by T. C. Clark
There was nothing he could do about it now. He went to the kitchen and examined the fridge. He was hungry, and this time he would feed himself. He could feel his body responding to the memory of her feeding him. He forced the lustful thoughts away. He needed to eat, shower and then start breakfast.
He wondered if she’d let him feed her. As his body tightened again he thought he’d better not try that. He’d wanted her for too long. This next step was crucial for them. He could still feel some resistance. She was wary of him.
He smiled as she realized she was right to be. He wanted more from her than he’d ever asked of another woman. He knew the intensity of his feelings would shock her. Hell, it shocked him. But he wasn’t a fan of wondering what could be, he was a man who took action quickly and relied on his instincts to guide him. Leslie was his, not as an object to hold but as the woman he would build his future with. She had no idea that her days of single living were numbered.
Leslie woke up to the smell of bacon in the air. She’d stayed up late last night periodically checking on Alex and writing her book. She had finished her first chapter last night, so she was feeling good. She got out of the bed quickly and went through her bag. It took her a minute to decide on what to wear. She wouldn’t lie to herself anymore—she wanted to look good for Alex.
She washed her face and set up all of the products she needed to control her natural hair. Ever since she’d decided to stop perming it, the process she created to make it presentable in the morning took a while. She went through her daily morning routine quickly and checked her appearance in the mirror.
She didn’t have any makeup with her, so this would have to do. She was surprised at how her skin seemed to glow. It was probably from all of that damn blushing last night. You would have thought she was a virgin from all of the sighing and mooning she’d done over Maks.
She wished she could control it, but she’d never felt this way about anyone else. She forced herself to stop reflecting and just go with the flow. She would eat breakfast, make sure he was okay and then head back home.
She could analyze her reactions to him there. All she had to do was get through the meal and within an hour she could be back in the relative safety of her solitary cabin. How hard could that be?
Two days later…
How the fuck was she still at Maks’ house? The stray thought appeared as it usually did around lunch time. Somehow every time she’d decided it was time to leave, Maks came up with a reason for her to stay.
First he’d played the sick card, which had been mostly the truth. He’d rested almost the entire day after breakfast, although she hadn’t hand-fed him again. It had been nice sharing her lunch and dinner with him.
The next day she started feeling bad and he’d all but forced her to rest the entire day. This time he made the food and brought her things. Luckily the medication plus the rest had stopped the flu from taking hold. But now he wanted to show her around the mountain.
She adjusted her seat belt as he turned onto a small winding road. The mountainside was covered with snow and the road was empty. In this moment, they felt like the only two people in the world.
“So you had a hard time as a librarian?” Maks asked his eyes still on the road. Twice now she’d had to stop herself from staring. She forced herself to look out the window.
“It wasn’t bad, but it was exhausting having to deal with so many opinions about what was suitable and what wasn’t. Its funny people think it’s easy to be a librarian. They assume all we have to do is organize books and shush people when they get too loud. I had to get a master’s and some experience before I landed a job and even then, it wasn’t what I expected.”
“Oh, so you’ve never shushed people?” A thick brown eyebrow rose with disbelief.
“I’ve done my share of shutting people up, but the job is so much more.”
“So what made you go to work for Alex?” he asked seriously. She knew what he was thinking. If the job meant so much to her, why did she leave? It wasn’t a bad question, she just didn’t know if she had the right answer for him.
“I just needed something else, a change of pace…of people. When I went in for that interview with your brother I was sure I wasn’t going to get it. I saw the waiting room filled with corporate Barbie dolls. But we just clicked. I still got to use a lot of the analytical side of my brain, and I had no one to answer to but him. Alex is a pretty laid-back boss.”
“How long do you plan to stay on at the practice?” He turned onto a small open road that stopped at the base of a small slope. He kept the car on as he waited for her answer. She grabbed a small paper bag filled with snacks they’d packed that morning and handed him half of a Greek style veggie sandwich.
“I don’t know. When I first started, I thought it would be for a few months. But I really like working with Alex, so I don’t have any plans to leave him anytime soon.”
“Even after he left you up here with me?” he teased.
“I should be more pissed about that but I’m not going to lie, I’m glad he did. It gave me a chance to get to know you. I’m still going to give him hell about it, though. What about you? Did you always know you wanted to be a painter?”
“I was lucky. I loved art from the beginning, and nothing else could capture my attention. I started with small pencil sketches because that was all we could afford and within a few years of practicing every day, I graduated to paintings. I never thought I would be able to make a living with it, though,” he admitted, taking a sip of a hot thermos filled with coffee.
“And look at you now, traveling the world, living your dreams. You should be proud of yourself. It’s a hell of an accomplishment. Have you ever considered staying in one place, like here in Colorado or Chicago?”
“No, I’ve always wanted to stay on the move. It’s part of my nature. I enjoy traveling and going to different places. I don’t think I would ever give that up. I do like having a base, though.”
“What about when you were…what about kids?” Leslie couldn’t stop the question from slipping past her lips. She wished the answer wasn’t important to her.
“You mean how was I going to make it work with Lacey and Maria?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Lacey agreed to travel with me for a while until Maria started school and then we would figure it out from there. What about you? Do you like to travel?” He handed her the thermos and watched her as she took a sip. She grimaced, and he was quickly learning she wasn’t a fan of his style of coffee.
“No, I hate it. My nickname in college was ermitaño,” she said ruefully.
“What does that mean?” he asked, intrigued by the blush staining her brown cheeks.
“It basically means hermit, and I am one, Maks. Almost always I would choose the comfort of my home over adventure. I’ve always liked routine. I more than like it. Having my own space is important to me, and I couldn’t see it any other way,” she said quietly, once again looking out the window. They were so different from each other. It was hard to imagine a future between them.
Maks could feel Leslie trying to find more barriers to put up, and he wasn’t going to let it happen. She was fixated on making everything perfect between them before she let her guard down. But he knew better, things would never be perfect. That didn’t mean they didn’t have a chance.
He leaned forward and surprised her with a light kiss and before she could respond, he slipped out of the truck. He took a deep breath, inhaling the cold into his body, and then letting it cool the building fire. He grabbed the sled from the back of the truck and pulled it out.
He heard her door open. She adjusted the heavy coat he’d given her to wear. It was the smallest one he had. She looked like an adorable child from the way the bright green heavy material hung on her. He’d looked through her clothes and she’d had zero appropriate outerwear. When she’d told him Tara had packed for her, it all made sense. Tara always had great style, but she’d never dressed for this type of e
nvironment.
Leslie laughed when she saw what was in his hands; it was an adult-size metallic sled. Last night as they’d eaten dinner, she’d let slip that she’d always wanted to sled but she’d never lived in a place that snowed. Her mom kept them in large metropolitan cities. She’d told him her mom was a trauma surgeon and she’d seldom had time for games like this.
“Oh, this is going to be interesting,” Leslie said with a wide smile.
“Don’t worry. I’ll show you how to do it.” Maks led her to the top of one of the smaller slopes. “I’ll go first.” He showed her how to place her body and then took off down the hill. She laughed as he flipped over at the bottom and landed on his back.
He came back up and then helped her settle onto the sled. Within moments, she was sliding down. Her eyes danced with joy. He knew this was a good idea. They’d spent over an hour taking turns going down the smaller slopes when he finally coaxed her to the biggest one.
“We’ll go down together!” he yelled as the snow began to fall. He loved this, and he could tell Leslie was having fun because when they went to the top of the hill, she turned, grabbed the lapels of his coat, and pulled him down for a kiss.
He almost dropped the sled. So far, every touch in their short relationship had been initiated by him. She tasted good, she always tasted good. The kiss went on for a while and she finally pulled away. They were both breathing hard. She caught the look of barely contained lust on his face.
He wanted her, she knew that, and for the first time she didn’t look away. He positioned them on the sled and she stiffened as she made contact with the hardened steel in his pants. When she was fully settled against him, she relaxed her small hands and gripped his thighs.
His mouth opened in surprise when he felt her massaging them. Was she trying to drive him crazy? Finally, she was feeling what he was. His large hand that had rested across her stomach moved to cover one of her breasts and squeezed. She moaned and his hand tightened. He pushed them forward.
They made it down the hill in record time. They were both too distracted by each other to notice the scenery. When they got to the bottom, they didn’t speak. He reached down and pulled her up and took her lips.
It was a clash of wills. She wanted control but he wouldn’t give it. He tasted her again and again. He tilted her head back and picked her up off of the ground, the sled forgotten. She whimpered and he groaned. It was freezing out here; they needed to get inside the truck.
His lips stayed on hers as he opened the door. He placed her inside on the back passenger seat. Begrudgingly, he left her for just a second to grab the sled and throw it in the back, then climbed back inside. He took a second to cut the car on and turn on the heat. He knew he should give her time, but his cock had other ideas.
He’d spent months fantasizing about what was beneath her calm exterior. Leslie had been the center of his fantasies for so long that it felt like this wasn’t the first time; at least, in his mind. His body just wanted to be buried deep within her heat. He knew he needed to give her time. This thing between them was growing stronger every day. She was still too wary for anything too intense.
He caught her eyes in the rear view mirror and the need he caught there sealed her fate. He locked the door and climbed into the back. His large hand reached out and pulled her to him. He used his strength to lift her and place her on his lap.
Her small hands framed his face and for a second, they just looked into each other’s eyes, both caught up in the magic. He used his arm to hold her in place while he kissed her. He knew his grip was too tight, but she didn’t complain. She writhed against him. She pulled back and adjusted her legs so that she straddled him.
He took that opportunity to slip off her thick winter jacket. She wore a soft long-sleeved shirt underneath. His hands traced her curves and she threw back her head. Her brown skin was now turning red from the heat in the truck.
She moaned when he pulled off her shirt. For a moment he just looked at her. His gray eyes were filled with ferocious desire, and she stiffened. The type of lust in them alarmed her.
But he couldn’t stop to comfort her. His eyes were focused on the overflowing cups of her black push-up bra. He unhooked them and feasted on her chocolate tipped breasts. His mouth laved and sucked one while his hand kneaded the other. He focused on the sexy sounds she made.
She pulled at his shirt and he lifted his back and removed it. Her hands traced his muscles. She used her short nails to gently score his skin. She leaned forward and laved his flat nipple, earning a groan from him. When he moved against her she nipped him gently. He growled and his hands went to the fastening of her jeans.
It took a second but he slipped them off. He did it so quickly that she giggled. He forced himself to take his off as well. She found him first, her small fingers wrapping around the throbbing length of him, and pulled. She worked him as he had only imagined. Her hands mimicked the motions that his cock couldn’t wait to experience deep inside of her.
He slipped his hand inside of her silk panties and moved over her swollen clit with gentle, firm strokes, increasing the pressure as her body started to move against him. He watched her pleasure. It was intoxicating; he couldn’t wait until they got home so he could taste her. Her grip tightened and he bucked against her.
She threw her head back, her dark black curls almost touching his thighs. Her hand moved over her own body, over her soft curves to a large tit that he’d left hickey marks on. His control snapped then. He couldn’t hold on anymore.
He pulled her panties to the side and lifted her over him. Her eyes opened, and for the first time he glimpsed vulnerability there. He slowly lowered her over his length, all the while keeping eye contact. He wanted this to be embedded into her memory.
This was the first time he’d claimed her. He knew the term was outdated but it didn’t matter; that was how he felt. She was now officially his. He didn’t hesitate; he impaled her with his cock. She gasped as his length filled her, and he paused. She was so fucking tight that he could barely move.
She bit her lip. He placed a thumb on her clit and rubbed lightly back and forth until her muscles relaxed. As he increased the pressure, he moved her up and down in small brutal strokes, each one stronger than the last. He pressed harder and she bucked against him.
She shook off his hands and began to ride him. Each time she lifted up and came back down he bucked his hips to increase the impact as she started to ride harder. His hands moved back to her hips and tightened. He moved her quicker with his strength until her muscles started to contract around him, pulling at his cock, demanding his seed.
She screamed as she came. She pulled at his hands in an effort to stop the intense orgasm that washed through her. She needed him to slow down so she could catch her breath. But he refused to let go and kept up the relentless pace until…he thrust hard and held her flush against his hips.
He gritted his teeth as he came. He filled her with his seed, unintentionally grinding his hips to send it deep. They were both out of breath as they came down from the high. Her small hand was drawing circles across his chest, and his hands were cupping her ass.
“Now that I’ve taught you the finer things when it comes to sledding, I guess I should ask if you have any questions,” he whispered against her hair. She lifted her headland her dark brown eyes narrowed as she pretended to think about what he said.
“I’m not sure I got it this time around. Maybe we should do it again to make sure the lesson sticks,” she said coyly as the hand on his chest moved to play in his hair.
“I have no problem repeating the demonstration. I aim to please.” He kissed the laughter from her mouth and got to work.
Four
Chapter 4
Things changed drastically between them from that moment. Leslie often wondered if her vagina was automatically linked to her heart. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop herself from falling for Maks, and every day he took her to bed; it just further reinforced the f
ragile bond building between them.
She was due to leave in a couple of days. She knew he had a lot of work that he’d skipped in order to spend time with her, but he refused to leave her side. This morning he’d woken her up with his hot mouth between her legs.
She’d never been more embarrassed or turned on. Afterward, he’d somehow tricked her into making breakfast, and now they were sitting hand-in-hand in the small church she’d said she wanted to attend.
The service was different from she was used to but in a good way. She found the sermon refreshing, and the people were eager to get to know them. They’d even seen Isabella and Marcos. They spoke briefly with the couple before they walked around to mingle.
When they ran into Terrence, he’d quickly mentioned their linked hands, and Leslie tried to pull away in embarrassment, but Maks held on tight.
“We are together, there’s nothing wrong with holding hands in a church,” Maks said with a possessive grin.
“I didn’t say there was. I said it was an interesting sight. I thought there was no way you could land a lady like Leslie.”
“She is out of my league, I’ll give you that,” he admitted.
“Whenever you are ready to go out with a more modern man, let me know,” Terrence said with a wink.
“Do you think I won’t fight a doctor in church? Because I promise you I will.” Maks moved in front of her.
“Okay, Terrence. I’m clearly here with Maks, so stop trying to bait him. Anyway, there are at least six women in here that would kill for a date with you. Why don’t you open your eyes and stop chasing me?” Leslie said, looking around the room at their captive audience.
His eyes followed hers and he smiled. His dark brown skin was a contrast to the light gray suit he wore. He looked like he’d just stepped off of the cover of GQ.
