Awakening Desires: Katie's Art of Seduction Read online

  “What.” Katie reached out and stroked his arm all the way down to his hand. “You’re still wearing your shirt.” Now she sounded perplexed.

  “That’s the problem. I want to turn on the light and look at you. To be able to take off my shirt and enjoy myself.” He reached over the side of the bed and picked up the familiar long black scarf.

  “I don’t understand.”

  He folded the scarf in half lengthwise and held it loosely in both hands. “I want to blindfold you so you can’t see me. It will be better for both of us that way.” He trailed the silk scarf over her belly and then her breasts.

  Katie shivered as the fabric tugged on her sensitive nipples. Her hands gripped the sheets tight. Sensing her hesitation, he used the scarf to tease her breasts again. “You’ll find even greater pleasure if you rely on your remaining senses,” he promised. “It will heighten your response.”

  Sensing her uncertainty, he bent forward and kissed her. It was a long, lingering kiss full of promise. When he pulled away, Katie gave a little moan of distress. “Please, for me.” Softly, he kissed her lips, her cheek, her eyes. “You liked what I did to you earlier,” he reminded her.

  Katie gave him a hesitant nod and he wasted no time pulling her into a sitting position. Wrapping the length of cloth around her head several times before tying it in the back, he then turned her in the bed until her head was near the bottom and her feet were facing the headboard.

  The click of the light switch made her jump, but other than that she made no move. Like a deer caught in the blinding glare of headlights she couldn’t even see, Katie seemed frozen in place.

  “You’re like a fantasy.” Cain tore off his shirt and flung it to the floor, never taking his eyes off her pearly white body.

  Her eyes were obscured behind the black blindfold, but her cheeks were pink and her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses. A small bite mark was evident on one shoulder and he felt an almost savage pleasure that he’d marked her as his. Her nipples were distended and cherry red after all the attention he’d given them and made a luscious sight against the pale skin of her breasts.

  Getting comfortable between her legs, he bent forward and took a deep breath, inhaling her enticing scent. “You smell hot and sexy.” His finger traced a line up the inside of one smooth, white thigh and then through the soft hair covering her mound. “It’s curly,” he noted. “In my fantasy it was straight, but this is so much better.”

  “Did you dream of me?” Katie’s breathing was getting more rapid. He could see the pulse fluttering in her neck as her arousal grew.

  “Dreaming of you is all I’ve done lately. But what about you? Did your dreams include being spread out for my pleasure while I explore you at my leisure?” He continued to comb through the dark hair, coming close but never touching her clitoris.

  “I asked about your dreams. What do you want?” She raised her arms over her head and arched her body towards him. Katie was as seductive as any siren, luring him onward.

  Trailing his tongue up the inside of her thigh, he paused and nuzzled her pubic hair. “I want to taste you. To pleasure you.”

  His tongue flicked out and circled the nub of her arousal. Her hips rose to meet his mouth and he caught her clit gently between his teeth and flicked it softly. Katie moaned and thrust her hips higher.

  Giving it one final flick, he licked the soft, slick folds of her opening. She was so pink and wet and his. He took a deep breath and knew if he weren’t careful he’d come on the damn sheets. Katie turned him on like no other woman ever had.

  Continuing his exploration of her soft slick flesh, he slowly inserted a finger inside her, not stopping until it was buried to the hilt. She writhed on the bed, trying to coax him to move his finger.

  “Cain!” she wailed when he kept his finger still inside her. Instead, he slowly pushed another finger inside to join the first. She wailed again as her hips lifted off the mattress.

  “Hold still, Katie.” He blew on her heated flesh as he watched her body flush.

  “I can’t,” she muttered. “Do something.”

  Cain began to slowly move his fingers within her while at the same time finding her clit and beginning to suck on it. This time he didn’t stop. Starting slow at first, he built a steady rhythm until Katie’s head was thrashing from side to side, her hands fisted in the sheets. Her hips pumped wildly in the air as she encouraged him.

  “God, yes. More. Again.” Katie gasped out as she continued to reach for release. Her breathless entreaties spurred him on.

  Pushing his fingers all the way inside her hot, wet body, he tongued her clit and was rewarded when he felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers.

  He didn’t let up, but kept up the steady pressure even as Katie started screaming her release. When she was finished, he slowly removed his fingers and nuzzled her sensitive skin. Stroking her legs and her stomach, he waited patiently until she was relaxed once again.

  “That was amazing.” Katie sounded well satisfied and that pleased him greatly.

  Moving up slightly on the bed, he kissed her stomach and her breasts and finally he placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Taste how sexy you are.” Running the two fingers that he’d used to make her come along her lips, he waited for her to taste herself.

  Her tongue flicked out and ran down the length of one finger making him groan. Pushing his dick against her soft stomach to help ease the ache, he waited to see what she would do next.

  Capturing both fingers in her mouth, she licked and sucked them both. “Mmm. Good,” she moaned.

  She was killing him, but there was no way he was going to stop her. He ground his arousal against her body and allowed her to do as she wished.

  Easing her fingers out of her mouth, she surprised him with her request. “That’s number one and two. Isn’t it time for number three?”

  Cain pulled away from her and bolted upright, gasping for air. The image of her taking him in her mouth and sucking him almost made him come right there and then. He ran both hands through his hair and desperately tried to regain control. Katie didn’t help matters any as she continued to run her feet up and down his flanks while he sat back and stared at her enticing body.

  “Well, isn’t it my turn?” she teased him with a saucy smile on her face. When he didn’t respond immediately, she began to frown and look concerned. “Cain?”

  Reaching out, he lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed her palm before placing it against his cheek. “Everything is all right, but we may have to skip that one and go right to the last one. I don’t think I’d last a minute with your sexy mouth on my cock.” How was that for honesty?

  “Okay. We can always do that later.” Katie opened her arms to him and he was lost.

  “Let me love you, Katie.” Stretching out beside her, he placed frantic kisses on her upturned face.

  “That’s not what you said you wanted earlier.” Katie tried to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but he captured them and held them in one of his hands. Slowly, he lifted them over her head.

  “Forget what I said earlier. Earlier, I was being an ass.” Cain took Katie’s mouth in a long, hot kiss. He didn’t just kiss her. He devoured her. Wanting—no, needing—to please her, give back to her, and take from her.

  “Love me, Cain,” Katie demanded.

  “Hell, yes.” He jerked up in the bed, grabbed a condom, and sheathed himself in record time. Quickly, he burrowed between her legs and thrust himself inside her waiting warmth.

  Where he’d been frantic before, now that he was inside her, something deep inside him relaxed. He bent all his considerable skill towards arousing Katie all over again. Kissing her delectable lips and her luscious breasts was like indulging in a veritable feast. His senses filled with the scent and taste of Katie.

  And Katie responded as if she had been made especially for him. Her arousal was almost instantaneous and in only moments she was meeting his thrusts and kissing whatever part of him she cou
ld reach. Lifting her head, she lightly bit his shoulder and he lost all control.

  Like a madman, he thrust into her. His balls tightened and then came blessed release. He continued to thrust until he had emptied himself into her and then he collapsed, taking care not to crush her beneath him.

  Cain didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally gained enough energy to move. It was only then that he realized Katie was gently rubbing his hair and his shoulder. He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and gave thanks that it was his good shoulder and not his scarred one.

  Reluctantly, he withdrew from her body and her embrace. Katie treated him with a tenderness that he’d never had in his entire life. If he weren’t careful, she’d make him weak and then where would he be? His resolve hardened and he pulled back from her.

  “Come back.” She held her arms out to him.

  “I need to clean up first.” He knew his voice was harsh when she flinched slightly and dropped her hands. Unable to bear her withdrawal from him, he softened his rejection by dropping a kiss on her stomach.

  “But let’s get you comfortable first.” Reaching behind him, he clicked off the light and plunged the room back into darkness. It took a moment for his eye to adjust and then he lifted Katie until her back was turned to him. Kissing her neck, he unwound the blindfold and returned it to the nightstand.

  Guiding her to the pillows, he tucked her in before leaving her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  In the bathroom, Cain disposed of the used condom and cleaned himself up with a warm washcloth. Bracing both arms on the counter, he stared at his reflection in the dim light from the night-light. “You’re a hard bastard, Benjamin.” He nodded at his reflection in agreement. But even knowing that, he knew there was no way he would let Katie go. He would do everything in his power to tie her to him, to make her want to stay with him, but there was no way he would be able to give up any control to her. It had to be his way or no way.

  Having shored up his defenses, he tugged on a shirt that had hung on the back of the bathroom door. Taking a lukewarm damp washcloth with him, he returned to the bed and ran the cloth all over Katie’s body, making her more comfortable. Crawling in behind her sleepy form, he pulled her close, wrapping both arms around her warm body.

  “Sleep,” he whispered in her ear. Katie responded by snuggling closer to him, automatically curling into his body like she’d been doing it for years. She fit him perfectly. But it was more than that. Katie felt right lying here in his arms and in his bed. It was if this woman had been fashioned especially for him. That thought was both exhilarating and worrisome at the same time.

  Katie moved restlessly in her sleep, so he gathered her closer and whispered reassuringly in her ear. She responded immediately to his voice, cuddling closer to him. Making a pillow out of his chest, she finally sank into a deep sleep. Her breath stirred the hairs on his chest, and it wasn’t long before he was painfully aroused again.

  His cock twitched against the sheet, but he made no move to wake Katie. She was obviously exhausted from the unaccustomed sexual activity, and he figured she was probably a little sore. Instead, he just enjoyed the feel of her against his body. He held her there in the dark for several hours not willing to risk losing any of his time with her to sleep.

  An hour before dawn, he reluctantly dragged himself out of bed and gathered her clothing together. Laying it all on the bed, he stood there and took one final lingering look at her. When he’d risen, she’d rolled over and snuggled into his pillow, as if seeking his warmth. Bending over, he kissed her awake and told her to get dressed.

  He sensed her sleepy confusion as she slowly dressed, but he ignored it and pulled on his own clothes. Wrapping his arms around her, he ushered her into her coat and down the elevator to the garage. As per his instructions of the previous night, Quentin had the limo waiting outside. Unable to resist, Cain wrapped Katie in his arms and pulled her close to his chest for one final hug.

  “I’ll be away for a few days. Be good while I’m gone.” He held her face in his hands and gave her one last, hard kiss. “Miss me,” he ordered as he settled her in the car.

  It was only when the car had pulled away that Cain realized that Katie hadn’t said a single word.

  Chapter Nine

  The next few days were up and down like a roller coaster for Katie. One moment, she was up, remembering the erotic night of lovemaking she and Cain had shared. The next, she was depressed and thinking about the way he ushered her out of his bed the next morning. She hadn’t been able to look Quentin in the eye as he’d driven through the streets in the early morning light. Thankfully, he had sensed her discomfort and left her to her own thoughts.

  Truthfully, she didn’t know how she felt about their night together. They hadn’t even eaten dinner before she’d allowed him to whisk her off to his bed. What they’d done in his bed still made her blush. A few weeks ago, she would never have thought she was the type to engage in sexual bondage games, much less enjoy them. Katie knew it was because she loved Cain, for her there was no other explanation. On the other hand, she had no idea if he had any feelings for her or if he just thought she was easy.

  Her love for Cain had become apparent to her the morning Quentin had driven her home. She’d stumbled up the stairs and straight to bed. Emotionally, she had been a wreck. Alternately, she’d cried and cursed for an hour before dragging herself to the shower to get ready for work.

  Whether she liked it or not, on some deep level she trusted Cain. Otherwise, she never would have allowed him to either bind her or blindfold her, and neither would she have given him complete access to her body. She had surrendered to him totally, emotionally and physically. Katie knew that she would only commit such a daring act for a man she loved.

  Cain, on the other hand, seemed determined to keep her at a distance. The way he hid half his face from her in the light told her he didn’t quite trust her. Tears came to her eyes when she recalled the way he had kept her from touching his bare skin. At this point she didn’t know if it was because of some deformity or if he just didn’t like to be touched. Either way, it hurt her. And the way he’d had his driver take her home, rather than taking her himself, had left her feeling unsure about the whole basis of their relationship. So far, she had done all the giving.

  It wasn’t that she’d hadn’t talked to Cain since. No, quite the opposite in fact. That very evening when she’d stumbled home from work, he’d called her from wherever he was and he’d phoned her every evening since. He was interested in everything she did and asked her about her painting and about work at the coffee shop. It had taken her several nights to catch on to the fact that he never talked about himself.

  All he would say was that he was away on business, but never once did he tell her exactly what he did. “I buy and sell things. Stocks, bonds, property, companies, and anything else I choose,” he’d told her when she pressed. Then he’d changed the subject, making it clear that he had said all he was going to.

  She asked him if he’d ever bought a building, hoping he could give her some advice to pass on to Lucas. So Katie had explained all about the building being sold and about Lucas having to find a new location. She poured out all her fears about what could happen to Lucas and to her job.

  He listened quietly until she had finished and then answered her in the coldest voice she’d ever heard from him. “It’s just the way business is done. The buyer is actually being very generous by letting the lease run until the end instead of just buying it out and evicting him from the premises.” She still got shivers thinking about how remote and unreachable he’d seemed at that moment.

  “That’s exactly what Lucas said,” she muttered into the receiver.

  “Lucas understands that this is just business. It’s not personal.” Cain quickly ended the conversation and hung up, leaving Katie feeling even more disheartened.

  Cain always seemed distracted and remote when he called. Lying in b
ed, thinking about their evening chats, it occurred to Katie that Cain had never told her if he was away on personal business or just regular business. She had just assumed it had something to do with his work because he never talked about his personal life. It disturbed her to know that she didn’t even know if he had brothers or sisters or if his parents were still alive. He, on the other hand, knew about Lucas and about the death of her grandmother.

  Cain had sent her four dozen roses and a note promising her a real dinner when he returned, but that was cold comfort for Katie. What she really wanted was for him to talk to her and to share some of the details of his life with her.

  As much as she cared for him, Katie knew she needed more or her love would quickly shrivel and become resentment and hurt feelings. They would have to talk when he came back. She shivered in dread at the thought of Cain turning remote and cold as he dismissed her questions. If he decided not to talk, no force on earth would make him.

  To take her mind off her troubles, she did what she’d always done. Katie painted. This latest picture of Cain showed him standing among the lush green of the rooftop garden. The table was set the same romantic way it had been the night she’d gone to his apartment. Lights twinkled merrily and the fountain trickled in the garden, Cain was half in and half out of the light. Part of him was buried in the shadows of the dense foliage while the patio lights illuminated the other half.

  He looked strong and handsome in the painting and she had captured the intensity of his stare as he extended a large, sturdy hand to an unseen guest. Katie wasn’t sure if he was entreating her to join him in the darkness or asking her help in pulling him from the darkness. She feared it was the former, but hoped it was the latter.

  The completed painting joined the other two in the series and now the three of them were propped side by side against the wall. One scene flowed effortlessly into the next telling a story.