The Pits

"Rough night in the Pits?" Ben smirked and idly scratched his chin.

Lena knew full well that the general disarray of her hair and clothes would only entice him more, but she also knew that this coward of a man would slink back up the stairs the moment William even looked at him. "You know you shouldn't have to work so hard when I could easily help cut down on your monthly bills."

He leaned in toward her, and then his eyes darkened as he noticed the pink tinge around her lips still slightly plumped from William's kisses. "I'm sorry, but I have company, Ben." She was going to go on, but Ben's eyes flicked up over her shoulder and widened slowly.

For a moment, she was going to turn around, but the scent of leather filled her nostrils and her eyes fluttered slightly. A muscular arm slid across her chest, and William pulled her possessively back against him. She couldn't see the fire that burned in his eyes as he glared dangerously at Ben.

The spineless landlord's mouth hung open dumbly. William didn't give him a chance to say anything as he pushed the door closed with his other hand.

Lena hardly dared to even breathe. The silence was deafening, and it seemed like an hour could have passed in those few minutes before they finally heard Ben shuffling back upstairs. She finally emptied her lungs and dropped her head back against William's chest in relief.

She realized that his arm was still locked protectively around her. Then she noticed the hardness of him pressing against her rear. Color rushed to her cheeks at the sensation building in the pit of her stomach.

His free hand slid over her stomach and pressed her firmly back against him. "What are you doing to me?" He whispered into her ear. Her eyes rolled shut as his breath stirred her hair. She smoothed her hands over his arms as her mind worked to form her response.

"Me? I haven't done anything to you."

That wasn't exactly true, but she had no real intentions of arousing him when she had first climbed onto his lap. She just wanted to intimidate Ben, but now she was losing herself in William's arms again. His touch was like fire shooting through her veins.

"I've been watching you for a while. You intrigued me at first." His fingers curled under her top and caressed her soft skin waiting for him there. "Then tonight . . . " Lena drew in a sharp breath as his fingers slid up and caressed just under her bra. Realization struck her, and her eyes popped open.

"You were watching me the whole time?"

He cupped her breast and quickly molded it to fit his hand. Lena's knees felt weak, and she leaned heavily against him for support. Her bottom slid against him as she slumped slightly. He groaned into her hair and pressed against her.

With one hand, he held her faltering body tightly against his. With the other, he grabbed his coat and fanned it out onto the floor. He then gently lowered her into the bed of his scent. Lena ran her hands over the soft leather and gazed up at him as he knelt next to her. She reached out and lightly touched his cheek.

He slipped his fingers under her chin and tilted her head back slightly as he pressed his lips to hers. She couldn't resist the soft touch and the melting heat of her own need for him. Time seemed to drift away as they explored the depths of each other's mouths.

"What's happening?" she barely breathed against his lips. He shook his head and captured her in another kiss before slipping her blouse from her shoulders. Lena's head dropped back as he buried his face between her neck and shoulder.

"I don't know," he whispered between spreading kisses across her skin. He grasped the hem of her tank top and began to pull it up. Lena winced at her shoulder as she lifted her arms. William ceased his movement immediately, but she smiled and helped him slip it off completely.

He gently touched the tender shoulder as his eyes examined it. "Will this be all right if . . . " Lena quickly cut him off with a kiss. Even if it hurt, she couldn't stand it if they stopped. No pain could compare with her fervent desire for him at this moment. She couldn't control her need for him to touch her.

William held her tightly against him as they lost themselves in each others' lips once again. Lena could feel his heart thundering against her own. She reached around her back and fumbled with her bra. His fingers easily slid in with hers and unhooked it. The last item of clothing separating her breasts from his touch slipped delicately from her shoulders.

Her body arched to him as his fingers brushed over the soft skin revealed to his wandering touch. He coaxed her to lie back, and she settled into the warm sensation of the leather against her bare skin. She didn't have long to savor it as his lips trailed down the valley between her breasts. The breath caught in her throat as a shiver of desire ran down her spine.

His hands ran up her sides as his lips trailed down. He paused to tongue her navel before lifting his lips from her skin. All reason rushed from her mind as her head swam with desire. Her fingers darted out to lace through his hair as she tried desperately to pull his lips back to her.

Her efforts were rewarded as he slid up and kissed one soft tip of a breast. She curled her fingers, holding him there as his tongue lightly circled her nipple. It quickly hardened in response. His fingers caressed the other nipple to attention as she slipped her hands down the back of his neck.

She was slowly regaining some sense of her being, and she wanted to arouse these same sensations in him. She tugged at his shirt, and he quickly sat up to pull it the rest of the way off. Lena followed before he could continue his tortuous attentions on her breasts.

A breath shuddered from his lungs as she pressed her hands to his chest and kissed under his jaw. His arms latched tightly around her, affording her little movement, but she felt him swallow hard as she nibbled lightly on his throat. She managed to work her arms up and loop them over his shoulders.

The feel of her breasts pressed against his heated skin made her feel as though she were fused to him. His fingers slid into her damp hair as he pulled her lips to his. He kissed her with a need and a hunger that matched her own. God help her. She wanted him to possess every inch of her body. She gazed once again into those eyes that threatened to devour her soul. There was no question that he could tear every item of clothing from her body in an instant and take every ounce of pleasure he wanted from her body. The fact that he was so gentle with her seemed to increase her desire even as questions swam through her mind.

They all shattered from her grasp again as he cupped her rear and pulled her up against the hardness straining to be released from his trousers. The heat from between her own thighs seeped into his being, and he quickly pushed her back down again. His fingers made short work of her pants and panties, and soon he looked upon her naked form lying beneath him.

He marveled for a moment, and Lena quivered with anticipation under his piercing eyes. It seemed as though he couldn't decide where to touch her, because his fingers flexed forward a few times before finally coming to rest just inside of her knee. He lowered his lips to her breast once again and feasted upon the nipple awaiting his attention. She inhaled deeply, lifting her breasts eagerly to him.

His fingers progressed higher on her thigh, tracing small circles on her firm flesh. Every pore seemed to tingle under his touch. Just when she felt that she couldn't possibly wait another second, his fingers raked into the curls between her thighs. He seemed to sense that she couldn't handle being teased much longer. As she fought to maintain her own composure, she had no conception of the battle for control raging in his own being.

Everything seemed to melt away as he caressed and slowly parted her folds. The cool touch of the air against her wetness made her shiver. He abandoned her nipple and slid down between her thighs. Lena felt his breath against her thigh before his lips touched her. He kissed her gently, and tentatively darted his tongue between her lips.

She parted her lips in a barely audible moan as she dropped her head back and opened completely to him. He inhaled her scent and probed a finger around her entrance. Her hips lifted insistently to him as his tongue teased and tortured her.

"William, please . . . "

He closed his eyes and drank her in fully, pushing up inside and wanting to devour her completely. Spots danced before her eyes as she lost all sense of herself and jerked her body up to his insistent lips. It felt as though each slide and circle of his tongue pulled strings within her body making her writhe with intense pleasure.

He continued till she thought she would burst, and then he suddenly stopped. She collapsed back onto his coat and just tried to breathe and think. Something was wrong. His breath washed over her thighs, but the ragged rhythm was gone from it. The air seemed deathly still.

Lena lifted her head to look at him, but his gaze was locked firmly on the door. Her heart raced with a new rush of adrenaline as she saw his eyes darken with a cold fury. Without making a sound, he crawled up her body and slipped his hand into his coat.

It seemed as though he'd completely forgotten about her until he lowered his gaze to hers again. The fire in his eyes softened, and he looked almost resigned as he breathed out softly, "I should have known when I first laid eyes on you that you would cost me dearly."

Without another word he pulled a small pistol out of his coat and locked his eyes on the door. As he stood up, he pulled the coat over her without looking down again.

Not a single sound was made as he inched toward the door. Lena didn't dare to breathe as she slid herself up against the couch, readying for anything that stood on the other side of that door.

William leaned against the wall and reached for the door knob. His eyes turned back to her for one moment as he seemed to consider just what he was about to fight for.

That small hint of a smile touched the corner of his mouth again. This time it reached his eyes.

He gripped the doorknob and yanked the door open . . .

To be continued . . .