His admission gave her the courage she needed. “I’ve wondered what it would be like, too.” Cat could feel his erection pressed against her belly. Talon looked like a cougar in repose, nonetheless dangerous to her. She felt the slickness between her thighs, understanding her body wanted him. Her heart, however, felt pulverized, and as Talon pulled back the covers and gave Cat room for her to move over, she wanted nothing more.
Talon brought the covers up. Cat had come into his arms, laying her head on his shoulder, her arm spanning his torso. “Better?” he rasped against her hair.
“Much,” she whispered. “I’m so tired, Talon.”
“I know you are.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “Close your eyes? I’ll just hold you the rest of the night. Only good dreams…”
*
CAT WASN’T SURE where her dream began or ended with Talon. Just having the strong, male warmth surrounding her, his arms holding her close, she was caught up in her dream of sliding her hand down across his chest, feeling the spanned hardness of the muscles beneath, the soft hair tangling between her fingertips. He felt so good. So alive. So sexy. There was nothing soft or forgiving around his body, however. His muscles tensed wherever she skimmed his chest, shoulder and upper arm. And when she felt herself laid upon her back, his mouth warmly sipping from her lips, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Is this what you want?” Talon asked in a low, rasping voice, holding her aroused gaze. He was afraid of survivor sex with Cat. People who were traumatized frequently turned to sex to reaffirm life. It would be taking advantage of Cat, something Talon refused to do. He wanted Cat to come to him when she honestly felt ready, not driven into his arms due to trauma.
She blinked once. “I—I thought it was a dream.”
“You don’t want this because of what happened yesterday?” he demanded, digging into her soft eyes.
“Oh,” she muttered, “survivor sex?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ve seen so much trauma, Talon, and I never once went looking for sex as a Band-Aid for my emotions. Does that answer your question?” Her mouth curved softly as she held his narrowed gray eyes, which burned with desire for her alone.
He smiled a little and shrugged, his hand grazing her cheek. “That’s good to hear. Where do dreams end and reality begins?”
Cat realized it was dawn, the night chased away as she’d slept deeply and without nightmares in Talon’s arms. She looked at the growth of his beard, how it emphasized his hollowed cheeks, the stormy look in his narrowed, hunterlike eyes as he leaned over her, intently watching her. “Talon,” she whispered, “I want to love you. I’ve wanted to love you, I think, since I looked into your eyes out on that highway.”
Utterly speechless, Talon leaned down, kissing her hairline, hearing a soft sound of surrender escape her lips. A sound of pure pleasure.
“Tell me what you want, what you like.” He felt her tense and he lifted his chin, looking down at her. She seemed confused, which prompted him to add, “You let me know if you like or don’t like something I’m doing, okay?” He traced her full lower lip with his thumb. “I want to make you feel good. That’s all.”
“It sounds wonderful,” she admitted, her voice hoarse because the look he gave her sent scalding signals straight down to her lower body.
“I’m going to get a condom from my room. I’ll be right back.” Talon eased away from her, stood up and disappeared from her room. He came back and got rid of the boxer shorts. Her gaze moved over his taut, honed body. In the dawn light, the shadows emphasized the power of him and she felt her heart thud with anticipation. He was indeed a lithe, boneless cougar as he walked around the bed, coming to her side and sliding in next to her. The look on his face was one of focus—on her. It excited her. As Talon slid next to her, Cat felt an anticipation she’d never experienced as he cupped her cheek, angling her toward his mouth.
Her world spun like golden webs beaded with rainbow droplets of water, only each droplet was his kiss, his mouth teaching her how to kiss him in return, drowning her mind in fiery depths where she no longer thought, only felt. As he slid his hand beneath the hem of her silk nightgown, slowly working it upward across her thigh, gathering at her waist, her world began to melt. Talon’s hand followed the curve of her taut thigh, slowly opening her, kissing the inside of her soft, sensitive flesh, moving toward her wet entrance. Feeling his mouth move closer and closer, her breath became uneven and she moaned with anticipation.
Talon moved slowly, testing Cat, teasing her, seeing where she was at. He wanted this first time to be good for her, not a disaster. Unsure of whether she’d ever been touched in her most secret of places, he lay above her, watching her expression, hearing the soft sounds caught in her slender throat, her eyes closing, pinkness flooding her cheeks. Yeah, she liked it, but he took his time, playing her, asking her to participate.
As Talon leaned down, his moist breath across her nipple hidden by the silk nightgown, she gasped softly. The next time, he settled his lips around that hardened nipple and she cried out, but it was a sound of pleasure. And just as he slowly suckled her, he slid his finger into the soft, yielding folds, gauging her reaction. She was wet and slick, more than ready for him. The moment he began to tease that knot of nerves just inside her, she arched into his hand, groaning. Her eyes flew open and he smiled down into them, seeing nothing but surprise coupled with deep arousal. No fear. That was good, because Talon felt her body begin to tighten, begin to prepare for an orgasm.
Whispering her name across her lips, drinking her breath into him, Talon slid a second finger into her, slowly moving forward. She was incredibly small and tight. Instantly, she cried out, the raw sound drowning like sunlight into his mouth, her entire body convulsing. He felt her muscle tighten and grip him, her breath ragged and hoarse with small cries as the orgasm flowed through her. Sweet, hot fluid surrounded his fingers.
Panting, Cat’s whole world turned hot and scalding, as if someone had hurled her off into some bright, floating, beautiful place she’d never been before. She heard Talon growl her name as her body rippled and gripped his fingers. A second orgasm filled with rich heat spread throughout her, pleasure flooding every sense she had. He moved his fingers within her, not allowing her to come down, rather, stimulating another, even more powerful orgasm that shattered her lower body. Cat could only sob his name, gripping his upper arm, her back arched tautly against him.
Talon watched the flush of orgasm sweep sweetly up across her straining body. He slowly removed his fingers, wanting her to rest for a bit, allow her to absorb all the pleasure he could see reflected in her skin. As Cat dug deep into his thick biceps, he smiled. She barely opened her eyes. They were glazed with awe as she held his stare.
“Wh-what happened?” she whispered, her brow furrowing.
Talon kissed her swollen, wet lips. “Multiple orgasms. Feel good?” He pulled away just enough to see her luscious mouth curve into a delicious, satisfied smile.
“Good,” she whispered. “So good.” Cat closed her eyes.
“There’s more to come,” he promised thickly, pulling the straps of the nightgown off her shoulders. In a few pulls and nudges, the lavender silk ended up on the floor next to the bed. Now Talon could look at her naked. Cat was long, firm and sculpted from the workouts and firefighting she did for a living. Skimming her lower leg, knee and thigh, he settled his hand against her gently rounded belly. Talon captured the first nipple in his mouth. Cat was so sensitive, exquisitely so. Every touch, large or small, made her react in some way that told him she liked what he was doing with her. She nearly came apart between his hands as he lavished each nipple, suckling her and then moving one hand to between her thighs, feeling her slickness with his fingers, knowing she was more than ready for him. Talon felt her building toward another orgasm. He was so close to coming he had to get inside of her. He rolled on the condom.
Parting her thighs with his knees, Talon knelt before her, his hands on her curved thighs. Sh
e had wide hips, a long rib cage and full, perfect breasts. Her nipples were a rosy pink color, hard, and as he leaned down, he placed his throbbing erection at her slick, hot entrance. Talon saw Cat brace her back, her fists curling into the bedcovers. All good signs. She was small and tight. And Talon wasn’t small at all. Covering her with his body, his elbows taking most of his weight off her, he eased just inside her, gauging her response.
A groan tore from her and Talon patiently waited. She was incredibly wet, and it felt as if a fist surrounded him. Very slowly, he moved in and out of her, rubbing that sweet knot. It took the tension out of her and he watched Cat sigh and become aroused. And when he pulled a nipple into his mouth, biting it lightly, just enough to reach that pleasure-pain point to focus her attention, she released a sweet moan and automatically arched her hips against his. Cat instinctively reacted, drew him more deeply into her. It was give and take, gentle, slow and burning him up alive. Talon could feel himself tighten and scream for release, but he wasn’t going to cause Cat pain. He could handle his own hunger for all the right reasons.
Moving to her other breast, he blew his moist breath across the taut peak, heard her moan his name. Placing his teeth around it, he tugged on it just enough and she groaned, her hands releasing the covers, flying to his shoulders, digging frantically into his flesh. Talon thrust deeper into her and forced himself to wait. The time allowed her body to accommodate him until, finally, he could feel her muscled walls begin to relax around his erection. Talon then drew the nipple deep into his mouth, suckling strongly. Cat cried out, her hips bucking wildly against his hips and he thrust as deep as he could go into her, then forced himself to halt. Perspiration dotted his wrinkled brow.
Cat tensed, but the more he suckled her, the more she relaxed and she began to push her hips insistently against his. She was slick, hot honey around him, and Talon planted his elbows on either side of her head. Now he could rock her rhythmically, stimulate her and have her orgasm with him inside her this time.
Her fingers convulsively dug and released against his shoulders as Talon pulled out and then thrust slowly into her. All the way. He wanted to teach her about speed and rhythm, while watching her, feeling how her body responded to him. As he increased the swiftness of his thrusts, he heard her mewl, bucking against him, feeling the surge of another orgasm preparing to explode within her. Talon gritted his teeth, closing his eyes, moving hard into her, her fingers clawing into his tense, bunched shoulders. The slick dampness between them made it easy for him to pump into her and, seconds later, he felt the violent convulsion of the orgasm grip and surround him.
Cat sobbed his name as her orgasm exploded within her. He used his body to not only make it more powerful for her but prolong it to the point where she would go suddenly weak beneath him. And when she sank limply into the mattress, Talon lay very still within her, feeling her breasts heave against his chest, the harsh rasp of her breath against his neck, the rose flush covering her body beneath him.
Yeah, this was what it was all about: giving her absolute, mindblowing pleasure. Cat’s eyes were shut and a faint, almost mysterious smile of satisfaction curved her swollen lips. It made Talon feel powerful, like a man. As he pressed kisses against her hairline, her lids, cheeks, he allowed Cat to rest beneath him. She was so soft and curved against his unforgiving angular lines and hardness.
Now Talon was going to take pleasure for himself, but he wasn’t content without her participation. Raising up on his knees, he settled his large hands around Cat’s hips, drawing her tight against him. As he leaned over, her breasts were within easy reach of his mouth and hands. Sinking deep within her, Talon moved slowly, awakening her body once more. Curving his hands around her taut breasts, watching those nipples harden with just his touch, he smiled into her barely opened eyes.
“Come with me,” he urged thickly. “One more time?”
She smiled. Her hands curved around his forearms. He felt the wetness collecting as he nudged. Talon smiled to himself. Yeah, she was so damned responsive, so sensitive…and then he set about taking her right up to that ultimate moment. Talon framed her face, took her mouth hard and plunged himself deep and repeatedly into her, triggering that incredible reflex within her body. The livid, scalding fire surged down his spine, ripping through him. Talon pulled her into his arms, holding her hard, fused with her, never wanting to let her go.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CAT AWOKE SLOWLY, nuzzling into the pillow. Sunlight was bright around the curtained window in her bedroom. She was filled with a sense of quiet euphoria, a satisfaction humming through her body she’d never experienced before. She heard the door open and slowly opened her eyes.
“Hey,” Talon said, smiling as he brought over a tray and set it on the dresser. Cat’s face was drowsy, her eyes barely open, a faint smile curving her mouth, which made him go hot with longing for her again. She slowly turned onto her back and rubbed her eyes.
“What time is it?” she asked thickly.
“Nine o’clock.” Cat was naked and as she sat up and the covers pooled around her hips, he absorbed her luscious body. Talon hoped she knew by this morning how beautiful, how sexy and sensual she was. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he said, “I thought you might like a cup of coffee.” He held the mug toward her after she dropped her hands into her lap.
Cat felt the heat of Talon’s stare, felt her body effortlessly respond to his very male look. “Thanks,” she said, her voice groggy. Their fingers touched and Cat held his slate-gray eyes, felt the unspoken warmth unfurling around her. “I had the most delicious, sexy dreams I’ve ever had last night.” She put the cup to her lips, inhaling the fragrance of the coffee, watching him over the rim.
Talon was dressed in a white cowboy shirt, the sleeves rolled up, his jeans and boots. He had shaved and showered. She inhaled the scent of the evergreen soap he’d used earlier. The way his mouth quirked, the amusement dancing in his eyes, she smiled with him and then took a sip of the hot coffee.
“Funny thing,” Talon offered, reaching out and taming some of her hair away from her cheek, “I had the very same dreams. Want to compare notes?” She looked satisfied and Talon could feel himself growing hard wanting Cat all over again. Her cheeks grew pink over his touch. Yes, she was easily affected by him, Talon realized. This morning, though, Cat looked like a woman who had been pleasured with the gifts a man could give her. That made him feel good.
His heart expanded with fierce emotion as she lowered the cup to her lap, both her long, graceful hands wrapped around it.
“This is a dream that seems to keep going even while I’m awake.”
“It’s a good dream. I like sharing it with you.”
Talon seemed to become serious, his heated gaze on her. She was naked but she felt no discomfort or shyness. When his eyes moved from her face to her breasts, she felt them tighten, felt her nipples hardening. “I like our dream,” she whispered, lifting the cup.
“So do I.” Talon watched her slowly sip the coffee. He’d kissed that wide, full mouth, tasted her, loved her, and he wanted more. “How are you feeling this morning?” Talon was sure she was probably sore and achy. He leaned forward and brushed her pink cheek with his thumb. Her lashes lowered and she leaned into his palm. Trust. Cat trusted him.
The power of her gesture humbled him. He’d worried about the trust being broken between them, but if anything, it only grew stronger. The words I love you damn near tore out of his mouth. He was so shocked by it he lowered his hand, stunned. Love? Was this what love felt like? Because Talon couldn’t remember a time when he’d awakened the next morning after having sex with a woman and feeling like this.
“I’m happy,” Cat whispered. Her skin prickled pleasantly as he’d grazed her cheek. The intimacy between them was quiet and strong. She remembered his hands making her flesh sing last night, giving her priceless gifts of pleasure she’d never known existed until he’d walked into her life. And looking at him sitting near her, his hip against
her blanketed thigh, Cat had never felt so happy. She could see the love shining in his eyes for her. And although she thought she knew what love was, she really hadn’t until now. Because the gleam in his eyes held so many unspoken, good emotions in them for her alone.
“Sore?”
“Oh,” she murmured, smiling a little shyly. “Well, some, but I’m okay.”
“A hot bath will put you in good order.” Talon wanted to take that cup out of her hands, lie down at her side and start to love Cat all over again. There was a new tenderness and openness to her this morning. His body was hard, wanting to teach her, show her so many intimate ways to fly with him on the wings of pleasure. “Want me to draw it for you?”
She gave him a sleepy smile. “You’d do that?”
He slid his hand down her blanketed thigh, remembering the sensitive flesh on the inner side, how she’d come apart beneath his fingers, how slickly wet she’d become. “Of course.”
She tilted her head, the coffee halfway to her lips. “Am I in a dream?”
“When a man and woman have a good relationship, Cat, it flows into all the rest of the parts of their lives.” And who was he to talk? Talon had never spent a morning after with a woman he’d had sex with. Ever. It had been an unbroken rule in his book of life. Until now. Until Cat. And he found himself wanting to please her, care for her, make her smile. Make her happy in large and small ways. Just the velvet look she gave him made his heart sing powerfully and joy tunneled through him. He rose and leaned down, kissing her brow. “I’ll get the bath ready for you. And then I’ll make us breakfast.”
His lips on her sent a sheet of heat all the way from her breasts straight down to the simmering heat in her womb. She looked up into his eyes, feeling his need of her. “Thanks,” she whispered. “You’re absolutely spoiling me.”
Talon stood for a moment and absorbed her half-awake expression, the happiness glinting in her eyes. “You deserve to be spoiled, babe.”
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