by Sheila Kell
Max answered with a yawn and stretch, his little butt pushed up in the air, and then he pranced to the pillow where he circled and curled himself into a ball, laid down and closed his eyes.
Devon shook his head, stood and reached his arms above his head, stretching. That was the moment his wife chose to push his door open.
“Oh.” A look of shock slapped her face. “I, um—” Her eyes raked his body from head to toe and stopped where he still sported his morning wood. “I just planned to sneak Max out. I’m sorry he got in.” Her face had reddened and the heat crept down her neck.
He dropped his arms and instead of covering himself in modesty, he strode to the dresser and opened a drawer to pull out new clothing, like walking around naked in front of her was an everyday occurrence. “Yeah, well, he’s comfy now. You may as well leave him.” Christ, it was difficult to act normal when he had a hard-on and she was right there. If things went well today, he wasn’t stopping tonight.
Realizing she still stood at the door, he turned toward her as he stepped into his underwear, smiling inwardly at the hungry look in her eyes. “Was there anything else?”
Her gulp was visible to his eye. “No.” Slowly, she shook her head. “I’ll start coffee and breakfast.” Without waiting for a response from him, she spun on her heels and raced from the room.
His hearty chuckle followed in her wake.
Dressed and carrying a purring machine, Devon stepped from his room, and into the kitchen area. He took the spatula from his wife and deposited Max into her arms. “I’ll finish.”
While not a gourmet chef, he held his own in the kitchen. Her eggs just needed more seasoning, but tonight, he’d make her a nice dinner. Candlelight and soft music—only the best for Rylee. He was pretty sure he’d picked up everything he’d need when they’d been in town.
Devon whistled a lively tune while serving up the eggs, bacon, and toast she’d cooked. He didn’t think he’d ever felt this happy, this contented and relaxed with a woman. It was a sensation he’d never experienced. A bit of ecstasy built inside him at the possibility of having what his brothers had.
“Breakfast is ready.”
Releasing the curtain on a front window, a loud sigh escaped Rylee. “I can’t believe it’s supposed to rain all day,” she said glumly.
Sitting at the table, he placed a napkin in his lap and picked up a fork. Maybe he should’ve thought to check the weather, but his mind had been fogged by his wife’s nearness. “Gives us more time to research. And”—he raised his brows—“get to know each other.” No longer could he make her think the worst of him. “Look, Rylee,” he said, “I won’t hold you to that part of the bargain. Truth is, I’ll help you look for the girls anyway. I just want you to give us a try.”
Hoping his words settled her, he tensed when she placed her fork down and stood without a word. She ambled around the table to him, leaned down and kissed his cheek. The warmth nearly burned him through. “Thank you,” she said.
Hands itching to reach out and grab her, he forced himself to be patient. He placed his fork on the table and turned to her. Shock immediately filled him.
Holding out her hand, she said in a low, husky voice, “I’m ready.”
It was his turn to gulp. Did she mean? Beads of sweat formed on his brow. “Ready for what, exactly?” He had to clarify not only for himself, but to ensure she understood also.
A seductive smile spread on her face. “For us to try. I thought we might start in your room.”
He launched himself from the chair fast enough that it fell over and his napkin floated to the floor. He didn’t give a damn. He took her hand and all but dragged her to his room. The hell with waiting.
THE STIRRINGS OF desire had coursed through her since she’d woken. Heck, had the man not left her the day before with an aching need for him, she’d never had to be so bold. She’d been up half the night wondering if she should make the first move.
When she followed him into his room, he kicked the door closed. The usually trailing Angel had remained on the couch, her tail wagging. Even she’d sensed the change of the vibe in the air.
Rylee’s focus was on Devon and what was to come. Her insides tingled at the thought of his hands on her again. Now that she had him, a nervous pulse skittered through her making her wonder if he could feel her slight tremble.
Pulling her other hand into his, so that he held them both, he surprised her by not moving closer. Her heart lurched in a panic. Don’t let him have changed his mind or stop halfway again. A bob bounced down his throat in a hard swallow. “Are you sure? Because once you do this, there is no annulment.”
Relief flowed freely and a smile grew on her face, while she nodded slowly. She’d never been surer of anything. “I’m sure. No annulment.” Her hope was still that they fell in love and she believed it possible. Devon had made her believe it was possible. It wasn’t just lust between them. Oh, how she could see herself madly in love with him.
He hauled her close until their hands were locked securely between their bodies. Then he lowered his mouth near her ear with his warm breath teasing her neck. He nuzzled on it, eliciting a wave of goose bumps that ran rampant over her skin. “Who the hell am I kidding? I wasn’t letting you have an annulment anyway.”
Laughter burst forth from her. She should be upset he’d never planned to honor their bargain, but it no longer mattered. It lit her heart that he wouldn’t have given up on them.
Dropping her head to the side, she opened herself to his exploration of her throat. His lips were warm, wet, and the kiss a little rough since he hadn’t shaved, but the combination was already driving her crazy. Releasing their clasped grip, she slid her hand up his chest to his broad shoulders then to the back of his neck, where her fingers ran through his soft hair.
Kisses trailed along her neck to her cheek, first the left side and then the right side of her mouth before halting, his lips hovering a mere inch over hers. His breaths, much like hers, came in short jerky puffs, fanning her face. “I plan to make sweet love to you. I promise that no part of your body will be left untouched when I’m done with you.”
Her insides quivered with delicious pleasure that flowed outward in waves.
With a groan, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling them closer until she felt his racing heartbeat, a rhythm that almost matched hers.
Elevating herself on her toes, she wound her arms around him. “Kiss me.”
Her thought was stifled by the warm shock of him answering her with his mouth crashing over hers. They angled their heads and deepened the kiss, tongues dueling.
Devon’s hands slid down her back until they landed on her ass. He squeezed lightly and then palmed them and pulled her until his erection pressed against her belly. She gasped into his mouth. He was already hard and they’d just started playing around. Then again, she was already wet, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities.
Breaking the kiss, he gazed down at her with eyes darkening more every second until she suspected the gold in them would be nothing but flecks. “You have too many clothes on,” he growled.
“So do you.”
“Well, we can undress each other or we can each undress ourselves at the same time. I guess we could also go with strip tease while the other watches, but I think we save that one for later. Don’t get me wrong, I want to undress you, but option two gets us there faster.” He tilted his head in the direction of the bed.
She laughed. “Then by all means, let’s go with option two.” Immediately she ripped her shirt over her head. Taking a peek, she caught him already in his underwear before she’d pulled her jeans down. When she reached back to unhook her bra, the sight of him transfixed her. He stood in all his naked glory, with narrow hips, broad shoulders, and lean contours. His muscled and well-defined chest and arms almost had her drooling. Damn, he was fine. What had her almost gaping, was his erection jutting toward her. With his hands fisted at his sides and his chest almost heaving with each rapid br
eath, she guessed he was holding on by a thread.
When he didn’t move or offer assistance, she released the clasp and allowed her bra to slide seductively from her shoulders, slowly exposing her breasts with puckered nipples, demanding his attention.
His breath hitched and she smiled a little.
Taking the same approach with her panties, she slid her fingers in each side and toyed with them before she hooked her thumbs into the waistband and leisurely inched them down. Then she stood before him with none of the embarrassment she’d worried would appear. Instead, she absorbed the prevailing current of desire that flowed between them. It was strong and powerful and made butterflies tumble in her stomach.
Devon stepped close and she leaned into him, but wrapped her fingers around his girth and completed a couple of exploratory strokes.
He groaned. “Your hand feels too damn good. You need to quit that if you want me to last.”
A giggle crested and she allowed it to escape. She removed her hand, but only for the time being.
In a surprising swift move, probably to pay her back for the giggle, he reached out and lifted her in his arms, holding her with an arm underneath her back and one underneath her knees. He approached the bed and gently lowered her across the middle.
The way he stood and stared at her, made her feel like she was about to be a feast.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “No place left untouched,” he said in a voice that sounded as if it pained him to speak.
She almost cried out, calling him to her fast, but she could see what it was costing him to go slowly and she wouldn’t interfere. Hell, she planned to enjoy the hell out of it. Smiling, she said, “Get on with it.”
He ran a finger lightly up her foot’s instep and she jerked reflexively and he chuckled. He’d pay for that at some point.
Then, his lips touched her toes, languidly taking one in his mouth, and she sucked in a breath as pleasure surged to her core. Who knew such an exquisite stroke of desire could be found in toes?
One hand explored her legs, up and down, each time getting closer and closer to between her thighs while he continued to kiss her foot, then began a hot, wet path up her leg. At the tender ministrations, her legs fell open for him, eager for more.
He lifted her leg and kissed behind her knee and she moaned as her pussy tightened and her clit throbbed.
Good grief, the man had a long way to go to cover her body. She might not be strong enough to handle it. Then again, she had on their wedding night, even if she couldn’t remember it. They’d replace that night with now and many more encounters to come.
When he kissed the inside of her thigh, her clit pulsed with anticipation. He was so close she felt the roughness of his morning beard as it teased her skin. She needed him to continue closer and closer until he took her in his mouth.
Just as Rylee felt the warm air from his breath at her juncture, he pulled away and went to the toes on her other leg. She could just grab him by the hair and pull him up. She swore the man was laughing while he was making love to her leg.
Finally making it back to her core, his hot breath on her nub, she bucked upward, nearly jumping off the bed. “No more teasing,” she demanded in a raspy whisper.
“No more.” His tongue probed her center and a full-body shiver overtook her. Sliding his tongue up to her clit, he stopped and sucked the bud into this mouth and she whimpered. If possible, her nipples puckered to tighter beads yearning for his touch… his mouth.
Nipping, licking, and sucking her nub, he inserted a finger inside her and she grasped the hair on his head and dropped her head back, closing her eyes at the ecstasy cresting like waves through her body. She felt like an ocean with a delectable storm surge building and only Devon Hamilton could make it happen.
And then it did. Riding a tidal wave of tsunami proportions that swelled from her core to her extremities, she cried out, and her awareness of everything floated with the tide. Weightless. Peaceful. Sated.
“Mm.” When she returned to herself, she looked down to see a smiling Devon with his head resting on her belly, watching her. “Come here.”
His head shook left to right. “No can do. Still more to cover.” With that, he proceeded to blister a path, very rapidly, up her stomach to her breast. Leveraging himself up on one arm, he used the other to circle her erect nipple.
Her body tingling, she didn’t know how much more enjoyable torture she could stand.
Leaning down, he blew on the tip and goose bumps dotted her body. He opened his mouth, acting as if he was about to take the nipple in his mouth but pulled back with a wicked glint sparkling in his eyes. “Nope, arms and back first.”
Digging her fingers in his shoulders, she narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t get up here and get yourself inside me, we are going to have problems. There’ll be other times for you to love my body.”
Launching himself off the bed, she must’ve cried out because he looked at her strange. “Condom,” he explained.
Thank goodness one of them had enough sense to think of protection. The fact he’d brought any wasn’t something she could process at the moment.
After ripping open a foil packet and donning the condom, he crawled back on the bed and angled over her, positioning his erection at her core. “Look up at me.”
Gazes locked, a swell of heat simmering between the two, he entered her, as if testing, then he thrust upward and she cried out at the instant fullness.
A hand lightly stroked her face and his eyes filled with concern. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I guess I got a bit impatient.”
It took a moment, but she was able to smile and mean it. “I’m okay now. Just the shock.” To show she meant it, she moved beneath him.
Dropping his forehead to hers, he groaned. “Christ, you feel so good.”
“You do, too.”
Slowly, finding a seductive rhythm that created a wake within her, Devon took her mouth again, and their kisses were hotter and deeper than before. They bespoke urgent need that skittered along every nerve ending within her.
She clutched desperately at his shoulders as their movements quickened, becoming almost frenzied, and the buildup returned.
Separating their lips, they each attempted to capture gulps of air. “I want you to come one more time.”
“I’m going to. Real soon.” Everything was drawing to her center, drawing tight, ready to explode.
“Then hang on.”
Her muscles tensed and her head fell back. Euphoria rushed heatedly through her, sending her on a momentary break from her body while she floated on the crested waves, and then leaving in its wake, a well-loved woman.
Devon slid off her. They both lay on their back breathing heavily. She looked forward to starting the day like this every day.
“I need another few minutes before I start on the rest of you.”
With nothing else to do for the day, she would happily be his playground. She turned her head to him. “You’re on.”
DEVON HADN’T LIED when he’d promised to love every inch of her. She smiled at his exuberance when he’d covered everywhere. By the time the need for food called them out of bed, it’d been a chore to walk on legs of rubber, but otherwise, she’d felt fantastic. Better than she could ever remember.
She could feel the connection between them. It was strong… powerful.
With no hope of the rain letting up, Rylee continued to relax and enjoy getting to know Devon. The word “marriage” began to flow more easily. It had best because there would never be a divorce. Even though they weren’t in love, she truly believed she had what her mother and Madison’s father began with. Theirs grew to a great love. It could happen to them too.
Sitting at the dining table, she watched Devon work. His long fingers glided across the keyboard and his brow would furl and unfurl as he reviewed new information. He’d successfully pulled everything on Dave’s phone. There’d been a great deal more travel itineraries than she’d found which
put into question the number of potential locations of the girls. Yet, in her heart, she knew Robert Carver was their man and his ranch was the right place. Or at least it had been.
“There are a lot of places for us to check. I’d like to get back to my computer at headquarters. I could probably crack Brent’s phone there too.”
Clearing her throat, she stood and walked toward the kitchen area. “After we search for clues here.” She spun around and faced him, pounding one fist into the other palm in frustration. “I just know this is right.”
Scrutinizing her, his eyes gave nothing away. Did he think she was crazy? Obsessed? She probably was, but her gut….
“If it’s not raining in the morning, we’ll go.” She brightened and he raised his hand to forestall her. “Then we go back to HIS and find these girls.” He stood, walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’ve enjoyed the hell out of my time with you, and we’ll get plenty more. I promise. But, first let’s find Misty and Mandy.”
Her arms wound around his neck and she pulled him close, hugging him tightly. “I could fall in love with you.” She hadn’t meant to tell him that she’d softened so much to him, that she could see them together. It was true though. He’d flipped something in her heart and she wouldn’t fight it.
“That’s what I’m counting on,” was whispered in her ear.
DEVON typed a reply to an e-mail of a potential HIS client on his keyboard. While HIS believed gray areas existed, they didn’t flat out break the law—well, mostly not—as a general rule. His dipping into government servers fell into a gray area as far as he was concerned. So, this client’s request to shoot anyone who even looked at their boss the wrong way was not something they’d ever consider accepting.
His fingers paused as he thought back to earlier that day. He’d worried when he’d first woken from their nap, wondering how Rylee would react waking next to him, buck-ass naked. He held back the concern and waited for her eyes to open. When she’d woken, she’d curled into him, and then after enjoying exploring each other, she’d climbed onto his waiting erection.