She kissed his neck, sinking her teeth in as he tilted her hips and drove even deeper than before. She didn’t care about anything except having him with her, within her. This man who tempted her resolve, turned her desires into reality. She hadn’t realized she could be touched like this, inside and out, body and soul. Touched with a tender savagery that curled pleasure deep within, dark and wild.
Her breath grew ragged as the flames of pleasure began to lick at her inside and out. He groaned as she squeezed him with her inner muscles. She traced her hands down the slickness of his muscular back, and tried to give as good as she got. She moaned against his neck as he drove her entire body down into the bed. She got a thrill that he’d gone as wild and out of control as she was.
Release teased her, dancing in the distance. They raced there together, her lungs getting tight and hot as she tried to keep up with his pace. They flew faster and faster until she cried out, the world exploding beneath her as she fell up, her body seizing, breath freezing, and the only thing left of her was pure pleasure.
She heard the wild cries, his and hers, like they were being torn apart. And maybe they were. She certainly felt shattered as she lay limp and panting beneath him. Her entire being had come apart in that instant, and then come back together again, different and wonderful.
She wrapped her arms around him, and sank into the moment. Nothing had changed, the distance and the past weren’t overcome because they’d made love. But she’d shifted, healed. And that had to be worth the struggle that would come.
9
Scott stared down at Marissa, his pulse rushing in his ears. Her deep red hair splayed over his sheets, her lashes lying softly against her cheeks, a satisfied smile on her lips. It wasn’t fair that she lay there looking beautiful while he felt like he’d sprinted a mile. Her soft jasmine scent mixed with the heady smell of sex, his room more like a den of sin than a place for sleep. Her gentle breathing, the glow of the crackling fire, and the taste of her frenzied kisses still on his lips. This was it, his dreams come to life.
He traced his hands over her body, admiring the curves and valleys. One day he would know the terrain, but now he could explore. He held her breasts, circling her nipples with his fingers until she sighed. There were so many ways he wanted to learn her, too many places to know where to begin. While her thighs were still spread around him, he brought one hand to her lower belly and rested the other on her pubic bone while he rubbed her clit with his thumb. She was still wet, but not wet enough. He dripped a trail of saliva on her clit, rubbing the slickness right where he wanted it.
“Did you spit on me?” She wrinkled her nose, but didn’t make any attempt to move away.
“It’s no different than when I lick you.”
“It is, though.”
He didn’t see how, but knew she wasn’t up for explaining when he pulled back her hood and centered his thumb on her pearl of nerves. Her legs quivered and she gripped the sheets. He pressed down on her lower belly as his thumb made the tiniest movements. Her pussy clenched around him as she dug her heels into the mattress and arched up, orgasm gripping her hard and deep.
His cock went from semi-hard inside of her to fully erect, the working of her inner muscles moving him like an earthquake, followed by a long stream of aftershocks. When she collapsed back against the bed and gulped for air he couldn’t help his grin. He rubbed her outer lips and she tried to push her legs together, but he was solid in between them.
“Do you need a break, sugar?”
She covered her eyes with her arm. “Yes, please.”
He withdrew slowly, the instinct to plunge back in gripping him. But she’d asked so nicely, he couldn’t help but oblige her. He made his way to the bathroom to take care of the condom, then returned to the bed with a glass of water.
She hadn’t moved at all. He rolled a nipple between his thumb and finger until she grinned and lifted her arm to look up at him. She sat up when she saw the water.
“Thank you,” she said as she took the glass, downing it in one go. “I was trying to work up the energy to get a drink.”
“It’s the least I can do.” He set the glass atop the book she’d left on his nightstand. Summer on Lovers’ Island. The couple on the cover watching the sun set over the water screamed romance. It gave him hope.
“How can you move after?” She lifted the quilt and slid underneath, resting her head on a pillow. “I just want to lie here forever.”
“I’d let you.”
“No you wouldn’t. You’ll be touching me as soon as you get in bed.”
He couldn’t deny it. And since she’d called him out, he didn’t hesitate to pull her to him as he joined her beneath the covers. He tangled his legs with hers and rested his hand on the curve of her ass. He wanted her again, right now.
She placed her hand on his chest and looked at him, her gaze growing serious. “Can I say something and you not get mad?”
“Sure.” Though it depended on what it was. If she said she’d faked all that, he’d be mad as hell.
“I don’t want you to . . .” She cleared her throat and wrinkled her nose. “I mean, I’m sure it’s no big deal, but . . .”
“Out with it, woman.”
“I don’t like to feel dirty.”
He did a double blink. “Okay, what?”
“Spitting on me.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “I like sex, obviously. But not when it’s dirty.”
“And that’s dirty to you?” Because damn, he’d thought he was being practical.
“It’s not exactly nice to spit on someone.”
“That’s not—” He shook his head and decided not to argue the point. “You know when I go down on you most of that wetness is me drooling all over your pussy, right?”
Even in the dim light he could see her blush. “It’s not that. It’s the spitting.”
“Ah, spitting, not spit. What else?”
“Nothing else.”
“You thought that would make me mad?”
“I know guys like things rougher, dirtier. But that kind of thing takes me out of it, and I feel like, well, used.” She gave the saddest of sighs. “Everybody has their thing, right? Some people like leather or tantric sex or lingerie. I like it to be, well, nice.”
He brushed his lips against her cheek and whispered, “Now I can’t stop thinking of you in lingerie.”
“I wish I’d packed some, but I thought I’d be rooming with Christa.” She tilted her head and met his gaze. “If you like things rougher, I can try, but—”
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. “Baby, I asked you to tell me if something was too much. And you did.”
“I know, but—”
“You have a great butt.” He squeezed her ass. “Sugar, I want you to tell me when it’s good, and when it’s not. Promise?”
She nodded, her pretty lips stretching into a shy smile.
“So I can still kiss you all I want?” He brushed his lips against her smile, her body melting into his.
“Yes, please.” A sweet hum followed her words.
“And lick you anywhere.” He made a path from her lips, down her neck, to those gorgeous breasts.
“Yes, please.” Marissa turned onto her back and arched to give him more room to play.
“And bite and nibble.” Her nipples tasted like her sex.
She threaded her fingers into his hair. “God, yes.”
He sucked her nipple deep, until she moaned and shifted beneath him. “Because you want me to make love to you.”
“Yes, please.” Her words floated on her breath, barely audible.
He drew a circle with his tongue around her belly button. “Pretty, not dirty.”
“Scott, yes.”
He kissed her again, deep and hard. This time when they made love he didn’t rush, exploring her body with his eyes, mouth, hands. The first time, he’d wanted it to be good for her. Now, he needed to make it more than that. For every
inch of her body to know his touch, his kiss, his need for her.
He brought them both to the limits of control, and then followed her right over the edge. By the time his brain started working again, she’d fallen asleep in his bed like she belonged there. He had to convince her that she did. Because he couldn’t let her go, not now.
He didn’t want this to fade away across the miles and months apart. Before, he’d always been the one to lose interest in relationships, successfully avoiding commitment by searching for that one, perfect feeling. Only now he’d found it with a woman who had no desire to light up his world permanently, even if he made it revolve around her.
10
The annoying peal of the telephone jolted Marissa awake. She’d give anything to silence it and sink back into a delightfully naughty dream about Scott and naked snowshoeing. She’d been so hot and bothered she hadn’t felt the cold. Probably because she’d spent the night tucked next to a human heater and buried beneath blankets.
On the third ring she poked his ribs. “Make it stop.”
“Are you awake, or talking in your sleep again?” His voice sounded like it had been dragged across gravel. “Wait, that was ‘Don’t stop, don’t stop.’”
“I don’t talk in my sleep.”
“I think if we ignore it, it’ll go away.” But it rang and rang. He sighed and stretched out an arm to grab the handset. “Is someone dead?”
His chest rumbled beneath her hand as he chuckled. He sat up beside her, but Marissa wasn’t interested in getting out of bed. Not today. The bright sun reflected off the white snow, which meant she couldn’t leave, didn’t have to break the spell yet.
“I don’t have a death wish, Bridezilla. You can talk to your friend.” He handed Marissa the phone and then stood in all his naked masculine glory.
“How’re things at Scott’s bed-and-breakfast?” Tanya’s voice kept her from following him into the bathroom. But no way in hell was she going to talk about Scott’s bed.
“How’s the honeymoon?” She stacked the bed pillows and propped herself up, mourning the loss of her plan to stay in bed all day.
“I’ll let you know when it starts. Having an extra day to spend with everyone was fun, but now people are feeling stuck. The highway is cleared to the east, so we’re going to head up to ski, but I didn’t want to leave you up at Scott’s, unless you want to be there.”
“I think I’ll stay put until I can head home.”
“They’re plowing the westbound lanes this afternoon. The resort parking lot is another thing entirely.” Tanya cleared her throat. “Are you and Scott getting along?”
“For the most part.” She usually entertained Tanya with her dating dilemmas, but she didn’t want any opinions, especially one that might disagree with her own. “We tried snowshoeing yesterday.”
“Wait, you were on snowshoes? I don’t believe it.”
“I figured, so I had him take a picture. I’ll send it to you once I have cell service.” Scott sauntered out of the bathroom and into the living room, perfectly confident without a shirt. She needed to talk him into spending the day that way.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
She hardly believed it herself. Once she couldn’t see Scott through the doorway she risked asking, “Do I talk in my sleep?”
“You mumble. Why?”
“And you never thought to mention it?” She winced and stared at the ceiling. There was no telling what he’d heard last night. Every whisper of a dream she could recall involved him and sex.
“Just how close are you sleeping to Scott? Because I happen to know his guest rooms are upstairs and there’s no way he could hear you from his bedroom unless you’re in it.”
“I’m not—”
“What did you say?” The smirk in Tanya’s voice came across like a dare.
“I don’t know.” She didn’t want to discuss it, but lying felt wrong too. She sat up and tucked the blankets beneath her arms. “Apparently it involved, ‘Don’t stop, don’t stop.’”
“This is fantastic!” Marissa heard Tanya clap like she’d seen a magic trick.
“I think you need to look up the definition of that word.”
“It’s like a dream come true.”
“I’ll make sure that particular dream comes true for me, but why is this your dream exactly?”
“I miss you. And if you’re with Scott, you’ll be here and it will be just like before Matt.”
“Matt who you just married? Who you uprooted your whole life to be with? I am so confused.”
“I can’t be with him all the time. And there are things you don’t do with your man.”
“You do everything with him.” They had the world’s most adorably compatible relationship. It was sickening.
“You know, running, pedicures, bikini waxing, chick flicks, sushi.”
“I don’t think I would eat sushi this far inland. Next time you come to the city we’ll get your whole situation figured out.” Tanya had just listed their weekend itinerary for the entire time they were roommates. Well, up until Matt upgraded himself from boyfriend to fiancé.
“You’re a sushi snob because you grew up on the coast. Where towns are small, and so are the opportunities.”
Guilty on both counts. She’d never abide grocery store sushi or crab with a K. “That’s why I moved to Portland and landed a great job and a fabulous apartment. I’m not moving here to Snowland. ”
“The lease is up on our apartment in January, and I jazzed up your résumé and sent it to my hotel director.” Excitement spilled over the edges of Tanya’s voice. “The resort manager asked for your contact details. He was impressed by the way you saved the rehearsal dinner. So to thank you, I sent him your résumé too. You’ll have job offers before you even leave town.”
Because jobs fell from the sky. “I’m leaving as soon as the roads are clear.”
“What about Scott?”
Right now that was her million-dollar question. What to do about Scott, and the way he could quiet her thoughts with a look or a touch. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him if he’s in town, but I’m not coming back here ever again during snow season.”
“It’s early for snow. Maybe it’s a sign. Without the snow you wouldn’t be doing the humpty with Scott.”
“Classy. But not convincing.” If she leaned just so, she could see Scott building the fire. If she had to stay another night, she’d get up with him tomorrow and watch how he did it. Snowstorm Survival 101.
“Oh, damn. Was it terrible?”
“Was what terrible?” Marissa blinked, not at all sure where this would go.
“Bow-chicka-wow-wow.”
She rubbed at her temple. “I think we’re done talking now.”
“Is he some kind of perv or just lame?”
“Stop. Just stop. This whole conversation has gone off the rails.”
The woman laughed like a maniacal killer. “I thought it was ‘Don’t stop, don’t stop.’”
“Okay, we’re done. I need to figure out how to keep him from dragging me back out into the cold. He mentioned snowmobiles.”
“Shower sex usually works wonders. You work up a sweat and rinse it right off. Or being facedown, ass up when he walks into a room. It completely short circuits the male brain.”
“Back to your honeymoon, horny toad.” She clicked off the phone and set it on the nightstand. If they hadn’t gone through half their condoms already, she’d be game to spend the day steaming up his shower. But they’d need to be more creative.
She opted for one of his white T-shirts, mostly because her nipples were visible beneath the thin material. If that didn’t bring him back to bed, she’d just take the thing off. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and started braiding it as she walked into the living room.
Scott knelt on the hearth, coaxing the fire up to a dull roar. She placed both hands on the muscles of his broad back, then traced her fingers down to his toned ass and squeezed. He tensed, then glanced a
t her over his shoulder.
“Careful what you start, sugar.” He added another log to the fire before turning around, his erection not at all hidden by his barely buttoned jeans. He sat on the hearth and pulled her between his splayed legs. His hands were on her hips, the T-shirt covering her like a dress, but his gaze never left her face. Which would be perfect, except she really wanted to get back to bed.
She checked to make sure her hard nipples were visible through his shirt, then lifted her gaze to his. “I was thinking about yesterday, coffee and cream?”
He titled his chin in a half nod. “I’ll fire up the generator, then I’ll make breakfast while the hot water heats up.”
If there wasn’t a clock ticking on their time together, she’d be all for that. But if the roads cleared today, she’d have no excuse to stay another night. “Or, you can fire me up and I can heat you up.”
His green eyes flashed, all dominance and desire. “Are you always this hedonistic?”
She shook her head and traced his lower lip with her thumb. “You inspire me. Or maybe it’s all the testosterone you give off.”
“If you’re so inspired, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” He pushed his hands beneath the shirt, lifting the hem over her bare ass. The cool air made her realize she was already wet for him, from nothing more than a look.
“I’m not going anywhere today.” She combed her fingers through his hair, as messy and freshly fucked as hers.
“Mine until the snow melts?” He pressed his thumb at the apex of her slit, so close to her clit her pussy clenched. She nodded and tried to spread her legs, but his thighs kept her in place. “I like keeping you on the edge of coming all day.”
“I can tell.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, her mind spinning with ways to keep that from happening. She was not spending another day so acutely aware of her vagina.
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