Bold

by Mackenzie McKade

  “Touch me, Tabby.” The request was a desperate plea. He had to feel her hands on him. Know that she felt the same way he did.

  As if she knew what he needed, she slid her fingers between his jeans and his abdomen. A sharp intake of air filled his lungs. Her hand slipped farther inside, her fingers curling around his dick, causing his flesh to harden even more.

  When she squeezed him, he quivered. “God. That feels good.”

  “Take off your shirt.” Her demand sent another shiver up his spine.

  Using her free hand, she worked the button of his jeans loose, and then tugged. His zipper hissed, freeing him. In seconds, his pants and boxers pooled around his boots and ankles, and he stood before her naked and heavily aroused. His cock was dark and engorged, the bulbous head damp with precome.

  Tabby dropped to her knees, gazing up at him through thick, shuttered lashes. “I want to taste you.” Her lips parted, her tongue making a slow, sexy slide between her lips.

  His pulse stuttered before it soared in anticipation. Just the thought of her taking him this way made him impossibly harder. When she barely touched the end of his cock with her pink, moist tongue, his heart nearly stopped and his knees threatened to buckle. Yet that was nothing compared to how he felt when she licked a slow, seductive path along the underside of the head, and then she smoothed her tongue over the top, removing the pearly drop with a flick.

  He trembled as if caught in a snowstorm, but it wasn’t the chilly night having this effect on him. It was the woman who smiled up at him with such sensuality, before she took all of him into her warm haven.

  Groaning, he stabbed his fingers through her silky hair as she moved up and down his shaft. The feel of her mouth gliding over his flesh was heaven and hell. The pleasure was so exquisite he thought for a moment he’d lost his friggin’ mind. He couldn’t quite grasp that Tabby knelt before him, with desire burning in her eyes, as she fucked him with that sassy mouth of hers. It was so like her to tease him, switching from firm to gentle strokes, then to slow and fast ones, and then back to slow.

  His cock throbbed and pounded to a rhythm of pure ecstasy he had never felt before. He was sure the damn woman was trying to kill him when a fiery rush of blood slammed into his balls, drawing them up tight against his body. A tickling vibration began at the bottom of his shaft.

  He tensed.

  Not yet, his mind screamed as his body struggled with the intensity with which his climax threatened.

  “Stop! Oh. God. Tabby, stop.”

  Bent over in near pain, his palms splayed on his thighs, he groaned, long and low. When he could finally breathe, move, he eased out of her precious mouth. His erection glistened with her saliva beneath the soft glow of light.

  “If you keep doing that, it will be over before it begins.” Despite the urgency beating furiously inside him, he chuckled. “Besides you have too many clothes on.”

  Tabby licked her lips, rising. “That would just mean we’d have to start all over again. And I can take care of the too many clothes.”

  He waited until she reached for the button on her jeans before he toed off his boots and socks, shedding his pants and briefs. Still breathing hard, he sprawled upon a pile of pillows to enjoy the view.

  Since she was already topless, he savored the fullness of her breasts. As she leaned to push her pants down, the globes hung heavily. Their tips a delicious rose color that was made for suckling. It was a beautiful sight, but completely naked, Tabby was a goddess. Perfectly formed, with valleys, dips and mounds all in the right places. Creamy, soft skin that begged for him to touch and caress.

  Reece held out a hand and she came to him willingly. When she eased down beside him, he turned her so she lay beneath him and brushed the hair from her face before he leaned down and kissed her gently. Their eyes met. Silent words exchanged between them spoke of longing and desire and something more, but he didn’t get a chance to dissect his feelings when she widened her thighs, an invitation to join with her.

  Tabby couldn’t think past the ache in her breasts. Her nipples were firm peaks that rasped almost painfully against his chest. Her thighs widened even more and her hips jerked when his flesh met hers. Pussy moist and pulsing, she needed him stretching her, fucking her with deep, hard strokes. When his firm erection began to part her folds, push inside her, she wanted to close her eyes and savor the rightness of them becoming one, but she kept them open, afraid this was just another dream that would end in heartache.

  “Damn. Darlin’.” A breath hissed between his clenched teeth. “You’re so tight. So fuckin’ wet.”

  She moaned when the tip of him struck the back wall of her pussy.

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “I like it when you mewl. It’s so hot.” He reared back and then drove forward with a force that brought another cry from her lips.

  She arched into him, his name coming out on one more whimper. Her craving for him was insatiable. It was a raging storm sweeping aside her fears that when this was all over he would once again pull away.

  Reece dipped his head and she felt his hot, moist tongue lick a slow, languid path around an areola. When he bit down on the sensitive peak, heat exploded between her thighs. Her vaginal muscles clenched, shivered, releasing a wave of excitement that washed through her.

  Tabby gasped.

  She gripped his bare flesh, her arms crossing his back. Her hips rose to meet his thrust, and then the next one. Too many years of wanting him made her desperate to hold on to him—desperate to make him truly hers. And then he pulled away from her, leaving her grasping at air to bring him back into her arms.

  “Easy, baby.” He traced a finger down her chest, between her breasts, past her bellybutton, to her waxed mound. “It’s my turn to taste you.” His lips followed the path his finger had taken.

  She squirmed with the thought of his face buried against her pussy. “Ahhh.” The ache beating inside her like a pulse intensified. “Please, Reece. I need you.”

  “You need this.” His placed his mouth on her tender flesh and she made a thin, strangled sound that thickened when his tongue parted her swollen folds.

  Tabby bucked in reflex, and then his laughter hummed against her raw nerves and she felt it shimmer through her entire body.

  “Oh. Lord,” she breathed. It wasn’t a prayer, but a murmur of sweet, sweet rapture.

  Reece stroked her sex with long swipes of his tongue that sent her mind reeling. Her inner muscles contracted, released and contracted again. He lapped, sucked, and licked her like a cat devouring a bowl of cream, making low, muffled thrums that vibrated against her like a purr.

  When his tongue circled her clit, she shot off the pillows, nearly knocking Reece off her, but he held her down, disappearing again between her thighs. Once more he took that little bundle of nerves into his mouth, setting off a ball of fiery sensation that built in the middle of her core.

  “I can’t take any more,” she keened, but it was already too late.

  Reality took a backseat to the heat burning her from the inside out. Like a match to a fuse, she went up in flames, shuddering violently as her orgasm rolled through her with as much finesse as a raging wildfire consuming everything in its path.

  Lost in the moment, she wasn’t aware he had moved between her legs, until he thrust his hips and entered her, setting off another series of contractions that made her breath catch. His hands were strong, hard against her flesh, his fingers digging into her hips and raising her ass off the pillows as he slammed into her over and over.

  The sounds of flesh slapping flesh, and the heady aroma permeating the air, resulted in a fist of need tightening low in her belly. She tensed, struggling to prolong the inevitable, but when Reece gave a rough roar of pleasure, fusing their bodies so close there was no place to move, Tabby lost the battle. Her outburst joined his as he stiffened. When she climaxed again, his back arched and his expression carried a mixture of pain and pleasure.

  “Fuck,” he growled, his nostrils flaring
as he collapsed on his back, his breathing broken and harsh. “You—” he dragged another mouthful of air into his lungs, before finishing, “—are unbelievable.” A smile touched his lips. “Come home with me tonight?” But before she could answer, he groaned, “Shit. I have to go to the Seaside first.”

  Tabby sat up, unashamed of her nudity. “Why?”

  Reece trailed his finger along the inside of her arm, sending goose bumps across her skin. “I lost a damn bet to Hauk. I have to sing at least one song a night for a week.”

  “Last night was the first.”

  “Yeah.” Pushing to his feet, he extended his hand to her. “Will you come?”

  “I already have. Twice.” Tabby giggled at her own joke and accepted his assistance.

  Pulling her up and into his arms, he smoothed his nose along hers while his eyes beamed with laughter. “You are such a brat.”

  Yes. But she was his brat.

  “What about Devon? He’ll probably be there tonight. He’s been watching me like a hawk.”

  Reece released a heavy sigh. “He’ll have to find out sooner or later. I prefer later. I just don’t want to deal with him tonight.” She released the breath she hadn‘t known she held, as he continued. “I’d rather be dealing with you.” He gave her a short, quick kiss. “All.” Then another smooch. “Night.” And still another. “Long.”

  Happiness bubbled up inside her. Did this mean they had a chance at a real relationship? One he wasn’t afraid of people knowing about—one her brother would just have to deal with? Reveling in the possibilities of what this breakthrough truly meant, she paused, remembering the promise she made to Jack yesterday.

  Evidently Reece must have noticed her unease, because he said, “What?”

  “Last night I promised to meet Jack at the Seaside.”

  Reece’s features firmed. “You’re mine, Tabby.” He spoke with such conviction that chills of delight raced up her spine. She would never tire of hearing those words.

  “Yeah. Yeah. I know, you Tarzan—me Jane,” she playfully jested before coming to the real crux of the subject. “If I don’t show up, I’m afraid Devon will come looking for me. Then he’ll discover I didn’t go home. He’ll nag me with questions. It will be hell.”

  “Fine. But only one dance so you can tell Jack and his friends things have changed. Okay? You can come up with something to tell both your mom and Devon to appease them, can’t you?” When she didn’t answer fast enough, because she was relishing this new, possessive Reece, he popped her on the ass and she squealed, jumping out of his arms. His gaze narrowed on her. “Tabby?”

  “Yes. Yes, Sultan,” she laughed, “whatever you say.”

  Reece bent over to retrieve his clothes and began to dress. “I kind of like this Sultan thing.” He glanced around as he pulled his boxers and jeans on. “I think I’ll convert one of my bedrooms into a palace or harem.”

  She pushed her arms through her shirt. “Uh. I better be the only woman in your harem.”

  His gaze swept over her with male appreciation as he approached. “Then, darlin’, you’d better keep your man happy.”

  She reached for him, drawing him into her arms. “Oh, I intend to.”

  After they shared a long, slow kiss, Reece released her. “I need a shower.”

  As they approached the table where the locks and key lay, she asked, “What is Harold’s key doing here.”

  “Harold’s key?”

  She picked up the key ring that had a small sail ship attached to it. “Yeah. I gave him one on that key ring.”

  “So it was Harold who unlocked the tent and left things on?” That didn’t make sense to Reece. “Why would he be nosing around at night? It doesn’t seem like him to leave everything unattended.”

  “Reece, I’m really worried about him.”

  Turning the radio off, he picked up the locks and took the key from her. “I’ll talk to Brody tomorrow.” He switched off the light, shrouding them in darkness. “Meet you at the Seaside Pub in about an hour?”

  “Sure.” Tabby went toward the slice of moonlight coming through the small slit in the tent flaps.

  Reece secured the padlocks. When they reached her Jeep, he placed something cold in her palm. It was a key.

  Confused, she stared up at him. “I have a key to these locks.”

  “That’s a spare key to my house. We’ll meet there after the Seaside.”

  “I can’t wait,” she whispered as he turned and headed for his truck.

  Then her grin went ear to ear, filling her with elation. She hadn’t missed the significance of having a key to his house.

  Reece was finally hers.

  Music spilled out of the Seaside Pub as Tabby stepped inside its doors. Immediately the man onstage caught her attention. She inwardly grinned. Reece cleaned up good. In fact, he was the most handsome man in the room.

  She was shamelessly ogling him when his lips parted and the first word of the song floated over the crowd. Was it her imagination or had everyone in the place paused to listen? Reece had that kind of effect, and not just with women. His voice was as smooth as a shot of Tennessee whiskey and twice as rich. As he sang, his gaze skimmed the crowd, stopping on her. The heated expression he gave her instantly made her weak-kneed, filling her with warmth.

  God. She loved that man.

  When he stared past her, frowning, she glanced over her shoulder to see Jack approaching.

  He grinned. “Dance with me.”

  “Uh. Sure.”

  Placing his large palm in the small of her back, he guided her through the throng and onto the floor. When he took her into his arms, she nibbled on her bottom lip and chanced a look in Reece’s direction. He wasn’t smiling, tracking their every move as they danced across the floor.

  “Jack, I’m not sure how to say this, but—”

  She explained the situation without reveling Reece’s name. Since Jack knew her brother, she didn’t want anything mentioned in casual passing, until they had the right opportunity to speak to Devon. As she had anticipated, he was leaning against the bar, his sharp gaze riveted on her. Instead of feeling that itch of irritation she usually experienced, she felt a brush of happiness across her skin. Saying goodbye to Jack, she went directly to the bar and sidled up to Devon.

  “Having a good time,” she asked.

  “I’d have a better time if you’d behave, or better yet, go home.”

  “Well, if that would make you happy, I think I might just do that.”

  “Behave or go home?”

  “Go home.” She gave him a kiss. “Good night, bro.” As she sauntered toward the doors, she gave Reece a wink as she passed by.

  Tabby felt like kicking up her heels as she got into her vehicle and headed down the road. Her dreams were finally coming true.

  Chapter Seven

  Reece stared at the eleven-year-old boy holding a soft, juicy tomato, aiming for his head. When the first throw landed close to Reece’s left ear, he wondered why the hell he hadn’t asked to review the lists of events Andie had signed him up for. He’d lay a ten-dollar bet his sorry-assed brother had something to do with Reece’s head and arms trapped in the holes of this plywood-framed room, while half the population of Whispering Cove and their visitors took wild shots at him with ripened tomatoes.

  Paybacks are a bitch, he silently swore. In all honesty, all of this was for a good cause. With the excess profits, the Community Center would get much-needed supplies, computers and a host of other things.

  The second tomato the boy tossed, he caught in his right hand and hurled back into the growing audience. The crowd scattered with screams and peels of laughter.

  Part of the entertainment was trash talk, so Reece growled, “My momma can throw better than that.”

  The child wound up his arm and released. With a splat, seeds and pieces of the meaty fruit exploded, striking too high and almost missing the backboard.

  “Maybe he needs glasses,” Reece jested, and the crowd hee-hawed.


  For about twenty-five minutes he dodged tomatoes, feeling his lower back start to ache. In another five he’d take a break and then return for another half hour of fun and games at this booth before he headed for the tricycle races. At least Brody would share in his embarrassment because Andie had also signed her husband up for that event.

  When Tabby walked up to the table and laid down her money, he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. She had been beyond anything he could imagine last night. He could get used to going to bed with Tabby each night and waking up in her embrace each morning.

  A cold, wet thud struck him directly on the forehead, pushing his head backward. He blinked, realizing too late that this petite little lady had an arm on her as her second bullet hit him directly in the face.

  He spat a mouthful of seeds on the ground. “You’ll pay for that, brat.” He was prepared for the next one and moved out of the way of the speeding missile. “You throw like a girl.”

  The crowd roared.

  She shook her head, laying down more money.

  “Sorry, darlin’, but it’s time for a break.” He ducked quickly from the portal, grabbing a towel and wiping tomato off his face.

  He heard the masses moan and Tabby yell, “Coward.”

  Taking a seat, he chugged down a bottle of water. He knew it was time to tell Devon about him and Tabby, but how? There was no telling how his friend would react. The man’s friendship meant a lot to him. Not to mention, he was a damn good worker and his right-hand man.

  He wasn’t surprised to see Tabby stick her head beyond the door. “Knock, knock. Is it safe to come in?”

  He got to his feet. “Baby, I think you deserve a good spanking.”

  “Promises. Promises.” She walked into his open arms. “Eeek!” She stumbled back. “You’re sticky.”

  He caught her hand, dragging her back into his embrace. “You’ve never complained before.” Pressing his mouth to hers, he kissed her.