by Ward, Alice
Her hands were still on my shoulders, and I could feel them trembling. That excited me more than seeing her most intimate places revealed. I wanted to steal her senses, push her higher, and watch her crumble into a billion pieces, but I wanted to make her beg for it. Gliding my tongue along each of her labial creases, I listened for the small whimpers and squeaks of sensation that told me where she was most vulnerable to my advances.
“I love you,” I growled again. Then, I went in to satisfy my inner wolf.
Her clit swelled in my mouth, and her sweet pussy immediately slickened my chin with arousal. She started to double over with the intensity of the sensations I sent coursing through her, but I wasn’t deterred. My tongue slipped in lines, swirls, and dots across her button’s smooth surface, and her knees began buckling.
“Lie down.” I pulled back long enough for her to strip fully and lay flat on the floor. Even with the relief of reclining, her bottom lip was still quaking with the rush of adrenaline shooting through her veins, and I took that as encouragement. I grabbed her thighs, pushed them wide apart, and buried my face in her again.
She was so sweet. Sugary, fruity, fresh. Mouthwatering. I could’ve lapped her sultry juices for days. Craving to hear those melodic moans, I focused my lips, teeth, and tongue on her needy clit and slid a single finger into her pulsing body. She raised her luscious chest to the ceiling, and her hips tried to rise against my weight. I kept her grounded, however, because it aroused me beyond limit to watch her feel what I was doing to her without the relief of shifting and squirming.
“Ah, Cash!” Her cry made me twitch with want for more, so I doubled down on my efforts. Curving the inserted finger upward, I started mimicking the strokes of my tongue on her G-spot. As I’d hoped, she responded with heightened urgency. “God!”
Pausing only momentarily, I inhaled the scent of her fervor. “I love that too.”
“I want you,” she gasped. Her hands flattened against my temples, and she urged me to look up at her. When I did, I found her forested eyes pinned on mine. “I love you.”
My usual routine would’ve meant I didn’t oblige her. I would’ve continued stimulating her orally until she couldn’t take any more and shattered with a powerful orgasm. Then, I would have taken her with my cock. Hearing the heady depth in her voice, however, and the honesty with which she professed her feelings, my instinct was to yank my shirt over my head and free my pulsating dick from my jeans.
So, I did.
I caught a glimpse of the sheen on her folds before I plunged through them. The moment I entered her, a rich moan poured from her throat, and my entire body erupted in tingles. I thrust hard, salivating to feel her with my whole length.
“Cash! Yes!” Her exclamations would have been bordering on pornographic if they weren’t so full of raw, unadulterated passion and feeling. She grabbed my arms, raked my back, cupped my face. Touching me, constantly touching me, like she couldn’t get enough.
I knew how she felt. I couldn’t get enough either.
We were both mesmerized by the other.
My mouth, no longer preoccupied with her clit, was exploring her body with frantic lust. Licking her nipples. Kissing her neck. Tracing her collarbone. Anything I could taste, I tasted, until finally reaching her lips and drinking her in.
Harder, faster, deeper. “Don’t stop! Don’t…”
She was shredded beneath me. Her breasts and belly and thighs and pussy shivered relentlessly with the onset of her gripping orgasm. I was clenched from tip to base over and over until her body ripped an orgasm from me too. Together, we groaned and moaned our pleasure into one another’s mouths as we kissed our love to the very end of the euphoric waves.
I slowly eased myself off her and settled at her side. Stroking my fingers through her sweat-dampened hair, I nuzzled her cheek. “I love you.”
“Mmm.” The perfect woman curled her perfect body against mine and whispered the perfect words one more time. “I love you too.”
Gretchen
The October sun shone down from a bright blue sky, the golden hue reflecting from the red and orange leaves that surrounded me. The heat was overwhelming, utterly stifling, and the sun was richer in its golden hue than I was used to, but the shaded area beneath the broad-branched oak offered the perfect amount of comfort. Every so often, a light breeze whiffed across the sprawling lawn to lift the ends of my hair and cool the sheen of sweat on my bare skin. I reveled in those breezes as I brought my hands together and lifted them slowly toward the heavens.
I’d never been to Oklahoma before meeting Cash, but I’d begun enjoying my time there immensely despite the drastic differences from my comfortable Michigan town. Which was good since we were going to spend the winter months in his new home that sat near the banks of the Arkansas River, giving us sweeping views we both loved so much.
In the spring, we’d travel back north to the home I’d purchased with the Penningon’s sale, the new and improved Auras sitting only a mile away on the boardwalk. I hired a full-time manager to man the store in my absence and to also run the online ETSY store I opened after following Cash’s advice and taking Auras into the virtual realm.
The people in Tulsa were so friendly that I would’ve thought it contrived, but their genuine greetings and earnest chivalry was too honest to be doubted. There was plenty of countryside to avoid feeling suffocated as I always did in big cities.
And, of course, I had Cash.
Releasing a low hum, I spread my arms and inhaled the soothing scent of sweetgrass. Cash’s estate was enormous, luxurious, and breathtaking, but my favorite space without question was the yard. Over the past week, I had claimed the space under the oak to meditate, though he’d offered his private gym for my purpose. I’d turned him down. There was nothing as peaceful as the isolated span of grass, and there was something magical in the way the towering tree acted as an ethereal umbrella in those afternoons of drizzling rain.
It was as if the world around me was celebrating the love in my heart for my dark-eyed dreamboat with the serenity I had always sought.
On cue, the dark-eyed dreamboat appeared on the crest of the gentle incline leading to the English manor-styled mansion, his faithful Weimaraner, Bud, by his side. I smiled as he approached and eyed the two beverages in his hands.
“A little early to be drinking, don’t you think?”
He shot me a heart-stopping grin and settled on the shadowed grass on one side of me while Bud took up residence on the other. “Not unless you’re vulnerable to the effects of sweet tea.” He extended a glass to me, and I took it.
“Ooh.” I crinkled my nose as I took a sip. “I don’t know how you drink this by the gallon. It’s liquid candy.”
“Them’s fightin’ words, darlin’.” He grinned and absorbed my laugh in a kiss.
I carefully balanced the tea in a divot in the ground and turned to look at him. “Have you come to do some yoga with me?”
“The last time I did yoga with you, I walked like a penguin for two days after.”
“But we didn’t get past a warm-up,” I protested.
He lowered himself toward me, bringing his face level with mine. “No, but amazing sex on a rocking boat was rough on my calves.”
I flushed with the memory as my entire body seared to a temperature to rival the warmest day. “Oh, well, that’s completely understandable then.”
Cash chuckled, took my hand, and planted a kiss on the back of it. His fingers were chilled from holding the glasses of sweet tea, and they felt incredible against my hot palm. “Are you enjoying Oklahoma, darlin’? Maybe I’m biased, but you seem to have developed a sexy glow since you arrived.”
“They call that a tan, I think.” I bit my lower lip coyly, and he reciprocated by tickling his fingers across my thigh. Batting his hand away with another laugh, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m enjoying it. Tulsa is no Fawn, but it has its own merits.” I gave him a serious look. “Any regrets?”
After much deep soul-searching
, Cash resigned from his role as CEO of Pennington’s and instead fulfilled his legacy as a member of the board of directors, freeing up a great deal of his time while also keeping his hand in the company his father had loved so much.
“Not an ounce.”
I grinned. “Are we still going fly fishing this weekend?”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “If that means that I’m going fly fishing while you meditate by the river, then yes, the cabin is booked and ready.”
Oh, what a life.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my life could ever be this wonderful. When Cash first walked into my shop almost a year ago to this day, I’d thought I’d lost everything. But by letting go, I’d gained so much more.
“Think you could get used to living in Tulsa for half the year?”
I arched a brow and looked out on the river, then down at the dog whose chin was on my thigh, looking deliriously happy as I stroked his gray head. Finally, I looked back into the eyes of the man I loved so much. “Is there a wrong answer?”
He looked so solemn suddenly. “Yes. A dishonest one.”
“I could get used to it.” I skimmed my gaze along the horizon, drinking in the sight of the emerald greenery against the blanket of ice-blue sky. “As long as you keep that kickass air conditioner well maintained, I’m in.”
He laughed, bent in farther, and brushed the tip of his nose along my cheekbone. “I can take care of that.” Reaching behind his back, he withdrew a scroll of paper from his back pocket. “And I made sure the architect added it onto this.”
I took the paper from his proffered hand, pursing my lips slightly in confusion, and unrolled it over my lap. “What is this?”
“Blueprints.” He shrugged. “On a small scale, anyway.”
“Are these for the new Pennington’s in Fawn?”
Cash pointed to very small text at the bottom of the sheet. “No. They’re for a workshop. Your workshop.”
“What?” I ogled the blueprints, which were downsized so much to fit on the standard-sized printer paper that it was difficult to make out what I was seeing. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s a jewelry-making workshop for you.” He clambered to his feet and held out a hand to help me up. “Want to see?”
I took his hand uncertainly, still reeling too much from the announcement that I couldn’t quite process it yet. Together, we trekked across the vast lawn. He guided me around the house to the back of the property, which was so large it was impossible to see where his property ended and the neighbor’s began, but I was able to make out a small building that hadn’t been here the last time I’d been here. As we neared it, I took in its rustic wooden construction, delicate windows, and the array of glass bead suncatchers dangling around the entrance.
“Come on in.” He opened the door for me and stepped aside.
I walked in. It was small, about half the size of Auras, but it was so quaint and comfortable that I didn’t feel the slightest bit claustrophobic. Running my hand along the smooth surface of a thick table and shuffling over in awe to the built-in shelves on the western wall, I breathed in the scent of fresh paint and real wood.
“This is for me?” The words came out in a whisper. I didn’t want to mar the sacred space with speech.
“Everything you see was already yours.” I turned around to look at him for clarification, and he gestured to the planked wall behind him. “This is built completely from the salvaged materials of your metaphysical shop.”
“You mean…” I let out a shuddery breath and started walking the border of the floor space. No wonder it felt so comfortable and homey. “Oh my god.”
He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. I flattened my hand against the wall, eyed the hooks and crates he’d had assembled for organization, and tried to swallow the lump rising in my throat. It was the most beautiful gesture of love I’d ever received.
Gram rested her hands on my shoulders. I felt the pressure and the warmth gently weighing me down, and I relished the sign that she was still with me despite Auras no longer standing.
I turned around to thank him, to tell him I loved him, to express my gratitude in whatever way I could manage while knowing it would never be enough. I couldn’t get a word out, though, because I was rendered speechless, mesmerized the moment I cast eyes on him.
Cash was down on one knee and held out in front of him was a small velvet box. What looked to be a ten-carat ring blinked at me from an infinity band. My hands flew to my mouth.
“I love you, darlin’. My life hasn’t been full of good choices, but I know giving myself to the love I feel for you is the best choice I ever made. Will you marry me?”
My heart stopped in my chest, and I couldn’t feel my hands. Everything over the last year, the Pennington’s drama in Fawn and meeting Cash and battling with myself over the fate of my business, had somehow led to this moment, and I couldn’t figure out how to use my damn tongue to tell him everything I wanted to say. So, I said the one thing that could sum it up.
“Yes.”
A smile spread across his face, and he rose to his feet. In one sweeping motion, he gathered me up into his arms. He kissed me, taking me into himself with breath and bliss, and I was filled with the most incredible joy.
It must have been in the cards all along.
THE END
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A Sneak Peek
THE SURPRISE
CHAPTER ONE
Cherry
One, two, three…
Focus.
I inhaled a deep breath, needing to clear my mind and concentrate.
This was it. The big day. After years of training and prep, I was finally facing my first cage match. I couldn’t believe it.
I needed to get in the right mind for the fight, but it was hard with all the random chatter echoing off the concrete walls.
The abandoned underground tunnels were much more crowded than usual as fans poured into the basement level of an old Louisville parking garage, spectators coming from all over the city to witness Cherry Bomb take out Andrew the Giant.
Goosebumps rose on my skin at the chant of my name, the crowd’s energy thrumming through me. It was a good sign that my name was being shouted evenly with my opponent’s. It meant that I was becoming known in the underworld of fights.
I breathed deeply again, but it did little to calm my nerves. I had been successful enough in my regular fights, but a caged gig was much more complicated. There were different rules and strategies that wouldn’t work tonight, and I needed to be mindful of all of them. All while trying not to be seriously maimed or killed.
There’d been n
othing regular about any of my matches over the past two years. I was female, and few people knew how or why I even got involved in the world of fights.
Breaking what little concentration I’d gained as I stretched my hamstrings, a curly haired nerdy reporter entered and announced he was from the quirky local flavor magazine, LEO, then stuck his recorder in my face. I sighed and continued stretching as I remembered my trainer giving me a heads up about an interview.
Holding his arm outstretched as far as it would go, he wore a bug-eyed expression behind dark-framed glasses, as if he thought I was going to punch him and wanted to stare at my tits at the same time.
“Cherry Bomb, can you tell me a little bit about how you ended up where you are today?”
I cleared my throat and focused on being professional. This was for my future, I reminded myself. More importantly, it was for my family’s future. Which also meant ignoring the googly eyes and leers instead of punching anyone who looked at me wrong.
At a lean five-foot-eleven and three-quarters, I was built like Wonder Woman without the armor. I was used to the attention, but it didn’t mean I liked it.
“In my first and only semester of college, I needed a physical education course,” I repeated the story I’d memorized, making sure I sounded competent and friendly. “There was an Introduction to MMA offered. I took it on a lark, thinking I would just skip as many lessons as possible so I could go to my part-time job, but I ended up falling in love with the sport.”
The reporter leaned in. “I can certainly tell that something about it clicks with you. What do you think that is?”
My name being chanted on the other side of the wall washed over me in a wave, like a warm embrace, and I forgot that every word I said would be printed and circulated throughout the city. “I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline from facing down a foe, or the ability to work out all my anger. I love the sport.”
