by Mandy Morgan
“Hey there, handsome! Did you miss me as much as I missed you?”
To my amusement, Slash barked in response, and I gave him some extra pets for his trouble. Just being around the Doberman was making me feel better, and I decided right then I would make myself at home as Daniel had instructed.
“Let’s hit the backyard,” I said to Slash as I set down my overnight bag and purse. “A potty break and some playtime amongst friends sounds good, doesn’t it?”
Slash didn’t bark his response this time, but he did trot toward the kitchen and to the back door. I followed him, taking some time to admire the gleaming surfaces and expensive fixtures as I went.
After tossing the ball and running around with Slash, we headed back into the house to have some water and relax. I left the beautiful red dog to stretch out on the cool tile, and decided to move my stuff into the guest room where I’d be sleeping.
Once that was taken care of and I’d checked on my charge to find that he was still resting comfortably, I had some free time on my hands, since I’d taken care of all the other pets on my list already.
“Should we watch a movie, dude?”
Slash cocked one ear toward me, but he was happy where he was, it seemed. So, I was on my own. I’d packed my Kindle, and I was sure there had to be something on TV to watch, but I was feeling itchy.
“I could take a little more in-depth tour,” I said, not sure if I was speaking to the sleeping Doberman or myself. “I was told to make myself at home, after all.”
I wandered around the kitchen and living room, taking in all of the art hanging on the walls and sitting on tables. I didn’t touch or move anything, but I had to admit that I was curious about Daniel and his things.
The man obviously had good taste, and the money to showcase it in his home. Much to my dismay, all that did was make him all the more appealing to me.
By the time I reached the master bedroom, I was beginning to think I might have been too quick to write Daniel off as just a client. His place was most definitely not your typical bachelor pad.
But did that mean he wasn’t your typical bachelor? We hadn’t talked about his relationship status, but I had noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and there weren’t any feminine touches in the house that I could see.
Daniel’s bedroom was both impressively stylish and comfy looking. There was a California King bed made to perfection in the center of the room, and it looked as if nothing was out of place. Hell, it looked like a spread in a magazine, to be honest.
Did that mean Daniel was one of those controlling OCD neat freaks? And if so, how would he feel about me being in his personal space?
Realizing I was probably overstepping my bounds by being in Daniel’s room, I turned on my heel to head back out into the living area to watch some TV.
But then I caught a glimpse of the bathroom. It had one of those luxurious garden tubs with massaging jets, and I practically drooled with the desire to sink into it and take a long soak.
Knowing that taking a bath in Daniel’s tub would definitely cross a boundary, I found myself unable to resist temptation, and I slipped into the bathroom, making sure to leave the door cracked open so I could keep an ear out for any trouble with Slash.
What’s one little soak going to hurt? I’ll be sure to clean up after myself when I’m done…
And with that thought, I started filling the tub, and then stripped off my clothes until I was as naked as the day I was born.
Chapter Seven
Daniel
For a lifelong bachelor that preferred one-night stands over an actual connection, I’d thought way more about Cora than I’d like to admit. I’d actually had trouble sleeping after she’d left.
Which meant I’d been even more bad-tempered about hitting the road for my parents’ house this morning than I usually was.
I loved Mom and Dad, but I was not happy about leaving my dog, dammit. Or the beautiful younger woman I’d hired to take care of him while I was gone.
But I was determined to be a good son, so I’d packed my bags and pointed my Lexus toward the big city, being reminded of one of the reasons why I’d left in the first place when I hit the interstate gridlock.
When I got a text after almost an hour on the road, I thought it might be Cora. To tell the truth, I was hoping she’d decided to send me something more than the polite response I’d gotten earlier.
I was irritated when I saw that it was from my mother, and what I read on my iPhone’s screen left me feeling like laughing and punching something at the same damn time.
Decided you were right. Skipping the family dinner and having a romantic getaway with your father. Will call you when we get back. Love you and hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Once I’d cooled off at being ditched at the last minute and having to fight traffic for no good reason, I texted Mom back with a quick “Have fun, love you too,” and then waited for the cars in front of me to move out of the way.
Before too much longer, I’d managed to pull off and get turned back toward home. My parents might have flaked out on me, and I might have a little road rage at the other drivers, but I was thrilled at the thought of being able to skip the family celebration.
I thought about sending Cora a message to let her know that I was headed back to the house, but I wanted to be able to focus all of my attention on the road ahead of me.
Besides, I don’t want to waste any time getting home to see my pooch and his curvy sitter. And everyone loves a nice surprise, right?
*****
I was greeted at the front door by a very happy Doberman, but there was no sign of Cora. After giving Slash plenty of pats and ear scratches, I moved deeper into the house to look for his missing caretaker.
“Cora? Is everything alright?”
My voice boomed off the walls as I walked through the kitchen and then down the hall toward the master and guest bedrooms.
Just when I was starting to get seriously worried, I heard the sound of running water coming from my room, and I rushed toward the bathroom, thinking that there might be a plumbing problem.
I burst through the door and stopped short at the sight of Cora soaking in my bathtub. Her hair was up in an adorably messy bun, and she was leaning back to be able to fully enjoy the massaging jets.
“Oh, my God!” Cora cried when she saw me, sending soapy water sloshing over the sides of the tub, and giving me a brief but delicious glimpse of her wet chest and arms. “Daniel, what are you doing here?”
“Dinner was canceled,” I said in a voice so full of sudden longing that it was almost a growl. “I wanted to surprise you, and it looks like I did just that.”
“I’m so sorry about this,” Cora said as she tried to cover herself with suds. “I’ll get out of here and leave you alone. I don’t know what I was thinking, using your tub without permission.”
“I told you to make yourself at home, sweetness,” I replied as I moved closer to the soaped up pet sitter, unable to take my eyes off her glistening skin. “And I don’t want you to leave.”
Cora looked up at me with wide, innocently surprised-looking eyes, which just made me want her more. “You don’t? I thought you’d be angry…”
“Angry? No, I’m not angry, Cora. What I am is crazy for not doing this sooner.”
And then I leaned down and kissed her, not giving a damn if I got soaked in the process. Or if the whole world faded away, for that matter. All I cared about in that moment was claiming her mouth with mine.
Chapter Eight
Cora
I’d been shocked when Daniel walked in on me, and I was so busy kicking myself for getting caught in his bathtub that I’d barely noticed when he came closer.
But when Daniel kissed me, any thoughts of losing business or damaging my stellar reputation went out the window.
The heat that burned down from where our lips met to the very center of my being became my sole focus. I got drunk on his scent and the feel of his fle
sh.
I moaned into Daniel’s open mouth and then gasped in surprise when he reached into the tub and scooped me up into his arms. He didn’t even seem to notice that he was getting soaked, but I was suddenly very aware that I was nude and dripping wet.
When I tried to cover myself up with my arms, Daniel growled and shook his head. “Every inch of you is perfect. Don’t you dare hide yourself from me.”
My heart began hammering even faster at his barked orders, and the gleam of desire I saw in his eyes. It was like he was possessed.
But even more frightening than that was how much I enjoyed him being in total control and telling me what to do. I’d never felt that way around another man, and I found myself sinking into Daniel’s arms.
He lifted me out of the tub and gently laid me down on the plush rug in the middle of the bathroom floor. I gasped again when part of my leg touched the tile.
“Chilly, is it?” Daniel asked as he raised himself up enough to strip his shirt off and toss it to the side. I nodded and watched him unzip his pants to pull them and his boxers off.
“Well, let’s get you nice and warmed up, sweetness.”
With that, he lowered himself down on top of me and begin kissing my breasts. I groaned as he sucked my nipple into his mouth, and I could feel the hard length of his erection pressed into my thigh.
Daniel released my nipple and trailed his hot mouth over the sensitive skin of my stomach, and then I felt the tip of his tongue slip in between my wet lips.
I cried out as he sucked and lapped at my most tender flesh, and damn near screamed when he slid a finger inside of me, causing me to arch my back and lift my hips up to welcome him in deeper.
“God, you taste so good, Cora,” Daniel groaned, and I could both hear and feel his words. “I want you so bad that it hurts.”
“You can have me, Daniel,” I breathed, feeling as if I might pass out from the pleasure of what he was doing with his lips and tongue. “I’m on the pill. I want you to have every single bit of me.”
Daniel snarled with desire at that, and before I could do more than take a breath to try and prepare myself, he was moving up and over me, driving his cock into my core.
This time, I couldn’t stop myself from screaming, and I gave myself over completely to the delicious satisfaction of having Daniel inside of me. He moved his body in perfect rhythm with mine, and it felt as if we’d made love a million times before.
I loved the way he picked me up and repositioned me however he liked. Daniel made me feel as if I was as light as a feather, and I found myself wishing that he would never stop making me feel so delicate and treasured, even as he made me feel as dirty as sin.
Just as I was about to beg Daniel to never stop, I felt my breath catch in my throat, and a raging heat raced from my chest to my thighs.
I cried out to him that I was coming, and Daniel locked eyes with me, never moving his gaze from mine or changing the flawless pace of his thrusting hips.
We crashed into orgasm together, and just before I closed my eyes to savor every second, I saw bliss clearly written on Daniel’s face, and a smile so big it looked as if it might never come off.
And that was more than fine by me, as long as I could continue being the one to put it there…
Chapter Nine
Cora
“Well, that was intense,” Daniel said with a laugh.
I nodded and looked at him from the corner of my eye. It wasn’t exactly what I’d expected him to say, and I was starting to wonder if I’d imagined the deep connection I’d felt between us just moments before.
“That’s one word for it,” I replied softly, and turned toward Daniel to snuggle up against his warmth. As far as I was concerned, we could stay on the bathroom rug for the rest of our lives.
So much for keeping things professional…
But before I could find just the right spot on his rock hard body for a lengthy cuddling session, Daniel gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and sat up with a satisfied sigh.
“Guess I should go and check on Slash, huh? He’s probably pretty worried after all of that noise.”
With a sound slap on my bare ass, he was up and gone before I could even respond. I pulled myself into a seated position and wrapped my arms around my chest, still feeling too dazed to do much else.
I could hear Daniel talking to his dog in the other room, and the sound of dresser drawers opening and closing as he picked out some dry clothes. He was acting like this was just another day, and he was ready to move on to what came next for him.
I felt the threat of tears stinging behind my eyes, and I slammed shut the door to feeling bad for myself before they could start to fall. I would not allow any sign of weakness. That was how you got hurt.
If he wanted to pretend as if nothing had happened, I would follow his lead. I was a big girl, and this wasn’t high school, after all. But I know what I’d felt when we were making love.
Our time together had been different, dammit. It had been special. Of course, it took two to tango, and if Daniel wanted to write this off as a one-time thing, so be it.
I picked myself up, wrapped a soft white towel around me, gathered up my clothes, and made my way to the guest room to put on a fresh outfit. I could shower off our little fling when I got home.
Once I was dressed and repacked, I carried my bag to the front door and set it down. No matter how big of an idiotic asshole I might think Daniel was now, I still cared about Slash, and I wasn’t leaving without saying goodbye to my newest four-legged friend.
I followed the sounds of Daniel and his dog into the kitchen, and found them coming back inside from a trip to the backyard. Slash was wearing that doggy grin I loved so much, and my heart hurt at the thought of how much I was going to miss him.
“There you are,” Daniel said with a grin of his own, and then he surprised me by coming over and pulling me into a loving embrace. “I was just going to come and ask you what you felt like eating.”
I was totally thrown off-guard by his sudden change in behavior, and I pulled away from him to look into his eyes. “You want to know what I feel like eating?”
“Well, I know that a turkey dinner is the more traditional choice, but I don’t think either of us much care about that. I was thinking about grilling steaks.”
Daniel stood there smiling and waiting for my thoughts on what we should have for dinner. “What the hell are you talking about, Daniel? I was on my way in here to say goodbye.”
Daniel frowned. “Why would you do that? I thought you’d at least want to have dinner with me. And I was hoping for much more, to tell the truth.”
I could feel the tears I’d fought off earlier wanting to make an appearance. But this time they were due to sheer frustration. “I am officially confused, and I do not like it!”
“What I’m trying to tell you, sweetness, is that I want you to be mine…”
Chapter Ten
Daniel
I could see Cora battling with tears, and I felt a great rush of protectiveness. I knew if another man had made her cry, I would have kicked his sorry ass.
But I was the only man here, which meant it was my own ass that apparently needed kicking. I just had to figure out why, and how to fix it. There was no chance I was letting her get away.
“What’s wrong, Cora?” I asked as I tried to pull her into my arms again, but she yanked away from my touch.
“I have no idea what’s going on,” she cried in frustration. “One minute, we’re having the most intimate moment I’ve ever experienced. The next minute, you’re acting as if I was a one-night stand, and now you’re telling me you want me to be yours.”
“Sweetness, you are the very furthest thing from a one-night stand,” I assured her softly. “I was just trying to give you some space and time. I did that specifically so you wouldn’t think I wanted you gone.”
“That’s what this was all about?” Cora asked in a watery voice, peeking up at me with the same big, innocent-loo
king eyes that had driven me so crazy with desire earlier. “Trying to give me some space?”
I could tell I was starting to get through to her, and I felt a huge sense of relief. “That’s what it was all about. I already told you that I wanted you to make yourself at home here. And that was before I started falling for you.”
Cora’s eyes grew wider still. “You’re falling for me?”
“I knew you should be mine from the first moment I saw you, but I was just too stubborn or stupid to realize it,” I admitted with a shrug and a smile. “Good thing Slash knew better, and made sure we kept you.”
Cora laughed and threw herself into my arms. “Oh, Daniel, I’m falling for you, too! And I’m already madly in love with Slash, thanks to him showing me how he felt about me from the start, so he’s definitely the brains of the operation.”
I pulled Cora tight against my chest and crushed my mouth against hers. When we finally came up for air, I looked deep into her eyes. “You’re a hundred percent right about who should be running the show around here.”
I pulled away long enough to look at Slash. “Thanks for looking out for your old man, buddy,” I said to the big red dog. “I think you just might get your very own steak dinner tonight.”
Chapter Eleven
Cora
I couldn’t believe how close I almost came to ruining things with Daniel. All because I thought he was just like other guys. And because I thought I’d never have a shot with someone like him.
I knew I’d have to open myself up in ways I never had before if I wanted to make things work with the man who was turning out to be so much more than another pet sitting client.
So, I waited until after Daniel had made us an amazing dinner. He’d grilled up some steaks, steamed some veggies, and poured us some of the best wine I’d ever had.
I was three glasses into the Chardonnay when I finally got up the courage to tell Daniel my fears. I set my glass down, reached out to take his hand, and looked him straight in the eyes.
