Chapter 9

My pulse races as Nolan's lips claim mine, his tongue sweeping in, sending tingles through my body.

I lean into the embrace, reveling in the pineapple-coconut flavor that lingers in his mouth, the way the short bristles of his five o'clock shadow chafe my skin, and the heady scent of his pheromones rising to surround me.

Desire curls in my stomach, and I press a hand over the front of my nightshirt to ease the ache of my erection. It's too embarrassing for a simple kiss to bring me this much pleasure, but everything about Nolan overwhelms me, turning me into a puddle of want at his feet.

"Mmm, sweet." He straightens and leans against the couch, spreading his arms across the back. "It's too bad you want nothing from me when I'm in such a generous mood right now."

Panting, I stare up at him in confusion. "I don't… I thought you…"

"This is when you tell me what you want me to do to you, Leo." He spreads his knees wide, making the bulge in the front of his slacks obvious. "Be brave. Ask for anything, and I'll do it."

Hands trembling, I hesitate before placing them on his thighs. "I want to touch you."

At his rumble of encouragement, my palms slide higher. Strong muscles bunch beneath the material, and his eyelids drop to half-mast as he watches me.

There's so much about the time we spent together during my Heat that I don't remember. So many gaps I want to fill. What Nolan's face looks like when he's lost to pleasure. How he sounds when he comes. The fever stole those memories from me, and I want them back.

Swallowing hard, I reach for his belt and fumble to open it, struggling with the thick leather strap. The buckle isn't normal, with no obvious latch, and a whine of frustration rises in my throat.

"Do you want help?" Nolan purrs, the offer stroking over me like a touch.

Embarrassed to have already failed, I drop my hands to my lap and nod.

"No, not like that." His fingers brush my lips, then push inside to stroke my tongue. "You have to ask."

My eyes close with pleasure, and I catch his wrist, my eyes closing as I take his long digits deeper. Rough calluses and the faint trace of salt flood my senses, and a sliver of memory rises to the surface of something thicker and hotter filling my mouth.

He pulls away, and my lashes flutter up to find his burning gaze on me. "Do you want something else to suck on?"

My eyes drop to the front of his pants. "Yes."

"Ask."

Blood rushes to my cheeks. "Please open your slacks."

"Good boy. Pay attention, so you remember how to do this next time." Nolan reaches for his buckle and pinches the sides, releasing the small locks to flip back the flat silver front, and the leather slides free with ease.

He doesn't stop there, though. With deft fingers, he flicks the button at the top of his fly and drags down the zipper.

Black boxers tent out of the opening, and he hooks his thumbs in the waistband. "These, too? Or would you prefer the pleasure?"

Desire fills me to unwrap that present myself, and my hands lift on instinct before I freeze.

With a knowing smile, he leaves his briefs in place as he returns his arms to the back of the couch and watches me.

A shiver goes down my spine, and I glance up at him through my lashes. When he stays still, I rise onto my knees and reach for the elastic at his waist.

Breath held, I peel them down, revealing his thick, long length. It stands proudly, the plump head flushed dusky pink with veins standing out along his shaft.

Uncertain if I can handle his size, I peek up at him once more.

"It's okay, you can take it. I've already come in every part of you." He cups my chin, drawing me forward. "Trust your body to remember my shape."

I shift, the plush carpet cushioning my knees, and my pulse flutters with excitement and worry. Nolan is a powerful, wealthy man who could have anyone. Certainly someone with more experience in how to please a man.

What if I mess this up?

As if sensing my hesitation, he gently tilts my face up to meet his piercing green eyes. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"No, I want to." My gaze fixes on his hard cock. "I want you."

The words hold the weight of all those nights alone, longing for something impossible. Now that my fantasies are real, I'm not letting self-doubt stop me from doing something I've wanted since the first day I saw Nolan walk into Velvet Oasis.

Trembling, I lean forward, parting my lips to take him in. Salty and clean, the velvety heat of him strokes across my tongue. My hands shake as they settle on his thighs, the muscles like steel under my touch.

The bright lights of the room fall away as my eyes close, blocking out everything except the scent of his skin, a mix of expensive cologne and his pheromones.

"Fuck, it feels amazing to be back in your mouth." He cups the back of my head, urging me to take more of him.

I slide my mouth down him as far as I can, my lips stretched taut around his thick shaft, his tip at the back of my tongue. When his hand in my hair tightens, I suction my cheeks as he pulls me up, his pre-cum an award for my efforts.

My body melts, desire spiraling through me, and I give myself over to Nolan as he sets a demanding but considerate pace. He works himself deeper and eases back when my throat constricts, waiting until I remember how to relax, how to accept his full length.

Then he fucks my mouth, his cock moving in hot, thick surges. His breath hitches, letting me know I'm doing well, that I'm giving him pleasure, and warmth unfurls inside me.

I lick the vein on the underside of his shaft, swirl over the sensitive bundle of nerves at the base of his head, and flick his slit, finding the right rhythm and pressure to draw the most intoxicating sounds from deep within his chest. Every moan, every twitch of his hips, praises me.

"Keep going. I want to fill your pretty mouth," he groans, his voice strained with restraint.

A thrill of excitement coils in my stomach, and I gaze up at him through my lashes, our eyes locking, memorizing the sight of him tipping over the edge.

In this moment, Nolan belongs to me.

The hand in my hair tightens, holding me in place as his cock pulses, and hot cum floods across my tongue. I swallow around his shaft, greedy to claim even more of this powerful man.

My pleasure spikes, knowing that I'm the cause. That I brought him to release.

Nolan pulls my head up, his semi-hard length slapping against his stomach.

Dazed, I stare up at him, gasping for breath.

"Damn, you're beautiful with your lips swollen and red from taking me." He wipes the spit from my mouth. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes." The word comes out raspy from my abused throat.

His gaze drops to the front of my nightshirt. "Show me."

Drunk on pleasure, without a hint of embarrassment, I reach down to lift the hem, showing Nolan my hard dick and thighs shiny with the slick leaking from my ass.

A low rumble rises from him, and I shudder in response, cum dripping from my slit.

He leans down, inhaling behind my ear. "Do you want me to take you to bed now?"

Legs shaking with need, I nod.

He nuzzles the side of my throat. "Yes?"

"Yes," I gasp out. "Please take me to bed."

"Good boy." Nolan tugs on the loose collar of my nightshirt. "Strip."

I kneel before him, trembling with a combination of nerves and anticipation, as he sits back to watch with the same commanding gaze he used to survey Velvet Oasis every time he came into the shop.

He strokes his semi-hard cock, still wet from my mouth. "Go ahead. Let me see everything."

Breath hitching, I rise unsteadily to my feet and reach for the hem of the silky fabric, pulling it over my head and letting it fall to the floor.

It leaves me exposed while he remains fully clothed, but instead of vulnerability or weakness, Nolan's heavy-lidded stare fills me with a sense of power as his desire for me pushes thick pheromones into the air, saturating the room with hunger and need.

"Look how lovely you are." He reaches out to stroke my quivering thighs and leans forward to press a kiss to my stomach.

My heart races, and my arms wrap around his shoulders as my knees weaken.

Callused hands grip my waist, lifting me as if I weigh nothing. The world tilts, and I tighten my hold on him, burying my face against his neck where his pulse thunders as he carries me to the bed.