Seven Sexy Sins (28 page)

She couldn’t help it—she moved a millimetre closer. Their lips weren’t touching, and yet she could feel the pressure of his mouth on hers, as if their shadows were reaching out to kiss. He still hadn’t moved, his gaze moving slowly over her face, as if he were drinking in the sight of her, trying to commit her to memory.

Their breaths were deepening, but still coordinated, and she felt as if she were drawing his energy into her body, sucking him into her lungs, oxygenating her blood with him, feeling him speed through her veins. Gradually, she became acutely conscious of every inch of their bodies in proximity to each other. The fact that her nipples were just brushing the hairs on his chest. The slight dampness of his hair beneath her fingertips. The soft stroking of his fingers on her back—when had he started doing that? The fact that, once again, her moisture was dampening the silky material of his boxers, her sex beginning to ache, so aware of the hardness of his body just an inch away from it.

Part of her wanted to pull him toward her, press her lips frantically to his, push aside his boxers and let him slide all the way up her, but the other part was desperate to make this last.
This might be the final time he ever touches you
. The thought made her want to weep, but she kept the tears in check, knowing she had to keep calm, keep the emotion at bay.

She moved the final few millimetres closer. Now her breasts touched his chest, and his erection pressed against the soft dampness of her, making her sigh. Their lips brushed gently, sending a shiver running down her spine like cool water. He moved his hands up a little, his palms against her ribs, brushing her skin with his thumbs.

She gave in and kissed him softly, leading the way. First of all she used just her lips, and then eventually opened her mouth and ran her tongue lightly across his bottom lip, reminding herself of the first time he’d kissed her, in the car. He replied with a sigh and did the same, and they deepened the kiss, but kept it slow and languid, concentrating on the feel and taste of each other’s mouths.

Eventually, however, she couldn’t help but move forward a little closer, and pressed against his erection more firmly, conscious of the cool material between them. Her soft skin parted to welcome him and exposed the sensitive spot, gently arousing her as she moved her hips from side to side.

Rusty sighed and his hands slid farther up, coming around to cup her breasts. For a moment he just held them, not moving his fingers, his skin warm on hers, and then as she arched her back, he brushed his thumbs across the swollen skin of her nipples, causing them to tighten into tiny buds that he rolled gently between his fingers.

Faith gasped and lifted her head. Desire lit her nerve ends, exploding within her like fireworks. He stopped and slid his hands back to her ribs, and she exhaled, not missing the slight curve of his lips. He liked knowing exactly how to arouse her, gradually, as if he were cultivating a garden, teasing the seed of her desire, watching it shoot through her, gaining great satisfaction as it flowered into a thing of beauty.

She kissed him again, and this time he pressed her closely against him, their passion beginning to grow. She moved her hips, and slid her hands through his hair, tightening her arms around his shoulders.

He held her around the waist, moved toward the edge of the sofa and stood. Lifting her easily, he held her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her through into the bedroom, climbed onto the bed, turned and lay on his back. She stretched out along him, revelling in the feel of his hard, muscular body against hers.

She kissed him for a while, and he played with her breasts again. When she lifted herself on her hands, he covered her nipples with his mouth, going from one to the other, then back again, arousing her with teeth and tongue until she began to wriggle in earnest against his silk-covered erection. Eventually she lifted herself off him for a moment, and he slid his boxers off. She climbed back onto him and leaned over him. Widening her thighs, she moved down until she could feel the tip of him enter her, pushing aside her swollen lips.

She slid down him slowly, feeling him stretch her apart until he filled her up. He sighed loudly, and she knew she must be slippery and hot, a velvet sheath around him. She sat upright, and he watched her as she began to move. Every now and again, she bent and kissed him, and he stroked her body, worshipped it with his hands and mouth, until they reached a point where they could no longer hold back the rising tide.

He turned her carefully until she lay under him, and pushed himself up on his elbows, looking down with such an expression of love that emotion tumbled through her like a tidal wave, breaking down the carefully constructed defences she’d tried to erect.

“Come on sweetheart,” he murmured, kissing her. “Wrinkle your nose and screw up your eyes the way you do when I know you’re going to come.”

“Don’t embarrass me.” Her cheeks grew hot at his amused, affectionate gaze.

“I like embarrassing you. I like the fact that I can make you blush all over.” He kissed her again. “Go on, love. Come for me one last time.”

One last time
. The phrase tipped her over the edge, and tears came in a rush that surprised her. He didn’t stop, though. He kissed them away as they leaked from the corners of her eyes, and continued to move inside her. Even though she was upset, the sensations in her thighs and abdomen continued to build. Gradually she felt the familiar approach of her orgasm. It crept through her, beginning with a slow ripple like a stone dropped into a pool, causing a wave that radiated out from deep in her belly, down through her sex. It became a rush, and then everything tightened, and she knew he was watching her with satisfaction as she squeezed her eyes shut, the pulsing in her muscles almost too intense to bear.

He hooked one hand under her thigh to bring up her knee, plunging deep inside her, and as she finally opened her eyes with a gasp, she looked up to see his gaze fixed on her as he reached his own climax. He held her tightly, his eyes unfocussed, pushing deeper and deeper into her, and she could only lie there and watch with longing as he poured his love into her, saying her name, until eventually he was spent, and the wave turned into small ripples, and back to calm.

And then it was done.

Faith lay looking up at the ceiling and tried desperately to stop crying, biting her lip as he breathed deeply close to her ear. He lifted his head and looked at her. Withdrawing, he rolled off her and sat up.

He got off the bed and went out into the living room, and she pushed herself upright, wiping her face free of tears. He always hugged her after making love, and a cold sliver of panic slid into her stomach.

A few seconds later, he was back. He’d tugged on his jeans, and he was holding his T-shirt in his hand. She sat back against the headboard, her arms around her knees, feeling vulnerable without any clothes.

He looked at her for a moment before concentrating on turning his T-shirt the right way out before putting it on. Faith looked away, reached for her bathrobe, and pulled it on quickly. She wasn’t about to have this conversation naked. It reminded her suddenly of Ripley in
Alien
, climbing into a spacesuit at the end before she faced the creature. Why had that jumped into her head?

Rusty shoved his hands in his pockets. The sulky, angry look had returned to his face. She stood and tried not to think about the fact that her thighs were wet from his lovemaking and she could really do with visiting the bathroom.

“So,” she said calmly.

The muscles of his jaw were knotted hard. “I don’t want you to talk about that on your website.”

She stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“It was personal, private. Nothing to do with anyone else. I don’t want you going into detail for all the world to see.”

She cleared her throat. “I understand how you feel, and of course I won’t go into detail. But I do have to talk a little bit about the method. It’s part of my job, Rusty. You did agree to that, when you signed the contract.”

He glared at her. “I didn’t agree to being exploited.”

She stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. “What are you talking about, you big girl? I’ve hardly exploited you. You weren’t exactly reluctant, from what I could see.”

Instantly, she could see she’d done the wrong thing. He lowered his eyelids, clenched his jaw, and his eyes darkened. “You think this is funny?”

“No.” She sobered hastily. “It’s nerves. You’re making me nervous.” She took a step toward him but stopped as he backed up. “What’s going on here? We both agreed this was how it would end. That’s what the contract was about.”

“But you’d want to carry on dating me. If I wasn’t ending it now.” His eyes challenged her.

“And so would you if you weren’t so obsessed with your family genes.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Did you plan this?”

“What?”

“The sins. Did you plan them in this order, to make sure they had the maximum possible impact on me?” He put his hands on his hips, angry now.

“No…” She looked at him warily.
Uh-oh.
He was losing it.

He ignored her answer. “Reeling me in gradually. Tempting me with more and more erotic stuff. And then finishing off with this?” He gestured angrily to the bed. She raised an eyebrow, and he continued, “Staring into each other’s eyes. Drawing it out as long as possible. Was it all a big plan to make me fall in love with you?”

Her heart leapt, but she knew she was fighting now not to keep him as a lover, but as a friend. “Rusty, I swear, there was no plan behind all this.”

“You told me it was going to be difficult. You knew ending like this was going to be hard.”

“I originally thought it would be a lovely way to end the relationship. Affectionate and warm. I didn’t expect…” She bit her lip.

“What?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Nothing.”

He glared at her. “And now the waterworks. Surprise, surprise.”

She bit her lip harder and forced the tears away. She could see his despair, his pain, glimmering behind the anger, but that was no excuse for speaking to her like that. She wanted to slap him, but she knew he was trying to antagonise her, to make this easier. And she wasn’t about to make it easier for him to walk away. “Rusty, don’t be cruel. That’s not fair. I don’t deserve that. I’m your friend.”

He was breathing heavily. “How can you be so calm? Didn’t you care for me at all? Was I just a quick shag, a notch on your belt?”

“A notch on my belt?” Incredulity filled her voice. “It must be a fucking small belt.”

“But it’s something you can boast about, isn’t it? It must earn you a bit of respect with the girls, having Rusty Thorne?”

“Me and half the girls in this town,” she snapped. “Stop being so bloody ridiculous.”

“Oh, I’m ridiculous now, am I?”

He was being so incredibly unreasonable, and the worse thing was, she knew why he was doing it. It was the only way he could end this—by making her hate him. He couldn’t bring himself to walk out, so he needed her to tell him to go. It was cowardly and pathetic, and she hated him for it, and then hated him more for making her do exactly what he wanted.

She’d begun to shake, and she was close to tears again, although this time they were tears of fury. “If only you’d look beyond the ridiculous barriers you’ve put between yourself and happiness. You’re not the devil, Rusty. You deserve to have a happy-ever-after the same as anyone else. And not everyone’s determined to cause you misery.”

“There’s no happy-ever-after for me.” He glared at her, his jaw set. “I’m leaving, Faith. Moving away. It’s the only way we can put this behind us.”

She stared at him. He meant it, she could see. Fury rose within her. He was chickening out. Running away. She might have guessed. Facing up to the truth—that he loved her—would be so much harder. Staying was too difficult. Running away was easy.

However, even though she was angry with him, she still couldn’t deny how gorgeous he was, standing there, eyes blazing, his whole body showing his defensiveness. Was it worth a last appeal? She decided it was, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She forced a smile on her lips. “We could be happy, love, I know we could. You just need to believe that things can be better—you need to have a little faith.”

“Been there, got the T-shirt,” he said. “What else you got?”

She felt her face drain of blood. She stepped back and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her robe. It couldn’t have hurt more if he’d slapped her in the face. “Well, screw you, Rusty.”

“Yeah, sure.” His pose was casual, taunting. “Do I need a contract for that?”

Humiliated, hating him, she walked out of the room, feeling like she’d swallowed a dozen razor blades. She stood by the front door and held it open as he followed her into the hall. She looked at the floor, close to breaking down, begging him silently to go, not to stay and be cruel to her any longer.

He walked toward her and paused when he was level with her. She continued to look at the floor. When he didn’t move, she closed her eyes.
Please go, please go, please go.

He hesitated, moved past her and walked outside.

She slammed the door behind him, so hard the whole house seemed to rattle.

Then she burst into tears.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mr. Thorne was quite possibly the worst teacher in the school on Thursday and Friday.

Rusty was well aware he was behaving like an idiot, but he felt completely unable to do anything about it. Usually in class, he was pleasant and courteous, treating the students like human beings, funny and engaging. For the two days following his argument with Faith, however, he was grumpy and fierce, snapping every time any student did anything remotely wrong. He sent kids to the principal’s office for the first time in his five years of teaching and made his classes work in silence—the sort of teacher he hated, but felt driven to be because he was so miserable.

When the last lesson of the week finally finished, he let the students go and then sat and sulked in silence. He was due to go around Dan and Eve’s that evening, but he didn’t really feel like it. Dan had rung earlier, saying Toby was coming around and did he want to join them and watch the rugby? Rusty had asked if Faith was coming, making his voice as casual as possible. Dan had been short with him, saying no, she wanted a night in on her own, and had mumbled something about “the whole stupid idea”, which led Rusty to believe she’d told him a little about how their seven sins had ended.