The Ties That Bind by Jaci Burton Read Free Book Online

other man would have read the signs and pushed her hesitation, would have stormed over to her and kissed away her uncertainty until she couldn’t think straight.
    But Rick wasn’t any other man. He knew her, knew if he pushed, she’d regret it.
    He put the decision in her hands. If this was going to happen, she was going to have to initiate it.
    Good God, Lisa, it’s just sex. It’s not like he’s asked you to marry him.
    She should go for it, and damn the repercussions. Connie and Kayla wanted her to have fun.
    She wanted to have fun. She needed to have fun.
    She pushed off the bed and pulled open the bedroom door, shutting down the logical side of her brain, the one hammering at her even now as she walked down the hall toward the closed bedroom door. She knew Rick wasn’t asleep yet. Before she chickened out, she knocked.
    In seconds, he opened the door. He was still dressed, though he’d unbuttoned his shirt, had pulled it out of the waistband of his slacks. Her mouth went dry at the dark expanse of his chest, the crisp hairs scattered there. Instead, she focused on his face, the way his eyes questioned.
    “I want this,” she blurted out before she lost her nerve.
    Thankfully, he didn’t ask her to be sure, instead swept her into his arms, and without saying a word, walked out of the room.

Five
    Rick carried her down the hall and to the master bedroom before setting her back on her feet, but he didn’t let go of her. Instead, he slid her down his body, letting her feel every hard inch of him. She shuddered as her bare feet touched the soft rug next to the bed. He still hadn’t said anything either, but the look of intense desire in his eyes spoke volumes.
    Lisa’s chest was tight and she found it hard to breathe. She wanted to say something, but didn’t dare. She didn’t want anything to shatter this moment, not with the way Rick looked at her, the way he slid both hands in her hair—slow and gentle, pulling her face toward him. When he brushed his mouth across hers, it was light, easy, and yet it took her breath away. The tip of his tongue touched hers and sensation exploded. Just that tiny lick of tongues and her clit vibrated, her pussy swelling with need. It felt so good she wanted to reach between her legs to massage the ache, but that was because she was so used to taking care of her own aroused state.
    Tonight, she wouldn’t have to. What a heady thought that was. Her mind was already awash with visuals of Rick touching her, of the things they could—no—
would
do together.
    Wait, she reminded herself. She was getting ahead of the game. She had to stay in the moment, not get lost in fantasy. This was reality, it was happening. She didn’t have to imagine sex, didn’t have to conjure up Rick as a lover like she usually did when she was alone. He was really here, touching her, sliding his hands down her bare arms, creating goose bumps in his wake despite the warmth in the room.
    “You cold?”
    Even the sound of his voice turned her on. Deep, low, he definitely had her attention.
    “No.” She was hot, feverish, every inch of her skin on fire and needing his touch.
    “Good.” He kissed her neck, his tongue snaking out to lick along her erratically beating pulse before pressing his lips to her jaw, then her mouth, taking her lips in a ravaging kiss that drove her heart rate into danger territory.
    And when his fingers slipped under the straps of her dress, her heart rate blipped off the charts, pounding hard and incessant against her chest. Rick could probably hear it slamming against him as he slid her straps down her arms, following them with his mouth, kissing her bare skin. Thankfully, he pulled away from her.
    God Almighty, she wasn’t a teenager anymore, and this was hardly her first time. She and Rick had had sex before. Lots of sex. But she was—what?—nineteen the last time? She couldn’t even remember the last time he’d touched her this intimately, and hell, it had never been