by Tess Oliver
There was just the slightest nod of his head. "Well, I never shy away from a challenge. Especially if it involves panties, or the removal of said panties." He leaned an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his fingers in thought. "You don't seem like the lavender or yellow type. I'm going to go with green."
My eyes rounded. "You must share psychic abilities with Coco."
He grinned proudly as if he'd just solved a huge math problem in front of the class. "You mean I'm right?"
I inched my dress up to flash the green and then pushed the hem down.
"That was too fast. But I guess that doesn't matter." He held out his big palm. "Hand ‘em, over. I just won the game."
"Well, the first level anyhow." I turned my legs back to the table to shimmy off the panties, but his giant foot shot out. His boot curled around the leg of the chair to yank me back to face him. "I want a front row seat. I won, after all."
"You are one cocky winner. You just guessed the color of my panties. You didn't win the Boston Marathon."
"Actually—" he started.
"No, don't tell me. You've won the Boston Marathon."
"Nope. I came in second."
"Kind of surprised."
"I think you're making small talk to distract me because I'm still waiting for those panties."
"Possibly." I lifted a finger in the air to signal just a minute. Then I finished the rest of my wine and set the delicate glass down just a little too hard. "Oops." I took a deep breath. "All right, I think the wine is making its way north to my head." I looked up as if I could see the inner workings of my brain. I was absolutely feeling a little light up there but it was more because of Holt than the glass of wine.
"I'm ready." I shifted in my chair as if that was something that was necessary.
Holt rested his forearm along the edge of the table and drummed his fingers. "You realize this gets less and less sexy with each of your stalling tactics?"
"Right. No more stalling." A sound coming from the kitchen drew away my attention from the task at hand. "Did you hear that? Maybe Coco came back."
"That was the ice in the refrigerator. Coco is forty miles away at her sister's house, no doubt stuck there for the night until the snowplows come through. Now—panties, or I will take them off myself."
"Not only are you a cocky winner, but you are rather impatient." Without giving it another thought, I reached under the dress and pulled off my underwear, carefully moving them past the high heels one shoe at a time.
I dropped them on his palm, and suddenly, the light, comical mood in the room shifted completely. Holt's teasing smile disappeared and his green eyes darkened with a serious case of desire. And for me, sitting in a formal dining room with a tall, dark semi-stranger and no panties between me and that stranger made me feel just a little naughty and extremely horny. My dinner date seemed to read my mind.
Holt shoved the green panties into the pocket of his jeans and took hold of my hand. He whipped me up from the chair. We traversed the hallway and the flight of stairs in record time. He stopped at his own room and threw open the door before pulling me inside.
"One pair of panties," he muttered, seemingly to himself. "Just one pair of panties." He continued his one-sided conversation. We stopped mid-room, and he spun me into his arms. "Don't know what you've done to me, Jen, but you slipped off those green panties and—" He kissed me before he could finish.
His powerful arms tightened around me. The thought that he could easily crush the life from me with those arms crossed my mind. What a way to go. But there was no crushing, only firm, sweet caresses as his hands swept beneath the dress and covered my naked bottom. He lifted me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist as he carried me to the bed, our mouths still locked in a kiss.
He lowered me into the center of the bed, which wasn't quite as frilly or pillow-flooded as the bed in my room, but it was still cozy. The entire room had a much more masculine feel to it, as if one room had been set up for women and the other for men. But that would be an odd way for an inn to operate. Of course, this inn was different in so many ways, why not that?
Holt stared down at me as he stood like a towering giant over the bed. He had a glint in his eye that sent a warm surge of heat through my body. He looked every bit the part of a Hell's Ranger, dark, dangerous and desirable.
"Scoot that dress up, so I can see your pussy," he ordered in a smooth, low voice.
I reached down, took hold of the hem and scooted the dress up slowly. A little too slowly. My tall, impatient friend was having none of the slow tease.
His dark brow arched in annoyance. "If I help, I don't make promises about the dress surviving in one piece."
I yanked it up quickly. The cool air in the room mixed with the heated air coming from the man. The combination of cold and hot tickled my newly exposed skin. Assuming he wanted the dress completely off, I shifted around and continued with its removal.
"Stop." His booming voice bounced off the walls. "Leave it on. Just like that. I've got just what I need for now."
I might have bristled if another man had been so demanding, but his commands seemed to have the opposite effect. I was putty in his hands, willing to do anything. I wanted to do anything he desired because I knew it would fulfill my fantasy as well. I was a captive of a Hell's Ranger. I was exactly where I wanted to be.
Holt stared down at me with such interest I could almost feel it, as if he'd stroked me with just his gaze. Instinctively, I spread my legs wider, giving him an even better view. A groan rolled up from his chest as he unzipped his fly. His gaze didn't stray from me, as if I had some magnetic hold on him, as he kicked off his boots. His pants and underwear came next.
As he straightened, I sucked in a shocked gasp. Once again, I was working hard to believe what I was seeing and what I was seeing would have been exaggerated even with a digital artist's pen. The size of his erection sent me back a few inches on the bed.
He grinned at my reaction. "Are you still game, my hot little player?"
I laughed. "Gamer's dirty talk, huh? I can join that. Hell yes. And I have a feeling getting to the last level isn't going to take too much effort. I'm half way there just looking at you." I stopped and looked up at him. "Not as stimulating as I expected it to be. I think I prefer the old fashioned, less techie dirty talk."
Holt reached into the dresser and pulled out a condom. "You mean like—" He lowered his voice to a deep, sensual lull as he leaned over me and pressed his mouth against my ear. His warm breath tickled my skin and sent a frivolous shiver down my back. "Hey, baby, I want to fuck you until you scream my name."
I could barely get the words out. "That . . . works."
He straightened, again, casting his big shadow over the bed, as he yanked off his shirt. He was fully naked, and he was spectacularly perfect.
My last shred of control was gone. I reached for him. He took hold of my hands and pressed them back against the pillows as he settled between my legs. My pussy was lubed with moisture, but he was so big, I felt slightly apprehensive. He seemed to sense my hesitation and understood it completely. No doubt it was something he'd experienced before.
He kissed my mouth and then whispered against my lips. "Don't worry, snow angel, I know just how to melt away those inhibitions."
He sat up to his knees. Both his gaze and his hard erection stared hungrily at me. The bed shifted as he moved back on it and lowered his face between my thighs. "The view is even better down here." His mouth pressed against my inner thigh as his large hands slid beneath my ass. He lifted my pussy higher to his mouth. His tongue ran along the folds and nestled against my clit. He knew just the right amount of pressure to urge my pussy into a highly aroused state. He freed one hand and impaled me with his long, thick finger. I pushed against the intrusion, wanting more of it. He seemed to be able to read my mind at every turn, knowing exactly what I wanted and how much.
He brought me close to orgasm, but I didn't want it to end. I reached for him
. "Please. I'm ready. I'm sooo ready."
He slowly pulled his mouth and fingers from my pussy. The bed creaked and shifted as he repositioned himself over me.
"I want you," I mewled. "All of you."
He leaned down over me but kept one arm braced against the mattress to keep from crushing me. "You taste and feel like warm honey, Jen." With those sweet words, words that contradicted the almost feral look in his eyes, he pushed inside of me.
I held my breath and grasped the bed quilt in my fingers as he filled me deeper and deeper. It seemed there was no end. With each inch, my pussy tightened milking his thick erection and all the while growing closer to an orgasm.
It didn't take long. I was gazing bleary-eyed up into the face that I'd seen more than once in an erotic dream. Only Holt was far more real and far more skilled than I could ever conjure in a dirty dream.
His powerful arms and chest flexed over me as he slowly began to rock, taking deep sweeping strokes inside of me. It took only seconds.
"Yes, Holt, fuck yes!" My pussy tightened in spasms around him. My body writhed to meet each of his thrusts. Each time, it seemed he drove himself in deeper and harder and the tsunami of pleasure seemed never ending. My entire body trembled beneath him and my skin flushed with heat.
I could barely take a breath as I gripped his arms and held on for the rest of the ride. It felt as if the bed was scooting across the floor as Holt quickened his pace. His heavy sac slapped my bottom as he pounded into me. I circled my legs around him and cried out when he utilized this new position to its fullest.
"That's it, baby. I want all of you. I want every inch of you," he growled. His arms hardened beneath my grasp, and his eyes drifted shut as he came. He stayed there for a few moments longer holding me, staying buried deep inside of me.
Then with a groan of reluctance he dropped down onto the mattress next to me. I curled against him and he wrapped me in his arms and legs, like a big man cocoon, shielding me from the cool air in the room with his body heat.
We lay there for a few minutes allowing our heartbeats to slow. Although I doubted mine ever would as long as Holt was near. He was like a heavy dose of adrenaline. It seemed my pulse had been racing since the first moment I set eyes on him.
I rested my head on his arm as we faced each other. I traced my finger along a large black spider tattoo. The web ended and a design that was hard to decipher brushed past the end of my fingertip. I lifted my head to get a better look. "What am I looking at next to this spider web?"
He didn't need to lift his head from the pillow to know what I was asking about. "That is the tattoo I call 'my biggest ink regret'. It was supposed to be a cool lion roaring with big dripping fangs. But the artist had had just a few too many beers. I'd had a few too many too. The result is that obscure looking mess you're looking at right now."
"Ah, the traditional I was drunk and the artist was on the other side of sober ink regret." I turned my arm to show the pale skin on my forearm where my personal tattoo mistake was hidden. I held it up. "This is supposed to be a dolphin."
"That's not a dolphin."
"Yes. I know that now, but when I was looking at it through blurry eyes and with a tequila tainted blood stream, I assure you it was the most beautiful mammal in the sea. I'm just glad the inside of my forearm was the next spot of skin available. It could have been a lot worse."
I snuggled closer to him for warmth. "I suppose we should head downstairs and wash the dishes before we both doze off."
"You're probably right. But just to warn you, since we've got this place to ourselves tonight, there isn't going to be all that much dozing. I don't want to waste one minute of my time with you, snow angel."
"I understand completely and will comply with all your demands, Ziggy."
Chapter 10
After cleaning up the dinner dishes, we headed back up to the warmth of Holt's bed and after another round of mind-blowing sex, we fell fast asleep in each other's arms.
Noise outside the house woke me from a luxurious sleep. I lifted my head. Holt looked almost as beautiful asleep as awake. Another noise prompted me to step out of bed. I'd carried my robe and a pair of slippers out of my room to stay the night with Holt. It had taken me all of a second to convince myself to spend the night with him. I should have felt guilty at how easily the decision came. But I was at the mysterious, surreal Silk Stocking Inn, and I was living out a fantasy weekend. Somehow, a long, cold night alone, albeit in a cozy, comfy bed, would have dimmed the light on my fantasy. Especially knowing who was sleeping right next door, alone in his comfy bed. Aside from that, I could never sleep if my feet were cold. Holt's feet had provided a perfect place to warm my toes under the covers.
There was definitely a chill in the room as I tiptoed to the window to see what was happening in the yard below. I roped back the heavy damask curtains and pushed aside the gauzy curtains beneath. "Oh," I said and quickly covered my mouth to not wake Holt.
A round gold moon was holding steady in a black and silver sky as it spotlighted the yard below. The lightest, frilliest snow was falling as a large black bear plodded across the yard. She was moving slow and looked much thinner than I would have expected. I'd only ever seen one other bear years ago on a family vacation at the lake. My brother had left our ice chest out on the porch and had neglected to dump out the day's leftover sandwiches. Needless to say, there was nothing left of the sandwiches or the ice chest after that.
Footsteps behind me sent a shiver through my body that had nothing to do with cold air. And once Holt's chest pressed against my back and his arms wrapped around me, I didn't need to worry about the chill at all.
"Hmm, my human heater. I could get used to this." The second I said the words, I felt a pang of regret. I knew this was just a weekend fling and then Monday morning would arrive and I'd be back in reality where the only Ziggy was the digital version on my computer.
Fortunately, Holt ignored my comment and concentrated on the scene outside. The bear glanced around in Coco's garden. There was little growing there except the remnants of some squash plants and a few moldy heads of lettuce. The bear concluded that it was not worth the effort and moved on.
"That's Gretel. She has two cubs in her den. Looks like a lot of her stored fat is gone and, unlike Yogi, she doesn't have a lot of picnic baskets around here to keep her plump."
I watched as she plodded back into the trees lining the property. "So I do remember my third grade science. I saw her and wondered why she was out in the winter."
"It's late winter and spring is near enough that she's probably getting restless. The cubs are probably getting too big for the den, which is just a half mile or so back in the woods."
"I've heard they can be extremely dangerous when they have cubs."
"Absolutely. We forest rangers have a running joke about it—if you run into a bear in the woods, keep your eye on them and back slowly away. You should be fine. If you run into a mama bear with cubs, just turn around and kiss your ass good-bye. You're done. Occasionally, we get a call from some knucklehead who stopped to take pictures of the cubs and found themselves trapped in their car."
He spun me around to face him. His lashes dropped as he pushed apart the panels on my robe. His thumb rubbed my nipple. "You are cold, snow angel. I think you need to climb back under the covers with me."
My slippers slapped the wood floor as he led me back to the bed. He grabbed a condom from the dresser and swept back the covers. He climbed on first and sat back against the headboard. His cock was standing at full attention, almost summoning me to come closer.
I kicked off my slippers but kept the robe over my shoulders as I climbed onto the bed. I straddled over him, a knee on each side of his thighs. The tip of his very long cock rubbed against my pussy.
He leaned forward and ran his tongue in circles around my nipple. I pushed my breast closer and wrapped my arms around his head, holding his mouth against me. While teasing and kissing my nipples, he took hold of my hips
and guided me over him. I lowered myself down over him, taking in as much as I possibly could.
"I think you feel even bigger in this position," I sighed as my eyes drifted shut, losing myself in the feel of him inside of me.
"Hmm, your pussy feels like a fucking glove, tight and warm." He lifted himself to meet me as I slid up and down his shaft. I squeezed my legs, wanting to hold him hard and fast between my thighs. With each movement, it seemed his cock drove deeper inside of me, knocking the breath out of me with each upward thrust.
My pussy ached with it all. Holt's hands took hold of my ass cheeks to help me move faster. My clit heated with friction as I rubbed against him with each pass. He held my ass tightly and moved his fingers down to spread me even wider. I cried out as it seemed he'd gone even deeper to a sweet spot that had never been touched. And then, as if a magic erotic switch had been turned on by the touch of his firm cock, my pussy exploded into an orgasm. He followed instantly with his own.
I held onto him as my body trembled in ecstasy. It was a good minute before the shuddering waves of pleasure slowed and I could catch a breath. I collapsed into his arms. They were arms I could spend eternity in and be happy forever.
Chapter 11
I woke to movement and voices downstairs. My head turned on the pillow. The only sign that I hadn't just imagined the entire night was the large dent left behind on the mattress. I hurried into my robe and slippers and shuffled next door to my own room. I'd thrown all caution to the wind for the weekend, but there was no reason to let my charming hostess know that I'd crawled right into bed with my neighbor.
I walked straight into the bathroom for a hot shower and a quiet chance to relive some of the amazing moments from the night before. The tenderness between my legs was extra assurance that I hadn't just fantasized about sex with Holt. It had been real, every glorious moment of it.
I lathered up my long hair with the citrusy shampoo Coco had placed in the shower. Everything at the inn was a party for the senses, whether it was the food, the bedding, the lighting and furnishings or even the sundries, it made you feel as if you were experiencing everything in life for the first time. And for me, sex with Holt, was the same, like I was finally experiencing for the first time what it was supposed to feel like.
