by Piper Rayne
“Thanks. I feel like I could take on King Kong right now.”
He laughs and deposits me on his bed. I grab his T-shirt and he falls on top of me, his arms firm on either side of my head. “We’re finally alone.”
“That we are.” I widen my legs a bit, and his thigh nudges them farther apart. My sundress rises up to my waist, and even through his jeans, his hard length causes a rise in my body temperature.
“No more distractions.” His words sound like a warning.
“No more.”
Our eyes lock and he lowers his body down on mine. A satisfied exhale leaves my lungs. He circles his hips while his hand cups my cheek. I’m ready. Ready to have him.
He presses his lips to mine. I sink into the mattress as his solid frame loses all its rigidity, as though he felt the same monumental change I did the moment his soft lips touched mine. My hands run along the back of his head and I wrap my legs around his waist.
Our lips shift and he slides his tongue into my mouth. It’s like sinking into a hot bath—soothing, exhilarating, and perfect. It’s not the rushed messes we were the other two times, and his hands haven’t ventured from my cheeks.
Too quickly, an ache builds inside me. I need more. More of him touching me, me touching him. More skin, because although my dress is thin, the jeans and T-shirt on Liam have got to go. He must read my mind because he ends the kiss. His eyes light with a promise that we’ll be doing that again as his hand hovers over the front buttons of my dress.
“I’m not going to lie, I would’ve preferred to test out my two-second theory on the other dress.” He flicks open three buttons with ease, and he stares at the fullness of my breasts.
“I’ll wear it next time.”
“I’d rather have you naked twenty-four seven. Is that too much to ask?” His million-watt smile sears me, and I scold myself for waiting so long to experience this with him. Three more buttons and my dress falls to the sides, giving him a clear view of my lace-covered breasts.
“Hard to explain that at work,” I say.
“Who needs work?”
The cool breeze from his ceiling fan makes my nipples pebble even more. Another three buttons are open.
“To earn money,” I say.
He finishes unbuttoning my dress and shifts to one side of me, running his large hand over my skin and pushing the fabric off my body. His hand stays on my hipbone, one finger gliding under the elastic seam of my panties. “This dress takes way too long.”
“You managed pretty fast.”
“Had this not been our first time, I might have ripped it open.” His devilish grin says he’s wondering what I would think of that.
“Even with this being our first time, I might not have minded.”
He kisses me again, his tongue seeking entrance to my mouth. Shifting over me, he holds his weight off me, but I press my hand to his chest.
“You need to strip.” I run my hands under the hem of his shirt.
He grabs the shirt from the back of the neckline and tears it off himself. I stare at the muscular planes of his body, the images tattooed on his body. He’s busy unbuttoning his pants and I miss the weight of him. But I know it’s worth it when I see him slide off the bed and push his jeans down his legs before stepping out of them.
With my arms open for him to return to me, he stands above me, almost gawking but in a good way. “I never thought I’d have you.”
“You make me sound like an unattainable jewel or something.” I’d never admit that I like it.
“You are. To me, you are. Can’t you see that?” His hands grip my ankles and he pulls me to the edge of his bed, falling to his knees.
I sit up and rest my weight on my elbows to see what he’s doing. With that glint in his eyes, he slides my panties aside on the left, exposing my tattoo. Leaning forward, he watches me as he kisses the blackbirds.
“I wish you could see yourself through my eyes.” He shimmies my panties down my legs, groaning when he has to close my legs to get them all the way off.
I wish I could see myself through his eyes too. More than he’ll ever know.
Twenty-Eight
Liam
She’s so beautiful and sexy and stunning, lying on my navy sheets and waiting to see what I’ll do to her. All the women I’ve had before should’ve prepared me for this moment. I know what women like in bed, but I want to know what Savannah likes.
My hands slide up her torso and pull down the cups of her bra. Her head falls to the mattress. I kiss my way up her flat stomach and reach around to unhook her bra.
Capturing her lips with mine, I roll onto my back and bring her on top of me. I sit up and give her tits a squeeze, pinching her nipples until she lets out a breathy exhale. She arches her back, pushing them into my hands.
I lean back and she falls forward, her blonde hair forming a veil around us. She kisses me, and I’m lost in the taste of her and the softness of her skin. My hands explore every inch of her that’s been forbidden for years. Her body slides along mine, her fingers hooking under my boxers, pushing them down. But my hands now cup her face. I’m not done kissing her yet.
Somehow, between her hands and my movements, my boxers join the rest of our clothes. She lies back down on me, her tits pressed against my chest and my dick poking up between her ass cheeks. The soft plea of my name coming off her tongue drives me crazy. Makes me want to flip her over and take her here and now like an animal staking his claim, but I don’t want that between us. Not tonight anyway.
I slide up to the headboard and rest my back against it. She follows, crawling toward me. I motion for her to turn her back to me, which she does and leans her back against my chest. I turn her chin so that her lips are accessible as I reach between her legs, feeling the slickness of her wet pussy, while my other hand lands on her breast, squeezing and pinching.
Her head falls back to my shoulder. Our tongues explore one another, deeper and deeper with every swipe. I circle her clit with my thumb and slide my finger up and down her slit, teasing her entrance. She bucks once, but I bite her bottom lip and she sinks back down to me.
Her hands clench the tops of my thighs, and my dick grows harder with every moan that falls from her mouth. A strangled whimper crawls up her throat, and I smile, knowing she’s close. I increase my speed and she bucks into my hand again, but I bite her lip one more time, sucking it as she comes apart on my hand. I watch in fascination as she cries out then draws in a breath, her hips riding out her orgasm in jerky, uncoordinated movements.
“Shit, I’ll never tire of watching you come,” I whisper then kiss her temple.
She relaxes back into me, like a woman who’s been thoroughly satisfied, but as she slides back, she must feel my straining dick poking into her. She turns all the way around.
“Then make me come again,” she says, straddling me.
“Condom?” I ask, and she widens her eyes as though she forgot. “Top drawer.”
She grabs one from the box then tears it open. I watch her shaking hands and figure if we don’t want to end up having a kid before we’re ready, I better help. I pinch the tip, and she rolls the rubber down my length. She shifts off me with the foil condom packet in her hand and eyes the trash can in the corner of the room.
Not happening.
I swing my arm over her hips and hold my hard dick to guide it into her. “We’ll clean up after.”
“Okay.”
I run my hands over her soft hair. Fuck, I love her. I mean not love love, but really, really like. Shit, I need to get this crap out of my head right now. I can’t afford to scare her off.
Every frantic thought in my head evaporates when she sinks down on me. All I can think now is please don’t let this be the first and only time she’s wrapped around my dick.
I pull her to me, our lips joining, and her hard nipples run along my chest as I push up and she gains a steady rhythm to ride me. Her hands go above my head, gripping the headboard, and her speed increases.
> My hands run along her back and down, spreading her ass cheeks and pulling her up my dick and back down. Her knees widen and she clenches around my length.
Unable to stop, we stay in that position and I bring her tit to my mouth. I suck on her nipple, and the whimper I heard right before she came last time escapes her throat. I lightly nibble then suck as much as I can into my mouth. She pants and clenches around my dick before moving faster. I use my hands to spread her ass cheeks again and push them back together, pulling her up and driving her down hard.
This time the whimper is repeated over and over, growing in volume and length until she bites her lip, staring at me as if I’m some orgasm angel brought down to earth only for her.
Damn, I could get used to that look.
She falls apart in my arms. Her tit falls out of my mouth, but I don’t stop driving in and out of her because I’m almost there too. How couldn’t I be when I’m finally inside the woman I’ve wanted for so long?
I hit the breaking point when she arches her back, placing her hands behind her on my thighs, and my only view is her naked form on top of me. Her tits jiggle as she takes me over and over until I come with a groan and empty myself.
We both breathe deeply, trying to gather ourselves while our gazes are locked. After a bit, she gets up and wraps her arms around my neck. I roll us over on the bed, kissing her until her lips are swollen and red.
For the first time, the actual sex was better than the imaginary beat-off wheel in my head. I should’ve known. Savannah Bailey has excelled at everything she’s ever put her mind to.
Twenty-Nine
Savannah
I’ve woken up in Liam’s bed before, but waking up with his arms around me, nestled into his strong chest, hearing his breath in my ear makes me regret that I didn’t do this earlier.
Liam fell asleep before me, which surprised me because the man has endurance. But he earned his sleep. We dozed for an hour before I was awoken by his hands exploring my body and his lips on my skin, and my favorite—his dick pressing into me. I’m not complaining at all. It’s a night I’ll remember forever. After the last time, my mind began running through all the possible scenarios as we move forward. But I can’t dwell on that. I need to relish the moment now.
I wiggle out from under his arm, but before I can stand, the mattress shifts and my back hits his strong chest.
“I said no running.” His voice is groggy but still delicious.
“I was gonna make you breakfast.”
He laughs. “On that note.” He releases me.
I turn around and give him a quick kiss on his lips. I climb out of the bed and he sits up, resting his feet on the floor.
“Go back to bed,” I say, putting on his T-shirt and my panties.
“Nah, I’m going to eat up all the time I have with you.”
Cue the swooning. “You act like I’m going somewhere.”
He stands and places his hands on my shoulders. I forgot how he towers over me when I don’t have heels on. “I have to work tonight.”
My shoulders slump and I wrap my arms around his waist. “That sucks, but I’ll be here when you get home.”
“Week four starts tomorrow,” he reminds me.
I roll my eyes and walk out of his bedroom.
“You’re running.”
“I’m cured. I slept with you and my former self would never do that. Hallelujah.” I race down the stairs with him half-heartedly chasing me.
When I open the fridge and his arms wrap around me, I yelp until I feel him kiss behind my ear. His hands sneak under my T-shirt, his pinkie gliding under the waistband of my panties.
“I’d say you’ve done an awesome job, but we have to finish out the five weeks.”
I grab the egg carton and turn in his arms. “Fine.”
“Or we call it quits and I make the reservation at Terra and Mare.” He lifts a brow.
The last few weeks have been, for lack of a better term, awesome. Soul-crushing swooning over a hot guy. But I’m not ready to go hand-holding down Main Street just yet. I’m not ready for the pressure of questions and being the main topic of the rumor mill. I witnessed what happened when Austin and Holly started out. I can’t handle that right now, not when Bailey Timber is floundering.
“Can we talk?” I ask.
Liam’s smile fades and he steps away from me as if I just said last night was a mistake.
“No, it’s not that.”
He doesn’t look convinced, so I rush to put the eggs on the counter and take his hand, leading him to the couch.
“Just say it, Savannah.” There’s that familiar bite to his tone, the one he had with me after Austin and Holly’s wedding.
“Do you promise not to be mad?” I ask.
“No,” he deadpans.
“Promise.”
He rolls his eyes and blows out a breath. Everything about his body language says he’s pissed right now. “Fine. I promise.”
“What if we keep this thing between us a secret for a while?”
He stands from the couch so fast, my hand flies off his thigh, almost smacking me in the eye. Okay, wrong thing to say.
“I should’ve realized it would come to this. I’m curious, what is it you’re so ashamed of about me? Because Smokin’ Guns is a successful business. I own my house outright. I’m a standup guy.”
“It’s none of that. I’m not ashamed. Why would you think that?” I shake my head because we’ll address that later. “I just can’t do it yet. I’m not ready to be in the public eye, and if you sit back down, I’ll explain the reason.”
He stays standing with his hands on the back of the couch, not looking at me.
“Please, Liam. Just… can we have a conversation about this?”
He releases another long breath through his nose, but he rounds the couch and sits back down. I slide closer and take his hand, but it’s as limp as a dead fish. We’re going to have to address his thoughts about not being good enough for me at some point, but I’m about to tell him something only Dori and I and our accountant are aware of.
“You know how North Forest Lumber closed its doors a bit ago?”
He nods.
“Well, Bailey Timber hired a lot of the workers at the plant and a few of their admins. They weren’t going to get severance and we figured—well, I figured we’d get the contracts that Clint had stolen off us, plus some of their other customers. But that hasn’t been as successful as I hoped. Another competitor has popped up in Anchorage and wooed some away. I put the company in a bad position. If we don’t secure at least five new contracts by the end of next month, I’m going to have to lay people off for the first time since I took over the business.”
His hand grips mine. I knew he’d feel for me. That’s Liam. He’s always empathetic to others, which is probably why so many people in town love him.
“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with that, Sav, but that’s business. And you and I are definitely not business. I understand that people will be upset, but you tried to help when they had nowhere else to go. They’ll get it.”
I shake my head. “I failed them. I failed the town. I took a risk when Grandma Dori told me not to. She said to let them go on unemployment and we’ll hire them once we got the contracts. But I was so sure that the only reason our clients left was because Clint Edison bad-mouthed us that I fought her on it. I wanted to have them hired and trained in our way of doing something before the contracts moved over.”
“I understand the pressure you’re under and I get that you feel bad for what’s going on with the company, but I’m not sure what that has to do with us right now.”
I press my lips together. “If I go out there and say I started this new relationship and Buzz Wheel reports their bullshit stories, next month when I have to announce lay-offs, people are going to say it’s because I was too busy dating you and I wasn’t paying enough attention to the company.”
He sinks back into the couch. Either he agrees or thinks I
’m crazy, I can’t tell. But he has no idea what it’s like to be picked apart for every decision, to be under the microscope for every little thing. “Just because you run a company doesn’t mean you don’t get to have a life.”
I nod. “I know, and I agree. But give me some time. I have some more conference calls this week. We’re close to getting some commitments. But I promise you…” I slide one leg over his lap and straddle him, placing my hands on either side of his face. “This has nothing to do with me being embarrassed or thinking you’re not the type of man I’m supposed to be with.” I press a kiss to his lips but draw back when he doesn’t reciprocate. “Last night was amazing and I’m all in for this thing between us. Just give me some time. I’ll email Buzz Wheel myself.”
“What would you say?” He looks intrigued now.
“I’d say I saw Savannah Bailey and Liam Kelly making out in the gazebo and she was all over him. When they tore apart for a minute, her smile radiated, and I’d say she’s met her Prince Charming.”
He laughs and I smile at him, still not letting his face go. “Will you refer to my dick size?”
I laugh and swat his chest.
He uses my moment of weakness to flip me onto my back on the couch. “All in?”
“All in.”
“You have one month.”
“Deal. Seal it with a kiss?”
“Tempting, but I’ll pass.” He pretends to get off me, but I grab at his shoulders.
“Hey!”
“You know, I should hold out on you until we go public.”
“Well. You have to do what you have to do.” I slide out from under him, but I’m halfway off the couch, my head hanging over the edge, when he locks his hips to mine.
He pushes my T-shirt up over my head and his mouth descends on my breast, twirling my nipple with his tongue.
“Hey!” I kick my feet, but he doesn’t stop except to push the T-shirt completely off of me—which doesn’t take much since it’s so huge on me.
“Shit!” We both slide and end up on the floor. But that’s okay, rug burn never put anyone in the hospital.
