by Cherie Marks
The shower shut off, and Alex pocketed his phone. He didn’t like this at all, but it could’ve just been an honest mistake. The voice had been female and the accent had been American. Odds were, it was just an error, but he never liked to play the odds.
Tasia exited the bathroom, a fluffy, yellow towel wrapped around her upper body and eyed the gorgeous man staring out the windows at the back of the cabin. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his legs were braced apart. A shiver went through her at the sight of the powerful man before her. He looked like the captain of all he surveyed and the thought of how well he’d commanded her body made her realize why.
He was a master. And she couldn’t stop thinking about what she wanted him to do to her. She wasn’t even the type to dwell on the intimate side of life, but she couldn’t take her gaze off of him, and when she did, she could still see an image of his shirtless torso, lined with muscles. His biceps looked like he was trying to smuggle softballs under his skin, and his chest looked like that of a model in a muscle magazine. She just wanted to run her hands over every golden inch of him until she reached his oh-so-grabbable ass, where she would pull him in tight to feel every glorious inch of his body flush with hers.
“Everything okay?”
Shit! He’d caught her staring, in the middle of the kitchen, in a towel no less.
“Fine.” She pulled the towel tighter, adjusting the tucked in top to make certain it was secure. She knew her face had turned red, but she played it off by asking, “Just wondering if I could borrow another one of your t-shirts.”
“Don’t the clothes Andrei brought fit?”
“Oh, they are a perfect fit, but I am more comfortable wearing your shirt.”
Did his mouth just tip up in a crooked grin? What did he find so amusing?
“I’m sure I could spare one.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She continued to stand there awkwardly.
“Did you need anything else from me?”
Oh, blessed be, did she ever. But there was no way she was going to tell him where her mind was. She just couldn’t do that.
She started for the stairs but didn’t take her eyes off of him. “I think I will be fine.”
His eyelids lowered as he tracked her every move. “Are you sure? Do you have an ache…for more of what we started last week?”
“What if I do?” She so did ache, right between her legs, right where she was growing wetter than her damp skin after a shower.
He took a couple slow steps toward her but picked up his pace as she moved in his direction. They didn’t stop until their bodies were intertwined. Right before he met her mouth with his own, he paused, just a breath away and said, “I want to kiss you and touch you. I want to fuck you. And this time I’m not stopping until we both go over the edge again and again. Do you understand?”
Without waiting for an answer, he covered her mouth, driving his tongue deep inside, tangling with her own and driving her completely crazy.
This is what she wanted too. What she’d been too afraid to ask for, and now his kiss was taking her breath away.
He pulled away and spoke against her lips. “Do you want to go upstairs?”
“Yes.” She hadn’t even hesitated in her answer. Shouldn’t she be playing it more lady-like? Cooler than ice? Then, she realized that just wasn’t her, and despite her father’s and older sisters’ best efforts, it never would be.
With a quick bending motion, he put an arm under the crook of her legs and behind her back, lifting her in a cradle hold with ease. As if he could’ve leaped them in one bound, he carried her quickly up the spiral without breaking a sweat. Only once he had her on the bed, did he finally let her go enough to pull his shirt from his waistband. Once it was over his head and out of the way, he stretched out over her and his lips found hers again. He sunk his hands into the wet strands of her freshly washed hair and held her still as he twined his tongue with hers with a fervor that made her moan.
He moved his hands down, running them between the bed and her back, crushing their bodies together as he ravished her mouth. He kissed her until she was mindless with lust for him, and she ran her bare feet along his jean-clad legs, wishing they were skin-to-skin.
Alex pulled back slightly and said, “Tasia…I’m hungry for you. Can you feel how much I want you?”
Even through his jeans, she felt the heat and the hardness of his erection, pressing against her, driving her desire even higher. All she could do was whimper her response. She really needed to get this towel off.
“Pushing me over the freaking edge.” He ground himself against her again and again, causing wisps of sparks to ignite all throughout her mid-section and lower. She ran her hands restlessly over his back, grabbing his ass for leverage to better feel the delicious sensations when he rubbed over her sensitive clit.
With a frustrated growl, he pulled back until he was kneeling above her, and she raised her arms to try to get him to return to her. For a minute, he just stared at her until with a swipe of his hand, he pulled her towel open, laying her bare before him.
He groaned loudly and she felt his gaze touching every part of her exposed skin. She wanted to cover herself from his intense stare, but just stopped herself at the sight of his awe-filled eyes. He looked like he was staring at some great treasure, and she couldn’t believe he would look at her like that.
“Beautiful.”
She desperately wanted him to kiss her again. Instead, he stood and slid free from his pants and underwear. Her eyes widened as his cock bobbed free, long, smooth, and pointing upward slightly. She felt herself growing wetter at just the sight.
He pulled a condom from the drawer on the table beside the bed and tore it open, sliding it on like he’d done it a few times before.
“Put your hands above your head again, and if you dare move them from there, I’ll tie them to the headboard.”
Her breath caught in her throat at his words, but she put her hands above her head.
“Now, spread those thighs and let me look at you.”
A sudden shyness overtook her, and she waited too long for him. He reached out and gripped her knees, spreading them to lay open on the bed before him. He rubbed his chest with his hand and grated, “Seeing you laid out like this is a sight I’ll never forget. I’m forever altered, Tasia.”
She smiled in spite of her rising nervousness, and he crawled back onto the bed, hovering over her like he was choosing what to sample first from a dessert buffet. He finally settled over one of her breasts and closed his lips over her nipple, drawing hard until she was arching to him. He pulled off with a loud sucking sound and laved at the puffy peak. Then, he repeated his attentions to the other side until she was writhing with the sensations he was causing.
Her heart was racing when she felt him slip one finger inside her at the same time he brushed over her clit with his thumb. She nearly came off the bed with that one touch. But she kept her hands where she was supposed to, and he praised her in low whispers.
He added a second finger and continued rubbing light circles over the nub at the top of her folds. She felt something inside her building and climbing. Restless motions took over as she felt herself slipping closer to a powerful orgasm.
“So tight. Damn, I want to feel you squeezing my cock. I can’t wait much more to feel your sweet, hot pussy around me.”
Check! She was definitely a fan of dirty talk. With another circling of his thumb, she slipped over the edge, feeling the satisfying tightening right before the spasms of intense pleasure radiated from her center throughout her body. She tensed, making little keening sounds as she rode the wave until it crashed to smaller shudders.
“Are you ready?”
She felt boneless but knew there had to be more. She wanted all of him.
“Uh-huh.”
He braced himself on his arms, and she felt his cock at the entrance of her sex, pushing just inside. He pushed in further, until he hit the barrier she knew he’d find eventually.
“Damn! Should you be this tight?”
His hips drew back, and he shoved with a little more force, this time breaking through the obstacle. She cried out briefly and moved her hands to his chest.
He paused and stared down at her, realization lighting the features of his face. “You were a virgin?”
She nodded, thinking she should’ve told him before now.
With a painful sigh, he rested his forehead on hers briefly before meeting her gaze again. “I didn’t know. Wish you would’ve told me before now.”
A smile slid onto her lips, and she cupped his cheek. “I wanted it to be you. Don not worry. No strings attached. I am promised to another anyway.” And she meant it. She had no regrets about losing her virginity. It was powerful in that moment, another step on the road of choosing how she wanted to live her own life.
He groaned and looked away. “I think I need to tell you something.”
“Not right now. I am starting to feel amazing sensations.” She put her hands above her head again. “I do not want to stop for conversation right now.”
“But we really need to talk.” He sounded reluctantly sincere.
She stirred her hips, and a look of pain crossed his face, even as a fire stoked inside of her. “Fuck me, Alex. Please, I want to feel you come inside me.”
A war played across his features. He seemed to seriously be considering stopping, and she couldn’t have that. She dared to move her hands and cupped each side of his face, bringing it closer as she lifted her head to devour his lips in a wild kiss. She didn’t stop until he was kissing her back and began to pump his hips.
She dropped her hands to the sheets and gripped them tightly as pleasure blasted her. This felt good! So good!
He straightened his arms and raised above her, staring into her eyes, continuing the driving motion of his thrusts. Her own rapture climbed higher and the pressure of another orgasm built deep inside her. Alex bucked into her again and again, and she felt his rod swell thicker. It was all she needed and just as he gave a strangled cry, she felt her sex clutch him in a rhythmic grip as her release washed over her. He threw back his head, and she felt him spill his seed deep inside her. If he hadn’t been wearing a condom, it really would’ve been inside her, and some small part of her craved that. She must be crazy.
A thin layer of sweat coated his skin as he collapsed on top of his elbows, still hovering above her. He wore an uncertain expression, like he’d just committed the ultimate crime instead of giving her the greatest pleasure of her life.
“That was…wonderful, Alex.”
His lips thinned, and he sat up, covering his face with his hands. He didn’t look back at her as he rose from the bed and dressed quickly. Without a word, he made his way down the spiral staircase and out the door, only pausing, she guessed, to grab his shoes.
What had she done wrong? Everything seemed to go the way it was supposed to. But was she that bad in bed? She imagined it shouldn’t have ended like that. Great! Apparently, her version of love-making chased men away from her arms and out the door.
And yet, it had been fantastic for her. Brilliant even! She’d hoped they could do it a couple more times today, especially since she had no intention of settling down anytime soon. Who knew when she’d get another chance? Now it was clear, with her obvious lack of skills, she should hang up her lingerie before she even got the chance to wear any.
She got up and dressed in a pink v-neck t-shirt and pair of blue jeans Andrei had brought her. Barely holding back tears, she slowly made her way downstairs and curled up into a ball in the corner of the couch. How could that have gone so badly? She had been so into every breath, every move, every sensation, and he’d seemed to be there too, but something had gone horribly wrong.
When he finally returned, hours later, she’d made up her mind to ask him to take her to the airport. Not wanting to be a burden on him, she’d simply go to one of her sisters. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?
Of course, she wasn’t quite ready to negotiate just yet. As he walked through the door, she pulled her arm back and let the paperback she’d been reading fly at his head. Just in time, he put up a forearm to block the projectile and looked at her like she was crazy.
“What was that for?”
“Are you really that dense?”
By the way he had the decency to blush, she assumed he wasn’t so dense after all.
“It was my first fucking time…literally!”
She was pissed. And she had every right to be. Without a doubt, he’d turned tail and ran, and it had been a stupid thing to do. But she’d caught him completely off guard. Not only with her surprising innocence, but the depth of his feelings for her had shocked him too. He hadn’t expected to feel such a strong connection to her, and when all he’d wanted to do was drag her into his arms and hold her forever, it had freaked him the fuck out.
He ran a rough hand through his hair and said, “I had no idea you were a virgin.”
“And I had no idea you were an asshole.”
“Okay, I probably deserve that. I wish I’d handled things differently, but I’ve never been in that situation before. I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Her jaw dropped, and he realized he’d done just that with his actions.
“Seriously? You thought running away without saying a single word would make it better?”
“Yes…no…I don’t know.” He sighed and dropped his head back on his shoulders as he explained, “You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. I didn’t want to hurt you, but in pulling away, I realize I ended up doing just that—hurting you.”
His heart broke as her voice splintered with her next words, “I thought I’d done something wrong.”
For just a moment, he slid his eyes shut as realization of the anxiety he’d caused her dawned on him. He slowly met her gaze again and crossed the room, kneeling on the floor before her.
“You were perfect in every way. What we did is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’ve never felt that good…ever. The only thing I wanted to do in the moments after was touch you all night long.” He picked up her hand and squeezed it in his. “That’s never happened to me before.”
“Oh.”
She looked in awe, and he felt the same sense of wonder at being this close to her again. Already his cock was waking up, and he had to look at their joined hands, thinking of trivial thoughts in order to calm himself down again.
Once he was under control once more, he looked up at her and said, “Don’t ever doubt my attraction to you. In that moment I penetrated, I knew I should’ve had the decency to stop or at least to slow down, but even if the world were falling down around my ears, I wouldn’t have been able to break my connection to you. Even now, I’m struggling not to carry you back upstairs and pick up where we left off.”
“I am game.”
As his heart pounded, a great debate started up with his conscience. In the end, he did the right thing though and explained, “Not yet. I have a gift for you. That comes first.”
“Another gift? You really do not need to buy anything else for me. I mean it.”
“Good, because I didn’t buy this. It’s what I’ve been arranging in my absence. Something you’ve been wanting for a while. I got Andrei to find a place where you can shift and run.”
There it was! The stark pleasure that stole onto her face and lit her up from the inside. It’s exactly what he’d longed to see, and there was nothing in the world like it.
“I can actually shift and run? Are you sure it is safe?”
He grew serious. “Well, it’s not one hundred percent, but I trust Andrei to make sure there are enough guards around to keep things secure.”
“Oh my goodness! That is…I mean…Alex, I am speechless. This is the best gift anyone has ever given me.”
“I doubt that.”
“Really! No one has ever been so thoughtful before.”
He loved the look in her eyes when s
he stared at him, like he could be the hero, the actual good guy. It was easy to believe that when her gaze held such admiration. But he couldn’t forget that he’d been keeping a secret from her that would erase any and all appreciation for him. He had to tell her the truth—tonight. When they returned after the run, he’d confess everything. Then, if she wanted to, he’d take her wherever she wanted to go.
No longer planning to honor her father’s request, he wouldn’t turn her over to him, and he wouldn’t take place in a forced marriage. Of course, he wasn’t so unselfish to just walk away from her forever. He’d leave a way for her to contact him whenever she wanted, and if she called, he’d come running. But he wanted it to be her choice.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go. I am already too excited to sit still.”
She pulled her hand free and stood from the couch, but before she could head toward the door, he pulled her in close and gently kissed her lips. The melding of their lips was meaningful to him, and he kept it gentle, softly pulling at her mouth, in no rush to break the link. She returned the kiss, finally pulling back to stare at him quizzically.
He gave her a crooked smile and said, “You’re really good at that, by the way.”
“Good at what?”
“Driving me crazy with wanting you.”
Now it was her turn to smile. “Well, we all have talent for something.”
He was relieved to hear her prideful boast. Maybe he hadn’t done irreparable damage…yet.
She started for the door. “Now come on before your gift expires.”
They’d driven north and as they pulled up to the forested land, Tasia could barely contain her excitement. After two weeks of little interaction with the outdoors, she’d been going stir-crazy. Now, the opportunity to feel the earth beneath her paws was almost too much to resist. So much so that before the vehicle was even parked, she almost flung the SUV door wide open and shifted just as she’d gotten her first foot on the ground. She held herself back…just barely.
Fortunately, her time fending for herself in Woodland Creek had taught her a level of restraint she’d never had the opportunity to exercise before. Maybe things weren’t perfect, far from it, but she didn’t have a doubt she’d grown up over the few months since she’d left her secluded life in her father’s home long behind. Now, with a run in her future and a fate she’d chosen stretching out before her, she felt incredibly optimistic.