Hope Falls: Treasured Kiss (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Virna DePaul

  “Dara—” he began again, but she walked away, already dialing her cousin’s number. After a brief pause, she started talking softly.

  With a huff of impatience, he sat back, and his gaze once again caught on the sketching pad. When the wind flipped the pages slightly, he reached to pick it up, but then Dara was off the phone and speaking to him.

  “Liam’s on his way, but he can’t be here for an hour. I know that’s a long time to wait and you have a long drive home, so if you can’t stay—”

  “That’s fine. I can stay,” he said. He stood and once again took Dara’s hands in his, seemingly unable to go very long without touching her.

  “I missed you, too, Dara. Lucky has been giving me shit all week because I’ve been so distracted. In fact, he’s made me hit the mat several times thanks to you distracting me,” he said.

  “Really?” she said, looking first delighted then skeptical. “I thought I was too young for you?”

  He dropped her hands and rubbed the back of his neck. “Lucky told me I was just using your age as an excuse. That I was really freaking out because what I felt for you was so strong. And the truth is, I can’t deny he’s on to something. But Dara, you are young, and I can’t make you any promises. I’ve just settled into Hope Falls, and we’ve just started our business. I’m going to be busy and I don’t really see myself having the time to devote to a relationship, you know?”

  She tilted her head inquisitively, then slowly walked up to him before casually looping her arms around his neck.

  “That’s funny, Alder. Because I don’t recall saying I was looking for a relationship either. I think you’re making assumptions again. What’s wrong with simply enjoying each other while we can? No pressure. No expectations. Just two people having some good, clean fun?”

  For the hundredth time, he tried to resist her pull, but that lasted about two seconds. With her so close, offering herself to him… God, how could he resist? He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her into him, and she gasped at the feel of his hardness pressing into her softness. He leaned his forehead against hers. “You should know given what happened in Vegas that good, clean fun isn’t exactly what I’m about, Dara.”

  “No?” She grinned wickedly. “I think I’ve forgotten. Since you’re here, and since my cousin won’t be here for an hour, how about you remind me exactly what kind of fun you are about?”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Dara marveled at her own daring, but pressed up against Alder, breathing in his yummy scent, admiring his big, broad shoulders and tanned arms showing beneath the sleeves of his T-shirt, she wasn’t a bit sorry for her forwardness. He stared at her intently, and the look he was giving her made her heart flutter. Those dark, brooding eyes of his seemed able to look right into her soul, seeing her every wish and desire. Not that he had to search very hard, given she was being so vocal about what she desired: him.

  She still felt slightly disoriented from his sudden appearance. It had taken every ounce of self-control and discipline she’d possessed not to contact him after he’d left her that note in Vegas, but oh, how she’d wanted to. And after leaving Vegas, even when she should have been immersed and distracted by Megan and Stuart’s wedding festivities, she hadn’t been able to get Alder out of her head. It had scared her how much she’d yearned to see him again. But she wasn’t going to run after a man who thought she was too foolish to know her own mind. She was young and still had things to figure out, true, but that was natural. She didn’t need anyone making her think otherwise.

  Then Mrs. Parker had knocked on her door and told her Alder was downstairs. She’d barely been able to stop herself from running down to meet him and throwing herself into his arms. She’d figured having him come up to her door would be best because they could talk privately and she’d do the right thing and turn him away.

  Obviously that hadn’t happened.

  Now they had their hands on each other, and things were quickly heading in a direction she never could have anticipated when she’d woken up that morning.

  But again, no regrets.

  She responded to Alder in a primal way she’d never experienced before. He’d been honest about not wanting a relationship, and she respected that.

  Bottom line, he was here now.

  And she wanted him, if only one more time.

  If he agreed he wanted the same thing, that is.

  Holding her breath, she stared into his beautiful eyes and waited.

  Finally, a wicked smile overtook his lips.

  She sighed with relief just before his lips touched hers and a current ran through her body, lighting her on fire.

  ***

  Slowly, watching her to see her reaction, Alder drew Dara even closer to him. Her pupils dilated and turned her green eyes dark. Her breathing quickened, as did his. He leaned in and kissed her gently on her full lips. She sighed and her body seemed to melt into his, which sent him into overdrive.

  He kissed her more passionately, tangling his tongue with hers. Fireworks began to go off in his head, and throughout his body. Holy shit, he thought as her tongue plundered his mouth, and her hands buried themselves in his hair. He kissed her back, just as fiercely, and he lowered his hands to her perfect buttocks, cupping and squeezing them tightly. An urgent pull in his groin was accompanied by a feeling of tightness in his pants as his cock grew hard, eagerly straining to get closer to her.

  She clutched at his back as he suckled on her pouty and perfect bee-stung lips. He pushed her short skirt up, and reached between her legs. She was so hot and wet for him; he teased her folds through a tiny scrap of lace and listened to her moan. She was biting at her own bottom lip now as he nibbled at her ears, pushed the lace of her panties aside, and slipped his finger inside her. Then he slowly eased his finger out, caressing her clit with his thumb as he did so.

  “Oh God, Alder. That feels so good.” She ground herself into his hand, then began frantically pulling at the fly of his jeans so she could reach in and wrap her fingers around his cock.

  At the touch of her soft fingers, he growled and scooped her up, only to lower her down onto a chaise lounge. Reaching back underneath her skirt, he ripped her panties off in one swift tug.

  He wanted Dara so badly. She was so hot, so wet for him, and her eyes were hazy with lust. Not wasting a single moment, he shoved his pants and shorts off and moved between her legs, positioning his throbbing, hot cock at the moist entrance that was so ready for him. She grabbed him to her, wrapping her legs tight around his waist – forcing him to plunge deep inside her.

  He barely stifled a shout when she closed tightly around him. He pounded into her, letting her dictate the rhythm, but her hips rose to meet him with every thrust. He pulled at her tank top, eager to get at the curvaceous swell of her breasts. He pushed the fabric to one side, pulled her bra down and sucked in his breath at her perfectly erect nipple. He pinched it, then cupped her breast and suckled her nipple, hard and fierce.

  Dara cried out and grabbed at his hair, running her long fingers over his head, and over his shoulders. He could feel her nails digging into his flesh as he suckled harder, biting and teasing the tender areola. She clutched at him as she gasped his name. He pounded deep inside her, pushing her deeper into the cushion of the chaise lounge, his hand holding her hips down when she tried to push up towards him.

  “Oh, Alder, yes. This feels so good. So good!”

  God, it did feel good. Better than anything he’d ever felt before. And like a punch to the head, he suddenly realized why.

  Fuck, he wasn’t wearing a condom.

  The realization was like a spray of cold water. He instantly stopped thrusting inside her. They were outside on her balcony, he remembered. On the third floor of a bed-and-breakfast, where anyone could hear them.

  “Alder, don’t stop,” Dara said, wriggling her hips. He could feel her muscles contracting around his cock, squeezing him in an effort to get him moving again.

  “Dara,” he gritted out.
“I’m not wearing a condom. Let me—let me get you inside…”

  She froze, eyes wide, then she nodded.

  Groaning, he slowly withdrew from her body, then laid his forehead on her chest, trying to catch his breath. Finally, after having regained a modicum of control, he lifted his head and stared at her.

  She looked uncertain. Almost fearful. As if he was going to yell at her and blame her for the fact he’d shoved his unprotected dick inside her. He smiled reassuringly, which made her relax. She relaxed even more when he leaned up and kissed her softly on the lips. Then he kissed her again. And again. With each kiss, he slowly began to undress her.

  Finally, she was completely naked. Alder kissed her neck and she arched into him. He cupped one of her full breasts and massaged it, causing Dara to breathe out a small cry of satisfaction. “Shhh,” he said.

  Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her into her room, making sure to shut the French doors behind him. Then he pushed a bunch of pillows off her bed before slowly lowering her onto the white, downy comforter. He kissed her shoulder, but pulled away when she tried to pull him down on top of her.

  Swiftly, he shed the rest of his own clothes, reveling in the way her eyes devoured him and she licked her lips in greedy anticipation. Slow down, he warned himself. He wanted to please her, to see her reach the highest peak of pleasure, and the way he felt right now, he’d go off as soon as she wrapped her pretty fingers around him again if he wasn’t careful.

  There was enough sunlight pouring in from the French doors that he could clearly see every inch of her pale, beautiful skin. He traced a smattering of freckles that resembled a heart just over her right breast. “You are beautiful. Every bit of you.”

  His hands slid down her body and through the short strip of hair at the base of her pelvis. She gasped as he slid his fingers into her wet crevice and arched her back as he bent down to kiss her swollen breasts.

  Damn, she was so open and vulnerable and sensitive to his touch. He rubbed his fingers around her clit and his breathing got heavier as she began to cry out again. Crawling onto the bed, he pushed her thighs wider and thrust two fingers inside her even as he licked and sucked at her nipples. With fingers and mouth, he worked her up into a frenzy, pushing her to her limit. When she began to buck against him, he quickly lowered his face between her thighs, swirled his tongue around her clit, then sucked it gently in a steady rhythm, pushing her over the edge. She cried out loudly, with abandon, and came strong and hard against his face. He pressed her to him, enjoying the smell and taste of her, feeling every shudder that ran through her body.

  After she climaxed, Alder lifted his head and crawled back up her body, then kissed her again. He tried to do it gently, to give her time to come down from her climax, but she seemed to go crazy at the taste of herself on his lips. They kissed frantically for several long minutes before she pulled away.

  “Alder,” she breathed.

  He lifted a hand and smoothed her hair back.

  “Alder, please,” she said. “Please fuck me.”

  His body jerked at her explicit plea.

  Her eyes were blazing with fire, though her lips were soft and yielding. She parted them so very slightly, and ran her tongue between them, moistening them. The sexy little movement sent a shot of fire through him. Growling, he cupped her jaw and crushed his lips to hers again, plundering her mouth with his tongue. She kissed him back furiously, her green eyes closed tight as she lost herself in his kiss.

  She cried out when he pulled away, but he said, “condom,” and she quickly settled. In a blind rush, he opened the French doors once more, grabbed his discarded pants, retrieved a condom from his wallet, and then returned to the bed. Kneeling next to her, he rolled on the condom, hissing when she cupped his balls. Frantically, he pulled away, pushed her down, kissed her on her mouth, then lowered himself until he could kiss her ankles. Eye on the prize, he nibbled his way up her calves.

  ***

  Dara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Alder, what… You already—”

  “I know I already. But I didn’t spend nearly enough time with my face between your thighs, Dara. I want another taste.”

  He kissed up her legs, teasing her. Unable to help herself, she pushed her hips up towards him, wanting him to touch her, to taste her in her most intimate place again.

  He simply grinned up at her. “Don’t rush me.”

  With a shaky laugh, she stretched out, resigned to the fact he wanted to take his time.

  She had avoided this kind of tender, connected love making in the past. She didn’t need the complication of a man as a permanent fixture in her life, and therefore the men she usually chose to date were handsome and sexy and all about casual fun before moving on to other things. The closest she’d come to falling in love was with Conor O’Neill, but as wonderful as he’d been, her feelings for Alder were so much more intense.

  Maybe it was because they’d agreed this would be nothing permanent, or maybe it was because he was so insanely good looking and so good in bed, but Dara was determined to soak in every moment with him. His pleasure as he explored every inch of her was making her hotter for him than she could ever remember being for anyone. Seeing his huge cock straining for her even as he denied himself, knowing that he’d wanted her so much that he’d actually forgotten to put on protection before, made her body and her heart sing.

  “Oh, thank God!” she cried as he finally reached the apex of her thighs, but he only sprinkled kisses on her lower belly and the tops of her thighs. It still felt wonderful, so she sighed.

  “You like that, baby? Want me to do that, or would you rather I did this?” he flattened his tongue and lapped gently at her folds, then licked her throbbing and swollen clit in a leisurely circle.

  “Oh that, more of that please!”

  He complied eagerly, and Dara writhed on the bed as his expert tongue worked its magic, quickly bringing her to another hard release. Her entire body went floppy and limp afterward, and she marveled at the fact he’d just given her the longest moment of shivering orgasmic pleasure she had ever experienced. She sighed, and massaged her own breasts as he replaced his tongue with his fingers and thumb.

  After two orgasms, she could hardly believe it when he had her feeling so hot and horny again, but sure enough, he soon had her wriggling and pushing her hips up as his clever fingers swirled and pumped within her. He kissed her, and she could taste herself on him once again. It was intoxicating, but she simply couldn’t wait for him any longer. Rearing up suddenly, she pushed him onto his back and straddled him. “Sorry, but I can’t wait any longer,” she said as she kissed him, then impaled herself on his tumescent cock.

  He groaned.

  “Fair enough, don’t know if I could have waited much longer either,” he said huskily.

  She rode him hard, and he cupped her breasts, molding the soft flesh to his big hands. She closed her eyes and sighed, even as she tilted her head back and lowered her hand so she could rub her clit. Her other hand pushed her long hair out of her face, holding it up off her neck as the sweat trickled down her back.

  Dara was surprised when Alder stopped pushing his hips up to meet her. She was frustrated and annoyed when he suddenly grasped her hips and pulled her off him. She struggled at first, needing him inside her. She couldn’t believe he would be so cruel as to stop when she was so close to orgasm, and she was sure he had been too.

  “Hush, baby. I just want you this way right now.” Alder shifted her around until he was standing by the bed and she was bent over it, her chest pressed against the mattress, her feet on the floor, her hips in his hands, and her ass facing him. He stroked her buttocks, and parted them gently. Then he bent his knees and drew his cock up and down her folds before entering her once more. She sighed contentedly as his immense girth filled her fully. He started his strokes gently, building to a fast and hard rhythm that made her cry out with every beat. He held onto her hair, riding her, going so deep she felt him touch t
he top of her. Working a hand underneath herself, she rubbed at her clit, and marveled at the sensation of her nipples sliding against the cotton sheets as Alder fucked her. She came, again and again and again as he continued to bury himself balls deep within her. Finally, he stiffened and grunted out his own climax. She collapsed, enjoying the weight of his slick, sweaty body against hers.

  Moments later, he pushed himself off her, picked her up, and positioned her so she was laying comfortably on the bed. Then he laid down next to her. They shifted on their sides, staring at one another.

  “My cousin will be here soon,” she whispered.

  Alder nodded. “I was looking forward to meeting him, but I have to be honest, it’s the last thing I want to do right now. I want more time with you. Alone.”

  “I want that, too.”

  “Maybe, once I talk to your cousin, that can be arranged.”

  Dara smiled. “Maybe.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Three days after he tracked Dara down in Forestville, Alder was back at Brewed Awakenings, only this time instead of trying to keep his mind off her, he wholeheartedly embraced the anticipation of seeing her again. She was due to arrive in about twenty minutes.

  After the mind-blowing sex they’d had in her room, they’d gotten dressed, only to have Dara’s cousin Liam call and tell her he couldn’t make it after all, because an emergency had come up at work. Given he’d only just started his job after moving from Ireland, it was understandable that he felt uncomfortable blowing it off.

  Alder had told Dara not to worry.

  “Why don’t you tell him to come see me in Hope Falls? My gym is there, so instead of just talking to him, I can put him through his paces, as well. See him in action.”

  “Really? Are you sure that won’t be too much trouble?”