by Anne Conley
“Truth,” Annette replied immediately, the fear still lacing her voice.
He leaned over the coffee table, lit a candle, and looked straight at her. “Do you want me to leave you here alone in the storm? You’ve already got six inches since I got here, and it doesn’t look like it’s lightening up any.” Jude kept looking at her, focusing on her mannerisms and facial expressions.
She was fidgeting, twisting her hands in her lap. She pulled her mouth over to one side and bit the inside of her cheek. Indecision was written all over her face.
“No funny business. I promise. But it’s getting pretty heavy out there, the electricity’s gone, and I know where everything is. I’ll let you work as much as you need to.” He watched her war with something inside her head as various expressions crossed her face. She looked him up and down, gauging his honesty, her eyes flitting to the window behind him to see the snow flurrying down. “Speak now or forever hold your peace. I’ll have to go soon.”
Finally, she answered him. “Please stay.” Then she expelled a long, drawn-out sigh. “I know I’m going to regret this,” she muttered to herself.
“Why?” Jude straightened. He was smiling, happy she had agreed for him to stay, yet he still wondered why she’d regret such a thing as him keeping her safe.
“Because I’m pretty sure I’m going to do something with you I’m trying really hard not to do.”
His smile spread to a grin. “Excellent.”
“Truth or dare, Jude?” She sighed in resignation as he went for more candles as well as the lantern he kept under the sink.
He decided to humor her since she obviously wasn’t going to dare him to kiss her again. “Truth.” He walked around the cabin placing candles in holders throughout the space.
She didn’t ask him a question at first, instead reaching for a bag near the couch and drawing out an enormous sketch pad, settling it in her lap.
“What is all this? I mean, what exactly do you want with me?”
He didn’t answer right away, choosing his words carefully. Honestly, he wanted a night with her, to see what all this was about, but he knew she didn’t want to give it. Conversely, he’d take whatever she would give but didn’t want to sound needy either.
Lighting the candles and allowing a warm glow to lighten the quickly darkening interior, he settled with, “I want you to be comfortable around me.” Turning to Annette, he continued. “I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want to taste and touch every single part of your body. Your mouth is amazing, and I want to dive into the rest. You seem to not want that, so I don’t want to put any pressure on you. I want to flirt with you, and tease you, and try to talk you into trying me out. But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable enough to push me away.”
She leaned back on the couch, her hands frozen above her sketchpad, an inscrutable look on her face. Annette said nothing, so Jude continued lighting candles until they were all lit. Jutting his chin toward the pad in her lap, he asked, “Do you need to work?”
She shook her head, absently staring at something a few feet in front of her. Jude busied himself putting away the soup and cleaning up the dishes while she digested what he’d said. When he came back to the living area, he looked out the window once more before shutting the insulated curtain against the cold.
Annette was silent the entire time.
Chapter Nine
Something shifted in Annette when Jude spoke. His words sent a shiver of awareness through her. Suddenly she did want what he was offering her. She wanted him to flirt with her, to tease her, and she wanted to be comfortable with it. That didn’t mean they had to have a relationship, did it?
As she watched him move around the room cleaning up the small space, she realized maybe Jude was just what she needed. What she’d been missing. She certainly enjoyed his kisses and wanted more of them. His question about finding a different sort of man instead of eschewing them altogether echoed through her mind, demanding an answer.
His words short-circuited her brain, so all she could think about was what he could do to her. He intended to seduce her, whether she wanted it or not—he’d just said as much. It’s not like she’d get any work done with him here at all, even if she did resist his temptations. Maybe he was the muse she needed?
“Truth or dare, Jude?” she spoke quietly, still a little unsure of herself.
“What?”
“You heard me. I know it’s not my turn, but—”
“Dare,” he interrupted her, almost as uncertainly as she’d asked. Of course he would. She’d just told him she wasn’t looking for what he wanted, but she’d had a change of heart. A huge one.
“Kiss me again.”
His eyes lit up with a triumphant heat, a slow burn caressing her skin and lighting her insides, but his eyebrows slanted with suspicion. She was captivated by those brows—so bushy and expressive. They darkened his face, and Annette felt the shudder of anticipation climb her spine.
Suddenly, it was very hot in here.
Annette felt his hands on her waist before his lips registered on her skin. She had closed her eyes in anticipation of his lips on hers, but his lips were on her neck instead. His hot mouth was surprisingly smooth against her flesh as it suckled and bit its way to her eagerly awaiting lips. When his lips found the spot under her ear, she whimpered, her hands flying up to his chest, clutching handfuls of his shirt.
Like the kiss they’d shared at the bar, this one rocked her to the core. She couldn’t breathe, and her body was on fire, her thoughts a muddled mess. All she knew was she was wearing about three layers of clothes too many.
Her hands went to her sweater and lifted it off before grabbing Jude’s hair and pulling him to her lips so she could kiss him properly.
He complied, opening his mouth over hers immediately, his tongue exploring the ridges of her mouth. Jude sucked all her air away, leaving her gasping. When one of his hands went under her shirt to her breast, she moaned into his mouth, and he ate that up too.
Annette reminded herself of her priorities and then quickly talked herself out of them. She’d get her paintings finished and still enjoy Jude’s company. She could do this.
Meanwhile, he consumed her. Devoured her.
Even as his thumb scraped across her nipple, sending it to a distended peak, he kissed her into oblivion. His hands on her flesh sent her flying while his mouth made love to hers. She pressed up against him, rocking against the sofa cushion, desperate for release from the pulsing sensations pooling in her panties. She wanted Jude. She could deny it to herself all she wanted, but the truth was, this man was what she needed right now. Who cared about tomorrow?
She didn’t know him, but his mouth on hers was something to behold. She clutched his shirt and gripped the planes of his chest, desperate for something to tether her to reality. When he made a possessive growl in the back of his throat, she decided he had entirely too many clothes on.
Annette started scrabbling for his shirt, trying to pull it off, but it was like pouring a bucket of cold water on Jude, and he stilled her wrists while breaking the kiss.
“God, I want to, but I don’t want you to do this out of desperation when you don’t really want it.” He was breathing heavily, his eyes heavy-lidded.
“What?” she gasped at him.
“Yeah, I can’t believe that came out of my mouth either.” He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair, causing the disheveled curls to look downright maniacal. “But five minutes ago, you didn’t want to go there with me. I don’t want you to regret sleeping with me when it happens.”
She didn’t miss his word usage. When it happens. They both knew it would.
He was here, there was a blizzard outside, and he was too gentlemanly to leave her here alone, so he would presumably be here tomorrow. She would fuck him tomorrow.
Sat
isfaction mingled with anticipation. “That’s good.” Yeah, she totally sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “Waiting is good.” She took a deep breath and stood, the change in position doing nothing to alleviate the throbbing in her core. Taking a deep breath to straighten her scrambled brain, she grabbed her sketch pad and started to walk to the bed. Annette turned and tried to look flirty but was afraid she came off as desperate. “Are we sharing the bed?”
He chuckled, and she didn’t miss the shift in seating as he adjusted his pants. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I wouldn’t be able to control myself. This is a herculean effort, you understand?”
“You don’t have to put forth that much effort. You know that, right?”
“Oh, yes. I do.”
Annette lifted the covers, slid under them, then stripped, some modicum of modesty intact. She laid there, listening to the sounds of Jude on the other side of the wall that was more of a footboard and rose up enough so she could see his bare feet hanging off the edge of the couch. The sound of his zipper sliding down sounded, a grunt, and then those feet kicked off his jeans, leaving his legs exposed.
Annette swallowed thickly, and a whimper sounded from the back of her throat. Jude’s feet tensed at the noise.
He was ridiculously hot. She was super horny after his kisses, which were all her fault, but the attraction between them was something she didn’t know how to deal with. He was wild, fiery, and untamed. He seemed polite enough when they were talking or whatnot, making sure she was taken care of with regard to wood and groceries, but when they kissed, something feral came out and he lost control. She was surprised he’d stopped the kiss just now and wondered if there was a way to make him lose control.
They had a day or two here alone together, so why not make the most of it? A wicked idea formed as she watched his naked toes.
Besides, she was a bundle of sexual energy right now, all wound up, needing release. It would serve him right for putting the brakes on her advances.
She sat back on her heels so she could see his feet, knowing he was lying twenty feet away from her, nearly naked on the couch. She wore a long-sleeved t-shirt and panties and felt more than a little wicked for what she did next.
Annette slipped her hand under her shirt and tweaked her nipple into an erect point, licking her lips. Enjoying the fact he had no idea what she was doing while she was watching his feet, it didn’t take long for her to dip her other hand into her panties and pull some of the wetness out of her folds to rub her clit in small circles.
A soft sigh escaped her mouth, and Jude’s feet stiffened.
“Annette?” Jude’s voice was low and husky, and she heard a rustle from the couch as his feet slightly shifted. “Girl …” he breathed.
Her fingers continued their circular motion as her other hand left her nipple and drifted down inside her panties. Dipping two fingers into her folds, she let out a moan.
A soft chuckle sounded from the other side of the couch. “I guess I deserved that.”
Soft, slapping sounds rang in her ears, and she smiled that he was indulging just as she was. Her fingers felt good but were no comparison to whatever bulge he’d been adjusting tonight. She didn’t care. She was out to make the man lose control. Based on the hissing noises from the couch, she was succeeding.
Annette found her spot and focused there, circling furiously. Her whimpers and moans got louder as Jude’s hisses, grunts, and slapping noises got faster. She wished she could watch him, but that was part of the allure of this episode.
His feet were tensed, soles together as his knees were spread so he could reach himself. His feet rocked with the quick, sure motions he used. Up on her knees, Annette writhed as she plunged her fingers into the depths of her sex, unable to stop the fiery rollercoaster ride. She was climbing the big hill, about to go over.
As Jude’s pace increased, he gave one low groan. She imagined his eyes shut, tendons standing out in his neck as he came, and that was enough to send her over the edge.
With a cry, Annette climaxed around her fingers, feeling herself pulse and suck them in. Spent, she collapsed back on the pillows of the bed just as Jude’s feet jerked and he sighed heavily.
“Damn, woman,” floated across the living room, and Annette giggled.
“Yeah. Damn,” she agreed. “Maybe next time you’ll give me what I want.”
“I’m not sure you know what you want.” His words were spoken plainly, if not a little out of breath, but she heard the truth in them. She wasn’t sure she did.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Hell yeah. It was.”
“Then maybe next time we can have a little more fun,” she said with an authority she didn’t feel. Self-doubt flooded her, and she knew she was in over her head.
His soft voice stole through the room and settled somewhere deep inside her, leaving her gasping for air. “You’re no one’s fuck buddy, Annette, and I won’t make you mine.”
Well, then. Annette was likely to go up in flames because it wouldn’t be just casual. She’d just have to make sure this week was worth it.
Chapter Ten
After the best sleep Jude had ever had on that lumpy old sofa, he was awoken by a squeal of joy and the sweetest sight he’d ever seen.
Annette was standing in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, looking out the window at the snow that was still falling. Her face was lit up and looked so child-like and innocent, it was hard to believe she’d given him one of the hottest sexual experiences he’d ever had last night, and he hadn’t even touched her.
She grabbed her coat and ran outside, falling in the snow with shouts of glee. The snow was waist-deep, but she trudged around his yard in an enormous circle, taking wide steps to get through it, her face a mask of delighted determination.
Jude stood and grabbed his shirt, wondering briefly why it was crusty. He chuckled as last night flickered through his brain. Listening to her pleasure herself, the evidence of her arousal plain as her slick pussy squelched with her desire as she fingered herself. The noises she made were unbelievable—gasps and sighs and whimpers and moans. Hot. So. Fucking. Hot.
It hadn’t taken much to join her in her self-love, and nothing about the experience took the edge off anything whatsoever. As he’d listened to her drift off into sleep, her breaths evening out, he’d laid there, hard again, needing to plunge himself into the depths of her slick heat.
He’d meant what he’d said though. She wouldn’t be a fuck buddy for him. He wanted something with her. He knew just enough to need to know more.
Eventually, he’d gone to sleep and managed to sleep well, considering.
He tossed the dirty shirt aside and reached for his jeans instead, looking around for his flannel before going out to retrieve Annette before she froze to death.
Snow still fell but not so hard he couldn’t see her. It had snowed all night, the winds howling, but now the winds had died down. It was a serene sight—Annette was playing in it like a child.
Based on her twang, she wasn’t from anywhere with snow. He knew it didn’t snow much in Texas, some places not at all. He leaned on the doorway and watched as she tried to swim through the cold mess, laughter bubbling up from her insides.
“Oh God! My Mom would love this! Can you take my picture?” she cried out from where she was diving down under the snow.
“Aren’t you cold?” She wore nothing but jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt under her denim jacket, and it was all wet—or it would be soon.
“I’m not thinking about it. Mind over matter!”
“Tell you what. I’ve got some snow pants in the cabin somewhere. After it stops snowing and clears up, we’ll come out and play properly, and I’ll take all the pictures you want.” He hated to stop her when she was so damn happy—her smile was currently busting her cheeks wi
de open—but he was concerned for her safety. A groan of disappointment rose from where she’d buried herself in the snow, and he smiled. “Frostbite is nasty stuff, and you’re not dressed for this,” he cautioned, hating himself for stealing her joy.
Eventually, Annette trudged out of the snow and back to the path she’d made where it was a little easier to walk. On her way back, she opened her mouth to catch snowflakes, much like she’d done yesterday when it had first started.
God, she was gorgeous.
Her innocence and joy opposed the sexy minx that had pleasured herself last night to tease him mercilessly, and even more so the sophisticate he’d first met at the bar.
So many facets to Annette.
When she finally came inside, she was shivering, her clothes caked in ice, and Jude went into caregiver mode.
“Strip and wrap this around you. I’ll draw you a bath.” He held out a blanket for her to wrap up in before going to the bathroom.
While she bathed, Jude distracted himself by making eggs and bacon. He concentrated on the sizzle of the bacon so he didn’t hear the splashes coming from the bathroom. When Annette emerged wearing a pair of oversized, paint-smeared sweats, he handed her a plate and watched her eat before she got to work.
She had her space set up in front of the large picture window in the front of the cabin, facing the morning light, so he couldn’t see her easels, but that was okay. He wasn’t as interested in what she worked on as he was in her.
As Annette worked, paintbrush in hand, she worried her plush bottom lip with her teeth, alternating between holding her tongue just out of her lips and chewing the insides of her cheek. Everything besides her mouth spoke of total seriousness, the way her sage-green eyes were wholly focused on the canvas in front of her. The stiffness of her shoulders. She looked out the window and then danced to the canvas, adding some line or swirl of paint. It was all very serious, passionate even.
But her mouth? That was an entirely different animal.