His fingers tightened around hers, and she felt a rush of heat at his unexpectedly fierce protectiveness, even as his threat chilled her.
It was the absolute certainty in his voice that made it so scarily believable, she decided.
"Dane," Annabeth said, her throat tight with gratitude and affection and wonder and a hundred other emotions trying to rush out of her at the same time.
She raised his hands to her lips and kissed each large, rough knuckle in turn.
As her lips touched his skin, she gazed up at him through her eyelashes and saw his fierce anger turn to a hunger that burned just as hot.
"Roger is miles away in California," she whispered. "And I'll never have to see him or his lists again."
Dane gave her a slow smile that took her breath away. "Are you finished with lunch?"
She bent her head and softly kissed the inside of his wrist. His pulse jumped against her lips. "I believe I am."
"Good," he said, his voice still gravelly. "I'd like to take you home now."
Chapter 9 – Seduced
Dane didn't let go of her hand while he drove them back to her place.
Annabeth studied his profile, admiring the strong line of his jaw and chin as his thumb inscribed delicious promises against the sensitive skin of her palm with slow, sensual circles.
He had called her beautiful and amazing. And he had sounded like he meant it.
How had she gotten so lucky?
By the time he parked at the delivery entrance behind the bakery, the place between her legs was throbbing with urgent heat.
Neither of them spoke as they left his truck, but the atmosphere sizzled between them, heated with anticipation.
Annabeth slipped her hand into Dane's again as soon as he had closed the driver's side door. Their fingers intertwined, she led him up the rickety wooden stairs behind the bakery to her apartment.
She paused on the landing in front of her door, digging in her purse for her keys.
She knew she was an outlier for always locking her door in this small town, but she had found it surprisingly difficult to break the habits of a lifetime lived in the urban environs of the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Annabeth," Dane said in a hoarse, desperate voice and grabbed her shoulders. "I really want to—I need—"
Annabeth forgot about her keys and tilted her face up to him, her heart pounding in anticipation. She felt his fingers slide into her hair, cradling her face between his large palms.
Dane bent his head, and she parted her lips, longing for the touch of his mouth against hers.
In contrast to his previous kiss, which had been gentle and exploratory, his mouth this time devoured hers hungrily as he pressed Annabeth up against the door of her apartment, in clear view of the parking lot below.
As his lips caressed hers, firm and urgent, his tongue pushed into her mouth, teasing and caressing and taking possession of her.
Annabeth squirmed under the sensual assault and rubbed herself shamelessly against him, standing on tiptoes to wind her arms tightly around his neck, enjoying the feeling of the broad, hard planes of his chest against her breasts.
She kissed him back with an urgency that matched his, torn between savoring his intoxicating kisses and wanting more…the kind of more that generally happened on a bed.
"Oh God, you smell so good," Dane groaned, pulling away at last.
She dug her fingers into his shoulders, protesting the loss of contact and trying to pull him close again.
She pressed her hips against him and felt the hard bulge of his desire pushing urgently against the soft curve of her belly.
He was driving her crazy, and she wanted every big, hard, scrumptious inch of him. Badly.
Dane buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. "So sweet…I could eat you up."
She felt the light rasp of his stubbled cheek and chin as he kissed and nipped the tender skin there.
"Promises, promises," she panted, letting her head thump back against the unyielding wood of her front door. She offered her throat to him, feeling sharp jolts of pleasure zing through her with every urgent caress.
"You have no idea," he growled.
Annabeth clutched at him with one hand and resumed digging in her purse with the other. Damn it, why couldn't she leave her doors unlocked like every other crazily trusting person in this town?
Her fingers finally encountered cold metal. Victory!
"Dane, why don't you come in?" she managed, turning in his arms.
He didn't let go, just allowed her to rotate in his embrace to unlock her door while he pressed himself against her back.
She felt him lift the heavy, curling mass of her hair and kiss the back of her neck. Pleasant shivers raced down her spine to the pit of her belly, and she had a sudden, vivid fantasy of letting Dane fuck her like this, from behind, her cheek pressed against the door, his big hands cupping her breasts…
…just like that.
She gasped as his thumbs brushed over her nipples. Even insulated by two layers of fabric, she felt the electric current of desire arrowing right between her legs.
"God, don't stop," she managed, just as the door swung inwards, sending her staggering.
But Dane's freakish strength saved them both as he caught her and pulled her back against him.
"You like that?" he breathed.
He caught the edge of her ear delicately between sharp teeth as his thumbs made another pass over her nipples.
Annabeth whimpered, arching in his arms.
"Good," Dane said. "Because I want to touch you everywhere. Kiss you everywhere. Lick you everywhere. Do you want that, too, Annabeth?"
"Yes. Please, Dane," she begged. She wanted everything that this big, wonderful man was willing to give her.
"Good."
His hands left her breasts, and she inhaled, ready to protest.
Then she felt his callused palms slide under her chef's coat, pushing it up, caressing the bare skin of her waist and stomach before rising to push the bottom edge of the bra up and over the swell of her bosom, freeing her.
"God, you're beautiful, Annabeth," Dane said with mingled reverence and desire as he cupped her bared breasts and gently lifted them. "So beautiful."
He began to tease her nipples with his thumbs, each caress sending a rush of fresh heat and exquisite pleasure through her as they hardened into yearning points.
All the while, he continued to kiss her neck and nibble her ears and murmur compliments.
He was driving her crazy with desire. She wanted him so badly that she thought she would die—or at least scream—if she couldn't get him out of his Wranglers soon.
And they hadn't even made it as far as her living room. They were standing in her entry hall, the front door still open behind them.
"Dane," she gasped. "Won't you come in?"
He chuckled, his breath hot against the back of her neck.
"Why, Annabeth, I'd love to," he replied, wickedly, and she giggled at the unintended double entendre.
But he released her and let her close the door and lead him into her apartment, though she could still feel the imprint of his touch everywhere he had caressed her.
Annabeth stopped in front of her couch, suddenly aware that her place looked like a tornado had hit it. Her coffee table was piled with paperwork and manila envelopes jostling against her laptop.
Piles of clean, folded laundry took up half of the couch.
And she hadn't bothered to make her bed, since she hadn't been expecting anything but a normal work day today when her alarm went off hours before dawn.
"Dane, I'm sorry about the mess," she began, but saw he was looking around with approval.
"This looks like a great place to live," he commented.
"It is. I really like it," she replied. "I didn't have any furniture to move, so I had to buy stuff, mostly used. The mattress is new, though," she added hastily, then felt her face grow hot.
Dane chuckled. "I see you've got your
priorities straight."
She laughed, too.
"I've never lived in a place this big," she confessed. "It's taking me a while to furnish it."
The apartment took up the entire second floor of the two-story brick bakery building. By Bay Area standards, it was enormous, with high ceilings that looked a hundred years old, and two big skylights.
It was designed like a loft, with a great room that served as a combined living room, dining room, and bedroom.
Tucked away along one wall was small, old-fashioned kitchen with ancient appliances including a fridge that looked like it might be older than Annabeth's grandma.
A long, granite-topped breakfast bar with four antique brass-and-leather stools divided the kitchen area from the living room area.
Her queen-sized bed and nightstand were shoved against the wall behind the large square formed by a large sectional sofa with a chaise.
One of the apartment's two doors led to a large walk-in closet. The other door opened onto a generously sized tiled bathroom, which had an antique claw-foot tub with attached shower and an old-fashioned toilet with the water tank perched several feet above.
Annabeth turned to face Dane. "Can I get you some cof—"
His arms came around her again, and then his mouth was covering hers, hot and insistent.
Kissing frantically, they stumbled toward the couch. Annabeth swept out an arm and sent the piles of clean clothing tumbling to the floor an instant before Dane drew her down onto his lap.
His hand slipped back under her blouse, and he caressed the small of her back with slow circles. The heat of his touch felt like a brand against her bare skin
She settled herself on his hard thighs and eyed the erection pushing at the front of his jeans. She wanted to reach out and put her hand over the bulge and stroke it, but felt inexplicably shy.
"You're a sweet lapful, like I knew you'd be." He grinned, but his hazel eyes burned.
Annabeth's heart leapt. "I actually fantasized about doing that while we were having lunch," she confessed, and he laughed.
"Great minds think alike?" he joked, just before she wriggled forward a couple of inches and straddled his lap properly.
His leg muscles were rock-hard against the insides of her thighs, and she liked the way it felt.
She was still wearing her loose chef's trousers. With his jeans, both of them had way too many layers of clothes between them.
Annabeth took his face in her hands and kissed him.
He returned her kiss with enthusiasm, letting their tongues engage in an urgent, thrusting dance of courtship. When she finally moved away from his mouth, they were both panting.
She placed tiny kisses along the strong line of his jaw, reveling in his spicy scent, and he tilted his head back, eyes closed, baring his throat in a silent plea.
Annabeth yielded to her desire to nibble on him and traced the line of his pulse with her lips and tongue. He smelled good, like clean male, and just the faintest hints of smoke and aftershave.
With shaking fingers, she reached to pull his shirt out of his jeans, letting her fingertips brush the warm, smooth skin of his torso. She undid one shirt button and stopped, waiting for permission to continue.
He opened his eyes. "Don't stop now," he said hoarsely.
Chapter 10 – Thwarted
She fumbled open the rest of his shirt buttons with desperate haste, dying to see what sexy things lay beneath the concealing fabric.
Dane's chest and torso were beautiful, big and hard with sculpted muscle, his pectorals lightly dusted with dark hair that narrowed to a thin line down his belly before disappearing into his pants.
He was so very responsive to her touch. She liked how his breath caught when she brushed one of his cinnamon-colored nipples with the edge of her fingernail.
It tightened to a hard point as she played with it, and Dane groaned, his muscles tensing beneath her.
His movements brought the hard ridge of his erection against her crotch. A sharp jolt of pleasure wrung a gasp from her.
Experimentally, she rolled her hips, rubbing herself shamelessly against him.
It felt good, so very good, even with both of them still wearing pants…
"Annabeth," Dane groaned, after a few pleasurable moments. "Stop…please. Or I'm going to come."
With an effort, she stopped moving her hips. God, he looked so sexy like that, with his hair tousled and his shirt open and his expression desperately hungry.
Hungry for her, extra pounds and all. The way he was looking at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
"Don't you want to come?" She moved her hands lower, toying with his belt buckle.
Annabeth wanted see all of him now. She wanted to wrap her fingers around his hard cock and see if she could make him lose control.
Wanted to see him lost in the throes of pleasure that she'd given him.
"Yes, but first, I want to taste you," he said hoarsely. "Please."
"Yes," said Annabeth. "Oh, yes."
"But first…" He gave her a slow smile that did things to her insides. Nice things. "I'd like to see those gorgeous breasts of yours." He paused and added, with a wink, "Pretty please?"
That made her laugh again. She had always felt a little tense while having sex with Roger, worried that she wasn't doing something right or was not reacting in a way that he would like.
But making out with Dane was fun, hot and sexy and humorous. And she hadn't worried about anything—his kisses had driven all rational thought out of her mind, until all she wanted to do was feel.
Slowly, deliberately, she unbuttoned her chef's coat, watching Dane's expression as she revealed more and more of her breasts, until finally, she slid the halves over her shoulders and let the coat drop to the floor at Dane's feet. Her bra, still shoved out of place, followed, leaving her bare to the waist.
Then Annabeth perched on Dane's lap, watching his pupils dilate as he looked at her.
"Beautiful," he breathed and leaned forward to place two quick kisses on the tips of her breasts.
His mouth lingered as he began to worship her with his lips and tongue, kissing the soft curves, teasing her sensitive nipples to hard, aching points.
It was heaven. It was hell. She squirmed and panted as his hands settled firmly on her hips and he worked her over.
"I want to hear you," he said, just before his teeth closed gently over one hard nipple.
Annabeth whimpered in response, unable to control herself. She thought she might come just from the intense sensation.
"Yeah, like that," Dane whispered. "I love it when you make noise for me."
She clutched at his shoulders and threw her head back, her body on fire for him.
"I want to make you come," Dane told her in a low, intense voice, in between playful, nipping kisses that teased and made her want more. "I want to taste you and hear you scream my name."
She nodded frantically, so turned on now that it hurt with a throbbing ache between her legs.
"Please," she begged. "Please."
"Stand up and take off your pants," Dane ordered.
Annabeth wriggled eagerly off his lap. Her knees felt rubbery, and her heart was pounding as if she'd just run up five flights of stairs.
"Slow down, please," he said, as she unbuttoned the waist of her pants and shoved them down her legs with frantic haste.
"What?" Annabeth asked, startled.
Dane leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. He grinned up at her. "I'm enjoying the show."
And she liked the idea that he enjoyed looking at her. So she made an effort to step slowly out from the pants crumpled around her ankles.
Her breath catching with anticipation, aware of his burning green-gold gaze on her, Annabeth reached down slowly and hooked her thumbs under the top of her panties.
Slowly, teasingly, she slid her underwear down her thighs to her ankles. She stepped out of her panties, leaving a crumpled scrap of aqua cotton and l
ace on her rug.
"Very nice." Dane stretched out a big hand, then tugged her down onto the couch next to him. "Make yourself comfortable, beautiful…maybe scoot a little closer to the edge? Oh, that's good." His voice was low and rough, sending a primal thrill through her.
With a smooth movement, he slid off the couch and knelt before her. "Open your legs for me."
Annabeth did it and felt him kiss the inside of her left knee.
Dane kissed his way up the inside of her thighs, making her squirm with impatience and desperate need.
She jumped as he blew lightly across her aching, sensitized folds.
"You smell even more wonderful than I thought. You're driving me crazy, Annabeth. All I can think about is doing this—"
Annabeth gasped sharply as the tip of his tongue circled her swollen clit in a slow swirling caress.
"Oh, God," she said, fervently, as he set to work.
Dane was very, very good with his mouth. In no time, he had her writhing and pleading with him as a coil of pleasure began to tighten between her legs.
On the rare occasions when Roger had tried giving her oral, it had never felt like this, wild and urgently ravenous.
She had always tensed up, afraid of taking too long to come, worried about the fact that she knew Roger didn't really like to use his mouth on her and that he'd be upset if he thought she wasn't sufficiently grateful.
But Dane—Dane plunged right in, kissing, licking, sucking every secret part of her. He fucked her enthusiastically with his tongue, teasing her with the thick, slippery length until she was begging.
And the entire time, he looked like he was enjoying doing this to her almost as much as she was enjoying having it done.
He brought her right up to the edge—then stopped. His big hands on her thighs kept her a tantalizing distance from his mouth as she arched against the sofa cushions and tried to grind herself against him.
She made an inarticulate sound of protest, desperate for release.
"Do you want to come now, Annabeth?" His voice was husky and very low. And his eyes were nearly gold now.
He blew a teasing puff of air against her, and she moaned, nodding frantically.
Heat: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 1) Page 7
