by J. H. Croix
“Excellent,” he replied, just as his large palm curled over my thigh.
Damn. Remy had taught me one thing, quite thoroughly. I loved a man with big, strong hands. I regretted the fact we were anywhere public because I could think of all kinds of things I wanted him to do with his oh-so-talented hands.
My attention was drawn away when Maisie said my name. Glancing over, I asked, “Yeah?”
“I asked if you were going to get a dipnetting license this summer.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. I just have to decide where. The Kenai, the Kasilof, or China Poot,” I replied, referencing two rivers and a small bay.
Dipnetting for salmon was a beloved activity for local Alaskans. It was as simple as it sounded—dropping a net in the water to catch the fish as they swam by. While Alaskan salmon of all varieties fetched a pretty penny at retail, residents could pay the fee for the dipnetting license and catch plenty of salmon. Fresh wild salmon straight out of Alaskan waters was a privilege few people got to experience. Being born and raised in Alaska, I knew I was spoiled rotten.
“Dipnetting?” Remy chimed in.
“Oh my God, you haven’t been yet!” Maisie exclaimed. “Remy, you have to go. It’s totally the best. I thought it was crazy when I moved here, and now I’d probably die without it.”
Beck looped his arm over Maisie’s shoulder, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. “My girl is hardcore. Another bonus to kids is we get extra fish for every kid.”
“Oh, now that’s a reason for more kids,” Levi offered with a laugh.
Beck, proud father that he was, simply shrugged. “I think we’re tapped out with two. But it is nice. That’s fifty-five salmon. Last year, from the Kenai, we had over one hundred pounds. We still have a little bit leftover, although I bet we’ll be out in another week or two.”
Remy glanced to me, his eyes still puzzled.
“Okay, dipnetting is a type of fishing. But it doesn’t involve a fishing rod, just a net. Now that you’re a resident, you can get a license. You’ll have to decide where because you can only get a license for one location. Everybody has an opinion on that, but they’re all good, if you ask me. It’s totally a blast, and you have to go. We usually plan a trip down together because parking is a nightmare.”
Beck glanced to Remy. “Dude, it’s combat parking.”
“Well, I love salmon, so I guess sign me up. Where do I get my license?”
Conversation carried on as various opinions were bandied about for the best option for Remy’s first year of dipnetting. None of us stayed late that night, not with Charlie looking as tired as she did. She gave me a few meaningful glances as the evening progressed, and I studiously ignored her.
With Remy’s hand warm on my thigh and his fingers occasionally brushing along that crease near the apex of my thighs, I was in a bit of a state by the time dinner ended.
As the group gradually started to break apart and we were standing by the table, Charlie glanced my way. “You still need a ride?”
Remy’s hand slid down my back as he answered for me. “I can take her home.”
Before I even had a chance to reply, Charlie chirped, “Great. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll pick you up in the morning, okay?”
“You sure you don’t mind giving me a ride?” I asked, glancing up to Remy. The heat banked in his gaze almost took my breath away.
“Absolutely not.”
Dear God, the man could talk about the weather and turn me on. It was just a ride home, but he had me beyond hot and bothered.
With his hand warm on my back and his fingers brushing over the curve of my bottom, we walked out together. My heartbeat was thudding so hard I could hardly hear over the sound of it.
When we stepped into the parking lot, the quiet enveloped us as the door closed. I gulped in a breath of the cool spring air, willing my body to calm down.
My body didn’t listen. It appeared entirely uninterested in anything other than Remy and wondering how fast I could get him inside of me.
The tail lights of Charlie’s car glittered through the almost darkness as she pulled out of the parking lot. A couple walked past us into Wildlands, the sound of the door shutting behind them loud in the quiet. Remy glanced down, reaching for my hand. His grip was warm and strong around mine as we walked toward his truck.
The lights from the lodge glimmered over the waters of Swan Lake behind the parking lot. A raven’s call in the darkness was sharp, the sound of its wings beating through the air audible as it flew above us.
All the while, my pulse pounded madly and my breath was shallow.
As usual, Remy was quite the gentleman. He held the door of his truck open for me, making sure I was settled before closing it behind me. It was just all part and parcel of how he was. After Bruce had made a show of doing things like that when I first met him, I assumed I would be turned off by any man who did anything similar.
Not with Remy, not at all. With him, the sense of strength and protectiveness was so encompassing, I wanted to wrap myself in him. Nothing about him was for show. And yet, he was the most purely raw masculine man I’d ever known.
By the time Remy pulled up in front of my house, I was practically vibrating in the passenger seat. Desire was humming through my veins. He’d driven home with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on my thigh. Whether he meant to drive me crazy with lust, or not, I didn’t know.
His touch was like a hot brand on me. The occasional, seemingly absentminded brush of his thumb across my thigh, right at the juncture of my hip, had turned me into a ball of need. My panties were soaked and my heartbeat fluttered. All the while, butterflies spun in my belly and my entire body tingled with fierce longing.
Chapter Twenty-One
Remy
Somehow, I managed to behave rationally. Which was saying something, considering I contemplated whether or not to just fuck Rachel in my truck when we stopped in front of her house. I’d been on fire since I first laid eyes on her tonight.
The only thing that stopped me was the sound of Henry’s bark from the door. I knew he probably needed a bathroom break. Hence, why I opted against pulling Rachel into my lap and burying myself inside of her right this instant. With his second bark, she looked ahead toward her house, snapping her gaze from mine. We were simply staring at each other in the small cab of my truck.
The air was electric, the way it felt just before a storm hit. Heavy and laden with what was about to come. In this case, the lightning and the thunder were solely between us. We created our own damn weather system.
With lust beating like a drum through my body, I went through the motions, letting her out of my truck, walking up to the door, and even offering to take Henry out. I deserved a fucking medal for my restraint, or so I thought. Rachel stood beside me in the falling darkness. With the days getting longer and longer, I was discovering dusk lasted for hours here in Alaska.
“I came home at lunch and walked him today. I do that almost every day. When it’s not too busy at the office, sometimes I bring him with me,” she explained as she tossed the ball for him. Henry dashed down the small slope behind her house.
Glancing to her, I grinned. “Fetch is an easy way to make him tired.”
As if to answer me himself, Henry raced back to us, promptly dropping the ball at my feet. Lifting the tennis ball, I threw it far, watching as his tail wagged with every step as he dashed into the trees.
“Exactly,” Rachel replied. “A few more throws and we can bring him in, and he’ll collapse. I like to run with him in the morning. That gets him tired enough that I assume he mostly sleeps when I’m not home.” Henry returned with the ball, and I threw it again.
As we turned to walk back in a few minutes later, I reached down to adjust the front of my jeans. My cock had been hard for what felt like hours at this point. Rachel was solely responsible for my state. I wondered if she had any clue just how badly I wanted her.
After we returned inside
and Henry gulped down some water, he selected his preferred chair in the corner and went to sleep. We happened to be standing by the kitchen counter. Reaching out, I caught Rachel’s hand in mine and reeled her to me, letting out a groan when her soft body came against mine.
I was beyond finesse and didn’t care to wait. “I need you,” I murmured, right before bringing my lips to hers. They were soft, her mouth warm and sweet when I swept my tongue inside.
She sighed into my mouth, arching up to me, one hand sliding up over my chest and the other to cup my nape, her fingers teasing in my hair. Our kiss didn’t start slow. It was like diving into fire—tongues tangling, gasps, and groans.
I needed to taste her, everything all at once. With a muttered curse, I broke free, gulping in air. Henry whimpered in his sleep, the sound of his tail wagging against the chair puncturing the haze of need in my mind.
“Bedroom. Now.”
“Yes, please,” she said with a little giggle as she nipped at my neck. The graze of her teeth sent a bolt of heat through my body.
Lifting her against me, I growled when she curled her legs around my waist, rocking her hips into my arousal.
“Damn, sweetheart, you’re killing me.”
I could feel the sweet heat of her through the denim of my jeans and her cotton pants. Tonight, she was wearing whatever she’d worn to work. It was completely practical, and on the surface, there was nothing sexy about it. Yet, on her, simple cotton scrubs were sexy as hell to me.
Shouldering through her bedroom door, I kicked it shut behind me before easing her down. Our clothes came off in a messy tangle. I wasn’t thinking. At all. The single thought that repeated on a loop was more, more, more.
Everything was a blur, all sensation. Somehow, I found myself flat on my back on Rachel’s bed, with her sitting astride me. Her slick pussy slid across my aching cock as she rocked her hips back and forth. Her blue eyes were bright in the dim light, and her nipples pink and damp from when I sucked on them moments ago.
My fingers dug into the generous curve of her hips. She slid back and forth again, shimmying back to lean forward and drag her tongue from the base of my cock to the tip, swiping up the drop of pre-cum rolling out.
“Sweetheart, I need to be in that sweet pussy of yours. Now,” I ordered.
Rachel rose, a slow grin curling her lips as she looked down at me. “Wow, you’re bossy tonight,” she teased.
I wasn’t even thinking. I had my cock in my fist and was lifting her up before I realized I didn’t even have a condom on.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I rolled to the side, wondering where the hell my jeans had fallen on the floor.
Her knees tightened on my hips. She was strong, just strong enough to stop my momentum. “Where the hell are you going?” Her eyes flashed as she looked down at me.
“Condom,” I bit out.
Clearly, she had forgotten as well, her eyes widening. She held still for a moment, simply staring at me. “I’m on the pill. I don’t know…” Her words trailed off when my breath hissed through my teeth.
She started to shift back, but I grabbed her tight again. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Am I sure I’m on the pill?” she countered with a disbelieving laugh. “Of course I’m sure. I’m also clean. I’m a medical assistant, so I’m kind of on top of these things. I also haven’t had sex for over a year. Well, not counting you.”
I’d never had sex without a condom. But I trusted Rachel implicitly.
“I wasn’t doubting you,” I said, reaching up and brushing the messy tangle of her hair off her cheek. “I’ve never had sex without a condom, so it’s a sure thing that I’m clean. But it’s your call, not mine. That’s why I was asking if you were sure.”
We stared at each other for a long moment, and my heart squeezed in my chest. I didn’t know what the hell this was with Rachel. Oh sure, the raw lust I felt for her transcended anything I had ever experienced by a long shot. But it was more than that, much, much more.
Something flickered in the depths of her eyes and then she settled her hips down again, sliding over my achingly hard arousal before rising slightly. Much as I wanted to take control, it was fucking hot as hell to let her take the reins.
Reaching between us, she held the head of my cock at her entrance, almost sending me over the edge instantly. I could feel the sweet, wet heat of her kissing my cock. But I wanted more, and that alone helped me hang on.
She took me into her core slowly—inch by slick inch—until I was buried fully inside of her. I watched her through heavy eyes. She held still, and her gaze snagged with mine.
I couldn’t help myself. I needed to taste her again. Leaning up, I caught her nipple in my mouth, giving it a hard suck and swirling my tongue around it before nipping lightly as I drew away.
Her sharp cry galvanized me. I gripped her hips, following her lead as she rose up and sank down. She took me inside of her slick, tight heat again and again and again. Her fingernails dug into my chest where her hand was resting. When she reached between her thighs and teased her fingers over her glistening wet clit while I drove inside of her, I lost it.
“So fucking hot,” I groaned as my fingers dug into the soft give of her skin.
Her pussy throbbed and then clamped down around my cock as she flew apart, her head arching back with a rough shout of my name.
My own release followed immediately on the heels of hers. Pressure tightened in my balls and at the base of my spine. With an electric pulse, it let loose in a thundering wave through my body. She was so fucking tight, hot, and wet, clenching around me as my release poured into her.
She fell against me with a soft gasp, instantly tucking her head into the crook of my neck. My arms came around her, and I held on tight. My cock twitched with every shuddering clench of her pussy around me.
Closing my eyes, I breathed in the scent and feel of her surrounding me. After a few minutes, she dusted soft kisses on the side of my neck and rose up on an elbow, resting her chin on her hand on my chest.
It was an effort to open my eyes, if only because I was so wiped out from that release. I didn’t know how to read what I saw her eyes, but my heart squeezed like a fist in reply. Lifting a hand, I brushed a few damp locks of hair off her forehead. We were both winded. Hell, I felt as if I’d run a damn marathon.
She smiled softly and asked, “Are you staying?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rachel
If you’ll have me.
Remy’s words echoed in my mind a few days later. As if I would ever have told him no. Sleeping with Remy was heaven. He was strong and warm and held me close all night. I knew this because he’d been there every night since then, and I was busy wondering if I was crazy.
People tell you things about how you’ll know love when you feel it. You read about fairytales and think it’ll never happen for you. You know, those silly stories about how you’ll know right away when someone is THE ONE. All caps because, well, just because.
When I met Remy when he first moved to Willow Brook, I hadn’t thought he was the one. But then, the first time I met him was only months after everything blew up with Bruce. My bruises had faded on the outside, but not on the inside. Those had been deep, so deep I still ached a little bit when I thought about it now, more than a year later.
I hadn’t thought any man could be the one for me. I was quite certain no woman could be blind to Remy’s charms. The force of his presence was so potent and so powerful, I imagined a person could just feel it.
Now though… now, I knew what it felt like to be with him. I knew that feeling about thinking someone could be the elusive One. Whatever happened with Remy and me, I doubted I would ever feel this again. It was too rare, too special.
After what I’d been through before, I imagined actually trusting a man on that bone-deep level would’ve been largely impossible. Yet, that was how deeply I trusted Remy. It didn’t make a lick of sense, because we hadn’t known each other that long, not
intimately.
I felt utterly and completely safe with him. So safe that when he was rather commanding when we were intimate, I loved it. Just thinking about it made my cheeks warm. Last night, when he slapped me on the ass and told me he wanted me bent over by the kitchen counter so he could make that fantasy come true, I hadn’t even hesitated. I flung my T-shirt off, shimmied out of my jeans, and bent over.
The silk of my panties had been drenched, and he hadn’t wasted much time getting rid of them before burying his cock deeply inside of me and leaving me boneless by the time it was over. So sated and weak, he had to carry me to bed.
Tomorrow was Friday, and I was thinking I wanted Remy to myself all weekend. To make matters worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it, it wasn’t just the sex. The sex was incredible, beyond incredible. But it was more than that.
It was the fact that Henry adored him, and that Remy never made assumptions about me, or about what I wanted. It was the fact that while he could be so commanding, and frankly alpha, when we were intimate, his presence was like velvet steel. I knew he’d never hurt me. I knew he completely respected me.
Before Bruce, I hadn’t encountered any man who sort of swept me off my feet. In hindsight, what happened with Bruce wasn’t that he swept me off my feet. Rather, he charmed me at first. Then, over the course of that first month with him, he discombobulated me and threw me off balance emotionally.
I confused that—that intensity, that sense of being overwhelmed—with the concept of falling for someone. Because I was terrified, and I hadn’t known how to recognize it. I’d slow walked right into a disastrous, distractive relationship.
With Remy, I was also terrified, but for entirely different reasons. The only worry was that he might break my heart. This headlong rush into such emotional and sexual intensity left me feeling raw and vulnerable. The moorings inside keeping me emotionally safe had torn loose unexpectedly.