“Right here.” She slipped her hand between her legs, strumming a single finger along her slit and skimming over her clit. When she lifted her hand, juices coated her fingers.
Joe cursed beneath his breath. She was gonna kill him. It was his job to do the teasing. He moved closer and caught her hand. Her musky perfume rose, filling his senses. His feline stirred in a way he’d never reacted for Maggie. The concept gave him pause, a savage pain building in his chest. A croaked protest made him realize he was crushing her hand, and with a muttered apology, he lifted her fingers to his mouth.
His tongue lashed out to taste her. “Sweet,” he whispered.
Kiera moaned when he took her finger deeper, shifting her weight, the subtle lift of her hips a plea for him to change his focus to another part of her body. He ignored her appeal to rasp his tongue along the length of her digit, licking every inch of her skin clean. An answering heat sank straight to his balls and he used his free hand to tease his cock, timing the flicker of his tongue with the stroke of his fingers.
The rush to full arousal moved quicker than he liked and he halted his self-pleasuring. “I’m going to taste you now.” He released her hand and made contact with her knee in a subtle warning of what he intended to do next. Joe roughly pushed her legs farther apart to make room for his body and settled in to feast.
He parted her labia and licked one plump fold. Her cream flooded his mouth, sweet and musky. Unable to resist, he traced her opening with his finger while licking in concert. When he licked closer to her nub, she groaned and her hips jerked, a harsh cry of feline enjoyment rumbling from deep in her chest. Her legs clasped him, locking him in place. Joe continued to sip from her, teasing her with his finger, pushing it to rest a fraction inside her channel.
“Joe, I need more. Please.”
He smirked against her flesh, thrilled with her response to him. But he craved more from her first. He wanted to take her to the edge of control, make her shudder against the thrust of his finger and tongue. He pushed his digit farther into her and hooked it, seeking the smooth patch of flesh that would really send her into orbit.
“Joe. Joe.” She shuddered.
He lifted his head to lick his lips while he pressed against her G-spot. “Tell me what you want.” His name on her lips filled him with satisfaction, made his body throb with the need to fuck her. He fought the urge, determined to drive them both to distraction before he put his dick anywhere near her pussy.
“I want you to make me come,” she wailed. “Lick my clit. Please.” She shifted restlessly, the silky black duvet rustling beneath her straining body.
In answer, he raked his tongue along her cleft and curled his finger with deliberate probing strokes designed to drive her headlong into orgasm. A surge of wetness met his tongue. She quivered as he continued to feast, stroking and teasing her with occasional forays past her swollen clit.
“Joe,” she said, his name a faint complaint because he wasn’t moving to her program.
He smiled against her slick flesh and let his teeth come into play. Her uninhibited response made him think of the future and the fact she might come to trust him enough to let him bind her. He’d use his soft hemp ropes and tie her carefully until she resembled a work of art. Thinking about the act of trust, the submission, drew his balls up until they ached. Like a double-edged sword, arousal kicked his butt.
Sly would have laughed.
Joe increased his efforts, concentrating on her nub, feathering the bundle of nerves with sensation, stringing her along until she groaned and pleaded and vibrated with need, feline-like whimpers rippling from her throat. She bucked against his mouth and exploded into climax without warning. Her vagina fluttered around his finger, clenching and unclenching for long moments. Joe eased up on the attention to her clit, gentling his touch until the tension seeped from her limbs and her clenched thighs unlocked from around his shoulders.
“Nice,” she said. “I think I’ll go to sleep now.”
“Fuck that,” Joe muttered, his grin counteracting the sharp note in his tone. Of course she couldn’t see the humor in him and he preferred it that way. Kiera Pascoe might be a new fixture in his life, but she’d made her mark on him already. With her eyesight screened, he didn’t need to guard his facial expressions. He could pretend this was a mere fling of convenience for both of them even though this thing between them held the potential for a lot more.
Forcing his mind back, he reached for a condom and rolled the latex up his shaft. When he noticed the uncertainty in her, the way she’d caught her bottom lip between her teeth, he reached down to run his tongue over her swollen mouth. She jumped and a snigger escaped him.
“Steady. I’m going to kiss you.”
“And then?”
“My cock aches. I’m going to push into you as slowly as I can bear and fill your pussy until I’m balls-deep. I’m gonna warm my cock in you before I start moving. If you’re good, I might organize another orgasm for you.”
“That’s big of you. I’m so relaxed I don’t think I can come again.”
“Remember last night? Never say never.”
“My brothers arrive tomorrow. I can’t greet them looking as if I haven’t slept for a week.”
“Why not?” Joe studied her tousled hair and noted her rapid breathing. His gaze zeroed in on her marking site. The second he realized, he transferred his focus to her breasts with their taut, raspberry-colored nipples. “The object of this exercise is to convince your brothers you have a man and you don’t need their help to find one.” Best he remember that himself.
“A well-placed hickey would probably do the same thing,” she said dryly. “And it would take half the time.”
Joe cursed. “Won’t they expect us to be mated if we’re living together?”
“I don’t think so. If they start asking nosy questions I’ll distract them. Simple. If they quiz you, tell them to butt out, that you don’t discuss your sex life with anyone.”
“That would be the truth. Enough with the talk. We’re getting off the subject at hand. Kisses. Fucking. Much better.”
“Yes, Joe.”
“Meekness doesn’t suit you.”
“I go with the weaponry at my disposal.”
An unmanly gurgle of delight burst from him. “You’re not carrying a single concealed weapon.”
“Apart from my feline nature.”
“True, but I have one of those. Enough,” he repeated, and he cut off her mumbled reply with his lips. He took control, swallowing her choked, breathless cries and ground his erection against her thigh. Damn, this woman packed a sensual punch. For an instant, he considered setting her astride him and watching her breasts bounce and sway with each downward slide against his cock. But his dick ached powerfully and he decided to go with his first idea. Quick, hard and dirty.
He continued to kiss her, returning the eager pressure, the swirl and mating of tongues. His teeth nipped and he swallowed her gasp with a heady sense of satisfaction.
Impatient for more, he guided his shaft to her and gritted his teeth while he entered her tight pussy an increment at a time.
Hot flesh. Tight. Perfect.
With his control at breaking point he wanted to slam into the sweet grip of her sex while, contrarily, he wanted to make a point. He was in total control. Sweat dripped in a rivulet from his brow while the throb in his groin prodded him to delve deeper. He pushed through her clinging flesh, pausing to thumb her nipples in an effort to distract himself from the urgency swelling inside him.
Joe clenched his butt muscles and pushed deeper still while he feathered kisses down her neck. His mouth headed toward her marking site before his brain engaged. Shock jolted him to a halt.
God, it was really true. His brains had shifted to his cock. All he could think about was pumping hard and fast and sinking his teeth into her flesh. He wanted to possess her and stake his claim in the way of felines. His body bucked while his skin stretched tight over his balls.
&nb
sp; Control. Remember? Slowly, he pulled back, the grooves in the snug walls massaging his shaft, catching the sensitive underside. He counted to ten in his mind, almost desperate to proceed, to bite down and taste her rich blood as it flooded his taste buds.
Joe moved his mouth back to her jaw and sucked lightly, hoped the oral fix would appease his demanding feline. God, he never felt his cat in this way, the dominant stretch beneath his skin, the tingling in his balls.
He pushed back inside her warmth and Kiera moaned. Her hand swept over his back, her fingernails sharp as they gouged into his skin. The sharp pain did nothing to deter him. Instead it prodded him onward. He quickened the pace of his strokes, gritting his teeth when his traitorous lips headed closer to her marking site again. Fire exploded in his groin, each hard surge into her almost too much to bear. He moaned against her neck, his breathing harsh. The scent of sex swirled around them while the wet suction of acute arousal played in tandem with his rapid thrusts. Teetering on the edge of control, he reached between them to caress her clit. Her womb fluttered seconds after he stroked her and it was too much for Joe. The clawing tension loosed its grip on him and his cock jerked, semen jetting from him with explosive contractions.
His raw and guttural groan filled the room, the blistering waves of pleasure taking him by surprise. He’d had good sex before, but this spun into another realm. He stilled and eased his weight off her.
“I told you I wouldn’t come again.”
“Woman, who said I was finished?” A point of pride for him. She’d wrung him out and made him come so hard, he’d have trouble moving, let alone raising enough strength for another go round.
Joe pulled free of her and ditched the condom.
“Can I take off the blindfold yet?”
He hesitated then decided she could watch him this time. He unfastened the silky scarf and tossed it aside before moving down her body. Then he grabbed her vibrator from the drawer where she’d stashed it. “I want you to prop yourself up on your elbows and watch everything I do to you.”
Joe waited for her to reposition her body, pleased she didn’t offer an argument. He inserted the vibe into her pussy and switched it on a medium speed. Once she’d settled, he parted her legs a fraction more and cupped her buttocks, lifting her to his mouth. The vibrator reverberated against his lips and dragged a moan from her. While he licked and teased her clit, he captured her gaze and held it. He watched her blue eyes widen and darken with arousal and witnessed the instant when her breath caught and she shattered with pleasure. Once the spasms faded and she came down, he switched off the vibrator, removing and setting it aside.
Exhausted and happy, Joe settled her pliant body beneath the covers and wrapped his arms around her. This was becoming a pleasant habit.
Chapter Six
Her brothers drove into town midmorning. A car pulled up, the slam of the doors and the murmur of familiar voices alerting Kiera to their arrival. She straightened from her task and switched off the overhead light she’d been using to try to spot the problem with a farm utility vehicle.
“Kiera.” Her oldest brother Matthew spoke first, distaste in every vowel of her name. “This is your workshop? You told me you were a receptionist.”
“Hello to you too.” Used to her brother’s methods, she ignored the prissy English attitude and threw herself at him. His strong arms came around her and he held her tight, pressing a kiss to her brow.
Oscar, her middle brother claimed her next then Tyrone, the youngest and closest to her in age. She turned to the fourth member of their group and forced a friendly smile, despite the dip of her stomach. His presence didn’t bode well.
“William.” He’d grown a light beard since she last saw him.
“Kiera, it’s good to see you again.” William not only hugged her but claimed a kiss. It wasn’t a brotherly kiss and she extracted herself from an aggressive tongue, wet lips and strong arms with difficulty. While she liked William, she didn’t think of him that way and never would, no matter how often her brothers thrust them together.
Kiera surreptitiously wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “Are you hungry? There’s a great café down the road.”
“What about your work?” Tyrone asked.
“Reg is working the front of the shop, and any customers will talk to him if the job is urgent.” Kiera gestured for them to back up and swiftly closed the workshop doors.
“Who’s Reg?” Matthew’s eyes narrowed. “Is that his scent on you?”
“The one who put the hickey on your neck?” Oscar added his own question.
“Reg is the kindly gent I inherited when I purchased the business. He takes care of serving the petrol and selling parts. We’ll walk to the café,” Kiera said. “Your vehicle is safe here. This way.”
“Aren’t you going to change?” Matthew’s nose twitched as he scrutinized her blue overalls.
Kiera wiped her hands down her thighs, taking childish pleasure in stirring her brother’s ire. “The café’s casual. I’ll only need to change back into my overalls anyway.” She turned in the direction of Storm in a Teacup, keeping her pace to an amble when she wanted to run far and fast.
“I notice you’ve sidetracked the question,” William said, falling into step beside her.
Kiera frowned when he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “What question?” Joe wouldn’t like him touching her. The idea slid stealthily into her mind and made her stumble in shock.
A couple? Her and Joe?
They weren’t. She didn’t want to shape her life to fit with a man.
Men always wanted to change a woman, especially feline shifters. Most shifter males expected their women to mate young and produce lots of children. The males at Middlemarch seemed a bit more enlightened or maybe their women trained them better. The couples back home certainly inhabited a time warp. The women took on a traditional role and remained in the background. That wasn’t her.
“I’m interested in you, Kiera,” William said. “Do I have a competitor for your affections? Have I traveled thousands of miles for nothing?”
“Didn’t you come to attend the polo school?”
“You’re the main attraction. Our families expect us to mate.” He shot a swift glance over his shoulder at her brothers. With their acute feline hearing, they were busy eavesdropping on everything she and William discussed. “We’ll converse later. Perhaps I could take you out for dinner?”
Matthew caught up with them and started asking her questions about the local facilities. Glad of the interruption, Kiera slipped into tourist mode and told them about the town of Middlemarch.
“Why did you pick this town?” William asked with a disdainful flick of his right hand. “It’s isolated with minimal facilities.”
“Not really,” Kiera said. “The drive to Dunedin doesn’t take long. Besides, the landscape is beautiful. The air isn’t full of fumes like it is in the city. Lots of other shifters live here. It’s safe to shift and I can run any time the urge strikes.” Memories of a feline soccer game with the Mitchells and friends raised a grin. Joe hadn’t joined them that time. A run with him was something to look forward to in the future.
“I wouldn’t want to live here,” William said.
Kiera bit back the instinctive reply, understanding she couldn’t win. William hoped familial pressure would send her scurrying back to London. That wouldn’t happen. She’d made friends here, loved the lifestyle and her business. She had a sexy if unpredictable lover. Life was good.
William opened the café door for her and Kiera strode through.
“Go and grab a table,” she suggested. “Matthew and I will order coffee.” The sooner she managed to get her oldest brother alone, the quicker she’d manage to set him straight. She didn’t intend to entertain William’s suit and she wouldn’t return to England with them. End of story.
Her brothers wandered off with William to find a table, and she approached the counter with Matthew. Several customers stared, but by this time, Kiera
was used to the personal interest people took in newcomers. She grinned at Emily.
“Emily, this is my brother Matthew. He’s over here on holiday.”
Emily extended her hand in welcome. Kiera caught a glint of appreciation in her brother, the flare of his nostrils when he discreetly checked Emily’s scent and saw the exact moment he realized she possessed a mate.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Emily said.
“Likewise,” Matthew said smoothly.
“We’ve come for a quick snack. We’ll have four, long blacks and my usual latte. Let me see.” Kiera studied the menu and ordered several sandwiches, some small, savory pies and a selection of muffins. “That should do it.” Kiera opened her wallet but Matthew handed over his credit card first.
Emily processed the card. “How long are you staying?”
Exactly the information Kiera wanted to learn. She’d asked when they spoke on the phone and Matthew neatly sidestepped the question.
“We need to reach Christchurch by Sunday night.”
Four days. Oh well. She’d suck it up, ignore the maneuvering to get her back to England and try to enjoy their company.
The doorbell went and she half turned. Saber strode in with Joe not far behind him. Pleasure at seeing him stormed through her, taking her by surprise with the intenseness of the rush. She’d only seen him a few hours ago, which made the excitement worrying.
Joe obviously didn’t harbor the same fears. Either that or he was secure and knew exactly where she came in his life.
Part-time lover.
Yeah. She had to keep her focus on that point.
Temporary. Friends.
Her breath eased out only to stutter when Joe wrapped his arm around her waist. His spicy scent filled her senses, the welcome heat of his body firing messages of lust even through her overalls, and she automatically leaned into him to savor the pleasant affection.
My Twin Trouble Page 8