Animal Attraction

by Kathryn Halberg

  “Come here,” he said, tilting her face up to his. His gaze caressed her face, her eyes, her lips. Fractionally, he moved in closer, his mouth hovering a breath away.

  “Yes,” she whispered, pleading.

  It was all the encouragement he needed. His warm lips captured hers. She skated her tongue along his lips, sliding in and out, dancing with his. He skimmed his hands down her sides and gripped the backs of her legs, branding her through the stretch leggings. A sigh escaped her lips as his fingers massaged the lean muscles along her thighs. Leaning against his chest, Rachael deepened the kiss and enjoyed the sensations of being there with him, pressed against his warmth. She looped her arms around his neck, and he moved his lips across her jaw to the side of her neck, nibbling lightly, then back up to tug at the tender earlobe. She pulled him back, reclaiming his mouth.

  Rolling them over, Rick’s huge body captured her under himself. “What do you want?” he whispered, his voice husky and low. The words reached deep inside, unfurling a need that left her breathless.

  What do I want?

  “More.”

  Grinning, he devoted himself to the task at hand. He took the lead and crushed her mouth in a devouring kiss. As his weight pressed against her, she could feel the pressure of his rising need against her thigh. Snuggling against him, Rachael wriggled and lost herself in him.

  He ran his hand up her side, his thumb grazing her breast. She dug her fingers into his hair and tugged lightly before tracing the muscles of his shoulders and his back. Slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt, she ran her fingers along the exposed skin. He shuddered and pushed himself up, tugging then tossing the shirt over his head.

  Surveying the room, he grinned roguishly before standing and scooping her up in one swift movement. Rachael laughed in surprise as Rick carried her up the stairs to the next level, and turned into a large bedroom with a huge four-poster bed in the middle, covered in piles of pillows and soft blankets. He lowered Rachael to her feet next to the bed, where she leaned against the post, catching her breath.

  “Rachael.” He said her name like a prayer, his eyes burning and muscles tensed, coiled with pent-up energy. “Tell me to stop now if you don’t want to do this.”

  Her eyes were even with his chest, his heart, and she looked up at him through her lashes, trailing her fingers along his tight stomach and developed chest, tickling the sprinkling of springy hair. His pecs danced to her touch. He was muscular, but not bulky. “More,” she whispered playfully.

  A heart-stopping smile burned as he caught her hands and wrapped them around the bedpost behind her. “Do not let go,” he commanded.

  Rachael laughed at his order but obeyed, surprised by her willingness to hand him the control. “Yes, sir,” she replied.

  “And no laughing,” he admonished with a grin, tapping her nose with his finger. She bit her lower lip and nodded.

  Rick slipped down to one knee and unbuttoned her loose shirt from the bottom, one button at a time. His eyes focused on the task. The top of his head and those industrious hands inched closer to her breasts. He was laying a fire, the temperature rising with each additional expanse of skin he revealed, stoking the embers and urging the flames higher. He pressed a warm, wet kiss to her stomach and continued, finally reaching the last button and spreading her shirt open.

  Palms itching to caress him, she started to move her hands away from the wooden spindle, but he stopped and shook his head imperiously. “I said do not let go,” he growled. Grasping the bedpost again, she was intrigued and more than a little turned on by this dominant side of him.

  His hands traveled up her sides and curved over her shoulders, sending her shirt on a downward slide, trapped where her hands and lower arms crossed against the bedpost. Rick tugged at her leggings, sliding them down, followed by her underwear. She fought the urge to close her eyes. She was not self-conscious of her body, but it was unnerving to be so exposed like this, waiting for his reaction. He wrapped a hand around her foot and lifted, pulling the materials over and off her foot with his other hand. He bent and kissed her ankle, his tongue tracing the groove there before returning her foot to the ground. Impatient, she shifted and kicked the remaining clothing from her other foot. Smirking at her eagerness, he began the return trip up, dropping kisses and caresses across her legs, a hot lingering kiss at the top of her pelvis.

  Rachael sucked in her breath, watching his progress. The man was torturing her.

  Still on his knee, he slid his warm hands up her flat belly and around her chest before unhooking her bra as she breathed in his scent. He ran a hand down one of her arms, raising goosebumps as he pulled the strap and shirt material down. He pulled her arm away from the post and let the fabric drop, before placing her hand back on the wooden column. After repeating this with her other arm, she was actively squirming, wanting him to touch her, kiss her. Instead, he sat back on his heels, looking but not touching. “You are so beautiful.”

  In his bottomless brown eyes, she saw tenderness and desire. “I want to see you, too,” she whispered. Needing no further encouragement, he rose to his feet and stripped down until they were both bared to each other’s gaze.

  “Oh,” she breathed, taking in his long, fit body, muscles flexing as he held himself still for her approval. His arousal was evident, rising thickly between them.

  “More,” she said again, smiling.

  Chuckling softly, he came to her and grasped her backside. She gasped as he pulled her against him, bending down to reclaim her mouth, his erection pressed against her belly. He kissed her senseless before dropping back down on a knee.

  “Stay,” Rick reiterated.

  Nearly dizzy from passion, she gripped the bedpost gladly.

  His hand caressed the side of her breast before lifting it to his mouth. The heat and sensation caused her breath to catch. He teased with a lick before nipping gently, closing his mouth around the puckered nipple and sucking, licking, and driving her mad. Her sex clinched with need and her back arched. His hand massaged her other breast, and she pressed her head against the rail, a moan escaping her lips. At the sound, he lifted his head and grinned before turning his hunger to the other breast, the fire burning brighter. Oh, yes.

  Moving up, he kissed and bit her neck while his hand moved lower, searching. She gasped as his hand cupped her mound. “Oh,” she breathed again.

  He pulled his head back to watch her, fingers sliding to a stop as they inched closer to where she wanted him. “Rach? Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” she urged him on, and he shuddered with relief and passion.

  Exploring her mouth with his tongue, his fingers slid between her folds. Rachael gripped the wooden post at her back as he increased the pressure on her mouth and moved a finger deep inside her passage, teasing it slowly in and out. She started to sway her hips in time to his finger and his teeth claimed her lower lip, tugging gently.

  “Rick!” she gasped. His hand continued to tease and torment, and they both moved to the same rhythm. “More,” she pleaded.

  “More?”

  “I want to touch you.”

  He withdrew his hand and she felt the loss. “Now you can let go.” He grinned.

  Lifting her by the waist, he tossed her onto the bed, both laughing at the turn to playfulness. He prowled, chasing and matching her movements as she slid to the center of the huge mattress. Rachael reached for him as he approached and met his lips, relieved to be able to touch him, explore him now. Kissing hungrily, she slid her hand down his chest, skimming her nails along his flat nipples, scratching as they continued down, searching for his imposing manhood. He shuddered when she reached the destination.

  “Rachael,” he panted.

  “More?” she asked against his lips.

  Rick nodded. “More.”

  She traced the head of his erection with the pad of her thumb, teasing out a droplet of moisture. Sliding her fingers down, she spread her palm under the weight of him, before encircling him. She ran
her hand up and down, slowly but firmly, pulsing around him. He closed his eyes and his chest rose and fell more rapidly.

  Rick moved his hips to thrust in and out of her hand, his arousal turning her on. He continued to thrust as his hand dove down and he slid one then two fingers into her heat, plunging in and out in time to his hips. Her breath grew ragged and they continued stroking and pumping each other. She closed her eyes and focused on the increasing tightness, the tension growing, nearly unbearable.

  “Shit, I’m going to come,” he grunted, and still he kept his hands moving, his fingers filling her, sliding in and out, finding the right spot and hitting it over and over.

  “Just there, keep going . . . like that, yes!” she encouraged, moving closer and closer.

  “Christ, Rachael,” he groaned as a rush of heat sprayed onto her stomach. At the same time, her tension exploded, and she gasped, her body spasming and gripping his fingers, both lost in the moment, the release.

  10

  “Wow,” he said, pulling her against him.

  “Mmhmm,” she agreed.

  He picked up a corner of the sheet to wipe her stomach, before leaning up on his elbow to gaze down at her, his eyes a buttery brown now, his dark hair damp with sweat at the temples.

  “Rachael?”

  “Yes?”

  He swept her hair back from her face and kissed her. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, a lazy, satisfied grin pulling at her lips.

  “You look like a cat that got the cream.” Rick chuckled before taking her mouth again in a slow and luxurious kiss. She rolled toward him and they snuggled, kissing and petting each other, tasting and exploring at leisure. She wriggled against him, surprised to feel him growing firm again. She arched a brow at him. “Again?”

  He smiled wickedly. “You wanted more?”

  Rachael laughed and lay back as his hands and mouth discovered all the places that made her gasp and moan. “Rick,” she pleaded.

  “Hmm?”

  “More,” she panted. “I want more. I want you.”

  He groaned then kissed her before pulling away to reach into his nightstand. He held up a condom. She reached for the package and slid out the rubber disc, lining it up and rolling it down his prominent erection.

  He closed his eyes when she let her fingers linger and trace him, dancing up and down before cupping and massaging his balls. He shuddered and pulled her hand away, then lay back and pulled her on top. She straddled his hips, sliding her body forward so she could kiss him, before moving lower, licking his neck and collarbone, then lower to lick a circle around his nipple, all the while scooting down his midsection. She rubbed her sex against his throbbing member, sliding back and forth, delighting in the delicious friction. She continued licking and kissing his chest while positioning herself over him and starting to descend, taking him in a little at a time, circling and swaying her hips as she inched him farther in and out of her.

  Rick smirked. “Tease.”

  She pinched his nipple and he gasped, then laughed, his chest rumbling beneath her hands.

  She settled against him, deliciously stretched as he filled her. Rachael stilled for a moment to enjoy the sensation, then began to move, gliding and rubbing against him. He pulled at her hips to guide her as they found their rhythm.

  “Yes,” he groaned.

  She hummed her agreement. “This feels so good.”

  “You feel so good,” Rick replied. He grasped her hips and bucked upward, and she gasped, his body driving into her even more deeply. She leaned forward to grind against him, her mound growing more sensitive and more demanding.

  His thrusts and grunts increased as they moved. She wrapped her legs around his waist when he sat up, and they continued to rock, holding onto each other. Seated on top of him, their faces were nearly aligned, and he devoured her mouth as he possessed her body, gyrating deep inside. So intimately connected in both places, all awareness faded away, lost in the growing wave of passion as it carried them away. Rick shifted to roll her beneath him, his body pressing against her, plunging over and over. Her eyes rolled back and she sucked in her breath. “Oh my God, oh my God,” she murmured, teetering at the edge.

  Rick kept moving, increasing the pace. He bit off a curse. “I’m sorry. I can’t—hold back—anymore,” he grunted, clenching his teeth.

  She gasped as he surged deep inside, pulsing and throbbing, the continued spasms sending her into oblivion. Shock and pleasure collided as she came apart beneath him, around him, her body milking him as ripples of pleasure coursed through her. He collapsed against her, nuzzling her neck as their chests heaved with effort.

  “You certainly know how to deliver on ‘more,’” Rachael teased, slapping his damp chest as he rolled over.

  “What can I say, you inspire me,” he groaned, flinging his arms out spread eagle, one pinning her to the bed.

  She snuggled against him, under his arm, and snagged the sheet. She tossed it over them and closed her eyes to rest for a minute.

  * * *

  Warm and cozy, she didn’t particularly feel like moving. Her muscles were the tiniest bit sore, but in a good way. Rachael smiled and stretched, waking as she rolled over.

  And . . . she was not home. Or alone.

  It all rushed back and she flushed.

  Wow.

  Rick was sprawled out next to her, still asleep. She watched him, a happy, giddy warmth filling her. She liked him. A lot. Like really liked him. Not only was he gorgeous and attentive, but they had so much in common, each dedicated to their jobs and the community. She wanted to see where this went. That in itself, wanting more, was a new sensation. It was more than the sex, though that was great too. This was the desire to let herself be close to someone. She could imagine walking the dogs to the park together, reading on the couch, and ending the days like this.

  The only other sex she’d ever had that even compared was with Gabe. Gabe was sexy and fun, but there was no emotion there. He was safe. And dangerous, but not to her heart. He was dangerous to her reputation.

  Rick was dangerous in other ways. He made her think of things she’d never imagined before. And that was something she wasn’t sure she could afford at this point in her career.

  The early evening sunlight slanted through the windows and she frowned, recalling her dinner plans. What should she do about Gabe? She could text him and cancel, but that would just lead to future asks and might nullify the progress she was making with the contract. She knew what needed to be done. She needed to meet with him face to face, explain they could only be friends, and get back to business. But Rachael just wanted to stay here, soaking up this glorious newness with Rick and learning more about him.

  Come on, Rach. Don’t be lazy. Do the right thing. Wrap things up with Gabe, then figure out what you’ll do with Rick.

  Sighing, she sat up and slid to the edge of the bed.

  “Where are you going?” he mumbled.

  Rachael glanced over her shoulder and her breath caught. There are some images in life that you know you’ll remember forever. Her heart memorized the picture he presented. His half-lidded eyes were turned her way. His light-brown hair was messed on top and a crooked smile filled his face. His muscled arm was bent and tucked beneath his head. He was perfect.

  “I have to go, Rick. I have a dinner I have to attend.”

  “That’s a lot of ‘have to’s.”

  “What I’d really like to do is stay here with you,” Rachael confessed, a blush warming her cheeks.

  “Then let’s do that,” he said with a tempting smile.

  Rachael shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I do have to go. Want me to call for a ride back to my car?”

  “No.” He frowned. “I’ll take you.”

  She located her clothes and dressed. He watched for a few moments before breaking the silence. “Rachael, did we go too fast? Did I rush you? Are you running from me?”

  Pausing, she weighed his words. If anything, she ru
shed him. Returning to the edge of the bed, she took his face between her hands and kissed him softly. “No. And no.” God, she wished she could just climb back into bed with him.

  “Today . . . this is something,” he said, staring into her eyes.

  “I agree.”

  Satisfied with whatever he saw in her expression, he joined her in hunting for discarded clothes. She admired his body covertly as he dressed. He was built like a baseball player or a quarterback, long and lean, good hands, strong and capable. Very capable, she amended, turning away as a flush climbed her chest and neck.

  Downstairs, she picked up his shirt and collected their wine glasses, trading them for glasses of water. She checked her phone and saw a text from Gabe, confirming for tonight. Dreading the evening, she messaged that she would meet him there.

  Rick wrapped his arms around her middle and bent to kiss her neck, a hand splayed across her midsection, pulling her against him.

  “Ah, that’s not helping,” she said, but not wanting him to stop. He worked his way up her neck and she turned in his arms to kiss him, tongues dancing together, his large body curving protectively, possessively, around hers.

  She pushed back, leaning away. “Rick,” she whispered as his mouth chased hers. “I do have to go. This is definitely not helping.” She giggled.

  “Come back later?”

  Rachael shook her head. “I would like to, but I can’t tonight. I have this dinner, then I need to go home and spend time with Martini. He’s been alone all afternoon.”

  He exhaled before running a hand through his hair and taking a long drink of water, looking around his living room. “You could bring him here?” he offered.

  She laughed. “I don’t think so. Not tonight at any rate. But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  Rick nodded. “You will.”