Work For It (Naiad Novels Book 1)

Daniel’s laugh makes me feel like I’ve unlocked a secret treasure.

He rests his forehead against mine, his chest rumbling with amusement as he squeezes the softness of my hips. I wasn’t expecting my little throwaway line to get this kind of reaction, but I can’t help but grin along with him.

“You’re too much,” he says so warmly that I nearly melt right out of his arms and into a puddle on the floor.

This moment is more intimate than any touch could ever be. To laugh with a lover is the ultimate test of compatibility, and knowing I can laugh with Daniel, that we can make fun of ourselves enough to do so… Well, I’ve already been sucked down the rabbit hole, so what’s a bit more falling?

I lift my hands to playfully push him back. “I know I am,” I tell with a smirk. “But you wouldn’t want me any other way.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t.”

He finds my lips again, easily closing the distance I put between us, his kiss sweet and playful. As much as I love the heat and anger and desperation of our previous encounters, this kind of affection makes my heart skip a silly little beat. Like I’m kissing a crush for the first time and learning how glorious it can be. It doesn’t matter that we’ve done this dozens of times already; it feels like a novelty.

“Stop smiling,” he murmurs against my mouth. “I know you find me amusing, but you’re making this difficult.”

“So try harder,” I taunt, my heart still doing somersaults. “Make me stop.”

At that, he pulls back to look me in the eye. There’s a sparkle of pleased surprise in his dark depths. “Look at you,” he says, impressed. “Daring me like that. What other moves of mine are you going to steal?”

I curl my fingers into his shirt and drag him to me, rolling my hips against his to tease a little more. “I won’t call you a coward, I promise. That’s all yours.”

His grip on me tightens, making it impossible to break from his grasp—not that I want to. I want to feel all of him, right here, right now.

“Don’t worry.” His voice is tight, like he’s holding himself back. “You won’t have to.”

His next kiss wipes the grin off my face. It’s deep and sensual and leaves me perfectly breathless. It’s the kind I write about, the kind that finally shows our heroine just how eager the love interest is to have her in his arms. I’ve had my fair share of knee-weakening kisses and heart-fluttering touches, but this? This is something else entirely.

No one else has ever made me feel this way, and in this moment, I can’t imagine that anyone but Daniel ever will.

I reluctantly turn my head to take in a gasp of air. If I’m not careful, I’ll implode before we get to the good stuff. Not that Daniel’s mouth on mine isn’t the good stuff—God, it’s fantastic—but there’s so much more in store for us tonight.

As I catch my breath, his lips trail over my neck and his hands slip beneath my unbuttoned coat and sweater. My muscles tense as his touch ghosts over the small of my back, then slips down to the waistband of my jeans and traces the fabric around until he reaches the button. His eyes flick back to mine, still asking permission every step of the way.

If I nodded any harder, I’d knock myself out.

He starts by pushing my coat off my shoulders and tossing it to the floor. Then he’s got my sweater off and over my head. My lingerie is white today, beautiful sheer lace with little swirls like falling petals. Daniel steps back, admiring it for a moment, tracing the fabric covering my nipples, leaving them to harden in his wake. Before I can blink, his touch is on my back and he’s unclasping my bra. He doesn’t wait for the fabric to fall to the floor before his mouth brushes over one of my nearly bare breasts.

I sink my fingers into his hair and let my head fall back, relishing the way his tongue swipes across my nipple. He starts slow, like he wants to savor every taste of me, as if I’m nothing but deserving of his adoration. When his attention switches from one breast to the other, I hiss as cold air hits the abandoned skin, though Daniel is quick to cover it with his hand, squeezing gently and saving me from the sensation. Always so considerate, this man.

My breath comes in ragged pants, and the throbbing at my core becomes nearly unbearable. And he knows it. There’s no hiding the way my chest heaves or how my hips seek out his. I don’t bother to temper my eagerness as I fumble at his shirt in an attempt to get it off him.

I’m overwhelmed by need, and yet he moves at an agonizing pace.

“Don’t edge me again,” I warn him. I want to sound threatening, but my voice is barely above a whisper.

“I wouldn’t dare.”

As if to placate me, he unfastens the button of my jeans, then drags the zipper down. I let him peel the denim over my hips, a little disappointed when he stops there, but then his hand delves between my thighs and strokes me through my underwear once, twice, three times, before he drags the lace down too.

Once I kick off my shoes and step out of both my jeans and thong, he cups a palm over my pussy and slips his middle finger into me—testing me, teasing me. There’s no need for it; I’ve been wet for him since we were on the subway platform. Dinner was practically foreplay.

I barely recognize the sounds that leave my lips when he pulls away and drops to his knees in front of me.

He wastes no time hooking my thigh over his shoulder to open me up to him. My clit is swollen, the skin glistening with evidence of my want for him. If he doesn’t do something about it soon, I’m going to lose my mind.

“Is this all for me?” he murmurs. His voice is distant, muffled by the haze of lust surrounding me.

I force myself to focus again. When the fog clears, he’s peering up at me, still absolutely in control.

His smirk turns me on and pisses me off at the same time. I’m so sick of the slow burn.

“You know it is,” I groan, lifting my hips off the wall as if that will get him to finally put that mouth to work. “You’re the only one who makes me like this.”

There’s a deep sound from the back of his throat, like a little of that control is slipping. “Be careful when you say things like that, Selene.”

He brushes his lips along my inner thigh, placing open-mouthed kisses on the tender skin.

A new rush of fire surges through me, but he’s still not where I want him. “Come on,” I urge him.

He gives a disappointed murmur, the gentle vibration enough to make me gasp. “Say please.”

“No.”

“Say please.”

I whine like a child denied her favorite toy. “Do you have to be such an asshole?”

“I don’t know,” he says, contemplating it as he moves ever closer but stops short. “Do you have to be such a brat?”

My hips buck again in protest, but he pins me to the wall with a hand splayed across my belly.

And the bastard laughs, mocking me. “You’re lucky I like this so much.”

“That makes one of us,” I tell him, absolutely pained but somehow even more turned on. My words are a lie, though. I do like this. I love this push and pull. I love that he never makes it easy.

“Just say it,” he coaxes, his voice a little lower, his accent a little thicker. “Come on. You can give me that, can’t you?”

I could scowl and tell him to go fuck himself, but being together is about give and take, and right now, Daniel is poised to do most of the giving—but only if I allow myself to be vulnerable.

“Please, Daniel,” I whisper as he trails a finger up to brush away some of the wetness that’s eased down my thigh.

My legs nearly give out when he puts that same finger in his mouth, tasting me without contact. I watch, heart racing, as he pulls it back out and grips my ass.

Leaning close enough that I can feel his breath, he says, “I love it when you beg.”

And just when I think he’ll offer me some relief, he shifts away again to place more kisses over my hipbones.

I have to bite back a curse of disappointment. Is he serious right now?

His eyes flick up to me, dancing with amusement. “Is something wrong, mi amor?”

I’m hot all over from anger and arousal. “You know damn well what’s—”

And then the wet heat of his tongue runs up my pussy, seeking out my clit and drawing a surprised moan from my lips. I throw my head back against the wall and lift my hips, chasing more. When he slides a finger into me, I nearly collapse.

I grip his hair and pull to get him to slow down, hissed curses leaving my lips. But he adds another finger instead, clearly set on making me come as hard and as fast as possible. After all his slow motions, this change in pace is a shock.

“Daniel,” I beg, though I don’t know what I’m begging for. For release? For him to keep doing exactly this forever? Whatever it is, the only coherent word I can form is his name.

Even if I don’t know what I want, he knows what I deserve. His other hand drifts up from my ass to my lower back, forcing me to arch a little more, pushing me further against his face no matter how much I want to pull away. It’s too much, too intense, but I can’t fight it.

I’m at his mercy. I come undone.

As I descend from the high, too sensitive to bear his touches, I push him away. It’s like the world has tilted on its axis as I grip the wall and try to catch my breath. Daniel has stolen every molecule of oxygen from my lungs, and I can’t even begin to complain.

On the floor in front of me, he sits back on his knees like a religious man just finishing a prayer. In a way, I suppose he has. His hair is a little more disheveled thanks to my fingers, but his satisfied smile is the same. It’s the look in his eyes, though, the intensity of his stare, that throws me further off-kilter.

“You’re even more beautiful when you come,” he says, slowly rising to his feet.

I track him all the way up, still blinking away the fog. “Why are you still dressed?”

“Why do you always ignore my compliments?”

“Because they’re just words.” I don’t mean to be so honest. It’s like I’m orgasm drunk. The filter between my brain and mouth is completely gone. “Sometimes people don’t mean what they say. Sometimes they lie to get me to like them. Actions mean more to me.”

“I’m not lying.” He runs his hands up my arms and scrutinizes me. “Who made you feel like that?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Not when Daniel’s in front of me, proving that he’s not one of the bad guys. I push off the wall, my legs feeling like jelly, but I manage to take a step toward him. “Now take off your clothes.”

I expect him to resist, to force me to talk about past hurts now that the topic has come up. But instead, he reaches behind him and pulls his T-shirt off in one smooth move. He keeps his focus locked on my face as he undoes his belt buckle, daring me to command him again. I don’t bother. Instead, I reach forward to roughly unbutton his jeans and slide my fingers past the waistband of his boxers. I’d rather show him what I want.

He inhales sharply as I wrap a hand around his cock and stroke steadily, twisting a little over the slick head. I’m not the only one who’s more than ready for this.

“Ah, ah,” he warns, grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand away. “I have amends to make. And I won’t be using words.” He turns me and nudges me toward the bed. To aid my compliance, he slides a hand up my neck and sinks his fingers into my hair, grasping firmly.

I don’t resist. I’m too weak and too satiated. Right now, I’d let him do whatever he could dream of to me.

When my knees hit the mattress, he presses between my shoulder blades to get me to bend over. I brace my forearms on the bed and arch my back, pushing my ass against him. In response, I’m gifted with a satisfying groan. He curls over me a moment later, pulling my head to the side by my hair so he can kiss up my neck, sucking and biting my skin the whole way.

“Spread your legs for me,” he says, nudging my feet apart with one of his. “Wider.”

I gladly obey, letting my eyes flutter shut at the sound of fabric rustling and the ripping of a foil wrapper. A shiver of anticipation slithers down my spine. When his fingers trace the same path from the base of my neck, I let out a breathy moan. It doesn’t matter that he’s already brought me to heaven and back—I still want more.

My hands fist in the sheets as he slides into me in one slick thrust. The sudden fullness has me tensing at first, needing a moment to adjust, because every time we do this, I underestimate how much I have to take.

As I breathe through it, he lowers his lips to my ear, murmuring, “Is this too much?”

Cheek pressed to the mattress, I shake my head, swallowing back a sob of pleasure. “Don’t stop.”

His lips linger for a moment as he kisses my temple. “What was that?”

He heard me just fine, but again, I have to give him what he wants in order to get mine. “Please don’t stop,” I whisper.

“There. That’s my girl.”

I moan as he pulls out a little. Then he pushes back in, his strokes steady and shallow as he eases me into taking more of him, but it’s not long before he picks up the rhythm. After that first orgasm, I’m even more sensitive to the friction, and with the rough way he fucks, it’s not long before the pressure building low in my belly threatens to pour over.

I pant his name in desperation as he clutches at my hips, holding me in place so I can’t buck against him like I want to. Need to. My thighs tremble, and a wave of heat sweeps over my body, preparing me for the deep release he’s brought me all the way up to.

But as I’m at the precipice, he pulls out.

I gasp, confused and lightheaded. I was so close. “No, Daniel, please, I need—”

My pleas are cut short when he wraps an arm around my waist and hauls me onto the bed so I’m flat on my stomach and covers my body with his. We’re skin to skin from shoulder to knee, his breath on my cheek, his lips seeking mine as I turn my head to the side. I whimper against his mouth, almost frenzied enough to implore him to keep fucking me, though I get some relief when his hand slides under my body and finds my clit.

“Trust me,” he says, working his fingers in slow circles. “I’ll give you what you want.”

When he sinks back into me, I moan into the pillow and claw at the sheets. The new angle hits a spot that makes me writhe. His thrusts are slow and deliberate now, nothing like the brutal heat a few moments ago. But this… Oh God, this is somehow even better.

He cradles and surrounds me, stretches me, fills me until I’m consumed by him. His breaths are ragged in my ear, his coaxing gentle, urging me to stay with him through this, even though all I want to do is squeeze my eyes shut and beg him to let me come.

My whole body is heavy, like a storm cloud threatening to burst. With a hand behind my back, I blindly grasp at him, as if that will help me get to where I want to be. But Daniel grabs my wrist and pulls it above my head, pinning it down as he pushes into me with more force than before.

He continues his torturous circles around my clit with his other hand as he drags his lips across my jaw and mumbles slurred Spanish in my ear. The vulgar words and the sound of skin on skin send a rolling shudder through me. I lift my trembling free hand to touch his cheek.

With a tenderness that juxtaposes the way he’s pounding into me, he kisses the inside of my wrist.

It sends my pulse up to dangerous levels. My breathing grows ragged as I chase the high he keeps just out of reach. It threatens to ruin me. Break me. And I finally crack when he exhales my name like a devotion.

I want to scream, to verbalize my release, but it rocks me so hard that all I can manage is a whimper that catches in my throat as euphoria pulses through me.

“That’s it, baby,” he says. “Ride it out. I’ve got you.”

I know he does. I’ve known it all night.

And I never want him to let me go.