by Doreen Alsen
That got them off and running, making plans. As Ainslie was the one with all the auction experience, she ended up working with Pamela on choosing which artist’s work would be featured and pricing the auction acquisitions. Pamela knew the artists to visit. As for Ainslie, she loved dealing with artists and planned to enjoy seeing the mirrors they’d come up with.
“Hello, ladies,” Dave’s smooth, deep voice came from behind her. “Are you done organizing the world?”
He dropped his hand on her shoulder and her nerve endings popped and fizzed. Her stomach jumped, her heart stuttered. She hadn’t felt that way in a very long time. Not since before Bobby Lee went to jail.
Dave Mason seemed to have the magic touch.
She liked it.
“Just finished. Ainslie’s ideas are fantastic!” Andi tipped her head to one side.
“Of course they are.” He grinned at Andi. “She’s amazing.”
“What brings you here in the middle of the afternoon?” Hope closed her briefcase and stood.
“This.” He grabbed Ainslie’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “I’m kidnapping Ainslie.” He kissed her quick on the lips. “Let’s go.”
She stumbled as he moved her across the room. “Wait! I haven’t paid my bill yet!”
“One of the girls will take care of it. I’ll pay her back later.”
Oooooh-kay. “Where are we going?” She’d never been kidnapped before. It thrilled her to the tips of her toes.
“You’ll see.” Dave pushed the door open. The glare from the sun momentarily blinded her. By the time she got used to it, Dave had already dragged her to his car and opened her door.
Wait! “What about my car?”
“You can get it later.” He closed the door and sprinted around the car.
“What about my babies? I’ve got to get home, they’re expecting me!”
Sliding into the driver’s seat, he grinned. “It’s the middle of the afternoon. They’re all home, right?”
“Well, yes. The twins are taking care of Patsy.”
“They’ve got enough food and water to last the afternoon?”
“You make them sound like puppies. Yes, they’ve got more than enough food in the house.”
Dave backed out of the parking space. “Then, you have some time for some grown up fun.”
“Grown up fun?” Oh, boy. She squirmed a little in her seat.
“Yep. As much fun as you can handle. You’re going to beg me for mercy.”
She swallowed, then licked her lips. Her mind went blank. Mercy? She liked the sound of that.
“Now, sit back and enjoy the ride.” He flashed her the crooked grin that always made her all wobbly inside.
“Where are we going?”
“Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got it all under control.” His fingers tapped on the wheel as he maneuvered his car through traffic and out onto a tree lined road that led out of town. The leaves were starting to turn into a burst of color, yellows, reds, and stubborn greens while sun light danced and dappled the roadside.
They turned a corner, and a lovely old home came into view. White, with stately columns, a porch decorated with terra cotta pots holding brick-colored mums, it projected charm and romance. A porch swing hung to the right of the door. White gravel crunched under the car’s tires. A deep green sign with gold lettering proclaimed it as the Inn at Foxwood Creek.
Dave cut the motor with a quick flick of his wrist. Leaning over toward her, he hooked a finger under her chin and brought her face in for a slow, melting kiss. “Hello.”
“Hello,” she managed to whisper. His kisses could destroy even an angel’s restraint.
“C’mon.” He kissed her again. “I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”
Oh, Lordy. Ainslie wanted the same thing. Trembling, she brought her hand up to caress his cheek. “What are we waiting for?”
He turned his face and pressed a kiss into her palm. It sizzled where his lips met her skin. “Let’s go.”
God, yes. She’d go wherever he took her, as long as he kept kissing her like she was the only woman in the world and precious as spun gold.
He helped her out of the car and up the steps to the front porch. They stopped at the door, and he gently kissed her hand, like a knight in seeking a boon from a princess.
An older couple greeted them in a room filled with shiny antiques and crystal vases filled with fresh, fragrant flowers. Dave smiled at them, then kissed Ainslie on the tip of her nose. “Be right back.”
While he talked to the couple, Ainslie took a minute to try and compose herself. This had to be the most impulsive thing she’d ever done. Unless you counted that time she and Bobby Lee just up and got married, right after that after-pageant party on Donald Trump’s yacht.
She’d been so young back then. Loving Bobby Lee had been different, so simple, no complications. Then he’d gotten involved with his schemes and hardly had any time for her or their children.
Dave was a whole ’nother kettle of fish. Her life consisted of nothing but complications. Three very big complications she loved very much. Yet the emotions she felt for Dave were new and exciting. She had her eyes open, even though a wild mash of tangled feelings tumbled through her every time she stood next to him. Kissed him. Held on to him.
She didn’t feel like the good wife standin’ by her man, or like someone’s mom.
She glanced at Dave, still talking to that sweet looking old couple. Nothing about this compared. Dave was miles away from Bobby Lee Logan.
He caught her staring and smiled, then blew her a kiss. God, she felt a giggle bubble up inside her. She hadn’t giggled since she was sixteen.
Dave moved back to her and put a guiding hand on her elbow. “We’re on the third floor.” He dangled a key, like a hypnotist with a shiny object. “Let’s go.”
There was no place else she’d rather be. She let him lead her up the stairs, her heart beating faster with each step.
Her skin didn’t even feel like it belonged to her anymore. It quivered at this man’s touch. She had no choice but to go along with it.
He fumbled with the key as he tried to open the door.
Actually, it took him five tries, not that she counted, to get the door opened. She may have imagined it, but his hand trembled to the same stuttered beat as her heart. Once in the room, he closed the door with his foot and hugged her tight, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She sighed as she sank deeper into his embrace.
****
Jesus, Ainslie was sweet in his arms. Soft, delicious. Dave nuzzled her hair, saturating himself with her scent, a combination of exotic flowers and erotic promises.
Delicious. Good enough to eat. They had time. He’d try that later.
He’d never felt this total urge to totally possess a woman before. To brand her as his. God knew, he’d tried. This thing with Ainslie ran miles away from anything he’d imagined he’d ever feel.
He held his woman in his arms.
Mine, he thought as he crashed his mouth onto hers. Patience didn’t exist anymore, he felt in the mood to take. She more than met him halfway. Her mouth moved eagerly under his.
Her throat released a deep, warm hum of surrender. He’d never heard a sexier sound.
Cruising his mouth along the tender skin of Ainslie’s neck, his hands found the tie of her pink blouse and undid it. She whimpered as he slipped it off her shoulders and down her arms, leaving goose bumps everywhere he touched.
He pulled back to look at her. Her beautiful big brown eyes were wide and her face had flushed into a rosy pink. Her tongue darted out to lick her red, kiss swollen lips. Sweeping her up into his arms, he kissed her as he carried her across the room to lay her on the bed.
Covered in a mountain of blankets and topped by a soft quilt, the antique bed nearly swallowed her up. He stretched out next to her, raised on one elbow so he could see how lovely she was.
He swept a hand over the delicate skin of her stomach and rejoiced
when her breath hitched. Hesitating when he reached the fastener of her slacks, he asked, “Is this okay?”
“No,” she whispered. “You’re going too slow.”
He snorted a laugh. She always managed to surprise him. “Let me do something about that.”
Discovering he still had some patience left, he took his time, enjoying every gasp as she squirmed underneath his touch. He removed the rest of her clothes, peeling them off slowly, just to tease her, stopping every so often to savor the smooth, fragrant skin he discovered or an interesting freckle that he just had to press his lips against.
In his own good time, he left her quivering in her pretty white lace bra and matching panties.
He discovered he was definitely a white lace man.
She had surgical scars beneath her belly. They were almost covered by her panties, but not quite. He pressed his lips to each one.
She gasped. He kissed his way back up her body to catch any more gasps that might be right behind it.
She reached up and wound her arms around his neck, pressing her lace-covered breasts against him. Now impatient for the bra to be gone so he could feel her amazing, gorgeous breasts next to his chest, he reached for her.
“Not yet.” She gifted him with a woman’s smile, full of feminine secrets.
Her lips made a beeline up his throat, and she nipped at his earlobe, pulling a low growl out of him that practically roared from deep in his gut. He rolled over and pulled her on top of him.
Panting, trembling, her breasts and pelvis covered with that white lace, she straddled his lap. “One of us is overdressed.” She gave him a sassy, seductive smile. Leaning forward, she gave him a long, slow, deep kiss. A tongue filled, excited beyond belief, soul kiss.
He felt his eyes cross in pleasure as she unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time, then gave the skin she discovered a small bite as she moved sinuously down his body. He didn’t think he could be more aroused, but with each kiss, each nip, his erection grew larger and more eager.
****
Ainslie reveled in the warm, muscular torso she uncovered, loved the way he sucked in his breath at her touch. Dave Mason was seriously ripped, much more than she imagined a high school principal could be. Nearly crazy with the absolute thrill of it all, she loved the powerful feeling rushing through her blood.
Any coherent thought Ainslie had melted away as she rocked against Dave. She quivered against the long hard ridge pressing against his fly. She pushed against his eager erection. It leapt in response. She chuckled.
Time to set that bad boy free.
“Damn!” he gritted out between clenched teeth when she touched him. She glanced at his face, wanting to see what she made him feel. Dave’s eyes glittered with impatience. “Touch me.”
Go figure. She liked making a man beg.
She really liked it.
“Hang on, there. I’m taking my time with you,” she said as she tortured him in return by carefully, slowly pulling down his zipper, inch by thrilling inch. Oh, my!
Dave Mason was very generously equipped.
He lifted his hips so she could free him, hissing as she slid his briefs down along with his khaki slacks. Eager moisture welled at the tip of his penis, and she used her thumb to run it over the impressively swollen head. Bringing her thumb up to her mouth, she tasted the salty liquid she’d discovered. Reaching to touch him again, he grabbed her hand, gently holding her at bay.
“Gah!” he choked out behind clenched teeth. Air sawing in and out of his lungs, his chest heaved as he grabbed her hand. “Keep that up, and I’m going to embarrass myself before we get started.” He briefly closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were the color of a storm at sea. “I need to see all of you.”
A spear of embarrassment flashed in her blood. Please, God, let him like what he saw.
He seemed more in control as he repositioned the two of them and rocked against her pelvis. She couldn’t resist him. She didn’t want to. She’d give him anything he wanted.
He kissed her, as gentle as a sigh. “Let me. I need to see you. To taste you.” His tongue lapped along her neck to that vulnerable place just behind her earlobe. “I want to hold you against me, skin to skin. Please.”
And there went that whole begging thing again. She was helpless to say anything but yes.
With an expert flick of his fingers, she felt her bra open and its straps travel down her arms. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered with each downward slide of her bra straps. Ainslie raised her hands to hold her bra in place. “You didn’t get so good a look the other night. I’m not sure you’ll like what you see.”
“What’s this?” He kissed her. “All I’m going to see is the woman I’m in love with.”
The air left her lungs with a huge whoosh. Her hands started to shake. “What did you say?”
He kissed her again, lips urgent against her mouth. “I love you. It feels like I’ve been waiting all my life for you.”
“You can’t!” Dear Lord, she was going to hyperventilate.
He pulled her closer, wrapped her arms around his neck, then pulled the lacy white cups of her bra away from her. “I can and I do.”
“But…” Speech failed her. Those three little words meant so much to her, she wouldn’t just bandy them about.
He nuzzled the side of her neck and chuckled when she wiggled. At his mercy, she could only hold on to his shoulders. She actually saw stars.
“You don’t have to say anything, not right now. It’s enough that you know how I feel.” He lightly raked his fingers along her arms, causing little goose bumps to form on the goose bumps he’d already raised on her over-sensitive skin. Rubbing his erection against her pelvis, he made both of them moan, twin sounds of helpless pleasure.
“What if I can never say it?” Tears threatened whatever shards of composure she had left.
“Let me worry about that.” He rocked his hips in a mind-stealing move, and she felt her eyes cross.
Going now on pure instinct, she leaned away from him and brought his skillful, amazing hands from her arms to cover her breasts. Her nipples stiffened against his clever fingers, becoming painfully hard. Exchanging his hands for his mouth, he licked and suckled at each hard peak. “You taste like heaven,” he said in a reverent whisper.
Who could resist that? She wouldn’t even if she still could. Panting, she gave herself up to him, trusting him.
His gentle hands, his greedy, hot mouth created rivers of pleasure to flow through her body. It danced from each nerve ending to the next, a molten tide to drown in. She gave herself over to exquisite sensation.
Dave flipped her on to her back and slid down along her legs while he took off her panties. He used his teeth to nip and his tongue to soothe as he loved his way back up to her. “What do we have here?” Parting her soft folds with wicked fingers, his breath gusted warmly against her sweet spot. Unable to breathe, anticipation riding her hard, she squeaked at the first testing touch of his tongue on her clitoris. She ran her fingers through his hair, holding onto him so she didn’t fly off the bed. He was merciless, kissing, sucking, and licking her.
Gasping with need, she flexed her fingers against his head. Still torturing her with his mouth, he used one finger, then two, spearing them in and out of her body.
Then he stopped and brought his head up to look at her. His gaze intense, he held her churning hips still. “Like I said, heaven.”
Returning to his task, he licked her some more, sometimes with the tip of his tongue fluttering against her bud, sometimes with the flat of it pressing it down. Mad sensations rioting from his intimate kisses, she felt her release coming fast. He moved his fingers inside her passage again and with one long suckle on her clitoris, she flew apart as wave upon wave of pleasure rode over and through her.
Dave leisurely lapped at her like a lazy cat, bringing her back to herself. “You are amazing. Do you always scream like that?”
“I don’t know.” She trembled as he kisse
d his way back up her body, stopping briefly to swirl that wicked tongue around her navel.
He braced his arms on either side of her as he bent his head to lave each of her diamond hard nipples. When she gasped, he just smiled. “Too much?”
“Oh, God.”
He worked his way to her mouth and took possession with a deep, long, kiss. She could taste herself and jolted. She’d never been turned on by that, but since it was mixed with Dave’s own delicious kiss, it aroused her all over again.
His erection got longer and harder against her still throbbing clitoris. “You’re so beautiful, Ainslie.” He whispered her name like it was a benediction.
She gasped and spread her legs further, so he could reach her more easily. He grinned like a pirate. “Like that, do you?”
“Unh,” she replied, astounded as she felt the slow build to orgasm return. Had she ever felt this way before? Lord, it was amazing. Her head spun. “Please!”
He knew what she was asking. “Not yet,” he murmured, his voice low and rough, abrading each and every one of her oh, so sensitive nerves. “I haven’t spent nearly enough time here.” Lowering his head to her breasts, he suckled, molded, teased, and tortured her nipples into painfully hard points.
Ainslie writhed beneath him and finally, finally, he moved to join their bodies. He reached for a condom, but she grabbed his wrist. “We don’t need one.”
Happy birthday to him! “I’ll be as gentle as I can.” He took himself in hand and rolled the broad head of his enormous erection, around the entrance to her body, opening her up so she could take him inside. “I’ll stop if it’s too much.”
“It won’t be,” she promised. Her muscles, relaxed from her earlier climax, welcomed him.
Dave made a teasing shallow thrust, then another one, both not deep enough to satisfy her. She keened in supplication.
“Yeah, me too,” he gritted out, and thrust deep, deep, soul deep.
“Oh, God!” Her breath left her in a whoosh. It had been a long time, and he was especially endowed.
Their eyes caught, and something snapped and crackled between them. “I do love you,” he panted. He began to move back and forth. “You feel so good.”
