He grabbed her then, crushed her to him. “Never again. I won’t ever again. Can’t.”
She turned her face up to him and a tear fell from the corner of her eye. She struggled to keep her brain working, and she leveled a sharp, pointed look at him. “Then why the hell are we being celibate? Because I, for one, am not into this kind of torture. Go find a waterfall to train under instead.”
* * *
He’d held back for so long. Having Sophie challenge him like this drove him out of his mind. He bent his head and kissed her before she managed to say something they’d both regret.
She met him with a matching ferocity that caught him by surprise. She’d always been sweet, sunny, light. But this hunger of hers met him halfway and pushed him past any reason he’d ever managed to think of for why they would be better off with distance between them.
“It’s a good thing you packed a go bag,” he murmured against her lips.
“Mmm?” She nipped the corner of his mouth. “Why are we using words right now?”
He chuckled, and she stilled in his arms, wary. “It means you have extra clothes.”
He gripped the fabric of her shirt and found her gaze, made sure her wide brown eyes were locked on him. Fabric tore. Fell to the ground around her. She gasped. Her pupils dilated. And everything in him roared up in a wave of desire. Holding her gaze, he stripped out of his own clothes, enjoying the hunger growing in her expression.
He bent then, wrapping his arms around her thighs, and lifted her. She held on to his shoulders as he carried her back into the bedroom she’d come out of and dropped her on the bed, enjoying the way her pert breasts bounced as she landed.
“Pretty. Very pretty.” He leaned over her, placing a hand on either side of her hips.
She lay back as he climbed onto the bed with her, sighing and tugging at his shoulders. He pressed a kiss low on her abdomen, and then another one just above her navel. The next kiss was higher, but he opened his mouth to suck because he needed to taste her. Her skin was cool against his tongue, fresh and tasting of a hint of salt.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she pressed her head back as he nuzzled the underside of her breasts through her bra. He grinned up at her. “Blue lace suits you. I like lace.”
She let out a breathless laugh. “I know.”
He continued to nuzzle and nudge the undersides of her breasts through the lace, enjoying the texture of the soft fabric and the give of her flesh. He caught the edge of the fabric over the curve of her breast and tugged with his teeth.
Her fingers tightened on his shoulders, and her thighs rose on either side of him as she squirmed under him. “Don’t rip this one. I don’t have that many with me, and I need my bras.”
He wanted to argue. The idea of Sophie walking around the cabin for the next couple of days with no bras was very fun. It’d come up while he’d been driving, and he’d struggled to banish it to the back of his mind. Now, well, it was very enticing.
Instead, he licked the curve of her breast above the lace. Then he gently caught the edge of the fabric in his teeth again and tugged it down. Her already taut nipple popped free, and he grinned.
She gasped. “You have a very naughty expression right now, like a kid about to steal a piece of ca—”
He closed his mouth over her nipple and sucked. Hard.
She called out and arched against him. Her thighs closed on his and squeezed. He held her steady under him all the while, enjoying the feel of her nipple against his tongue. After a long moment, he eased back and laved her nipple in long licks.
She blinked her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but he switched to lick and tease at her other nipple. Her lids shuttered closed again.
“Mmm.” He tickled her nipple with short, firm strokes of the tip of his tongue. “I think your left nipple is more sensitive than your right. I’m intrigued.”
“You’re mean.” She gritted her teeth and buried her fingers into his hair.
He chuckled.
This time, he suckled one while he played with her other between his thumb and forefinger. Every flick of his tongue, every tug of his fingers, made her writhe more under him.
“Touch me.” Her command was desperate, not a request.
He paused, struggled to keep enough control to listen to what she wanted. “Where?”
“Everywhere!”
He liked a challenge. He rose up off her then and pulled her up to kneel on the bed with him. He gave her a long, lingering kiss, then coaxed her to turn until she was facing the headboard of the bed.
Behind her, he curved his hands around her ribs. “Trust me.”
She let her head fall back against his shoulder.
He pressed a kiss against her jaw and let his hands begin to roam. Across her shoulders and along her arms, back to her torso and over the curve of her back. He reveled in the softness of her skin and the slight curves of her body. He pressed against her back, maximizing the points of contact.
It took a minute to help her get her medical boot off, then her pants. “You still wear the cute ones with the cartoon on the back.”
Her skin flushed. “Yes.”
Today was a bunny. Her tight butt was covered in the cutest cartoon of a bunny he’d ever laid eyes on.
He grazed the shell of her ear with his teeth. She shuddered in pleasure. “I like it.”
He helped her out of those, too, and then she was naked. Kneeling and holding the headboard, trembling at his every touch.
Wow.
He spread his hands on the backs of her thighs, cupping below her bottom. When he squeezed, she trembled more and whimpered. “You like this?”
She only nodded.
He pulled her hips back, helping her adjust her stance wider. He needed access. He used one hand to caress her, gliding over her side and under to her belly, then up to grasp one of her breasts. Then he teased the insides of her thighs with his other hand, exploring with gentle fingertips until he stroked one finger along her crease. She moaned.
His Sophie was wet for him.
He slid his finger inside of her, needing to be sure she was ready to take him. Her inner muscles were tight, and she gasped for breath as he slowly pumped his finger in and out, teasing her opening. Damn, he needed to take care of her first because he definitely wasn’t going to last long inside her, not with her as tight as this.
He continued to knead and massage her breast with his other hand. The multitasking helped him keep his own need under control. His erection throbbed, and even the act of rubbing himself against the curve of her butt drove him wild.
She rocked her hips back against him, and he made an inarticulate sound of frustration.
She was going to push him too fast. He set his teeth against her shoulder and slipped a second finger inside her. She cried out and shuddered against him, but he didn’t pull back.
“Come for me.” He whispered the encouragement into her ear. “It’s okay. Let me take care of you. Come for me.”
Her next cry was desperate, and her hands clenched on the headboard as her inner muscles convulsed around his fingers. He held her against him, stroking her through and lengthening her orgasm.
She collapsed forward against the headboard at the end of it and presented her rear, and he couldn’t wait anymore. He placed a hand on either side of her hips and positioned himself until the head of his cock pressed against her entrance.
“Please, Sophie?”
She nodded. “Yes. Please. Yes.”
The request accompanying her permission undid everything inside him, made this more than sex. This was everything he’d dreamed about when he’d been away. This was his Sophie.
When he started to push into her, another groan escaped her throat, and she brought a finger to her mouth, biting it to try to keep quiet. The sight only turned him on more. Slow and incredibly good, he filled her, and she stretched to accommodate him until he was balls deep.
Oh yes.
He withdrew slowly, and her
tightness almost wouldn’t let him go. He breathed deep, hoping he could continue a little longer. Pressing back into her, he leaned over her until the length of her back pressed against his torso. He ran his hands over her, sliding up from her thighs and over her belly to caress her breasts.
And as he did, he pumped inside her.
She leaned her head back to the curve of his shoulder again, only capable of tiny gasps with every thrust.
“Is this everywhere?” he asked her.
She whimpered, and her insides tightened on the length of his shaft. She was almost ready again.
He straightened and gripped her waist. Gritting his teeth, he began thrusting harder. She leaned forward, bracing herself against the headboard and arching her back as he pulled almost completely out and then slid back into her in strong, firm strokes. Every one of them drove him closer and closer to insanity.
“Brandon.” She gasped out his name, and it undid him.
His balls tightened, and he had only one more chance to pull out and thrust back into her. She cried out, her orgasm dragging him with her, and he shouted as he came with her.
Chapter Thirteen
I’ve got an idea.”
Forte pressed his lips against Sophie’s bare shoulder, enjoying the silken smoothness of her. He could hardly believe this wasn’t a hallucination. He liked curling around her in bed. She’d commandeered his arm as a pillow, and she was lightly tracing random patterns along the inside of his forearm. Her featherlight touch didn’t tickle so much as send tiny hints of electricity across his skin. “What’s your idea?”
“Let’s use this room for fun times and use the other room to sleep in.” She yawned. “That way, neither of us has to sleep in a wet spot.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like a plan. Speaking of sleeping…”
She squeaked when he pulled the sheet off them both. Rolling off the bed, he grabbed a lightweight blanket from the chest at the foot of the bed and tossed it over her, then scooped her up in his arms.
“You should take a nap while I go out and rescue the animals from boredom out by the car.” Haydn could easily stay on guard for hours, even in the current temperatures. His thick coat would protect and insulate him with no problem. And the cat was still in a carrier inside the SUV, protected from the cold. But Sophie would want them seen to, and he planned to do everything in his power to eliminate any stress for her while she was with him. “I’ll bring them both inside and get them set up with food and water.”
The smile she gave him was unbelievably sweet and hit him directly in the chest with how good it made him feel.
He carried her into the next room, careful not to hit her head or her booted foot on a door frame. As they entered, Sophie perked up, taking in the decor of the room.
“Ooh, I like this. It’s all cool blues and creams. Really relaxing.” She remained sitting up when he set her on the bed.
Her gaze swept through the room, and he figured she’d wake up too much to get back to a nap. So he lunged.
She squeaked. Forte grinned, holding himself over her and looking down into her dark brown eyes. “You don’t look tired enough for a nap. Maybe I need to work harder?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh. Yes, but Haydn and my cat. I—”
He kissed her very cute nose. “Should nap before I’m tempted to really start something up again. I’ll wrangle the beasts.”
Rising from the bed, he tucked her in to his satisfaction. “Nap. Food should be here by the time you wake up.”
He closed the door behind him as he left the room. This was a good way to start. Once she woke up recharged, he’d take her through his security precautions and give her instructions for worst-case scenarios.
And there were several, all equally serious.
Haydn was right where Forte had left him. The big dog was alert but unconcerned. For now, at least, there was no detectable threat in the area.
Forte left him on guard and set about bringing their two bags into the cabin, then the box containing the various animal supplies. He found a small laundry room and set up the cat’s litter box in there for the time being. He wanted it someplace accessible but out of the way. Hopefully, the cat would agree on his placement.
He’d never been a cat person. But he could see the benefit of having one or two on the Hope’s Crossing Kennels property. Otherwise, mice had to be tracked down in the storage shed they used to store the dog food.
But the idea of an indoor cat hadn’t ever been something he’d considered.
Forte decided to set Sophie’s cat carrier down in the laundry room so the first thing the feline would see was where its litter box was located. The cat came out of its carrier at a leisurely stroll and sniffed the air for a moment. Then it headed directly to the litter box and started to make a deposit, looking straight up at him.
“Sorry,” he muttered, and exited the room to give kitty her privacy.
He strode outside and closed up the SUV, then released Haydn from guard duty and led the big dog inside.
Forte’s phone rang as Haydn made a beeline for the laundry room.
Shit.
“This is Forte.” He might’ve sounded pissed, but he wasn’t going to miss this call. At the same time, he needed to monitor this meeting of furry minds, too, or blood could be drawn.
“Rojas here.”
Haydn stood just in the doorway to the laundry room, staring at what had become a lightning-struck cat puff in the litter box.
“Los.” Forte kept some force in the command. Responsive as Haydn was, he needed to understand this cat was consistently off limits.
“Who, me?” Rojas asked. He sounded like he was amused, though.
“Sorry, man. I’m handling Haydn and Sophie’s new cat.” The cat in question had begun to let its fur smooth down. It stepped off the litter box with a delicate shake of its paws and hopped up onto the laundry machine. It then sat and deliberately started to clean its lady bits right there in front of both him and Haydn, lifting one hind leg in a distinct demonstration of flexibility.
“How’s that going for you?” Rojas seemed mildly curious.
“I’ve just been given the cat finger.”
Rojas barked out a laugh. “What?”
“Never mind. I’ll take a picture for you if it happens again.” Forte would’ve had to fish out an actual digital camera from his bag because he’d left his smartphone behind at the kennels, too. “Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.”
“Okay, then.” And there was a story for Rojas to pass on to Lyn and Elisa when they badgered him about how Sophie was doing. “All’s well here at the kennels. Sa is really working well with Taz. I think we’ve got a match.”
“Good.” Forte was pleased. The working dogs could usually transition to more than one partner in their lifetimes, but he and his trainers did their best to pair them in a strong bond at the outset. It made a smart dog and handler into a formidable working pair.
“Ky checked in, too.” Rojas’s cadence remained concise, friendly. Someone only partially listening in wouldn’t be alerted to the more serious topic by a change in tone or volume. He just carried on like they were still chatting about cat fingers and dog training. “The current person of interest appears to be clean on the surface, but Ky’s gut says there’s something shady. He wants to dig, but it’d help if our lady friend can remember exactly which files she worked with in the last few days.”
They weren’t mentioning Sophie’s name specifically. Someone monitoring the conversation directly would be able to figure out what they were talking about, but they were avoiding key words like names to circumvent software monitoring any number of conversations at a time “fishing” to find theirs.
“I’ll ask and send a follow-up.” Forte could access a virtual private network and send a secure update once he’d prompted Sophie to see what she could remember. Most likely, she’d be able to recall the exact names.
“Copy.” Rojas paused. “The cat have a name yet?”
“No.” Forte watched as the feline in question finally finished her grooming for the time being and hopped down off the laundry machine. “But we’re going to need to come up with one soon.”
The cat approached Haydn slowly, wary but not electrified for the moment. Her steps were fluid as opposed to the stiff-legged way she’d walked past him on their first meeting. Inch by inch, she approached until she was almost nose to nose with the dog.
Haydn, for his part, had stood his ground and allowed the feline to approach. Presented with the current challenge, he lowered his nose for a sniff.
“It looks like there’s an understanding between the feline and canine elements.” Forte chuckled. He’d have worked with them until there’d at least been a truce in which Haydn would leave the cat alone, but it would be better if they could get along. Sophie would enjoy the stay more if there was goodwill among furry things.
Rojas grunted. “Oh boy. We’ll have to see if the new cat can make friends with Souze and Atlas, too. It might be a regular visitor.”
Having fully sniffed Haydn over, the cat wandered out of the laundry room to explore the rest of the cabin. Haydn looked up at Forte once, then followed after the feline.
“Cat certainly handles big dogs well.” Forte turned to watch the pair methodically explore their new domain. “It’s got a healthy fear of them in the beginning, but then it figures out which ones will or won’t present a threat.”
“Is it fully clawed?” Rojas asked.
“Yeah.” Forte had checked back at the cat café when Sophie had made the decision to adopt it. “Spayed, but all claws are intact.”
Rojas grunted. “It can give out its own warning if it has to, then. We’ll just have to make sure it isn’t enough of a brawler to take out a dog’s eye.”
Atlas and Souze were each well-trained and exceptionally good at their work. They, like Haydn, would leave something alone no matter how tempting it was if commanded to leave it. So then it was on the handlers to make sure the cat didn’t take advantage of the situation and permanently harm one of the dogs.
Absolute Trust Page 14
