Cuffed & Claimed

by Lori King

  Janey brought her feet up to the waistband of his boxer briefs and began trying to push them down his hips, but they were giving her trouble. She growled in frustration.

  “Getting a little impatient?”

  “Yes,” she huffed. “I want these off.”

  He released her breast, placed a soft kiss on her lips, and leaned back on his heels. “Your wish is my command.”

  She snorted. “I highly doubt that.”

  Kyle smirked down at her while he worked his underwear the rest of the way off. He dropped them onto the floor beside the bed and retook his position between her legs. This time, though, he brought his face level with hers. He brushed the back of his fingers along the side of her face. “You might be surprised.”

  The atmosphere around them shifted. All playfulness dissipated.

  Needing to prove his point, Kyle rolled over, lying next to her on the bed. “I’m all yours.”

  She turned her head to meet his gaze as if trying to gauge if he was serious or not. After a long moment, she pushed her panties down her legs and kicked them off the end of the bed. “Condom?”

  He grinned and nodded toward the stand next to his bed. “In the top drawer.”

  Janey crawled over him, her derriere conveniently up in the air less than a foot above his face. He took advantage of the situation and gave her a playful bite on her right butt cheek. She collapsed over his lap, laughing.

  All laughter ceased when he slipped two fingers between her legs. She gasped and fisted the sheets. “Lower.”

  He did as she requested. It wasn’t hard to know he’d found the right spot. Janey pushed herself back against his fingers. “Is this what you were wanting me to do?”

  That seemed to bring her out of her fog. She scrambled to sit up.

  “Not exactly.” She held up a single foil square and ripped it open. When she began to roll it down his length, he had to press his hands into the mattress to keep from reaching for her. However, the moment she was finished, he pulled her down on top of him, flipped them over, and used his weight to press her into the mattress.

  Janey grinned up at him. “That didn’t last long.”

  “Next time.” He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her with everything he had. She met him stroke for stroke and hooked her knee around his hip, urging him closer.

  Propping himself up on one elbow, he reached between them and lined himself up. Kyle held Janey’s gaze as he pushed inside. As he began to move, she met each one of his thrusts with one of her own. She was there with him in the moment, taking what she needed.

  He kept up a steady rhythm, enjoying the friction and the way her breasts bounced each time he surged forward. Janey looked down, watching their bodies as they came together. It was incredibly erotic. And it was making it difficult to keep his climax at bay.

  She scraped her nails along his scalp, sending shots of electricity down his spine. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on anything other than how good she felt. Then he felt her snake her hand between them. The moment he registered what she was doing, he almost came right then and there.

  “Janey,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “I know.”

  If he’d been ten years younger, he might not have been able to hold on, but by some miracle he managed. Her breath came faster, harder, and her hand moved at an almost fevered pace, driving her toward her goal.

  A gasp escaped her lips a moment before he felt her muscles tighten around him. She dug her nails into his neck so hard they probably broke the skin. It flipped a switch in him. Kyle let himself go and allowed all the sensations he’d been keeping in check overtake him. He felt the energy surging and leaned forward to capture her lips as he thrust one last time.

  They lay there, him still inside her, as their breathing slowed. He felt her fingers graze over the spot on his neck where her nails had made their mark. “I didn’t mean to mark you with my nails like that.”

  He snorted and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll take the exchange any day.”

  “Still, we should probably clean it. I don’t want it to get infec—”

  His kiss effectively silenced her. Janey kissed him back, but he could tell she was still concerned. “I’ll let you look at it in a little while, okay? But I just finished making love to a beautiful woman, who I still happen to have in my arms, and I’d like to focus on that right now.”

  Kyle thought she was going to argue with him, but she didn’t. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to break the connection quite yet.

  He didn’t want to move, but eventually he had to. After rolling off her, he removed the condom and threw it in the trash can beside his bed. He’d had every intention of pulling her into his arms again, but when he turned back around, Janey was sitting up. The look on her face had him worried. “What’s wrong?”

  She shot him a weak smile. “I was just wondering what your sister’s going to say when I come home tonight.”

  “I hadn’t planned on you going back to my sister’s tonight.” He scooted closer, circled his arm around her middle, and tugged her back down until she was lying beside him again.

  “I thought you didn’t want people in town to know.”

  He shrugged. “It would be easier if they didn’t, but I’m not going to sneak you off in the middle of the night just to be sure my neighbors don’t figure out I brought a woman home with me. Besides, my sister doesn’t count.”

  Janey frowned, which wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted her smiling again, laughing.

  “If you go back to my sister’s tonight, who’s going to make sure the marks you gave me aren’t getting infected? Hayden?” he asked.

  It worked. Janey rolled her eyes at him. “Fine. I’ll stay. But I’m letting you handle your sister. I’m not going near that one. If she asks, I’m going to tell her she has to talk to you. Got it?”

  Kyle grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

  They lay there for a while, her head resting on his chest. It was peaceful, something he hadn’t felt in a while, especially not with a woman. It made him want to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible.

  “Janey?” he asked, making sure she hadn’t fallen asleep.

  “Yeah?”

  “When do you have to head back to Indy?”

  She moved so she could see his face. “I have to be at work at eight o’clock Monday morning, so I was planning to head back in the morning unless something came up.”

  He combed his fingers through her hair and tried to keep his voice even. He didn’t want her to feel any pressure. “Push your plans back a few hours and spend the day with me tomorrow.”

  6

  It wasn’t Janey’s alarm that woke her on Sunday morning. Kyle gently roused her from sleep with barely-there kisses followed by what she was beginning to think were magical fingers. He brought her to yet another orgasm thanks to those talented digits before reaching for another condom.

  After her fourth climax in less than twelve hours, she lay there trying to catch her breath while Kyle cleaned up in the bathroom. Janey wished she’d thought to bring her bag with her last night, or had Kyle swing by his sister’s house to pick it up. All she had to wear were the clothes she’d had on last night. The thought of putting her dirty panties back on wasn’t appealing.

  Janey was still lying on the bed when Kyle strolled out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. She could still see drops of water clinging to his chest, and she had the urge to lick each and every one of them.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to make it out of the bedroom today.” His husky voice had the muscles in her belly clenching in remembrance.

  “You’re the one who decided to walk out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel,” she said, getting up.

  He raised one eyebrow. “Would you rather have me walk out naked? That can still be arranged.”

  She held his gaze as she passed by him on her way to the bathroom.
“I’m sure it could be, but since someone got me all dirty last night, I’m in need of a shower.”

  “Want some company?” he asked, placing a hand on her hip to stop her.

  As tempting as that was, Janey needed a few minutes to herself. She shook her head. “Maybe you could go downstairs and get my clothes instead.”

  His eyes darkened and he pulled her against him. He gazed down the length of her body, and then placed a lingering kiss on her lips. “Enjoy your shower.”

  By the time she opened her eyes, he was on his way downstairs. She tried to clear the cobwebs out of her head. It amazed her how he could do that to her so easily.

  Janey headed into the bathroom to start her shower. He’d laid a couple of towels out for her, which she thought was rather sweet of him. She tried not to take it for anything other than what it was. Given she’d never been in his house before she wouldn’t have had a clue where the towels were.

  Then she noticed the toothbrush lying next to the towels. It was brand new—still in the package. Her heart rate sped a little and she felt warmth bloom in her chest.

  “It’s nothing, Janey,” she mumbled to herself. “He just has good manners. That’s all.”

  After turning the water on, she tested it to make sure it was the right temperature, and stepped into the tub. From what she’d seen of Kyle’s house, which admittedly wasn’t much, it was old but well taken care of. She wondered how long it had been in his family.

  There was shampoo and conditioner along the back edge of the bathtub. She took her time washing and rinsing. When she opened the body wash, a sigh left her before she could stop it. Janey knew every time she smelled that scent she would think of Kyle.

  The mirror over the sink was steamed up by the time she stepped out of the shower. She used one of the towels to wipe it clean before drying off. Realization that she didn’t even have a brush for her hair had her going over her options. She thought she might have a ponytail holder in her purse. She’d have to make it work.

  Kyle was sitting on the end of the bed waiting for her when she walked out. Her blue dress—the one she’d borrowed from his sister—was draped over his lap. He held it out to her, and she took it. “Thanks.”

  “Your bra and panties are on top of the dresser. I figured you’d want the bra. I wasn’t sure about the panties.” His smirk said it all.

  Janey wasn’t one to go around without panties on, especially in a dress, but this might have to be an exception to the rule. She recalled them being rather damp when she’d stripped them off the night before. Putting them back on was less than appealing. “I need to get my things from Ava’s anyway. I’m sure she’ll want to get the room ready for someone else.”

  “So is that a no on the panties?” he asked with a light in his eyes.

  She had the yearning to push him back on the bed and wipe that smug grin off his face, but she didn’t. “As long as we go there first, I think I’ll survive.”

  “I might be willing to test that assumption.”

  Reaching for her bra, Janey dropped the towel and began getting dressed . . . or at least as dressed as she could be without panties or clean clothes. She knew she needed a diversion or they were going to end up right back where they started the day—in his bed. “I thought you wanted us to spend the day together.”

  “Oh, we would be.” There was no mistaking his meaning.

  She shot him an incredulous look. “Outside of your bedroom.”

  Kyle chuckled and stood, slapping his hands on his thighs. “In that case, I’m going to go see what I can throw together in the kitchen.”

  He paused for a moment at the door, taking a long look at her once more. She saw the conflict in his eyes, but after several long moments, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the hallway.

  A deep sense of feminine pleasure filled her. Her body wasn’t perfect. What woman’s was? But when Kyle looked at her she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world. It was clear he liked what he saw.

  It only took a few minutes to put her bra on and slip into her dress. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail took a little longer. Every time she thought she’d gotten all her hair gathered together and twisted the band in place, a section wasn’t lying flat so she had to take it out and start again. After the fifth try, she gave up. She figured she’d fix it once they got to Ava’s and her things.

  She paid more attention on her way downstairs than she had going up the night before. There were six doors on the top floor. She assumed at least one of the other doors was a guest bathroom, which meant the house likely had five bedrooms. It was a lot bigger than she’d thought it to be last night.

  When she reached the bottom of the stairs, a muffled curse pointed her in the direction of the kitchen. She followed the sound and found Kyle frantically waving his hand in the air. “Did you burn yourself?”

  “I hate cooking. Did I mention that?” He removed two pieces of bread from the toaster and threw them onto a nearby plate with more force than necessary.

  “I’m not sure making toast qualifies as cooking.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her.

  Janey laughed and sashayed over to stand in front of him. It had been a while since she’d had this much fun with a guy. She picked up the hand he’d been shaking when she’d entered the room. “Would you like me to kiss it and make it better?”

  His eyes darkened. “No. But I’m sure I can find something else you can kiss.”

  She went up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “There. Did that make it better?”

  Without warning, Kyle picked her up and set her on top of the counter next to him. One of the plates went crashing into the sink. He ignored it and set about getting the type of kiss he’d wanted—one that was far from the innocent peck she’d given him.

  He held her exactly where he wanted her, much like he had outside the night before. She couldn’t have moved far even if she’d wanted to. Not that she did.

  Her head was spinning when he pulled back, his chest heaving with his labored breaths. He retrieved the plate from the sink, placed two pieces of toast on it, and set it on the table. Then he put another two pieces of bread in the toaster. Aside from his breathing, one would never have known he’d just kissed the living daylights out of her.

  Janey hopped off the counter and straightened her dress, making sure everything was covered. “Do you have any coffee?”

  “I’ll get it,” he said.

  “That’s okay.”

  He cut her off with another kiss and slowly walked her backward until her knees hit the chair.

  She sighed and lowered herself into the chair. “Fine.”

  * * *

  Stopping at his sister’s went about as well as could be expected. Ava was all smiles until Janey was out of sight. “So is this a one-time thing, or do you plan to see her again?”

  Kyle leaned against the back of the couch, his stance casual. “I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it.”

  His sister snorted then mumbled something under her breath that sounded a lot like “Men,” and then headed into the kitchen, Cole on her hip. She was gone all of two minutes before she marched back into the room. He’d known she wouldn’t let it go. “Why haven’t you discussed it?”

  Luckily, he was saved from answering by the sound of Janey’s footsteps on the stairs. He pushed away from the couch and went to meet her. “Got everything?”

  “Yep,” Janey said, and then looked at Ava. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here. I appreciate it. How much do I owe you for the room?”

  “Anytime. And don’t worry about it. I’m sure Kyle will figure out some way to make it up to me.”

  “We should get going.” Kyle reached for Janey’s suitcase.

  She gave it up without a fight, which surprised him. “Thanks.”

  “Call me later,” his sister called as they walked out the door.

  Kyle put Janey’s suitcase in the trunk of her SUV, and then held her doo
r open for her. Over breakfast they’d decided she’d drive her vehicle back to his place and leave it there while they were gone. He insisted it would be better that way since his place was closer to town and the road she’d need to take back to Indianapolis.

  “You going to tell me where it is we’re going, exactly?” she asked after she’d parked her SUV in his driveway and climbed into the cab of his truck.

  He’d considered his options carefully. They only had a few hours, so they couldn’t go too far. “Have you ever been horseback riding?”

  It took her a moment. “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Silence filled the cab.

  “Is that a problem?” Kyle asked.

  “No. Just . . . unexpected, I guess.”

  He glanced over at her and winked. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  It took them almost a half hour to reach their destination and another twenty minutes to get their horses saddled and ready to go. She hoisted herself onto her horse, showing she did know what she was doing, and pointed her horse toward the trail.

  The forest closed in around them, sheltering them. It was what he loved about coming here.

  Janey tightened her grip on the reins as the trail sloped downward. “Do you do this often?”

  “Every now and then.” He let that hang in the air for a while before adding, “Sometimes it’s nice to get out here by myself. Gives me the opportunity to think.” There was no one but the two of them for as far as the eye could see. They were completely surrounded by nature. It was perfect as far as he was concerned.

  “I’ve never been here before. It’s nice.” She paused. “Quiet.”

  Kyle grinned. “A lot different from the city.”

  “Yes,” she agreed.

  The trail they were on gradually led down to the river. He’d taken it many times over the years, first as a boy and then as an adult. Kyle picked up his pace a little, pulling ahead when the ground beneath them leveled out some.