Not for a Moment: One Moment, Book 3 Read online

  Disbelief put a cute little dent in her brow. “You’re not my physio. You’re not my anything. I declined, remember?”

  Van leaned back. He’d seen her watching the models earlier. He’d seen the wistful look on her face.

  “I can make you walk like them,” he offered quietly.

  That got her attention. Jess went to say something—smart, no doubt—then faltered, an expression of longing flitting across her face. For a moment she seemed so uncertain, so unlike Jess, Van’s heart ached for her.

  “I can do it,” Van vowed. All he could think of right now was that he wanted to show her how fucking perfect she was. “I’m not making any secret of the fact I want you. For the program. For myself,” he added when her eyes dropped. He let out a short laugh. “I don’t know which I want more.”

  Her throat moved as she fought to swallow. “What are you proposing?”

  “A trade.” Van had her interest. Now it was a matter of keeping it. “I have something you want and I want something from you.”

  Jess’s forehead pulled together with the effort of trying to work out what he was up to. Her expression had Van mesmerized. So fucking sweet. He thought he had a good idea of what Jess was about now. And he knew how to deal with her. Both in bed and out.

  “You want control.” Van leaned forward to whisper in her ear, enjoying the sweet shudder that trembled through her body as his breath brushed her neck. “I can give that to you. I can give you control over me.”

  “Sex?” Her eyes darkened.

  “Yes. Bed. Sex. My body. Whatever it is you want.” His words came out in a rush as desire gripped him. Just saying the words made his cock weep with wanting her.

  He took another step forward, the urge to touch her an overpowering ache. Van clenched his hands tight and forced them back to his sides. If he touched her now, he’d lose it.

  “Okay.” Her gaze met his. “But I get to go first.”

  “Yes. Right after my turn.”

  Before she could protest, Van scooped her up in his arms.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Jess gasped, thumping his chest with her fist.

  “I’ll let you walk if you take those shoes off.” He loved her spitfire attitude. It definitely did things for him.

  Jess clamped her lips shut and Van wanted her more than ever. He could feel her reaction to him, electricity tripping off her skin, sparking at his fingers. Rage. Frustration. Lust.

  “You want them off so bad? You take them off.”

  “Done.”

  Van lowered her legs to the floor but kept his arm around her waist. No telling what Miss Mercurial might do. He slid his hands down her body, over her hips and knelt at her feet. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her belly, feeling the flutter of her stomach beneath the silky fabric. She stumbled back, but he kept a hand about her to anchor her in place.

  Van ran his hands down her legs, letting the tips of his fingers follow the ridge of muscles down her calf to her feet. He undid one buckle and eased off her shoe, drawing his fingers along her instep. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he felt the feather-light caress through his shirt.

  Van concentrated on getting the other buckle undone, when all he wanted to do was run his tongue in a line from her feet to her pussy. Soon. He lingered, trying to get his breath back to a steady rhythm. And allow time for his raging hard-on to subside.

  The second shoe came off. Van slid back up her body. Jess’s eyes were wide, her breath a tremble on her lips. He leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on her cheek.

  “I want to pick you up and carry you out of here so bad,” he conceded. He wanted to hold her. To shake her. To fuck her.

  “Don’t even think about it. I’m controlling things. Remember?”

  His throat worked as she stroked her fingertips over his neck.

  “I won’t.”

  It was going to be tough and Jess wouldn’t make it easy for him. A shiver of anticipation ran down Van’s spine. He was looking forward to every second of it.

  Jess let out a small, delicious giggle. “You should see the look on your face. Worried now about what you’re getting yourself into?” She trailed her finger down the middle of his chest, between his aching nipples. “So are we going to stand here and talk? Or shall we find your room and finish what you started?”

  “Your wish. My command.” Van’s grin was full of anything but humor. “We’ll play this any way you want.” His voice grew husky as he took her hand. The straps of her shoes dangled from the other.

  “I want it my way.”

  “I had a feeling you might say that.”

  He walked her barefoot out of the ballroom.

  Chapter Eight

  Jess barely made it through the door to Van’s room before his mouth came down, just the barest skim of lips against skin. Long fingers traced her jaw and he rained soft kisses across her cheek before tilting her head back to explore her mouth more thoroughly.

  Her lips parted easily, welcoming him as he cupped her face and conquered any lingering hesitations she might have had, stroke by luscious stroke. She twisted her hands into the material of his shirt, succumbing to the sensuous sweetness of his mouth moving over hers, the slide and rasp of his tongue.

  There was a clatter as her shoes slipped from Van’s fingers and hit the floor. The distraction was enough for Jess to gather her thoughts. She pulled back. Frowned.

  What was it she’d wanted?

  Oh yes. That was right.

  “Clothes. Off.”

  She managed to squeeze out her demand before white-hot lust disabled her last remaining brain cell. All she wanted was to slip back into Van’s arms, for his mouth to be on her. She slid her fingers in between the buttons of his shirt, craving the touch of bare skin. With a growl, Van stepped away, plucking at the straps of her cocktail dress as he tried to find a way to get her out of it.

  Jess swiped at his hands. “Not mine. Yours.” She giggled.

  Confusion clouded his eyes for a moment, then he held out his arms, his palms face up, a silent entreaty for her to undo his cufflinks. The task was simple enough, but Jess loved the fact he needed her to do it. She moved in close, letting his heat envelop her, scent curling around her senses, making her mouth water. Fresh. Manly.

  Undoing the links took more time than it should have, but Jess wished it had taken longer to draw out the sweet moment of anticipation. Van watched every move through thick, inky lashes, his gaze a smolder of wicked promises. Once she undid the links, he worked on his buttons and as she stepped back, his shirt came off. The muscles in his stomach pulled into a ripple of abs as he shrugged the fabric off his shoulders.

  “Oh, yes,” Jess murmured in appreciation.

  Had she really just licked her lips?

  Van’s mouth twitched. “What about you?” he asked, his expectant gaze flicking toward her cleavage.

  It took everything in her not to rip her dress off and go at it. She would climb him like a monkey. With effort, Jess tore her focus from the perfection of flawless shoulders and the lithe, lean contours of his biceps. Both things she wanted to taste.

  “You’re not finished yet.” She met his eyes before looking pointedly at his pants.

  Van reached for his belt and Jess swallowed, fighting not to blink. She didn’t want to miss a second of the show. Leather slid through the buckle with a soft purring sound. The metal catch jingled as it fell open. Her breath caught, teeth sinking into her lip.

  Van looked up, his fingers playing with the button of his pants. “Are you sure you want me to do this?” he asked, low and gravelly and sexy as hell.

  “Ack.” Jess’s mouth was so dry she couldn’t form a proper answer. She settled for a vigorous nod.

  With infinite care, Van pushed his pants down past his hips. They caught for a moment on the elastic of his briefs. Je
ss lunged forward and with a twitch of her hand, yanked on the fabric. His pants fell to the floor. Van stepped out of them.

  Jess moved back to get more of him in her view. Her gaze started at his feet and went up, up, up all the way past his calves, the dips and curves of his knees to the black briefs cupping his cock. His desire for her was very much evident, and his breath was rough and uneven, as if the exertion of undressing had taken a lot out of him.

  “Stop.” Jess held up a hand as he went to remove the last piece of clothing. “Keep those on.” She wanted Van to leave something to unwrap and she loved the feel of hot, hard cock behind soft material. It just did it for her.

  Van dropped his hands to his sides. “You now,” he said.

  He might look obedient, but Jess could feel the coil of energy waiting to be unleashed. He was playing the game her way, but it wouldn’t take much for him to flip sides. Part of her wanted that to happen, remembering the excitement of lying beneath him, under his control.

  Jess’s legs felt shaky as she turned, presenting her back so she could be helped out of her gown. There was no lingering striptease. Van pulled the zip down, his hands tracing the length of the opening he’d made. The heat of his body burned at her back and she tensed, desperate for Van to close the gap and wrap himself around her. He stepped away and Jess let the dress fall to the floor.

  She looked down. She hadn’t worn a bra—the bodice had one built in. She still had panties on though. And her stockings. The profile of her toes poked through the sheer black mesh. As did the ragged outline of her scar…

  Jess lifted her eyes to find Van watching her.

  “I want my shoes back on,” she said.

  “Oh yes,” he agreed. Warmth fluttered low in her belly at his wholly carnal look. “But your legs go bare,” he added.

  He knelt to peel down her stockings. Jess braced herself against his shoulder as he lifted one foot, then the other to remove them. He ran his fingers up her legs, past her knees, stopping mid-thigh.

  “Like silk,” he murmured.

  He leaned forward until his face was only a sliver away from burying itself in her crotch. Wet waves of lust pooled at her sex. He took a deep breath. Jess shuddered, her legs beginning to tremble in anticipation. He crossed the last few inches of space and placed a kiss on the lace panel of her panties. Pulled away. Jess gripped his arm harder as he slipped her stilettos onto her feet and strapped them on. He looked up through his lashes.

  “May I?”

  Jess wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to. And she didn’t care either. Van came to his feet and a yelp caught in her throat as he scooped her up. Jess was going to protest, then thought, what the hell? She might as well accept Van was a man who liked carrying her places.

  “Bed.” She directed him to the bedroom when he made for the couch.

  “Your wish is my command.” Van stopped mid-step and turned to follow her orders.

  “And don’t you forget it.” Jess waved him on. His subservience to her made her feel good. Powerful.

  His meek demeanor lasted a whole three seconds before he sent her tumbling onto the bed. Jess scrambled up, but Van was already beside her, pushing her back, pulling her arms out straight. Moving past her hips, he ran his hands all the way down the outsides of her legs. He circled his fingers around her ankles with a light grip.

  “Hey! No fair—”

  The fight left Jess in a whoosh of air as Van’s mouth replaced his fingers, his tongue running over the top of her foot, dipping into the hollow of her ankle. He slid his hands up her calves. Not a massage—there was nothing but pure sensuality in his touch. He stroked higher with each arcing brush of his fingers. Jess was torn between the wet, luscious feel of his mouth on her skin and the spark of energy each time his touch crept higher.

  She parted her legs. Inviting him closer. Van crawled between them, dropping open-mouthed kisses as he went. He started with her right leg, the one free of scars, licking and tasting his way up to her knee. Then drew back. He raised a brow in question. Jess hesitated for a moment. Then nodded. She just needed to have his hands on her. Somewhere. Anywhere.

  Van dipped his head and gently traced her scars with a long, languid lick of his tongue. Jess tensed, not sure whether she liked the sensation or not, then his hands reached the vee of her thighs, his fingers playing around the edges of her panties. She liked that just fine.

  “Aren’t I supposed to be doing stuff?” She relaxed back onto the bed with a sigh.

  “Isn’t this what you want?” Van murmured against her skin, continuing on with his exploration. “For me to worship every inch of you?” He lifted his head and met her gaze, his eyes dark, almost black with desire. “I’ll do whatever you want.” His words ended on a kiss halfway up her thigh, his fingers brushing against her sex.

  “You don’t play fair,” Jess breathed out.

  “Not playing.” Van went back to kissing her. “Hungry. For you. Don’t make me wait.”

  His thumb crept under the lacy elastic and found its way into the wet slickness of her pussy.

  “Oh. God. Yes.” Jess thrust her hips as his thumb circled again.

  “Yes?” He paused, looking up the line of her body.

  “Yes. Goddammit. Yes!”

  Van groaned and face-planted in her crotch as though it had only been her words holding him back. He pulled the silky material aside, his tongue pushing into her sex, releasing small grunts of satisfaction. Jess writhed on the bed, barely enduring the wicked onslaught as he licked and sucked at her clit.

  With a snap, her panties tore at one side and Van whipped the material out from under her butt. He lifted her thighs over his shoulders and spread her wide. Need burned through her belly like fire, fanning flames of hot, searing heat.

  “Mmm.” Van licked his lips and burrowed back into her.

  Jess let out a low groan as he sucked on the small bundle of nerves, the softness of his hair tickling at her thighs. His fingers played a sensual tune around the edges of her sex. Van held nothing back, going at her hard. Unrelenting.

  Her nipples ached and Jess kneaded her breasts together, toying with the tight pink nubs. The pressure built in her belly, coiling tighter as he started pumping two fingers in and out of her, eating at her pussy until she became a single pinpoint of pleasure.

  One last powerful pull of his lips. Jess let out a scream, gripping onto anything she could find purchase with. Van jerked against her, biting on her clit as her stilettos dug into his back. The pain as his teeth clamped around her was exactly what Jess needed. She tipped over the edge into pleasure, her body throbbing in time to her orgasm.

  She lifted her head in time to see Van undo the straps of her shoes.

  “Let me see your back.” Jess tried to sit up, but all her strength had disappeared. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No way.” Van pushed her back down and completed his task, dropping the shoes over the side of the bed. “It was worth it to see you come like that. Can’t you see how hard I am?”

  Sometime during the course of Jess’s orgasm, Van had dispensed with his underwear. He dished out a wicked grin and directed her attention to his crotch by rolling a condom over his rock-hard cock. No. He certainly hadn’t suffered any.

  “Now I get to leave my mark on you.”

  Van knelt in front of her, spreading her legs wide. A shot of excitement streaked through Jess. Laced with something darker. She wanted him to claim her. Mark her as his.

  “What are you going to do?” She bit at her lip.

  Van paused to consider, his gaze licking a path of heat up her torso. “I haven’t decided yet,” he said as their eyes met. “But I’ll think of something.”

  “I thought I got to tell you what to do?” She pulled him to her, nuzzling against his neck, nipping at his shoulder.

  “Yes,” Van gritted out his agreement.

>   “Then fuck me.” She breathed her order into his ear. “Give me everything you’ve got.”

  His arms tensed, muscles rippling out along his biceps. Jess traced her fingers from his shoulders down his chest, brushing close to his nipples. Van held himself tight, his body so rigid Jess wondered that he didn’t shatter into pieces.

  “Do it. Now.”

  Jess felt the exact moment Van let go. The strict rein of his control snapped and he pulled at her hips. He cupped her ass, holding her to him. He found the entrance of her sex with the head of his cock. A slight pause and he pushed into her. Eyes closed. Head back. Neck straining.

  Heat flooded her. The feel of him inside her, the slide of his cock as he thrust deep… Jess caught her breath and he threw a quick glance at her to make sure she was with him.

  Oh, she was so with him.

  Van grunted, beyond words. He got to his knees and rocked into her again. Drew back. Until he was pounding into her, his fingers digging into her ass, sweat beading his brow. Van was off the leash and he was unrestrained power.

  And it was the fact he’d lost his grip on reality that turned Jess on the most. He thrust inside, the base of his cock slamming into the sensitive folds of her sex, the sharp thrill of ecstasy bringing her nearer to the edge. His cock hit deep and each time it did, small puffs of breath were forced from Van’s lungs, fanning her cheeks whenever his hips rammed forward to meet her body. A sweet ache of pleasure radiated out, tugging at her clit…just a little longer…

  “Open your eyes.” Jess gasped out her last order.

  With an effort, he squeezed his eyes open and locked onto hers. An ocean of desire tugged her in. Jess was drowning in it. The tightness of the storm gathering in her belly exploded outward. She didn’t just let go—she hurled herself into the tumbling void. Jess released a strangled scream as she was carried over into exquisite ecstasy when Van plunged deep one last time. The kick of his orgasm dragged Jess under with another wave of pleasure.

  “Fuck.” Van swayed forward and collapsed on the bed beside her. There was no fire in his curse, just the sound of a man satisfied beyond words.