Sweet Surrender (Sugar Rush #3) Read online

  And if she was bad in bed—she certainly couldn’t recall having done any of the things Tyler had just described in graphic detail—then her boyfriends hadn’t been like him at all in wanting to teach her how to improve.

  “I…I’m not a lousy kisser,” she stammered. He had a beautiful mouth—a well-shaped lower lip in perfect proportion to the upper.

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  He took off her glasses and set them on the counter. He slid his hand around to the back of her neck. Heat swept down her spine. And then he lowered his head and kissed her. Her mind went blank, which was the Kate Darling equivalent of her mind exploding.

  All thought fell away, overwhelmed by the cataclysmic burst of pleasure. She drew in a breath the instant before Tyler settled his mouth more firmly against hers. His kiss was warm, firm, and gentle, his tongue sliding over the seam of her lips but not urging her mouth open.

  Kate sank into him, allowing her body to press against his, her breasts pillowing against his chest. A tremble rocked through her. He slipped his hands down to her hips, holding her in place as he moved his lips over hers.

  She fumbled for something to grab, finding his hair-roughened forearms. She curled her fingers around them, the muscles flexing and tensing beneath her palms. Little fires ignited in her blood, pouring heat right into her core.

  God. It usually took her a bit of time to get aroused, but within seconds of their lips touching, she was feeling all melty and lush inside. Exactly the way she’d felt when they were in the library—except then, she’d been poised on the brink, anticipating something that never came. And now, here it was.

  Experimentally, she parted her lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. Heat bolted through her. Her nipples tightened, and she wiggled a little to rub them against Tyler’s chest. She tightened her grip on him, stunned by the electricity crackling through her veins, the striking sense of having found something that had once been lost to her. Or never found at all.

  He deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue across the surface of her teeth as he backed her up against the wall and settled his hands on either side of her head. Dizziness swept through her.

  Though trapped between the wall and the muscularity of Tyler’s body, she didn’t feel claustrophobic or nervous—only sheltered and somehow safe. She let her head fall back, reveling in the sensation of their lips clinging together. He lowered one hand to cup her breast, flicking his thumb over her hardened nipple.

  Pleasure filled her veins. She squeezed her thighs together to ease the burgeoning ache.

  Tyler’s hands tightened on her shoulders. He broke away from her suddenly, his eyes dark with lust. Tension coiled through his body.

  “Fuck,” he bit out, his hands fisting and his expression darkening with regret.

  Regret.

  Pain filled Kate’s chest. Only one thing could assuage the hollow need inside her, the knowledge that all her efficient planning and organization had been smothering the primal desire to be touched.

  “Tyler…”

  “I’m not trying to play you again.”

  “I know.” She drew in a heavy breath.

  “I don’t…” He paced to the other side of the kitchen, his shoulders tight. “I don’t know what the hell to do with you now, Kate. But I’ll tell you one thing.”

  He turned to face her, his eyes blazing with heat. “You’ll be a goddamned firecracker in bed. No question.”

  A hard shudder rocked through her, centering in her core. She felt as if she were standing in front of something monumental and extraordinary, if she’d only have the courage to step toward it.

  “How does it start?” she whispered. “The fuck buddy thing?”

  Tyler didn’t take his eyes off her. The air thickened.

  “Why do you want to know?”

  “Curiosity.” She swallowed hard. “Do you talk about it first?”

  “Sometimes.” He paced to the other side of the kitchen. “Mostly it’s just understood. We both want it.”

  “Does she stay the night? Or do you stay the night at her place?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “What about the morning after?” Kate twisted her hands together. “Is it awkward?”

  “No. There’s no reason for it to be.”

  “And how do the relationships end?”

  “I don’t know. They just end.”

  “But you’re on good terms?”

  “Yeah.” He took a breath, turning to face her. “Look, it’s like going to dinner with a friend and splitting the check. We both get a great meal, but neither one of us is indebted to the other.”

  “Like we just did at the Treetop Café,” Kate said. “So it’s just sex and friendship.”

  “Sex and friendship.”

  “Do you consider us friends?” she asked.

  “Sure.” Wariness threaded through his voice.

  “Good. I do, too.” Something clicked inside her, like a key turning in a lock. “So what do you say about us becoming fuck buddies?”

  Chapter

  TEN

  Silence as thick as smoke descended over the kitchen. Kate gripped her hands together, still trying to project an aura of poise despite the fact that her heart was racing madly.

  She should have come up with a different way of asking that question—but what other way was there? She hadn’t gotten to her position at Sugar Rush by being coy and circumspect—a straightforward approach was always best.

  At work, at least. Maybe it was different for this kind of thing.

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Tyler finally said.

  Oh dear.

  She swallowed to ease her dry mouth. “Of course not.”

  “You seriously want to know if you and I can be fuck buddies?”

  “I seriously do.” She dug into her bag for her phone. “When we were driving back here, I did a quick search on the subject.”

  Tyler gave a hoarse laugh and thunked his forehead against the wall.

  “Just so I understand the details and rules,” Kate explained, pulling up the document on the phone. “I really think we qualify. We’re friends, but not from the same social group, so there’s no chance of things getting messy when it’s over. As you said, there’s an understanding that emotions and such aren’t involved because we’re not in a relationship. We have no reason to tell anyone else or get romantic. As long as we use protection, do it when it’s convenient for both of us, and keep it straightforward, we meet all the qualifications. So what do you say?”

  Tyler lifted his head from the wall, looking as if he’d just been poleaxed. “You’re going after Norwood, right? He’s the man of your dreams. So why the hell do you want to be fuck buddies with me?”

  “For that reason.” Kate gave him an earnest look. “You just said that maybe my old boyfriends had broken up with me because I’m a lousy kisser.”

  He dragged a hand down his face. “You’re anything but a lousy kisser, Darling. I almost came in my pants just from kissing you.”

  “I appreciate that, but I’m not all that confident in the sex department either. Based on what I know of you, and of course our previous conversations, you’d be an excellent partner. And it would be nice to go into a relationship feeling as if I at least knew what I was doing. So I was thinking you could give me a few lessons.”

  He gave another humorless laugh and shook his head with a muttered, “Fuck me.”

  “That’s what I’m asking to do,” Kate said patiently. “I’ve seen the kind of women you date. Clearly you didn’t get your womanizer reputation for nothing.”

  “We’re not going to be fuck buddies,” he snapped, turning to face her. “If you want to up your sex game, you do it with a guy you’re in a relationship with. Not with me.”

  Kate bristled. “Why not? Because I don’t look like a girl who could be a fuck buddy? That’s what your friend thought, right?”

  “Would you stop putting yourself down?” Tyler’s ja
w clenched. “When I first saw you, I thought you needed better clothes, but turns out the old lady look is a good thing because you’d distract every man in the office if they could see your body. And if you weren’t Luke’s assistant and…Kate Darling, I’d have had you naked two hours ago. But you’re a nice girl going after a nice guy, even if he does have a stick up his ass, and there is no way I’m giving you lessons about how to fuck him.”

  “I’m not asking you specifically about Miles,” Kate replied tartly. “We don’t even know if he’ll agree to go out with me, much less sleep with me. But you know I’m romantically interested in another man, so it’s not as if we have any secrets or preconceived ideas about what this is about. I’m asking for general knowledge and because…well, frankly, I trust you and I’d rather learn with you than with a guy who makes me nervous.”

  Only when the words were out of her mouth did Kate realize how true they were. She had always been nervous around men she was romantically interested in, but she wasn’t with Tyler. With him, she had the same feeling of satisfied contentment that she had both as the quarry guys’ Girl Friday and as Luke’s executive assistant—she knew exactly how to help them.

  Even though Tyler was a trust fund baby with a nonexistent work ethic, she was at ease with him because he needed her. Yes, he made her all tingly and weak in the knees, but that was just a sign of physical attraction—and yet another reason why she wanted to take things to the next level.

  Stony silence fell again. Tension tightened Tyler’s jaw. He folded his arms and regarded her with a hard glint in his eyes. “Why do you think you need sex lessons?”

  A flush crawled up Kate’s neck. She forced her voice to sound calm and measured as she responded with the truth.

  “Because in my experience, sex with a man is nice but honestly it’s better when I’m…alone.”

  He didn’t move, but the muscles in his biceps twitched. “You mean when you get yourself off?”

  “Yes.” Her flush burned deeper. “And by all accounts, that’s not how it’s supposed to be. It should be better with someone else.”

  Something flared in the depths of his eyes. An arc of electricity sizzled clear across the room, prickling her skin. She shifted. Her heart thudded. Was it getting hot in here?

  “I…” She darted her tongue out to lick her lips. “I’m twenty-five. And though I’m exceedingly competent and knowledgeable in a number of areas, sex isn’t one of them. So for once, I would like to know what I’m doing. That’s all.”

  He unfolded his arms and crossed the room. Her pulse ratcheted up with every step he took toward her. And when he stopped in front of her, the heady, peppermint scent of him filling her nose, Kate’s whole body surged with anticipation.

  “That’s not all,” he said. “If we do this, Darling, you’ll get more than just the satisfaction of knowing what you’re doing. You’ll get hot, dirty fucking. You’ll get hickeys on your neck, whisker burn between your thighs, and the red imprint of my hand on your ass. You’ll get my cock pounding inside you so hard and deep you’ll think you can’t take it, but then you’ll beg for more. You’ll get on your hands and knees to take me from behind. You’ll come so hard your pussy will squeeze my cock like a vise. You’ll get sweaty, raunchy, and totally indecent.”

  Kate stared at him. His words started a wildfire raging through her blood, setting her alight. She could hardly breathe. Her sex throbbed. Her clothes were too heavy, weighing her down. She squeezed her thighs together and stifled a moan.

  “So.” He crossed his arms, his gaze burning into her. “Do you still want it?”

  God. She wanted it more than ever. She craved it, ached for it. She was about to come just thinking about it.

  Flexing her fingers on the edge of the counter, she pulled in a ragged breath. “I still want it,” she whispered hoarsely.

  Tyler was silent. Erotic tension radiated from him, thickening the air between them. Then he gave a short nod, his features hardening with determination.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Kate’s heart jolted. That one word promised she was going to have sex with him. Not just any kind of sex either—the hot, dirty kind he’d described in vividly arousing and graphic detail. Sex with big, hunky Tyler Stone who’d gotten her panties wet with one kiss. It was either going to be spectacular or she was going to wimp out and call the whole thing off.

  No. She would not wimp out. She was the one who’d started this, and damned if she wouldn’t see it through. “Okay.”

  They were about to go to a whole new level. She would round out her sexual education, and he would…well, in addition to fulfilling his obligations at the library, he’d get laid. He’d told her it had been a while, so she’d be helping him out. If she could manage to keep up. From the way she’d seen him eat, not to mention all she’d gleaned from social media, Tyler was a man of big appetites. The bedroom would be no different.

  “So when do we start?” she asked before her courage faltered.

  Tyler looked at his watch. “Now.”

  Chapter

  ELEVEN

  “N-now?” Kate stammered.

  He approached her with determined intent. “You have somewhere you need to be?”

  “No.”

  “Then now.” He stopped in front of her, his dark eyes burning like coals. “No more small talk or getting to know each other. We just get down to it and fuck whenever we want.”

  A riotous tremble coursed through her. She half expected him to get down to it right here in the kitchen, but he took her hand and led her back to her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

  Nervous excitement flooded her veins. He gripped her shoulders and tugged her closer, his gaze skimming over her and lingering on her breasts, the hard nipples tenting the fabric of her T-shirt. He slid his hands down her arms, then over to cup her breasts, the heat of his palms burning right through her shirt.

  “I’ve been wanting to see you naked since the second you fell into my arms,” he murmured, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. “I’m not waiting any longer.”

  He grasped the hem of her shirt and tugged it off, tossing it to the floor. His attention snapped to her cleavage, trapped in a white support bra that Kate belatedly wished was something sexier. Before she could dwell on that thought, Tyler reached around to unclasp her bra, releasing the hooks with an expert twist of his fingers. The bra straps slid off her shoulders. Her breasts spilled free, heavy and round.

  Goose bumps prickled her skin. She’d never been comfortable with the size of her breasts and had taken pains to conceal them beneath her shapeless clothes. But in private she loved holding and rubbing them, running her fingers around her exquisitely sensitive nipples, which now stuck straight out in clear signal of her arousal.

  A flush of self-consciousness rose, but Tyler’s appreciative groan told her that he liked the sight of her bare breasts. Or maybe he even loved it, given the way he cupped them again in his big hands and lowered his head to kiss her.

  “Fucking perfect,” he whispered the instant before his lips touched hers.

  Kate melted. His mouth covered hers, his kiss both warm and gentle, as if he were making sure she really was okay with this. And she was. She stroked her hands over his shoulders to the back of his neck, holding him against her.

  Oh bliss…

  Exquisite shivers rained through her, building into a wave that made her tremble from the inside out. Tyler’s mouth moved against hers with increasing urgency, his tongue sliding out to part the seam of her lips and delve inside.

  A gasp caught in Kate’s throat as their tongues touched, firing her with heat. His hands moved over her breasts, rubbing and squeezing, his long fingers plucking at her tight nipples and sending shocks right to her core.

  “Christ.” He lifted his head, his breath hot against her mouth and his eyes smoldering. “You’re so fucking responsive. You’re wet already, aren’t you?”

  She drew in a breath and nodded. She’d been damp
and aching from the minute he’d started talking about kissing, and then detoured into “I want you to spread your legs and open yourself up for me.” She pressed her thighs together, unable to stifle a small moan.

  A wicked smile tugged at Tyler’s mouth. He pinched one of her nipples and edged his hand down into the waistband of her yoga pants. Before she could grasp a thought, his hand was moving down her panties and into her sex.

  “Ah, fuck.” His groan escaped on a rush of breath and stirred the tendrils of hair at her temple.

  Kate choked out a gasp and gripped the front of his T-shirt to maintain her balance. He edged his hand farther between her legs, working one finger into her cleft while circling his thumb around her swollen clit.

  “I knew you were a firecracker,” he said, sliding his finger up and down the slippery folds. “How often do you touch yourself, Darling?”

  She swallowed. “O-often. At least every other night.”

  “And what do you fantasize about when you get yourself off?”

  “All sorts of things,” she replied breathlessly, tensing as he circling the tip of his finger around her opening. “Sometimes kinky stuff like spanking or getting tied up. Mostly just good hard fucking. Being…um, taken, you know?”

  “Hmm.” His chest rumbled with the sound. “Your old boyfriends never did that?”

  “Not the way it looks in the movies.” She arched her lower body toward him when his finger probed inside her. “Oh, Tyler, that feels incredible.”

  He lowered his head to her mouth again, his kiss scorching her. He grasped her hips and turned her toward the bed. Kate fell backward onto the flowered comforter, her gaze locked onto him as he peeled her pants and underwear off her legs. He took off her socks too, a grin flashing over his face at the sight of her pink painted toenails.

  “Pretty.” He kissed her big toe.

  Kissed. Her. Big. Toe.