Leo lets go of me, leaving me to prop myself up on the wobbling dresser. He steps back, pulling out of me as he catches his breath.
He glances around the bedroom with a furrowed brow. “What were we doing again?”
“Well…” I take a moment and point at the bed, “we woke up, I said I was hungry, so we rolled out of bed to go get breakfast… but we stopped here instead.”
I knock twice on the dresser.
“Right,” he nods, his memory returning. “You still hungry?”
“Slightly hungrier, actually.”
“Yeah. Me, too. Do you like toast?”
I stand the rest of the way up and adjust my flannel shirt so it covers the important bits. “Do I like toast?”
“Yeah.”
“Are there people out there who don’t like toast?”
He pauses to think while rolling off his condom. “You know, there’s a period of time after an intense orgasm when a man cannot be held responsible for what he says… Stupid questions included.”
“Yes,” I chuckle. “I like toast.”
He steps into his jeans and pulls them up. “Then, let’s go get some toast.”
I follow him into the hallway. “Assuming we even make it there,” I joke. “We seem to have an issue getting from point A to point B without stopping to detour through points S-E-X.”
He pauses in the kitchen doorway. “Are you complaining?”
“… No.”
“That’s what I thought…”
He drifts in and plants a slow, warm kiss on my cheek. I instantly find myself leaning back against the wall as his mouth falls to my neck and his hands crawl down to my thighs.
“Toast,” I say.
He steps back. “Right. Toast. Warm, crispy bread. Coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
We enter the kitchen and I walk in the opposite direction to sit down at the table while he cuts across to the refrigerator.
A mountain chill touches my bare skin. I wrap my arms around me, fighting the shiver as it starts up my toes. Was it this cold all night? I guess constant genital-on-genital contact keeps the internal furnace running…
Leo flicks on the coffeemaker and slides four slices of bread into a toaster. “Hang on…” He walks into the living room and returns a few moments later with an ax in his hand.
I flinch. “What are you doing?”
“You’re freezing,” he notes. “And I’m out of firewood.”
“Don’t you have heating and air conditioning?” I ask.
He pauses by the back door to slip on a pair of boots. “I do but I don’t like to use it. Too expensive.”
I chuckle. “Aren’t you a billionaire?”
His lips curl. “People with money aren’t allowed to be frugal? What if I told you that being frugal was why billionaires have so much money…?”
I answer with a head tilt, nodding slowly as the logic sinks in.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He gestures at the toaster. “Want to butter the toast when it pops up?”
“I can do that,” I nod.
He steps outside, quickly closing the door behind him to block out the cold. I slide off the stool and walk over to the door to watch him through the window. More chills touch my skin, so I wrap the flannel shirt a little tighter around me.
Yes, I’m still naked. No, Leo and I haven’t bothered to talk about anything other than that fact yet. But we should. I should march over to my duffel bag right now and put on a pair of pants and a bra. I should tell Leonard Jackman, right now, that he owes me a serious, adult conversation on why it’s so damn important to build his new houses on Lover’s freakin’ Trail.
An ax slams down outside and I peek out across the lawn. Leo stands at the far edge of the property near the tree line beside a stump. He grabs large logs off a pile and chops them in half one-by-one, creating smaller pieces that should be easier to lug inside.
I look down his body, from those thick arms to the washboard abs to his tight jeans and that rugged beard that’s honestly growing on me. He was a stubborn, pompous ass when I met him, but now he’s funny, charming, and amazing in bed…
And my enemy. Can’t forget about that.
But I’m not going to start complaining just yet. No, sir.
The toaster pops but I take another long look outside before heading over to fix the toast. I pause in front of it, quickly realize that I know where nothing is. Leo already got the butter out but I need a knife and a plate…
I twist around but stop in my tracks. Pearl sits at my feet, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she softly pants.
“Hey…” I say, leaning down to pat her head. “How are you?”
Her eyes shift from me to the toast and back again.
“Oh, you’re hungry!” I point at the bread. “Right…”
I grab a slice and tear off a corner. Pearl stands on all fours with a smile but I hold up my hand.
“Wait…” I lean over. “Stay down.”
She obeys, her tail wagging hard with impatience.
“Wait for it…”
I lay the chunk of toast on the tip of her nose. She shifts impatiently, making it difficult to find a balance. I release the bread but it instantly rolls off her nose onto the floor. She lunges for it and snatches it up before running off towards the living room again.
I stand up and shrug. “Good enough.”
I search the cabinets for a plate and find a knife in the drawer by the fridge. As I get started, Leo returns, throwing open the back door with a stack of logs in one arm and his ax in the other. He kicks off his boots and we make eye contact for a moment.
We pause, our eyes slowly taking each other in. I feel a strange pang in my chest; natural and pleasant, but still strange. For a second, I think he feels it, too, but he says nothing.
“Well...” I break the silence, “that’s some impressive wood you got there.”
He cracks up and walks towards the living room. “Why, thank you.”
I bite my inner cheek and turn back to finish up the toast, trying desperately to shake off the blush overwhelming my face.
The coffeepot fills, adding that pleasant, caffeinated scent to the mountain air and my mouth waters. I pour coffee into two large mugs and take the plate with me to the living room and while Leo leans over the fireplace. My eyes once again admire the stunning lines down his back, trailing all the way to that impressive rear end.
“How often do you workout?” I think out loud.
“I don’t,” he says, stepping away from the growing flame. “I’m just naturally like this.”
I sink my teeth into some toast. “Bullshit.”
He chuckles and wipes his hands on his jeans. “About three times a week since I was thirteen.”
I nod with approval. “Now, that’s dedication.”
“I was kind of a chubby kid,” he admits as he plops onto the sofa beside me and grabs a piece of toast for himself. “My mother told me I’d outgrow it but my father told me to hit the gym or I’d never amount to anything.”
My jaw drops. “He said that to a thirteen-year-old kid?”
“That’s my dad.” He smiles at me and takes a large gulp of coffee. “But I’ve never known a dad that wasn’t a hard-ass in some way.”
“Mine wasn’t.”
“No?”
“No, he was...” I pause, flashing on his face, “sweet and kind and only ever wanted what was best for me and my mom. We traveled a lot while I was growing up. He thought it was important that I appreciated what the world had to offer instead of just money and technology.”
He nods along, chewing softly. “I had to memorize the corporate tax code before I was allowed to get my driver’s license.”
“Wow,” I chuckle into my mug. “At least you were fiscally prepared.”
“I was, indeed. Could have been worse, I suppose.” His eyes fall to my mouth and he bites his lip. “Does this topic violate our no talking while naked policy?”
He winces. “Awful.”
“Exactly.”
“I think you might be onto something with that,” he says, his voice low. “I mean, I don’t usually go down on women who sleep on my doorstep — and I sure as hell don’t do it thrice.”
I smile wider as my heart pounds. “You don’t?”
“No.”
“Wow, we live really different lives, then.”
He tilts his head and laughs. “Not sure what to make of that one.”
I pinch my eyes closed. “Dear god, make me stop talking.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Leo kisses me on the lips, slowly sliding a cool hand up to rest on my cheek. His touch heats my skin. I long to feel even more of him again; to press my body against his, but I scold myself for prolonging the inevitable.
“Leo…” I whisper, setting my mug down, “we should—”
He pulls me closer. His kiss grows firmer as he easily guides me onto his lap. I straddle him as the flannel shirt falls from my shoulders, exposing my breasts and Leo cups them with both hands.
Every kiss hikes my body heat. Every breath chills me to the bone. Everything I do pulls us closer together and tears me apart inside. This man drives me crazy; in every definition of the word. I want to stop and find some common ground but the lustful thrill of him brings me pause.
He kisses my neck as his hands fall from my breasts to my waist. “This body…” he whispers. “I want it.”
I quiver with the sound of his voice drifting through my ears. I want to tell him to take me and do as he pleases but my lips turn numb. We kiss harder and faster, tongues dancing in the firelight, and I can’t manage more than a few moans from the back of my throat.
I cup his face, running my fingers along his trim beard, and he reaches down to unzip his jeans.
“Haze,” he says, our lips touching, “ride my cock.”
I can’t say no. I can’t stop moving and trembling and I don’t even realize what I’m doing as he takes a new condom from his pocket and rolls it onto his shaft as I climb on top.
Leo has taken over me and I let it happen. Warm pleasures seep into every pore, washing out the darkness and grief. He penetrates me, thrusting upward. I round my hips, taking him as deep as he’ll go. His fingers dig into my skin, holding me in place as I moan in his ear.
“Hazel…”
I bite my lip, shaking as he says my name. We grind closer, touching and rubbing each other. I feel his biceps flex around me and his abs clench. My thighs twitch as he presses a circling thumb on my clit. His entire body reacts to me and mine does the same to his. We sync into a steady rhythm, bucking and humping until the pleasure tears me down.
I come for him and he smiles, feeling it all on the inside. His lips never leave my skin. They fall from my cheeks to my breasts. He nibbles on my neck and slides his tongue along my collarbone. I lean back, filling my lungs and letting the air cool the sweat on my brow.
Leo wraps his arms around me and stands up, holding onto me as he turns around and lays me on the couch. I slide backward over the arm, still breathing hard and twitching from orgasm. He spreads my legs and eases his cock back inside, bucking his hips to fuck me repeatedly.
I hold onto his arms to keep from rolling off the side, clenching tightly and he groans with pleasure.
My thoughts dissolve away, leaving me a hollow shell of sin and urges. I tighten around him on the inside, never wanting to let him go. His beard tickles my chest. He pinches my nipple in his teeth and I scream with pain but that only makes him fuck me harder. The couch shifts beneath us, making me dizzy but the sturdy wood holds together.
Leo pulls out and I lift my head to watch what he’s doing. A touch of horror washes over me as he slides the condom off his cock.
“What are you—?”
“Shh.” He leans over and kisses me while he strokes himself. “Don’t move.”
I keep my eyes open, floored with curiosity.
“I want you.” He grunts quietly, edging with climax. “Say you’re mine.”
My tongue betrays me. “I’m yours.”
He lays his left hand on the back of my head and takes hold of my hair. “Hazel...” he whispers, bringing a moan to my lips, “I want this body in my bed all night. Every night. I want to tie you up and make you come over and over again.”
I bite my lip. If I don’t, I just might agree to it. I twitch beneath his touch, watching as he pumps his cock above me, waiting for him to finish and cover me with every drop of him.
“Will you do as I please?” he whispers. His lips graze my cheek. “Do as I ask and my bed is yours.”
I stare into his eyes, wondering which Leonard Jackman I’m talking to. Is this the funny, sexy man I’ve had a fling with the past few days? Or the businessman who wants nothing more than for me to get the hell out of his life?
I say nothing. I kiss him instead. I can’t help myself. As different as we are on the outside, I can’t resist the man on the inside.
The kiss pushes him over the edge. He pulls away as his cum fires across my chest. I look away at first but the warm thrill of it turns me on in ways I didn’t expect. No man has ever done that to me before but I sure as hell want Leo to do it again.
He kisses me, hard and fast with a gentle groan still lingering on his tongue.
I fill my lungs but before I can speak, Leo snatches me off the couch.
I gasp and wrap my legs around his waist for support as he carries me somewhere else. His lips lock on mine. His eyes close. He doesn’t even look up, navigating from memory from the couch to the bathroom.
He sets me down in the shower and I toss the flannel shirt to the floor before he spins the water on. I stand beneath the gushing water, letting it wash his semen clean as he kicks his jeans off outside.
I feel him behind me. He brushes the hair off my shoulder and plants his lips on my neck. My eyes flutter closed as his arms crawl around my waist. He holds me against his body as he nibbles and kisses from my shoulder to my ear and back. Sweat breaks on my brow. I can hardly breathe. My core still aches for a release, throbbing wildly with the beating in my chest.
Leo guides my head back and kisses me, plunging his tongue between my lips. Water pours over our faces, nearly drowning us, but neither of us seems to care at all.
He moves me back and pins me against the wall. Without a word, he drops a hand between my thighs. I twitch as his fingertips crawl upward towards my slit, inching slowly and purposefully into my folds.
I grip his waist, wanting him to come closer to me, but he stays in place and lets his hand roam inside. He penetrates me with two thick fingers and I sigh with delight in the cloud of steam and body heat.
His rub is slow and firm. He watches my expression, changing his speed and angle with the growing pleasure on my face. The heel of his hand grinds against my clit and soon my moans echo loudly throughout the bathroom.
Leo leans in to whisper in my ear. “You’re mine now, Haze...” I quiver on his churning fingers. “Come for me...”
My nails dig into his sides but he doesn’t show pain. He keeps massaging me, beckoning the orgasm in me to surface and there’s nothing I can do but tilt my head back and scream his name.
His lips curl as my wetness tightens and climax makes my knees weak. I manage to hold myself up in his arms and he chuckles in my ear, still kneading the depths of me.
“That’s not good enough, Hazel,” he says. “Again.”
I flex every muscle. Curl every toe. Everything twists and turns inside but he won’t let me go.
“Leo...” I cry.
He crushes his mouth on mine, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth and biting down hard. I whimper as another wave of surging warmth takes over me. I come again, feeling a gushing squirt between my thighs and Leo laughs to himself again.
“That’s right...” he whispers
over my moans. “Just like that...”
I feel like a stranger in my own body, trapped behind sensations so utterly foreign but simply irresistible.
He slides his dripping hand out and embraces me with soft, careful kisses. I find the strength to stand on my own again and I kiss him back. We turn in silence to let the water wash off the sweat and body fluids, still gazing into each other’s eyes as if this would be the way it’ll always be.
But I know better. There’s a limit to all of this. We’re fighting time or time is fighting us; either way, it’s an inevitable war with very real consequences.
I step out of the shower and grab the nearest towel to wrap up in while he turns the water off. My pulse resumes its normal rhythm as I pace down the hall to find my duffel bag in the bedroom. I pick through it to find a clear pair of underwear and a bra.
I slip them on as I hear Leo follow me into the room.
“Hey...” He eyes me from the doorway with a towel draped around his waist. “What are you doing?”
I pull up a skirt. “It’s time.”
“No...” He steps forward. “It’s not time. It’s still very much not time.”
“Leo...” I grab a sweater.
“Hazel...”
“It’s time.”
He watches as I pull it over my head. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll get dressed.”
I walk off into the living room and sit down on the couch to wait for him. My pulse quickens, but not in the way it has since the moment he kissed me. A sudden, nervous chill plagues me, cutting down to the bone.
This is what I wanted, right? I got under his skin. He’s willing to sit down and talk to me. When he comes in here, I have a very real chance at saving Lover’s Trail.
Leo returns with his head down. Along with his jeans, he wears a black tank top and yet another flannel shirt, this one as blue as his eyes.
Fully-clothed and caffeinated. It’s what we agreed on.
He sits down at the other end of the couch and stares at me. “Go ahead.”
I press my lips together, instantly slamming into an invisible wall.
Ah, crap.
Chapter 15
Begging for Bad Boys Page 67
