Strung Out Read online

  “Have you ever heard of Aasen Technologies?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, what about Aasen Investments?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, let’s try the New York Stock Exchange.”

  “Yup, that one I might’ve heard of.”

  “The other two are divisions of Aasen International, which is an openly traded stock on the Exchange.”

  “I’m going to take a wild stab and guess you’re heir to the family business.”

  “That would be a safe bet.”

  He was smiling, sort of. One corner of Erik’s sensuous mouth tilted upward in a crooked grin that was just as drop-dead sexy as the rest of him. But behind his sexy bachelor grin lurked something else Talia couldn’t put her finger on. Why was he telling her this? It would’ve been easier to say he worked in the family business or even that he was a CEO at the family corporation. Why the name-dropping? Was that what he thought would impress her?

  Talia met his uncanny green eyes and smiled. “That sounds really boring, Erik. What is it that you actually do?”

  Boring? That sounded boring?

  Erik experienced an odd sensation when he processed her comment. He couldn’t be certain if it was shock or the sound of his pride taking a beating. Only one thing was certain. The name Aasen International had never before failed to inspire admiration in anyone, let alone a woman.

  Say something like that to the average woman, and she started calculating your gross monthly income.

  Then again, Talia Davies wasn’t your average woman.

  Erik gazed into her eyes and smiled, thinking about board meetings, acquisitions, accounting issues, mergers, and business plans. But when he opened his mouth to list a few of the things he did every day, something different came out.

  “You’re right,” he murmured. “It is boring.”

  She laughed, the husky sound washing over him like a hot wave of lust mixed with something he’d never experienced with any other woman.

  “You’re used to women falling all over you. Am I right?”

  He watched her sip her drink and savor the taste as it flowed across her tongue and down the pale column of her throat. Gently setting her near-empty glass on the bar, Talia tilted her head to one side and slipped him a heavy-lidded look from beneath her dark lashes.

  “I will, you know.”

  Erik was surprised to find he could still speak. “Will what?”

  “Fall all over you. Any way you like.”

  A shot of adrenaline mixed with hot lust fired his blood, going straight to his groin and fully hardening his cock. Erik shifted, his slacks suddenly unbearable against his raging hard-on.

  “But,” she continued, “this has nothing to do with your last name.”

  “Then what, exactly, does it have to do with?”

  Talia put her glass to her full lips and drank the last few swallows of the pink-tinted martini before setting it aside. She slid from the bar stool to the floor, her heels boosting her height just enough that her head was level with his chest. Erik watched, mesmerized, as she tilted her head back and gazed silently into his face. Beneath her clinging chenille sweater, he could see the outline of her firm, round breasts rising and falling with each breath.

  “Ask me in the morning,” she said softly. “I might have an answer by then.”

  Chapter Three

  There was a man in her apartment, a stranger. She should’ve been terrified. Instead, Talia’s excitement was all-consuming. Well, that and her pure, unadulterated lust.

  Erik pivoted once to take it all in. It didn’t take long. Her place wasn’t that big. His gaze drifted over her ancient upright piano and the music stand sitting in front of the studio’s wide windows. Several battered practice instruments rested on their stands near the piano. The tiny kitchenette was cluttered, the sink overflowing with dishes and several cabinet doors hanging open.

  Talia’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not much of a housekeeper.”

  His eyes flickered over the dingy green secondhand sofa and rested meaningfully on her queen-size bed. “No, it’s perfect.”

  Her breaths were coming faster, heart pounding until her pulse hammered in her ears. This wasn’t like her. She didn’t do these types of things. She was careful, purposeful. It had taken Dylan months to prod her into a physical relationship and even longer to convince her to accept his proposal. So given her history, how was this possible?

  This was all about animal attraction and raw need. It was time to leave her inhibitions at the door and take the opportunity he was offering.

  She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. Erik was watching, waiting to see what she would do.

  She pulled her sweater over her head, tossing it onto the already cluttered sofa. Slipping her thumbs into the straps of her simple dress, she sucked in a deep breath. She could count the number of people who’d seen her naked on one hand. Growing up as a music geek hadn’t exactly left her with a surplus of confidence. But this situation was different. Erik Aasen was different. This was one night. After what she could only anticipate as mind-blowing sex, she would never see him again. So did it really matter what he thought of her body?

  The dress didn’t drop to the floor in a silken waterfall. That only happened in the movies when the sexy heroine decided to bare her perfect body to her suitor’s eyes. Instead, she wriggled it down inch by inch over her curves until she could step out and drape it over the arm of the sofa beside her sweater.

  A wave of goose bumps trickled over her skin. Left only in her bra, panties, black stockings, and heels, Talia was painfully aware of Erik taking in every inch of her body.

  Before her courage could desert her, she walked boldly toward him. She reached for his tie, loosening the expensive silk knot and making quick work of the buttons.

  “You’ve got too much clothing on,” she whispered.

  “Is that so?”

  “Definitely.”

  She pushed his jacket over his arms, tossing it lightly on top of her clothing. He pulled his tie over his head and added it to the pile. A look of predatory anticipation glittered in his green eyes.

  With the last button undone, she tugged his shirt off. Her mouth went suddenly dry. She’d been wrong about what he looked like beneath his clothing, so wrong. Whatever she’d thought, whatever she might have imagined. The truth was much better.

  His skin had a faint golden hue, as if he spent a good amount of time outdoors without a shirt. His shoulders were broad, muscular, his arms covered in downy soft, dark hair. His chest was smooth, hairless, his nipples erect.

  Leaning forward, Talia tasted one, wrapping her tongue around the tiny bud before testing it with her teeth. He went rigid, his eyes sliding shut as his teeth ground together.

  His belly was flat, the twin grooves on either side of his abdomen disappearing into the waistband of his slacks. A trail of dark hair began just beneath his navel before arrowing down, enticing her to follow.

  She sank to the floor, her fingers gripping the waist of Erik’s slacks. She wanted this moment, this powerful act of intimacy. Lifting her eyes, she met his steady gaze.

  “May I?”

  Could she?

  Erik struggled to keep himself under wraps. It would be the purest form of waste to lose control of his lust and spurt his seed like an inexperienced teen. He managed to nod his approval of her plan before being forced to focus all of his concentration on remaining upright.

  The angle was incredible. Talia knelt before him on the floor. A long section of her sable hair draped over her face, obscuring his view. Growling, he reached down and stabbed his fingers into the soft mass, pulling it aside. The sight it revealed was spectacular.

  The throbbing head of his cock disappeared into her warm mouth, sliding over her wet tongue until he felt the caress of the back of her throat. Her blue eyes were smoky with passion as she suckled him, making wet noises of pleasure. She pulled his cock from her mouth with a soft pop and laved her tongue aro
und the head, paying special attention to the sensitive flange.

  He locked his legs to keep from collapsing. Heat built in his buttocks, trickling down the backs of his legs as he fought for control. A bead of precum glistened on the tip of his cock. She sucked it gently, drawing the moisture into her mouth. She made a low sound of pleasure, the vibrations thrumming pleasantly along his hardness.

  “No more,” he grunted, gently using the hand fisted in her hair to pull her up.

  Talia whimpered. Her lips were plump and wet from the blowjob she’d given him, her face alight with passion. Unable to stop himself, Erik kissed her.

  The world caught fire when their lips met. Teeth bumped as they both fought for control. Their tongues dueled, the scent and taste of him already present in her mouth. He slanted his mouth over hers, fighting for dominance, wanting her to know who it was that demanded her passionate response.

  Tilting her head back, he trailed kisses along her jawline, pausing in the hollow beneath her ear before continuing down the smooth column of her throat. She gasped and trembled against him, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

  He spun her around, pressing her hard against his chest, thrusting his cock against her backside. One hand found the clasp of her bra and deftly released the twin mounds before flinging the garment aside.

  Her gorgeous breasts spilled into his hands. Still pressing wet kisses to the base of her neck, Erik kneaded their warmth in his palms. His thumbs flicked over her nipples. They beaded, standing at attention and begging for more.

  “Do you like this, Talia?” Erik growled against the soft skin of her shoulder.

  “Yes.”

  He squeezed harder, rolling the distended points between his fingers until she writhed against him. “Do you want more?”

  “Yes!”

  “Take off your panties, Talia. Let me see that beautiful ass.”

  She wasted no time sliding the flimsy black lace panties to the floor. She now stood before his naked body in only her silk stockings and high heels. Erik’s cock throbbed painfully as his desire ratcheted up another notch.

  His lungs had forgotten how to draw a full breath. “I want you on hands and knees. Now.”

  He fought for control as he watched her walk the two steps to her bed without hesitation and climb up. Settling her body on hands and knees, she arched her back and presented him with an eyeful of her wet pussy.

  “Please fuck me, Erik,” she begged.

  Every one of his senses told him she was ready. And still he waited. She wriggled a little, trying to entice him without words. He fought the urge to grab her hips and sink his cock deep into her pussy.

  “Please, just touch me. I’m so close!”

  Touch her? He didn’t need to slip his fingers into her slit to know she was wet and ready.

  He lightly rested his hand on her right ass cheek. She wriggled again. A few centimeters to one side and he’d brush her wet slit. The tremor of her body told him it would only take a touch to make her come apart.

  He moved his hand a fraction closer. “You want it bad, don’t you, sweetheart?”

  “Yes, please,” she moaned, questing against him like a cat in heat.

  His hand spread her cleft, baring her hot pussy to the cool air. She sucked in a deep breath just as his fingers made one long sweep over her engorged labia.

  Her cream was everywhere, dripping from her cunt, coating the insides of her thighs and now covering the fingers he used to slide in a slow, deliberate rhythm through the cleft of her pussy. Top to bottom, anus to clitoris, he carefully avoided the sensitive hood of her clit as he fucked her deliberately with his hand.

  Her hips rocked, and he knew she desperately wanted to achieve climax.

  “Do you want me, Talia?”

  Her pussy undulated against his hand. “Yes!”

  The bed dipped as he positioned himself behind her. He braced himself, wanting nothing more than to feel his cock slide balls deep into her slick channel.

  He fit the head of his cock to her pussy with agonizing care. Sliding his hands to her hips, he paused. Sweat beaded on his brow as he forced himself to slow down. It would do no good to lose himself as soon as he pushed inside her hot sheath.

  But he couldn’t wait. He needed her hot, wet embrace now. The scent of her sweetness surrounded him, coating first his cock and then his balls as he fucked her. Erik thrust again and again against her rounded ass, pulling out only far enough to plunge back inside.

  She whimpered beneath him, her pussy growing unbelievably tighter as she raced toward orgasm. Pressure built in the back of his head. Stars swirled behind his eyelids as he chased Talia’s climax. She stiffened beneath him, back arching more fiercely, a keening wail filling the room as she came in a rush of creamy arousal.

  Erik shouted, coming on a groan as he plunged one last time into her hot sheath before spilling his seed. Thrusting hard, he wrapped her in his arms and fell sideways onto her bed, cradling her against his chest, his cock still inside her soft pussy.

  Talia was afraid to move. Her feelings were all jumbled. She should’ve been horrified by what she’d done. Less than five hours ago she’d broken off her engagement to Dylan. Now she was curled against Erik’s naked warmth like a contented kitten. It shouldn’t have been so wonderful. It shouldn’t have felt so right.

  “Sweet, talented Talia. Until this moment I never believed the things I heard about music geeks.”

  “Wow, do you always sweet-talk your women when you’re done with them?”

  He pressed a kiss to her neck. “Who says I’m done with you?”

  A renegade chill stole down her spine. She stifled a groan. How could she be ready again so soon? She wasn’t usually that horny. Not that her sex life with Dylan had been anything to get excited about. His arrogance carried over into every aspect of his existence.

  “What are you thinking?” he murmured beside her ear.

  “That I should throw you out of my loft for completely botching the protection issue.” She paused to wonder how she’d managed to so thoroughly lose her head over a guy she barely knew. “And assuming you don’t take home a different girl every night of the week, pregnancy isn’t something I’m ready for.”

  He shrugged in the darkness. “I figured you were on the pill. You don’t strike me as being ready for motherhood.”

  A burst of indignation flashed through Talia. She was on the pill, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ready for motherhood. Of course she wanted to be a mother, as soon as the time was right and she found the perfect guy. Her mind leaped into a likely scenario: a little girl sitting at the piano, her brother across the room with his violin. Both with her blue eyes and his thick, dark hair…

  What the fuck. You can’t have maternal fantasies that include a one-night stand!

  “A one-night stand with you doesn’t mean I won’t settle down and raise a family with someone else,” she told him stiffly.

  “You know, I think that’s the first time a woman has ever called me her one-night stand to my face.”

  “Oh sorry; are they usually saying it the next morning when you’ve mysteriously disappeared from their bedrooms?”

  He growled, the sound strangely erotic. Flipping her to her back, Erik leaned down and captured her lips in a bruising kiss.

  He wasn’t like any man she’d ever known. He’d only come a few minutes ago, but his cock was already getting hard. He obviously wanted to have sex again. But the strange part was that she did too. The sweet scent of sex clung to everything around them, and it drove her senses crazy.

  He settled himself between her legs, nudging them farther apart to accommodate his bulk. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

  She took a breath to answer, but before she could say yes and throw him out of her apartment, Erik slid his cock into her wet pussy. Her words caught on a gasp. Even in the near pitch-black of the room, she could see him watching her.

  He thrust hard, and her pussy made a wet noise. “You w
ere saying?”

  Her hands settled on his biceps, fingers digging into the skin. If she’d been going to argue, she couldn’t remember what it was about. “I was?”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  He thrust again, rearing back and lifting her legs over his shoulders to gain deeper access to her body.

  “God, you’re tight, Talia.”

  “How”—her sharply indrawn breath interrupted her question—“how can you be ready again?”

  He chuckled, his laughter reverberating around the room. “Sweetheart, my cock will never get enough of your tight little cunt.”

  Her back arched involuntarily, thrusting her breasts toward him. Lowering his head, he caught one taut nipple in his mouth and tested it with his teeth. She moaned, tilting her head back to thrust her breast more insistently into his face.

  He obliged, suckling hard on the warm flesh, biting her nipple until she gasped. Releasing the hard bud, he moved to its twin. His touch was intoxicating. She’d never experienced this intense desire before. It was as exhilarating as it was frightening.

  “Erik, I think I’m coming,” she gasped.

  “Come for me, Talia. Bring me over the edge with you.”

  His thrusts created heat that pooled like fire at the base of her spine. Each stroke burned until her soft whimpers punctuated each rub of his thick shaft against her sheath. Her body slid from her control, flying into climax as he groaned and pushed deep inside. His cock pulsed, releasing hot jets of ejaculate as he pumped once, twice more into her body before rolling them both to one side and tucking her protectively against him.

  What kind of slut took a stranger home, had wild, passionate monkey sex with him until neither of them could move, and then didn’t regret it? What was wrong with her? Why did snuggling next to Erik feel so damn right?

  “Is it always like this?” Her voice sounded small and insecure to her own ears.

  “Is what always like what?”

  “This, us, the sex, everything.” Talia paused, wondering how to phrase her question and not feel like a naive idiot. “Is it always this easy?”