by Chandra Ryan
Chapter Seven
Kat woke up the next morning and allowed herself to savor the feel of Jasper sleeping next to her for a few minutes before stretching. Their time together had run its course. She was a realist and knew when to say goodbye. She’d sell her land and… And then what? She forced the thought to the back of her mind. That was a worry for her to deal with tomorrow. She refused to waste today thinking about it. She had other things she wanted to do today. She nudged Jasper with her hip but he still didn’t wake. Poor guy, he’d had a rough couple of days. He deserved to sleep in. He’d earned it.
Then again, she’d earned several things over the last couple of days as well. She smiled as she wrapped her hand around his erection. He could sleep in as much as he wanted once he went home. She, however, would never have this opportunity again. He murmured something as she ran her fingertips over his cock but still didn’t open his eyes. She needed something guaranteed to grab his attention. And she was pretty sure she knew one thing that would do just that.
She made sure not to put any weight on her ankle as she knelt next to him and then started making her way down his body. She left little kisses on her way and stopped to trace the dark skin of his areolas with her tongue. He sighed and ran a hand over her shoulder but a quick glance up at him showed his eyes still closed in sleep.
She continued until she reached her goal. His erection. If this didn’t wake him up, nothing would. Holding him at the base of his cock, she licked her lips and took him into her mouth.
He moaned as she ran her tongue over the tip of his cock. She looked up at him to see he’d finally woken up. “I thought that might work, sleepyhead.” She winked at him and then took him deep into her mouth. She held his gaze and then hummed, hoping the vibrations would excite him further. If his clenched jaw and strangled groan were anything to go by, she guessed it worked. He lay back and ran his fingers through her hair, his nails scoring her scalp pleasantly.
“Sweetheart, you’ve got to stop.” But his hips kept thrusting against her, begging her to continue. She wrapped her hand around his balls and began massaging them as she ran her tongue over his erection. His weight felt good in her mouth as she took him back to her throat. She continued massaging his balls as she used her other hand to pump the base of his cock in the rhythm her mouth set.
“Kat. Stop. I’m going to…” The rest of the sentence was lost as he came down her throat. She swallowed and then spent a few minutes licking his cock as he shivered under her. “Will you ever listen to me?”
“Is that a complaint?” She made sure there was just enough rebuke in her tone to keep him off guard.
“Never. Especially not as I’m claiming my turn.” He sat up and slowly pushed her backward until she lay on her back.
“I thought that was your turn.”
“That was incredible, but…” He brought her hand up to his mouth and started kissing her wrist. “I had something else in mind.” After he’d kissed both wrists, he put her hands above her head and said, “These stay here.”
She didn’t think that level of discipline was part of her nature. “But?”
“No buts. You got to play. Now I have a game in mind.”
Her stomach quivered as he stretched out over her and then dropped down to nuzzle her neck. “Your skin is so soft. It’s like the petals of an exotic bloom.” His whispered breath made her skin break out in goose bumps. “I could lose myself exploring all your peaks and valleys.” He took one of her nipples into his mouth as he rolled the other one between his thumb and finger. When she moaned, he pinched the one he had trapped between his fingers.
“Every inch of your body is a delicious diversion begging for more and more of my time.” He crept down her body until he got to her navel. “Who knew one small indentation could be so very fascinating?” He leaned forward to sweep his tongue along the ridge of her bellybutton.
She squirmed under him as she searched for some way to provide friction where she needed it most. “Jasper?” Her voice sounded pained, and rightly so. Giving him head had already excited her and now his slow exploration of her body threatened to be more than she could take.
“No rushing.” The stubble on his chin tickled her abdomen as it brushed against her with his words. It added to the sensations threatening her sanity. With few options available to her she spread her thighs wider and whimpered as the crisp hairs on his chest rubbed against her sex.
She’d never needed anything like she needed him in this instant. Her body was so tight with tension she thought she might shatter. She held on to that thought, prayed breaking into a million pieces would bring about some relief. But he denied her even that.
Instead of taking pity on her and ending this torture, he chose to detour to her inner thigh. Desperate, she moved her hands. She longed for the crisp texture of his hair and the emotional connection that touch would bring her. When he didn’t tell her to put them back, she happily buried her fingers in his waves of thick hair.
He pulled back just an inch and then used his fingers to part the lips of her sex. He took a moment to gaze at her pussy before saying, “You taste of warm summer nights at sea.” With that he dipped his head and ran his tongue along the length of her sex.
His words were lost after that. Her heart pounded so hard that it was the only thing she could hear as he caressed her with both his mouth and his fingers. The man had dangerously addictive skills. He made her whimper, beg, promise anything just to make the torment end. And then, just as she began to seriously worry about the possibility of dying from need, release slammed into her. It was so sudden and so intense that she couldn’t breathe and the world went black around her for a second. When she regained thought, he still remained between her thighs, licking her gently.
Hunger washed through her with each touch and lifted her higher until she was in danger of crashing again. “Jasper. Can’t.”
But as he slid two fingers inside her and rubbed the top of her channel she forgot what she’d been trying to say. Her muscles tensed again and, before she could prepare herself, she crested again.
“You are the sexiest woman I have ever met,” he said as he gentled his touches. Even if his words hadn’t been thick with hunger, his hard cock still would’ve proved he told the truth.
“Why don’t you grab a condom and show me how sexy I am?”
“You’re still sensitive. I don’t want to make you sore.”
She pulled him up as she wiggled her hips. “I’m a rancher. I can handle whatever you can dish out.”
His wicked smile made her stomach cramp with new desire. “Damn straight you’re a rancher.” He grabbed a condom out of his pants pocket and sheathed himself before entering her. Yes, she was sensitive, almost to the point of pain. But him stretching her from the inside, his body rubbing against hers, she’d never pass that up. She craved having his body in hers. And he didn’t disappoint.
She held on to him and allowed him to set the tempo. Which, as it turned out, was hard and fast. Knowing that she’d gotten him so turned-on made her own desire flare bright again. Before long she was whimpering and begging for release once more. And this time they peaked together.
As she came down from her climax, she trailed her fingers down his back. “I think I might just pass out.”
“Did you doubt me? I think we’ve already established that I’m a man of my word,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“You are.” She yawned and rolled over onto her side as his reader buzzed on the nightstand. Whoever or whatever wanted his attention, she didn’t care. She just wanted to float in this state of completion for as long as possible. As soon as it wore off, she would have to deal with the emotions of the day. And she really didn’t want to face that right now. Saying goodbye to her ranch was one thing. Saying goodbye to him though? The thought made her feel sick.
“Kat.” A poking in her side kept her from sliding into sleep.
“What?”
“I’ve got something I need t
o show you.”
She laughed despite herself. “You’ve already showed me it several times this morning. I think you can wait until after I’ve had a nap.”
“Seriously, Kat. It’s important.”
Suddenly it didn’t seem as amusing. “I’m tired,” she whined. When something cold bumped her nose, she relented and opened her eyes reluctantly. “What is it?”
“Just look.”
His reader sat on the bed in front of her, the screen displaying one of the many news stations in the system. “You wanted me to see the weather forecast? Really? This is why you aren’t letting me sleep?”
His sigh rang with exasperation. “Give it a second, would ya?”
The screen changed as a well-dressed woman began to speak in low tones with a stern expression on her face. She talked about racketeering, fraud and extortion. In the background a man in a suit covered his face as he made a dash for a nearby transport. The massive skyscrapers and fancy transports whizzing by meant that the report was unfolding on one of the major commerce worlds but Kat couldn’t place which one. She didn’t make it off her world often enough. She was about to turn to Jasper and demand an explanation when the man’s name flashed on the screen.
“That’s…” Her voice faltered as understanding filled her.
“Representative Loase.”
“You did this?”
He nodded. “With some help.”
“From your father?”
“He had the connections. I had the access codes.”
Her heart seized as she continued to watch the news feed. “But if they find out—”
“Oh I’m sure they already know. They log access to classified documents. My digital fingerprints are all over this.”
“No! You shouldn’t have. They’re going to arrest you. You’re going to go to prison because of me.” She rested her head on her palm as her stomach turned. She was going to be sick.
His chuckle did nothing to set her at ease. It actually made her angry. “What kind of lawyer would I be if I didn’t know my way around a crime?” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m not going to jail. I exposed a credible threat. The whistleblower laws will protect me. But you’re missing the important part. They can’t touch you now. If anyone makes a move on your land, every news agency in the system will know why and report it. You get to keep your ranch. Forever.”
She got to continue living her dream. It was beyond anything she expected. And yet she could only think about everything he gave up to make it happen. “But what about you? Maybe you won’t go to jail, but they won’t let you keep your job. Not after this. What are you going to do?” This was her fault. Every last bit of it. She had to find a way to fix it.
“I’m not sure and, to be honest, I don’t really care right now.” He looked around the room as he spoke. His demeanor became one of discomfort. “Maybe I’ll take up something new.”
He couldn’t take up something new. He loved helping people as much as she loved ranching. She might have been miserable had she moved, but that would’ve been unavoidable. If he gave up what he loved he would eventually blame her. “But you need to help people.”
He wouldn’t look at her now. This was probably not going how he anticipated. “Maybe I can work with my father. He’s been trying to get me on his side for, well, forever.”
“But you wanted to help from within the system,” she pointed out.
“I think we’ve both seen how futile that is. It’s time for me to admit that my father is right. The people need someone in their corner and his way is the only way to ensure that.”
That would take him light-years away from her. There had to be another way. “Or,” she said as she stared at the news coverage. “Or. Maybe you were just in the wrong place in the system?”
“What?”
“You said you planned on running for office once you’d worked for a couple years.”
“Yeah, I needed to build a name and get backers.”
The reader replayed the scene of Representative Loase leaving in disgrace. “I think you have the name recognition now. Or, at least, you will have as soon as they get this settled out. And I’m sure your father could help you with the backers.” She turned the reader around so it faced him. “And I can think of at least one elected position that’s going to need to be filled soon.”
His jaw dropped as he looked at the screen. He stared at it for a minute before asking, “Do you really think I could do it?”
“You risked everything and took on the government in order to protect citizens’ rights.” She smiled as the campaign took shape in her head. “And you won. If you could do that as a lawyer, imagine what you could do as an actual politician.”
He ran a hand over his face. “And when I’m in office, I could enact real change. You’re brilliant. I can’t believe the answer was right there in front of me and I didn’t see it.”
“You were too busy looking at the forest. You didn’t see the trees.”
“You’re the best.” He wrapped his arms around her to squeeze her in a tight hug. “It’s no wonder I fell for you.” He stiffened immediately after saying the words as if they’d slipped out accidently.
But, accident or no, they were the words her heart had been waiting to hear. “The only problem I can see with the plan is setting up residency.”
He let go of her and his eyes glazed over as if he were deep in thought.
“You know, the quickest way to do that is to own land,” she said before he could come up with a plan of his own. “I could help you with that.”
He startled as he focused on her again. Her heart beat hard as she watched him make sense of her words. But when a wide smile spread across his face, she knew everything was going to be okay. “Why, Ms. Maxim, are you proposing to me?”
“You did sign a contract.”
“I suppose I did.” He laughed as he pulled her to him. “And I am a man of my word.”
“Oh I can testify to that.” She tilted her head so he could kiss her deeply. “I love you, Mr. Lee.”
“Took you long enough to say that,” he teased as he swooped in for another kiss.
“And yet, I’m the first one to say it.”
“That may be, but I can guarantee you won’t be the last.” He cradled her face in his hands so she had to look up at him. “I love you, Katarina Maxim. Will you be my wife, my partner, keep me honest when the world around me falls into blackness?”
“Just try to stop me.”
About Chandra Ryan
Being from a rather nomadic family, Chandra Ryan loves to travel and meet people. But she’s found that sometimes, like when you’re stuck inside because of a good old-fashioned Southwestern heat wave, you have to make do. Fortunately for her and her loving family, who don’t like seeing her suffer from cabin fever, she’s found creating new people and places equally as fascinating. Also, you’re a lot less likely to spill your ice tea.
Chandra welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Chandra Ryan
Bond Betrayed
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Ulterior Motives
ISBN 9781419947308
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Ulterior Motives Copyright © 2013 Chandra Ryan
Edited by Beverly Horne
Cover design and photography by Syneca
Additional cover photography by diversepixel, Shchipkova Elena/shutterstock.com
Model: Deangelo
Electronic book publication July 2013
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