Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard Book 8)

by Kat Mizera

  “You taste like honey and cinnamon,” he murmured against her mouth, his lips making a slow trail along the line of her jaw. Her head fell back, and he nibbled the soft spot behind her ear, licking it and then toying with her earlobe. He bit down a little, and gooseflesh broke out all over her body, a moan escaping her chest. The arm around her waist pulled her closer until she was on his lap, and she turned, straddling him.

  Their mouths moved together again, and despite her being draped over his body, he kept his touch light. Even as their kisses intensified and she felt his erection growing, he didn’t appear to be in any hurry. His hands moved along her back, caressing and stroking her, and one occasionally drifted up into the hair at the base of her skull, holding her a little more firmly against him. Then he’d let up and tease her a little, nipping her lower lip and pressing chaste kisses on her throat and collarbone.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.

  “Your touch makes me feel beautiful.”

  “Tell me what you want, Tara. I can wait if you’re not ready.”

  “I’m very ready. There’s no reason to wait.”

  She slowly slid down to the ground, her eyes never leaving his, putting her body between his legs. He was watching her intently as she reached for his belt. She unfastened it and undid the button at the top of his jeans before sliding down the zipper.

  “Tara…” His voice caught a little and she gazed up at him. “Are you sure…”

  “I want to,” she whispered. “Very much.”

  “Is your jaw okay?” He gently tilted up her head, forcing her to make eye contact again.

  “I think it’s okay. I’ll let you know if it hurts.”

  She slowly pulled his cock out from his boxers and stroked her hand along the soft skin. He was already leaking a little, so she rubbed her thumb along the slit at the head. She looked up at him once more as she lowered herself a little so she could watch him watch her close her lips around him.

  “Tara…” He arched his hips a little and shifted to the side to give her better access.

  She took her time, getting him just as worked up as he’d gotten her. She licked the base before tugging his jeans down a little more so she had access to his balls. When she sucked one into her mouth he gasped, and she bit down enough to make him groan. She squeezed the other with her hand and increased pressure as she kissed her way up his shaft.

  When she got to the top, she opened her mouth and took him as deep as she could. This time he arched his hips completely up off the couch, pushing deeper and digging the fingers of one hand into her hair.

  “Fuck, baby, just like that… God damn, that’s good.”

  She worked him into a frenzy, sucking him deep and then pulling out to the tip, sucking lightly and then much harder, back and forth, in and out, until he was gasping and pulling her hair.

  “Is it okay if I come in your mouth?” he rasped.

  She nodded, closing one hand around the base of his shaft and tightening her lips around him once again. He held her head in place as he started to move, driving in and out until he stiffened and shot off deep into her throat.

  She swallowed every drop, milking him until he was completely spent, and she playfully licked her lips as she straightened up.

  “Fuck, that was amazing.” He tugged her up and onto his lap again, his mouth covering hers.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” she whispered.

  Donovan stuffed himself back into his jeans, and Tara switched off the fireplace before she slid her hand into his and they ran up the stairs to her room.

  They were naked within minutes, but instead of ravishing her the way she’d envisioned, Donovan slowed all the way down. They stretched out next to each other on the bed, on their sides so they were looking into each other’s eyes, and he gently kissed her.

  “I like to go slow the first time,” he murmured. “So I can learn every single thing that turns you on.”

  “You think you’ll learn all this in one night?”

  “At least the basics.”

  “You already know how I like to kiss.”

  “Uh-huh. I’ve also discovered that you like to give head.”

  “What else?”

  He reached out and rubbed his thumb over one of her nipples, watching as it pebbled. “That your nipples are sensitive.”

  She swallowed. “Yes. I like having them touched.”

  “Like this?” He leaned over and ran his tongue around her areola before sucking it into his mouth.

  She sighed, long and deep, digging the fingers of one hand into his sandy brown hair. She liked how soft it was, how it felt to run her fingers through it, but she was totally distracted by how his mouth felt on her breast. He was being wonderfully thorough, eliciting shockwaves of pleasure each time he changed the pressure of his lips. He’d moved to the other breast now, licking, kissing, and sucking until she couldn’t stand it and reached out to stroke his erection.

  He playfully pushed her hand away. “You’ve already had your fun—now it’s my turn.”

  “But it’s been so long,” she whispered. “I need to feel you inside of me.”

  He groaned a little. “You’re rushing me, gorgeous.”

  “Just the first time. We can go slow the second time.”

  “Christ.” He reached for the condom he’d gotten out of his wallet and slowly rolled it down his shaft.

  “Can I be on top?”

  “Sure.” He rolled onto his back, and his eyes never left hers as she straddled him. She sank down, taking all of him, and they moaned together. Tara hadn’t been with anyone in more than six months, which was a long time for her, but this had absolutely been worth the wait. Donovan fit inside of her like he’d been made just for her—not too big, definitely not too small.

  “Here’s what we’re gonna do,” he said in a playful whisper. “You’re gonna get yourself to your happy place so I can watch you come, and then I’m gonna flip you over and get you there again from behind.”

  “Mmm, yes, I love this idea.” Her eyes twinkled. “Think you can hold off long enough to get me off twice?”

  “I love a challenge, baby.” He thrust up hard and deep, and Tara had to grab onto his strong shoulders to keep her balance.

  She shifted her hips to take him even deeper and slowly began to move. He brought his hands down to stroke the sides of her thighs.

  “That’s it, beautiful. Touch your breasts. I can tell you like that extra stimulation.”

  Tara sighed, bringing her hands up to cup her breasts. He was right—she loved nipple stimulation during intercourse, sometimes even more than clitoral stimulation.

  “Squeeze,” he said softly.

  She squeezed them harder, her head falling back as he guided her hips with his hands.

  “Pinch your nipples the way you want me to next time,” he said, his voice getting deeper.

  She pinched them until she gasped, and he slid a finger between her legs. “You’re so damn hot and wet. I really want to see you come, baby.”

  Between his delightfully naughty words, the deep timbre of his voice, and the finger stroking her clit, Tara couldn’t hold back. She came hard, a shriek escaping her as she gyrated against him.

  “Shit, that was intense.” She rested her hands on his chest. “I can’t believe you held back.”

  He chuckled. “That’s because it was too damn good to get off this soon. Now roll over and get on your hands and knees.”

  Tara didn’t hesitate, though she was still shaking a little from how hard she’d come. She hadn’t even had a chance to catch her breath when he pushed back inside of her. It was different from this angle, and she surged back against him, taking him deeper. She loved having him inside of her, his body against hers, strong arms circling her waist from behind. In her experience, doing it doggy style was for the guy’s pleasure, not hers, but that wasn’t the case with Donovan.

  Every stroke of his cock brought her back to the brink of ecstasy, her body a
ching for another release. It was like they’d been sleeping together years, that’s how well he could read her. When he reached down to play with her already sensitive clit, she hissed through her teeth, simultaneously aching for more and trying to get away.

  “Lighter?” he asked, leaning forward so his torso was pressed to her back, his lips against her ear.

  “Yes…no… I don’t know.”

  “We’re going to come together this time, so tell me what you need.”

  “Lighter, then harder…” She could barely think because he was already doing that, his finger working her into another frenzy as his cock pushed up against something that made her tingle with need.

  He shifted a little, plunging in and out with firm, fast strokes that had her panting, fingers clawing at the sheets.

  “Donovan, please…”

  He picked up speed and then pinched her clit between two fingers. A cry escaped her that she couldn’t hold back, and she rocked back against him, everything inside of her exploding out. The aftershocks were like mini-orgasms all over again, and she whimpered as her arms and legs gave out. She landed flat on her stomach, her breath gone, her mind totally blank.

  Somewhere in her subconscious, she’d been aware of Donovan growling through his own release, and now they were side by side, both on their stomachs, though he had an arm draped across her back.

  “We’re going to need to do that again,” he murmured after a minute or so. “That was amazing.”

  “That was terrible,” she murmured, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at him. “Why do people even bother with sex?”

  “Mostly to make babies, I guess.” He was stroking her arm, his warm fingers turning her on all over again, even as they joked.

  “Ew. Babies.”

  They both chuckled.

  Donovan pressed a soft kiss on her shoulder. “Sex is fun.”

  “Sex with you is fun.”

  “Wanna go again?”

  “Many times.”

  15

  Donovan was late to the morning skate the next day and he all but flew through the hall to the locker room. He couldn’t believe he’d fallen back to sleep after his alarm went off, but it had been far too long since he’d spent the night with a sexy, beautiful woman. Hell, he hadn’t spent the night with anyone since his divorce. There had been some hook-ups but there hadn’t been any sleeping. Or any intimacy at all for that matter. This thing with Tara was everything those hook-ups hadn’t been, and now he was going to marry her.

  That wouldn’t have been a problem in general, but he couldn’t afford to be late like this and he absolutely couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

  Too late, the devil on his shoulder chuckled into his subconscious.

  He yanked on his equipment, gratified to see a few other guys straggling behind too.

  “Late one?” Logan asked him, grinning.

  “Nah. Just forgot to turn on my alarm.” He gave him a self-deprecating grin. “Dumbass thing to do.”

  “Can’t be the first time, right?” Logan laughed.

  “It is for me.” Donovan grabbed his gloves as he followed him down the tunnel toward the ice.

  Logan glanced over his shoulder. “You’ve never overslept before?”

  “Not since I got to the pros.”

  Logan stopped short and squinted at him. “Never? What the fuck kind of Boy Scout shit is that?”

  “Sorry? I take my job seriously.” Donovan had to chuckle at the indignation on Logan’s face.

  “I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Donovan brushed past him and grabbed his stick as he stepped onto the ice.

  “You know it’s really hard to lie about oversleeping when you spend the night at your coach’s house,” Coach Caldwell murmured as he dropped down to stretch.

  “Sorry, Coach. It won’t happen again.”

  “Hope not.” She skated away and he swallowed a groan.

  He had to be more careful. Especially now that a certain spectacularly distracting redhead was going to be in his bed every night.

  They’d called up the starting goalie from the minor league team to be Donovan’s back-up, a twenty-two-year-old Russian named Viktor Maslak. He was talented and hard-working but hadn’t been particularly friendly so far, and Donovan didn’t make eye contact as he skated around the ice. He already felt bad about oversleeping and didn’t need ribbing from yet another guy vying for the job he wanted.

  “Gather round, everyone.” Coach Caldwell skated to center ice. She liked starting practice there, right in the middle where everyone would gather around her. It had always been her thing, and we obligingly met her there.

  “Okay, we’ve got six games coming up that’ll take us into the brief Thanksgiving break before we head back on the road for another two weeks. That will be our last trip before the holidays, but it won’t be fun. Winnipeg is on fire right now, especially their special teams. So that’s what we’re working on today. I want to see some hustle out there.”

  Donovan tuned out some of what she was saying since it didn’t pertain to him, and he wondered what Tara was up to. His thoughts traveled to her silky hair and smooth skin. She’d been naked when he left her this morning and despite his panic about oversleeping, he’d still taken a few extra seconds to kiss her goodbye.

  They hadn’t been dating long, but he really liked her.

  More than anyone he’d met in a very long time.

  And now he was going to marry her.

  He couldn’t help but chuckle every time he thought about it.

  The more he’d tried to slow down and keep things casual, the more they’d heated up. It made no sense, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. He’d also been playing well since he’d met her, which was equally confusing. For some reason, everything had become better since they’d started hanging out, and he wondered if that would continue once they were married.

  If he was honest with himself, it was because he was happy, and it had been a while for that, too. He’d spent way too much time stressed out about everything when he’d been with Jane, and then he’d spent a lot of time beating himself up about his failed marriage, his mediocre career, and even his boring life here in Alaska. Suddenly, none of those things were accurate anymore, and he had a totally different perspective. At some point, he needed to take a little time to think about his change of heart, but definitely not during practice. Maybe not even after practice.

  Despite the marriage license metaphorically burning a hole in his pocket, he didn’t see Tara for a few days because they both had a lot going on, but they talked on the phone and texted on and off all day. By the time he picked her up for their date Friday night, he’d missed her and was looking forward to spending time with her. They had a relatively low-key evening planned, going for an early dinner and then heading to the college to watch the women’s hockey game.

  “Hi.” She gave him a sweet smile as she got into his SUV and leaned over for a kiss.

  “Hey.” He smiled back, pressing his lips to hers. “I missed you all week.”

  “Me too,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to either of the games, but Matthew was sick and I couldn’t leave him.”

  “He’s attached to you,” Donovan said.

  “He wouldn’t go to Maureen at all,” she said, referring to Matthew’s main nanny. “I felt bad for her.”

  “Well, given the choice, I think I’d choose you, too,” he teased.

  She laughed. “You might be a little biased.”

  “Probably.”

  “I watched the games on TV, though, and you look good. You’re on a winning streak.”

  “Shhh.” He shook his head at her. “Don’t jinx it.”

  “Sorry.”

  “I don’t think you are,” he said, glancing over at her with smirk. “I think you’re mocking me.”

  “Never.” She grinned. “I’ll tell you a secret, though. Miikka’s not superstitious, either. He just preten
ds. Like when you got to the playoffs and couldn’t shave. He thought it was ridiculous. Also, he can’t grow much of a beard, so he was miserable.”

  Donovan glanced at her.

  She looked back.

  She was fucking with him.

  Wasn’t she?

  Her lips started to twitch. Then she burst out laughing.

  “Please tell me that’s a lie,” he said, chuckling.

  She was laughing too hard to answer, but also shaking her head. “N-no… I’m serious. He truly cannot grow a beard. Neither can I, for that matter.”

  He got caught up in her laughter and it occurred to him no woman had ever made him laugh the way Tara did. Jane hadn’t been funny at all. Almost never. He’d had his teammates for laughter, so it hadn’t bothered him at the time, but now that he had it, it was a fantastic change of pace.

  They got to the arena where the team played, and Donovan took her hand as they walked up to the will-call window. Coach Azure had apparently left tickets for Tara, and he teased her as they walked inside.

  “You’re already a VIP. Look at you getting us in for free and everything.”

  “Coach said the job would be mine if he could hire me, but we have to sort out the stupid visa stuff first.”

  “Management for the team said they’ll do whatever they can once we’re married,” he said.

  She nodded. “I told Gage about our plans and he said he has a few friends in the state department he might be able to talk to in order to speed things up once we’re married as well.”

  “So it seems like getting married really is the best move,” he said.

  “It looks that way.”

  They found their seats, which were right behind the bench, and Donovan looked around, thinking he could get into the mindset of coaching. Not now, of course. He was in the prime of his career as a player, but in ten or fifteen years, he could picture himself doing something like that.