by Claire Ryann
Maybe he just needed a place to crash while he waited for his ride.
Kara noticed the strip of gauze he'd gotten in the little gas station market wrapped around his wounded hand. The bruising around his eyes had faded over the day and only a few dark smudges and some swelling betrayed his broken nose. His hair was tangled where it was long over his forehead and his flannel shirt had tears in it that she hadn't really noticed before.
He didn't look tired though.
"You wanna watch some TV?" She sat on the edge of the bed across from him and picked up the remote control, "I'm pretty sure we can get 1972 on this thing."
Lowell laughed at her joke and joined her on the bed. He unlaced his boots and she heard them hit the floor with two heavy thuds before he slid across the garish comforter and gently took the remote out of her hand.
He set the remote on the table and turned back toward her.
Kara's heart was pounding so hard she couldn't hear anything else. He was watching her carefully and she could see the muscles moving on the side of his face while he clenched and unclenched his jaw.
Was he nervous?
Kara almost giggled. This sexy hunk? Nervous? About kissing her? Her heart melted.
His face was just one more movement away from hers, his chocolate brown eyes hidden behind his dark lashes as he kept them lowered and stared at her lips.
Kara felt like she was 13 again. Standing under the apple tree in her grandmother's back yard, waiting for Jimmy Faraday to make up his mind about kissing her or throwing an apple at her. He'd decided on both.
She flicked her tongue between her own teeth and let it slide along the seam of her lips in anticipation. Lowell's lips parted and he gasped lightly as he watched but he didn't close the distance between them.
Kara lost her patience. Damn it, she'd wrestled with her attraction to this guy all day. She was taken some big risks because she couldn't resist each opportunity to spend one more moment in his presence. She had made up her mind about how they were going to spend the one night they had together-- she was not going to sit here all night feeling the warmth of his breath against her lips waiting for him to kiss her!
He must have been giving himself the same pep talk. Just as Kara let her arm move slightly so that her lips would land against his, he also moved toward her. Their heads tilted in mirror image to each other and his nose hit hers.
She immediately pulled back, her eyes wide, her hand flying over her mouth as Lowell's eyes watered and his own hand covered the bridge of his nose.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Kara apologized repeatedly. She felt terrible. Once he'd had a chance to clean up the blood, he'd looked so normal she'd almost forgotten that his nose was broken.
Now he was in obvious pain. The moment was ruined. Kara felt terrible and stupid.
She flopped down on her back on the hideous bedspread, her head landing on the pillow with her hands up beside her head in a position of surrender.
"I'm so sorry," she moaned with her eyes shut tightly.
She heard the rich tone of an amused laugh from somewhere above her. She kept her eyes shut tightly and hoped they could just pretend nothing happened.
"It's OK," Lowell's voice was reassuring, still above her but not so far away as when he'd first laughed, "I forgot too."
She felt the mattress compress beside her as he moved.
"It's been a long time since I kissed a beautiful woman. I might be a little nervous."
His voice had lowered but so had his body. The sound was only just above her now and she could feel his chest brushing against hers as he moved toward her.
She couldn't help but laugh, "but you don't get nervous about kissing ugly women?"
She peeked up at him and was surprised at how close he was. His eyes were focused on hers intently, his lips parted and turned up lightly at the corners. He'd been clean shaven when he'd stumbled upon her in the woods this morning, but now rough stubble darkened his face. It stole the boyish quality from his features and combined with his smell in overwhelming masculinity.
Kara's mouth fell open in surprise at the sudden demand her body made to have this man's touch on her skin but this time nothing went wrong. This time their kiss went oh so right.
Lowell's lips landed on her open mouth, instantly sealing against her. His tongue slid between her teeth and coiled around hers, coaxing her into action. She moved her jaw and his moved with her, their mouths opening and closing against each other while their tongues explored and caressed.
His body moved, pressing his weight down on her while his hands began roaming. One arm was raised, resting part of his weight on his elbow with his hand bracing the side of her face while they deepened the kiss. The other hand slid to her hip and then up her side. She felt the heat from his hand as his open palm moved along her waist and then over her breast.
Kara arched her back and pushed the generous flesh into his palm. She wanted him to slide his hand under her sweater, to remove the barrier of her bra and put his hands on her bare flesh. Her silent plea heated his kiss but his hand continued upward till it traced her collar bone, her shoulder, and then back up along her neck.
He was laying on her, his body stretched out along one side of hers, leaving part of her open to his caress. His knee pushed between hers so that her thigh was pressed between his. She felt the solid weight of his chest on hers, his torso molded against her but mostly she could feel his hips as they rocked in a slow rhythm that pressed the hard ridge of his cock into her hip with each movement.
Kara had her hands on every part of him with in her reach. She scrabbled to pull his shirt off and throw it on the floor and then she let her hands feel their way along the thick muscles that connected his neck to his shoulders, and over the bulge of rounded deltoids, down the little valley at their base and then she wrapped her fingers around the biceps that bulged even when they weren't flexed.
She needed more. She needed to see all of him and touch him with both hands and taste him. Kara pushed and rolled him onto his back beside her, rearranging their bodies so that she had the advantage.
Pulling her mouth off his, she looked down at him and gasped. He was even more beautiful than she'd imagined and she suddenly realized just how much she'd been imagining this moment. His chest was broad and his skin was lightly tanned. Enough to look like he spent time outdoors without looking like he tanned on purpose. Not a trace of tan lines on his perfectly sculpted body though and she imagined him doing yard work or playing ball with his shirt off.
His eyes closed as she ran her fingers down his breast bone between his pecs, all the way down to the sculpted abs that moved under her touch. His lips twitched and his hand moved over hers.
"You're ticklish," she commented with amusement.
He hid a laugh with a gasp and pushed her hand farther down his torso, "not even a little bit," he denied as another ripple moved over his taut muscles under her light touch.
"Mmhmm," she murmured as she watched his hand fall away from hers. He was letting her touch him, letting her explore his body and she loved it. Her progress was interrupted by the waistband of his jeans.
With him lying on his back, his stomach was smooth and flat and it left a generous gap between his skin and the worn denim band. Or would have, except for the thick erection taking up the slack in the material.
Kara's mouth went dry. The swollen head of his cock cleared the waist band of his jeans by over an inch. She could see the elastic band of his briefs just below the denim. She was looking down at the heart shaped seam of the broad mushroom-shaped hood of his cock and the sleek shaft as it widened from its beginning under the ridge of the head to a girth that struck her as both promising and worrisome. This guy was hung.
The hood of his cock was a dark scarlet with the glisten of pre-cum leaking from the tip. He was so hard it looked painful.
Kara ran the tip of her finger across it and Lowell's entire body recoiled like a tightly wound spring. He gasped and brought his
hand back over hers, attempting to drag her back up to his lips.
She slapped him away and fumbled with his belt buckle. It was flat and she couldn't find the way to unfasten it. Lowell's hand came to her aid, covering her hand in his and demonstrating how to pull it so it gave way. Then she was pushing his clothes free with a little help.
Kara was enjoying the view. She ran her hands up his powerful thighs and then wrapped her fingers around his shaft. She felt her mouth watering as she bent over him and ran her tongue up the veined length from bottom to top and then took him in her mouth.
Lowell's body tensed, both hands suddenly in her hair as a deep growl vibrated through his chest.
Kara smiled around his girth. That was a good reaction. She slid her mouth farther and was rewarded with another rumble.
She let her saliva slicken the rigid flesh as she worked her mouth and hands over it, enjoying every sound Lowell made, every twist of his fingers in her hair that told her she wasn't the only one enjoying this.
She was lost in the feel of his body responding to her, when he suddenly turned the tables. His hands pulling her off of his obvious need and back to the bed at his side.
"There's no rush," he panted as he began kissing her again. "This isn't about me." He whispered between soft kisses that trailed over her jaw and down her throat.
Kara let his mouth work over her body, his hands pulling her sweater over her head and tossing it aside. Her bra following it immediately thereafter.
This man was different than she was used to. He wasn't in a hurry, he wasn't harsh or rough or quick to sate his own needs.
Lowell's hands were tender on her body as they kneaded and stroked. Cupping her breasts and kissing every place they overflowed his hands and slipping his tongue over each nipple, wetting each bud and blowing gently between laps to watch the way they puckered till they were so hard she thought they would break.
Then his mouth was over them, suckling and pinching each one between his teeth gently. Not leaving them till she moaned and writhed in his hands and finally begged him to move on.
She needed him elsewhere. Her body was crackling with electricity and each pull on her nipples was connected to a direct wire much lower in her body.
She wanted her jeans off, she wanted the soft pink cotton panties off. She wanted everything that stood in the way of getting Lowell's naked flesh against hers off.
She needed release and she was sure that Lowell would have the patience to give it to her. She just needed him to move past second base.
"Lowell, please," she whined, "I want you."
She felts his grin against her breasts, "to do what?" His tongue tortured her by dragging up the valley between the orbs in his hands and waited for a response.
"Fuck me, please." She whispered.
"No."
Did he just tell her no? Kara wasn't sure what to think. Frustration bloomed through her at the thought of being denied satisfaction.
"Low--" She tried to prop herself up on her elbows but he only pushed her back onto the pillow.
"Shhh, don't worry," he smiled against her again as his mouth slipped over her body, "I'll get to that, but first...."
He was headed south, kissing and nibbling his way across her skin. Kara held her breath as his mouth moved below her belly button and began peppering her mound with hot kisses on his way to her wet center.
Lowell's fingers brushed over the smooth skin where she'd had most of her dark curls lasered off years ago. With her black hair and pale skin, it had been a cinch and her skin was smooth and hairless now except for a small patch that she'd left behind.
She felt the tip of his tongue dip between her folds as he settled himself between her thighs. He pushed her knees up and wrapped his arms underneath her legs. All the while gently tasting her with wet caresses of his tongue.
One he got her legs pinned in his arms his mouth became firm, his tongue moving between her folds and nudging against her clit with promising flicks that disappeared briefly to become wild jabs into her core and back again.
Kara panted and squirmed against his face, her hands grappling for a hold on his head but he was firmly between her legs out of reach.
A strangled gurgle caught in her throat on its way to a moan, as she flung her hands helplessly from the pillow beside her to the bedspread beneath her.
His tongue danced along her perimeter and then delved inside her. She could feel the tip against her inner wall as he dragged it back out with a dark growl that shook her body.
"I knew you'd be delicious," his words were muffled against the mouthful of her inner thigh, "I wish I could smell you."
She felt him inhale deeply, his nose centered at the source of her musk, then a sad shake of his head.
"Damn busted muzzle," he cursed as his mouth fell over her clit. This time he worked her with purpose, no more teasing, "If I can't smell your perfume I'll settle for a taste," he panted as he came up for air.
Kara couldn't see the peeling wallpaper above the headboard anymore, her hands were clenched in the comforter and only stars were visible. Multi-colored explosions of light as she ground herself against him, aching for release yet hoping this sensation would last forever.
One of Lowell's hands released her hip. His wide shoulders kept her thighs pinned wide apart while his hand made a wicked move toward her entrance. A thick finger slid through her wetness, stroking her walls in rhythm with his mouth.
All the stars exploded at once and Kara with them. Her hips raised off the bed and Lowell's hand took advantage of the chance to wrap around them so her ass filled his palm. He held on to her tightly, not giving her room to escape as he pulled the orgasm out of her body and into his greedy mouth while her screams filled the room.
Slowly, he let her body sink back to the bed. He eased the pressure of his mouth and reluctantly released her, letting his finger slide from her body.
Kara watched through a fog as Lowell moved so that he was on his knees between hers. Looking down at her body splayed out in front of him, all heaving breasts and heavy limbs. Her legs wide apart, every bit of her body totally relaxed.
He was staring down at her, stroking his thick cock in his good hand while he licked her juices off the fingers of his other. The look on his face was pure predator, a gleam in his eyes that was both eerie and insanely arousing.
Kara felt a new current of white hot need move through her body.
"You need a minute?" The corner of his lips curled in a smirk.
Kara shook her head, "No. I'm good," she panted, "I want you inside me."
The silver gleam brightened in his eyes, his expression went from stalking predator to full on feral as he fell onto her body.
His hard chest mashed against her soft curves and she felt their bodies mold to each other. His mouth was on hers, hot and hungry between desperate breaths as he pushed the broad head of his cock through her entry.
Her mouth flew open wide as she gasped. She could feel him opening her wide around him, stretching and filling her without room to spare. She canted her hips to make his progress more complete as she held her breath and waited for her body to adjust.
Kara's nails dug into his back, gripping him tightly under his arms and holding on for dear life when he finally reached her limits.
Lowell gasped in her ear and held perfectly still for a moment.
"Kara."
It was a prayer in her ear before he pulled back and began thrusting in strong, full strokes.
If she thought his mouth had been magic, she'd been entirely unprepared for this. Their bodies aligned and working in harmony, his arms cradling her between them, his eyes focused on her intently so as to watch the pleasure she took from his body.
So intimate. So intensely hot, she felt herself winding up again. She pulled herself against him, her fingers clutching his shoulders as her back arched off the bed and pushed her breasts against his hard chest.
From somewhere outside of herself she was aware that he wa
tched her the entire time, his jaw hanging slack as his breath heaved in jagged rasps. His hips thrusting faster with her cries till he joined her at the edge and they tumbled over together.
Sweat clung to their bodies and when Lowell collapsed beside her the air on her skin was cold. Her chill didn't last long. Lowell pulled her into a tight spoon position and held her close. He nuzzled against her neck, laying soft kisses everywhere he could reach.
10
"What are you running from?"
Lowell was surprised that he asked, he'd meant to let her keep her secrets since he knew he couldn't keep her. It didn't help that he had his own.
His wolf pawed anxiously making a request he'd never heard before. The animal wanted him to tell her. Lowell could feel it close to the surface but not in anger or passion the way he was used to. It wasn't pushing against his skin threatening to break out. It was simply waiting, nudging him impatiently, insisting that it be part of this moment.
He held Kara in his arms and kissed over her damp locks, her flushed skin, feeling the wolf futilely seeking her scent and whimpering when it couldn't detect it.
Lowell agreed with his wolf on that much. Not being able to smell her felt like part of him was missing.
Kara stiffened in his arms when he asked and he immediately regretted saying a damn thing. Ruining this perfect moment by prying into a past he had no business knowing.
"What do you mean?"
Her voice was drowsy and there was a pleasing lilt to it that let him know she was well satisfied but his question had broken the spell. He'd reminded her of something she had managed to forget.
Lowell tightened his grip on her and curled around her, desperate to protect her from whatever demons were chasing her.
"It doesn't matter," he brushed his lips across her ear, "forget I said anything."
It was too late. He could feel the heaviness in her body that came from worry, not from sleep.
"What makes you think I'm running?" Her voice was timid.
