“Actually, we claimed her,” a gruff, husky voice said. “Only she doesn’t know it, yet.”
Vanessa turned her head so fast she swore she gave herself whiplash. Her eyes locked with his, and for one second, she felt as if the earth moved. Oh, she knew it didn’t happen. However, there was definitely no mistaking the dripping-wet naked man standing in her bathroom doorway. If it weren’t for her pale-pink towel he was wearing, she and River would have had a morning surprise. Damn, that man was fine. As he stood there staring at her, water dripped slowly down, around, and over every muscle on his body. She couldn’t place the look on his face, but that didn’t matter because the way he was looking at her, she felt as if she was going to combust.
“Well, my momma didn’t raise no dummy, so…” she heard River say, and felt the bed shift as her friend got up and headed for the bedroom door. She knew River was saying something, but Vanessa couldn’t hear her. Her vision narrowed as everything around her disappeared expect the man before her.
So many thoughts filtered in her mind, Vanessa thought she was going to be dizzy by the time it all stopped. However, she could not deny the fact that Peter wanted her. She knew how to read body language, and if his hardening cock was any indication, that big boy was hungry. Of course, her pussy woke and was now creaming so bad, she just knew that she was going to be washing her bed sheets sometime today. It had been years since she had felt this way about any man. Scared and unsure what to do next, she did nothing, which was a first for her.
A loud cough grabbed her attention. Slowly lowering her eyes, Van took a deep breath as River clearly said, “When you two are done eye fucking each other, I’ll start work. Vanessa, I’ll be in the kitchen making coffee. How do you like yours, Peter?”
“Sweet and dark, just like my woman,” he said, his eyes still locked with hers.
Vanessa gasped. The bedroom door closed. She was alone with him. Vanessa said nothing as he pushed off the wall and sat next to her. “You’re awfully quiet this morning, Van. Did you not sleep well?” he asked, taking her hand.
Electricity sizzled up her arm from his hot touch. The man was a furnace. He was scorching her and he didn’t even know it. Her mind whirled in chaos. She didn’t know what to do or say. Feelings she hadn’t felt in a long time bubbled up to the surface. Confused, shocked, and a bit angry, she just stared at the handsome man, and then as if the sun finally shown through the fog, she realized what he had said…He claimed her.
“Van?”
Yanking her hand out of his, she turned, flipping back the sheets. Shit, she left her leg on last night. Damn. Ignoring the man at her back, she stood and walked over to the small chair next to her dresser and swiftly put on her robe. The anger felt good. She could handle anger. For the last couple of years she lived her life as she wanted, void of any human feelings, and it worked, too. She had friends and laughed with them. Yet, in one simple twenty-four-hour period, her world tilted and was now spiraling out of control. Emotions surfaced, and feelings she had fought so hard to contain rose. She needed to get a handle on herself before she lost her shit.
“Van, what’s wrong?” he asked.
Stopping at the foot of her bed, she turned to confront one of her issues. However, she wasn’t expecting him to be smiling at her, and that was all it took. “You!” she shouted. “You and your friends are what’s wrong. You can’t just claim me as if I’m some piece of property that’s for sale. Do you know that’s all everyone is going to be talking about? I am not a piece of property!”
“Of course you’re not,” he agreed, still grinning.
“Exactly, but that isn’t going to matter, because according to the town, no one is going to want to date me because you decreed that I’m yours.”
Vanessa had been trained to handle an array of combat instances. She knew how to defend herself, knew when to fight, and she knew when to run. However, through all of her training, none of her instructors ever talked about what to do when an almost-naked man stalked her. Slowly backing up, she had no place to run away to. When her back hit the wall, she froze, because by the time she blinked, he was standing before her, angry.
“You’re mine,” he growled. “You will not be seeing anyone else, no dating, no coffees, no dinners, nothing.”
“You don’t own me, Peter. Nobody does,” she said.
“You’re right, nobody owns you, but you do belong to me, and I only share with my partners. Everyone else can go find their own woman.”
“Do you hear what you’re saying? You sound crazy.”
“Crazy for a beautiful hot-headed Latin woman who’s too blind to see what’s standing before her because she’s closed herself off from the world. You’re so desperate for affection, Vanessa, you broke down last night and cried yourself to sleep. It’s time to wake up, baby, because there are three men who want nothing more than to make you smile and give you what you deserve.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered softly.
“I know that last night when I brought you home, you craved my touch. You melted when I kissed you, and you damn near shattered when I told you how beautiful you are,” he replied seriously.
Looking away, she found a small hair clip on her dresser and focused on it, a technique she learned while in the hospital, recuperating from losing her leg. She quickly learned that if she focused on any object but the one causing her strife, she could tune out everything and everyone. It worked like a charm in the past, and she prayed it worked at this moment. She didn’t need or want platitudes of devotion, and she sure as hell didn’t need or want a man in her life. Her life was perfect, perfect for her. Or at least that’s the load of bullshit, she kept telling herself every day. She was content with how her life was, and she didn’t want or need anything or anyone to come in and change it. Yet, as she focused on that one small object, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering, what if. What if she took another leap of faith? What if she tried one more time? What if she gave into her desires, and let the cards fall where they may? Life was a gamble, she knew that, but she would never win unless she played the game.
Vanessa jumped when Peter grabbed her by the arms and gently shook her a little. “Look at me when I am talking to you.”
“Please,” she murmured her eyes still downcast. He was doing it again, breaking down her walls. She couldn’t handle the emotions. She needed to break free of him, to find a place and center herself once more. Vanessa didn’t stop him when he lifted her face to his, and she said nothing when he said, “Let me in,” but nothing short of an earthquake could have stopped her from responding when his lips touched hers. Like a moth to a flame, she found herself in his arms, molding herself to him, kissing him as reverently as he kissed her.
She heard it then, the first knowing sound of what Peter was really saying.
The bedroom door lock slid home.
Vanessa’s eyes fluttered closed. Her palms began to sweat as she blushed at her own physical reaction to what was to come. Rolling her fingers into fists, she tried to force her hands to stop trembling. Moving her palms over his cooled flesh, she wiped what she could of the sweat away. Her heart beat faster. Its pulse pounded heavy in her head, pouring through her veins as it dug at her soul. His body was just inches away, and all she had to do was grab a hold of him and never let go. The thought of being with a real man enticed her. It had been so long. She hungered for the touch, the taste, the euphoria of him. Yet, she remained still, unmoving, too scared of the rejection she knew was to come.
A soft whimper slipped past her lips.
The touch of his hand as it slid to her shoulders made her toes curl in trepidation. He pushed her heavy hair to one side, exposing her neck. His breath washed over her, and her body melted. A soft chuckle rumbled from his chest as she leaned back against the door. He held her for a moment, one hand sliding around her waist, the other around her throat.
There was no sense of restriction, Vanessa knew he was simply holding her, allow
ing her the comfort of his body, and the strength in it was just as she had imagined. His lips found her shoulder as his hand moved from her neck to the edge of her robe.
He moaned deeply as he tasted her skin for the first time, causing her stomach to flip. He slowly turned her, her back against his front as she pressed her palm to her abdomen, only to encounter his hand. He moved her hand away and covered his hand with hers. Vanessa reveled in the feel as their hands wove together, fingers linked like a chain. His lips continued to assault her senses. The air moved around her, causing her to shiver.
Vanessa had been with men before, but never in her whole adult life had she ever felt so fragile, so special, as if she was his world, cradled deep within his soul. Sensual and seductive, he maneuvered her, enticing her to push the world out, leaving only him. His gentleness made her want to cry, and his strength gave her a power she hadn’t felt in a long time. He bewitched her.
Turning in his arms, she was able to look into his eyes and breathe the same air that skated into his lungs. Words fled, lost forever as she drank him in. His eyes, his smile, his masculine presence emanated from the very core of him, all wrapped in the flesh that was him.
Reaching up, she cautiously touched his face, her fingers tracing the shape of his lips, the curve of his smile, the laugh lines that surrounded his mouth. She grinned, and he smiled. Her finger glided down and felt the pulse under his skin as she caressed his throat.
His pulse beat almost as rapidly as hers did. Vanessa smirked, grateful that he was just as nervous as she was, but why, she had no clue.
Vanessa felt as if she was dreaming. The way they moved into each other seemed as if they had been doing it their whole life. Stepping closer, just as he did, their arms moved in sync as he reached down and pulled her into him. The feeling of home warmed her sacred heart as he leaned down, his lips seeking hers. The moment his lips touched hers, she was ravenous for more. The passion to have, to breathe, to consume him was almost too much for her to handle.
Tiny kisses began to cover her exposed flesh as he manipulated the material of her robe, allowing more skin and more places to blanket with his touch. Her body responded to each strategically placed caress. She sighed, gasped, moaned. Her feet could not stay still, and several times, she was forced to shift her weight from one side to the other.
Her fingers opened and closed around the firm muscles of his arms as he continued to destroy every vestige of fear she had left in her body. Her lips shook, her breath was heavy, her pussy was slick, and both breasts weighed down with need. She could barely stand, and yet she did. Vanessa moaned as she felt his hands glide down the sides of her legs. He gathered the material every so often in his fingers. With the gentlest of touches, he pushed her robe off her body, letting it fall into a pool at her feet. Kneeling before her, his palms caressed her skin as he once again moved down her body until his heat surrounded her ankles. Before she utter a sound, he began the dance over again as he slowly moved up the inside of her legs. She groaned and opened her legs just enough so that he were able to continue running his fingers up her legs.
The firmness of his hands massaged her flesh, making her legs quiver as he continued his exploration. His nails barely skimmed the edge of skin, eliciting goose pimples all over her body.
Feeling the touch of a pair of strong hands and nimble fingers tease her thong and roll the lace across the crack of her ass cheeks, she moaned. A hiss of pleasure and a soft stomp of her foot made him chuckle. She grinned, looked down, and caught him staring up at her.
Their eyes locked.
As she gazed upon his upturned face, she felt his fingers slip around and glide under her thong’s front panel of fabric. The contact of his thick digits on her smooth pussy made all thoughts transcend and disappear. Her lids fluttered shut as she turned away, opening her legs more so he could slowly trace the edges of her labia before slipping one then two fingers against her slit.
He spread her open, slowly at first, just the two fingers opening into a V. Vanessa gasped and purred softly as her hips rolled as he began to slide his fingers up and down. He paused at her clit, turned his wrist slightly, and massaged it, teasing it into a hardened point that would be suckled sometime during the night.
The tingling sensation in her pussy traveled along several nerve paths. They signaled responses buried deep within. Her muscles tightened and contracted. Juices slipped free and gathered just inside the opening of her swollen sex. She knew that when Peter dipped his finger inside and begin to coax them free she would be lost.
Instinctively her jaw slackened and her lungs drew in the air they craved.
The first thrust of his two fingers penetrated the tight core of her pussy as stars danced behind her lids. Her legs spread further apart. His hand began to push upward. His fingers took over to piston in and out. Fast and then slow. Slow and then fast. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to his actions, but she knew there was. He knew where to touch, how to touch, and when to touch.
Waves of lust rolled over her as one climax threatened to erupt and spill into another. She held tight on the feel of his fingertips sliding along the sides of her inner walls and gathering nectar. The scraping of his nails running paths of sin against the ridged flesh of her pussy made her mind grow blank. She cried out, but words told her to wait, to hold on.
She couldn’t.
The eruption was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Darkness seemed to descend in varying shades of black. Sparks exploded behind every goose bump and every vessel expanded to embrace the shuddering that rolled through her.
She screamed as he continued to pummel her with his fingers. She couldn’t breathe, and yet somehow she did. He drove in and out, repeatedly, until she begged him to stop. He pressed his face against her pelvis as she slowly began to descend from the natural high he had given her.
When the stars cleared from her eyes and the pounding of her heart no longer echoed in her head, she turned to face him.
He looked up, smiled, and said, “Vanessa.”
“Yes,” she replied, still breathing heavily.
“Van.”
“Yes, Peter,” she said again as the euphoria of her orgasm faded. Just then, the door to her room opened, and River walked in.
“Van,” she huffed. “Wake up! I’ve been calling your name for over ten minutes. Are you okay? You look flushed. What’s wrong?”
Vanessa shook her head and sat up in her bed, looking around her room for the man she knew wasn’t there. It had been a dream. A beautiful, amazing, wonderful, sensual dream, and she wanted more. Licking her lips, Vanessa grinned, shifting her pelvis against her mattress to relieve some of the ache that was no prominent.
“That good, huh?” River grinned.
“Oh yeah,” Vanessa replied.
“Well too bad you won’t do anything about it. So get up. We’ve got work to do today.”
Groaning, Vanessa threw back the covers and went to start her day.
Chapter Six
Two weeks had passed since Vanessa graced their presence at their home, and they hadn’t seen her since. Neither of them knew what they did wrong, only that she was avoiding them. Unknowing of the mistake they made, Carter and Brice sat in Macie’s Diner, wondering if they were about to make another mistake. They still hadn’t figured out why she was refusing to return their calls, or present herself when they walked into her store. They didn’t know what they did wrong, or if they even did anything wrong. Hell, the only thing they knew for sure was that she had a good time at dinner that night and then Peter offered to take her home. Neither Brice nor Carter said a damn thing when Peter didn’t return until after midnight, but knowing their friend, he went for a long drive to clear his head. That day revealed more than any of them had bargained for. It wasn’t every day they found out that the woman they loved was injured in the line of duty and was now missing a limb.
Regardless, after she left that night, Carter wasted no time calling his father. The James Gr
oup was a family business that dealt strictly with the military. For years, the family helped design new and inventive weapons to give the American military an advantage. However, over the years, those weapons caused more damage than aid. Over twenty years ago, the family started designing prosthesis that would help instead of hurting America’s heroes. Since then, the James Group had become the leading manufacture in artificial limbs.
Carter had planned on following in his father’s footsteps and even attended the University of Texas, majoring in their engineering program, but when he found out that his father’s company was skimping on materials, Carter walked away and never looked back. However, overnight everything changed for him, especially when he saw the leg Vanessa was wearing. To make matters worse, when he spotted the manufacturer’s mark, fury just about consumed him.
To say that the conversation with his father was cordial would be stating that the sky was pink with purple polka dots. When the shouting was over, and the last threat had been made, Carter told his father to fix the company’s mess immediately or he would go to the Congressional Judicial Committee and inform them of the less-than-excellent craftsmanship of the James Group. It took his father one full week before Carter received a fax stating that everything was taken care of and for him to call home when he could. Of course, Carter didn’t call, deciding to give his father another month before he showed up at the main facility in Iowa to see for himself. His only hope was that Vanessa went with him.
In the meantime, he kept himself busy at the shop, until this morning when their neighbor, Anthony Morgan, called and informed him of a dirty little secret spreading rapidly through town, that his little shop owner was in financial trouble.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Vanessa’s little shop wasn’t doing well. Hell, the whole town was already talking about the second mortgage she took out on her apartment just to pay the shop rent. Times were hard for all of them, but apparently none more so than for Treasure Cove’s Treasures-A-Plenty. If Vanessa’s business didn’t pick up soon, she was going to lose everything. Just the thought of that happening didn’t sit well with either of them, so they made an appointment with the bank. Their meeting was in less than an hour, and Carter hoped that he and Brice could talk some sense into Payton Trudeau, the bank manager.
Joyce, Rebecca - Her Dirty Mechanics [The Men of Treasure Cove 12] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5