by Jane Jamison
“I’ll be sure to remind you that you said that whenever I need to.”
His laugh was full, throaty, and all male. She drew in a breath and was pleased to know that he smelled like he had in her fantasy. Which wasn’t unusual when she recalled how many times she’d stood near him and his brothers and tried to sniff them without doing it in an obvious way. But now was her chance to get an even better whiff. She leaned against his arm, closed her eyes, and took in a long, deep, and very overt breath.
“You smell good.” She opened her eyes, stunned at what she’d said out loud.
“Isn’t that my line?” He made a show of inhaling her aroma. “But you smell way better than me.”
She cleared her throat and dropped her gaze away from his mesmerizing eyes. “So, what else do you want to know?”
“Let’s see. I know that you’re a single mom with a great kid.”
She preened under his praise for Jazz. Hearing something good about her daughter hadn’t happened much in Atlanta. “Go on.”
“I know that you moved from the big city to give her a life in a small town. I also know that you had her when you were still a kid.”
Some people had criticized her, and yes, maybe she’d made a mistake getting pregnant so young. But she was proud of her child and proud of how she’d raised her on her own. Jazz had a few problems right now, but they’d work themselves out soon enough. “I was fifteen when I got pregnant and sixteen when I gave birth. Does that bother you?”
“Hell, no. That takes a lot of guts to keep your baby and support her. Especially since Jazz’s father is out of the picture.”
He was saying all the right things and she loved it. “I guess you do know everything.”
“Yeah, I know the facts.” He took her by the chin and made her look directly into his eyes. “But I know so much more, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like how you give Mr. Robertson extra bacon in the morning and make him think it’s because you like his flirting. Like how you stay late and clean the diner even when Milly doesn’t expect you to. Like how you tie your hair back to keep it out of your face.” He fingered a strand. “By the way, I like it this way. Free and loose.”
He leaned nearer until his mouth was so close. Close but not close enough.
“What else do you know?” Her throat constricted. Was he going to kiss her? If so, would she remember how to kiss back?
“Not everything. I want to know the things that I’ve waited a month to learn about you. I want to know how the touch of your lips feels against mine. I want to know if you like to kiss with your tongue or not. I want to know what sounds you’ll make when we make love.”
She inhaled and turned her head away, unsure of how to respond. Instead, she concentrated on keeping her breathing regular.
“Stormy?”
She swallowed then met his gaze again. “Yes?”
“I want to know you. Every inch. Every mole. Every scar.” He snagged her behind the neck. “And I want to know it now.”
Chapter Three
Rent was finally kissing her. After desiring her for the past month, Stormy was in his arms. She melted against him, and he took the move as confirmation that he could intensify the kiss. Testing the waters again, he slid his tongue over her mouth and she opened wider, bringing him inside. Her hands slid away from his chest, under his arms, and wrapped around his shoulders.
He could feel her need. Not only was the connection that joined them whirring in overdrive, he could sense that her lust for him was propelling her forward. She gripped him as tightly as he did her, taking from him as he took from her.
Although he didn’t need to, he kept his hand on her neck and roamed the other down her back and over the swell of her ass. Her jeans fit snug on her body, giving him a good crease to slide his fingers between her butt cheeks. Moaning, he pushed her onto her back.
He lifted away from her, and each of them took a minute to search each other’s face. He reached behind her neck again and undid the clasp holding up the straps of her halter top. She clutched her hands over her chest and he paused. After a moment, she let go, slowly, timidly, then yanked on his shirt and tore it open.
The strips of material hiding her breasts fell away and he lost all possible thought. Her tits were full yet perky, perfectly sized for his hands. Her lips parted as he took hold of her breasts, not fondling her but reveling in the feel of them against his palms.
“Rent.”
He shook his head aggressively, almost violently. “No. Don’t tell me to stop. I don’t think I could stand it if you told me to stop.”
Her eyes sparkled as a soft smile filled her lips. “I wasn’t going to.”
Her creamy skin beckoned for his lips, for his tongue to trace a path from one erogenous spot to another. “Then what?”
She swallowed and even that simple act nearly drove him insane. “I want you.”
He wanted to laugh, but held it back. “Um, yeah. And you know I want you, too, right?”
She blinked. Then the corners of her mouth lifted. “What I’m getting at is… Do you have any protection?”
“We don’t need it.”
She was his future mate and he couldn’t wait to get her pregnant. But it was too soon for her to know that. Still, if she said no, he’d dash out and get some condoms. “Besides, it’s not like I carry a condom around just in case the opportunity arises. I’m not that kind of guy.”
She bit her lip, started to speak, then stopped.
“What is it, baby?”
She darted her gaze from his, away, then back again. “It’s been a long time since I was this close…I mean, since I had sex.”
He palmed her cheek, unable to think of another way to comfort her. “I want you to know that I don’t take this lightly. I’m glad, hell, I’m honored that you chose me.” His heart cracked opened a bit when a tear slid down her face. He had to make her realize how special she was to him and his brothers.
“Rent?”
“Uh-huh?”
“I have an IUD.”
“Then why are you bringing up the problem of protection?”
“It’s just…” She glanced away again.
“Look at me, Stormy.”
When she did, he gave her a quick kiss. “I’m clean. I haven’t been with anyone in ages.”
“You haven’t? Why not?”
“Because I’ve been waiting for you.”
Her eyes widened and her lips parted. “Rent?”
“Yeah?”
“I want you to take me into my bedroom.”
She couldn’t have said anything better. Growling his delight, he swept her into his arms and headed down the hallway. She pointed to the door on the right then turned the doorknob.
The bedroom didn’t contain much. A full-size bed without a headboard was pushed under the only window with a nightstand on either side. A couple of boxes sat next to a small upright dresser with a cracked mirror resting on top of it. One side of the room boasted a wall-long closet.
He put her down on the blue-and-white bedspread then stood back to take her in. Her long hair spread outward to form a dark halo around her head while her breasts, her nipples taut, pointed at him. Taking his time, he shrugged off his shirt and let it fall to the floor. He knew he had a good body, but he’d never been more proud of it than when he saw the fire of lust in her eyes flame even brighter. He unbuckled his belt, letting the silver buckle rest against his leg as he pulled the flaps of his jeans wide. She licked her lips, and it sent a shiver through him.
But when she started to take off her jeans, he shook his head, halting her. “No. Not yet. That’s my job.”
He pushed his jeans and boxers to the floor as he toed off his old boots. His cock, erect and ready, stood straight and long.
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he unbuttoned her jeans then pulled the zipper down. Her chest rose and fell at a faster clip, telling of her excitement. But it was okay. He planned to calm her
nerves while firing her senses.
She lifted her hips to help him tug her jeans to her ankles. Bending over, he undid the thin straps of her shoes and tossed them to the floor. Her jeans followed, leaving her wearing only simple white panties.
“Damn.”
Her whisper was soft, but he caught it with his sensitive hearing. His wolf scratched at his hold, demanding he claim her. But even if his wolf didn’t know it, he realized it was too soon.
“What’s wrong?”
She glanced at the overhead light. “Could you turn it off?”
“Why?” He couldn’t imagine hiding a delectable body like hers in the dark. “I want to see you.” He dropped his focus to the vee between her legs. “Every inch of you.”
She bit her lower lip, tempting him to bite it, too. He reached for the hem of her panties, but she grabbed his hand. “No.”
“Stormy, you’re beautiful.”
“I, uh, had a baby.”
“Yeah, I know.” He grinned. “I met her. So?”
“So a woman’s body goes through changes when she has a baby.”
He tilted his head in question. “You don’t have anything to hide from me. You’re gorgeous because you have a woman’s body. Now let me do this.”
He brushed her hand away. Slipping his fingertips under the elastic, he slowly drew her panties over her hips. She gasped when he took them to right above her mons and he paused, giving her time before he took them any lower. When he thought she was ready, he slid them down, exposing the dark, curly mass of hair.
Not far from the patch of hair was a faded scar. “You had a C-section?”
The light dimmed in her eyes. “I know. It’s ugly.”
He traced his fingertip over the line that ran from one side of her pelvis to the other. “Don’t ever say that. It’s a sign of the gift you gave the world. Of the child you birthed.” He bent over her and placed a kiss on the scar. “It’s beautiful.”
* * * *
Stormy didn’t know if she could believe her ears. He thought her scar was beautiful? Tears filled her eyes. How did he manage to make her get teary-eyed so many times in one night when she hadn’t cried in years?
She twisted to the side so she could reach his head and caress his dark-blond hair. His body was a masterpiece, a living, breathing replica of Adonis. Every part of him was muscled. Every inch of him tanned and begging to be touched. She dared to glimpse at his cock then found she couldn’t look away. Purple veins lined the hard length of him, riding the curve to the bulbous tip that glistened with pre-cum.
“Rent, please. I need this. I need you.”
He pulled his body over her and lowered his mouth to hers. She lifted her head to meet him halfway then lay back when he pressed down. His tongue swept around hers, dancing a tale of seduction as he took a breast and rubbed his thumb over her nipple. She moaned and took his shoulders. He was as solid as marble and yet warm. The muscles in his shoulders moved up and down as he stroked her, like a gentle earthquake under her fingertips.
Breaking the kiss, he feathered kisses down her neck then played his tongue in the shallow between her collarbones. She arched, urging him to take her nipple into his mouth. He answered, doing her bidding, and captured it between his teeth.
She’d only known him for a short while, hadn’t even had a lengthy conversation with him, but it was as though she knew him from another time and place. His body was unfamiliar yet his flesh was a welcome reminder of something she’d waited for her entire life but hadn’t known she was searching for.
His palm flowed over her and down to cup her buttocks. She bent her leg, ready for whatever he wanted to do.
He pleasured her nipple, murmuring sweet words she couldn’t quite make out but understood anyway. He held his body over hers as he slipped lower.
She gasped as he spread her legs and took her pussy with his mouth. No man had ever done that to her. At first, shame took over and she reached for him to take him and make him come back up. But he brushed her hands away and pressed his tongue against her clit.
A small orgasm crested over her, surprising her. It had been too long to remember how sweet the sensation was. She cried out and widened her legs. No longer ashamed, she wanted more, and he gave it to her.
He sucked on her throbbing center then pushed a finger into her pussy. She bucked, not trying to get away but needing to get used to the unfamiliar feeling. Holding her leg, he added yet another finger, pushing and pulling them in and out of her.
The bond, the energy, whatever it was that tied them together, was strong, too strong for her to deny. Taking a man who was an almost-stranger into her house and into her arms, something she never could have imagined doing, delighted her, because it was him. Rent Malone was no longer an acquaintance, a man she knew in passing, but somehow a part of her. If he lay with her tonight and never spoke to her again, she wouldn’t regret giving herself to him.
The sounds of satisfaction he made thrilled her as much as his touches. Gentle then hard, he changed the way he used his fingers and his tongue. She felt revered and treasured by his attention.
“Hang on, baby.”
She didn’t know what he meant until he found the sweet spot deep inside her. He massaged it and the world around her grew hazy. She moaned loudly as her climax ripped through her, first in large shakes that lasted longer than she’d have thought possible then in small shudders. Once the climax was over, she was left dragging in much-needed air.
Rent’s blue eyes twinkled at her from over her mons. She could feel his smile pressed against her skin. She held out her arms, inviting him to move up.
He did and took her mouth again. She tasted her own sweet juice and gave him her tongue. His body lay on top of hers, not with his full weight but enough to make her nerve endings stand at attention.
He pulled away from the kiss and stared into her eyes. His hand found her breast and fondled it. “I’m going to have you now.”
She nodded, unable to find her voice for all the emotion clogging her throat. Whatever he wanted, she’d give.
He kissed her breast then sought out her eyes again. “This is only the first night of many. You have to know that. You were meant for me.”
The idea was ludicrous. How could any man say such a thing when they barely knew each other? And yet, she wanted it to be true.
“You were meant for us.”
She finally found her voice again. “Us?”
“Try and understand. My brothers and I have waited for you. For just you. And now that we’ve found you, we’re never letting you go. We want you as our woman. For one of us and all of us.”
“For all of you?” Did they want a multiple relationship as so many of Forever’s residents had? Did she?
“For all of us.”
Her mind flitted to Ty and Beckett. What would it be like to have them as well as Rent? It wasn’t anything she would’ve thought she’d want, but now that it was possible, she found that she liked the idea. She liked it a lot.
He kissed her then, whether out of need or to stop the questions whirling in her head, it didn’t matter. She pushed them aside for another time. All that mattered right then was Rent.
He lifted her leg and she wrapped both of them around him. His cock pushed at the opening to her pussy and she prepared for it to hurt. Too many years had passed since she’d opened her legs to anyone.
He kept his focus on her face as he shoved his cock deep inside her. She inhaled, the pain of his entry lasting only a little while. He paused, no doubt catching the sudden wince she’d made, and waited. When she relaxed, he started moving his hips back and forth, working his cock in and out of her pussy in a slow, gentle manner.
He filled her completely, stretching her vaginal walls, causing pleasurable friction. The flame he’d started with his fingers and his mouth leapt outward, filling the rest of her body. She burned with a passion she’d never experienced, giving him her body and opening her heart to infinite possibilities.
/> He plunged into her, picking up speed as his breath grew faster. She clutched his arms, strong, steel-ribboned arms, and tried to match him thrust for thrust. They moved together, their bodies syncing as one, their attention on each other’s faces.
Bits of amber dotted the bright blue of his eyes. Could it be the light? But nothing had changed since they’d come into the room. A hard shove pushing at her innermost depths broke her thoughts apart.
She held on as another flash of fire roared outward from her core, readying her body with another release. She rammed against him, daring him to push even farther into her. He answered the challenge, his muscles flexing as he did so.
She tightened her pussy around him, driving not only herself but him over the edge. They stiffened, pausing as each of them tried to hold on to their last control. She let it out first, the climax scorching through her like a tidal wave of flame. Throwing her head back, she shouted, needing to give an outlet to the overpowering fire. The climax took her over, making the world around her swim until it had pummeled its way out of her. Breathing heavily, she took his face in her hands, intent on seeing every second of his own climax
A moment later, he tensed then pushed into her again. He closed his eyes, his features hardening as he finally gave in and let his seed fly. She strengthened her legs around him, holding him to her. He shuddered then fell against her. His warm breath tickled her neck as she held on to him, the final tremors of his release moving under her fingers.
They stayed that way, his body pressed to hers, her running her fingers over his back. She could’ve, in fact, stayed that way for hours. When at last he fell to her side, she groaned at the loss of him.
“What’s wrong?” He played with her hair, rubbing it between his fingers.
“Nothing.”
“Then why’d you groan?”
What happened to the amber in his eyes? “No reason. I guess I just wasn’t ready to stop.”
His face brightened, pleased by her words. “If you’ll give me a few minutes, I can go again. Don’t worry. It won’t take as long as you think. I recover fast.”
