Crossing the Line

by Lauren Landish

  “Most of the time,” I said, my hips rubbing back and forth across the hardness growing beneath me in his pants. “Except in the winter. Then I might wear flannel pants.”

  “Well then, I guess we're going to have to make sure our home is warm year-round,” Dane replied, reaching down and cupping my ass. “Because this is far too good of a feeling to give up because of some damn weather.”

  I had to agree, as the slick fabric let his strong hands roam as he pulled me in closer, our lips meeting softly with long, gentle caresses. I could feel the desire within him, but he restrained himself, his hands more tender than he had ever been. I leaned back, breaking our kiss, and stroked his hair. “Dane, you don't have to hold back,” I whispered, kissing his forehead. “There's nothing I want more than to make love with you right here, right now.”

  Dane's feral grin thrilled me, and he fiercely pulled me into him, our lips crushing together as he gave vent to his passion. He pushed my thin t-shirt up and over my head, freeing my breasts at the same time. Holding me like I weighed just a feather, he feasted upon my nipples, alternating from left to right in a chaotic pattern that never let my body adapt, each switch bringing fresh waves of pleasure through my body and shooting all the way to my pussy. “Dene . . .”

  “Abs,” Dane mumbled between my breasts, looking up at me.

  I shifted back, slipping down Dane's thighs slightly in order to be able to find the clasp of his pants. His cock was already hard and hot under my fingers as I undid the clasp and pulled the zipper down. Dane jumped in my hand as I reached into his underpants to take his long, thick cock out and hold it between us, pulsing with life and hunger.

  “I want to ask you something,” I said, leaning in and kissing him again. “And you can give me an honest answer. It won't change a thing about what we're about to do.”

  “What?” Dane asked, his breath hissing from between his teeth as I stroked him while my breasts pressed against his chest.

  “What do you think about having children?” I asked, sitting up and wedging his cock between us. My pussy was aching, needing him inside me, but I had to have the answer to this question all of a sudden. “In general, I mean.”

  “Well, I think we'll need at least ten months,” Dane teased, sliding his right hand inside my shorts to caress the skin of my ass again. “Seriously, though, I think having a baby with you would be the greatest thing in the world, and if it happens, I’d welcome it. But I think after your schooling would be best.”

  I smiled and reached down and pushed the leg of my shorts and panties to the side. There would be time for gentleness later, but my initial urge for tenderness had been replaced by the white-hot passion of going so long without Dane. For a week, we'd been in the same house, spending time together but not being intimate as he gave me time and space to let my mind heal. Now, the slowly building fire inside me was at nuclear levels, unable to be contained. “One more thing.”

  “What?” Dane grunted as I took his cock in my hand again and rose.

  “I need you, as powerful and wonderful as you can be.” I chuckled as I lowered myself onto him. Dane's cock would forever be a wonderful experience, each time leaving me feeling like a newly discovered virgin, thrilled and a bit frightened by the first sensations of his huge cock spreading me open, stretching me and filling every nook and cranny of my body.

  Dane lifted me up and down on his magnificent tool, letting my body adjust and stretch until the fear was replaced with wave after wave of delicious pleasure, my breath catching in my throat every time my body lowered itself onto his shaft. To add to the feeling, the position of our bodies meant that my clit dragged over his stomach with each movement, making me nearly insensate. I was getting pleasure with each up and down stroke, never ceasing, just building.

  My eyes drifted closed. I couldn't focus any longer, when I suddenly felt a sharp pinch on my right nipple, painful and arousing at the same time. My eyes flew open to see Dane grinning up at me. “What? You did ask me to pinch you earlier.”

  Dane wrapped his arms around my hips and stood up, still impaling me on his huge cock as he laid me down on the living room carpet. Pulling out, he stretched his arms and legs, then laid down beside me, a confident grin on his lips. “Now I can move some. Turn over.”

  I couldn't help but obey the loving command in his voice, each tone dripping with desire. When I was on my side, Dane lifted my knee, spreading my legs before he drove forward again, this time mostly from behind, filling me all the way with one sure, mind-blowing stroke of his cock. I couldn't help it. I grunted and cried out softly. The hammering beat of his cock drove me wild, my body flushing over and over again with the explosion of pleasure that came from deep inside me. I turned my head, burying my mouth into my forearm to stifle my cries of pleasure.

  The only sound I could hear was the rush of my pulse in my ears and the sound of Dane's hips slapping against my ass. Other than the soft whistle of his breathing through his nose, he kept totally silent as my man fucked me hard and fast on the carpet. My pussy clenched around him and my body rippled as my first orgasm shot through me, my teeth clamping down on the meat of my forearm hard enough to leave marks as I moaned and cried out. Dane held me, his cock throbbing inside me. He was so close, letting me ride out my orgasm in my own pace, comforting me and letting me know he would be there.

  When the wave passed, I turned and kissed him softly. “You didn't come yet,” I said, feeling him still hard and pulsing.

  Dane grinned as he readied himself again, pushing inside and sending fresh waves of pleasure up my body. My fingers clutched at Dane's back as he pushed in and out of me, driving me down into the pillow as his body rubbed against my clit. I felt something building inside me in a deeper place, someplace that I'd never felt before. I wasn't sure what it was, but it kept growing, larger and larger, until I was nearly frightened out of my mind. It was too large, I was feeling too much, but at the same time, I couldn't refuse it even if I wanted to.

  Somehow, Dane knew what I was feeling. “Let it go,” he whispered in my ear. “Same time as I do.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, untrusting of my voice as he kept pounding into me, strong and confident. I felt him swell, and with a strangled gasp, he thrust into me one last time, his cock erupting. His orgasm triggered an explosion inside me, so strong that I couldn't hold back, burying my mouth into his shoulder and screaming, it was so strong. I tasted the rich, coppery flavor of Dane's blood, and I blacked out for a moment, my mind unable to deal with all of the input at once.

  Dane held me, nestling me on his right leg while stroking my hair. “Welcome back,” he whispered. “I was wondering if I could sneak you down the hall to your room without someone noticing me carrying you.”

  “Well, that wouldn't be good, now would it?” I asked, reaching for my t-shirt. “On the other hand, if we walked down the hallway together, we might be quiet enough that you could join me.”

  Dane smiled and took my hand, stroking it tenderly with his thumb. “I don't know,” he said with a smile. “Your father might still have that shotgun around. And now he's got a Marine, too.”

  Chapter 20

  Dane

  It was a rarity in Atlanta as snowfall dotted the winter landscape. It was a rare gift to get the day after Christmas, and one that I appreciated. “You're probably one of the few people who aren't freaked out by this,” Patrick said to me as I looked out the big glass window of the rented hotel ballroom area. “Think you can get us all home without a problem?”

  “Patrick, it's less than a quarter-inch of snow,” I said with a light laugh. “I think even you Southerners could drive home in this. The most dangerous thing out there right now is the other drivers, panicking and acting like idiots.”

  “Never underestimate the ability of mankind to act like idiots,” he replied, taking a sip of his whiskey. He was looking remarkably well for a man after his second heart attack. Part of that was due to his month with Monica, I was sure. She’d imbibe
d a bit of Marine spirit into him, and he took up jogging, working himself up to two miles a day over the ground in the back yard. I'd even paced him once or twice, and he did pretty good for his age. “By the way, congratulations again on the first semester. You did well.”

  I turned away from the window and took a sip of my own whiskey and soda. “I'll be honest. I was scared stupid for about the first week or so. It was only because of Abs that I was able to get my head out of my ass and recognize that I actually enjoy learning.”

  “I'd say a 3.2 GPA for your first semester back after a decade off from school is more than cause for celebration,” Patrick said. “Come on, let's enjoy the rest of the party. Those from the company who showed up, at least.”

  “Hey, more for us then,” I joked. “You know, besides the bar.”

  “This is my month's ration of fried foods, so don't make me regret it too much,” Patrick joked in reply. We left the entryway and went back into the party, where the place was only about half full. We hadn't expected a big turnout. After all, the party was being held the day after Christmas, but with everything else going on in our lives, it was about the only way to fit it in.

  “So you really won't mind that I'm taking a few weeks off?” I asked as we made our way through the room. “I mean, three weeks right after the beginning of the year isn't exactly easy for the company.”

  “You know, Dane, I've watched you carefully the past six months,” Patrick said, stopping about a third of the way across, near a large cake that was shaped like an excavator and festooned with a fondant banner that read Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Rawlings Construction. “And I'll admit that I've been more than a little tough on you. I've given you enough rope to hang yourself more than once, and each time you keep busting your ass and working hard. So let me give you a little bit of advice.”

  “What's that?” I asked, curious. While I didn't think that he’d ever let me out to dry, I do know that he consciously avoided giving me the rub around the office. He wanted me to stand and become respected on my own, not because I was his daughter's fiancée. It had taken a fair bit of work, but I felt like I was fitting in around the place now and could hold my own with some of the regular workers.

  “You're getting married tomorrow,” Patrick said, pointing to the table where Brittany and Abby were chatting. Their relationship had grown closer in the past six months, and while I doubted that she would ever call her Mom, Abby had certainly come to understand and appreciate more about Brittany than I think she had in the nearly twelve years prior. “The one thing that I value most, looking at that table now, is the time that I spent not building properties. It's the time I spent playing with my little girl. I'm prouder of the fact I could make Barbie's horse whinny than the fact that I can buy a couple of real horses.”

  “So you think I should back off?” I asked, incredulous. “After all you've pushed me toward in the past half-year?”

  “I think you should work just as hard as you have every moment since they let you out of Leavenworth,” Patrick retorted, giving me a half-grin at the end. “Just make sure you're working on the right things, that's all.”

  One of the company vice presidents came up, wishing us a happy holiday, and I used it as an opportunity to part ways with them. I'd come to admire Patrick, and while our relationship got off to a rocky start, we got along well enough. There was, of course, the unstated but obvious tension as his daughter let him go and became closer to me, but I think every man goes through that when he gets engaged.

  I headed over to Abby and Brittany, who were laughing as Abby described in detail our new apartment. We'd moved in just after Thanksgiving, after the neighbors in the first apartment complex we'd tried had turned out to enjoy partying a bit too much for our tastes. “Yeah, I know it's still nowhere near what I had at home, but it's ours,” Abby said as I approached. I figured she was telling Brittany about our upstairs neighbors, who had a slightly disturbing habit of turning their nightly yoga sessions from Iyengar to Tantric, if you know what I mean. Still, better than listening to Flo Rida all weekend long. “We figure it'll keep us going for a while though. At least until I finish my Masters.”

  “You ladies make this party a lot better looking than any decoration or band could,” I greeted them as I came within greeting distance. Abby got up and we kissed, laying her head on my shoulder. “Hey, Abs. You miss me?”

  “Not too much,” she teased me, rubbing my chest. “Just enough that I can't wait until tomorrow.”

  “Oh, you can wait another few hours,” Brittany laughed, sipping at her champagne. “After all, it isn't like in my parents' day when the couple would have to spend every night apart until the wedding ceremony.”

  “Good for us, then.” Abby laughed. She reached down to the table and took a sip of her ginger ale, something I'd noticed earlier. Abby had never been a big drinker, but then again, neither was I. I used to be, but I’d seen firsthand what nastiness alcoholics could do. In the apartment, we didn't have any alcohol at all other than a bottle of Malbec that we'd been given as a gift for moving in. “Say, babe, are you sure you'll be good for picking Shawnie up from the airport tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, this is my last one,” I replied, taking the final sip and setting the glass down on the table. “I don't want to have my nuptials marred by a hangover or anything.”

  Brittany smiled in approval and finished her glass of champagne as well. “A wise decision. Well, you two enjoy yourself. I need to powder my nose, as the saying goes.”

  She left us, and I led Abby closer, away from the table, and took her out to the dance floor. The live band wasn't the best in town, but even a second-rate band in a city like Atlanta can beat the pants off anything a lot of other places can offer. We found an empty spot on the dance floor and I pulled her into my arms. “Think of it as practice for tomorrow.”

  “You know, I think Brittany is expecting at least a little bit of Viking tomorrow with all of that Norse stuff you talk about,” Abby said as we danced. “She's going to be highly disappointed.”

  “Well, I guess I could rip off my shirt, grease myself up, and try to wrestle a bear, but those are kind of hard to find this time of year,” I joked. “I guess she'll have to settle for the roasted meats and maybe a song or two. You know I just take it in stride anyway.”

  “I know. It's why I love you so much,” Abby said. “Enjoying the party?”

  “Better than listening to the Washingtons upstairs,” I replied. “Trying to watch The Charlie Brown Christmas Special while they were having sex was not the experience I was hoping for.”

  “We've kind of given them a concert or two as well,” Abby reminded me. “Or did you forget Monday night?”

  “How could I?” I chuckled. We turned on the floor, moving in gentle circles, not really following any one pattern but just moving together. “Hey, Abs, I don't want to pry, but you seem to be a bit off tonight. Worried about tomorrow?”

  “No,” Abby replied. “I'm excited, yes, but not worried. Why?”

  “I just noticed you're only hitting the ginger ale. You don't think we'll get too drunk and oversleep, do you?”

  Abby leaned back, her honey blonde hair shimmering in the soft light, her blue eyes twinkling like twin sapphires, and laughed, long and loud. If it hadn't been a party, or if the music had been softer, she would have garnered a lot of attention, but as it was, she barely registered. When her laughter was over, she pulled my head down and kissed me. “I’m not worried about that at all,” she whispered in my ear after the kiss was broken. “I wanted to wait until we were alone tonight, but I have a late Christmas gift for you.”

  “Oh? What's that?” I asked, flummoxed. We hadn't exchanged too many gifts, so a late one seemed strange.

  “You get to find out in about nine months,” Abby whispered, pulling back to look me in the eyes. “Merry Christmas . . . Daddy.”

  Continue on for Shawnie’s book!

  No Limits

  by Lauren Landish


  She thinks she’s a monster. But I’m the monster. And she’s my angel.

  I’m a ruthless perfectionist who’s never needed love. It’s a worthless emotion that makes you weak, and I’m anything but weak. I haven’t let a soul get close to me. No one’s ever made me feel a damn thing.

  Until Shawnie. My angel.

  I knew from the moment I saw her that she was different. She’s scarred and broken, running from a past that haunts her. But her wings aren’t broken like she thinks. Her past hasn’t destroyed her, and I can show her what she’s worth.

  I want her with an intensity that I’ve never felt before. Her large light amber eyes shine with vulnerability. Her lush curves and full, kissable lips call to me in a way that leaves me breathless. They beg me to take her and make her mine.

  But my secrets threaten to take too much from her. I should stay away. There’s a darkness in me that craves the depravity she desires. She wants to serve and obey, and I’m more than happy to fill those needs.

  For the first time in my life, she makes me feel like a man and not a monster. This time, I won’t be denied.

  **No Limits is a full-length Dark Romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

  Prologue

  Shawnie

  The cool air gently tickles my bare skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. My forehead is resting on the ground as I wait for him, my Master. I’ll stay in this position until he tells me otherwise. I’ll do anything for him. Everything for him.

  “Come to me, my Angel.” Hearing his nickname for me sends a thrill through me. Angel. I’m anything but. I’ve never felt deserving, not since that hot summer day in Georgia. I thought it was a trick at first, but now I believe him. I trust him and everything he says. Still . . . Angel. I’m not quite used to it yet.