Hunks, Hammers, and Happily Ever Afters

by Cari Quinn

  Recalling the wicked things she’d done with her mouth seconds ago, he dropped the angel part. She was all devil. And he’d have it no other way.

  Intent on driving her to the same wildly intense edge of pleasure she’d bestowed on him, he widened her legs and settled between them, keeping her pinned open with his shoulders. He pressed his jaw to her inner thigh and rubbed along her silky skin, deliberately marking her with his beard scruff. Dipping his head, he kissed the crease where her groin and thigh met. The heady sent of her arousal filled his senses, luring him inward. Her glistening labia beckoned.

  Separating the plump folds with his thumbs, he licked a lazy path from her slit all the way up to her clit. She moaned, her head falling back. Encouraged by that response, he concentrated all of his efforts on the slick nub, tormenting it with short flicks and leisurely glides of his tongue. Her pussy grew wetter and wetter, soaking his mouth and chin. The need to make her come charged every cell in his body. Narrowed his focus to one solitary purpose. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he pushed her over the peak and she screamed his name.

  Sliding two fingers inside her, he located the sensitive patch of tissues guaranteed to rocket her into the stratosphere. He rubbed her G spot and she shuddered, her muscles tensing. With those signs clueing him in that she was primed to detonate, he sucked her clit, coaxing her release with firm pulses of his tongue.

  She broke on a shuddering wail, her body bowing and convulsing with ceaseless tremors. Her fierce climax only stoked his desire to make her come a thousand more times. But this next one he wanted to be on his cock. Too bad that was unlikely to happen, since he had no condoms.

  He released her thighs and leaned up to kiss her nipples. Reluctantly abandoning the ripe buds, he smoothed the hair back from her flushed face. Her dreamy look was the ultimate ego booster. “I want to bury my cock inside you so bad, my balls are probably blue.”

  “Poor baby. We can’t have that.”

  He nudged her nose with his. “As much as I’m dying to get inside you, I don’t have any protection.”

  The moment he said it, an avalanche of Trojan packets pelted them from above. Tucking his arms over his head and Tully’s, he dared a peek skyward. “What the fuck.”

  She giggled. “Guess it’s a case of ask and you shall receive. I’m just glad we don’t need lube. That could have been messy.”

  The shower of condoms stopped. Inspecting their windfall, he grunted. “That tree has been hanging around too many rabbits if it thinks we’re going to be utilizing all of those in one sitting.”

  “I dunno.” She slipped her hand between them and caressed his shaft. “Feels like you’re up for the occasion.”

  Without question, if she continued playing with his cock like that. Then again, just having her warm, sexy body wet and ready for him was enough to guarantee blazing through a good deal of those condoms.

  He unlaced his boots and yanked them off before shucking his pants and briefs. The entire time he stripped, Tully visually ate him alive. He indulgently stroked his dick. “Like what you see?”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Then how about you show me.” He arranged his cargos in front of her. Dissatisfied with the level of padding the clothing offered, he scratched his chin. “Wish we had a cushy king-size. Would be helluva lot more comfy.”

  The ground rumbled, nearly knocking him off his feet. Instinct taking over, he quickly threw himself over Tully. He had no damn idea what he was protecting her from but better not to risk it. Still, it didn’t exactly prevent him from feeling like a huge dope when an enormous log bed materialized under them an instant later.

  Mystified, he cautiously plucked at the moss green quilt covering the mattress. “Why do I feel like I signed up for express delivery from Bed, Bath, and Waaaaay Beyond?” Shaking his head, he grabbed one of the condom packets and ripped it open with his teeth.

  Tully snatched the latex from him. “Allow me.” Awarding him a saucy grin, she wiggled beneath him and pushed against his hips. “Move up a bit.”

  He dutifully complied with the request. Instead of situating the condom on him, she slid her mouth over his cock, her hum of pleasure destroying his equilibrium. Her tongue teased the slit in his cockhead, licking up every pearly drop of his pre-come. She released him with a succulent pop and slipped the Trojan over his engorged gland. “Slides in much easier when it’s wet.” Judging from the wicked sparkle in her eyes, she was plenty aware of the double entendre.

  “Mm, maybe we oughta check out that theory.” He hauled her upward and settled between her legs. Catching her behind the knees with his arms, he eased inside her. Good thing she was soaking wet because she was tighter than hell. Mind-numbing incredible as the snug fit was he didn’t want to hurt her. So he’d go easy on her. For now. Once he’d properly loosened her up he couldn’t promise anything. Particularly since he was already dying to bottom her out. One inch in, seven more to go. It’d be a fucking miracle if he didn’t lose his damn mind before sinking that last inch.

  She arched her back, her nails digging into the bedding as he dragged over her G spot. Unable to resist the way she clenched around him, he retreated a fraction and grazed that sweet spot again. She whimpered, her glassy stare pleading. He leaned down and sucked her bottom lip between his teeth. She rippled around him, the sensation shooting fiery bliss down his spine. He hissed a breath. “Aw, damn, baby. You feel like fucking heaven.”

  She panted against his mouth. “Give me more. Please.”

  “How much do you want?” He offered the question as a tease, but her next words were anything but.

  “All of you.” The emotion shining in her eyes went miles beyond the physical.

  Forcing his gaze from hers, he slid his hands beneath her ass, hiking her closer as he thrust deep. That first driving plunge electrified his nerves like a live wire. Groaning, he pumped his hips, basking in the responding clutch of her pussy. He circled his hips, grinding her clit against his pubic bone. She gasped, her body going liquid around him and her nipples abrading his chest. He kissed the side of her neck. “You like that.”

  “God, yes. Don’t stop.”

  “I’m not. Gonna ride you hard until you fucking lose it on me.” Keeping to his word, he pistoned deeper and deeper, each stroke pushing her nearer to the breaking point. He could feel it in the desperate way she gripped his flanks. Felt it in the flutter and release of those tiny muscles greedily clinging to his shaft. So close. So. Fucking. Close.

  Her breath hitched, body tightening. That telltale sign giving him his cue, he hammered deeper than ever, pinning her to the mattress when her peak hit. He swallowed her cries, his tongue mimicking the motion of his cock as he spiraled her orgasm to the absolute max. The sucking pull of her climax finally did him in. Lodging to the hilt, he groaned her name and shuddered, undiluted nirvana exploding in his cells.

  Slumping, he fought to catch his breath. He couldn’t recall ever coming so hard in his life. Much as he wanted to blame it on the tree’s erotic elixir, he knew the woman limp as a noodle beneath him was the true culprit.

  Tully affected him in a way that no other woman had in a very long time. The scary part? He was starting to like it.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Waking up to a family of raccoons staring at her ranked high on the list of things she’d just as soon not experience again. Jolting up in bed, she poked Huck in the shoulder. Rather than leaping to her rescue as any knight in shining armor should when faced with stray, potentially rabid wildlife, he snored louder and rolled onto his other side.

  Time to take matters into her own hands. She grabbed the pillow behind her head and threw it in the direction of the masked varmints. Their indignant chittering loud enough to wake the dead—but apparently not Huck—they scurried off. Unfortunately, they decided to abscond with one of her flip-flops and Huck’s flannel shirt as parting gifts.

  Uh oh. Well, that’s what he got for snoozing through a coon crisis.

  Sh
e glanced toward the oak. It took an inordinate amount of time for her fuzzy brain to comprehend what was missing. The shimmering wall was gone.

  Apparently the tree was satisfied with its sexy bit of fun and deemed them free to leave.

  She should be thankful for the opportunity. No more porno bunnies and voyeuristic thief raccoons for her. So why did she feel sad?

  Reluctantly abandoning the cozy warmth of the bed, she pulled on her thermal top. It was long enough to cover her butt so she opted to forgo her yoga pants while she hunted for a spot to cop a quick squat. She located a private area blessedly free of poison ivy on the outer edge of the clearing. Relieving her bladder was a huge relief. Realizing she had nothing to wipe with? No so much. “Where’s that bear with the Charmin when you need him?”

  Recalling the oak’s tendency to take helpfulness to the extreme, she gulped. “I didn’t mean that literally. Really. Just a nice roll of TP would be fantastic.”

  A tube of tissue dropped from the sky directly onto her head. Wincing, she snatched the toilet paper before it tumbled to the ground. It might be the magical matriarch of the forest, but the tree could stand to perfect its aim.

  After freshening up and wrapping the tissue to dispose of later, she returned to the clearing and retrieved her pillow. Although the bed and the gorgeously sleep rumpled Huck beckoned, an irresistible force called her to the oak. The early morning light painted its leaves a softer shade of copper than the evening before. Despite the muted tones, its mysterious majesty reigned powerful as ever.

  She’d been too blitzed on lust last night to pay proper attention to the multitude of names carved into the massive trunk. It’d been many years since she’d paid the tree a visit. Even before ending up on the outs with Huck, she’d mostly stayed away. It was either that or endure seeing him with Melanie. That’d been a particular hell she’d avoided at all costs.

  Tearing her mind from that dark avenue of thought, she traced a fingertip over two names centered in a crooked heart. They were new to her. Safe to say many of these were. Although she was sure Huck didn’t appreciate people sneaking onto his land to see the tree, knowing there were still believers out there, well, it was a good thing in her book. The world needed more believers.

  She moved on to the next set of names, this pair all too familiar. Noah and Patience Eastwood. Unlike Huck’s parents, hers hadn’t started their magical courtship via a flat tire. Fed up with her single status at the not so ripe age of twenty-five, Patience Eastwood—then O’Connell—had ventured into the woods and presented the tree with a heartfelt request—a soulmate to share the rest of her days with. Noah, an amateur wildlife photographer from Ohio, had been traveling the UP, capturing the Northern Michigan landscape through his lens. He hadn’t even planned the side trip to Blue Moon, but a strong compulsion had gripped him as he passed the sign for the tiny town. Something bigger than life called to him. Something that would change his life. Heeding that unwavering certainty, he’d turned his vehicle around and kept driving until he’d reached these woods.

  To this day, her dad swore that his life started the moment Patience walked out of the forest toward him.

  A warm glow resting in her heart, she kissed her fingertips and pressed it to her parent’s carving before circling the tree. She continued reading the engravings until she came across two that punched a sucker blow to her gut. A ball of queasiness expanding in her belly, she eyed Huck’s and Melanie’s names.

  She had no idea how long they’d been there. Or who carved them. But the very fact they were there filled her with a deep unease.

  No matter how horribly Melanie wronged Huck, it didn’t change the past. He’d loved her. Possibly to the point of proclaiming it to the entire world by marking it on the tree. For all prosperity.

  She hadn’t failed to notice his response last night whenever she took things to an emotional level. Or more accurately, his lack of response. Either he didn’t feel the same intense connection she did, or he was deliberately shoving it away. Even if it was the later, it presented no less of a bleak outlook.

  Huck may never open his heart to her. Her own heavy, she stepped away from the oak and blinked against the moisture welling in her eyes.

  “Tully?”

  Huck’s panicked shout breaking through her dismalness, she rounded the tree. The tension eased from his features as soon as he spotted her. “Jesus. Don’t scare me like that again.”

  “Sorry. I had to potty.”

  Cracking an enormous yawn, he stretched his arms over his head before rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes. He swung his legs off the bed and stood. “Me too. Don’t wander off while I’m gone.”

  He strode toward the opposite end of the clearing, completely comfortable in his nakedness—and why shouldn’t he be when he was a freakin’ walking lady boner. She unabashedly ogled his firm ass. Seriously, you could bounce a quarter off of it.

  Sighing, she sat on the edge of the mattress. In a million years she would never understand Melanie. Not only was Huck the living definition of a dreamboat, he was a good man. Yes, he could be stubborn as hell. And a jackass at times. But hell, so was she. That’s probably why they butted heads as much as they did. But he had a big heart. Without question. Look at the way he’d protected her all those years. How he still continued to do so, despite her driving him nuts. A man like that? You held tight and never let him go.

  A rustling noise announced that he’d traipsed back into the clearing. “That was quick.”

  “Got plenty of practice with peeing in the woods. Benefits of being a logger.” His lopsided grin stirred butterflies in her belly. Not tackling him on the spot took massive effort. His attention trekked to the tree.

  She could see the exact moment he registered the absence of the wall. Her heart sank a little lower. With no further reason to stay, their idyllic—albeit it strange—time together drew closer to an end. Who knew what would happen once they left the woods. Most likely they’d return to the way things used to be, though minus the yelling and temptation to clobber him.

  Okay, that might be a stretch.

  He crossed to their discarded pile of clothes and tugged on his briefs, much to her everlasting disappointment. Being deprived of his mouthwatering cock and ass for even a second qualified as cruel and unusual punishment. He returned his focus to the ground, a frown marring his countenance. “Have you seen my shirt?”

  “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a raccoon stole it.”

  He grunted. “Not something you hear every day.”

  “They also took one of my flip-flops. And possibly some condoms.”

  “I had no idea raccoons practice safe sex.”

  “You learn something new every day.” She pushed up from the bed and went to put on the rest of her clothes.

  Huck hauled her to him before she could wiggle into her yoga pants. He squeezed her butt cheeks. “I hate to see these get covered.”

  “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about yours.”

  “Oh yeah?” He pulled her snug to his front. “Mm, I forgot to do something.”

  “What?”

  “This.” He ducked his head and kissed her, his tongue sweeping hot and wet against hers. By the time she and Huck came up for air her knees were jelly and her breaths ragged. She was grateful to note she wasn’t the only one suffering that last affliction. He smoothed a hand along her hair, massaging her nape through the messy strands. “Tempted as I am to strip you down and continue that kiss on the bed, we should get out of here.”

  “Yeah, we kind of got sidetracked from that mission last night, didn’t we?”

  “Hell, I’m not complaining.” He tossed her his socks. “I’d give you my boots but you’d float in them.”

  “Thanks.” Using his hip as a support, she tugged on the socks and wiggled her toes. The thick wool provided a way better cushion than her flimsy flip-flops.

  “Will those work? Or do you want me to carry you piggyback?”

  Visua
lizing that scenario, she snorted. “That’s a chiropractic visit waiting to happen.”

  “Shit, compared to my usual gear, you weigh less than a sack of feathers.”

  She wedged her lone flip-flop into her pant waistband. “My ego says thank you while reality laughs its ass off.”

  Chuckling, he hunched over and snatched a handful of the condoms. Giving her a smoky look, he stuffed them in his pockets.

  Well, happy birthday to me.

  “Ready?” At her nod, he took her hand and led her to the deer path. The return trip went much smoother and quicker this time. She hesitated as they passed the thicket of brush. “What do you suppose those voices were yesterday?”

  “I have no damn idea. Maybe the tree has a few cronies.”

  There was no question that the forest was unique. Special, as she’d tried to explain to him yesterday. And she didn’t doubt the possibility of equally magical creatures calling it home. How could she, after what she’d seen? Fairies. Nature spirits. It could be anything and everything. Exciting as it would be to have the answer, she was equally content to leave the mystery unsolved.

  They stepped from the woods and she spotted her purse still leaning against the front tire. Relief swept her. With these bandit raccoons roaming around, she was damn lucky it was still there. After a quick scan of her bag’s contents to confirm no missing items, she checked her cellphone. Still plenty of battery, so she placed the call to Larry’s. This time it went through. She obtained the tow driver’s ETA and hung up. Sliding her gaze to Huck’s, she twitched her nose. “What do you think the odds are that our tree friend is responsible for our wonky connection problems earlier?”

  “I’d say it’s a safe bet.” Huck checked his watch. “We’ve got some time. I’ll fix us breakfast.”

  A man who cooked and fucked like a porn star? Yeah, that Melanie was definitely a dumb ass.

  ~*~

  The smell of bacon and fresh java making her giddy, she leaned against the center island in Huck’s kitchen. “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?”