Reckless. Tori Carrington

to endure.

      She’d never been intimate with any man except Jesse. Merely watching Kyle take liberties with her, claim her with a passionate certainty, nearly brought her to the brink.

      “I have no fantasies,” she’d told Nina not too long ago.

      Her friend had stared at her as if she were nuts.

      But Heidi had never had any need for fantasies. Not when reality provided everything she wanted.

      As she helped Kyle peel her slacks off, she wondered if perhaps she should have found something to fantasize about. Because maybe if she had, she wouldn’t have allowed definite fantasy material to seep into her reality.

      Kyle’s fingers probed her throbbing flesh. She threw her head back and groaned, her hands flat against the counter, her hips bucking involuntarily.

      How long had it been since she’d experienced this insane heat? This chaotic need? To be sure, up until recently, Jesse and her sex life had been satisfying.

      Oh, but not this hot.

      Two years? Five years?

      The thoughts muddled in her brain as Kyle fitted a finger into her dripping wetness, rendering her helpless to do anything more than concentrate on him and only him.

      Was this what it was like? Playing the field? Inviting intimacy with multiple men?

      God, if this was any indication, then she’d lived a very sheltered life, indeed.

      The problem was, she was terrified that the incredible heat she was experiencing wasn’t the result of exploring new territory with just any man…but only with Kyle.

      “No…no…no…” she whispered, biting hard on her bottom lip even as she hastily undid the button on his fly and reached in to cup his silken length.

      “Yes…yes…yes,” she countered.

      If Kylewas tuned into her internal dilemma, hewasn’t letting on. Every bit of flesh he uncovered seemed to fascinate him endlessly, and his hands and mouth would follow his gaze, leaving no inch unexplored.

      Heidi was in awe of his absorption. As was her body. She ached in a way that left her breathless, her heart racing uncontrollably.

      Then came the moment when he would cross that last line, breach the last barrier.

      Sheathed with a condom, he grasped her hips and stared into her eyes.

      Heidi’s chest felt tight, her every cell shimmering with desire at this unexpected act of courtesy.

      She licked her lips repeatedly and then scooted even closer to the edge of the counter.

      “Please,” she said in response to his unspoken question.

      He groaned, only too happy to oblige.

      HEAVEN, hell and grandma’s devil’s food cake all rolled up into one hot package.

      That’s how Kyle would have described finally being able to touch Heidi. But no one was asking, including himself. Because to bring any sort of gravity into the moment would completely negate the need for the question itself.

      Oh, he knew that the last thing he should be doing was baring the true way he felt about Heidi, especially to Heidi herself. But, damn it, the instant her soft lips had met his, he’d been incapable of doing any differently. He’d lived with his desire for her for so long that he couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried.

      His heart beat unevenly in his chest as he fitted himself against her slick portal. She’d given him the go ahead. That’s all he needed just now. He’d deal with the rest afterward…

      Heidi shivered and curved her feet around his hips, bringing her vulva to rest solidly against his pulsing length. He watched, fascinated, as she leaned back against her arms, proudly displaying her full breasts, their pink tips seeming to scream out to him for attention. He bent to take one stiff nipple into his mouth, rolling it around like a pebble on his tongue as he entered her in one smooth, long stroke.

      Her moan wound around him more tightly than her legs, reaching for something inside of him he hadn’t known was there. He slid his hands up over her hips and then under her, providing a pad against the hard surface as he pulled her slightly over the edge of the counter and then entered her again.

      Sweet mercy…

      She felt better than any woman had a right to.

      He told himself that he was reacting so powerfully to her because he’d gone so long without a woman’s company. But he’d never been very good at lying, not even to himself.

      He grasped the flesh of her bottom more tightly, holding her still as he thrust into her again, the action causing her breasts to jiggle. He gritted his back teeth, staving off climax. No. He’d waited too damn long for this for it to be over so quickly.

      Kyle paced himself, slowing his strokes until his balls felt as though they might explode. Yes. That was…

      Heidi’s back arched and she stretched her neck, letting loose a moan that bespoke her own pleasure. Her muscles contracted around him and she shuddered, reaching her own crisis point.

      Just knowing that he was the one who had caused her so much pleasure rendered Kyle helpless to withhold his own climax.

      HEIDI HAD HEARD of the morning after. But what did you call this?

      Whereas she might now be seeking to cuddle with Jesse, she found herself slowly returning to the kitchen counter, hard and cold beneath her back.

      Kyle appeared to be experiencing the same intrusion of reality, for while he lay against her, he was stiff and unmoving. And she guessed it wasn’t simply because he’d just come, but because he’d come while inside his best friend’s girl.

      The instant she formulated the thought, Kyle pulled away from her, turning to put himself back together while she pushed up from the counter and did the same.

      Oh, my God. What have I done?

      Heidi had pulled on her panties and slacks and was reaching for her bra when the floor bucked under her. She grasped the counter edge for balance and closed her eyes tightly against the images of Kyle kissing her, touching her, making love to her.

      She’d spent so much of her life avoiding situations like this that she had no idea what to do now that she had actually gone through one.

      “Heidi?”

      Kyle’s voice was soft behind her.

      She held up a hand. “I’m okay.”

      By okay, she meant that she wasn’t about to pass out. But she was by no means okay in the emotional sense.

      “Are you sure?”

      She forced herself to stand straight and take a fewdeep breaths, clutching her bra between her breasts as if the lacy material were enough to protect her against the world.

      She nodded. “Yes.” She smiled at Kyle shakily without really seeing him. “I’m sure.”

      She reached for her shirt and finished dressing.

      Kyle cleared his throat, looking about as comfortable as she was. Which was not at all.

      “Maybe I should get going…”

      “Maybe you should go…”

      They spoke at the same time.

      Heidi averted her gaze, completely incapable of looking him in the eye for fear of what she might see there. It didn’t matter if it was the cool regard that she was used to seeing from him, or smoldering need; she didn’t think she could handle either just then.

      “I’ll call you later,” he said, moving toward the door.

      “No. No, don’t. Please.” Heidi swallowed thickly, hating the plaintive sound in her voice.

      “Heidi…”