The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance Read online

  Tyson whirled her around and her back pressed firmly against the closed door. His lips sought hers in a blistering kiss. Audra clutched at his shirt, wanting, no needing him closer. How could she have forgotten just how primal sex was between them? Even her most vivid memories couldn’t match the reality. It was no wonder she hadn’t dated. No other man could compete.

  “I’ve got to get you naked.” His words were raw. Real. There was no mistaking the fact that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  “Yes,” she gasped. She gripped the edges of his shirt and yanked. Buttons flew everywhere, pinging off the walls and floor. Audra spread her fingers over his broad chest. The crisp thatch of hair in the centre of his chest tickled her skin as her fingertips traced a path down over his rock-solid abs.

  He gave a low growl and pulled the strap of her purse off her shoulder. The small bag fell to the floor, hitting the carpet with a soft thud. He slid his fingers beneath the fabric at her shoulders and slowly pulled it down to her elbows. The front of the dress lowered, leaving her breasts bare.

  Tyson cupped her breasts in his hands, moulding them as he teased her already-taut nipples with his thumbs. “Beautiful.” His tone was reverent as he bent down and captured one straining peak between his lips and sucked.

  Audra’s head fell back against the door as he used his teeth to carefully tug on the tight nub. His nimble fingers teased the other nipple. Her arms were trapped by her sides, caught in the fabric of her dress. She wanted to touch him, to hold his head to her breasts and tell him to never stop.

  He pulled back and looked up at her. His hair had somehow come free from the thong that had been confining it. Or maybe she’d ripped it out. She honestly couldn’t remember. It fell around his shoulders like black silk. She wanted to run her fingers through it.

  “Help me get out of my dress. I want to touch you.” She squirmed, but it didn’t help free her from the tangle.

  He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  Tyson wrapped his fingers around her ankles and slowly slid his hands over her calves. “You have the sexiest legs of any woman I’ve ever seen. And when you wear heels, you’re like a walking advertisement for sex.” His words made her sex clench with growing need. Liquid arousal seeped from her core as his hands continued their upwards journey.

  He pushed the skirt of her dress up, exposing the lacy tops of her stockings and her bare thighs. “Oh, yeah,” he breathed. His hot breath skimmed over her flesh, making her shiver with longing.

  The heat in his eyes told her he was as aroused as she was. She held her breath as he ran his finger over the small triangle of silk covering her mound. A small, inarticulate sound of pleasure escaped her as his finger brushed her clitoris, sending a bolt of lightning flashing through her.

  She was panting hard by the time he hooked his fingers in the thin string of her thong and slowly dragged it down her legs. “Lift,” he commanded. She lifted one leg at a time and he swept her panties away.

  “Just look at you, all hot and wet and ready for me.” He raised her right leg, hooking it over his shoulder. It opened her sex wide, allowing him to see all of her. He inhaled as he shifted closer. “You even smell hot. Spicy and musky and sexy.”

  He leaned in and swiped his tongue over the slick folds of her sex. Up one side and down the other. Audra undulated her hips, wanting more. Her breasts swayed with every breath she took. They felt heavy and full and ached for his touch.

  “Tyson.” She groaned, needing more.

  “Yes, my love.”

  She ignored the endearment and the twinge it caused in her heart. This was about sex, pure and simple. “Touch me.”

  “Here.” He fingered the slick folds of her sex, rimming the opening of her sheath.

  She was going to die if she couldn’t feel him insideher. She dug the heel of her shoe into his shoulder and thrust her pelvis forwards. “Inside me,” she ordered.

  Tyson gave a low masculine laugh before pressing two thick fingers into her heated channel. Her inner muscles rippled and she gasped. He pulled his fingers almost all the way out before thrusting them in again. She rolled her hips, encouraging a rhythm she liked. He captured her clit between his lips and sucked. He used his tongue and fingers to push her until she was wound tight to breaking point.

  He pulled back and stared up at her. “Come for me, Audra.” Leaning forwards, he lapped at her clit, licking and sucking. His fingers continued to work in and out of her tight, heated core.

  Her entire body tensed and then exploded. Hips pumping, she cried out as he continued to pleasure her. Her orgasm washed over her in waves. Months of wanting, of missing this man, were released. When it finally subsided, she slumped, unable to support her own body weight.

  Tyson caught her and swung her into his arms. He stood and carried her to the bed, laying her on the crisp white sheets. He made quick work of her dress, dragging it off and tossing it aside. Her shoes were next. He left her stockings and went to work on his own clothing. She watched through half-open eyes as he toed off his shoes and yanked off his pants, underwear and socks. When he shrugged out of his shirt, he was totally naked.

  Audra had never seen such a fine masculine specimen. He was even more ripped than he had been, his muscles more delineated. Whatever he’d been doing since he’d left her, he’d been working hard.

  She’d missed more than just the sex these past months. She’d missed sharing the morning paper over breakfast and arguing about politics while they both worked in the kitchen preparing dinner. Tyson loved to cook and she loved to watch him, content to sip a glass of wine as they both unwound and shared the happenings of their day. She’d missed snuggling up on the sofa at the end of a long day and watching old movies. She’d missed hearing his voice, seeing his smile, hearing his laugh.

  She pushed all those thoughts out of her head. The past didn’t matter. Only now, this moment did. And it was all about sex. She’d deal with the consequences the following day.

  Tyson came down on the bed beside her and gently pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. Part of her hairdo had come down. He reached behind her head and undid the clip, tossing it on the night-stand. He sifted through her hair, spreading it over the pillow.

  Neither of them spoke as he lowered his head and kissed her.

  Tyson could still taste her arousal on his lips. When he kissed her, it mingled with the sweet taste of her mouth. His cock throbbed, liquid seeping from the tip. His balls ached for release. But not yet. He wanted to touch Audra, savour every second. It had been so long since he’d touched her and she was even more exquisite than he remembered.

  He slowly released her lips and kissed her cheekbones, her nose and her stubborn chin, before working his way down her neck. She was extremely sensitive in that area and he used every bit of carnal knowledge he’d gained during their time together to give her the most pleasure.

  She might think this was only for one night, but he was playing for keeps.

  He used his fingers, his lips, his tongue to trace her collarbone, the curve of her breasts and lower. He ignored her pouting nipples as he followed the dip of her waist with his mouth. Her belly button invited him to dip his tongue inside, so he did. She whimpered softly when he nipped at her hip bones and kissed her mound.

  She undulated sensually on the bed, rubbing her soft skin against momuch harder frame. Digging her fingers into his shoulders, she urged him upwards. He worked his way quickly up her body, petting and caressing her, wanting to see what she would do. She didn’t make him wait.

  Audra pushed him on to his back and knelt beside him. “My turn now.” A threat or a promise or both? He didn’t care. Not as long as she touched him. He’d had other women in his life, but none of them compared to Audra. She had only to look at him and smile and he wanted her.

  She gave him a small sensual smile that almost stopped his heart. It resumed beating a second later, pounding against his chest when she bent down and lapped delicately at one of his flat nipp
les. She dragged her fingers through his chest hair, teasing his flesh with her nails.

  Tyson groaned and flexed his hips, unable to keep still under her tender ministrations. Audra sat back and licked her lips, her hot gaze trailing down his belly to his cock. It jerked, as if trying to get closer to her. He was in total agreement. The closer he could get to her the better.

  She reached out, wrapping her hand over his hard shaft. “So soft and hard at the same time.” Delight tinged her words as she dragged her fist up and down.

  “Harder,” he growled.

  She ignored him, moving her hand at a leisurely pace. With her free hand, she touched his thigh, trailing her fingers up and down, moving closer to his testicles with each stroke. He gritted his teeth, determined to let her have her way. It wasn’t easy. He was primed like a rocket ready to explode.

  She dragged her fingers over his balls, rolling them carefully before finally cupping him with her hand. She squeezed gently and he sucked in a breath. “I’m close, Audra,” he warned.

  “Not close enough.” That was all the warning he got before she bent down and licked at the head of his cock. Like a cat at a bowl of milk, she lapped daintily at the tip before dragging her tongue around the sensitive ridge.

  Tyson’s back bowed off the bed. He ran mathematical equations in his head, thought about his taxes, anything he could think of to keep from coming. He wasn’t ready for her to stop her sensual torture. Not yet.

  She gave a breathy laugh and closed her mouth over his erection. Moist heat closed around him as her hands continued to work their magic. It was too much. Tyson knew he couldn’t last.

  Audra closed her eyes and let the tang of Tyson’s essence roll over her tongue. He was musky and salty and she loved the way his balls tightened beneath her fingers. She could feel his orgasm building at the base of his cock.

  His arousal was firing hers and she leaned closer, rubbing her nipples against his side. It felt good, but it wasn’t enough. She was empty. Aching. She needed to feel Tyson’s cock buried deep inside her throbbing sex. She wanted to feel him, skin to skin, wanted to wrap herself around him and feel him pounding into her until they were both sweaty, exhausted and utterly replete.

  She sucked harder on his cock, hollowing her cheeks to create the most suction. Tyson gave a low growl and pulled away. Her mouth came off him with a wet pop. Before she could ask why he’d stopped her, he flipped her on to her stomach and pulled her back towards him. His hands held her hips steady as the head of his cock probed at the entrance to her sex.

  A fine sheen of sweat beaded her skin. Her arms quivered as she supported her weight and pushed her ass towards him, urging him on. With one smooth thrust, he filled her. She gasped and arched back.

  “Take all of me,” he groaned. He began to rock, pushing forwards with each stroke. She moved with him, wanting every inch of him inside her. Her channel softened and stretched as he forged inward. When he was seated to the hilt, he dropped his head against her back and kissed her spine.

  This was what she wanted, what she yearned for. Tyson filled her completely, pushing away all the lonely nights she’d spent since he’d been gone. The feeling of closeness that only comes when two bodies are so intimately entwined. He awoke nerve endings and volatile emotions, pushing both to the brink.

  He started to move, short, hard stabs at first, gradually switching to long, slow strokes. He kept her off balance, her body teetering on the edge of orgasm but not quite going over. She bit on her bottom lip to keep from screaming at him to make her come.

  He’d always been attuned to her wants and needs and that hadn’t changed. He slipped his hands from her hips to her breasts, cupped them, tugging gently on her nipples with his thumbs and forefingers. A low moan escaped from between her lips.

  “Tyson,” she whispered. “Please.”

  He withdrew and she was momentarily stunned, her channel empty and poised on the brink of sexual satisfaction. How could he leave her when she was so close?

  She started to turn over, but he was already shifting her on to her back. He hooked his arms beneath her thighs and lifted her hips. He met her eyes as he forged back inside her, hard and thick and hot.

  His expression was one of determination as he began a slow game of advance and retreat. Audra looked into his bittersweet chocolate eyes and was lost. Her heart gave up the fight. She loved him. Probably always would. This had been a mistake. She would be months, maybe even years getting over this night.

  “Audra.” Her name slid off his tongue with such tenderness, tears pricked her eyes. She closed them, not wanting him to see her unsettled emotions. She was sure he’d be able to see the love she had for him shining in her eyes if he saw them at that moment. She couldn’t allow that. It would make them both uncomfortable. He’d made it clear he didn’t love her when he’d simply walked out after their last fight and gone to Japan without another word.

  In spite of her best efforts, a lone tear trickled out of the corner of her eye and down her temple, disappearing into her hairline. “Ah, babe.” Tyson lifted her into his arms, without dislodging himself. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple, licking away the salty remains of her tear.

  He ran his hands over her spine and cupped her ass, shifting her slightly. Her clit rubbed against his flat stomach, making her gasp. No matter her emotions, the arousal, the need was still there. It flared to life with that one simple touch. Audra didn’t want this night to end, but it was too late for regrets.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his broad shoulders as he lifted her slightly before dropping her back down over his erection. His chest hair abraded her sensitive nipples, making her shiver with growing need.

  His skin was slick beneath her hands, his breathing laboured. She rotated her hips and used her grip on his shoulders to lift her weight. They couldn’t get much motion in this position, but it was more than enough. She felt his shaft swell. His entire body tensed as he threw back his head and yelled. Hot pulses of semen pumped into her as he came.

  Tyson buried his face in the curve of her neck and nipped. Hard. She gasped and ground her pelvis against his, stimulating her clit just enough to drive her over the edge. She cried out his name as her body spasmed. He banded his arms around her, holding her tight.

  The world with all its problems spun away, leaving only the two of them. A man and a woman and the beauty of their physical joining. But eventually it had to end. Audra’s heart slowed to a normal rhythm, her breathing became less laboured. Theefforts layer of sweat on her skin made her shiver now that the heat of passion had passed.

  Tyson reached out and grabbed the bedspread, wrapped it around them both. He was still inside her, not as long and hard as he had been moments before, but still substantial in spite of his orgasm.

  “I should get up.” She didn’t want to, but it seemed the sensible thing to do. Not that she’d exactly done the sensible thing tonight. Sleeping with her ex-boyfriend was definitely not a smart thing to do.

  His arms tightened around her. “Stay. Please,” he added, as if sensing her growing apprehension.

  He released a deep sigh and shifted in bed so his back was resting against the headboard. Audra unlocked her legs from around his waist. She was still intimately joined to him, sitting on his lap, staring at him. It was amazing how comfortable she felt sitting naked in his arms with him still partially inside her. He hooked a stray lock of hair over her ear and trailed his fingers down the curve of her face.

  “About what happened,” he began.

  She inwardly groaned. Did she really want to do a post-mortem on their failed relationship? The answer was no. They’d both been at different places in their lives, caught up with their careers. It wasn’t his fault and it wasn’t hers. It just was. She realized that now.

  “I understand,” she finally said. And she did. His travelling overseas to work was part of his job. He enjoyed it and excelled at it. “I just wish you’d told me about
it sooner.”

  “Would it have made a difference?”

  She honestly thought about it. “Yes. Yes, it would.”

  He raked his hand through his hair. She knew it was a gesture of frustration, one she was very familiar with. “I tried to tell you. Several times. You kept cancelling dinner with me because of work. I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. And then time just ran out. The date got moved up by my boss and I had to leave or give up the opportunity.”

  Audra thought back to that time and knew he was right. She winced at the memory. She had cancelled on him. Probably a half-dozen times before their final fight. She’d been in the midst of a case that she’d thought would push her over the top into junior partner at her firm.

  “I’m sorry for that.”

  “Me too. I should have come to your office and made you listen.”

  She smiled ruefully. “Maybe you should have.”

  “I tried to call you several times, but you always seemed to be in court.”

  “You did? I only got one message that you called.” Surprise filled her and a sense of warmth surrounded her. She vividly remembered that time. Her assistant had been off sick for a month and they’d filled in with temps that hadn’t always been as efficient as they should have been. She’d missed several messages, which had led to more than one headache for her as she’d soothed disgruntled clients. But it appeared she’d also missed the most important messages of all.

  She nibbled on her lower lip, knowing she needed to be totally honest with him. “I called you back. I phoned your office the next day and then your apartment. Your phone was disconnected and the receptionist said you were already gone.”

  Pain flashed over his face, but quickly disappeared. “I didn’t know.” Tyson eased her closer, urging her head down on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke for a long while, content just to savour the closeness between them.