Bryce (Steele Protectors 3) Read online

  “If you want it, you’ll have to come and get it.”

  They had each enjoyed a glass of wine with the Chinese food, but that certainly wasn’t enough to have caused Bella’s feeling of lightheadedness and desire now. She also longed for and knew instinctively that she would enjoy Bryce’s taste far more than she had the white wine.

  She kept her gaze fixed on him as she moved to the side of the bed, standing up briefly before sinking down onto her knees in front of him, her face lifted upward. She stilled as Bryce fisted his cock and brought the mushroomed tip to her lips and coated them with that glistening release.

  “God, yes!” The taste of him exploded on Bella’s tongue the moment she licked her lips. Sweet and spicy at the same time. Delicious. Addictive. “More,” she demanded the moment she had licked and consumed every drop from her lips.

  Bryce knew he should never have started this, but he had no willpower to resist the sensuality that was Bella. He couldn’t say no to her. Didn’t want to say no.

  As he had no strength of will to stop Bella when she pulled his jeans farther down his thighs, exposing and then cupping the heat of his tight, lightly furred balls in her palm.

  He gave a low and aching groan as Bella parted her lips, his hands moving to tightly grip her shoulders as she sucked his cock to the back of her throat with ease. “Fuck, Bella!” He gasped and then groaned as she slowly moved her head back until only the bulbous head of his cock remained in her mouth, her tongue licking up his release before she sucked him fully to the back of her throat again.

  Over the next few minutes, Bryce learned that if she hadn’t been interested in sex with her detective, it certainly hadn’t been because of a lack of sensuality or desire on Bella’s part. She sucked, licked, and stroked his cock until Bryce all too soon felt himself on the edge of release.

  His fingers tightened on her shoulders. “You need to stop now.”

  “Uh-uh.” Her refusal hummed at the back of her throat, those vibrations sending throbs of pleasure coursing the length of Bryce’s cock.

  “I’m going to—”

  “Do it now,” she encouraged, her hands moving to cup the cheeks of his arse, her fingers digging into those twin globes as she sucked him back in deeper still.

  That heat and tightness was enough to cause Bryce to let out a roar and throw his head back as he pumped his release in spurt after hot spurt down Bella’s welcoming throat.

  Chapter Six

  The bedroom, the house itself, seemed unnaturally quiet seconds later, only the sound of their uneven breathing in the shadowed semidarkness.

  Bella had very little time to think of the awkwardness of kneeling at Bryce’s feet, his semihard cock still in her mouth, before he reached down and placed his hands beneath her elbows so he could pull her up to her feet in front of him.

  His dark hair was disheveled, his face flushed, gray eyes dark and unfathomable as his fingers grasped the bottom of her sweater before slowly raising it until he had fully revealed her breasts covered in cream lace. “Fucking gorgeous,” he murmured appreciatively as his hands moved to cup beneath that voluptuous swell.

  Those large hands proved to be the perfect size to hold each of her breasts comfortably, kneading and squeezing that sensitive flesh before his hands slid round to her back and Bryce unfastened and then removed Bella’s bra completely.

  His eyes were almost completely black when he finally looked up at her. “I’m so going to enjoy sucking and playing with these.” He made it a promise as he lowered his head to take first one full nipple into his mouth, sucking it until it had engorged to twice its normal size, before moving his attention to its twin and sucking that to equally throbbing fullness. “Jesus, Bella, you’re every wet dream I’ve had since puberty,” he admired gruffly before removing her sweater completely and discarding it.

  Impossible not to believe his response was purely to her when Bella could clearly see Bryce’s cock was engorging for the second time this evening. Something she hadn’t believed could happen as quickly as this.

  Revealing her lack of experience?

  Or was that knowledge correct and it was only Bryce who recovered so quickly?

  Either way, there was no denying that Bryce was telling her the truth when he claimed to wholeheartedly approve of the way she looked and felt.

  That gave Bella the confidence to hold his gaze as she removed the rest of her clothing herself. Boots, jeans, and lastly the cream thong that matched her bra, until she stood completely naked in front of him.

  Bryce’s mouth dried as he found himself looking at his perfect woman. Full and pert breasts. A slender waist. Curvaceous hips with slightly rounded tummy. Shapely legs above delicate feet.

  As he had guessed five weeks ago—and tried to avoid the temptation of by going to New Orleans—Bella was everything, absolutely everything, he found physically attractive in a woman.

  Add in her intelligence and beauty, her independence and ability to physically protect herself if necessary, and Bryce no longer questioned why he had been so drawn to this woman from the moment he first looked at her.

  He stepped closer to her, lightly kissing her lips before gently turning her. He moved down onto his knees, his hands on her hips to hold her in place.

  Bella gave a small squeak as she turned to glance at Bryce over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

  “I believe I promised earlier to kiss you better,” he reminded, his breath warm against her bottom cheeks. “Your skin is only a little red. I never want to ever see or cause a single bruise on this smooth porcelain skin.”

  Bella sucked in a breath, her back arching at the soft brush of Bryce’s lips against her hot and slightly tender flesh until he had kissed and caressed the whole of her bottom.

  No man had ever touched her so intimately, let alone kissed her there. It somehow felt more intimate than having him touch and suck on her nipples minutes ago. A forbidden and surprisingly delicious pleasure.

  “Bend over the end of the bed for me,” Bryce encouraged gruffly.

  Bella had acted purely on instinct and a little knowledge when she sucked and stroked Bryce’s cock to completion minutes ago. But that same instinct was now telling her to cover herself up and bring an end to this now.

  Because she was a complete novice when it came to lovemaking.

  Being the daughter and sister of the head of the Zalotti family pretty much meant that men gave her a wide berth out of a sense of their own preservation.

  Having bodyguards during her last year at school hadn’t helped. Nor had it been difficult to resist getting involved with anyone during her years at university or since. Estranged from her brother or not, she had decided it was safer for everyone, but most especially any of the men who showed an interest in her, if she maintained a distance from all of them.

  In the end, her polite refusals had become second nature and made in such a way Bella was able to ensure no one ever felt slighted. Besides, it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with men she might later find herself working closely with on a daily basis.

  She wished now she had never accepted Sean’s invitations in an effort to stave off the hurtful remarks and speculation of her other colleagues regarding her sexuality.

  But at least she hadn’t been stupid enough to be persuaded into a physical relationship with Sean. He could make up all the lies he wanted to salvage his pride with his male colleagues, but Bella knew the truth.

  And the truth was she was a twenty-six-year old virgin.

  Not just a virgin, but virtually inexperienced.

  The only sexual knowledge Bella had she had picked up from the sexy romance novels she liked to read in her spare time. Stories that always had a happy ever after for the heroine with the experienced and sexy alpha hero.

  Sexy romance books that, while arousing reading, had in no way prepared Bella for the reality that was the flesh-and-blood Bryce Steele. A man who was so alpha male, he might have invented the phrase.

 
“Bella…?” he prompted at her continued silence.

  Bryce was also the man Bella had wanted so badly from the moment she first saw him that it made her jaw and teeth ache to resist saying as much.

  She didn’t answer him now either but slowly walked to the end of the bed before moving down onto her knees and resting her torso on top of the duvet. She turned her head so that she was looking directly at Bryce.

  Who, in turn, was staring at the creamy length of her bared back and bottom, a flush in his cheeks and desire burning in the dark gray depths of his eyes. “Fuck…” he muttered, seeming to move almost in a daze until he was kneeling behind her. There was the rustling of clothes, and seconds later, the warmth of Bryce’s bare chest curving over her back. He took his weight on his elbows as they rested on the bed above her. “Perfection,” he murmured again before he parted his lips and sucked on the flesh at her nape.

  Bella’s back arched instinctively the moment red-hot pleasure coursed through her body.

  She’d had no idea—

  Never imagined being sucked there would—

  Oh dear God…!

  Bryce was sucking harder, his teeth biting into the sensitive flesh, bruising, hurting, licking that hurt even as Bella’s arousal heightened and deepened.

  Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Bryce, I want… I need…”

  “I’ll decide what you need,” he rasped, his hands moving to her shoulders to keep her in place. “And when to give it to you.”

  Bella moistened the dryness of her lips. “Are you…are you a Dom? Because I really don’t think I’m a submissive.”

  Bryce chuckled at the grimace he could hear in her voice. “No, I don’t think you’re a submissive either.” He sobered. “And I’m an alpha, not a Dom.”

  “Is there a difference?”

  “In as much as it means I’m not going to break out the whips and chains or put you in a collar.” The humor could still be heard in his voice.

  “Oh thank God!” She gave a shudder of relief as she rested her head back on the duvet in the supplication she had seconds ago denied having.

  Bryce felt a brief curiosity to know whether or not Bella would have allowed him to do those other things to her. But it was only brief. Because why bother thinking of things that didn’t interest him when he had a completely naked Bella on her knees in front of him?

  He sat back onto his heels, all the more aroused for how debauched the two of them look, Bella completely naked and Bryce only wearing jeans that were pushed down to his thighs, his cock hanging out and once again engorged, the bulbous top glistening with pre-cum. “Part your legs for me.” The husky instruction was accompanied by a gentle and encouraging caress of his fingertips down the silky skin of Bella’s inner thigh.

  Bella slowly parted her legs to reveal the swollen lips of her pussy, slick with her arousal. Lips Bryce wanted to kiss as much as he wanted to lick up those juices before plunging his tongue inside her channel.

  This new position also revealed that enticing rosette between her bottom cheeks. A delicate deep rose pink temptation that made Bryce’s mouth water for a taste.

  Maybe next time?

  He frowned at his assumption there would be a next time for him and Bella.

  Yes, he had committed himself to protecting her but that didn’t mean he could continue to step over this line of protector and protectee. It would be better for both of them if he stopped this now.

  As if that was going to happen!

  He had every intention of tasting Bella, of pleasuring her until she screamed for him. He wanted to fuck her with his tongue, fuck her with his cock too, if she would let him. But maybe it was too soon for that and he should just accept what she was prepared to give him for now?

  And maybe he should just stop speculating and taste Bella before she had second thoughts and he went out of his fucking mind from wanting her!

  The taste of her burst on his tongue after that first lick. Addictive. Ambrosial. Honey and cream. Heat and musk. At the same time as it was nothing like Bryce had ever tasted before.

  Because it was Bella.

  Uniquely her.

  Bella’s fingers clenched in the duvet with the first swipe of Bryce’s moist tongue against her burning flesh. Causing her legs to part even more and her back to arch, lifting her bottom higher and exposing her pussy fully to that rough and marauding tongue.

  All Bella could do was continue to hang on to that cotton sheet as Bryce’s tongue proceeded to lick and stroke, to possess her pussy, until a single swipe across her engorged clit sent her spiraling into a vortex of what seemed like never-ending pleasure.

  “Again,” he growled huskily seconds—minutes?—later.

  The moist pad of his thumb lightly caressed between her bottom cheeks before pushing inside at the same time as his tongue thrashed against her oversensitized clit. The dual assault on her senses quickly sent Bella into a second gut-wrenching climax.

  “No more,” she choked as Bryce greedily licked up the juices gushing from between her pussy lips. “I don’t think I can—Bryce?” she prompted as his lips and fingers instantly stilled. “I didn’t mean for you to stop quite that abru—”

  “Shh,” he admonished softly.

  “What—”

  “Listen.”

  Bella did as he asked.

  At first, she could hear nothing except the loud ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway, and then, in the otherwise silence of the house, she heard it.

  The sound of a lock mechanism slowly turning.

  Followed seconds later by the click of a door opening and then closing again.

  Then the sound of stealthy footsteps moving down the hallway downstairs.

  Someone was in Bella’s house!

  And she wasn’t sure if she was grateful for Bryce’s sensitive hearing or insulted that he must have heard the intruder outside before they entered her house. Bella had been so lost in pleasure that she hadn’t been aware of anything but Bryce and his lovemaking. Obviously the same couldn’t be said for him.

  “Stay here,” Bryce instructed as he rose abruptly to his feet to pull up the zip of his jeans before carefully checking out the window to see if the SUV from earlier was still parked outside. It was. But those darkened windows meant it wasn’t possible to know if whoever was driving the vehicle was still inside it.

  Bella stood up to grasp his forearm. “What if whoever it is has a gun?”

  “Then I’ll disarm them,” Bryce dismissed.

  “But—”

  “Shh,” he cautioned again, bending down to lightly brush his lips against hers, allowing her to briefly taste and breathe in her own musk, before he removed her hand and made his way stealthily toward the door. His attention was now totally focused on finding whoever had entered Bella’s house uninvited.

  Although the fact they had used a key to do so was cause for concern…

  Chapter Seven

  Bryce moved silently down the hallway, stepping carefully over the sixth step as he went down the stairs, having earlier made a note of the fact that step had creaked when he carried Bella up here.

  His eyesight had become fully adjusted to the darkness by the time he reached the ground floor. Which was just as well because the only light still on downstairs was the one in the kitchen over the cooker.

  The kitchen itself was empty.

  As was the formal dining room.

  Also the downstairs bathroom.

  Which only left the main lounge.

  And the sound of Bella moving about upstairs in what she no doubt believed was stealth but wasn’t.

  Completely ignoring Bryce’s instruction by doing so.

  Admittedly, she could just be pulling on some clothes before waiting for him to return to the bedroom, but Bryce somehow doubted that. Bella was one willful handful, and Bryce couldn’t wait to get his hands back on her delectable bottom when he reprimanded her for disobeying him.

  Maybe he was a bit of a Dom
after all?

  If that was the case, then he was a frustrated one at the moment, his cock hard and throbbing uncomfortably behind the zip of his jeans while the woman he wanted was upstairs dressing rather than waited naked for his return.

  The sitting room was in complete darkness apart from a pale golden glow coming from the streetlight on the pavement outside. It was enough for Bryce to see a man dressed in dark clothing moving stealthily about the room, although he obviously had no idea what the other man’s reason was for doing so—

  The overhead light was switched on so suddenly, it should have blinded them, but Bryce’s years of training meant he was far more prepared for it than the other man. A blond-haired man who had stilled like a deer caught in the headlights of a car as he stared at Bryce, before his gaze moved to a fully dressed Bella as she stepped into the room to stand beside Bryce.

  Her expression was one of furious accusation as she glared at the stranger. She wore a light blue sweater and faded denims, her hair pulled up in an untidy ponytail. “What the hell are you doing in my house, Sean?”

  Bryce’s brows rose. This was Sean Wilton? Detective Inspector Sean Wilton?

  The other man was as tall and possibly the same age as Bryce, with short, perfectly styled fair hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a black polo shirt over a wide and muscular chest, shoulders, and tapered waist, along with fitted black jeans.

  No doubt most women would consider him to be a handsome man.

  Including Bella at one time, Bryce reminded himself irritably.

  That might be so, but it wasn’t true anymore, so what the hell was the other man doing inside, creeping about Bella’s house in the darkness?

  Several answers to that question occurred to Bryce, none of them good. The primary one being that this was Bella’s stalker. Bryce needed to know if the incidents to frighten Bella had started happening before or after she stopped going out with the other man.

  Bella couldn’t believe Sean had broken into her house. Or help but wonder if it was the first time he had done so. Or if he was the one responsible, after all, for the panties and dead rat being put through her letter box, as well as the spray paint on her car.