Mastering Heat [Men of Iron Horse 9] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  When he looked at her again, she licked her lips, a sign that she secretly desired a kiss. He was more than happy to oblige. With care, he relinquished her of her books and bags.

  “I’m going to kiss you, Claire.”

  Her breath hitched as she nodded, her wild gaze shifting from his lips to his eyes. He liked the way her breasts brushed against him with each inhalation of breath. The muscles in his arms tightened as he glided his fingers over the smooth skin of her cheek, dipping through her silken hair, gently clasping at her nape. His free hand moved to her waist, pulling her against him. His cock was hard, and damn it, if he wasn’t more excited to take a woman than he’d ever been. The arrangement between them was unreal. Never had he been so brazen, so needful of a woman like he was for her.

  “Well?” she asked, as if challenging him. Damn, he liked this woman’s tenacity.

  He lowered his mouth to hers. At first his lips simply touched hers, a teasing caress, but once her arms moved around him, he deepened the kiss, taking her mouth more hungrily. The more desperate his kiss, the more moans escaped her, fueling the dueling desires brewing between them.

  On a gasp, Claire shoved him back. He hit the bookshelf behind him with a sold thud. A moment’s hesitation and she dove at him, ripping his tie off and unbuttoning his shirt as she crushed her mouth against his. Her hands explored his chest, dipping beneath the undershirt. The warm palms of her hands delighted him, and he shook out of his collared shirt and tugged his undershirt up over his head.

  He brought her hands to his mouth, kissing them in turn. “One of us is wearing more clothes than the other,” he pointed out.

  She nibbled her lower lip. “Turn the lights off.”

  “I want to see you,” he confessed. She swallowed hard and he could see her unease. “But if it makes you feel better.” He flipped the switch.

  She eased back and unbuttoned her blouse. Once the material hit the floor at her feet, she reached around to unfasten her bra. Sliding the straps down her arms, she visibly shivered. His mouth grew wet as he spotted her erect nipples. He wished he could’ve seen their color, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  He moved to her, dipping his head to taste her. She cupped the back of his head as he loved one breast and then the other. Then he stood, kissing her the way he knew would spark her desire. A fluttering moan escaped her and again her hands raked over his chest, gliding down to the buckle of his belt. She unfastened him and had his cock in her hands before he could blink. The feel of her grasping him was almost his undoing. It had been so long since he’d had a moment like this with a woman he feared embarrassing himself.

  He couldn’t get over the raw need firing within Claire. She seemed so needful of…shit, he didn’t know what to call it. He instinctively knew she hadn’t been fucked well in a long damn time.

  “Easy,” he rasped, massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples between his forefingers and thumbs.

  Her hand relaxed as he leaned in and nibbled the lobe of her ear. “Looks like someone’s wearing more clothes than the other again.”

  He reached down and unbuckled her jeans, then gently shoved her down onto the sofa. He took off his own shoes and then hers. Before he removed her pants, he removed his own, his cock jutting forward. She leaned back as he dug his fingers inside her pants and tugged them down, bringing her panties with them. Both of them naked, he pressed his knee into the sofa and moved closer to her. Starting at her knee, he brushed his fingertips along the inside of her thigh. Slowly, he encouraged her to part her legs, enough for his hand to caress the folds of her pussy. When one of his fingers slipped over the dampness, she opened for him even more. He dipped his finger inside her tightness, holding his breath at the feel of her slick heat. He groaned as he pumped his hand a few times, mocking what he was desperate to do with his cock. Then, he took his soaked finger and circled her clit, stroking her until her back bowed and her cries of passion exploded with her orgasm.

  Once he was sure he had wrung every ounce from her body, he moved to his pants and pulled out a condom. As he tore the foil, Claire’s hands were on his, taking the condom from him. He turned and she immediately placed the latex over his long, hard shaft. Then, she guided him back to the sofa, pushing him back. He fell soft against the sofa, and to his surprise, she straddled his lap, taking his cock in her hand and guiding it to the entrance of her pussy.

  There were a dozen reasons he was intrigued by Claire. Sure, she could easily be a model with looks like hers, but it was more than that. He never expected her to be so hungry, so aggressive with her desires, and he was more than willing to give her what she achingly craved.

  * * * *

  Claire hadn’t been this consumed in all her life. Even her ex-husband hadn’t revved her engines the way Nox was. The heat in his eyes, the power he possessed as he held her, the deep allure of his voice as he spoke, he was effortlessly melting the fiber of her being.

  Damn, she needed this. Dating men was not in the cards for her, but fucking one was right up her alley. Not that she went around nailing hot guys whenever possible, she was more a fantasizer. But this, being with Nox was a fantasy that had landed in her lap and she couldn’t wait to cash in on. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d ever see him again after today. This was the first time she’d ever seen him and would be the last.

  Unless he subbed again.

  As quickly as the thought popped into her head, she dismissed it. She would graduate soon and Professor Wilson would return. Nox Masters would be a memory for the ages and that was all.

  I can live with that.

  Crawling on top of him, she took his cock in her hand and guided it to her entrance. Slowly, she lowered herself onto his thick shaft, settling down his length until she couldn’t go any further. She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into the firm flesh beneath her hands.

  “Fuck me,” he demanded, his expression strained.

  The rasp in his voice sounded more like begging than demanding. She rolled her hips and he hissed.

  “Damn, you’re so tight.” He grabbed her hips, making her take him faster. “That’s so good, Claire. Now ride me harder.”

  She bit her lips, feeling naughty with each word he spoke. But she did as he asked, rolling her hips and slamming down at the pace he dictated. She liked it, impaling herself on his cock. Her breasts bouncing in his face as he tried to suck and lick her nipples. She could see he was coming undone staring at her.

  He groaned, circling his arms around her waist as he moved them off the sofa and onto the floor. “Get on your knees.”

  She did and he was behind in her seconds, his cock once again filling her pussy. He took her hips again and bucked, driving into her like his life depended on his. She was wild and craved more. She couldn’t believe how wicked she felt in his possession, how much she wanted more.

  “Grab my hair. Pull it,” she ordered and he did.

  She arched her back, as he wrapped her hair around his fist and tugged. Her pussy quivered and her nipples hardened. She was coming, and it was the first time she’d ever been able to orgasm during sex.

  “You’re so damn wet, Claire,” he rasped. He pulled out and slapped her hip. “On your back.”

  She did and he had her legs up and over his shoulders, shoving back inside her. “I want to see my cock ramming inside you.”

  Her entire body exploded with heat as she thought the same thing. The idea of watching him fill her body, his cock slick with her juices, was incredibly erotic. No one had ever spoken to her so wickedly. No one had ever consumed her with insatiable desires. She’d been clueless to the kind of sex she craved. This was the kind of sex she craved. Hot, sweaty, hard, fast, unquenchable sex.

  I never knew.

  “Harder,” she cried, reaching down to grip his ass, her nails digging in like anchors. “You feel so good. Don’t stop.”

  He listened to her, drilling into her with a force that had her breath leaving her in rushes with each impalement. Then
he stopped, easing out of her.

  “Why did you stop?”

  “Touch yourself.” He took her hand and placed it between her legs. “Fuck yourself. Show me how wet you are for me.”

  Heat rushed to her face, but she did it. She was soft like silk and slick. “Now put your fingers in my mouth.” Her eyes widened, but again she did as he requested. When he clamped his mouth around her damp fingers, he moaned. “You taste so damn good.” She quivered as he shoved inside her, filling her once more. “I could fuck and taste you all night.”

  He lowered himself, bucking his hips as he sought her mouth. He kissed her hard, and she tasted herself on his lips. The eroticism she felt with Nox was off the charts.

  Nox arched his back, groaning to the ceiling as he came. His body flexed, his muscles tight. After a moment of slowly pumping, he stilled, lowering his head to her chest. Kissing her nipple once more, he rolled to the side and draped an arm over his eyes.

  Regaining her breath, Claire began to replay the events that had just transpired. Without the rush of passion and unexplainable rapture to keep her thoughts focused on one thing, she started second-guessing her actions. A fierce heat blazed against her flesh and her stomach knotted. Sleeping with Nox Masters might not have been the best idea after all.

  She had a panicked need to flee from him as quickly as possible. She stood and put on her clothing. He did the same. They dressed in silence.

  More heat warmed her face as she remembered the things she had said to him, begged him for. She couldn’t believe she’d done that. She collected her books and headed for the door.

  What have I done?

  “You don’t have to leave.”

  “Yes I do,” she barked.

  He closed in on her and placed his hand over hers on the doorknob. “Good luck with school, Claire.”

  She trembled, the warmth of his body permeating against her. She slanted him with a look. “Good luck teaching,” she replied. “And Nox, try not to hit on other students.”

  “Claire, you have been my only temptation.”

  He pressed his lips to hers and opened the door, letting her walk away. Holding her shoulders up, her spine straight, she’d like to believe that, but she was pretty sure he was full of shit.

  Chapter Two

  Claire pressed her forefinger and thumb to her temples and groaned. The pounding of regret and foolishness was unescapable. Being intimate with a man she barely knew was unlike her. She was focused. A mother for crying out loud. She didn’t have bouts of random sex. She walked the straight and narrow, never veering off path.

  Not until I laid eyes on Nox Masters.

  “What’s wrong with you? Morning sickness.” Layton laughed. “Oh, wait. That can’t be it. You’d have to have sex for that to happen.”

  A cold chill settled in Claire’s bones as the blood seemed to drain from her head. Pregnant? Did she have to say that?

  “Wait a second. Did you have sex with someone?”

  Claire’s belly rolled. “I completely humiliated myself last night.”

  “You don’t say.” Layton laid her elbow on the bar and purred like a kitten. “Tell me more.”

  Claire rolled her eyes at her pesky friend. “I slept with the college’s most attractive and even more unavailable professor last night.” She locked eyes with Layton. “In his office.”

  Layton’s mouth gaped, her eyes as wide as saucers. Then she erupted into laughter. “Claire got some.”

  She raised her hand for Claire to high-five. She glared at Layton, feeling the weight of her actions compound on her shoulders.

  “It’s not funny,” Claire grumbled. “I don’t do these kinds of things.”

  Layton narrowed her blue eyes and scrunched up her nose as the wrinkle in her forehead deepened. “You don’t have sex with men? Why the hell not?”

  “I,” Claire started, pointing a determined finger at her chest, “slept with Nox Masters.”

  Layton furrowed her brow. “Who?”

  Why does Layton always show up late to the party? “The most unavailable professor at the college,” she repeated.

  “Right, I got that the first time you said it. So what about him?” she questioned.

  Claire’s heart raced as the vision of her naked time with Nox resurfaced. Heat blazed from her chest, up her neck, and straight into her face. “I think I may have molested him.”

  And that was all Layton needed to erupt into laughter. Again. “That’s awesome.” She jabbed her with her elbow. “Guess it’s been so long you were ready to blow, huh?”

  Claire scoffed. Her friend had no couth. “Why do I tell you anything?”

  Layton pursed her lips. “Because you need an honest objective here. I’m sorry, Claire, but you, Ms. ‘I have an eight-year-old daughter and no life,’ did the naughty with a hottie. That’s great.” She arched a brow. “But not like you at all.”

  “Exactly,” Claire snapped. “That’s why it’s not funny.”

  “Oh, on the contrary. That’s exactly why it’s funny.” Layton put her arm around Claire. “You’ve needed to get laid so bad it was getting ridiculous. Your molestation actions prove that.”

  Claire frowned. “How so?”

  “You mope.”

  “I do not,” Claire argued.

  “Yes, you do and you are so proper with your life plan that you’re boring, stiff, and predicable.”

  Claire’s mouth formed an O. “I am not,” she snapped.

  “Yes, you are. You don’t see it, but we all do.” Layton hiked her thumb up over her shoulder, indicating the direction of the bar and a likely eavesdropping Jace Burnette, a police officer habit. “Ask Jace. He’ll tell you.”

  “Tell her what?” Jace asked, leaning against the other side of the bar, his hands pressed on the edge of the dark wood.

  “Nothing,” Claire barked, trying to stop Layton from saying anything.

  She didn’t want anyone else knowing what she’d done. She was already embarrassed. The teasing that would ensue if everyone knew what had transpired between her and Nox would last a year.

  I just want to forget it ever happened.

  “Claire’s stiff and boring,” Layton cut in, tearing her from her thoughts.

  Claire held her breath, thankful that was all she said.

  Jace laughed. “Yep, she is.”

  “Hey.” Claire frowned.

  Layton snickered. “But not anymore thanks to the stiff one she got last night from the hottie lawyer professor.”

  Jace gaped and then high-fived an annoying Layton. “No shit. You had sex?”

  Claire’s face got so hot she felt feverish. “Why does everyone seem surprised by this?”

  “Because you’re boring and predicable,” Layton and Jace said in unison.

  Claire folded her arms across her chest. “Not funny.”

  “What’s not funny?” Janie asked.

  “Claire nailed her law professor.” Jace turned to Claire. “You and Janie have something in common now. You both dig dicks with law degrees.”

  Janie’s eyes welled and waved off Jace’s comment. “Wait. Your professor?”

  “No,” Claire snapped. “He’s a professor, just not mine.”

  “I’ve got a new club name for you and Janie.” All eyes fell in Layton’s direction. “The Lawyer Layers.” Layton and Jace laughed. Janie shook her head. Claire closed her eyes and let her head hit the bar.

  Worst day ever.

  * * * *

  Nox called his best friend, Victor Cadwell. The two had been so busy over the last several months that they hadn’t had time to even meet for lunch. That had to change. Nox was different. Ever since his office rendezvous with Claire Buckman, he had a little extra pep in his step. He’d thought about her often, especially the memory of when she’d fucked herself and placed those pussy-damp fingers into his mouth. His cock stirred. He shook himself as the rush of desire flooded him.

  Who knew she’d be so wanton? Who knew I’d like it so dam
n much?

  Being with Claire had inspired a desire he hadn’t been able to comprehend. He was sure it had been an instinctual craving. Somehow, he’d known she’d be a fierce lover, greedy to be pleasured.

  “And what do I owe the pleasure of your call?” Victor asked.

  Nox cleared his throat, taking a second to wipe away the memory of Claire. “Well since you haven’t called me, I had to call you.”

  He laughed. “Sorry. Between work and my personal life, I don’t have time for much else.”

  “Do you have time for lunch today?”

  After a moment, Victor said, “I do, but I need to run something over to Janie. Want to meet me at Iron Horse Bar & Grill. They have great burgers and salads.”

  His mouth watered. “A burger sounds great.”

  “Perfect. Meet me there at one.”

  They hung up.

  A few hours later, Nox stepped into Iron Horse Bar & Grill and surveyed the surroundings, his gaze seeking Victor. When he spotted Victor, he found him sitting at a table in the bar area with a pretty blonde on his lap, whispering in his ear. Janie. He hadn’t met her yet, but Victor had told him about her.

  The woman that stole my best friend.

  He shook his head, thankful he hadn’t been snared by a woman. He liked his freedom. He liked not being tied down to one thing. Teaching, practicing law, and doing whatever the hell he wanted was exactly the lifestyle that suited him.

  “Is this seat taken?” Nox asked, stepping around Janie and Victor.

  Janie slid off Victor’s lap, standing to face Nox. “You must be Nox Masters,” she said, reaching her hand out. He shook it. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “All bad things, I’m sure,” he countered.

  “Yep. I told her all about your despicable qualities,” Victor added, standing to slap his friend on the shoulder.