Friends with Benefits (Club Risque Book 5) Read online

  She was a virgin and she wanted her first time to be with someone she loved. She didn't think she would ever love anyone except Christian.

  And he had remembered to call her Taryn. Of all the cautions and concerns he had warned her of, that was what she took away with her. That was what stuck in her mind, because it must surely be a sign.

  "I've never been more certain of anything in my life," she whispered against his lips.

  Chapter 5

  The words had barely left her mouth before Christian swung her up in his arms and stalked through the small space into her equally small bedroom. The bed wasn't a single, but it wasn't a full-size double, either. It didn't matter…they would be cosy.

  Christian lay Taryn gently on the bed and followed her down. Instinctively, she widened her legs to make room for him and revelled in the sublime feeling of his glorious weight covering her. Christian braced his weight on his elbows to avoid crushing her. She was such a dainty little thing.

  Dipping his head, he took her lips again, this time holding nothing back. He drank from her lips for so long, Taryn became more and more frustrated, wriggling and writhing underneath him. She almost wanted to tell him to hurry, except at the same time, she wanted this moment to last forever and to commit every moment of it to memory.

  When he finally meandered his mouth along the edge of her jaw, around to her ear and then down her neck, nipping and sucking and tracing his tongue, Taryn shuddered with need. Taking his cue, Christian nuzzled the dip at the base of her throat, then, with fingers that Taryn was surprised to see held the barest hint of a tremor, he eased the tiny pearl beads that fastened the bodice of her dress through the button holes until he was able to smooth the fabric to the sides. Sitting back a little, he drank her in, and Taryn felt a blush rise all the way up from the chest he was staring at so intently. Her lace clad breasts were in proportion to the rest of her small frame, but still surprisingly full, and Christian exhaled loudly before dropping his head with what sounded suspiciously like a growl and took one obviously hard, peaked nipple in his mouth through the fabric.

  Taryn cried out, and her back arched off of the bed. She felt her pussy clench and weep as the sensation zinged from her breast to her core like they were attached by some invisible chord.

  "Jesus, you're so responsive," Christian whispered reverently as he attacked the front clasp of her bra with a distinct lack of finesse and freed the bounty to his gaze and his lips.

  Grasping both breasts, he squeezed and plumped them together, laving first one nipple and then the other.

  Taryn's breath grew short and choppy. Sensations such as she had never experienced in her life bombarded her senses until she was almost delirious with the pleasure he was imparting with his experienced hands and mouth.

  Taryn pulled ineffectually at Christian's shirt, desperate to feel some of his skin, too, and he accommodated her by rising briefly to reach back and yank it over his head without even bothering with the buttons. Taryn sucked in a breath and licked her lips at the sight of his tanned skin and sleekly muscled chest with its sparse dusting of dark hair that arrowed down a narrow, delicious path into the waistband of his trousers. She couldn't help but reach out and touch all of that deliciously taut skin, feathering her fingers across his pecs and over the small brown discs of his own nipples.

  The movement spurred Christian into action, and brushing the fabric of her dress and bra off of her narrow shoulders, he bared her to the waist and wasted no time coaxing Taryn to lift her hips so he could divest her of the remainder of her clothing.

  From the way he sucked in his breath, she imagined that he probably hadn't been expecting the stockings and garters she was wearing with the tiniest excuse for a thong. It was deliberate, of course. Oh, not for Christian, exactly, or even this scenario. She hadn't had any expectations that this evening would end any differently from any of the dozens of others they had spent together. The sexy underwear was purely for herself. Being so tiny and dainty, Taryn liked to remind herself that there was a fully-grown woman inside her diminutive shell. She wasn't sure that Christian needed that reminder, but if he was in any doubt, the underwear wiped it clean from his mind.

  A tiny smile graced Taryn's lips as she noticed Christian swallow convulsively and reach out a shaking hand to brush his fingers across her abdomen, around the swell of her hip and down the centre of her thigh, following the strap of her garter with just a single finger until he could trace the edges of her cream silk stockings. Surprising her, he kept on going, spreading his palm across her calf in a sensual journey to her ankle until he finally lifted her foot and gently pulled off her shoe. He did the same with the other and then swiftly shucked his own trousers before following the same trail back up her body on the other side.

  Taryn wanted to look at him more fully, but he left his boxers on. She could see them straining to contain the rigid length of his erection, though, and her fingers itched to explore. She just wasn't quite brave enough, or experienced enough, to do it.

  When he reached the apex of her thighs once again, he carefully hooked his fingers into the strings of her thong and reverently drew them down her legs, his eyes zeroed on the pale, trimmed triangle of curls between her legs.

  Leaving the stockings and garters in place, he hooked her legs over his shoulders and swooped down to devour her most sensitive of places.

  Taryn couldn't help the gasp and the moan that were wrenched from her throat, and every other thought in her head was erased at the feel of his tongue as it licked at the sensitive skin of her inner labia. He continued his sensual foray, rubbing over her rapidly hardening clit, before he took it right into his mouth and sucked on the little nub until she thought she might actually explode.

  Something was building inside of her that she had never experienced before. It wasn't like she had never had an orgasm by her own hand, but this was entirely different. Every sensation seemed heightened and magnified, drawing and tugging at responses buried deep inside her, as if he had plumbed some hidden well of intensity.

  Panting moans slipped from her lips with every suckle of his mouth around her most tender flesh, and yet she was oblivious of everything except the sublime sensations Christian was drawing from her body. When he circled her folds with one warm finger, gathering her dew to lubricate his passage before he slipped the digit inside, Taryn almost bucked off the bed.

  "Easy, sweetheart," he whispered encouragingly before inserting the digit further inside her untried channel. "Jesus Christ, you're so tight," he groaned, his breath hot against the sensitive skin of her labia as he pulled out and then penetrated her again.

  Taryn felt lightheaded. Her breath was coming in such short pants, she didn't think she was getting quite enough air. Right now, though, she didn't even care as long as Christian didn't stop the incredible things he was doing to her body.

  Easing his way as her body accepted him, Christian slipped a second finger into her tight sheath and suckled on her clit at the same time. As her body increased its lubrication, he scissored his fingers and proceeded to stretch her channel ready for his cock. For the briefest of moments, he even wondered if they would fit. She was so damn tiny and he…wasn't. Not that he had any intention of stopping. His cock was hard enough to pound nails, and the thought of those tight, slick walls stretched and tight around his dick was almost enough to make him come just from the thought alone. He'd be embarrassing himself in a minute if he wasn't careful.

  The thought had him spurring into action and he crawled up her body, gorging on her breasts as they became level with his mouth, because those uninhibited little noises she made drove him crazy. Then finding his way to the delights of her mouth once more, he captured some of them before his patience was shot, before fumbling around on the bedside cabinet for the condom he had thrown there.

  Rearing up, he divested himself of his boxers and deftly rolled the protection over his aching shaft. Hearing a gasp, he looked up to see Taryn staring at his him in shocked awe,
her eyes wide and maybe just a little bit apprehensive.

  He grinned, cheekily, guessing at her concern. "Don't worry, sweetheart, it'll fit," he quipped, feeling a lightheartedness that he hadn't felt in forever despite the lust that thundered through his veins.

  Taryn looked up at him with complete and utter trust, and he leaned down and pulled the loosened band out of her hair, sifting the silky mass through his fingers so he could have the satisfaction of seeing it spread across the pillow.

  Taking in a steadying breath, he dropped a sweet kiss on her rosy, kiss swollen lips and concentrated on lining his cockhead up with her entrance. Nestled at the mouth of her warmth, Christian leaned back down and cupped her face in his hands. Her breath was warm and choppy against his lips as he forced himself to take it slowly, fighting against his animal instinct to just thrust his way home. It was enough to make him quiver with impatience, but she was so small that he didn't want to risk hurting her, especially this first time they were together. Maybe when her body was accustomed to his, he could be a bit more forceful. The thought made his insides shudder with twisted lust and he clenched his jaw against the desire to take her hard and fast and simply bend her to his will.

  Fighting for control, he eased himself slowly into the hot clasp of her body. He had to grit his teeth at the feel of her tight walls squeezing around him. He was halfway home when he encountered the unexpected resistance. Rearing his head back, he sucked in a shocked breath and stared at the woman beneath him.

  "You're a virgin!" he growled, slightly more gruffly than he meant to, and Taryn's eyes grew wide at his tone, but the discovery had shaken him.

  He started to pull away, but Taryn grasped his taut buttocks in her hands and panted, "Don't you dare!"

  "Taryn," he started seriously. "This is a gift you are giving. It should be with someone you care about. Someone special."

  "Christian, you're my best friend. You must realise by now that you are special to me. I want this, and I want it to be with you. There's no one in the world I care for more than you."

  He could take that statement any way he wanted, but as she prepared to give all of herself to this man, Taryn realized, as if it hadn't already been obvious, that she was in love with him and had been for a very long time.

  Christian took a deep breath and swallowed as he took in the enormity of what she was offering. Truth was he was fond of her, too. More so than any other woman he had met. He was satisfied she understood his position regarding a relationship and knew it was genuine, and he didn't want to insult her by implying that she didn't know her own mind.

  Instead of saying anything more, he acknowledged her words by taking her mouth gently and soulfully, thanking her with his body for the gift she was about to bestow on him.

  When he lifted his head, he whispered, "It's probably best if I do it fast. There might be a little bit of pain, but I'll make it quick."

  Taryn nodded her head, trust shining clearly in her eyes and Christian dipped his head and drew one of her pebbled nipples into his mouth, suckling hard.

  "Christian?" Confusion was evident in her quivering voice.

  "Shh," he soothed against her breast. "Trust me."

  Since she already did, Taryn subsided and gave her pleasure over to him entirely.

  In no time at all, she was writhing and undulating beneath him all over again, her breath coming once again in shortened pants as he played her body to the very best of his ability. Taryn barely even noticed when he withdrew slowly, her mind was so immersed in the astounding pleasure he was giving her, but she let out a short, sharp scream and dug her nails into his biceps when he thrust hard and fast inside of her until her barrier was breached and he filled her to the hilt.

  Her thoughts tumbled, but Christian didn't give her time to assimilate or regain her equilibrium before he withdrew and plunged inside her honeyed depths again, a hoarse groan slipping from his own throat. The pain was brief, and Taryn couldn't comprehend the way it seemed to immediately morph into something entirely more pleasurable, so she just accepted that that was the way it was.

  Christian kept up a steady but unrelenting rhythm, which Taryn soon learned to sync herself with. Her thoughts were jumbled and fragmented, but she was glad that he wasn't treating her with kid gloves. She wanted this to be everything that he needed, too.

  Kneeling up and hooking her knees over his forearms, Christian pulled her hips up and pounded into her, the chorded muscles in his neck straining as he threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut as he desperately tried to control his urge to just let go altogether and empty himself inside her tight clasp.

  Reaching down in desperation, he pressed his thumb to her clit and rotated the hard, little nub with a firm pressure.

  Taryn screamed and bucked as Christian dragged her higher and higher toward some invisible peak, which seemed to loom larger and faster with every plunge of his body into hers. When his thumb touched her clit, Taryn bucked clear off the bed, the giddy responses too much for her to absorb. All she could do was surrender to Christian’s ministrations and follow where he led.

  An invisible coil tightened in her abdomen like an overwound spring which, any moment now, was going to snap and uncoil explosively, under the pressure from which it strained.

  And then she was there, chased to the top of that glorious climb by the feel of Christian's experienced fingers on her clit.

  Her world exploded into a kaleidoscope of colour and light. Fireworks went off inside her brain and her body was swept with a wave of incredible pleasure, the likes of which she had never known.

  In the recesses of her subconscious, she heard Christian shout his own completion and ride their orgasms until the very last pulse.

  It seemed like forever. The pleasure went on and on until a sublime and sated satisfaction gentled her torrid emotions and Christian collapsed on top of her, his own breathing ragged and noisy in her ear as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

  She wanted to mourn the loss when he rolled to her side, but his arms came around her and pulled her close. She felt secure and cherished, and her heart, which had already been lost to this man, expanded in her chest as the reality of their physical relationship hit her. Okay, so it wasn't perfect just yet, but Taryn was confident that they'd get there.

  With that final thought, she slipped into sated but exhausted sleep. This was definitely the best birthday present ever!

  Chapter 6

  Weeks turned into months, turned into years. While their relationship remained stable, nothing really changed.

  Taryn continued to accompany him to whatever functions might be necessary, and while he might hold her closer and tighter while they danced, he never revealed any outward displays of affection. Those remained for behind closed doors.

  He took her out to dinner, and the same restrictions applied there—strictly no PDAs. If Taryn didn't like it, then she at least accepted it and respected his wishes. As much as she yearned for more, she found her own solace in helping him wherever she was able.

  It wasn't as if they didn't spend enough private time together. They often stayed over at each other's apartments, doing no more than relaxing and unwinding together. Sometimes, she cooked for him, other times, they watched a movie. There were times when they just talked…though never about their relationship or where it might be heading.

  Krista remained ever dependent on Christian, almost as if she were afraid that if he weren't right there beside her, then he, too, might disappear from her life like Ian had.

  While privately, Taryn thought Christian did too much to foster his mother's dependency, she still did whatever she could to support Krista, herself, and her relationship with his mother continued in much the same vein as it had from day one.

  If Krista guessed at the new path Taryn's relationship with Christian had taken, which she suspected the older woman had, then she never said anything outright, though there were enough veiled innuendoes to suffice. Taryn stoically kept her mouth
shut about it all. That was for Christian to decide, and she respected his wishes.

  The sex was still incendiary. Christian was a skilled and generous lover, and if Taryn felt like he was sometimes holding something back, she put it down to the somewhat transient nature of their relationship and the fact that nothing between them was official.

  Always in the back of her mind was the fundamental belief that one day things would change. She just needed to be patient, to prove to Christian that she could maintain his wishes without pressuring him. And so, she never pushed, and she never hinted, she simply abided in his life for his benefit, doing her best to be everything he wanted her to be with no thought for herself beyond what she was able to give. That was all she needed to remain fulfilled.

  She had flunked her business degree that first year and resignedly found herself a job in order to pay her way for a re-sit. Her father had his hands full providing for her siblings and she wouldn't dishonour him by expecting a free ride when she hadn't been able to repay his initial generosity with a meaningful qualification. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to find a part time, evening job that paid enough to support her while she also paid for college, so instead, she had found a day job which provided enough free time to spend with Krista and left her evenings free for Christian. She diligently saved every penny, determined to get herself into a position where she could resume her education, but it was slow going and she sometimes struggled to stay positive.

  She kept her predicament quiet from Christian. He had enough on his plate after all. He knew she was working a day job, rather than expanding her education, but he believed it was because that was her preference.

  And it wasn't all bad. She worked in a Care Home as a health care assistant. It was basic and minimum wage, but it didn't require anything beyond in-house training, and it warmed her soul to make the lives of the residents more comfortable, even if she was little more than a glorified cleaner and companion. Her day would come, Taryn was sure.