by Unknown
His hands skimmed up her legs to her thighs, pressing them wider so he could maneuver himself into place. Shay knew that he didn’t need cuffs, Jonah could control every inch of her body with a single touch. He knew how to touch her in a way that had her heart waving the surrender flag.
“Jonah,” she whispered, because all of this warmth collecting around her chest wasn’t part of the deal.
“I got ya,” he said and then his mouth was on the move, going lower and lower and lower still. Everything in its path tightening until—he gave that same little nip and flick combo right up the center of her lace.
“Jonah.” This time his name was a plea of a different kind.
“Right here, Trouble,” he chuckled, and in case she wasn’t clear where here was, he did it again, this time pulling the panties to the side so all she got was hot skin on deliciously hot skin.
Shay lay back—she couldn’t help it. What the man was able to do with just his mouth was lethal. And his hands . . . strong and oh-so capable, they skillfully tracked over every inch of her body, visiting all the good parts twice, driving her completely out of her mind and bringing her right to the point of no return.
Only he kept bringing her there, then backing off.
She lifted her hips, showing him exactly what she needed, because he was right there and she was so ready. God, so ready. All he had to do was go a little bit harder or softer and he would hit the sweet spot. But these kisses weren’t sweet, which was fine with Shay, since she wasn’t feeling very sweet. She was achy and worked up and in need of something that seemed to be getting farther and farther from reach with each swipe of his tongue.
“Now,” she moaned, hoping that verbal communication would spur him into action.
“Soon,” was his only response, followed by a chuckle.
“This isn’t funny,” she groaned. “Nothing about slowly being driven crazy is remotely funny to me.”
“Tell me about it,” he said, sounding a little crazed himself, a little out of control—and man, was it a turn-on. Jonah slowly losing control was about the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.
“This”—he whispered while slipping three fingers into her swollen, wet flesh, curling them until they hit the money spot, sending a million tingles racing through her body at once, with no exit in sight—“is how crazy I feel every time I see you.”
“Then come and be crazy with me,” she said.
“Soon.” He gave her one final kiss, the perfect kiss, gentle and demanding and everything she needed, his fingers hitting the spot he’d been teasing around for what felt like eternity, and then she exploded. He literally drove her right out of her mind and over the edge and into the best orgasm of her life.
She cried out, his name slipping so freely from her lips it should have startled her, but her body was too busy trembling from the aftershocks of sheer pleasure for her mind to function properly. In fact, she felt so good she couldn’t have made a coherent thought to save her life.
Jonah stirred and she slowly opened her eyes, realizing she was on her back, the couch beneath her and Jonah on top. And they were somehow both completely naked. A condom wrapper on the floor.
“Now?” she asked.
“Yeah, Trouble.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “Now.”
He entered her in one long thrust, letting her get used to the delicious pressure. After a moment, he began moving inside of her, sure and strong, and if she thought he was a master with his mouth, well, sweet baby Jesus, this was even better than before—and that had been the best orgasm of her life.
“I like now,” she whispered, her arms sliding around his neck, pulling her to him as he slowly pumped in and out.
“Better than soon?” he asked, kissing her.
“Even better than anytime.” She kissed him back and then his hands were everywhere at once.
Touching and gripping, clinging to one another until their skin became slick, hot and burning, creating a friction as they moved, so raw and electric it arced between them, back and forth until they had to fight to cling to one another. But soon the fight became easy and they began to glide in perfect unison.
As if sensing the change, the newfound ease between them, Jonah pushed up on his arms, looking down to where they were joined. Shay watched too, watched as they both found the connection they needed—and maybe more than they expected.
Then his gaze rose to Shay’s, raw and fierce, and her skin flushed hotter and she felt Jonah right there with her. Seeing all of her. The parts she kept hidden and the parts she denied.
Suddenly, Shay didn’t want to deny herself, she wanted to feel cherished and needed and . . . a part of something more than herself. And Jonah was more, she decided, in all the right ways.
She tightened around him, pulling him in deeper and deeper until he gave one final surge and together they both lost their minds in the most incredible way.
Several moments went by, and Shay lay motionless, relishing the heavy weight of Jonah on top of her. He nuzzled her neck before lifting his head, and Shay changed her mind.
Jonah wasn’t the rock star of hot couch sex, he was the grand master. She had the fabric burns on her back to prove it.
“I’m glad we established that soon and anytime pretty much suck,” she said.
“I hate soon. With you it’s too far away,” he said against her lips. “I think now is more us.”
She liked the sound of us coming from his lips.
“Well, how about we try out the word more?” she whispered, running her hands down his chest. She couldn’t seem to stop touching him, which was fine with her since he couldn’t seem to keep his paws to himself either.
“More, huh? That can be arranged.” He playfully snagged her lower lip with his teeth, sucking it into his mouth, getting her ready for more when his phone gave a distinctive ping.
He groaned, but not the kind that promised any of that more she was hoping for. It pinged again. With a tired huff he rested his forehead against hers. “It’s work.”
Shay reached down and blindly felt around for his jeans. Panties, bra, condom wrapper, denim—bingo. She rifled through his pockets, surprised to find a whole pack of condoms—confident guy—then grabbed his phone. “Here.”
He looked at the screen and took in a deep breath. “It’s a callout. Nonemergency.”
“Are you on call tonight?” she asked, and he gave her a pained look that said he was always on call. Even worse, she could see that he was conflicted about what to do.
Shay framed his face with her hands, drawing him closer so he knew how serious she was. “Whatever you need to do tonight, Jonah, I’ll understand.”
And she did. Did she want him to leave their little cocoon that was safe from the outside world? No way. In her shop they were just Jonah and Shay, no distractions, no expectations, no conflicting lives. And she wanted more of that. More talking, more kissing, more sharing.
More Jonah.
But she also didn’t want him to feel like he had to change or hide who he was around her. A huge part of Jonah was his job, and she understood and supported that.
“What I need right now . . .” He smiled wickedly, then, to her surprise, powered down his phone. “Is you.” He looked over her head and flapped his hand. “And maybe a little privacy, guys.”
Shay craned her neck to find three sets of eyes staring back, and laughed. “I forgot to feed them.”
At the mention of feeding all three pairs of ears perked up. So did her stomach.
Jonah looked down at her belly and quirked a brow.
“I forgot to feed myself too,” she said, using her hands to muffle the embarrassing growling. Resigned to leaving the couch, she tried to move, an impossible task when he refused to budge. “I have to feed them or they will continue staring and then the whining will start. It’s not pretty, trust me.”
“Are you always on duty?” he teased but didn’t let her answer, giving her a quick kiss. “Glad that’s settled. Now, you s
tay here. I will feed the mutts. And then,” his eyes roamed down her body and back up, “I will feed you.”
“Dessert for dinner?” she said as he rolled off, completely at home in his gloriously naked state.
“I already had my dessert, now I want cake. Don’t move.”
She watched as his very fine ass stalked to the door, then he stopped and stalked back. The man was impressive from all angles. Taking her wrists, he lifted them above her, made a big deal about positioning them on the arm of the couch, then leaned down and pressed an openmouthed kiss to each of her breasts.
“Now don’t move,” he ordered. “I’ll be back with the cake.”
“I don’t have any plates,” she explained as he disappeared into the other room.
“Then I guess we’ll have to get creative.”
Shay could do creative. All night long if she was lucky.
A light tapping woke Jonah with a start. Pulse beating out of his chest, ears dialed to alert, he took stock. He was sticky, hot as hell, and couldn’t remember where he was. Then a warm ball of woman snuggled closer, her ass rubbing up against his morning wood and—ah yeah, he remembered now.
Every little detail.
He tightened his arms around her and tried to ignore that his entire left side was stuck to the couch with what he assumed was a superadhesive combination of sweat and icing. His hand immediately found her breast and he pressed a few kisses down her spine, wondering just how tired she was.
She gave a sexy little sigh and burrowed deeper into him, wiggling in a way that made going back to sleep impossible, then she was dead to the world. He wasn’t surprised, since he’d checked off nearly every wish he’d had during their marathon meet-and-greet last night.
Well, every wish minus the cuffs.
Taptaptap.
A low growl vibrated on his calf. Jonah peered over to find himself, Shay, and two of the mutts snuggled on the couch. One big fucking happy family.
With a groan, he scooped Socks off his hip and set her on the floor, then shooed Boss off, who landed with a big thud. Jabba was already at the door, tapping I gotta pee in doggie Morse code against the glass pane.
“As much as it kills me to say this, baby, I need to get up,” Jonah whispered, running a hand over her stomach and back up, maybe high enough to brush her breast. Okay, definitely high enough. She had great breasts—full, high, and just his size.
The perfect size, as far as he was concerned.
Shay stretched, giving him all the go-ahead he needed to continue his inspection, then rolled over, nuzzling even closer and pressing her face to his chest. The rest of her was doing some pretty amazing pressing too, so amazing he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head when she tossed her thigh over his.
“Baby,” he groaned. “You’re not making this easy.”
“You smell good,” she whispered, her voice so thick with sleep he wondered just how awake she was. Then her tongue ran up his chest, circling his nipple and answering that question. “Like cake. I love fig cake.”
Jonah was a pretty big fan too. After last night, it was his new favorite cake, and he was considering finishing it off for breakfast. He’d just started licking the remains off Shay’s shoulder when—
Taptaptap.
He groaned. “Don’t move,” he whispered, carefully untangling Shay’s body from his. Smart-ass that she was, she raised her hands above her head and laid them across the arm of the couch.
“Assume the position. Got it, Sheriff.”
She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And lucky son of a bitch that he was, she just lay there, spread out like a feast for his eyes, letting him look his fill.
Taptaptap.
This time it was followed by a long-suffering whine that had Jonah pulling on his pants. “Be right back.”
He smacked his thigh and the other two dogs followed him to the front of the shop. He clicked on the main floor lights and stopped.
Jabba wasn’t trying to get out, he was trying to let someone in. Regardless, Jonah opened the door, and all three dogs bolted past Adam to the nearest maple tree to do their business.
Jonah took in the grim lines on his brother’s face and the exhaustion rolling off of him. Ah shit, this couldn’t be good.
“You’re a hard man to find,” Adam said, leaning against the doorframe as though it were the only thing holding him upright. His SHFD blues were streaked with dirt and his skin was damp with sweat. “Been calling you all night.”
Jonah patted his back pocket and found it empty. He closed his eyes. “Turned it off.”
“When I spotted your car,” he motioned to Jonah’s cruiser at the curb, “I figured it was either that or you were too busy to answer.” He looked at Jonah’s state of dress, which was more been busy getting busy than fell asleep cat sitting, and he grinned. “Guess it was both.”
Yeah, yeah. “Is everything okay?”
Adam’s smile died. “Giles was reported missing at lunch check-in.”
Jonah looked at his watch and swore. “That was over sixteen hours ago.”
The first eight to twelve hours were the most critical in situations like this. Jonah buttoned his jeans and was turning to grab his stuff when Adam stopped him. “We found him, man. He’s okay. A little dehydrated and hungry, but okay.”
“Where was he?”
“Asleep on Clovis’s back porch,” Adam explained. “I guess he went there to get his shag on or whatever it is old people do after hours and had a breathing issue. He didn’t have his meds.”
“Of course he didn’t. Because why would a man with a breathing problem carry his meds when walking across town?”
Adam looked at Jonah’s state once again and laughed. “Do you really have to ask?”
No, no he didn’t. He understood perfectly.
“When he didn’t show for dinner we sent a callout to all departments and Search and Rescue as far as two counties over.” The callout that Jonah had ignored. He hadn’t even read it, just saw that it was a nonemergency and thumbed his phone off. “Someone matching his description was seen heading into the foothills, by the Old Mill Trail.”
Which explained the condition of Adam’s uniform. If any team would handle the hills, it would be Adam’s. “Why the hell was he hiking?”
“He wasn’t. Clovis called about an hour ago, saying there was a peeper on her porch making heavy breathing sounds. The officer who responded found Giles. He was sitting on her porch swing, semiresponsive.”
“Where is he now?”
“En route to St. Helena Memorial. I wouldn’t be surprised if they kept him overnight for observation. I was headed there when I saw your car.”
Jonah dropped his head, letting the reality of what had just transpired wash over him. If he’d answered the callout, Clovis’s place would have been at the top of his list for places to check, because he knew what was going on between the two of them.
Man, he’d fucked up. Big-time. And now his uncle was in the hospital.
“Give me a few minutes to grab my stuff and check on the cat, and I’ll meet you there.”
It was the perfect summer morning, Shay thought, making her way toward Cork’d N Dipped, the completed permit petition in her hands. The sun was bright, and there was a light breeze teasing at the orange poppies and yellow snapdragons that filled the wine barrels lining Main Street. And every few feet she’d come across a resident who would smile her way or wish her good afternoon, as though she was part of the inner sanctum.
The best part? Hanging from every gas lamppost was a banner advertising Prance for Paws Charity Pet Walk and three celebrity judges. Shay had no idea who the judges were, only that Peggy must have been hard at work to secure them this fast.
The banners looked professional and polished and, with a different animal peeking out on each banner, impossible to resist. Harper had designed them, Ida had talked a local printer into donating them, and Emerson had gotten them hung in record time. Her friends had done an
amazing job, and not just with pitching in. No, their efforts had gone way beyond that. They’d made Shay feel as if signing that lease had been the best decision of her life.
Funny since last night with Jonah had been the best night of her life. She still wasn’t sure what it all meant, but she knew there was something between them that wasn’t going away. It was something she would have liked to explore more this morning, but she had fallen asleep only to wake to a note.
Just thinking about Jonah had a little zing buzzing in her belly, and instead of pretending it wasn’t there, Shay embraced it.
Smiling like an idiot, Shay pushed through the door to the wine bar. The sunlight reflected off of the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that housed thousands of wine bottles. Cork’d N Dipped had one of the most extensive wine menus on Main Street, and with its midnight lighting, mahogany wood floors, and deep red linens, it exuded elegance and seduction.
Today, however, it was filled with every person she’d gathered to help with the charity walk, all wearing Booty Patrol shirts. The free chocolate-dipped strawberries didn’t hurt.
“Look what I have.” She held up the completed permit and waved it a few times. Jonah had not only signed it, he’d put a rush order on it. “Kelly at town hall said I can pick up the official permit from Civic Services on Tuesday. But that’s a formality and we should be good to go.”
“Great news,” Harper said from the front of the bar. She was dressed in a pair of faded overalls and glasses and had paint on her right cheek. Not that it detracted from her ability to control the room. “Now, have a seat. Peggy was just getting ready to tell the group who she secured for the Prance Prince and Princess judges panel.”
“I saw the flyers,” Shay said, taking a stool at the bar next to Emerson and mouthing thank you, since Harper was back to running the meeting.
“The pledge sheets are done and ready to be dispersed, so make sure you grab a stack on the way out. They are by the exit. And the sign-up sheets will be in next Monday. On to judges. Peggy, you have three minutes. Starting,” Harper looked at her watch, “now.”
