Page 24 of Hammer’s Fall

“There’s something about you, cariño, that makes me want to take care of you.”

“Like a child?”

“No, baby, like a partner.”

Camila tilted her head back and looked up at him

“A partner? You want me to work with you? To do what? Give you information on my father? I don’t even know what he does.”

“Yes, a partner, but not like you’re thinking.”

“Then what?” A crease formed between her brows. She still sat in front of him, the top of her head propped against his chest as she looked up at him. She held up her empty glass, so he took it and set it on the table beside the bed.

“I was thinking in life, you know, like Winter and Bishop or Miranda and Ashes.”

Her eyes went wide.

“But we barely know each other. We don’t even know if we’re compatible, you know, sexually.”

“Cariño, with the fire between us, the way you set me aflame with a look, I have little doubt how that will be. And I know we just met but sometimes when you know, you know. The rest will come with time.” He smoothed one hand up and down her arm, hoping to soothe her worries.

“You think so?”

“I know so.” He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Nothing long or lingering, just enough that he hoped she understood that he was trying to behave here.

“Hmm. Maybe you do,” she said when he broke the kiss, then she winced and lifted her head. He let his hands fall to rest on his thighs as he watched her shift up on to her knees, the hem of his shirt barely covering her ass, her honey colored, toned thighs a nice contrast from the dark cotton. Still on her knees, she turned around to face him, and he let his gaze climb her, taking his time to enjoy the view. When he reached her face, she was watching him, one brow lifted.

“See something you like?”

“Always, cariño. How drunk are you?”

“I’m not. I’m a little relaxed but there wasn’t that much tequila in that. Certainly not enough to get me drunk after one drink.” She waved one hand toward where he’d set her glass.

“How relaxed?” Relaxed but not drunk was what he’d been aiming for. He wanted her able to make decisions but relaxed enough she wouldn’t be so concerned with what everyone would think of her or what her father might say if he found out.

“Relaxed enough to do this.” She placed a hand in the middle of his chest and leaned in. Hammer sat still, watching her as she moved closer. Then she pressed her mouth against his. Hammer only hesitated an instant before opening his mouth beneath hers and deepening the kiss.

A soft whimper escaped her throat as he brought one hand up to cup her cheek and put the other on her side so she didn’t fall. As he tilted her head to one side and angled his own in the other direction, Camila slid her hand along his chest then around his neck. She pressed her tits against his chest. He felt her taut little nipples through the thin barrier separating them and ached to put his hands on them. But he went slowly, he didn’t want to scare her, and he was afraid moving too fast or being too dominant, at least to start, would do just that. Instead, he moved slowly and eased her into the idea of staying with him, permanently, and all that would entail.

Chapter Eighteen

Camila’s head spun. She’d never been kissed, at least consensually, before Hammer. Only had a couple of unwelcome advances from one of Papá’s men before he found out. Papá had put a stop to it, and the man had disappeared. After that, she’d had to stand and listen as Papá had informed his men that she was off limits—to touch her would mean more than their lives.

Now, as Hammer’s hands skimmed along her skin, she pushed all of that from her mind. She wanted to touch someone, she wanted him to touch her. Especially if he could keep making her feel lightheaded and floaty like this. Her body flashed hot and went heavy with something she couldn’t put a name to. All that mattered was him beneath her hands. His hands on her.

Camila grabbed the hem of the t-shirt she wore and pulled it over her head, tossing it aside before going back to Hammer. If his touch felt this good, what would it feel like on her skin?

“Touch me. Show me how good this is supposed to feel.” Her voice sounded weird. Husky and like someone else, but she didn’t care. What she cared about was Hammer’s body. His hands, and everywhere the two came together. She knew the mechanics, but the feelings, the sensations, the emotions and the way it all made her feel was new to her.

Papá’s goon cornering her and forcing a kiss on her had felt nothing like this. His hand as he’d painfully squeezed her breast hadn’t sent her mind into a haze she didn’t know how to handle. Camila ran her hands along his chest then up his arms as he trailed his mouth along her neck and shoulder, then lower. Soon, she lost all thoughts of the world around them as she reveled in the way Hammer made her feel. Things she’d heard about. Things she’d read about. Things she thought were pure fiction. Now she knew better.

She pushed all her doubts away as she moved over him. She knew how things worked and from what she’d seen in the videos her father had made her watch, men liked aggressive women, at least in bed. She pushed Hammer back against the mattress and moved her hand to the waistband of his shorts. Sliding her hand inside, she gripped his length and squeezed, gently at first, then with increasing pressure. When Hammer groaned, she couldn’t help but smile. She reached down and cupped his balls, working them in her hand as his hands covered her breasts, squeezed and kneaded the mounds, then he tweaked one nipple, then the other, making her jump, then arch her back as pleasure spread through her body. More. She wanted more of that.

On impulse, she leaned down and flicked the tiny button that was his nipple with the tip of her tongue. Hammer groaned again, then spoke, his voice deep and low, almost a growl.

“Use your teeth, cariño. I like a little sting with my pleasure.”

She did as he asked, freezing for an instant when he jerked beneath her. But when he relaxed and groaned again, “Oh, yeah, baby, that feels so good,” she relaxed and continued to explore his body. She peeled off his shorts, tossing them aside and moving to straddle his hips. When she started to line his erection up with her opening, Hammer caught her hips, stopping her.