by J. M. Madden
When he pulled away from her mouth, he was grinning. “You’re asking for trouble,” he warned.
That damn inner devil of hers demanded that she push his limits. Running her fingers over the spot again, a little harder, she quirked a brow at him in a dare.
With a movement quicker than she could follow, he had spun her around till she was face down on the mattress. She felt his fingers in her own sides and she gasped. “Oh, don’t you dare! Roger!”
In her own bravado, she’d forgotten how very ticklish she was. Roger laid on top of her, full length, his hands beneath her arm pits. Cass gasped and wiggled, but that only made Roger’s fingers move into her skin. She stilled, quivering, laughing.
“I’m not moving,” he told her softly, kissing her at the nape of her neck. “I’m just exploring, like you were, right?”
“Right,” she gasped, trying not to break into giggles.
Roger’s hands glided down her sides, and she was surprised that she could barely tell the difference between his two hands. They moved exactly the same, the only difference was, the prosthetic skin caught on the fabric of her T, dragging it a little.
Then she lost her train of thought because he tugged the T-shirt up her back.
Cass tried not to wince in embarrassment, but it was really hard. Her weight had been an issue for such a long time. She’d taught herself over the years to be carefree, like it didn’t hurt at all what people said or did. But in times like these, when her body was under such intense scrutiny, all those insecurities flooded back. Yes, in the past couple of years she’d learned to eat better and exercise more, but the weight she’d lost didn’t seem to matter right this second.
Roger ran a finger down the center of her spine, brushing the shirt up and out of his way. Then his hand swept out to cup her side, in almost the same area she’d been tickling him.
Her skin crept away from his touch, quivering, and he chuckled deeply as she squirmed beneath his weight. “Oh, baby, you are just a wonder. I think you’re as ticklish as I am right here. That wasn’t very smart, daring me, was it? It left you very vulnerable.”
She gasped as he ran the lightest of touches over the spot again. “No,” she gasped, voice high. “I’m sorry, Roger. I won’t do it again. That was a bad move on my part.”
“Mm,” he murmured. Then he shifted and his lower hips flexed into her.
Cass gasped for a completely different reason. She had a startling flashback of that hard length moving inside her last night, and a frisson of need sliced through her. Her hips shifted on the mattress.
Roger stilled above her. “Damn woman. One little move and you’ve got me rock hard. It’s this perfect damn ass, pushing up into me. You know I’m going to have to fuck you like this, soon.”
“Why not now?” she asked, doing a little circular grind.
“Because I only had one condom with me, damn it. And we used it last night.”
“There’s a strip of condoms in the top drawer of the dresser behind you,” she whispered.
Roger froze for a moment, and she almost thought she could feel the pulse tighten his dick even further, before he pushed off of her. She heard him yank open the drawer and go rifling through her panties, then the unmistakable sound of a foil wrapper being ripped open. She glanced over her shoulder and had to draw in a breath.
Roger Stottsberry had the nicest dick she’d ever seen. Last night he’d been kind of hidden, but this morning he stood proudly before her, ready. He glanced at her lying on the bed and something flared in his eyes before he moved behind her. Cass felt him grip the sides of her sleep pants and drag them down and off her feet. Then his strong hands spanned over her ass cheeks, measuring, feeling, spreading. A finger wedged between her thighs, then delved into her heat. Cass arched as he found her slickness and he began to tease her. Burying her face into the comforter, she clutched the fabric in her fists as her hips began to move. She spread her thighs so that he could reach her more easily.
It was incredible, the way he touched her. Not too light, not too fast. He’d been with enough women to know what brought them pleasure. And though she hadn’t been looking for sex five minutes ago, he brought it to her hard. She moaned as the first hard clutch of orgasm shuddered through her, stealing her breath, arching her up off the bed. And just as she was regaining her equilibrium, he propped her hips up a couple of inches and slid into her.
This position felt very different than missionary, and they both cried out as Roger settled into a deep, hard, gliding rhythm, driving toward release. There was no hesitation this time, just a demanding need for pleasure. He made sure that she was taken care of, though, too. Kissing her on the back of the neck, squeezing her hips and her breasts. But it was his words that did her in. Roger told her how perfect she was, and what a blessing it was that he had met her, and that he never wanted to let her go.
That was the one that pushed her over the edge, screaming out to the room in time with his thrusts. Her pleasure was a wild thing, trying to buck him off. And as he found his own release, the wildness consumed him as well. He gasped her name into the room, his weight collapsing on top of her.
Cass didn’t say anything, just turned her head to the side so that she could breathe. Aftershocks rippled through her, and she could feel how wet she was. That was new. Roger had gotten her really excited, she thought with a chuckle.
“I just took a shower, damn it,” Cassandra groused as she lay beside him, trying to catch her breath.
Roger chuckled. “I’m sorry, baby. Well, no, I’m not.”
Laughing deep in his throat he rolled away from her light pinch, then turned back to look at her. Her hair was crazy and her skin make-up free, but he seemed to drink her up with his eyes. She still wore the silly wiener dog T-shirt, but no pants or undies. He’d kind of ripped those off of her.
“It’s your fault anyway.” He waved at her shirt. “Obviously, you were thinking of my dick when you got up.”
She looked down at her breasts, and the grinning dog, then howled with laughter. Roger laughed with her, and she loved that he teased her like this. As soon as they were done making love, some tension had crept between them, but they weren’t going to let it take hold.
He gave her a smack on her bare ass. “Get cleaned up and let’s get out of here. I’m hungry.”
Chapter 5
It was only later, driving through the snow-laden streets, that they remembered that it was Christmas Day. They drove, carefully, through the streets, looking for a restaurant or grocery store but nothing was open other than a few gas stations.
“Well,” Roger said finally. “Eventually the movie theaters will open, right? There are new releases today. We just have to wait until then.”
Cass snorted and shrugged. “Sure. I don’t have anywhere to be.”
So, they drove through the snowy morning and just talked. Cass told him about growing up on the streets in Denver, her mother perpetually addicted to something. When she’d finally overdosed for the last time, leaving them alone, it had been a blessing in disguise, because it had gotten them off the street for good. The orphanage they’d been sent to hadn’t been luxurious by any means, but to two young children who had never known a bed or clean clothing, it had been a wonder. The staff had tried to keep Andre and her together, and it had worked for the most part. They’d stayed there for several years until Cass had been old enough to get out on her own.
It had been a tough few years, but she’d done the best she could with what they’d had.
“You’re amazing,” Roger told her, glancing at her from the driver’s seat. “Not everyone would have stepped up like that. You did a remarkable thing, petitioning the state to take in your brother like that. I can only imagine how hard it was.”
Tears suddenly obscured her vision and she had to turn to look out the window. She had worked her ass off, going to school and working and taking care of Andre, making sure he was doing everything he was supposed to be doing. But had anyone r
ecognized that? No. They’d only bitched when she’d screwed something up.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I learned a huge amount in those few years Andre and I lived together. We both did. And we both knew what we didn’t want, that’s why he entered the military.”
She glanced at him. “Even when he was a little bugger, he wanted to be an Army man. So, that’s what I pushed him to do. He graduated high school and enlisted the same week. He left for basic within a few months. It was a couple of years but it seems like just a little while later he was deployed to Afghanistan and they were contacting me to let me know there’d been an ‘unfortunate accident’.”
Roger reached over and she was amazed at the amount of comfort she could feel radiating through his prosthetic hand.
“I’m sorry, Cassandra. Friendly fire accidents don’t happen often, but when they do they affect entire bases, entire companies. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, running her fingernails over the smooth outer finish. “It was better he died over there than on the streets here. It’s so hard for young black men to reach for anything. He was doing what he’d dared to reach for.”
“Just like you are.”
Smiling, she allowed him to guide the conversation to happier things. “Yes, I am. I used his death benefit to finish putting myself through school and move away from the Five Points.”
Roger winced. He was probably very aware of what the Five Points were. The urban area northeast of the city center was low income, high crime. Definitely one of the most dangerous areas in Denver. The fact that she’d found the means to get out of the area spoke to her determination as a strong woman. She was proud of herself for that. It would have been so much easier to fall into the patterns of her mother, stealing and whoring herself out for the drugs she used.
Cass wasn’t proud of where she’d grown up, but she was proud of what she’d accomplished. It had taken her four years to get through graphic design school, but she’d relished the schooling. It had challenged her, and given her a purpose. It had given her something to focus on other than the fact that she was so very alone in the world.
In fact, there was a very real possibility that she was with Roger because she was lonely. She winced, hating that she’d even thought that. Roger was more to her than just a pacifier. He was quickly becoming more to her than anything else in the world.
“Oh, yes,” he hissed. They had just passed beneath an interstate underpass and found a big, brightly lit, expansive travel station. Semis lined one side of the parking lot and cars the other. People were moving around and it looked like business as usual. Actually, it was probably a little more busy than normal because it was the only thing open at the moment.
Roger parked the car and took her hand as she met him at the front of the Jeep.
“I bet we can find breakfast, lunch, and a midnight snack here.”
She waved a hand at one of the neon signs, bright even in the daylight. “As well as a twenty-four hour masseuse slash dentist.”
Shaking their heads, they laughed together and started walking toward the gas station. It was huge inside, and obviously catered to a very diverse clientele. There were drink coolers and food coolers, a well as several hot counter ovens with ‘roller’ food. Ewww…
Before she moved from the doorway, Roger gripped her hand in his own. “Not so fast, baby.”
He glanced at the top of the entryway. There, hanging from the ceiling on a thin fishing line, was a bunch of plastic mistletoe.
Cass looked at him incredulously, trying to gather her thoughts. A woman stomped around them, aggravated at being moved off her trajectory.
“You don’t seriously expect me to stand here and kiss you,” she told him.
He gave her a lopsided smile and held his hand out to her. “Are you embarrassed to kiss me in public? I know I’m a beat up old Marine but I didn’t think you’d hold it against me.”
Huffing out a breath, Cass shook her head. “Beat up old Marine my ass,” she muttered and leaned up for a kiss.
Roger met her halfway, but when she would have drawn back, his arms tightened around her. The kiss deepened. Cass gasped as he lowered her into a theatrical dip, sending her tummy into free-fall, then lifted her back up as if she were a skinny little bitch. She stared into his dark eyes, dazed.
Grinning, Roger reached out to straighten the lapels of her coat as the few people gathered around them clapped.
With a huff, Cass turned away, shaking her head. But she had to admit she was secretly thrilled with the little show. “You’re a madman,” she hissed. “You and your mistletoe mischief.”
Laughing out loud, Roger cupped her ass in his hand and squeezed. Before she could turn around to smack him, he had disappeared.
They went their separate ways to find food, but most of the fare they found was pretty scary. There were all the gray sandwiches with mystery meat she could choose from…um, no.
The Subway counter was open, so she headed in that direction. Roger had the same idea, because he met her halfway there. As natural as breathing, their hands reached toward each other and clasped. It was sheer lunacy that he’d completely obliterated her natural reserve in less than twenty-four hours.
Cass ran her fingers over his as they stopped in line. Behind the counter a frazzled woman wrapped sandwiches for waiting customers.
Cass and Roger waited patiently. They moved forward slowly, till they got to the register. Roger smiled at the woman to try to set her at ease, but it wasn’t until she caught sight of his prosthetic hand that she actually looked up into his eyes. “Can I help you?”
He nodded and leaned in toward her, turning on the charm. “I know you’re so busy. I appreciate you being here, though. I thought we were going to starve to death.”
The woman flushed under the attention, as she tucked some flyaway hair behind her ears. “What can I get you?”
Roger gave her his order, then motioned for Cass to give hers. Moving quickly and efficiently, the woman rang them up then made their sandwiches. Roger smiled at her and Cass thought he might have even tossed in a wink, but she was in the wrong position to see for sure. She was reminded of a saying. Something about judging the character of others by how they treat those that can do nothing for them. Yes, the lady was making them a sandwich, but he didn’t have to be nice to her to get it. That was just the kind of guy Roger was.
As they took their sandwiches he wished the woman a very merry Christmas. She smiled. “Thank you. I will. Merry Christmas to you and your wife as well.”
Cassandra jerked in her boots. Wife? The thought sent a little thrill through her, but she tamped it down. The thought of marriage had never ever entered her mind, not with any man.
Roger just smiled, though, like he heard it every day and moved deeper into the store. They wandered the aisles and talked about the things they saw; snacks, books, movies. The travel plaza catered to a large truck driver clientele, so there was actually a very large selection of just miscellaneous stuff.
Then they came to the Christmas tree. Obviously, it was meant for the truckers who hadn’t had a chance to shop for the loved ones in their lives before they headed home. Beneath the tree were stacks of wrapped presents, with small, white removable tags suggesting who they could go to. Male gift, female gift, male child eight to ten. It was actually an ingenious, convenient little set up. The truckers were usually men away from their families and this gave them an opportunity to not look like they sucked when they came home empty handed.
Roger’s mouth split in a grin as he looked from the tree back to her. “If I had known I was going to have this much fun with you, I’d have bought you a Christmas present before the date. Want to shop here? Now?”
Cass barked out a laugh, but the suggestion kind of appealed to her as well. There was an intriguing playfulness in the thought of getting a completely random gift.
“Let’s do it!”
She started sorting through the packages, looking for one for a ma
le. The prices on the tags ranged from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. She found a long, thin one, and discarded it. Then she found a tall, rectangular, heavy one. It had a tag for a male, but was wrapped in glittery pink paper. Giggling, she cradled the box to her chest. “Okay, I have mine.”
Roger looked at the paper and narrowed his eyes at her in a skeptical look. “Really?”
Turning to the tree, he started sorting through the packages. Within a few minutes, he found a long tubular package. It was at least two feet long and was actually wrapped pretty nicely, in silver paper and a red bow.
Cassandra’s stomach clenched at the thought of getting a present, and it was a stupid reaction. But since her brother had been gone, she hadn’t had enough of a connection to anyone to get more than generic gifts from the girls at the office when they did the holiday exchange.
How sad was that?
They got in line to pay and she was surprised at the amount that rang up for Roger’s gift.
“That’s too expensive,” she hissed behind him, poking him in the ribs.
He shushed her and blocked her with his broad shoulder.
“No, it’s snot,” he whispered.
She looked at him sharply, trying to decide if she’d heard what she thought she did. His eyes glinted with suppressed laughter and she shook her head at him.
“Why are all men so gross?”
Before she could challenge him again, he swiped his card and the transaction was completed. Cass huffed as she rang up her own items, then followed him back out to the Jeep. Roger started the car and bumped up the heat, but then he turned in his seat. “Do you want to eat or open our gifts first?”
Excitement bubbled up inside her and she allowed herself to grin at him. “Presents.”
With a single nod, he handed her the pretty wrapped package. “You first.”
She shook her head adamantly. “Nope. You first. I want to draw my excitement out a little more.”
Laughing, Roger nodded. Holding the package down against the center console with his prosthetic, he started peeling back the paper with his other hand. Cass turned in her seat, leaning forward to see what was revealed. Roger seemed to be deliberately going slow, and making her wonder. When he finally pulled back the package, he had a surprised look on his face.