by Ali Parker
He chuckled against my skin, his breath ghosting across the sensitive spot beneath my belly button. Running his hands up my sides, he placed one in the center of my chest and kept it there as he made his way down.
My pussy was still covered by the lace, but he kissed me through the panties and pressed his tongue right against my throbbing clit. A strangled moan escaped just as my hips bucked.
He pressed down on my chest, reminding me that this was his show now. I didn’t know how much more teasing I could take. After seeing, feeling, and tasting him coming apart and with all the sensations he was eliciting in my body, I was just about ready to combust.
“Please, Colton,” I whispered when his free hand changed direction on my thigh and moved back down to my knee. “I need you to touch me.”
An almost gentle kiss was placed on my inner thigh, as if he was apologetic about kissing me there instead of where I really wanted him to. He looked up at me, his eyes already hooded again. “I am touching you.”
“You know what I mean.” I tried to squeeze my legs shut, but he was between them, stopping me from getting even that tiny bit of relief. I groaned in frustration.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll see stars, but let me play a little bit, okay?”
This is all for him, remember? “Yeah. Okay. Have fun, but just remember those parts are attached to a person and that person is quite on edge already.”
He chuckled again but nodded his agreement. “Tell me if it gets to be too much.”
I almost, almost told him it was too much already, but then that tongue of his darted out again and I forgot what I had been about to say. He teased me until I was covered in a fine film of sweat and every muscle was locked.
I was half delirious with need, whimpering his name as I writhed against his hands and mouth. My panties were long gone, but so were my inhibitions.
And then so was Colton.
Releasing a soft scream of frustration instead of just a moan this time, I nearly started crying when he suddenly rose above me. He propped his elbows on either side of my head and kissed me deeply as he placed his cock so close to where I so badly wanted it to go.
“I just put on a condom,” he said, speaking against my lips. He brushed damp tendrils of hair off my face and kissed me softly. “That’s where I went. Too much?”
I nodded, remembering what it was I’d forgotten to say earlier. On the other hand, I knew I could’ve tapped out at any time. Truth be told, I’d been too busy enjoying his sweet torture to do much about it.
In the back of my mind, I also knew that he needed this today. A thorough, extended distraction that lasted longer than usual. I was still more than happy to provide it.
Colton kissed me again, his mouth gentle but his hips brutal as he thrust into me. I cried out, digging my fingernails into his shoulders when I felt my muscles already tightening around him.
“So close,” I panted. “Colton.”
“Come for me.” He withdrew before slamming his hips down again. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long. I wanted to lose myself in you and I did. Come for me, baby. I won’t make you wait any longer.”
A few more of those powerful thrusts later and my orgasm smacked into me with the force of a passenger airplane coming in to land. Before it’d even properly subsided, waves of pleasure started dragging me under again and again.
Every nerve was supercharged and every inch of me was so primed and ready for him that I lost count of the number of times he fulfilled his promise to make me see stars. When Colton finally reached his peak again, it was with me on all fours and him bending over me from behind.
As soon as his arm holding me up loosened, I fell down on the mattress. He crawled in beside me, lifting me so he could wrap his arm around me.
“What happened today?” I whispered into the silence of the room, drawing circles on the bare skin of his chest as I caught my breath.
My head rose and fell with his abdomen when he released a deep sigh. “Nothing to talk about really. I just needed to be with you and to touch you. I’m not ready to leave yet. Do you mind if I stay here? I have my neighbor watching Tiger.”
I dragged the comforter we’d kicked off back up over us, draping it over his hips as I cuddled into his side. “Not at all. I’d love it if you did actually. Can I go get us something to eat?”
My stomach rebelled at the thought of food after the buffet lunch Kayla and I had, but that didn’t mean Colton wouldn’t be hungry. He shook his head though.
“No, I just want to hold you. I don’t think I could eat right now.”
“Good.” I planted a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw. “Because I just want to hold you too. I’m here if you want to talk, okay?”
“Okay.” He slid his fingers under my chin and curled himself into an awkward position so he could kiss me. Then he lay back again. “Good night, Haven.”
Instead of replying, I kissed him again before laying my head back down on his chest. After my late night and busy day, I drifted off to sleep almost immediately. At least, I was telling myself it was that and that it had nothing to do with the strong, muscular arms around me or the rhythmic beat of his heart against my ear.
It wasn’t that. It couldn’t be that.
And yet, it was exactly that.
Chapter 26
COLTON
Warm sunlight heated my face and shoulders the next morning, waking me from a deep sleep. Haven was still in my arms, pressed up against my side in all her naked glory. Her arm was draped over my stomach with her hand resting on my chest.
Her long hair spilled over the arm I had around her, her leg slightly bent over mine with her ankle on my shin. Turning my head, I planted a kiss on her forehead before I began the slow process of extricating myself from her.
As incredible as it felt to wake up with her and not have to take off, I hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before and I was starving. I also liked the idea of bringing her breakfast in bed.
Smiling as I scooted off the bed, I took one more look at the peaceful expression on her face while she slept before finding my underwear on the floor. I pulled that on, followed by my jeans, and then left the room as quietly as I could.
Haven’s house had a homey feel to it, even if I hadn’t spent much time here before. Her walls were covered in art that didn’t look expensive but was done in warm and vibrant colors.
The hall from her bedroom to her kitchen was short and carpeted, and the kitchen opened up to her dining and living areas. Wide windows let in plenty of natural light with a view into her backyard.
Mae was running around outside, chasing after a ball. I went out to her first, finding her food in a watertight container near the back door. She looked at me when I walked out with a scoop in hand, her tail starting to wag when she spotted it.
“Hey, girl,” I called. “Good morning. You ready for some breakfast?”
She ran up to two metal bowls placed underneath a roof covering the patio and nudged one of them with her nose. I laughed but got the idea she was trying to convey. “I get it. I get it. You want your food and you want it now.”
The clanging of pellets against metal rang out as I filled the bowl. Mae waited patiently and only dug in once I took a step back.
“You’re such a good girl,” I practically cooed at the giant dog, feeling like a total idiot for sounding like I was speaking to a sensitive kindergartner. Mae seemed to like it though, since she lifted her head to give me what I took as a smile before continuing her meal.
Leaving her to her breakfast, I headed back inside to make ours. Haven’s kitchen wasn’t huge, but it had plenty of cupboards. Her stove and oven were built into the side of an island in the center, with pots and pans hanging above it.
At least the cookware is easy to find. The rest took me some time.
Eventually, I managed to track down plates, cutlery, and even a tray to take her breakfast to her. I had bacon sizzling in one pan, panc
akes made from scratch keeping warm in the oven, and toast on the plate when I heard a soft rustling noise from the door.
Haven stood in it wearing my shirt from yesterday, a pair of slippers on her feet, and as far as I could tell, nothing else. She smiled when I finally managed to drag my eyes to hers. “What’s all this?”
“Breakfast,” I replied simply, turning the temperature on the stove down before walking over to her. “I hope you don’t mind. I’ll do the washing up and I’ll replace everything I used.”
“Do I mind waking up to a shirtless you cooking me breakfast? Let me answer your question with a question. Do I look crazy to you?”
“Well, I never said I was cooking for you. I just said it was breakfast.” I wound my arms around her waist and tugged her closer, bunching the material of my shirt in my fist at her lower back. “But I suppose I could share.”
She arched an eyebrow when she looked up at me, but she couldn’t hide her smile completely. “You must be ravenous if you’ve taken out two of everything just to have breakfast by yourself.”
“I am.” But I suddenly wasn’t so sure it was for food anymore. Seeing her in my shirt and having her pressed up against me was getting me hard all over again. “The food can wait though. Let’s go back to your bed.”
“The bacon’s on fire.” Her eyes widened before she pushed me away, laughing as she raced for a dish towel. It took me a second to shake off the lust and go after her, taking the cloth from her to put out the tiny flames dancing around the pan the bacon was in.
I glanced down at the settings, wondering how the hell that had happened when I’d turned it down before going to her. Then I realized I’d turned it all the way up.
Haven was laughing so hard she could barely breathe, clutching the counter as if she was using it to stay upright. “Wow, I’m guessing that wasn’t the kind of heat you were thinking about, huh?”
“Actually, I think setting food on fire is hot,” I dead-panned, managing to keep my expression schooled for only a second before I started laughing too.
She groaned, dropping her forehead to the countertop as she tried to take in deep breaths of air. “That was a terrible pun. Terrible.”
“Thank you. Thank you. I’ll be here all week.” I gave her a little bow before checking to see if any damage had been done to our breakfast. “The good news is that the bacon is crispy. Hope you like it that way.”
“It’s the only way to eat it, if you ask me.” She opened a drawer to extract coffee pods and inserted them into a machine. “I’m down to only French roast. There’s instant as well if you’d prefer that.”
“French roast sounds good.” I motioned to the cheese, jam, and butter on the island. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted on your toast, so I took it all out.”
“Any carb is only good if it’s used as a vessel for cheese.” She grinned at me over her shoulder while pushing up on her toes to reach the mugs. My shirt rode up on her thighs when she lifted her arms, and it was only the fact that I’d already set her kitchen on fire once this morning that kept me from reaching for her again.
Forcing my eyes back to the stove, I cracked the eggs I’d taken out earlier into a waiting pan. “If you want to get back in bed, I’d be happy to bring everything when it’s ready. You kind of ruined my plan by waking up early.”
She set the mugs down, turned with her back to the counter so she was facing me, and shook her head. “I’d prefer to eat here anyway. Eating in bed always feels wrong to me.”
My brows went up. “Seriously? You must be the only person alive who doesn’t like being served breakfast in bed.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged, her eyes lighting up with humor. “Have you ever crawled back into bed after eating in it and found a piece of egg between your sheets? No amount of laziness is worth that.”
“No, I haven’t.” I pulled a face. “When I eat in bed, I eat. I don’t toss the food around.”
“You can eat as neatly as you want. There will always be a lost crumb or something waiting for you later.”
“Wait. Don’t tell me. You also always make your bed even if you’re going to get back into it in a few hours.”
She wiggled her nose, nodding while peering at me with big eyes. “Don’t you? My bed is a sacred place. I love being in it. The least I can do for it is to keep it crisp and clean.”
“I love your bed too.” Making sure the bacon was off—properly this time—I turned to her and caged her in against the counter, planting one of my hands on either side of her. “I don’t think it’s very clean this morning after last night though.”
She laughed, lifting a shoulder while placing a chaste kiss on my chest. “You underestimate me. The sheets are already in the wash.”
“Wow. I’m going to try my best not to be insulted by how fast you made that happen.” I dragged my nose along the length of hers. “That’s a no for round two then, huh?”
“Nope.” She smirked and gave me an exaggerated wink. “It’s already got fresh sheets on it.”
“Good. Maybe we’ll make use of them later.” Catching her chin between my fingers, I bent my head to kiss her lips, grinning before I pulled away. “After breakfast. Wouldn’t want the eggs to get burned too.”
I pushed away from her just in time, turned off the heat on the eggs, and dished up the rest of the food before adding the eggs to our plates. While I was busy, Haven made our coffee and carried it to the sunbathed dining-room table.
Even though my plan of breakfast in bed hadn’t turned out the way I’d hoped, this was almost better. Haven in my shirt, looking all relaxed and lazy with her coffee in hand and her eyes tracking my movements as I brought our plates to the table.
“Thanks for the food,” she said when I put it down in front of her. “It smells delicious.”
I took a seat across from her. “You’re welcome. I’ll remember not to bring you breakfast in bed next time. I wanted to do something for you to thank you for letting me crash your night.”
“You didn’t crash my night. I said you could come over when you called.” A thoughtful expression entered her eyes while she chewed on her first piece of bacon. She took a sip of her coffee to wash it down, cradling the mug in her hands as she gave her attention to me. “I know you’ve already said there was nothing to talk about, but if you want to talk about it anyway, I’d still be happy to listen.”
I sighed and speared some eggs with my fork but didn’t take the bite immediately. “I’ve been having a rough time at work. Yesterday, my boss told me I had to take some time off to get my shit together.”
She looked taken aback for a second, something dark flashing in her eyes before she blinked it away. “What are you having trouble with? I thought you loved your job.”
“I do.” I sighed again, abandoning the eggs to rake both hands through my hair. “I just seem to have lost my edge and I’m not sure how to get it back.”
Well, I had some idea, but asking her about the owner and clinic this morning seemed like a monumentally bad idea. To some extent, it was that article that had kickstarted my sudden soft approach. Since I had time to really work out why now, I wasn’t in a rush to revisit it.
Haven cocked her head, swallowing the sip of coffee she’d just taken. “What do you mean you’ve lost your edge?”
“I’ve always written edgy articles. I have a nose for sniffing things out where other people don’t even bother to look.” I shook my head. “But recently, it just hasn’t been coming to me the way it used to.”
She paused for a few long minutes, absently nibbling on a pancake while she seemed to consider something. Eventually when she looked at me, there was something in her gaze I hadn’t seen there before. I didn’t know what it was, but it was surprisingly soft.
“I know it probably doesn’t feel that way right now, but it might be a good thing that you’ve lost your edge. It seems to me like you’re destined to be doing better things than what you’ve been doing. Maybe this is the universe’s way of t
elling you it’s time to move on.”
Well, that’s not what I was expecting to hear. “You really think so?”
She nodded. “You said there were other things you used to want for your future. Maybe it’s time to focus on those.”
I thought back to the conversation we’d had before. “That was mostly because I thought I’d have progressed further in my career by now and that I’d have a family. None of those things are on the radar for me right now.”
“Your career has progressed,” she said, brown eyes earnest on mine. “You said you don’t have to travel so much anymore and that you’ve got a lot more freedom concerning what you write about. Maybe this is just the beginning of the next chapter for you, so to speak.”
“Maybe.” It sure as fuck didn’t feel that way. “For now, I think I just need to take this time off and enjoy it. Perhaps the universe will let me know what it wants me to do next if I just don’t push it.”
She chuckled and poured some syrup over a pancake, folding it in half before picking it up in her hand. “I think you’re right. Sit back and enjoy the break. Who knows what will come of it?”
Chapter 27
HAVEN
Kayla and I trudged through the mud after a night of rain, the soles of our boots squelching as we made our way to the stables. Our heavy crates of equipment didn’t make it any easier.
The air was crisp this morning, but the sun was already starting to burn off the mist we’d driven through to get to the farm. She turned to look at me while we walked, her cheeks already flushed but her eyes bright and eager for another day working out of the clinic.
“What do you need me to do when we get inside?” she asked. “I know you said we’re doing routine checks today, but where do you want to start?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and thought back to my last visit here. “There’s an older mare I’d like to visit first. She belongs to the owner’s daughter and she’s a real sweetheart. They’re worried about her left hind leg. They said she started limping yesterday.”
