The Sweetest Temptation (The Whisper Lake Series Book 2)

by Anna Argent

  His gaze traveled up and down her body, taking in her thin cotton pajama shorts and tank top covered in tiny clusters of red cherries. Her hair was knotted on her head, the way it always was for bed, and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup.

  Maybe she wasn't sexy enough for him. Heaven knew that the Grace men could get any woman they wanted.

  Maybe he didn't want her.

  But back in the bakery…. He'd wanted her then. She hadn't imagined his raging hard-on or the way he'd fucked her against the wall like he'd die if he couldn't have her.

  "No," he finally said. "I guess it doesn't matter."

  Saxon stepped out of the way, his demeanor shifting in an odd direction, going darker and more predatory than his usual easy-going self. "Get in."

  She stepped inside.

  He locked the door behind her and barred it with his body.

  "Strip."

  ***

  Saxon hated that he couldn't resist Gemma.

  He'd thought that if he kept his distance, she might decide that she missed him. That she actually liked his company. But his plan had backfired.

  He'd missed her like crazy, spending way too much of his time distracted with thoughts of her and what she might be doing. He constantly wondered where she was, if she was safe, if she was happy.

  She'd texted him a few times, but he hadn't done more than offer brief replies because he wanted to give her a reason to come see him. Talk to him.

  He'd been a fool.

  She'd shown up again, but it hadn't been for talk. She was here for sex.

  If that's all this relationship was going to be, then fine. He was going to milk it for all it was worth.

  Saxon was going to fuck her like he'd never fucked a woman before.

  He shut the door behind her and twisted the deadbolt home. The idea of locking her in his cave appealed to him, and he could feel the dark smile that curled his mouth.

  She stood there, in his living room, uncertain.

  He was tired, hungry and sore from pushing himself at work. Even his men had commented that he was snapping at them—something he never did.

  His tone was like that now. Cold, hard. "Why are you still dressed?" he asked. "Did you come here to fuck or not?"

  Was it his imagination, or did she flinch slightly at his crude words? He couldn't tell, nor did he bother asking. She didn't want conversation with him, so he wouldn't offer one.

  She gave a jerky nod.

  "Then strip. Unless you'd rather just uncover the fun bits and get to the main act faster?"

  "Are you angry at me?" she asked.

  "No." Which was the truth. He was confused. Hurt. Frustrated. But not angry.

  "Then kiss me."

  He couldn't deny her request, not even in his dark mood. Hell, he couldn't deny her anything, and that was the problem. All she had to do was ask, and if it was in his power to give, it would be hers.

  But she didn't ask—not for help, or support or companionship.

  Just sex.

  Saxon prowled across the small space between them and took her in his arms. She stiffened slightly for a second, but the moment his mouth met hers, every muscle in her body melted.

  That was what he wanted, what he craved. He wanted her soft and happy in his arms. He wanted to hear her laugh, see her smile. He wanted to be the one who had the power to bring her joy and ease her pain.

  He was asking too much, and he knew it.

  His tongue forced past her lips to sweep in for a taste. She was sweet, with a hint of chocolate lingering on her tongue.

  Her response to his kiss was fast and hot, like wildfire in a wind. She kissed him back, her movements hungry and frantic, as if she couldn't get enough of him.

  The idea went to his head and his cock, making both swell.

  He knew which would be satisfied when this was all said and done, but kept that thought suppressed, where it wouldn't screw up what little time he would have with her.

  She tugged at his clothes, her short fingernails scraping slightly across his skin. With each fevered kiss, they bared another bit of skin. His, hers. Soon they were a pair scrambling madly toward nudity.

  When she was fully naked, he picked her up and toted her to the bedroom, setting his caveman side free. His condoms were in there, along with a nice soft surface where he could pound hard into her slim body without fear of hurting her.

  He tossed her onto the bed. She bounced once, then sat up.

  Saxon grabbed her hips, flipped her over onto her stomach, and then lifted her up so her ass was in the air. Seconds later, he was covered in a condom, sliding into her all the way in one smooth stroke.

  Gemma stilled. Let out a small, high noise. Almost a whimper.

  For a second, he thought he'd hurt her. Moved too soon, before she was ready for him.

  The wet heat of her pussy told him otherwise. She was more than ready.

  "You okay?" he asked, his voice raspy and rough.

  "Full."

  "Good. That's the way I like you."

  And then he started to move.

  There was no gentleness in his movements. He slammed into her, over and over, greeted by her increasingly louder cries of pleasure.

  She pushed herself upright, arching her back against his chest. He covered her tits with his hands, pinching her nipples between his rough fingers.

  Her sudden intake of breath told him she liked it. Her writhing hips drove him crazy.

  She was so fucking sexy. So tight and hot and eager. Wanton.

  He held her upright with his arm while he slid a hand down to her pussy. He parted her labia to find her clit, then rolled it between his finger and thumb.

  She came hard and fast, responding to his touch like they'd been together for years with no secrets between them.

  Her pussy fluttered around his cock. Hot wetness trickled out of her, slickening his balls.

  One more trio of thrusts and he knew he'd come, but he stopped, unwilling for it to end so soon.

  He pulled out of her, guided her onto her back, where she lay panting and flushed.

  "You're going to come for me again," he told her.

  "Can't," she said between heavy breaths. "I can only come once."

  He didn't say anything to her ridiculous claim. Instead, he decided to show her how wrong she was.

  Saxon slid his cock back into her body, already thinking of it as home. He pulled her knees high and spread them wide, forcing her body to open for him. He could already tell she liked it deep, and he was going to oblige.

  He took his time, gauging his movements to her responses. A little catch of her breath here, a widening of her eyes there…. She gave him all the clues he needed to get her body to comply to his will.

  If Gemma herself wouldn't give him what he needed, he was damn well going to get her pussy to obey.

  Sweat beaded along his back. His own need to come was raging inside him, making his balls swell and his heart pound.

  He was in control of himself. He would not come until she did. Period.

  Saxon had to slow his pace a couple of times to regain control and pull back from the brink of orgasm. Never since he was a teen—when the sight of a curvy tree was all it took to turn him on—had he been this challenged to keep from popping off too early. But with Gemma, he was riding the edge of control, struggling to hold back inside the sweet grip of her slick, wet pussy.

  He saw her orgasm building in her eyes before he felt it in her body. Surprise, perhaps a little fear of going where she'd never been before. He didn't know and refused to care. He did, however, need to distract her before her thoughts barred her from the goal.

  Saxon bent his body low enough to kiss her while his hips worked. He eased one hand between them to find her clit, then flicked his fingertip over it the way he flicked his tongue across hers.

  That's all it took to send her soaring.

  She screamed into his mouth, the sound a mix of pleasure and surprise.

  Saxon let g
o and gave into his own orgasm. The power of it blinded him. He couldn't catch his breath. All he could do was grind himself against her, plunging deep while he emptied himself in hot, blinding waves.

  Her body went lax. Only her chest moved heavily as she worked to catch her breath.

  Saxon wanted to stay just like this, but as full as the condom was, he didn't dare risk it.

  He didn't even know if she was on the pill, which only served to remind him how little she'd shared with him.

  He rolled onto his back. Overhead the ceiling fan swirled in a lazy circle, cooling their sweaty bodies.

  "That was…amazing," she said. "Twice."

  A sense of pride rippled through him that he could do what no other man had. "I knew you had it in you."

  "Only with you, Saxon."

  He lifted onto his elbow, searching her face for some hidden meaning. Was she talking about her second orgasm, or was there more to it than that?

  All he saw was her wide yawn and sleepy smile. "Thank you."

  From one second to the next, she was asleep.

  Saxon got up, cleaned up and went back to the bed. He thought about waking her up and sending her home, but decided against it. She was clearly exhausted. Besides, he liked having her close like this.

  He slipped her under the covers and crawled in beside her.

  Gemma may not have wanted anything more from him than sex, but when he held her like this, he was able to pretend otherwise.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  When Saxon woke up, Gemma was already gone. The sheets she'd slept on were cold, telling him she'd been gone for a while.

  It was only six and too early to pay a visit, but he didn't care. He washed up and threw on enough clothes to be presentable, then jogged across the street.

  The smell of cinnamon and vanilla reached him before he hit the front lawn. He followed his nose around to the back where the kitchen was, and saw that the window over the sink was open. That was the source of the amazing scents.

  He saw movement inside, so opted for tapping quietly on the back door that led into the kitchen.

  Gemma opened the door, her face flushed and eyes shining. "Good morning," she greeted him with a smile and stepped back to give him room to come in.

  His heart kicked hard. She hadn't snuck out of bed to avoid him at all. She'd simply left to start working.

  She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Hungry?"

  "Always." Now that he smelled the kitchen, his mouth was watering for more than a taste of her.

  She grabbed a couple of muffins out of their tins, dropping them onto the plate quickly. She set them in front of him. Steam rose from the tops, which were covered in some kind of caramelized sugar concoction.

  "Coffee or milk?" she asked.

  "Coffee."

  She bustled around the kitchen, pouring him coffee and adding a splash of milk, the way he liked it.

  That she'd remember such a small detail pleased him.

  "How long have you been up?" he asked.

  "Since four. Lots to do. I volunteered to provide some of the food for the Summer Kickoff Festival."

  He'd been so swept up in his own problems, he'd almost forgotten about the town tradition of celebrating their last weekend before the floodgates opened and people from around the world swarmed in to enjoy the lake, the crystal caves, and related tourist attractions. It was their last weekend of empty streets and closed businesses. Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, everyone was open for the season. No breaks or vacations—not if they wanted to take advantage of all the tourism dollars flooding in.

  "You're not too busy to help?" he asked.

  She grimaced. "I wanted to be busier, prepping the bakery for its grand re-opening next weekend, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen."

  "I've gone to town hall every day. Jessup still claims his schedule is too full to take a few minutes to do the inspection, even though he always seems to be sitting around when I find him."

  Gemma pointed to a stack of white cardboard boxes. "Rather than working to get him fired, I decided to try honey instead of vinegar. I'm stocking his wife's café at a discount, hoping that will sway his decision. Surely his wife will put in a good word, right?"

  "That is how small-town politics work. But with Jessup, I wouldn't count on it."

  Her shoulders sagged. "That's what I feared. Ah, well. I'm still doing a good thing and making a profit—albeit a tiny one. If the café can draw in some fresh blood, they'll be set. All people have to do is try their coffee and they'll be hooked."

  "Is Flora jealous that you're helping the enemy?"

  "Not at all. She says that no coffee in the world can compete with a slice of bacon, so she's safe."

  Saxon grinned as he tore off the paper muffin liner. "That sounds like her. Fearless."

  "I wish it would rub off on me. I'm still too gutless to break the bad news about the bakery to Aunt Beth."

  "She doesn't know it's not going to be done in time?" he asked.

  He took the first bite of muffin and came a little from the glorious taste of sweet cinnamon spiced heaven.

  Damn, but the woman could cook.

  Gemma shook her head. "I can't break her heart like that. I just can't. I keep hoping that Jessup will find a soul before it's too late to get the work done."

  Saxon wouldn't bet on it, but he'd make another attempt today to get the man to do the right thing.

  Gemma veered into his orbit. He reached out an arm and grabbed her by the waist. She landed on his lap as he'd intended, her delicious scent filling his head.

  There was a streak of flour on her forehead, and even though she wasn't glammed up, she was still so beautiful he couldn't believe she was real.

  He only wished she was his.

  She laughed and swatted at his chest. "No time for that now," she said. "You'll have to tuck your libido in a box for a while. Want me to come over again tonight? You can take it out again then." She waggled her eyebrows.

  "Dinner?" he asked, planning where he could take her out to eat that would compare to what she was used to eating.

  "I was thinking a little later. How's ten?"

  His good mood faltered as he realized her intent. "Another booty call?"

  "Unless you're too tired from last night." She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "We could try for three orgasms. Set a new record."

  "I'm busy," he heard himself saying, even though it was a lie.

  "Not too busy for dinner."

  "A man's gotta eat."

  "He's also gotta fuc—"

  Aunt Beth shuffled into the room, her walker in the lead. "Good morning, Saxon. Nice to see you here so bright and early."

  "I was just on my way out," he said, his tone colder than he would have liked.

  Aunt Beth frowned. "Oh. Okay. Come around anytime."

  Saxon walked out the door and didn't look back.

  He'd been a fool to think anything had changed simply because of a night of awesome sex.

  ***

  Aunt Beth settled slowly at the kitchen table. "Gemma, why does that very nice man look at you like you kicked his dog…twice?"

  Gemma thought things had smoothed out between her and Saxon. He'd been flirty and back to his easygoing self this morning.

  Right up to the point where she turned down his invitation to dinner.

  She was still planning to sleep with him, so she didn't understand why he would be upset.

  "I'm not really sure," Gemma said.

  "Could it have anything to do with you leaving his bed at such an early hour?"

  Gemma's face heated. She and her aunt had talked about a lot of things, including the big things, but never about her sex life. There was an invisible line right in front of that topic, barring it from all conversation.

  "Don't be a ninny," Aunt Beth said. "I'd hit that if I were a few decades younger and had both my original hips."

  Gemma's blush burned hotter. "I
really don't feel comfortable talking about it with you."

  "If not me, then who?" she spread her wrinkled hands wide. "I don't see anyone else here. I know you've been hanging out at the diner with Flora a little, but I really doubt she wants to hear about her brother's sex life."

  Gemma poured her aunt a cup of coffee, then refilled her own. She sat where Saxon had been and toyed with the remains of his muffin.

  "I don't want to get involved with him."

  "I heard you leave last night before nine. I heard you come in around four this morning. That's pretty involved."

  "That's just sex. I mean involved emotionally—the kind of involvement that will make it hard for me to go back to my real life."

  "So, when it comes to Saxon, you plan to hit it and quit it, as they say on the daytime TV."

  Gemma grinned. She couldn't help it. It wasn't every day that her septuagenarian aunt talked like some kind of hood rat. "It's not like that."

  "Then tell me how it is." Unblinking, non-judgmental.

  Gemma opened her mouth, then when no words came, closed it again. "I don't know."

  "Well, I do. I've lived across the street from that man for years now. There is no string of women trailing behind him, unless you count Lulu, who had a raging case of googly eyes for Saxon. He dates, but usually sticks with the same woman for a while if she's good enough to make it to his bed. He doesn't do casual relationships."

  "Well, maybe it's time he tried one, just to see if he likes it."

  Aunt Beth sighed. "Honey, he may be a man, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a heart. All of those Grace boys have big hearts. They were raised right by parents who loved them and each other. They know what a committed relationship looks like and would be fools if they didn't want one for themselves. And those boys are no fools."

  "I told him where I stood. That I wasn't staying here. And it's not like he can up and move to St. Louis when he has a business to run here."

  "Just because you told him doesn't mean he likes it."

  "He slept with me," Gemma said, her face still hot from talking so openly with her aunt. "Twice. Isn't that implied consent that he's okay with a casual relationship?"

  "I know the way things work now. You young people lead with your genitals and then the rest comes after. Maybe he's hoping that will happen with the two of you—that the rest will come if he keeps sleeping with you. That you'll date him. Maybe even come to care for him."