by J. H. Croix
He pulled back the slightest bit. “Emma,” he whispered.
Her eyes opened, unfocused and clouded with desire. “What?”
“We have to stop.”
Emma’s eyes fell and she shifted her hips against him. His cock pulsed at the slight pressure. She made a soft sound in her throat. He was almost undone. Hanging onto his control by the thinnest thread, he tugged her with him, walking rapidly to the car.
The ride back to her house was quiet, heavy with the weight of desire. He’d made a decision there on the walkway. He didn’t give a damn how slow they needed to go. He couldn’t stand by and watch her ex stir fear from miles away with nothing but a phone call. He would do whatever he needed to make her feel safe again. And he couldn’t ignore that he wanted her more than he’d wanted anyone. Ever. He’d loved Helen and they’d had a fulfilling sex life. But with Emma…she was tinder to the fire between them.
When he pulled up in Emma’s driveway, she turned to him, her eyes bright. He could see her pulse beat in her neck. “Do you want to come in for a few minutes?”
Trey nodded, barely keeping himself in check. The anger he’d felt over watching her when that call came fed his thirst for her. As he followed her inside, he quickly texted Risa, letting her know not to wait up for him. He’d make sure to be home before Stuart was awake, but he wanted no other interference.
When they entered her house, a black and white cat dashed through the door at the last minute. Emma reached down to stroke the cat. “This is Sula. Let me get her food and water filled,” she said, quickly stepping over to a small table in the corner of the kitchen. While she filled Sula’s water and got her fresh food, Sula snaked around his ankles, purring audibly.
Emma turned to him once she was finished. “Do you want something to drink?” She twisted the ring on her finger. Her breath rose and fell quickly.
Trey shook his head and simply walked over to stand in front of her. He reached a hand up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear. Her lips were still swollen from their kiss earlier. “I don’t want anything to drink. In fact, I don’t want anything but you. If you need me to back off, now would be the time to say so.”
His words fell between them. He was so close, he could feel her breath hitch. She looked at him for a long moment, desire and vulnerability clashing in them.
“I’m just a little…freaked out. I know you said it didn’t matter, the stuff with my ex. But those calls keep coming. You seem to think you can make them go away, but what if you can’t and something else happens? What if this affects Stuart somehow?”
Trey took a long breath, knowing he needed to answer her question, but muddled by the lust pounding through him. He shrugged. “It’s not an ‘I’ thing, it’s a ‘we’ thing. I don’t think I can magically make that jerk stop calling you. I think the more he knows you have people in your life who will help you, the more likely it is that he’ll stop. Not just me, but your friends too. People like him thrive when they think you’re isolated. You’re not. That’s what will help. And don’t go inventing problems where there aren’t any. Stuart is not going to be affected by this.”
She glanced away, swallowing nervously. Once again, she started to twist the ring on her hand. Trey reached for her hands and held them, willing her not to worry. With a sharp shake of her head, she turned back. Though she didn’t say a word, Trey sensed she’d decided to let it go for now.
He waited, the sound of her rapid breath instantly speeding his heartbeat. When she bit her lip, he was undone.
Chapter 10
Emma bit her lip, wondering how much longer she could stand it. On the ride home, she couldn’t ignore the current of desire swirling around them. Her mind said one thing and then her body just took over. She figured after the call tonight, Trey would realize he should have known better. Instead, he kissed her and almost made her lose her mind. She’d felt alone for so long when it came to Greg, she almost didn’t know what to do with Trey’s insistence that she wasn’t alone. All she wanted was to lose herself in the feeling between them.
She heard a sharp intake of breath and glanced up quickly. Trey’s lips came down on hers, hard and fast. In seconds, all thought dissolved into the vortex between them. Her skin flushed, heat built rapidly in her center. He cupped her face with one hand—alternating with kisses, sucks and nips and then delved deep with a low growl. Her blouse was held together with laces. When he accidentally got his hand tangled in the ties, he swore and pulled away.
She reached to help, but he stilled her hands. “Let me,” he said, his voice rasping.
Slowly and with deliberation, he untied the laces and drew her blouse apart, pushing it off her shoulders. It fell softly to the floor. She watched him under her lashes. The silver in his dark hair glimmered in the soft light. His eyes were dark with passion. His were lips full and soft in contrast to the austere angles of his features.
She wore no bra under her silky camisole. He swore softly under his breath and leaned forward, his lips closing around a nipple through the silk. A sharp spike of desire arced through her. By the time he’d drenched the silk over both nipples, she was nearly out of her mind, awash in sensation, heat pulsing through her. When she gasped his name between pants, he paused and lifted his head. Her nipples peaked to an ache at the brush of cool air against the damp silk.
“Yes?” he asked, trailing his fingers lightly down across her breasts and abdomen. He slid a hand under her camisole, slowly pushing it up, his palm rough against her skin, sparks skittering in the trail of his touch.
“Oh God,” she gasped.
She managed to open her eyes when his breath hissed through his teeth. He forcefully pushed her camisole up, tugging it over her head. She shivered as the air hit her desire-flushed skin. He looked down at her, reverently curving his hands around her breasts, lifting them together.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he said softly, his words barely audible.
Emma was frantic to feel him. She pushed his hands away and yanked his shirt open, shoving it off his shoulders. When she met his eyes, she was lost in his velvety chocolate gaze. His voice was low and guttural. “Come here,” he said, pulling her to him.
The feel of his skin against hers was so exquisite, she thought she might melt on the spot. Trey wrapped his arms around her, plastering her to him in a searing kiss. He turned them and slowly walked them to the couch, pausing to stroke deeply in her mouth before coasting kisses down her neck. Shoes were kicked off and clothes fell in a trail. They tumbled onto the couch, Emma in nothing but the thin scrap of white lace that passed for her panties, and Trey in fitted boxers, his arousal clearly outlined.
Her knees fell apart, Trey fitting between them as he stretched on top of her. The feel of his body against hers, head to toe, was so delicious, she sighed in relief. The relief was momentary as he proceeded to raise the heat inside of her with thorough attention to every inch. His lips meandered down her neck, once again nibbling and softly biting at her nipples. His tongue traced the shape of her breasts and left a searing path across her abdomen. He paused at the top edge of her panties, his tongue dipping just below the lace. He caressed her mound through the silk, soaked with the evidence of her desire.
“Look at me,” he commanded. Desire thrumming through her, she managed to lift her head and meet his eyes. The moment was so intimate, she almost had to close her eyes, but he only repeated his soft words. As he held her gaze, an invisible strand of want and tenderness arcing between them, he slowly dipped his finger under her panties, sinking into her moist channel.
Biting her lip, she gasped and her head fell back, slick moisture slid down her thighs when he slowly drew his finger in and out. In seconds, she was on the brink. He pulled his hand out and pushed away just long enough to yank her panties down. She kicked them off, desperate with need.
“I need you…inside me…now…”
His dark eyes held hers again. “Not yet.” Holding h
er eyes until the last second, he slowly leaned forward and brought his mouth against her, licking into her center.
She shrieked and fell back.
He took his time, tracing her folds with his tongue, delving in and out of her. His fingers joined his mouth, establishing a delicious rhythm. She was adrift in sensation, waves of lust crashing through her, sensation building and building as he brought her to the edge over and over. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it, he softly sucked on her clit and she tumbled into an orgasm with a low scream. He kept his mouth against her and his fingers inside her until the pulses slowed. He made his way back up her body in another slow exploration.
For a long moment, she felt bereft when Trey lifted off of her. Then she heard the tear of the condom wrapper, and he was sliding back on top of her. He laid full length, skin-to-skin, and rested on his elbows, his hands cupping her face.
Anticipating his command to look at him, she opened her eyes. Passion was heavy around them, the air weighted with it. He met her eyes. She felt wanted and cherished in a way she’d never experienced and almost had to look away at the intensity. He reached between her legs and positioned himself. He slid slowly inside, his length thick. She felt him press deeply, so full she could barely breathe. She convulsed around him. Though she’d just found her release, his slow surges began another build up.
Through the blur of her yearning, she held his eyes as he stroked in and out, pulling all the way back and pausing before plunging deep into her. The fervor built. Her hips rose to meet his. Her release exploded through her. He threw his head back in a last thrust, convulsing inside of her.
Emma drifted down. Trey fell against her, shifting his weight to one side. Their legs were tangled, skin damp. Her breath gradually slowed. He brushed her hair away from her face. Desire hung in the air, a mere glimmer of its explosive peak.
He pushed himself up and quickly tossed his condom in the kitchen trash, returning to lie down beside her, tucking her close against him and dropping a soft kiss on her lips. For a few moments, the only sound was their breathing.
***
Trey stayed until the wee hours of the morning. They stumbled into her bedroom after a shower together. His arms around her, she fell into a deep slumber. She woke early to a soft kiss on the back of her neck. The sky was just becoming light—in Alaskan summer that meant it wasn’t even four in the morning yet.
“Mmmm,” Trey mumbled against her skin. He was spooned behind her, his bare skin emanating warmth. “Have to get going before Stuart gets up,” he whispered. “Don’t wanna go…”
Emma rolled in his arms, turning to face him. His hair was in a rumple. She giggled and ran a hand through it. His eyes opened inches from hers. When he saw her smile, a wicked glint entered his gaze. With no preamble, he swiftly rolled atop her and pinned her hands over her head. Though she’d have thought her lust for him would have abated after last night, in a flash she was arching against him, aching for release. Searing kisses, a blazing trail with his lips, streaking across her breasts and back up her neck. He nibbled at her earlobe, his breath causing shivers.
“Trey…now…” she gasped. She was instantly slick with desire, desperate for the feel of him inside of her.
He pulled back. “Oh no, we’re not rushing,” he said, his voice low.
Emma met his eyes, shifting restlessly against him. When she saw the gleam in his eyes, she moved quickly, breaking free of his grasp and shimmying out from underneath to straddle him. She leaned forward, her nipples brushing his chest. She paused when her lips were centimeters from his. “Okay, since we’re not rushing…” She trailed her lips down his neck, savoring the feel of his pulse. His cock nestled against her folds, which were drenched with the evidence of her desire. As she coasted down his body with her lips, she slowly rotated her hips, sliding against his hardness. She had to force herself not to take him inside just yet. Shifting down, she paused to glance up. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his pulse visible in his neck. She slid her tongue in a slow stroke from the base of his cock upward, relishing his guttural groan. She teased him, stroking him with her tongue, wrapping him in the wet grip of her hand, and pushing him back when he tried to sit up. “Oh no…you said we weren’t rushing,” she said, trying desperately to keep her own desire in check.
Trey’s chuckle was low and husky. “I…” he started to say when she finally brought him into her mouth. Whatever he was about to say was lost in a deep groan. Emma took her time, dragging her lips up and down his hard length, alternating with suction and strokes. His hips bucked against her mouth. Right when his cock began to pulse, she pulled away and paused to look up at him, her lips a mere inch from the tip of his shaft. He lifted his head, his chocolate gaze almost black. With a sly smile, she drew her tongue slowly up his length again. This time, he moved swiftly. In a flash, she was stretched beneath him, her hands held above her head with one of his.
He leaned across her to reach for his wallet on the nightstand. He efficiently slipped a condom on with one hand, keeping her wrists pinned with the other. He positioned himself at her entrance and paused. Meeting his eyes, she almost flinched at how exposed she felt. Vulnerability flooded her while the look in his eyes held her through it. Lost in the shimmer of his gaze, she sighed when he slowly slid inside of her.
His hands clasped hers and held on tightly. His lips met hers in a scalding kiss. He established a leisurely rhythm. When she reached her peak and started to tumble over, he thrust deeply, arching against her and capturing her cries in his mouth. They lay still for long moments, their breath rising and falling in unison.
Trey eventually roused and shifted to get up. He shook his head when she started to follow him out of bed, and she shrugged. “I’m not falling back asleep. You shower and I’ll make coffee.”
She wrapped a robe around her and walked downstairs to make coffee. When he followed her down after showering, he was tidy, a far cry from the man who dove into passion with her. But the glimmer in his eyes was there, a soft echo. She had a travel mug filled with coffee ready for him. A quick kiss, and he turned to leave only to turn back and pull her close for a more thorough goodbye kiss.
After he left, Emma walked onto the back porch. The sun was cresting behind the mountains. The sky above was streaked with rich rose, rays of light arcing through the clouds. The water in the bay was choppy, wind whipping across. The wind was softer up here, just a rustle in the trees. Her thoughts wandered to last night. She blushed to think about the intensity of passion she felt with Trey. She couldn’t seem to summon her usual fears and rationalizations about why it wasn’t a good idea for them to move too fast. Her heart clenched at the memory of when he first slid inside of her—so right. Vulnerability clashed with the hopes of her heart. She sipped her coffee and froze when she saw a pair of sandhill cranes flying into the field behind her house. The cranes summered in Alaska every year and were lovely. Their wingspan was huge and could stretch to seven feet across. The pair landed quietly and lifted their heads to look around. Tall and elegant, they moved gracefully. They were a soft gray-brown with a bright red crown on their heads. They mated for life, and pairs often returned year and year to the same places. She watched them quietly for several moments before returning to the kitchen.
Emma left for work early, planning to get ahead on some paperwork. As she approached Misty Mountain Café, she spied Hannah’s truck and impulsively stopped since she had plenty of time.
“Hey,” she said, coming up behind Hannah in line. Despite the early hour, the coffee shop was hopping.
Her sister turned and smiled widely when she saw her. “Hey there! What’s got you here so early?”
Before Emma could answer, Susie’s voice came from behind. “Hey you two, this is prefect!”
After greetings and a few moments to get coffee, they snagged a table. Susie chattered about a local fundraiser she was helping Tess with and then honed her eyes on Emma.
“So, did you tell Hannah about
your date?” she asked with a sly smile.
Emma wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes. “Seeing as this is the first time I’ve seen her since then, can’t say that I have.”
Susie’s curls bounced as she glanced to Hannah. “Aren’t you dying to hear about Trey? I can’t believe you didn’t call her already. If I hadn’t seen her the other morning here, I would have called.” Susie turned back to Emma. “So?”
Emma laughed. Though she hadn’t quite adjusted to it, she had friends, friends who cared a lot. That sometimes meant answering nosy questions. Giving in to the inevitable, she filled them in, minus the details of just how much Trey had blown her mind.
Hannah took a thoughtful sip of her coffee. “So you’ve decided to go for it with Trey.”
Emma blushed. “I think so,” she paused wondering whether to mention her talk with him about Greg. She knew Susie wanted to know. Funny thing about Susie was she was nosy as hell, but if she thought you needed to have something on your terms, she completely respected that. Meeting Susie’s eyes, Emma decided to be open with Hannah too. The secrecy around Greg, which had cloaked around her once the violence began, needed to go. Secrecy represented another layer of what a violent, controlling relationship did to a person. Secrecy was necessary for that type of relationship to flourish. It isolated the victim as they tried to avoid having anyone find out what was happening, shouldering the blame for how they ended up there.
With a deep breath, Emma told Hannah about her worries about the random calls and told them how Trey had handled learning about her marriage and what had happened. Just as Susie had, Hannah immediately started problem solving.
“You’re as bad as Susie, all ready to fix this right away,” Emma said with a smile, tears pricking her eyes. As long as she’d held her fears away about the phone calls, the heavier the weight became. She’d somehow convinced herself there was nothing she could do about the calls. Even though she knew better. In all her years as a therapist, if there was one thing she knew with certainty, it was that shining a light on problems, no matter how big, helped.
