get you alone tonight. I thought about you the entire day...even more when the Saunderses were doing their documentary.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yeah, I did.” He slid closer to her on the couch. “I had my eyes on you all day. According to Monty, I was bordering on creepy stalker dude.”
Nicole’s laugh echoed across the walls. “You didn’t look creepy. I didn’t even notice that you were looking at me until Mrs. Saunders pointed it out.”
“I assumed you guys were talking about me when Mr. Saunders pulled me to the side after we finished shooting.”
“Really? What did he say?”
Kendrick smiled as she remembered Mr. Saunders’s words. “He said when I was old and gray, my biggest regret would be the chances I didn’t take.”
Nicole nodded in agreement. “My gran told me something similar on the phone yesterday morning. I let her words sink in during my entire flight to Lake Tahoe.”
“I haven’t stopped thinking about Mr. Saunders’s words since he pulled me aside,” Kendrick said. “We only talked for a short time, but there was so much power in his words. As we left their home, I made a promise to myself right then and there.” He brought his hand to Nicole’s cheek, lifting her mouth so that it was aligned to his.
Her eyes grew dark with desire and her breathing quickened. “What did you promise yourself?”
His eyes dipped to her lips as the memory of how talented she was with those passionate weapons hit him at his core. “I promised myself that when it came to you, I was taking all the chances I could get.”
At her gasp, he covered her mouth with his and lifted her off the couch so that she was straddling him. She kissed him with the same urgency that he felt as her hands wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him even closer to her.
His hands started on her back and slowly slid down to her butt cheeks, gripping them in his palms. When Nicole started rotating her hips, Kendrick held on, matching her thrusts even though they were still fully clothed.
“Kendrick,” she said in between kisses, “I don’t know how much more I can take.”
“Me neither.” He moved to her neck and collarbone, nipping her skin as he did. “Are you sure?” he asked, to make sure she wanted this just as much as he did.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “I want this.” She brought her lips back up to his. With no further confirmation needed, he lifted her from the couch and walked over to the bed. Once there, he gently laid her on top of the sheets, only breaking the kiss so that he could remove her jeans.
“In case I’ve never told you, I love how you look in high-waisted jeans,” he said as he began tugging them down her thick thighs.
“I’m glad,” she said with a smile. “Because they’re my favorite.”
“You know what I think my favorite will be?” He reached for the edge of her tank, pulling it slowly off her head.
“What?”
He stepped back to stare at her in her sexy teal lace bra and panty set. She has more tattoos. He counted two; each one was beautifully designed and looked perfect on her body. He forced himself not to bite his fist to keep from groaning. “Either you in a sexy bra and panty set.” His eyes made their way to hers. “Or nothing at all.”
She arched her back off the bed at his words. “Then I guess you better get me in nothing at all and see.”
Insert fist bite now. Kendrick touched her bra straps, anxious to free the beautiful globes that he’d been drooling over since he first saw them straining in her crop top. When her nipples popped free, he froze.
“Are those...”
“Nipple rings,” she said sheepishly. “Yeah, they are.”
“Shit,” he said, leaning closer to her breasts. Sexiest. Shit. Ever. Kendrick was never one of those superstitious types who believed in not going on the wrong side of the pole, or bad luck if you broke a mirror, or never walking underneath a ladder. Yet, as he stood there staring at Nicole’s pierced nipples, he knew that it would be an absolutely cruelty if he didn’t give her breasts his undivided attention.
He flicked his tongue over one nipple before flicking his tongue over the other. Once again, her back lifted off the bed, her sweet moans filling his ears as he sucked one nipple completely into his mouth.
Unable to continue fondling her breasts without fondling something else too, he slid her panties off, his fingers finding her sex with expert precision.
“Kendrick...” her voice trailed off.
“I’m far from finished bringing you pleasure,” he said between licks.
She grabbed a pillow and squeezed it so hard that a few feathers popped out from the side. Kendrick didn’t care what she did to handle the onslaught of pleasure he was bringing to her, as long as she knew that the beast in him was now unlocked and he wasn’t going back into his cage anytime soon.
Her moans grew louder, proving that she was close to the edge of an orgasm. He switched to her other nipple to give it the same amount of attention as his fingers increased their pressure on her sweet spot.
Nicole’s entire body erupted in an orgasm so strong, he had to grip her hips to keep her in place and make sure she didn’t fall. Is there anything that the woman does that isn’t sexy as hell? He had a feeling that answer was no. Once she started coming back down to reality, her eyes met his.
“As much as I enjoyed that,” she said, her eyes running up and down his body, “I need you naked and inside me...now.”
Kendrick didn’t have to be told twice. He removed his shirt first, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side.
“Oh, my,” she said as she sat upright in the bed. “Your tattoos are pure artwork...” She reached out a hand to touch one of his favorites. The lion on his bicep. “Why the lion?”
Kendrick glanced at it. “Because a lion represents strength, pride, leadership... It was a reminder that I have all the qualities instilled in me needed to leave my mark in this world.”
“I love it,” she said. “How many tattoos do you have?”
“Nine,” he said as he unbuttoned his pants. “What about you? I love how intricate your designs are.”
“I have five,” she said, her eyes focused on his shaft, straining against his boxers.”
“Hmm, I only counted two,” Kendrick said. “I guess that means I have to do a thorough perusal of your body to find the others.”
Nicole smiled slyly. “The others are on the other side of my body, so I guess you’re right. You need to explore more.”
Kendrick dropped his boxers, glad to be completely rid of his clothes. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one glad that he was naked.
Nicole rose on her knees, her breasts gaining his interest again. When he went to touch them, she backed away and turned on all fours, her backside in full display for him to see. Found the others, he thought as he outlined each one with the tip of his fingers.
Once he was finished, Nicole turned her head over her shoulder. “Are you just going to admire me from behind or give me what I want?”
Kendrick raised an eyebrow. “I figured you’d want to take it slow this first time,” he said as he protected them both and joined her on the bed.
“When will you learn,” she teased. “I like to do everything fast.”
“You don’t say,” he said as he slowly slid his tip into her. “Then just because I’m in a playful mood, how about we take this slow.”
Her protest died on her lips as he slowly pushed every inch of himself into her core.
“Ahh,” she moaned, meeting his slow strokes.
Maybe going slow wasn’t such a good idea, he thought. Going slow meant he felt every single vaginal muscle wrap and clench his length. It meant he felt the joining of their bodies in every part of his. Going slow meant that no matter how much he tried to keep his emotions in check when it came to Nicole LeBlanc, he was losing on all counts.
* * *
I don’t know how much more I can take, she thought as Kendrick continued to stroke her painstakingly slowly. True, they weren’t in a rush, but she wasn’t sure her heart could handle how many feelings he was evoking within her right now.
He rolled his hips, going even deeper inside her. How does he even have more to push in? She’d been with well-endowed men before, but there was something about the impressive size and length of Kendrick that had her panting loudly. She just hoped Kendrick’s room wasn’t near any members of the crew because she was sure her moans were waking the entire floor.
When she’d first arrived at Kendrick’s room, she knew the night would result in sex. She’d been prepared mentally and physically for whatever the night would bring. However, she hadn’t known that he would take his time with her body the way that he was. While Nicole liked to live in the fast lane, she was noticing that Kendrick liked to do everything slow and precise. Just like he’s doing with these languid strokes right now.
She wasn’t even sure it was possible, given how much she wanted him, but he’d somehow managed to get her even wetter than she was before.
“I’m close,” she huffed, satisfied that he finally increased his movements. The slow buildup followed by the quickened pace was pushing her over the edge faster than she’d planned. Typically, it took a while for a man to make her orgasm through sexual intercourse. Not with Kendrick. He was single-handedly changing the way she viewed so many of the men she’d been with in the past.
And even though she couldn’t see his body because he had her butt high in the air and her face was buried in the pillows, just imagining his scrumptious tattooed body only increased her pleasure.
“I’m right there with you, baby,” he finally said. She breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to hold out much longer.
“Me too,” she repeated seconds before she released another strong orgasm.
“Nicole,” Kendrick said as he followed her over the edge of the orgasmic cliff. Nicole couldn’t ever recall having an orgasm that close to a man before, but as hers was ending and his was beginning, the proximity of their orgasms caused the pleasurable relief to last even longer.
Kendrick collapsed on the bed, pulling her to his side and into his embrace. “That was...” his voice trailed off.
“I know,” she said, still convulsing from the aftereffects.
Kendrick kissed her passionately before he curled his head into her neck. She smiled. He’s a cuddler... The one thing that Nicole always liked doing after sex was cuddling, but she’d been with people in her past who didn’t like to touch afterward. She was still smiling as she drifted off to sleep.