by Lori Foster
With her knees on the dirty concrete road, she said, “Shh.”
Roy bent to look, too, and saw a scraggly little black cat. Young but not a kitten. Fearful and gaunt with hunger. One ear was injured, and there was a bend in the tail.
Softly, so as not to scare the cat, he said, “Shit.”
Sabrina held out a hand, and the cat watched her with big yellow eyes.
“Don’t touch it, Sabrina. It could be sick. Back out.”
She didn’t question the direction, but once she’d moved away, she asked, “What are you going to do?”
He retrieved his wallet and pulled out a five to hand to her. “There’s a little mom-and-pop store at the next corner. See if they have anything that’ll appeal to a cat.”
“All right.” She backed slowly away from the truck and then hurried down the sidewalk.
Hoping his evening wouldn’t be ruined but unable to resist an animal in need, Roy considered the cat. “You don’t like the alley life, do you, baby?”
The skinny cat twisted against the back tire, petting herself, wanting to come close but staying out of reach. A smile tugged at his mouth. “I wouldn’t like it, either. Stay put while I find something to contain you.”
Like Sabrina, he moved slowly to keep from startling the cat. Luckily he had a soft carrier tucked under his seat. He got it opened and ready and then waited for Sabrina.
She was back within five minutes with a can of tuna.
“Perfect.” Roy pulled the tab and opened the can. Before he’d even gotten it inside the carrier, the cat smelled it. She poked her head out from under the truck and started an almost panicked meowing. “Back up, honey. You never know how a feral cat might act, but you can be certain she won’t like it when I close the lid on her.”
Sabrina moved well out of reach.
He put the carrier on its side and set the can of tuna in it. He’d barely taken two steps away when the cat rushed in. He hated to startle the poor thing before it got to eat, so he waited a minute, and when the can was almost empty he crept in and shoved down the lid.
The cat went nuts, screeching and circling furiously. Holding the lid shut, Roy said, “Get me a bungee.”
“Where?”
“Toolbox, behind the rearview window.”
“Oh.” Scrambling, Sabrina climbed up into the truck bed. Under other circumstances he would have enjoyed the view, especially in that short sexy skirt, but not with a frightened cat trying to escape.
As she opened the large truck toolbox, Sabrina asked, “What’s a bungee?”
“A stretchy cord. I need it to secure the carrier. It’s not meant to hold a pissed-off cat bent on clawing her way out.”
“This?” She held up a multicolored cord.
“That’s it.”
She rushed back to him and then, with his instruction, wrapped it around the carrier and hooked the ends together.
Once they had the cat secured, Roy had to laugh. Sabrina was wide-eyed and breathing hard. Stupefied, she met his gaze, and he laughed harder.
“Good God.” Her mouth twitched as she swatted at him. “I’ve never seen a cat carry on like that.”
“It’s mostly feral,” he explained. Still chuckling, relieved that they’d gotten the cat contained, Roy carried it to the truck cab. “You okay with it being on the floor by your feet? I don’t want to leave it in the bed.”
“It can’t get out?”
“No. And she’s already settling down, I think.”
“Then I don’t mind.” As he got the carrier stowed, Sabrina said, “You’re sure it’s a girl?”
He shrugged. “Sounded like a girl when she was screeching at that high pitch.”
Sabrina swatted him again. “After all that, she’s probably covered in tuna.”
“Hungry as she looked, I doubt she’ll mind that much.” On impulse, he pulled her into his arms, right there on the public sidewalk, and gave her a firm, quick smooch. “Ready to go, kiddo?”
Looking a little dazed, Sabrina said, “Uh …”
“Come on.” Clasping her waist, he lifted her up and into her seat, and then, against her mouth, he whispered, “I’m getting hungrier by the minute.”
He closed her door with her still mute.
She stayed that way until they were almost to the Children’s Home. With the carrier taking up much of the floor, she had her legs bent, her knees turned toward him.
A cute and provocative pose.
When Sabrina realized where they were, she said, “Shouldn’t we take the cat to the shelter first?”
“Nope. She’s quiet now so I’d just as soon let her rest until we’re done.” He glanced at her, but she wouldn’t quite meet his gaze. “That is, if you don’t mind having her by your feet a little longer.”
“I don’t mind.” She stared at the carrier. “Luckily, it won’t take us long to unload the computers. We’re putting them in the storage barn for now.”
Roy pulled around back behind the home. “When we get to the shelter, you can prep a crate for her while I check that wounded ear.” Even as he said it, Roy realized that they made a good team. Whenever they’d worked together, it was as smooth as clockwork. “By the way, I appreciate it that you didn’t question me earlier.”
“About what?”
“When I asked you to stay away from the cat or to get the tuna.”
She flapped a hand at him. “You know what you’re doing, and I didn’t want to get in the way.”
Roy knew she didn’t mean that to sound so grave, but he frowned, anyway. As he put the truck in park, he said, “You will never be in my way, Sabrina.”
She went still for a second, absorbing the words. After flashing him a smile, she nodded and got out of the truck to unlock the storage door.
The home was quiet, all the kids inside, but they often stayed busy out back. They had a flower and vegetable garden, a variety of playground equipment, and a volleyball court. It wasn’t an ideal environment for growing up, but it was far better than the abusive homes they came from.
Sabrina directed him on where to stack the computers and within a few minutes they were on the road again.
Since the shelter was close, they made it there just as the sun turned a blazing red and began sinking from the sky.
This time of night, the animals were mostly quiet. They’d all been walked, given fresh water and bedding, and now they slept. But at the sound of the front door opening, a cacophony of outrage echoed around the interior. The mingled barking and meowing proved deafening.
Roy took a moment to go quiet them all. Once they saw him, the noise turned from alarm to joy.
Sabrina had the crate all ready when he returned. Donning long protective gloves, he withdrew the cat. She was more fearful than enraged, and she used her claws on the gloves, clinging tightly.
She was skittish but not as feral as he’d initially thought. Her injuries were old and healing, and right now, all the cat needed was peace and quiet to adjust to her new circumstances.
He put her in the large crate, isolated from the others until she could be checked for disease and parasites. The petite cat hunkered down in a corner and watched them. “Good night, little girl. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Sabrina stood there waiting for him, her expression soft, her eyes warm.
He took in that look and smiled. “What?”
“I like how you talk to the animals. I think it comforts them.”
“I hope so.” He took her hand and headed out the door, anxious to get her home.
In the truck, she watched him still, her scrutiny intense. “The way you talk always comforts me, too.”
“Yeah?” He drove out into the traffic. Now that they were finally heading home, his blood thrummed and his heartbeat accelerated. “You don’t need comfort all that often.” These days, she only needed it during loud thunderstorms.
As if he hadn’t spoken, she said, “I like a lot of things about you, Roy.”
He gave her
a quick look. “That’s good, since I like an awful lot of things about you, too.”
“Did you notice that storm clouds are rolling in again?”
He hadn’t, but then he’d been focused on other things. He leaned forward and looked at the sky through the windshield. “Hope we don’t lose power at the shelter.”
“I was thinking …” She reached out and touched his upper arm, her fingers curling around his biceps. “Maybe I could stay with you. Tonight, I mean.”
That threw him. He’d expected to have to work to get her to stay over again. “In case the storms return?”
She rolled one shoulder, and her mouth tipped in a small, secret smile. “I guess.”
She guessed? What did that mean? Even as he pulled into the apartment parking lot, a low rumble of distant thunder sounded. He hoped it didn’t get bad, because he wanted her with him every step of the way, not frozen in terror over bad memories.
“Crazy summer weather in Ohio,” he groused. “Rain, clear skies, and rain again.”
“Roy?”
He parked and turned toward her. There was something else in her tone, something he hadn’t heard before. “What is it, kiddo?”
Her flnger smashed up against his mouth. “Shh.”
He lifted a brow, and waited.
She looked at his mouth, and her fingers moved to his jaw, then down to his shoulder. “I know what you want to talk about.”
Enjoying her touch, Roy asked, “You do, huh?”
She bit her bottom lip. “But the thing is, I think it’d be better if we talked about it … after.”
God, he hoped they were talking about the same things. “Hold that thought.” He rushed out of the truck and around to her side. She didn’t wait for him to open the door but was already out when he reached her.
Grabbing his hand, she started a long-legged stride toward the building entrance.
Roy wasn’t quite sure what to think. “In a hurry?”
She stopped and turned to face him. “You’ve been teasing me all day, so yes.”
“Sabrina.” Holding her shoulders, he drew her up to her tiptoes. “Do you understand what I want?”
She nodded slowly. “I hope you want me. Because I want you. A lot.”
That sweet admission nearly pushed him over the edge. He crushed her close for only a second, and then they were again racing for his apartment, through his apartment, and thankfully, to his bed.
four
A deafening crack of thunder startled Sabrina just as Roy lowered her to his mattress. The lights went out and the air-conditioning stopped, filling the room with an ominous silence.
She inhaled sharply—and then his mouth was on hers, hungry and hot. Taking advantage of her parted lips, his tongue sank in, exploring and wickedly sexy while his hands roamed over her shoulders, lower …
She forgot about the storm, caught up in the pleasure of feeling Roy’s hand on her breast, cuddling, caressing. His thumb moved over her nipple and her back bowed. He kissed her throat, sucking at a sensitive spot that made her toes curl and her breath catch. Before she realized it, her blouse was unbuttoned and he had her bra pulled down.
Now as his thumb stroked her, the sensation was so intense she groaned.
“Damn.” He bent, and then it was her nipple he sucked at.
Sabrina held on to him, shoving up his shirt so she could stroke the bare hot skin of his back, his shoulders.
In a rush, he sat up. Lightning sent shadows flickering as Roy reached back and grabbed a fistful of shirt, yanking it off over his head and tossing it away.
She reached for him, but he pressed her hands down to her sides so he could finish stripping away her blouse and then her bra. This time when he lowered himself over her, she relished the feel of skin on skin.
Taking her mouth again, Roy slid a hand up her thigh, over her bottom, and then around to the front to cup over her. Gently, his fingers slid over the satiny crotch of her panties, teasing unbearably.
She groaned, but the sound was lost beneath their heavy breathing and his consuming kiss.
Against her mouth, he said, “I need you naked.”
The room illuminated with another lightning strike, and Sabrina saw his face, the heat in his dark eyes, the possessive way he looked at her. His hair fell over his brow, and his jaw was set.
So sexy—and for the moment, all hers.
Thunder chased the lightning, but it competed with the loud thundering of her heartbeat.
She touched his jaw. “You first.”
The smile showed in his eyes before his mouth tipped crookedly. “Whatever you want, honey.”
As he stood at the side of the bed, Sabrina lifted up onto her elbows. The sky had grown so dark that seeing wasn’t easy, but she could make out the width of his shoulders, the narrowness of his hips, his long thighs.
He toed off his shoes and then his big hands were at the snap to his jeans. The quiet hissing of his zipper affected her like a wellplaced touch.
He bent, and when he straightened again he was fully naked.
Where was that darned lightning when she needed it?
Voice low and rough, Roy murmured, “Your turn.” Watching her, he wrapped a hand around her right ankle and tugged her sandal free.
It was a unique thing for Sabrina, feeling like this, turned on and sexy and so very much in love.
“Hurry,” she told him. If he didn’t stop teasing, she’d implode. She’d been waiting long enough already.
He had her other sandal off in seconds, and as he leaned over her, Sabrina went flat in the bed so she could run her hands over his chest, feeling his crisp chest hair and solid muscles.
He kissed her while he tackled the zipper on her skirt. Freeing her mouth, he said, “Lift up, baby.”
She did, and he whisked away her skirt. She started to reach for the waistband of her panties, but went still when Roy kissed her ribs, her navel, a hip bone.
Her hands knotted in the quilt beneath her.
As he kissed a path down her body, he naturally fit between her legs. His hands on her inner thighs opened her more, and she felt his hot breath. She closed her eyes and, trying to urge him to haste, lifted up against him.
His mouth opened over her panties, and it was so intense that she cried out. The press of his tongue was indescribable, and the hungry, openmouthed kisses left her panties damp on the outside—and the inside.
While Roy prepared her, the storm intensifled with rain lashing the windows and thunder crashing. Bold lightning split the dark sky and the wind howled.
But all Sabrina’s senses were focused on Roy.
He got her so close that every muscle rippled and her skin burned.
Before she could catch her breath, he stood and stripped away her panties. The seconds it took him to roll on a condom felt like an hour.
As he came back to her, he hooked her sprawled legs in the crook of his elbows. “Hold on to me, Sabrina.”
Sabrina wrapped her arms his neck—and then he was rocking against her, slick and hot.
“So wet,” he groaned. “God, I’ve waited forever for this, for you.”
She didn’t know what that meant, and she couldn’t think enough to sort it out. Especially when he entered her, just a little, being so patient that she thought she’d scream.
“Roy,” she demanded.
With one long, solid thrust, he filled her.
Gasping, she arched her back, driving him deeper, and for a single suspended moment, they both froze, Roy rigid above her, Sabrina shuddering in reaction.
She couldn’t stay still, not while being filled with him, surrounded by him. She kissed his shoulder, his neck, and her fingertips dug into his shoulders.
Though he felt a little too big inside her, stretching her and making her burn, it didn’t matter. She loved his scent, the strength of his body, and the way he strained over her, struggling so hard to remain gentle.
She looked up at him, their gazes locking, electric. This time
when she said his name, it came out a soft, breathless plea. “Roy.”
Groaning, he pulled back only to sink in again, and again. The tantalizing friction built as he stroked harder and deeper, faster.
Within minutes they were both lost.
A wave of sensation swept up from her thighs, down from her breasts, and pooled between her legs. She tightened around him, needing the climax, reaching for it.
He kissed her and she came.
Unable to control herself, she groaned harshly, moved against him, with him, until the feelings faded and her body went lax.
As she drew a shuddering breath, she watched Roy take his own pleasure. She felt awed by the force of his release.
When he freed her legs and moved to the side of her, she automatically turned into him. He gathered her close, his arms enclosing her, his mouth against her temple.
Never had she felt so relaxed, so empty of tension. That is, until Roy said, “Time for us to talk.”
ROY listened to her yawn and wondered if she was falling asleep. Amazing, given that the weather had turned more than a little nasty. Not that she’d seemed to notice.
God willing, she’d have new memories for her storms now.
With her head on his shoulder, her slender thigh over his, she whispered, “It can’t wait until the morning?”
He smoothed her hair back behind her ears. “No.”
She twisted up to rest against his chest. Fingers shaking, she touched his mouth before looking into his eyes. “Everything has changed, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.” Her makeup was smudged, her hair tumbled, and her lips puffy. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Indeflnitely changed.”
Her face warmed with pleasure. “We’ll do this often?”
“Bet on it.” He hadn’t even come close to all he wanted from her and with her. He wasn’t sure a lifetime would be enough.
“Good.” She snuggled down against him again. “Next time I want the lights on so I can see you.”
He wanted the same, but since the “next time” would probably be within the hour, it was a toss-up whether the electricity would be working or not. “You said you knew what I wanted.”
“I think so.” Still snuggled close, she smiled up at him. “You want us to be friends with beneflts, right?”