Longing for Love

by Marie Force

  A shiver rippled through Tiffany’s body. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Oh no?” He spanked her lightly but firmly, drawing a gasp from her. “Want to try me?”

  This time when she pressed against his erection, he had no doubt she’d done it on purpose.

  “I know you’re used to people doing what you tell them to because you carry a gun and wear a badge, but no one tells me what to do. Not anymore.”

  While he was proud of her for standing up for herself—something he was certain she hadn’t done very often during her marriage—he still didn’t want her showing off her curves in public. “You’ve been warned.”

  “So have you,” she retorted.

  Blaine smiled at her sauciness and then captured her fresh mouth in a searing kiss designed to show her who was boss. But of course she turned the tables on him by giving as good as she got. By the time he drew back from her, he had to call this round a draw.

  “Go upstairs,” he said in a firm tone that left no room for argument. “Put on the outfit I bought for you and lie on your bed. Set the ceiling fan to high.”

  She swallowed hard. “Anything else?”

  “You know how I want your legs.”

  With a dainty move of her tongue, she wet her lips. “Apart?”

  Blaine ran his hand up the inside of her leg and pressed his fingers to her heated core, drawing a moan from her. He loved that she was so responsive to his touch. “As far apart as they’ll go.” Patting her bottom, he urged her up and off his lap. “Hurry.”

  She grabbed the bag from the shop and sauntered up the stairs, appearing to take her own sweet time. With desire beating through him and heating his blood, Blaine forced himself out of the chair and crossed the room to the small bar set up in the corner. He poured a shot of whiskey, downed it in one swallow and felt it burn its way through him.

  For the first time in a long time, he found himself thinking of Eden and the nightmare he’d endured at her hands. He’d discovered far too late that she used people to get what she wanted and then discarded them when she’d sucked them dry in every possible way. He hadn’t known Tiffany long, but he already knew she was made of much better stuff than that. She didn’t have a user bone in her body. He’d discovered that despite the tough outer shell she showed the world, inside she was made of softer, more compassionate stuff, the kind of stuff a man could fall in love with rather easily if he wasn’t careful.

  Blaine poured a second shot and took it with him when he returned to the chair. He consumed this one more slowly, reminding himself all the while that he’d embarked on a sexual affair with an attractive woman. That didn’t mean he had to solve all her problems or turn into an emotional wreck over her. This was about one thing and one thing only: sex. He glanced at the stairs. Knowing she was up there, spread out and ready for him to feast on, made his dick throb painfully.

  As he downed the last of his drink and stood up to go to her, he thought of her earlier distress and chose to ignore the equally painful throb in his chest. Nothing good had ever come of that.

  Wearing the black sheer bustier that barely covered the tips of her nipples, Tiffany lay on the bed with her legs spread wide. Her thighs trembled from anticipation and the effect the swirling air from above was having on her exposed flesh. On the verge of her first-ever ceiling-fan-induced orgasm, Tiffany squirmed against the tug of the thong, trying to exert more pressure where she needed it most without involving her hands. She wondered how much longer he planned to make her wait. If his goal was to get her hot and ready for whatever he had in mind, she’d arrived at that destination ten minutes ago. Hell, who was she kidding? She’d been hot and ready from the second she’d woken up to his kiss.

  The apple-scented candles she’d lit flickered, and the light breeze filtering in through the open windows only added to her heightened sense of awareness. Her body hummed with tension and desire as she waited for him.

  Jim hadn’t appreciated sexy underwear. “It’s going to end up on the floor anyway,” he would say, “so what’s the point?” The point, she was finding, as the bustier abraded her aroused nipples, was more about the way it made her feel: sexy, desirable, wanted. Whatever it did for her partner was secondary.

  Her partner appeared at the door and took in the scene before him. At the sight of him in the candlelight, her breath caught in her throat. He was, by far, the sexiest man she’d ever known, and the naked desire on his face, desire for her, nearly took her over the precipice she’d been clinging to.

  Unbuttoning his uniform shirt, he crossed the room to her.

  The trembling in Tiffany’s legs intensified as he took his gaze on a lazy journey from the straining nipples he could probably see through the sheer fabric to her quivering belly and smoldering center.

  He shrugged the shirt from his shoulders, and Tiffany licked her lips at the sight of his muscular chest.

  “Are you wet?” he asked gruffly.

  “Yes.”

  “How wet?”

  “Very.”

  He stood by the side of the bed looking down at her, the huge bulge in his pants the only indication that he was equally aroused. “You’d better check, just to be sure.”

  Mortified by the idea of touching herself while he watched, she hesitated.

  “Do it.”

  Now her hand was trembling, too, as she skimmed her fingertips over her belly and under the waistband of the thong. Her fingers slid through the slippery dampness between her legs.

  “Stroke yourself. I want to watch you come.”

  One part of her was shocked by his frank talk. The other part was hugely turned on. “I can’t. Not with you watching.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  Tiffany closed her eyes and tried to forget he was there, watching her. Under the satiny thong, she moved her fingers back and forth over the tight, tingling bud.

  “Push your fingers inside,” he said, his breathing sounding choppy.

  Tiffany bit her lip and did as he requested.

  “Farther. Mmm, that’s it. Use your other hand on your breast. Roll the nipple between your fingers.” He paused, waiting for her to follow his instructions. “Now look at me.”

  Tiffany did as he directed and imploded, the climax streaking through her like lightning, leaving her quivering with the need for more.

  Chapter 6

  She opened her eyes to find him still standing next to the bed, but he’d removed his pants and was stroking his straining erection. Tiffany held out her arms to him and sighed with satisfaction when his body covered hers. For the longest time, he lay there without moving, holding her close to him, infusing her with his warmth and an odd sense of comfort.

  “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said gruffly.

  “Was it?”

  “Mmm. Do you like it when I tell you what to do?”

  “I shouldn’t, but it makes me feel all…”

  “What?”

  “Hot. Insanely hot.”

  “You are insanely hot, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little domination in bed. It doesn’t make you any less of an independent woman in the rest of your life.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “What do you want me to do next?”

  Blaine smiled at the coy look she gave him and reached for the cuffs on the bedside table. Dangling them above her, he said, “Raise your arms over your head.”

  Before she did what he asked, she ran her hands over his smooth back and down to cup his firm rear end, drawing a gasp from him. Then she slowly raised her arms over her head, which lowered the top of the bustier.

  Blaine’s eyes were fixed on her breasts, watching intently as they broke free of the tight confines of the garment. Bending his head to ravish each nipple, he seemed to have forgotten the cuffs.

  Tiffany floated on a cloud of sensation so intense it took her breath away. Her entire focus was on the hot mouth tugging and sucking on her breast. Since he h
ad her firmly pinned to the bed, she couldn’t move to satisfy the reawakened ache between her legs. The sweet torture seemed to go on forever, until she was certain she’d go mad. She tried to reach for him and found her hands locked to the headboard. When had he managed to do that, and how had she failed to notice?

  Tiffany had never been so transported in the midst of lovemaking, and the realization was both unsettling and exciting at the same time. She tested the restraints and experienced a stab of fear at how tight they were.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice penetrating the fog. “Look at me.”

  Tiffany forced herself to focus on his handsome face.

  “Are you okay with this?”

  Even though she wasn’t quite sure, she nodded.

  “Do you trust me?”

  She wet her lips. “Yes.”

  “I’ll never hurt you. Not in here or out there.” He nodded to the world outside their bedroom hideaway. “Believe me?”

  “I want to.”

  He bent his head to press a sweet, undemanding kiss to her lips. “You can believe me, Tiff.”

  Her heart ached with longing. She had no illusions that this was anything more than a fling between two consenting adults. But his softly spoken words made her wish for more. So much more.

  “Have you decided on a safe word?”

  “Will I really need one?” The idea of it made her legs tremble.

  He nodded.

  She took a deep breath, knowing it was decision time. Either she put a stop to this now or jumped off the cliff into the unknown. Looking up at him, she found him focused on her, waiting patiently for her even as his erection pulsated against her belly. As she studied him, she realized that even though she didn’t know him very well, she trusted him. Every time they’d been together, he’d put her needs ahead of his own. He’d cared for her in ways she hadn’t often experienced.

  “Naughty,” she said after a long pause.

  He smiled. “I like it.” Resting his forehead on hers, he said, “I want you to use it. If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, say it, okay?”

  She nodded. “What’s your safe word?”

  His brows furrowed. “Will I need one?”

  “You never know.”

  “All right, then,” he said. “In that case… Nice.”

  Tiffany laughed. “Somehow I think your idea of safe and mine are two very different things.”

  His smile faded a bit. “I doubt that.”

  “You’re safe with me, too, Blaine. I’d never hurt you, either.”

  “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.” His lips left a trail of heat and dampness from her neck to her breasts. “Have you ever been cuffed before?”

  “Only that one time with Jim, which, as you know, was a complete disaster.”

  “Mmm.” His lips vibrated against her nipple. “How about we create a new memory? A good one this time.”

  “I’m all for forgetting that incident entirely.”

  “Let’s see what we can do.”

  As he feasted on her breasts, he unhooked the bustier and tossed it aside, leaving her in just the skimpy thong. He kissed her everywhere, dipping his tongue into her belly button and nibbling on her hipbones. Tiffany was shocked by the sensations zinging through her as he discovered new erogenous zones. Every time she tugged at the cuffs, yearning to touch him, the bindings reminded her she was totally at his mercy.

  The pang of fear that accompanied the discovery ratcheted up the desire to levels she’d never before experienced. She’d never truly understood the lure of the cuffs—until now.

  Blaine removed her thong and urged her legs farther apart.

  Tiffany felt like a total wanton, shackled to the bed and spread open for him.

  He reached for the vibrator. Turning it on, he took it on the same sensuous journey his mouth had taken, over her breasts to her belly and below. Tiffany lifted her hips, begging him to focus on the place that needed his attention most.

  After teasing her with fleeting passes, he pressed the vibrator to her clitoris at the same instant he pushed two fingers into her. The combination overwhelmed her as the climax hovered just out of her reach. And then he brushed the smaller arm over her back entrance, and she came so suddenly that it caught her by surprise, taking her right out of the room to somewhere she’d never been before. When she returned to herself, her hands had been released and he was hovering over her, dropping soft kisses on her face and lips.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  When she nodded, he turned her over and ran his tongue along the ridges of her spine. He raised her to her knees, rolled on a condom and pressed his erection into her wetness.

  Tiffany gasped from the burn of his large member stretching her.

  He gripped her hips and worked his way in a little at a time until he was fully sheathed in her. After giving her a moment to adjust, he began to move.

  “Touch yourself,” he growled in her ear as he kept up a relentless rhythm.

  With all her muscles quivering, Tiffany reached down to where they were joined.

  Blaine drove into her just as she touched herself, sending them both into an explosive climax that went on for what seemed like forever. Just when Tiffany thought it was over, he pressed into her again and started another wave.

  By the time they collapsed into a pile on the bed, Tiffany was sweating and tingling from head to toe. Behind her, Blaine released a long deep breath. The air around them was heavy with the scent of apples, his sandalwood cologne and sex. He settled in close to her, slipping his arm around her to draw her tighter against him.

  Tiffany sighed with contentment as Blaine’s lips moved softly from her shoulder to her neck.

  “That was amazing,” he whispered, sending goose bumps dancing down her left side.

  “Mmm.”

  “What’d you think of the toy?”

  “The screaming orgasm didn’t say it all?”

  Blaine laughed and cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers.

  “And the cuffs?”

  “I liked them, too. In fact, I’m looking forward to returning the favor as soon as I can move again.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  They were quiet for a long time before he said, “I need to tell you something.”

  Tiffany, who’d been on her way to a nice doze, was suddenly wide awake and on full alert. Did anything good ever come of those words? “What?”

  “Turn over.”

  Filled with apprehension, she turned to face him. “You’re not married, are you?” Tiffany couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought to ask that before now.

  Startled, he stared at her. “Of course not.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ve gotten used to thinking the worst of people lately.”

  “With good reason.” Blaine ran his fingers through her hair and then down her back. “I had a meeting with the mayor today.”

  “On a Sunday?”

  “With Race Week starting tomorrow, everyone was working today, even the mayor.”

  “That’s funny. His wife came into the shop.”

  “She did?” He seemed shocked to hear that.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What was she doing there?”

  “I can’t talk about it. It’s very important that I maintain my customers’ privacy. What did the mayor want?”

  “He’s concerned about the shop and the accident that occurred in front.”

  A pang of fear settled in her belly. “The town council approved my application.”

  “The mayor is putting the matter on the council’s agenda for Monday.”

  “What matter?”

  “I’m not sure, exactly.”

  “Why did he tell you this?”

  “He wanted me to cite you for indecency.”

  Tiffany tugged herself free of his embrace and sat up, gripping the sheet under her arms.

  Blaine rested his hand
on her leg and looked up at her. “I refused to do it.”

  “You did?”

  He nodded. “I told him I won’t harass you.”

  “Didn’t that make him mad? With you?”

  Blaine shrugged. “A little.”

  When she realized he’d gone to bat for her, her insides got all soft and squishy. “I don’t want you jeopardizing your job for me.”

  He tugged at the sheet playfully. “So I should’ve cited you?”

  Despite this new worry, Tiffany forced a smile. “Was I breaking the law?”

  “Not technically.”

  “What does that mean? Not technically?”

  “Come on, Tiff. You know how the people in this town can be. They’re not going to put up with a sexy woman prancing around in her underwear.”

  “They’re not or you’re not?”

  “Don’t twist my words. It creates a traffic hazard on the town’s main road. I won’t be able to ignore that forever.”

  “How is it my fault that people aren’t paying attention to their driving?”

  “I believe we’ve already had this argument,” he said yawning.

  “And you still haven’t answered my question.”

  “It’s a distraction. You’re a distraction. Any man in his right mind is going to take his eyes off the road to get a better look at you.”

  “I supposed you expect me to be complimented by that.”

  “You’re beautiful, Tiffany. You have to know that.”

  Her heart skipped a crazy beat. “You really think so?”

  Blaine reached for her and brought her back into his embrace. “Yeah, I really think so. But you might want to cut out the ‘advertising’ until after the council meeting.”

  “You’re probably right,” she said. “But if I don’t advertise, how will anyone know what I’m selling in the store?”

  “Oh, they’ll know, honey,” he said, laughing. “Believe me. They’ll know.”

  His ringing cell phone woke Evan out of a sound sleep the next morning. “What?” he growled.

  “Hey, it’s Mac.” His older brother sounded chipper and wide awake.

  “What the hell time is it?”

  “Seven ten.”