by J. H. Croix
His mouth teased its way over my belly, the stubble on his cheeks tickling my skin. I went from thinking I needed to set some boundaries to melting like butter in his hands and spreading my knees and practically begging for his touch.
Mack was a very generous lover. His big palms slid up along the insides of my thighs, the calloused surface sending sparks skittering across my skin and causing my hips to rock restlessly. A blunt fingertip circled my clit and teased over my entrance. I was already drenched and slick with arousal.
“Well, good morning, sugar,” Mack murmured in that tone of his that held a hint of dirty whenever he spoke when we were skin to skin like this.
His thick fingertip teased around my clit again, and he already had me begging for mercy. “Please, Mack…”
“Whatever you need, sugar.”
Two thick fingers sank inside me, knuckle deep. I cried out sharply, thrashing my head on the pillows. His mouth joined the fun with his tongue teasing my clit as he pumped his fingers in and out of me. I heard a muffled curse, and then he was rising over me.
“You make me crazy,” he said flatly. “I need inside you. Now.”
I looked up to see his strong, hulking form over me. He fisted his long cock in one hand as his shoulder bunched from where the other hand braced him on the bed. When he stroked himself, my mouth actually watered at the sight of pre-cum beading on the tip of his cock and rolling off to drop on my belly.
Just last night, I told him I had an IUD. That was when my hands had been curled on this very headboard, and he fucked me from behind.
“Now, tell me again, just so we’re sure. Should I get a condom?” he asked.
He dragged his fingers along the underside of his cock as his eyes held mine and another drop of cum landed on my belly.
I shuddered all over. There was something so raw and sensual about Mack. Everything felt so easy with him. Sex wasn’t something that was usually easy for me. I tended to be tense and worried I wasn’t getting it right.
I shook my head. “Just fuck me.”
“Oh, I love it when you tell me what to do.” His lips curled in a sly smile as he held his cock and teased it over my entrance, dragging it up and down and sending sharp jolts of pleasure through me when his cockhead slid over my clit.
Then his crown breached my entrance, and he filled me in a slow slide, the pressure and delicious stretch of him filling me was so intense I almost came right then. He held still for several beats of my heart before lowering his weight over me as his elbows came to rest on either side my head.
“Don’t come too fast, Ash. You know I don’t like that.”
His words were gruff and kind of bossy. I normally didn’t enjoy being bossed around, but with Mack, I loved it or rather, my body did. He settled his hips deeper into the cradle of mine, giving a leisurely pump. I let out a ragged moan as a jolt of pleasure sizzled up my spine. I was so slick and tight with him filling me.
Another slow pump with just the right amount of friction over my clit caused me to cry out, my body spasming. “Mack, I don’t think I can wait,” I gasped as my entire body trembled from the effort of trying to keep from climaxing too fast.
“You’re so fucking hot,” he muttered. “I can’t wait either.”
He drew back once more and gave it to me deep and hard. One more time, and I was flying apart, my climax slamming through me and leaving me breathless. I heard his rough shout as one of his hands gripped mine tightly, and then he was shuddering, and I felt the heat of his release filling me.
He rolled instantly, bringing me on top of him where I collapsed in a sated heap on his body. Our breath came in ragged heaves together as we lay like two ships cast ashore after a storm.
After a few minutes, I felt his big hand sifting through my hair. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.
I lifted my head, resting my chin on my fist on his chest. “We’ll be back in Stolen Hearts Valley tomorrow.”
“Yeah?”
Chapter Sixteen
Mack
We’ll be back in Stolen Hearts Valley tomorrow.
Ash’s words echoed in my mind as I stared at her. Fuck me. Ash was so gorgeous, especially right after I’d had my way with her. Her brown hair was messy around her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her lips swollen, and her skin dewy.
I’d lost my damn mind a few nights ago, and I kept losing it again and again with her. Ash was like my very own personal drug, and I didn’t think I could ever get enough of her. I was absolutely addicted to her.
She also happened to be the younger sister of one of my oldest and closest friends. To complicate matters even further, if it was just sex, I could have convinced myself to stop. Sure, I’d get a hard-on every time I laid eyes on her for a little bit, but I was sure I’d get over that eventually. Yet something else was happening here, and it scared the shit out of me while also making the drive to have her as irresistible as anything I’d ever experienced.
“Mack?” Ash prompted.
I slid my fingers through her silky hair down her back to cup her bottom. God, I loved her ass. Loved looking at it, loved touching it, just plain loved it.
“So we are. Are you worried about going home?” I asked, finally addressing her comment. I knew I was dodging a little bit, but I wasn’t quite ready to face the meaning that lay behind her question.
“Well, yeah. I think we both have our reasons for avoiding home, but that’s not what I’m asking. I think we should establish what our boundaries are going to be. We’re not going be traveling together and…”
When her words trailed off, I went ahead and filled in the blanks. “Jackson’s one of my best friends, and he might have an opinion about us. Is that what you’re after?”
“It’s not just Jackson. It’s all of our friends. And what the hell are we doing anyway?”
“Having incredible sex,” I said, unable to resist the urge to lean up and drag my tongue over the sweet skin of her neck.
Ash trembled slightly, and I felt her pussy squeeze around my cock, which was still inside her.
“You’re distracting me,” she said, nudging my lips away as if she was pushing a nosy dog out of the way.
“All right, all right. I know,” I said. “I don’t know what we’re doing. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t expect this. I’ve known you forever and never wanted to fuck your brains out until I saw you a few weeks ago. But this is good, really good. Maybe we just play it by ear.”
I kind of couldn’t believe my train of thought, but I meant it.
Ash stared at me. I knew uncertainty when I saw it, and I knew she didn’t know what to think of us. It’s just that when we weren’t thinking, things were great. Really great.
“Don’t start thinking too hard,” I warned.
“I don’t know how we do that without everybody else knowing what’s going on.”
“So we don’t tell everybody else. We keep it private.”
Ash held my gaze with shadows passing through hers. I could hear every resounding beat of my heart as we stared at each other with the thin light of dawn beginning to creep through the curtains. “Okay,” she whispered.
Chapter Seventeen
Mack
“Mind passing me the rice?” I asked, catching Dawson’s eyes from across the table.
He lifted the large bowl and handed it over. “I bet you missed Dani’s cooking,” he offered with a grin.
“Course I did. It’s been too long since I had a chance to come home.”
I spooned the fragrant rice on my plate. After setting the bowl down in the center of the table, I took a bite. “Good lord,” I said, not even bothering to hide my moan. “What did you season this with?”
Dani cast me a quick smile as she hurried over from the wide stainless-steel table in the staff kitchen at Stolen Hearts Lodge. She set another bowl down as she replied, “Chipotle and a dash of garlic. It goes really well with the nachos.”
“Jesus. I should’ve m
oved home sooner,” I added after another bite.
My sister, Evie, lifted her blue eyes from across the table. “You should have. We all missed you.”
“I’m just glad you’re finally here, so Evie can stop worrying about you,” Dawson offered as he slid an arm around my sister’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.
Evie understood better than most why I’d been gone, but I knew she missed me. Just as I’d missed her. I was glad she found Dawson this past year. They were a good couple and still so freaking happy it was ridiculous.
“I’m here to stay,” I added before spooning a bunch of nachos onto my plate.
“Is Ash coming to dinner?” Shay asked from the other end of the table.
We were eating in the staff kitchen at a fancy version of a picnic table with enough seating for about fifteen people. As usual, I’d taken a seat at the end of one of the bench seats. I knew I was a big guy, and most people didn’t appreciate my elbows bumping them constantly. This way, I only had to worry about one side.
My ears perked right up at Shay’s question. Jackson happened to come through the swinging door from the hallway at that moment and must’ve heard Shay’s question. “Oh, yeah. Just got her set up in the last empty cabin. She’s right beside you,” he said, catching my eye as he strode to the table.
Fortunately, my mouth was full of a bite of heavenly nachos so I didn’t need to respond. Jackson immediately turned his attention to Shay after I nodded.
Speaking of love, Jackson and Shay were something. I was glad for both of them. They’d had their own lonely journeys through hell and come out on the other side on their own. Jackson, who’d always had a quick wit and joked around, had a rough and somber few years after his time in the military.
Jackson had returned to Stolen Hearts Valley to take over his family’s old farm, after his and Ash’s father passed away. Their mother had died from cancer two years before that, so there was no one left to deal with the farm except for him and Ash. Their father had turned the farm into a rescue program for animals, so Jackson and Ash built off that by starting the vet clinic and the lodge, which was a high-end outdoor adventure type resort. Ash had left Jackson running the whole thing mostly on his own after her wedding fell apart.
“Guacamole!” Dani called as she hurried over, juggling three bowls in her hands.
Her boyfriend, Wade Ellis, and another old friend snagged two of the bowls and quickly set them down. “Time for you to sit down and eat.” Wade patted a spot on the bench beside him. Dani opened her mouth to argue, but Wade caught her hand and shook his head. “We’ve all got legs. If we need more, we’ll get it.”
Dani’s brown curls swung as she rolled her eyes, but she sat down and accepted a glass of wine that he had poured for her. It seemed all of my friends had paired up in the past few years. Meanwhile, my pulse was revving in anticipation of Ash’s presence. I knew I should feel bad. If Jackson had any idea what the last few nights of our trip had comprised, there was no way in hell he’d put her in the cabin right beside mine. I experienced a sharp twinge of guilt.
Yet that twinge was nothing in the face of the roaring current of need I had for Ash. Instead of burning out the embers between us, the fire only burned hotter and faster every time we were together. It was like a brushfire in dry grass that stretched for miles, impossible to put out.
“So how was the trip?” Evie piped up from across the table.
I paused in my chewing and took a gulp of water. “It was good. Glad I ran into Ash. We got to see Niagara Falls, and I’ve never seen it. Incredible.”
Okay, so that wasn’t the only reason I was glad I’d run into Ash, but it was still the truth.
“Oh man, you need some of this guacamole on those nachos,” Lucas Cole said from beside me.
I took the bowl from him and spooned some on the nachos. I didn’t need to be told twice when it came to Dani’s food.
“Never been to see the Niagara Falls,” Dawson commented, picking up the thread of the conversation.
“It’s amazing.” Ash’s voice came from behind me, and I practically broke my neck from looking over my shoulder so fast.
It felt as if there was an invisible string between Ash and me. Or maybe an electrical wire was a better description. It was exposed and snapping in the open air, sparks flying everywhere.
“Is it?” Evie asked, casting Ash a smile.
“Absolutely. I have to say, it’s really hard to describe until you’re there,” Ash added. Her eyes scanned the table, catching mine briefly where it felt as if there was a little tug between our gazes before she snapped them away. “Guess I’m late. I don’t know where to sit.”
“Right here,” Lucas offered. “I’ll make room.”
Valentina obligingly moved over with Lucas following suit. Then, Ash was sitting down right beside me. Space was tight, so I could feel the press of her thigh against mine. I shoved a bite of nachos in my mouth. The flavor of the guacamole was enough to drool over, and I was relieved to have the distraction for my senses.
Conversation carried on with many questions lobbed toward Ash and me about our trip. Fortunately, we had plenty of superficial topics to discuss. The food was divine, and it was just plain good to be home with friends.
As the group slowly drifted apart after dinner, I found myself with my hip leaned against the stainless-steel table where Dani worked, chatting with Jackson and Dawson. Of course, half of my attention was snagged on Ash who was still at the table in the back of the room talking with Dani, Evie, and Shay. This entire tableau was completely normal. In fact, I’d had many an evening just like this while Jackson and Ash were getting the lodge up and running, and I was home on visits. It felt comfortable and easy. An old, almost chilly tension I’d been carrying inside for years eased and warmed a little at the comfort of being here with friends and family who I’d known for almost forever.
The one difference was my acute awareness of Ash and wondering what might happen later tonight when everyone went to bed.
“Yo, Mack,” Dawson said.
I glanced in his direction. “Sorry, man, just zoning out. A little tired from the trip.”
I wasn’t about to say out loud in front of Jackson that I’d heard his sister laugh, and my attention had automatically been drawn in her direction. Again.
Dawson nodded but didn’t comment further.
“You’re on the schedule for the crew starting next week. Will that work?” Jackson asked.
“Of course. You can throw me on starting tomorrow if you want.”
Jackson gave me a long look. “Thought you might want a few days to settle in,” he commented.
I shrugged. “I like being busy.”
Dawson nudged me with his shoulder. “I’m the same way. I hate downtime.”
I slid my gaze to him. “Still that bad even though you’re shacked up with Evie now?” I teased.
Dawson rolled his eyes. “Hell no. I actually take my days off and spend every hour I can with her. You know how much I love your sister.”
I did. Although I hadn’t grown up with Dawson, and I didn’t know him the way I knew Jackson, it was plain as day he adored Evie. I was happy for them and grinned. “I know you do.”
“I’ll take a look at the schedule,” Jackson said, looping us back on topic. “We’re pretty lined out for this week, but there may be a few days to swap out. Do you want to do some work here at the lodge too?”
“You need someone?” I asked in return.
“He always needs someone,” Dawson interjected. “I keep telling you, don’t expand too fast, man.”
“If I have staff I can trust, it’s not as big of a deal. Seriously, I could use you,” Jackson said, his gaze sobering as he held mine. “I want to expand the rescue program. We’ve got the room, and the need is constant. With Ash home now, she can pick up some of the slack at the vet clinic, and we can get going on some more building. We need to build another barn with a kennel and space for the misfits.”
“The misfits?” I returned.
“Just what I was wondering,” Dawson chimed in.
“Rescues that aren’t too common. We usually get dogs, cats and horses. We don’t get very many pigs, or goats, or opossums,” Jackson explained.
Walker, a guy I’d only met today but who’d been working here for the past year or so, paused beside us. “Everett is the best mascot your vet clinic ever had.”
“Who’s Everett?” I asked.
Jackson flashed a smile. “Everett’s an opossum Jade found on the side of the road a few months ago. Jade would’ve killed me if we hadn’t kept him.”
Walker grinned. “It’s not like you would’ve said no. Anyway, I’m outta here. Catch y’all tomorrow.”
“Tell Jade I said hey,” Ash called as Walker strode past the table on his way to the door in the back.
He waved over his shoulder. “Will do,” he called in return.
“Okay,” I said, looping back to our conversation. “You need space. Dude, I’m in. You know I love to build, and I’ll work with you any day.”
Jackson clapped me on the shoulder. “Perfect. How about we leave the crew schedule as is, and you come by tomorrow and meet me at my office in the clinic? We can start drawing up those plans. You’re better at that shit than I am.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ash
Resting my hands on my hips, I spun in a slow circle and looked around my new home. Jackson had been busy in the year and a half I’d been gone from Stolen Hearts Valley. Among other things he’d worked on, he’d added a number of newer guest cabins, some of which were for staff.
This one was adorable. The gable roof allowed a vaulted ceiling, and the space felt large and spacious. I could see the moonlight gilding the mountain range across the valley and shimmering through the windows that ran floor to ceiling on one side. Wide plank hardwood flooring with a light finish and walls painted a soft cream gave the room a bright, airy feeling.
