INNOCENCE AND ARROGANCE

by Kimberley Reeves

  “He’s not my dog,” Scott said as he hauled in the last box. “Just tell him to settle.”

  “Settle. I tell him to settle and you think he’s going to mind me?”

  “Stay here while I put this box inside. I’ll stand on the porch so he knows it’s you who’s giving the command.”

  Mina shifted the box she was carrying, glaring at Buster as he dashed by her again. She waited until Scott came back out then told Buster to settle.

  “Honey, say it with authority, like it’s an order you expect to be obeyed, not a request that he can choose to ignore.”

  She waited until Buster was close again. “Buster, settle.”

  The dog whipped by her, bumping against her shins. She shot a withering glance at Scott. “It didn’t work.”

  “Try it again, but lower your voice a few octaves and keep it even; no emotion, just authority.

  She waited again for the dog to come tearing towards her and did as Scott instructed her. To her amazement, Buster stopped in his tracks and sat down on his haunches.

  “Now walk away, sweetheart. Don’t act surprised that he did it.”

  Mina made her way up the porch and was relieved of her load by Scott. He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “You did good, honey.”

  “You make it sound like I’m the one being trained.”

  “You are,” he said with a grin. “I’m training you to control your dog. What do you say we all go over to my house and scrounge up something to eat?”

  They piled into Scott’s truck and arrived at his house in no time. Mina told him to relax while she set about making sandwiches and ice tea. They devoured their late night snack, finishing the dishes just as ten o’clock rolled around and though she was tired, Mina rebelled at the idea of having to separate herself from Scott.

  “Do you want to watch a little television before I take you home?”

  She jumped on it. “Yes, I would.” When he took her hand and started leading her upstairs, she asked him where he was taking her.

  “To the only place in the house with a television, my bedroom.”

  “You don’t have one downstairs?”

  Scott stopped halfway up the stairs. “Are you afraid to come up to my room?”

  “Maybe just a little,” she admitted.

  “Would you like me to take you home instead?”

  Suddenly feeling a bit foolish, she shook her head. “What about Buster?”

  He whistled for the dog. “He can come too.” Buster trotted around the corner and followed them to the bedroom then plopped down in front of the fireplace. “Guess he’s claimed his spot,” Scott chuckled.

  Mina claimed her spot too, on the sofa next to Scott. He put his arm around her and channel surfed for a few minutes before they found one that was playing the older version of Rebecca.

  “I love these old suspense movies,” she said with a yawn.

  Scott kicked off his shoes. “Let’s get more comfortable,” he said, rising from the sofa.

  He leaned over and scooped Mina up as if she weighed no more than a sack of feathers then stretched out on the sofa. She settled herself between the back of the sofa and Scott’s side with her head resting on his shoulder.

  “That’s better,” he said with a contented sigh.

  Mina didn’t object. She felt warm and safe curled up next to him but was so comfortable, she soon found herself fighting sleep. Finally, she gave up and closed her eyes. That was the last thing she remembered before waking up in bed with Scott.

  Chapter 7

  Mina’s eyelids fluttered open. She felt disoriented for a moment before realizing she was still in Scott’s arms. She started to close her eyes again, snuggling closer to his side, when the slow realization came to her that they were no longer on the sofa. She could tell by the smooth, even fall and rise of his chest beneath her fingers that Scott was still asleep. She could also tell by the warmth along the length of her body that he had on his boxers and nothing else.

  A quick assessment of where flesh met flesh told her she was wearing only her t-shirt from the day before and her panties. He must have carried her to bed and removed the sweats she’d been wearing. Mina smiled to herself, imagining the strength of him when he lifted her and carried her to bed and then the gentleness with which he laid her down and removed her sweats so he wouldn’t wake her.

  She tipped her head back and watched him for a moment, wondering how it would feel waking up to Scott every morning after having made love the night before. Just the idea sent a shiver running through her. He must have been half awake because even that small movement woke him.

  Scott opened his eyes to find Mina looking at him. He smiled sleepily. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “I guess I was pretty out of it last night.”

  “To put it mildly, you sleep like a log. I fell asleep myself and woke up around two in the morning. It seemed silly to wake you and take you home.”

  “I knew this was all a ploy to get me into your bed,” she teased.

  “And it worked too,” he said, pulling her into him and giving her a long, leisurely kiss.

  Mina’s body instantly responded, the scorching heat racing through her so fast, she felt flushed with fever. Scott shifted on his side, his hand gliding down the length of her body to her hips and pulled her into him. His kiss deepened, became hard and hungry, and Mina felt herself arching into him, wanting to feel every delicious inch of his skin against hers.

  She shivered when his warm, calloused hand moved up her side and slipped beneath her shirt. His touch was soft and gentle against the sensitive flesh of her breast as he kneaded it then played his thumb across the peak. She moaned softly when the peaks grew hard and taut, and she pressed into him with an urgent need to have the roughness of his hand firmly against her.

  Mina pulled his mouth down, greedily demanding more, then gasped when something deep in her abdomen coiled and tightened. She felt an almost painful ache begin to throb between her thighs and thought something must be wrong with her. She pulled away from him, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

  “Scott, I think…I don’t know…”

  He lifted himself on one elbow and looked down at her anxious face. “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said worriedly. “I feel strange, almost like cramps, but worse.”

  Scott caressed the side of her face, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Hasn’t that ever happened to you before, sweetheart?”

  “No. Do you know what it is?”

  He looked at her sweet, innocent face and felt his heart surge. “Yes, baby, I know what it is and I’m going to take care if it for you.”

  He lowered his head and Mina’s senses spiraled out of control when Scott started kissing her. His massive chest pressed into her, easing the ache in her breasts. Then his hand moved down to her belly, stroking with a feathery touch until she felt that strange coiling begin to tighten again. His hand inched slowly downward, beneath the band of her panties and for the first time in her life, Mina felt the touch of a man on her most intimate parts. At first she was embarrassed by the way her body jerked and shuddered and tried to control it, but Scott whispered softly in her ear to relax and let herself go.

  She closed her eyes when his mouth left hers to press hot, moist kisses down the side of her neck, but when he hit the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder, nipping and sucking playfully, she thought she would explode. His strong fingers moved in a slow, easy rhythm, enticing her body into an almost unbearable state of anticipation.

  Mina arched against him instinctively, seeking something, some sort of release from the euphoric torture he was putting her through. Then he penetrated her with one strong thrust of his finger and she went wild in his arms. She shuddered violently, a deep feral moan ripping from her throat as the coil within her snapped and brought her to a thunderous climax. She clung helplessly to his shoulders, quivering in his arms for s
everal minutes afterwards while he whispered comforting words and plied her with soft kisses. When her body finally stopped shaking and she was able to breathe again, Mina opened her eyes to find Scott smiling at her.

  “Is that better?” He asked.

  She nodded mutely, not quite sure if she was even capable of speaking at the moment. Then she drew him down to her, needing more than anything to feed herself with the taste of him. She’d never experienced anything like this before, and now that she had, Mina wanted more. She’d read about having sex; knew that a woman experienced pain with the loss of her virginity, but if Scott could make her body feel so good with just the use of his hands and his mouth, she could only imagine the utter joy of having him move in and out of her when they made love.

  She could feel how aroused he was when the incredibly hard thickness of him pressed into the soft flesh of her belly. He wanted her, she thought happily. Scott wanted her as badly as she wanted him. She tipped her hips into him, grinding against his throbbing erection until his big body was trembling from the pleasure of it. Mina wrapped her legs around his thighs, pulling him on top of her and could have cried from the sheer ecstasy of feeling the weight of him press into her.

  His hand moved over her body while his mouth assaulted hers with a fury. She loved the brutal strength of him, the crushing of his chest against hers, and the way his hips moved back and forth until the friction nearly drove her crazy with desire. Then Scott’s lips abruptly left hers. Mina looked into his eyes, seeing a mixture of raw desire and the heavy strain of having to control himself.

  “We need to stop,” he said thickly.

  ****

  “I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t think to buy condoms. I never thought…”

  “It’s my fault,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “I just wanted you so bad, Scott.” Mina sifted her fingers through his hair, extremely happy just to be laying there with him. “I never knew I could feel this way,” she said dreamily. “I guess I just got greedy. I wanted to feel you inside of me…”

  “Oh God,” he groaned, burying his face in her neck. “Mina, honey, you’re driving me insane.” He lifted his head again, feeling even less in control than he was before. “How long before you can start on the pill?”

  “Not until the Sunday after my next cycle, which won’t start for another day or two.”

  Scott grimaced. “A whole week?”

  He groaned again. He didn’t want to wait a week, but neither did he want to have to wear a condom the first time he made love to her. He looked down at her thoughtfully for a moment.

  “Mina, have you ever read anything on conception?” She looked embarrassed when she admitted she had then asked why he wanted to know. “What are the chances…I mean, being so close to your cycle and all…”

  Mina reached for a memory then rattled off what she recalled. “Statistically, I’ve probably been infertile for a week. This close to my cycle, there’s less than a five percent chance of pregnancy and being a virgin doesn’t increase or decrease the percentage.”

  Scott drew his head back. “What? What did you just say?”

  “There’s less than five percent…”

  “No,” he said faintly, “what did you say after that?”

  “Being a virgin doesn’t increase or decrease the percentage.”

  He just stared at her for a moment, the idea that she’d never made love with another man putting an even bigger strain on his self-control. “Mina, honey, are you telling me you’ve never had sex before?”

  “I thought you knew…I mean, I just assumed you did.” Her spirits plunged. “Does that mean you don’t want to make love to me now?”

  “No, sweetheart,” he said with a smile, “it doesn’t mean that at all. I want you more than ever. It’s just…are you sure you want me to be your first?”

  “I don’t think I was being very subtle just a few minutes ago, do you?”

  He laughed softly. “No, you certainly weren’t.”

  Mina’s eyes met his. “I guess the real issue is that five percent.”

  “We really shouldn’t,” he said with very little conviction.

  “I know.”

  “It would be extremely irresponsible.”

  She smiled. He was doing his best to talk himself out of it, but the hand that roamed over her bare thigh in a soft caress said he wanted it every bit as much as she did. She shrugged indifferently.

  “Okay,” she said, then rolled away from him and climbed out of bed.

  Scott sat up. “Wait…what are you doing?”

  Mina had to bite back the laugher at the panic in his voice. “You’re right,” she said agreeably, “it would be incredibly irresponsible. Do you mind if I take a shower?”

  Before he could reply, she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor then walked around to the foot of the bed, making sure he had a full frontal view.

  With an innocent smile she asked, “Which way is the bathroom, anyway?”

  Scott made a strange, strangled sound before pointing across the room. “I…uh…it’s…”

  “Thanks!” She smiled brightly at him then turned towards the bathroom.

  Scott watched the seductive sway of her hips, his eyes narrowing. She sure as hell didn’t act like a virgin, not with the way she’d ground those slender hips into his and the brazen way she’d pulled off her top. He threw back the covers and was on her in less than a second. He caught her by the waist, whipping her around and pulling her roughly into him.

  “You know what I think, sweetheart?” He growled. “I think you’ve been playing games with me, teasing me with that sexy little body of yours.”

  Mina’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the dangerous look in his eyes. “Scott…” she tried to protest, but he was beyond listening to her.

  His mouth crushed her lips in a brutal, savage kiss. Overwhelmed by the passion he ignited in her, Mina locked her arms around his neck, trying desperately to keep her knees from buckling beneath her. She was only vaguely aware that he’d lifted her in his arms until she found herself back on the bed with Scott’s magnificent body covering hers and she felt incredibly vulnerable beneath his crushing weight.

  She ran her hands over the bulging muscles of his arms, loving the feel of his hard, corded flesh against her finger tips. He was so strong, so undeniably masculine, she quivered from the sheer animalistic allure of him. She tried to tell him that she hadn’t been lying about being a virgin when he snapped the band of her panties and tossed them aside. But when he lifted himself from her to strip off his boxers, Mina’s throat constricted, rendering her speechless. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. She’d never seen anything so beautiful in her life as the sight of Scott standing over her. His sleek muscles rippled with each movement, his powerful arousal both exciting and frightening her at the same time.

  “Scott…” she said weakly as he lowered his body over her and settled himself between her thighs.

  His eyes met hers for a moment and Mina knew he meant to take her hard and fast. She could have said something then, could have stopped the merciless way he intended to use her body, but something primitive deep within her wanted it to happen this way. She wanted to feel his power unleashed and welcomed the fury of his love. She drew her breath in slowly when he kneed her thighs apart and positioned himself at her heated opening.

  Mina kept her eyes locked to his as he rocked gently against her, the thickness of him stretching her sensitive flesh little by little. He was deliberately keeping himself from her, prolonging the moment of entry until they were both nearly delirious with the need to join their bodies. Then with one powerful thrust, Scott impaled her with the full length of him.

  The instant he heard Mina’s throaty gasp he stopped moving. Scott’s heart clutched in his chest when he saw the glassy look in her eyes and the tears rolling down the side of her face.

  “Oh God, baby, I’m sorry. I thought…”

  “Don’t stop,” she begged in
a hoarse whisper. “Scott, please…”

  She pulled him back down, arching her hips and forcing him even deeper inside of her. A low, animalistic growl rumbled from Scott’s throat and thrill raced through at the wild, hungry look of want and need in his eyes. She clung to his shoulders, taking the pain of each forceful thrust without a sound. Then he shifted; his hips moving faster, harder and the pain began to ebb as a new sensation took its place. They were both beyond thinking now. All that remained was the primal need to mate in its purest form; a desperate desire to satiate the hunger in themselves and each other.

  Mina felt him grow thicker, harder inside of her and the added pressure against her already sensitive flesh threw her into an explosive climax. She heard the deep, guttural sound tear from her throat; as helpless to control it as she was the writhing of her own body. She tried to anchor herself to Scott’s broad shoulders but he arched his back away from her, burying himself to the hilt as his body shuddered and jerked uncontrollably. The warmth of his seed spread deep in her abdomen as he released himself and she clenched her inner muscles around him, wanting nothing more than to hold him to her forever.