Paws and Prejudice

by Alanna Martin

  He caught himself before answering affirmatively. Kelsey grinned, and the evening was off to a great start, because now that would be all he could think about.

  To be fair, he hadn’t thought about much else prior to coming over. His shower time had, in fact, included many thoughts about Kelsey and sex, which Ian had told himself was okay since it was wisest to get the urge out of his system before he saw her. Only now that he was face-to-face with her in all her fake-perky glory, he realized it had been a futile effort. Simply watching Kelsey turn around and pick up the lamp had stirred his body. Her bringing up sex, even jokingly, had done him in.

  “I wouldn’t recommend it. If you want a sturdy surface for that, I’d suggest a wall. Or maybe try the sofa if you’re looking for something new.” He, for one, was definitely having thoughts about how they could use the sofa.

  Kelsey made a noise Ian couldn’t quite fathom. “Interesting. I note you didn’t suggest a bed, which seems like the first piece of furniture that would jump to most people’s minds.”

  Ian assumed it wasn’t smart to admit that if he had the chance to act on all the ideas running through his head, they’d never make it up her stairs. So he settled for the next, less risky excuse. “I assumed your dogs were up there.”

  Kelsey laughed and ducked into the kitchen. “Aha! So you assumed that you would be involved in this hypothetical sex. I see how it is.”

  She had him there, and Ian cringed. “I can be a little self-centered, but it would definitely not be me involved. Not again.”

  Never, no way.

  Damn it. He shouldn’t be here if he meant it.

  “Right.” Kelsey agreed too quickly. “It was a one-shot deal.”

  “Exactly.”

  Hands on her hips, she stood next to her counter, and Ian couldn’t help thinking the counter would work fine too. Kelsey’s jeans were tight, the sweater she wore long and loose. The dark brown material swallowed her upper body, and he wondered if that was deliberate. If she was trying to make herself look less tempting. If so, it didn’t work. The sweater wasn’t exactly sexy, but it was cozy, and it left him to imagine what she was wearing underneath it.

  Of course, the most likely scenario was that Kelsey had chosen her clothes with no regard to him whatsoever. After all, there wasn’t going to be anything else between them, so why should she? Although in that case, she had more willpower than he did, since he’d made a point to shave while showering.

  Ian realized he was staring, but then, so was she. It was Kelsey who snapped out of it first though. “Before I forget—I bought you something.”

  Shaking off his daze, Ian watched her retrieve a couple of bags from a corner of the kitchen. “You bought me something?”

  Kelsey cleared her throat self-consciously as she handed over the bags. “You fixed my table, so consider it a thank-you present. Besides, I’d feel guilty if you died in your truck this winter when I could have helped prevent it.”

  Peering into the bags, Ian discovered a snowbrush, one of those blankets like the one she had in her car, and several other familiar items. Since his trip with Kelsey, he had made a list of equipment to buy, and it looked like she’d gone and gotten about half of it for him. Unexpected warmth bloomed in Ian’s chest. Kelsey hadn’t needed to get him anything for fixing her table, but this was both kind and thoughtful. How had she convinced everyone in this town that she was mean?

  Well, okay, he knew how. She was very good at being sarcastic and standoffish. But Ian was beginning to see how pretty much everything he’d initially thought about Kelsey was an act.

  Realizing he was gaping again, Ian closed the bags and set them down. “Thank you. That wasn’t necessary, but your concern for my well-being is appreciated.”

  Kelsey’s cheeks had turned a charming shade of pink. “Don’t read too much into it. My brother likes your beer, so I’m trying to protect his interests. Anyway, dinner?”

  At her request, Ian had picked up burgers and fries on the way over, and they were getting cold.

  Kelsey carried the bag and a bunch of napkins to the kitchen table. “Are you ready? Trust me, Juliet will be way more interested in the food than she will be in you.”

  Ready? No, he probably was not, but the thing that had helped him cope last time was not going to be an option. Ian attempted to feign confidence. “Sure. Ready.”

  He took a few deep breaths while Kelsey ran upstairs to get Juliet. There was less barking tonight. Kelsey had told him that her brother had the other two dogs. Kevin was working on socializing his puppy, so Romeo and Puck were on loan to him for the evening. It had worked out well, and she’d promised Ian that Kevin didn’t know why she was keeping Juliet at home.

  “You aren’t the only one with anxiety issues,” Kelsey had said. “Romeo gets antsy around other dogs, but Kevin’s puppy was so little when they first met that Romeo tolerated him. I figure it’s good for both dogs to be in each other’s company.”

  Ian tried to take some reassurance from the knowledge that dogs got anxiety, but it just left him to ponder whether apex predators like lions or bears occasionally suffered from nerves too.

  “Look who’s here!” Kelsey’s voice barely carried over Juliet’s excited barking.

  Ian forced himself to hold still. Like last time, Kelsey had the husky on her leash, but she was giving the dog more lead than before.

  “You remember Ian, right?” Kelsey patted the dog’s head, then looked his way. “Hold out your hand again.”

  He let himself be sniffed, then surprised everyone by laughing when Juliet’s nose tickled his hand.

  “Good girl. You didn’t jump.” Kelsey gave Juliet more freedom and pointed to the food bowl in the kitchen corner. “Go get your dinner.”

  The husky’s ears perked up and she charged over, sprinting right past Ian, who hastily stepped to the other side of the table.

  “See?” Kelsey said. “She knows the difference between you and food.”

  “I suppose that elevates her above the mosquitoes.”

  “Never compare my dogs to mosquitoes.” Kelsey looped the leash around her chair. “Now sit and eat before she comes over to beg for your burger.”

  “No fear—begging will not work on me. I’m immune to doggie charms.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kelsey opened her wrapper. “But you do like making women beg, and I won’t have you torturing my dog.”

  The memory of Kelsey telling him to get inside me shot through Ian like a lightning bolt. He maintained that she hadn’t been begging, more like demanding, but it hardly mattered. His cock hardened, and he quickly grabbed a seat before it became noticeable.

  “So what movie are we watching after dinner?” Kelsey asked. “Assuming you last that long, that is.”

  “Oh, I can last.” He didn’t mean to turn her comment into sexual innuendo—or did he? Ian wasn’t sure, but watching Kelsey pop a fry into her mouth was not helping his state of mind.

  Her lips twitched. “I meant with my dog around.”

  “So did I.”

  Kelsey narrowed her eyes. “I question this. Greatly.”

  Was that in reference to him lasting, or to his meaning? “You did not just doubt my stamina.”

  “The anxiety would do you in.” Kelsey shook her head. “You’d be too nervous to keep yourself together.”

  “We are talking about watching a movie, right?”

  She opened her eyes innocently, but that expression didn’t fool Ian in the slightest. Someone help him, because the desire to kiss her was overriding every rational nerve in his body.

  “What else would I be talking about?” Kelsey asked.

  Ian swallowed the pickle slice that had fallen from his burger, hoping the salt would somehow ground him, but he barely tasted it. He was too busy concentrating on the fact that Kelsey was trying to pin the blame for this conversation o
n him. “I don’t know, but you’re the one who keeps bringing up sex. And I’m just saying, if you have any doubts about my abilities in that regard, you’re welcome to investigate them yourself.”

  “I do not keep bringing up sex.”

  “Yes, you do. And each time you do, my cock notices. I assure you, if you question whether being around your dog would prevent me from getting hard, the proof is under your table.”

  “I am not interested in the state of your cock.” The color flooding Kelsey’s cheeks and the way she bit her lip suggested otherwise.

  “Uh-huh.” He mimicked her tone from a moment ago.

  Kelsey scowled, only it was a lousy scowl, because while her lips twisted, her eyes conveyed something very different. Amusement. Desire. And she claimed he was a tease?

  “Fine.” Kelsey tossed her hair. “I’ll make an exception for science. If what you’re saying is true, your anxiety issues must be improving. It’s a breakthrough.”

  In a way, that was true. Ian had gone probably thirty seconds without once thinking about Juliet. Mostly because, in those thirty seconds, he’d been thinking solely about pushing Kelsey up against her sofa and sinking himself inside her.

  “We should test that theory,” Ian said. “For science.”

  “For your therapy.”

  “I think it would be extremely therapeutic.” It was also getting to the point where it was feeling like a necessity. Jerking off in the shower earlier had not done one whit to ease the current rampage in his balls.

  “That would be the only reason, though, right?” Kelsey asked. “We’re not breaking some promise to never have sex again without a purpose.”

  “I don’t think we ever promised anything,” Ian said. “We were in agreement before, and now we’re agreeing this would be a wise move instead—for science.”

  “Makes sense.” Kelsey stood and tied Juliet’s leash around the fridge handle. The husky looked at her questioningly, then lay back down next to her food bowl, seemingly content and full. “That should hold her. There are some activities even I don’t want my dogs involved in. But be aware, she can probably make it as far as the living room if she decides to stop being lazy.”

  In that case . . . Abandoning dinner, Ian jumped up and darted into the living room. “I’ll wait for you over here.”

  “Smooth.” Kelsey followed him at a much more leisurely pace. “Watch out for the corner table. I hear it might not be up to the task.”

  “No worries. I’ve been thinking about the sofa myself.”

  Kelsey stopped a couple of inches from him, close enough that Ian could detect whatever light scent she was wearing and feel her breath against his body. Far enough that he still had to move to touch her, and he resolutely stuck his hands in his pockets.

  “What did you have in mind?” she asked.

  What didn’t he have in mind was a better question. Considering how much thought he’d been putting into this scenario—a scenario he wasn’t supposed to be acting on, damn it—Ian had too many plans.

  “First, you’re going to take that sweater off.” He curled his hands into fists so he couldn’t do it for her. “Then I’m going to get down on my knees, and I’m going to kiss you, and lick you, and suck every inch of you until your legs give out. Then I’m going to carry you over to the sofa, lay you across the arm, and bury myself inside you until you come again. How does that sound?”

  Kelsey whimpered, which Ian took as an initial good sign. Wetting her lips, she yanked off the sweater and tossed it aside. The T-shirt she’d been wearing underneath followed, leaving her in a lacy black bra. It was such the antithesis of the bulky sweater that, even if she hadn’t meant it to be, it felt like a surprise gift just for him. He wanted to peel back the fabric and taste her breasts, too, and he wasn’t sure he was tall enough while kneeling. And a plan was a plan—he’d stick to what he’d said.

  Kelsey smiled in a way that suggested her choice of underwear had been deliberate after all, and she closed the distance between them. “I will never get tired of hearing you say ‘fuck.’ ”

  “Thanks to you, I’ve been saying it a lot lately in my head.”

  “Then you’d better get on with it.” She grabbed the waistband of his pants and stood on her toes to kiss him.

  Her mouth was an explosion of sensation over his, lips crashing and tongues tangling. He cupped her breasts and squeezed lightly, recalling she’d liked that last time, and they both moaned in unison.

  “God, Ian.” Kelsey’s hot hands pressed against his stomach.

  He dropped to his knees, trailing kisses down her throat, the sweet spot between her breasts, and her stomach as he went. The button on her jeans was torture. The zipper was like thunder in his ears. Peeling them off revealed that her bottoms matched the bra, and Ian smiled. He couldn’t even recall the color of her underwear from last time, but he could slow himself down long enough now to burn the image of her into memory.

  Because damn it, there would not be a third time.

  “You’re beautiful.” With his face just brushing her skin, her scent was intoxicating.

  Kelsey wrapped her fingers around a fistful of his hair. “Say it again.”

  “You’re beautiful.”

  She tightened her grip, knowing he’d said what he had to tease her. “Not that.”

  “No?” Ian ran his teeth along the smooth patch of her stomach between her lacy waistband and her belly button, and Kelsey’s breath hitched. As much as he liked her being demanding, he might like even more his ability to render her speechless. To make her only noises into short, breathy gasps. She delighted him with several as Ian lowered himself farther into a better position, nipping at the silky, damp fabric on the way down.

  One by one, he kissed her legs. Down the left thigh to the knee, then up the right. Kelsey wobbled, and he held her tighter, his hands slipping under her panties and grabbing her ass. He had to pause at last, breathing deeply himself to calm the cry of need in his groin.

  “Oh my God.” Kelsey relaxed her fingers as he took his breath. “I don’t know how you do that.”

  To be honest, he wasn’t sure how he was doing this either. This going slow was killing him, yet he was loving every moment of it. There might be nothing hotter than listening to Kelsey moan.

  “Oh, we’re just getting started,” Ian said, forcing a bravado he wasn’t feeling. “Better hold on again.”

  Sliding his hands around to the front of her, he hooked his thumbs around the lace and pulled the fabric down to her knees. Kelsey inhaled sharply and stiffened with anticipation. Not that he could make her wait long. Ian pressed a kiss between her legs and ran his tongue over the slick heat lower down. It didn’t seem possible that she should taste so good, but her skin was like a drug. Kelsey shook and cried out, but she parted her legs wider, giving him better access. Not demanding this time, but perfectly receptive and uninhibited in the noises she made for him. Ian licked her again and again, light and teasing, until Kelsey’s knees began to buckle and the “Please” she uttered actually sounded like begging. Then he finally suckled the spot she’d been waiting for, and damn if he didn’t almost come alongside her.

  17

  IAN HAD SAID he’d make her legs give out, and Kelsey shouldn’t have doubted him. The man wasn’t making idle boasts. She swayed on her feet, clutching him around the neck to keep upright. What in the world was going on here? The things he did to her body, the noises he elicited from her throat—she hadn’t thought people could actually do those things to one another. She’d certainly never thought her brain could shut down the way it did when Ian touched her. After the way Anthony had messed with her head, it seemed like it ought to be impossible for her to relax so much. But she hadn’t worried once about being with Ian like this, just as Ian didn’t seem to be worrying about her dog in the next room.

  Ian pressed a kiss against her s
tomach as her trembling slowed down. “Ready for the sofa?”

  There ought to be nothing left of her, but looking down at him, Kelsey was surprised to discover she was more than ready. Ian’s eyes twinkled and his lips turned upward in what should have been an utterly smug expression. Instead, Kelsey found it charming and sexy as hell.

  “Always ready.” She kicked her jeans off the rest of the way as Ian carried her over to the couch, also exactly as he’d promised. Setting her down on the arm, he kissed her again. His mouth was delicious but not enough, and she tugged on his shirt. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  “My apologies.” Ian tossed off his shirt, and there, that was better.

  Kelsey was glad he hadn’t taken offense at being called pretty, because he really was like a perfect statue brought to life. Perhaps there was a better word for him—and perhaps, as a writer, she should be able to think of it—but when she was looking at him, her words failed her.

  Ian stepped out of his pants, and that was better still. Even his cock was perfect. Kelsey had never thought of male genitalia as being attractive, but his might be the exception. He was hard as a marble statue, too, as she wrapped her hand around him.

  Ian closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. “You’d better be careful with that.”

  “Or what?” She lowered her head and took the tip of him in her mouth. She never had gotten the chance to do this last time, but she’d wasted enough hours thinking about it. His skin tasted good and salty, and she was enjoying herself too much to worry about whether she was doing this right. The noises coming from Ian’s throat sure made it sound like she was doing well enough.

  “Condom.” Ian pulled away and began going through his jeans.

  Too amused by this to protest, Kelsey leaned back against the couch arm. “If you don’t have one, I’m going to be most upset.”

  “Oh, I have one. I shouldn’t, because I shouldn’t have a need for one, but I did bring one.”

  “How presumptuous.” How adorably insufferable.

  “More like hopeful. Or maybe terrible, since we aren’t supposed to be doing this.”