In Time for Love

by Kessily Lewel

  He shifted his angle, moving down towards the warm heat of her sex. She moaned when she felt him pressing against her entrance and lifted her hips to help him slide home. She was slippery with arousal and hungry to have him inside of her, but he took it slowly, as he'd done with everything in their relationship so far, pushing his way inside her one inch at a time, despite her attempts to hurry him along.

  She was whining with need and gripping his upper arms so tightly, her nails dug into his flesh when he finally relented and gave her what she wanted. He drew back, until he nearly pulled free of her body, and then snapped his hips forward in one hard thrust that rocked her against the bed. She cried out a wordless sound of pleasure as he filled her. The suddenness was just short of painful and exactly what she needed.

  "Yes, please, deep, just like that!" she gasped. She didn't always like it hard and deep, sometimes it could be too uncomfortable, especially if she wasn't ready for it, but the long buildup had her more than ready. She wanted, she needed to feel like she'd been claimed by him, and she rarely came from penetration unless it was just at the edge of being too much.

  And he gave her that, hips thrusting, strain in every line of his body as he fought to hold out. After the long wait, he was in no rush to be done with it, but it was a struggle, especially when, after seven or eight strokes, she spasmed around his staff with a cry of pure pleasure.

  He slowed to shallow movements and eased out of her, and when she realized what was happening, she gave him a confused look. "But you didn't…"

  "Oh, we're not done just yet, darlin'," he assured her with a dry chuckle. Suddenly, she found herself being rolled over onto her belly. He gripped her by the hips and tugged her up onto her knees, leaning down to nip her lower back, just above her ass. "Thought you might appreciate this position, it's a deeper angle and it has some benefits—" His hand slapped down across her ass, and she made a startled sound and fell forward on her elbows. "—like that."

  He pulled her back by the hips, holding her there as he drove into her heat again, and this time, he was able to hit the deepest parts of her easily. She buried her face in the covers to muffle the sounds she was making as he stroked hard, hitting just the right spot. This position had always been her favorite; it felt so submissive to be taken from behind, and the spanking, of course, was part of that. This seemed so much more intense than anything she'd experienced before, though, and she was almost out of her mind with sensation.

  He moved in a steady rhythm that had his hand smacking her ass with every thrust, alternating sides so the sting never overwhelmed her or dampened her arousal. If anything, the rapidly reddening ass was heightening it and a third orgasm rocked her body. Her clit pulsed hard as she tightened around his length, and it was his turn to cry out as he got closer to the edge himself.

  He tried to hold back a little longer; she could hear it in the way he groaned through gritted teeth and how tight and controlled his movements felt, but a few more deep thrusts and he lost the battle. He spanked her once more and then his fingers found her hips, gripping painfully as his body stiffened and the orgasm rolled over him.

  The fight to regain control lasted long enough for him to plow her sex with a short series of erratic strokes before he started to soften and slid out of her. He was panting, and so was she. She rolled over onto her side to watch him as he removed the condom and tossed it in the trashcan by the bed. The urge to lie there lazily and drift away on the haze of pleasure was strong but she forced herself to get up and go to the bathroom.

  She grinned as she tossed him a wet washcloth to clean himself before shutting the door so she could pee and take care of her own mess. She felt sticky with sweat and her own juices, but she was too tired for a shower. She washed quickly at the sink, laughing as she recalled that her grandmother had always called that 'a whore's bath'. Her grandmother had been a tad judgmental and would probably think the name fit the situation, but Katherine had never been able to just roll over and sleep after sex, not without washing up first.

  When she was as clean as she was going to get, she had to pause to admire the work he'd done on her backside. She hadn't felt it at the time, but he must have been spanking pretty hard some of the time, because there were vivid red handprints all over her ass. She ran her fingers over the outlines, feeling content with the whole evening, and she loved seeing the marks of his hands on her flesh—even if it was starting to throb now that the pleasure endorphins were dying off.

  She stepped out of the bathroom to find he'd pulled the covers back and gotten underneath, looking pleased with himself. Propped up with several pillows behind him, he looked comfortable. She crawled in next to him, curling up at his side as they discussed their plans for the day in Mexico and she tried to stay awake. Judging by the yawns, he was having similar trouble.

  She shifted to get comfortable, sprawling across his chest, her legs tangled with his, listening to the patter of his heartbeat. Her pulse had finally slowed as she recovered from the enthusiastic activity, but her mind wandered from the vacation plans into deeper subjects. It had just been sex, and she'd had sex many times, but this time had felt different. When their bodies had joined, she'd felt a deeper connection click into place, and she didn't know how to explain it, but it was still there.

  It sounded silly, even in her head, so she couldn't imagine trying to tell him what she'd felt; that jarring feeling of complete rightness that had nearly overwhelmed her when he'd thrust, plunging deep inside of her from behind. It was like suddenly recognizing a long-lost friend in a crowd…or realizing that you were exactly where you were meant to be. It was ridiculous to feel something so intense over sex, and she tried to tell herself that it was just the hormones, but she couldn't dismiss the fact that she felt happier and safer with him than she'd ever felt with anyone.

  It was funny how things worked out, but she'd never felt this with Christopher. This whirlwind romance had come out of nowhere just when she needed it most, and she'd thought sex would finally fill that craving she'd been enduring, but it hadn't She still wanted him just as much, but maybe what she'd been mistaking for physical need was more than that.

  She laughed, and the hand that had been stroking her hair stilled. "What's funny?" he asked, curiously.

  "Nothing just…how everything worked out, I guess. I got on this ship with a broken heart, probably the lowest point in my life, and now I'm floating on clouds," she said after a long pause to get her words in order.

  "Ah, yeah, life's like that. The highest highs come after the lowest lows," he agreed. After a short pause, he asked, "Do you regret it? Meeting me—this?"

  "Hell no, Jack! Seriously, I-I'm not even sure I'd be here if it wasn't for you. I'm not suicidal, but I was being reckless, and when I fell on the balcony and the world dropped away, I swear, I thought I was a goner," she said with a certainty in her tone. "And then you caught me, like a hero."

  His hand started to move again, smoothing down over her curls until it came to rest at her lower back, and he pulled her tighter against his side protectively. "I'm glad I was there, just in the nick of time," he said quietly.

  There was something in his voice that made her tilt her head back to look up at him. He had that shadowed look in his eyes, like he was holding something back from her. She sighed, always the secrets with this man. "You know, you said you'd tell me everything when I took the anklet off," she pointed out.

  "That's not exactly what I said," he said, his eyebrow rising. "But I did say we'd discuss it—it's just not going to happen tonight." There was a firmness to his words that said arguing would be pointless, but she had to try.

  "Why not tonight?" she demanded, half-sitting up to look at him. Her eyes narrowed and there was a frown threatening. "You offered earlier."

  "Because it's going to be a long, intense conversation, and tomorrow we're in Cozumel. I guarantee you're going to want to be well-rested, because there's a lot to do there," he said reasonably.

  It was hard to d
ebate that. She was tired down to her bones, even though they really hadn't walked much that day. It was more of an emotional tiredness; all the mood swings and whipping from happy to sad had done a number on her in the past couple of days, too. That, and she really hadn't expected so much physical activity. When she'd planned for the cruise, she'd pictured a lot of lying on sandy beaches and relaxing, but she had enjoyed every excursion he'd taken her on, so it was worth it.

  The expected frown appeared and then she sighed. "You have a point, but when we get back—"

  "When we get back, we'll discuss it. I'm not promising to tell you everything, but we'll make a start and then see how it goes," he agreed.

  "But—" She wanted to know everything, and she started to say so, but his hand moved down to her ass and settled there as if in warning, and she decided maybe she'd just let things play out before arguing. No sense risking another spanking when it might not even be necessary. She settled back against him with a huff of annoyance, resting her head just above his heart. The beat had a slow, lulling tempo that threatened to pull her into sleep, and she let it.

  Chapter 5

  She awoke to find herself in bed alone. He'd gone at some point in the early morning hours. She looked over at the alarm, vaguely remembering that he'd set it before they fell asleep, and saw that it was about to go off. She groaned and rolled across the bed to shut it off quickly, before the blaring sound could start, and then she nestled under the blankets and started to fall asleep again.

  Just as she started to dream, the door opened and the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the room. "Time to get up, Kitten. We've got a big day ahead," he said cheerfully and far too loudly.

  She growled something that probably would have gotten her in trouble if it had been more than a mumbled complaint, but he just laughed. He set a cup of coffee on the nightstand closest to her and walked over to open the drapes, filling the room with sunlight. She squealed like a vampire in an old movie and dragged the blanket over her head.

  They'd been up late, and she was tired, which partly explained the lack of enthusiasm for getting up. She was also used to getting her cranky butt up alone and not having to deal with cheerful people until she'd had her first cup of coffee. Even when she'd stayed over at Christopher's house, she'd been the first up to make coffee, giving herself plenty of time to wake up before she brought him a cup.

  "There's a special place in Hell for people who smile in the morning," she informed him. Her tone was surly but he ignored it and picked up the coffee, pushing it into her cupped hands.

  "Uh-huh, how about you drink this, because I can only imagine how much your mood will be improved by a spanking first thing in the morning," he said, teasing, but with a hint of warning there.

  She glared at him, but grudgingly pried the lid off the paper cup and sniffed the thick aroma of expensive hand-ground coffee beans. He'd noticed how she preferred it at breakfast and had ordered it with cream and two sugars—she gave him points for that.

  "You're not usually so grumpy in the morning," he commented as he took a seat next to her.

  She took a long sip, ignoring the fact that it burned her mouth, and then yawned as she pointed at the coffee pot across the room. "That's because I've usually had two cups of coffee before you see me," she informed him.

  He chuckled, shaking his head. "That explains it, I guess. I got up early to go shower and change. You looked so peaceful sleeping, I tried not to wake you up, but I knew the alarm would be going off soon, so I stopped on the way back to get you some coffee." He paused. "You're welcome," he said pointedly.

  Manners weren't her strong suit when she was half-awake, but her common sense was intact and she knew it wasn't a good idea to be too pissy with a dominant man. "Thank you, Jack. I appreciate it," she said sweetly. Maybe a little too much sugar in the tone, as his eyes narrowed, but he let it go.

  "You should shower and get dressed, Katherine. We docked an hour ago, so if you want breakfast before we go ashore, you need to hurry," he said.

  She sighed and took her dismal morning mood and her coffee into the bathroom for a long shower. By the time the cup was empty and all the hot water gone, she was moderately more sociable and even managed a smile as she stepped out in a towel to hunt for clothes. "Sorry, I'm not used to waking up to people. I've lived alone since high school, and even then, I never saw my parents in the morning," she explained, tugging a pair of shorts and a t-shirt out of the drawers. "It takes a little while to humanize myself."

  He snorted, "I noticed. Always been a morning person, myself. Farm people, you know? Up at the crack of dawn to milk things." He leaned back, letting his arms hold take his weight, and watched as she got dressed.

  She shuddered, and only part of it was for dramatic effect. "That sounds terrible. I'm so sorry for you," she said in a syrupy sympathetic voice meant to tease him for the hardship. She got the laugh she was going for as she finished dressing. "Give me a second, and I'll be ready," she assured him. She ducked back into the bathroom to run a comb carefully through her tangled curls and brush her teeth. She skipped the make-up, as she'd been doing for most of the trip, since the heat and activity tended to just leave it in streaks.

  Ten minutes later, they were on their way to breakfast, choosing a buffet line over a sit-down seating for a speedy meal, and in under half an hour, they were off the ship and ready for their day in Mexico.

  "So, what's the plan, Mr. Secretive?" she asked, because while they'd discussed things in general, there had been no specifics given, and every time she asked, he gave her a smug look of someone with a secret. Well, he had a lot of secrets, but as far as their destinations, they'd all been good so far, so she didn't press too hard.

  "Today, we'll be renting a Jeep," he announced, leading her across the dock to a lot filled with vehicles for tourists.

  She looked surprised; renting a vehicle in a strange country had never occurred to her. Of course, left to her own devices, she'd probably never have gotten off the ship, except maybe for a guided excursion group. "Really? Are you allowed to drive here? Don't you need a license or something?" she asked. Did they even drive on the same side of the road here? She wasn't sure.

  "'Course, we can, American licenses work for tourists here," he assured her. And twenty minutes later, they were roaring out of the lot in an open Jeep. Her hair tangled in the breeze as he pulled onto the street and started driving like he knew exactly where he was going.

  "It amazes me that you know these places so well!" she said loudly, to be heard above the wind whipping by.

  "It took a lot of traveling," he said, and that was all.

  She sat back and watched the scenery going by, wondering what he had in mind. At first, there were tourists and shops that catered to them everywhere she looked, but eventually, things thinned out until it seemed mostly rural, and she figured he probably had another hidden place in mind that only the residents visited. It was exciting knowing she was seeing things most tourists didn't get to see.

  "How much longer?" she asked after a while. It seemed like they'd been driving for ages, and the vehicle they'd rented wasn't exactly the smoothest ride. If they kept going much further, she was going to need a bathroom break.

  "About twenty minutes," he said. He paused. "Maybe twenty-five until we park and then we've got a long walk from there."

  She sighed, making a face. There'd been so much walking on this trip. "Are there bathrooms anywhere?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Yep, where we'll be parking, there are public restrooms; after that, we'll be roughing it, but I packed for the trip," he said, jerking his chin over his shoulder at the backpack wedged in behind their seats.

  "Any chance of you telling me where we're going?" she asked, one eyebrow going up in question.

  "Wait and see, you'll love it. I promise," he said.

  Just over twenty minutes later, they pulled into a small gravel parking area. As promised, there was a somewhat dilapidated looking rest area with bathrooms a
nd an old coin-operated soda machine that didn't look like it had seen much use in the previous decade. She hurried into the facilities, and by the time she came back, he'd hefted his bulky backpack onto his shoulders and was ready to go.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  "Yeah, how far are we walking?" she asked. Her feet were okay at the moment, but she knew it wouldn't be long before the soreness set in, and her tote was a pain to carry. She wished she'd thought to buy a backpack for the trip.

  He looked at his watch thoughtfully and then at the sky. "About an hour, and we should hurry," he said, taking her arm and giving her a gentle tug onto the path behind him.

  "Hurry? Why? We have all day. The ship doesn't leave until late," she said, frowning as she started walking. The narrow path wasn't wide enough for them to walk astride, so she was stuck staring at his back as he led the way.

  "Going to rain in a little over an hour, and we want to be there before it starts," he called over his shoulder.

  "How could you even know that?" she complained, stopping to look up. There was barely a cloud in sky. "It doesn't look like rain!" she shouted at his retreating figure. He didn't stop, and after a few seconds, she sighed and hurried to catch up to him.

  "Trust me," he said. He sounded completely confident, but she kept looking up to confirm his forecast, shaking her head every time she saw only the usual perfect blue.

  When the path curved around, she saw nothing but thick trees ahead of them. It was so dense and lush that she couldn't wait to get under them, especially because it looked much cooler under the branches, and she was sweating from the walk already. It was the first tropical forest she'd ever seen, and her desire to stop and take pictures of the beautiful flowers was constantly thwarted by him encouraging her to move faster. But every time the sky broke through the trees, it looked clear, and she was getting frustrated with the rush.

  And then, at almost exactly an hour, the clouds rolled in. She noticed the sudden shadows even there under the trees, as the bright sunlight that filtered down vanished and a drop of rain landed on her cheek, startling her into looking up. "I can't believe you were right," she blurted.