They plunged into another kiss, carnal and inescapably delicious. She ached deep inside, and she pushed her hips against him, out of her mind with need. Power and sex radiated from Ian, and everything that had kept her from him before dissolved into dust. There was no moment before or after that could remove what they had now. Maybe all they had came down to this moment. He drew away from the kiss, his eyes burning into hers, passion evident in his eyes. She almost held her breath.
With a strong thrust he forged deep. His length spread her open, and the heavy, hot feel of him made her breath catch. She didn’t think she could take the pressure as it spread outward into a low, deep throb. The pleasure was so intense she closed her eyes and tilted her head aback.
Holy, holy God. He feels so amazing.
She absorbed the sensation, the undeniable pressure of his thick erection. He moved his hips, the stirring caress brushing nerve endings deep inside. Her fingers clenched on his shoulders as she moaned. His hips went into motion…the thrust and drag of his iron-hard sex setting off firecrackers of sweet pleasure. She was so wet, he moved smoothly and easily. Friction built as he kept the steady cadence, slow and deep, his cock caressing her aroused channel. She didn’t know the passage of time. Not yesterday, today or tomorrow. Simply now. Sensation piled upon sensation. Their breathing rasping, the moans they both uttered, the scent of their musk as they moved sinuously together. Heat of skin brushing skin and the exquisite pleasure pouring through her veins.
Penny lost control.
She bucked against him, trying to drive the motion and pick up speed. She ached, the pleasure so acute it threatened to spill over into pain. She could barely catch her breath.
“Ian.” His name tore from her throat.
With a growl he thrust hard and started hammering. Every plunge sent splinters of sheer white-hot pleasure bursting to life. Her cries of excitement rose in intensity and loudness, as his grunts and groans of pure male pleasure made the arousal spiral that much higher. She didn’t care if the universe disappeared. Didn’t care. Didn’t care.
Oh, hell yes. There. Oh, there. Yes.
She detonated with a scream.
Orgasm spread through her body, shaking her apart as he continued to thrust, wild and untamed, bucking against her. One last hard thrust and he held deep, shaking all over as a growl ripped from his throat. She actually felt hot liquid spurting inside her, and the naked, incredibly intimate sensation made her hold him tight and never want to let him go.
He held her against the wall, panting. “Fuck.”
“Yes,” she said, her throat raw.
A tingle high up in her channel let her know the truth. She wasn’t done.
“Please.” She tightened her grip on his shoulders as he looked her in the eye.
He remained half hard inside her, but he gently disengaged from her and lowered her to her feet. Color was high on his cheekbones, his chest rising and falling. The sight of all that feral masculinity drove the arousal lingering within her to greater heights. Insatiable need drove her a step closer until she smoothed her hands over his shoulders. She palmed his face, now a little bristly with beard.
More.
Standing naked and vulnerable should have made her cautious, but it had the opposite effect. As his hungry gaze took her in, she experienced a surge of female power. In a move that surprised her, he hitched his pants back over his ass, then lifted her into his arms and marched through the doorway to the bed.
When he sat her down, she smiled. “No.”
He lifted one brow. “No?”
She turned her back to him and planted her hands on the mattress. “This way. Now.”
He laughed softly, and she grinned.
“Jesus, Penny.” His voice turned guttural. “You are so beautiful.”
Amused and highly aroused, she parted her thighs. “Stop talking and make love to me.”
He made one of those male grunts that could be agreement or disagreement. When she heard him shift behind her and realized he was doing away with the rest of his clothes, she grinned again. She’d never been this mouthy during sex, this willing to demand and talk dirty. This man brought her to a frenzy, brought out parts of her she didn’t know existed.
This sex wouldn’t be any prettier than moments ago, and she knew it. He plunged into her body. She gasped. Staying buried deep within, he kissed his way across her shoulders and circled her in his arms. Something happened she didn’t expect. His touch roamed over her with soft, sweet attention. She’d expected passionately rough, but he gave her more. Every touch brushed along her skin with lazy, languorous attention. More than sex, his body paid homage to hers, and she felt as if every second belonged to them for eternity. Nothing could interfere in this little cocoon of safety and pleasure. Whatever happened from here on out, no one could take this joining away from her. Shivering with enjoyment, she pushed back against him. His hips started to pump, but each thrust caressed her deep inside in a way that teased rather than fulfilled.
He reached around, found her clit and strummed. He played her with an expert stroke, exciting with each thrust and tantalizing brush of his fingers over her sensitive flesh. All thoughts slipped from her mind as she became one with pleasure, dissolving into the moment with no thought of what would come next. In and out. In and out. The rhythm gathered as a tight knot low in her stomach and spread straight down to her exquisitely aroused flesh. Still he wouldn’t quicken the pace, this loving so slow and deep. Higher and higher the throbbing, heightening the arousal built. She would come apart any moment.
One more thrust, and she couldn’t take it any more. She gasped loudly and groaned as orgasm threw her over the edge. She shook in his arms, and with one more thrust he shouted and quivered. They stayed there a long time until their breathing slowed, and he withdrew.
He turned her toward him, his gaze serious as a heartbeat. He cupped her face. “Penny.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re amazing.”
She closed her eyes as he kissed her nose, lips, and forehead.
Breathlessly she said, “So are you.”
He went into the small bathroom, and she heard the water running. She lay on the bed, spread eagle, exhausted but happy. Tears came to her eyes. She brushed them away, but when he returned to the bedroom, he frowned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. Well, everything.”
One corner of that sinful mouth turned upward as he sat on the bed next to her in naked glory. “Right. Now what does that mean?”
She touched his hand and he gathered it in both of his. When he lifted her hand and kissed it, the tears returned. “It means that…whatever happens from here on out, I’ll always remember this.”
His eyes were warm and gentle…the most tender she’d ever seen them. “Me, too. When I saw that asshole on top of you…” He shook his head.
“Shhh.” She sat up slowly. “I understand.”
She understood that in this world they didn’t have the same choices. “I was mad because you took so long to come back, and I was scared. I’m sorry I came unglued on you.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let the time get away from me. I was trying to find alternate transportation. Everything in the neighborhood looks trashed, but we might be able to find something.”
“I was worried.”
He nodded slowly, and a smile covered his handsome mouth. “I think I kind of like that.” He held up one hand. “Not that you were worried…but that you care about me.”
She wanted to punch him. “Damn it, Ian. Isn’t it obvious by now?”
“I know when you look at me it does funny things to me. I feel like maybe I can save the day. Because doing anything less for you is unacceptable.”
She smiled. “That’s pretty…well, it’s…”
He chuckled. “Spit it out, girl.”
“What you said earlier about this thing between us? It’s real. I can’t deny it anymore.”
“It�
�ll be complicated when we get to Buckleport.”
“Of course. What isn’t complicated in this world?”
“Your father won’t like us being together.”
Hope rose inside her. “I don’t care about what he thinks. What about you? Do you care?”
His deep voice went soft and husky. “Hell, no. Only if it hurts you that we’re together.”
“Why would it?”
Ian shook his head. “If your father made your life miserable. If you wanted me to leave you alone…I would.”
She echoed his movement, shaking her head in denial. Gratification filled her.
Face it, girl. You’re in big trouble. She’d fallen for him a long time ago, but now she knew for certain how much he meant to her. Fear that she might not have a chance to tell him settled into her bones. She left the bed and cleaned up in the bathroom and he washed up as well. They returned to the bed and each other’s arms, secure with the knowledge the police knew they were here, knew they’d been targets of the gang. They were, for once, actually safe. Cuddling against him, she savored the moment with an aching certainty that it couldn’t last much longer. Tiredness overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes. As his arms tightened around her, her bones seemed to melt. Right in this moment she had no worries, no concerns. Just for now she could fade away and pretend they weren’t holed up in a bunker facing God knows what in the next hour or the next day. He didn’t speak. Time disappeared and sleep overtook her.
* * * *
Penny was in her car, the two-lane road stretching out before her. She’d left I-10 at Deming, New Mexico. As soon as she turned onto Highway 26 toward Hatch she’d known what a mistake this was. After all, just making it through Deming had proved difficult with the cars jamming the road. There wasn’t anywhere one could go and avoid the hordes of other people, all with the same problem. Surprisingly she’d found gasoline in Deming, even though the few stations in town had started to run out. Also amazing, the gasoline stations hadn’t gouged people and those that tried it had swiftly learned that an angry mob wasn’t their best friend.
This highway was jammed, both lanes going toward Hatch. Apparently no one was trying to head south anymore, or the cars going north just wouldn’t allow it. Even at that, the cars barely moved north east across the desolate plain. This area was desert, with peaks rising in the distance far away. At least the weather was halfway decent at this time of the year. Snow wasn’t flying, although it could. She drew in one shivering breath and another as anxiety threatened to rise. She fought the fear that tried to overtake her more than once.
Her thoughts turned to someone she wished with all her heart could be with her right now.
Ian MacDaniel. She wished he sat next her. With him by her side the fear wouldn’t eat at her as relentlessly. Safety would come in his arms. She knew with every fiber of her being that he’d die for her. How she knew that, she couldn’t say. It lived and breathed within her as certain knowledge. In a strange fantasy she heard his voice in her head, his Scottish tone rough but reassuring.
You’re your father’s daughter, Penny. You can do this. You have to make it to Maine. You will do this.
Where was he? Was he safe?
The line of cars slowed to stop. Ahead of her, in the far distance a ball of fire exploded into a raging inferno. What? No. How? People stopped their cars and jumped out, running back toward her and away from certain death. Men, women, children. Engulfed in the maelstrom. She was frozen, couldn’t move.
“Penny. Penny, wake up. You’re dreaming, darlin’.” Ian’s voice pulled her from the terror, a lifeline to escape.
She jerked from his arms as she sat bolt upright, tears pouring out of her eyes as the fear shook her sense of reality. He drew her close, kissing her cheek, his hands running over her. As she realized it was only a dream, she sank back to the bed with him curled around her. Sobbing, she shook.
“Hey, hey there.” His voice was low and soft. The softest she’d ever heard it. “You’re safe. It’s only a dream.”
“It wasn’t.” She choked the words passed her tight throat. “It wasn’t.”
He let her sob it out for a few moments, his kisses to her face and his soothing touches bringing the fear down a step at a time. Finally she quieted.
“It wasn’t a dream?” he asked.
“No. Yes.”
He kissed the side of her forehead. “Okay. So you were dreaming about something that really happened?”
“Yes. I got off I-10 more than once to get gas. I went through Deming, New Mexico. It took a while to find this station that wasn’t empty and I sat there for probably four hours in line. While I sat there I had to think of which way to go. I could return to I-10 and maybe go through Las Cruces. I decided to take Highway 26 through Hatch instead.”
“And?”
“Hatch is this little place and from Deming to Hatch is this two-lane highway. Cars were going slower than on the highway, but I just felt compelled to take that route.”
“Something bad happened?”
“Not to me.” She drew in a deep breath. “No. It turned out it was a very good thing I’d followed my instinct. Between Deming and Las Cruces a tanker filled with petroleum tried to make a quick maneuver, overcorrected and went off the road. It exploded and took more than one car with it when the fireball traveled back up the line. Took twenty lives. I was…I dreamed that it happened to me while I was on Highway 26.”
“Oh, darlin’,” he whispered softly.
His arms tightened, and the comfort of having him close dulled the sharpness of the dream. Only one thing would slaughter the horror threatening to repeat in her mind. She palmed his chest, loving the crisp hair over his pecs as she trailed her hand down to his ridged stomach muscles. When she touched his semi-erect cock, he hardened almost instantly. With a groan he tilted her mouth up to his. His kiss inflamed as his tongue took instant possession. With strong, deep thrusts, he tasted and seduced. She circled his erection and stroked, wanting him inside her desperately. He tore his mouth from hers and rolled her onto her back. He wedged his powerful thigh into the sensitive area between her legs. She arched against him, rubbing her clit along the pressure he created. He cupped one breast and enveloped her nipple, sucking deeply. The pulling sensation shot heat straight to her womb as she held him to her. His tongue flicked, teased and tormented first one breast and then the other.
“Please, Ian.”
He slid down her body and parted her thighs. When he dipped his head between her legs, she almost gasped. She hadn’t received oral sex in a long time. She certainly hadn’t found it that satisfying in the past but—
“Ian!”
His tongue touched between her legs, a soft sweeping of gentle, flickering touches on her labia. She gasped again and his mouth teased, drawing a moan from her. She closed her eyes and fell into enjoyment, concentrating on every soft, lingering touch that played and tormented. He slid two fingers inside her and the sweet pressure, the caress of his touch deep inside, drove her steadily crazy. He thrust his fingers in counterpoint to hot licks over her clit. She arched, writhed under his touch until she wanted to scream and beg. Heat rushed to her center, her core clenching tightly and over his fingers as she climaxed with a scream. She panted as the hot, tingling delight raged through her.
Before she could recover, he parted her thighs and sank between them, holding himself above her on his forearms as he aimed his cock and thrust deep. She gasped. He pressed against her swollen clit, and the raw pleasure was so exquisite she arched against him and cried out. Holding strong, he didn’t move. Her body rebelled, wanting action. Instead he teased her with one sweet kiss after another, tantalizing as he grazed first her upper lip and then her lower. With tormenting precision, he wouldn’t relent. Desperate, she clasped at his shoulders and held on. Tingling built high inside her, a drawing and pulling need for release again. She contracted around his steel-hard length and the longer he went without moving, the more her body demanded. She pa
nted and moaned as the fire inside her rose higher by the moment. Arousal built until she could no longer withstand it. She wrapped her legs around his hips, gripping him tightly. He moved slowly within her. With a sharp cry she came, her body rippling around his as pure bliss tore her apart.
With a low growl he pulled back, thrust, and erupted. Moaning, shaking, he collapsed and rolled to his side. They remained that way for several moments, bodies entwined. After they cleaned up a few minutes later, she felt as if she was in a daze.
“Hate to ruin the mood,” he said, as he stood by the small bathroom door, still naked. “But we probably should leave. I didn’t realize we slept that long.”
“How long did we sleep?”
“A few hours. It’s early evening.”
“Okay. Time to suit up.”
They didn’t talk as they got ready, but maybe they didn’t need to. She’d just experienced the most amazing sex of her life, and she’d somehow knew it would be this way between them. Their relationship might be complicated, but the relief she felt that they’d finally made love comforted her. Ian stood near the doorway to the small bedroom and pulled on his vest.
As she sat on the bed and laced her shoes, she stopped and looked up at him. “That was…amazing. I’ve never…”
She caught her gaze with his, and the amusement in his eyes spread to a grin. “Never what?”
“Come that many times in one day.”
He chuckled as he sat on the bed next to her. “Neither have I.”
Doubt shot through her. “Really?”
“Nope. Not even when I was a randy teenager.”
She shook her head. “Were you a promiscuous teen?”
“Nah. In those days it was more wanking.”
She laughed. “What? You mean—?”
“Yeah. Jerking off as you Americans call it. I didn’t have real sex until I was about to leave Leith for the military.”
Shock made her mouth flop open. “Real sex? You mean when you were a teen you just…”
“Yeah. Took myself in hand. I was too bloody shy and scared to try and make it any further with a girl until that point. My girlfriend was a real pious sort, but she decided if I was going off to the military she wanted to shag me. I was damned happy to comply.”
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