She met the motions of his hips with little thrusts of her own, the two of them completely synched as if they’d been doing this for years. Her nails bit into his skin, every muscle in her body tense, her breathing ragged. Oh, she was close, so close.
He lowered his mouth to her breast again, flicked her nipple with his tongue, nipped it with his teeth, then drew it into his mouth once more.
“Eric.” Her breath caught, then she arched beneath him, coming with a soft, shuddering sigh.
He stayed with her, kissing her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, attuned to the tremors still running through her, some thought forming in his mind about carrying her to the bed for—
Fuck.
He didn’t have a condom. He hadn’t planned this and hadn’t brought one with him. He’d never broken his “no sex without a condom” rule, and he wouldn’t start tonight. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Victoria pregnant and facing a bunch of tough choices. Besides, there were a lot of ways they could get each other off without him being inside her.
She opened her eyes, surprise on her face, her lips swollen from kissing him, her breasts still beautifully bare. “I’ve never … not like that.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” He lowered his lips to hers, kissed her nice and slow. “Please tell me there’s a box of condoms in that bathroom.”
“I didn’t see one. I’m not on the pill either, so...” Her gaze fixed on something over his shoulder, and the blood drained from her face, her entire body going stiff. “Stop. I can’t! We can’t ... ”
In a panic, she pushed against his chest, struggling to get out from beneath him.
He levered himself up and away from her and looked over his shoulder, but saw only what he’d expected to see—his computer, paper, a pen. “Honey, what is it? What’s wrong?”
She got to her feet, hurried to the table, and closed his computer, then stood there, shaking, arms wrapped protectively around herself, spaghetti straps still off her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ... I’m so, so sorry.”
It didn’t take training in trauma to know that something had triggered her.
Eric got to his feet, all the things he’d let slip from his mind rushing back at him—Austin’s warning, her conversation with his mother, the fact that she was Lexi’s best friend.
Hawke, you dumbshit.
He walked up behind her, wanting to reassure her but afraid to touch her. “Hey. It’s okay. You have no reason to be sorry.”
She turned to face him, then seemed to realize that her breasts were still exposed.
Before she could react, he fastened the clasp for her, leaving her to adjust all that lush goodness herself. “You can talk to me. You know that, right? Clothes on, hands off. I promise.”
“Thanks.” She tugged up her spaghetti straps, and he could see she was fighting tears. “I think we made a lot of progress tonight. We should probably both get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He bit back all the things he wanted to say to her, all the things he wanted to ask, and just let it go—for now. “Okay. Yeah. Thanks for your help tonight.”
“You’re welcome.” She walked with him to the door. “Good night.”
“Get some sleep.” He paused with one foot in the hallway. “Call me if you need anything, even if it’s the middle of the night. I can be here in two minutes.”
“Thanks, Eric.” She forced a smile onto her face. “You’re a good man.”
As he walked down the stairs, Eric was certain that the last guy who’d gotten his hands on her hadn’t been.
* * *
Vic closed the door, moved the safety latch into place, then walked to the sofa, her heart in pieces. She sank into the cushions and let the tears come.
She had messed that up—big time.It was her fault. She had started it.
She hadaskedEric to kiss her, and, oh, God, he had. He’d kissed her like she’d never been kissed in her life, kissed her the way she’d always dreamed of being kissed. First her lips, then her throat, then her breasts…
The man certainly knew what to do with his mouth.
He’d made her feel sexually alive for the first time in so very long, driving her crazy, even making her come. And he hadn’t gotten anything in return.