by Lori Foster
Sadie watched as he located a condom and rolled it on.
“You’re going to finish making love to me now?”
“No. I won’t finish now. I’ll take my time. But I am dying to get inside you. And after we both come, maybe we’ll nap or get a snack or watch a movie.” He stretched out over her, held her face and kissed the bridge of her nose. And in a voice husky with arousal he said, “Then we can start all over again.”
“Really?” Sounded like a great plan to Sadie.
“Oh, yeah. You’re spending the night, okay?”
Before she could answer, he kissed her deeply. He went on kissing her until she punched his shoulder and demanded he get a move on.
Laughing, Buck said, “Yes, ma’am.” He reached down between their bodies, opened her and slowly pressed in.
Her breath caught.
His jaw clenched.
He was big, and she felt incredible pressure.
“Stay with me, Sadie.” He braced himself on stiffened arms, which increased the pressure between her legs. He squeezed his eyes shut, clenched his jaw, then had the nerve to say, “Relax.”
“I don’t think I can.”
He groaned. “Bend your knees, honey. Lift into me.” To help her, he lowered himself onto one elbow and wedged a hand under her hips. “That’s it.”
His fingers clenched on her bottom, he let out a long, exaggerated groan, and then he sank deep.
Sadie cried out, not in pain but with mind-numbing pleasure. Buck didn’t slow or give her time to get acclimated to his size. He pulled out and drove in again. Both hands went to her bottom, tilting her up to take more of him. His body was warm and heavy. The friction was incredible.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and tried to follow his rhythm.
But far too soon, he stiffened. Sadie knew he was about to climax and curiosity distracted her. Until he opened his mouth on her throat and gave her a love bite. It was so wicked, such a sexual act of possession, she felt her own orgasm swelling again and she embraced it. It was different this time, with Buck a part of her. It was more powerful, and more satisfying, to be able to squeeze him tight inside her body.
Her limbs trembled and throbbed. Vaguely she was aware of Buck trembling, too, his muscles all straining, his growls raw and broken. Moments later he lowered himself onto her, but immediately rolled onto his back so that she was on top.
For several minutes they lay there like that. Then Sadie felt him pull out of her, and even that was an enjoyable experience.
“My backside is cold.”
He grunted and blindly reached for a sheet, dragging it up and over her. “Sleep woman. I need to recoup my strength.”
His heartbeat was a steady thumping beneath her cheek. His arms were around her, his hands now cuddling her bottom, presumably to warm it. And she felt so lax, so utterly replete, that she dozed off without a single care on her mind.
CHAPTER FIVE
TWO NIGHTS LATER, Buck accidentally woke Sadie in the middle of the night when he climbed back into bed. They’d spent the entire weekend together, alternately playing with the dogs, eating, watching movies, and making love.
Just that evening, after she’d gone limp in his arms from a long, screaming climax, Sadie had told him that she hadn’t realized life could be so relaxed and enjoyable. She broke his heart when she said things like that, and made him more determined than ever to make up for her selfless and lonely childhood.
On the outside, Sadie continued to look shy and timid. But deep inside, she was wild and without reserve. She made no bones about loving sex. She wanted to try everything, claiming she had a lot of catching up to do.
Buck was more than happy to oblige her.
He wanted to cherish her, and toward that aim, he kissed her all the time, for no reason and for every reason. If she fixed coffee, it deserved a kiss. If she yawned, he thought it was cute and had to nibble on her lips.
When she struggled with Tish or had to clean up a mess from the dog, he offered to help. And when Tish dragged a hideous half-dead bug into the house, Buck got rid of it for her, then hugged her and kissed her again and again until she stopped making awful faces.
He’d even tackled another cicada for her. He hoped she realized that, with his aversion to the red-eyed monsters, he wouldn’t have done that for just anyone.
Sadie obviously hadn’t heard him leave the bed earlier, given her suspicious look now. “Where’ve you been?”
For a woman who’d spent her life sleeping alone, she’d quickly accustomed herself to having him take more than half the bed. She compensated by sprawling over him. Buck liked that.
He deliberately snuggled close, making sure his cold feet brushed hers. She yelped and pulled her feet up to his calves.
“I was outside.”
“Doing what?”
“Herding Chihuahuas.” He smiled and kissed her shoulder. She had the silkiest, most baby-fine skin he’d ever felt. She was soft everywhere, and it made him nuts. “Butch wanted out, and of course, Tish had to follow. But she got past me without her leash, and then Butch shot out, too. I chased Tish, and Butch chased me.”
Sadie snickered at the picture he painted.
In mock annoyance, he said, “Hey, catching her again wasn’t easy. But at least I had enough sense to pull my jeans on this time.”
Still grinning, looking tousled and sexy and sweet, she sat up. “You should have woken me up.”
Buck pulled her back down into his arms. “You were dead out, so I didn’t want to bother you.” He cupped her naked breast, loving the feel of her.
Loving her. Damn.
“Buck?”
“But you’re awake now,” he drawled.
Sadie’s voice went deep and she sank down against him. “I am. Very awake.”
Buck pulled her beneath him. Words of love tried to break free, but he knew it was too soon. Sadie needed a little time to get used to the physical side of having a man in her bed before he dumped the emotional stuff on her, too. Even while kissing her shoulder, he murmured, “It’s four-thirty in the morning. I should let you sleep.”
“I have to be up for work in an hour anyway.”
He trailed kisses along her throat. “That’s an extra hour you could sleep.” He’d already learned Sadie’s secrets and knew that she was especially sensitive on her throat, behind her ear, and beneath her breasts. Of course, she went wild when he licked at the inside of her thighs, too, and higher—
Her hand closed over his cock and Buck stilled.
“Know what I’d rather do in that hour?”
Oh, he could just imagine. She was a generous lover, but also wicked enough to enjoy tormenting him. “I don’t know if I can bear for you to tell me.”
With her free hand, she pushed against him until he obligingly went onto his back—giving her free rein over his body.
“I want to kiss you all over.”
Excitement trembled along his nerve endings. He’d never live through this. “Okay.”
Smiling with newfound female power, Sadie climbed atop him. She did seem to enjoy his body; she made plenty of comments on his strength and size.
“You relax, okay?”
He laughed. “Not a chance, honey.”
Her lips grazed his. “Then at least hold still.”
Lord help him. He locked his hands behind his head and promised to try his best. It sure as hell wasn’t easy. Twenty minutes later, Sadie was on her knees between his thighs. She’d been slowly—and he did mean slowly—working her soft mouth down his body.
Now she held his cock in one hand, his balls in the other, and it was heavenly torture. “Hussy,” he teased with a low groan. “Put me out of my misery before I break.”
Laughing, she whispered, “All right.” And then she bent, kissed the head of his erection, opened her mouth and swallowed him.
Buck stiffened with a wrenching growl.
Her tongue swirled, gave one final lick and she lifted her hea
d. “Hold still.”
“Can’t.”
Her small fist stroked. “Keep trying.” And she took him in her mouth again, all the while cuddling his balls, working him. She was a fast learner, and teaching her was its own form of pleasurable agony.
To make matters worse, the moonlight shone through the window, putting her small round breasts on display. It was enough. Too much. He caught her shoulders and pulled her up onto his chest.
“Buck,” she complained.
“Sorry, babe.” He groped on the bedside table for a condom, while holding Sadie still with his other hand. He ripped it open with his teeth, then handed it to her. “Here, put this on me.”
“Oh.” She straightened, eyed the protection and smiled. “Okay.” She wore that concentrated, fascinated expression that made him hot as a chili pepper. “Like this?”
With awful precision, she rolled the condom halfway down his length.
His teeth clenched. “You little tease.” He hurriedly finished the job while Sadie chuckled, but she stopped laughing when he lifted her, positioned himself and drove up into her.
Her fingers curled against his chest, stinging in force while proving her own measure of excitement.
“Do whatever you want, Sadie,” he managed to say. “Fast, slow, I don’t care, as long as you keep moving.”
Luckily for his peace of mind, she was in a fast mood. Buck held her breasts, lightly tugging at her nipples while she labored over him, rising and falling, again and again. He was so deep this way, and he loved being able to watch her face as her climax overtook her. She didn’t hide from him, but at the crucial moment, she did fall onto his chest and let him take charge.
All she could do was moan.
Buck loved it. He loved her. He even loved her difficult little dog.
Soon she’d fall in love with him, too. He was counting on it.
SADIE ENJOYED HER JOB at the shelter, but because she always had a pet waiting, she never lingered after work. The need to rush home was even more urgent with Tish, because she knew that, more than most, the little dog needed reassurance and human contact.
That hadn’t changed. But now she also had Buck to come home to. So she smiled as she drove, thinking of how he’d hug her when she walked in, how the dogs would run to greet her. Everything was so perfect, it scared her.
If she told Buck she loved him, would he misunderstand? Would he assume her feelings were no more than an infatuation, because she’d never been intimate with another man? Or would he realize just how special he was to her?
She didn’t know, and for that reason, she hesitated to put her feelings into words.
Until Buck, she hadn’t known how much was missing in her life. But knowing was a two-edged sword, because now she knew what she could lose, too, and that was one reality she didn’t want to face. She’d faced enough already.
Sadie was so lost in thought that as she turned down her street she almost missed Buck on the sidewalk in front of the complex’s parking lot. She slowed the car to take the turn, and stared in awe.
He wore a big smile filled with pride. And no wonder. He had both dogs on a leash—and Tish wasn’t fighting him.
Exhilaration exploded within Sadie. She pulled into her parking space and turned off the ignition. Buck was striding toward her, both dogs politely trotting along, to greet her.
Sadie got out of the car and stared. “She doesn’t look afraid.”
“Nope.” Buck couldn’t stop grinning. “It was a chore getting her to try the walk, but having Butch next to her helped. At first she kept watching me, but soon she was too busy trying to keep up with Butch.”
Sadie laughed. “She has your sock in her mouth.”
“I know.” He shrugged. “She stole it out of my laundry, which is gross. I tried to give her a clean one, but you know how she is. I figured as long as her mouth was full, she couldn’t chomp on any bugs. It’s a fair trade-off.”
The sight of Buck, all six-feet-plus inches of him, bulging muscles and obvious strength, walking two very tiny dogs, made her throat tight with emotion. He was so secure in his masculinity that he could love two Chihuahuas without hesitation.
How could she not love him?
Sounding a little hoarse, she said, “You’re a miracle worker.”
“Nah.” He tipped his head and his eyes were warm with affection. “I learned patience from you.”
He said that with so much sincerity and affection, she felt tears sting her eyes. “Thank you.”
“No big deal.” He grinned down at the dogs. “These two are like chick magnets. Women of all ages were beeping their horns, stopping to chat, oohing and aahing at me. One older woman called me ‘sweetie’ and patted my cheek. Another, um, younger woman slipped me her phone number.” Buck retrieved the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
Before Sadie could get too worked up about that, his grin widened. “’Course, some guys passing by laughed their asses off at me, too.”
Sadie watched him toss the phone number into a nearby trash can. Relief washed over her. “That wasn’t nice of them.”
“They’re just jealous.” He knelt down and held out his hand. Butch came right to him. Tish lowered herself until her belly touched the ground, flattened her ears and wiggled nearer until Buck could tickle her chin. In a voice as soft as butter, Buck said, “They wish they had dogs as fine as these two.”
Well, Sadie thought. If she hadn’t been in love before, that would have done it.
Buck pushed back onto his feet. “Come on, gang. Let’s get inside and see about dinner.”
He strode to Sadie, put his arm around her, kissed her warmly, and together they went into his apartment.
BUCK SPENT EVERY FREE MOMENT of his two weeks’ vacation with Sadie. While she worked, he kept the dogs. When she got home, he greeted her at the door. She’d see him, smile and throw herself into his arms.
Tish continued to steal Buck’s things. Whenever she could manage it, she’d grab something and pull it under the couch to make a bed. Good thing Buck had a big couch to accommodate the yellow underwear, the sock, a T-shirt, dishtowel, ragged work glove and leather shoelaces from his favorite boots.
The last hurt, and he half blamed Butch for that, because both he and Tish liked to chew the laces. Buck learned real quick to put his boots in the closet, well out of reach of small jaws.
They fell into a routine of sorts that seemed to work for everyone. Buck made sure the dogs had been out before Sadie got home so they could fix dinner together without doggie interruptions.
She was a good cook, but then so was he, so they took turns, and every so often they had dinner delivered.
After dinner, they took the time to play in the yard with the dogs. Before bed, they’d sit on the floor. Buck would hold Butch while doing his best to entice Tish into his lap. So far, it hadn’t worked. She’d stopped being so jumpy, but she remained a long way from trusting.
Still, to Buck, they felt like a family—and he wanted to protect that. He wanted Sadie and Tish to be happy. But tomorrow, Riley and Regina would return home. They’d take Butch, and that would be one more thing for Tish to adjust to.
The September nights were unseasonably cool, making it necessary to wear a jacket or flannel when sitting outside. But neither Buck nor Sadie wanted to give up the time outdoors with the dogs. Buck had created a removable, adjustable fence that covered about ten square feet. Each day they set it up differently so the dogs could explore new areas.
The fence worked out great, except that with more freedom, Tish found more bugs. At least half the time she went outside, she caught a spider or a grasshopper or a night crawler, which she always presented to Sadie.
Thankfully, she hadn’t located any more cicadas. Butch was a more discriminating Chihuahua and didn’t care for bugs. He even seemed a little creeped out when Tish caught them, but he always ended up helping her, as if it were a game.
The little dogs had become inseparable friends, and Tish
seemed happiest when she was with Butch.
Now Sadie sat curled next to Buck on her small back porch. Without looking at him, she wondered aloud, “Maybe I should bring in another dog, just so Tish won’t be lonely when Butch has to leave tomorrow.”
Buck swallowed. He hated that idea. “Oh sure, that’s fine for Tish. Maybe she’ll even forget about him. But what about Butch? Think how lonely he’ll be.” He glanced at the dogs, and had the perfect opportunity to prove his point. “Look at the little guy. He’s snuggled up against Tish as if she’s his better half.”
Sadie sighed. “I know. Maybe…that is, if you wanted to…”
Buck waited, almost holding his breath. “What?”
“You could bring him over every so often to visit.”
He scowled at her. Her suggestion was far from what he’d hoped to hear. “I could do that.” He stared at her, trying to read her thoughts. “Or I could take Tish to see him. The wives have everyone over at least once a week.”
“The wives? That’s what you call them?”
“That’s what they are.” Sadie had already been to one of those gatherings last weekend to meet Clair and Rosie. The dogs had played while the people had conversed. Sadie had seemed to like them, and Buck knew they liked her. Things were moving along in that regard. “We, meaning the guys, had kinda figured the wives would put an end to us hanging out together. But we were wrong. We still hang out, we just usually do it with the wives there. Not that they mind if we take off to fish or play cards late one night or something.”
Sadie stared at him, arrested by this outpouring of confidences. “I’m sure they’re very understanding. Why wouldn’t they be?”
Buck felt like an idiot. “All I’m saying is that Regina wouldn’t mind if we brought Tish with us, and even when Rosie’s the one doing the cooking, or Clair, they like Butch, so I know they’d love Tish, too.”
They’d better, because Tish was going to damn well be part of his family. As he’d told Sadie early on, he understood they were a package deal. The little dog had been through enough without being left behind.
Buck was waiting for Sadie’s reaction when Harris and Clair rounded the corner of the building. “There you are,” Harris said, as if he hadn’t just interrupted Buck’s attempts to settle the future.
