A Shot in the Dark

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A Shot in the Dark Page 32

by L. J. Stock


  Still, out of his reach, I bent at the waist and leaned in toward him with a smile full of mischief. “I think I want to dance.”

  In two of his long strides, he swept past me and scooped my hand up in his, tugging me up the ramp to the bar. His calloused hand pushed the swinging doors out of his way as he pulled me to his side and sidestepped around the bar to the hardwood dance floor in front of the jukebox. The stage was empty for the night.

  “You know how to two-step, darlin’?” he asked, pulling me in front of him, his eye slinking down to my dress as it flared out on a slow spin.

  “Not a damn clue.”

  “You will.” Once again, the confidence in his tone spoke to me, and I found my own rising to meet it, my lips curving in a smile that made my cheeks ache.

  In one swift move, Garrett had me in his arms, leading me over the dance floor like I’d been doing it my whole life. The first song was spent counting off steps, his hands tapping, telling me which foot to move as he navigated his way around the designated square. After only three songs, I had the hang of the dance, and I was passed to one of his friends. I was grateful for what little I’d learned in Garrett’s arms because Larry wasn’t quite as good with leading as Garrett had been. I still followed his lead, counting off the steps in my head. Before the song was over, I was laughing as though I’d known him my whole life, squealing when he twirled me toward the bar, lifted me from my feet and dropped me on the stool that faced Garrett’s. Out of breath and giddy, I accepted the bottle of beer with a nod of my head and drained half of the amber liquid, fighting to catch my breath and gain some feeling back in my toes.

  “How do you do that?” I asked over the music as I shrugged off my leather jacket, flushing at Garrett’s appreciative glance.

  “Do what?”

  “Dance like that.”

  “I can’t tell you all of my secrets.” He leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of my stool before pulling me closer so my legs were trapped between his. Lifting his arms, he brushed strands of my hair back from my face with his palms and stared at me until my cheeks flushed red. He didn’t say a word, just continued to study me, his thumbs brushing the heated apples of my cheeks, while my eyes dipped to stare at his lips. I could almost feel that tickle of his beard and my stomach jerked with arousal.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Like what?” he asked coyly.

  I shook my head, careful not to break eye contact as I did. The music was so loud around us, and so was the chatter of everyone trying to have a conversation over the top of it, and yet it felt like we were whispering as the din of noise faded and my focus trained solely on him.

  “Like you haven’t taken a breath in the longest of—”

  “Come home with me,” he said, cutting me off. “I know I said I would be a gentleman, and if that’s what you want, fine, but I really don’t want to share you tonight. So come home with me.”

  Feeling brave, I leaned into him, ignoring the catcalls of his friends around us as I kissed him. Any other time, I was pretty sure I would have been embarrassed by my own actions, but tonight I just felt emboldened, that self-assurance made me want him impossibly more. I wanted a night with him, even if it was just the one.

  “I thought you’d never ask,” I whispered against his lips.

  He was dropping cash on the bar before he’d even left his stool, and as he stepped free, I was being pulled from my own stool and tucked under his arm. Pulling our jackets from where they sat, he waved off his friends and steered us toward the door, down the ramp to his truck where he lifted me inside and shut the door. The whole sequence felt like it had taken less than a heartbeat to execute.

  In the silence of the truck’s cab, I could hear the hammering of my heart as it slammed against my chest repeatedly. I watched him run to the other side of the truck and eventually slide in behind the wheel where he studied me again. His hand picked up mine, and he brushed his lips over the back, tracing the veins reverently. Garrett opened his mouth to say something, but I turned my hand in his and pressed my fingers against his lips.

  “If you ask me if I’m sure, I’m getting in my car and going home.”

  “I’m not that stupid,” he said, shaking his head and kissing the tips of my fingers. “And I’m too selfish for that. I was just going to ask if you wanted to pick up some beer on the way.”

  I nodded in response, feeling ridiculously breathless when he smiled in response.

  I could have counted the seconds it took him to run into the gas station and pick up a twelve pack of beers, and it was a testament to how well he knew the roads that we didn’t end up in a ditch on the way to his place. The farther from town we got, the darker the night became, and the promise of what was to come became an electrical livewire in the space between us. I could barely see his place when we finally pulled up past the long drive. All I knew was his home was one story, and made of rough rock and brick, giving the whole thing a weathered feel. There was a well-lit barn somewhere at the back of the property, too, but that was too far away to see anything in any real detail. The landscaping that was bathed in the porch light said it was well looked after, but that was all I had time to see. That was all I wanted to see because the moment Garrett opened the door, he pulled me against him, pressing his lips against mine, and all I could think about was him, and what was coming next. Garrett barely took the time to kick his front door closed behind us as he held me close. My feet hit the floor as he walked me back to his room with one arm around my waist, and the other carrying the beer.

  He dropped the case on the tallboy the moment we were inside and released me from his grip with a nervous glance around like he expected the room to be untidy. It was anything but. His room was warm and had a lived-in feeling. The space was comfortable and functional, which seemed to fit him, but I wasn’t in the mood to explore any further than that when he was now studying me with heated intent. Stepping out of my shoes, I dropped my ass onto his bed and crossed my legs.

  “You look better there than I could have imagined,” he said quietly, approaching me with caution like he didn’t want to spook me or ruin the illusion he had in his head. I knew the feeling. When those eyes were filled with hunger and want the way they were, it made me feel beautiful in a way I hadn’t for a long time.

  The moment Garrett was close enough to reach me, he lifted a hand and ran his fingers along my jaw and through my hair, pulling random strands over one shoulder while his other hand slipped between my thighs. He uncrossed them and spread my legs wide enough apart so he could slip his body between them. My breathing grew shallow with anticipation, every part of me following his slow movements as both of his hands met at the nape of my neck and slid down to unhook the dress. He slowly slid the zipper down to my waist, exposing my back to the slight chill of his room.

  That wasn’t enough for him now, and he didn’t stop because he was far from finished. Raising my hands to his thighs, he paused and shook his head.

  “I want to explore every inch of you,” he whispered, raising one hand to pinch my chin and tilt my head back as he claimed my lips. The kiss had just as much passion as every other we’d shared, but there was a new urgency that made the fire inside me flare to life with a small shudder of awareness.

  Garrett swallowed me whole, stealing every one of my breaths as he lowered himself to his knees between my thighs. His hands dropped to my knees and squeezed before running them up and under the material of my skirt where he toyed with the seams of my underwear. His lips curled against mine as I groaned into his mouth with my own rising need.

  “Keep making noises like that and I’m not going to be able to stop myself,” he said quietly, hooking his fingers under the material of my thong. His shoulders angled under my thighs and lifted my hips from the bed so he could rid me of the flimsy cotton barrier like I weighed nothing more than his pillow.

  I was captured by Garrett’s intensity. Every twitch of his muscle was used to ta
ke what he wanted from me, and he was unapologetic—something I was more than happy about. There was heaviness in the air when his eyes met and held mine. He wasn’t asking permission now; he was telling me he was taking what he wanted, what he was claiming, even as my ass settled against the mattress and he pushed my thighs farther apart, the intent alive in his eyes. I leaned forward, twisting my body with a raging hunger of my own and stole a kiss from him, my teeth grazing his bottom lip as his hands rode back up my thighs. I started to shake, the closer he got to the apex of my thighs, the muscles twitching as the promise of what was to come made my blood sing, but he didn’t stop to check on me, and I didn’t want him to. The moment his thumbnail brushed over the taut, sensitive bud of my clitoris, I jumped and gave one quiet snort of laughter at my reaction before the sound gave way to a moan of pleasure. My hips rolled against his touch as heat flooded me, blossoming from between my thighs and up to my stomach where a raw fire burned.

  “You want this as much as I do,” Garrett said in wonder, almost surprised as his index finger slid inside of my wet heat.

  My spine arched, my legs spreading farther apart as he added his middle finger and slowly began to thrust, his lips brushing my thigh, his beard tickling the overheated flesh. The skirt of my dress slipped up my thighs and bunched at my waist as I dropped my hands behind me to support my weight on the mattress. No one had touched me like this in years. Every encounter I’d had since…well… they had been quick, eager fucks followed by an even quicker goodbye. They’d served their purpose, but I’d forgotten what it felt like to be explored, to be worshipped, and to be wanted.

  Every pump of his fingers and twist of his wrists had me sinking farther back on the mattress until my elbows supported me rather than my hands. My breaths sawed from my chest, mingling with whimpers of ecstatic pleasure. Allowing my head fall back on my shoulders, I closed my eyes as his thumb joined the mix of pleasure and circled my clitoris in teasing motions. Pleasure rose in me quickly, and my thighs trembled more violently than they had when he’d started. But I was able to fight my orgasm right up to the point that his warm lips closed around the bud and sucked eagerly.

  I came hard, a breathless moan of my own joining his as he rode my climax out with me, his mouth sucking, nipping, and flicking until all I could feel was pleasure and twitching muscles and a comforting dampness between my thighs.

  Garrett was in no rush as he climbed my body and took in every inch he’d exposed. His hands reached for the straps of my dress and worked them over my shoulders like he was unwrapping a gift. I fell flat on my back breathlessly, giving up any pretense of having no strength left in my arms. I reached for his shirt, desperate to see all of him as the renewed heat flooded every inch of my skin now longing to be pressed against him. We worked together, my hands and legs pushing material away from warm, golden flesh that stretched over his thick muscles. I wasn’t sure how he managed to get the condom on so quickly, but I was glad he had. The moment he had, I rolled our bodies before he could settle between my thighs and I straddled him, teasing with a roll of my hips before I reached between us and guided him inside me with a breathless cry of pleasure.

  “Jesus,” he mumbled as I sank down and took all of him. His hands reached out and found mine, linking our fingers together as we both adjusted. Our eyes locked as we fought for the breath we needed to continue.

  I started slowly at first, finding our pace and bracing against his hands as I picked up the momentum and accepted him deeper. We gave ourselves over to the give and take, both of our bodies peppered with droplets of sweat as we moved from calm lovemaking into frenzied and needy sex. Garrett rolled me the closer we got to our climaxes, his arms hooking around the backs of my thighs as he drove himself into me with grunts of pleasure. We pushed and pulled, squeezed and tightened, all of the movements creating a tension between us that had the ability to ignite everything in our path. I could feel the fitted sheet slip from the corner of the bed as my body rose to meet his, and between one breath and the next, my legs tightened around him as I came again, his name filling my mind as pleasure took over.

  It wasn’t long until he followed, the rock of his hips brutal as heat flooded me and he collapsed against my body, as spent as me.

  Neither of us moved for the longest time, and the only sound in the room was panted breaths and the echo of my heartbeat in my own ears. My brain was so hazy. It was addled with pleasure and fatigue as I clung to Garrett’s damp skin, unwilling to let him abandon me just yet.

  Not after that.

  I needed to feel the comfort of his body against mine, the pounding of his heart against my palm, and the stuttered panting of his breaths as they bathed my skin. I needed to feel wanted for just a while longer. I was pretty sure this elated feeling wouldn’t last forever. Nothing ever did, but for now I felt wanted, I felt revered, and I was basking in the glow and warmth of the feeling.

  Chapter Thirty

  I woke with a start.

  The room was dark, and there was a hard body pressed against mine providing excessive heat, to the point the dampness of our skin had welded us together. If the body had been anyone else, I was sure I’d have freaked out, but the warm masculine musk that surrounded me felt familiar in a way I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It left me reluctant to move from under the thick arm circling my waist.

  A small part of me was on a constant loop, reminding myself that this man was a relative stranger and that the sex wasn’t something that connected us because sex was just sex—something millions of people shared consensually every day.

  The rest of me argued against that fact because I didn’t want the disconnect to be true. I was enjoying Garrett’s company. I liked the way he made me feel, and I liked the way he made me laugh. I felt safe in his arms. This was the first slither of a non-physical connection I’d felt since I was a teenager. That didn’t mean I should outstay my welcome, though. In my limited experience, complicating things always ended in disaster.

  I needed to get back to Megan’s and figure out what to do with all the land my father left me, along with the rest of the crap that was now on my plate. Then I needed to go back to Colorado. I had a home, a business, and Holly had school there. Garrett, as nice as he was and as fun a time as I’d had, was just in the right place at the right time.

  The brush of his lips on my shoulder startled me enough to make me giggle and bury my face in the pillow that, once again, surrounded me with the scent of manliness that was Garrett.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said quietly, his index finger stroking my hip in a way that felt completely erotic. With a deep intake of breath, I rolled back against him and bit back a groan as the ache of good sex worked its way through my body. He found my lips easily and took them with just as much control and need as he had when we’d first arrived at his house.

  “I thought you were asleep, is all,” I confessed, settling myself against his chest in something that felt too intimate for the situation. When I tried to move away, he tightened his arm around me to keep me there.

  “I was.”

  “Did I wake you?”

  He rocked his body against mine, and his silent answer made my lips curl.

  “You’re insatiable,” I whispered.

  “I have a beautiful woman in my bed. I’d be disappointed if I wasn’t hard.”

  He kissed me again, his body rolling to cover mine as he slipped between my legs so he could take more. Then he was inside me again, the pace slower and measured until I felt like I was drowning in need. He took his time then, his hands and mouth exploring as I rose to meet him thrust for thrust. When he wrapped a hand around my knees and pulled my leg up over his hip, he pushed inside deeper and harder until our bodies were damper, our breaths coming in pants, and my orgasm rolled over me in wave after wave of pleasure. I was barely aware of him following me over the precarious ledge of pleasure. I was so lost in my own head, bathed in the aftermath of sex and pleasure.

  Garrett
eased me from my own head with gentle kisses and endless compliments until I felt beautiful and needed without really needing to. Even in the darkness of the room, I could feel his eyes on me, studying me as his fingers navigated every dip and curve of my skin.

  “You’re beautiful, Kay. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  I laughed, my pleasure and indulgence lacing the sound while I stretched out my body and curled into his embrace. The ache was now a delicious burn from head to toe. It had been a while since I’d had sex twice in one night.

  “I think that’s working out rather well for me,” I mused, running my palm over his broad chest and enjoying the thrum of his heart against it. “Although, I should probably get home.”

  “It’s three in the morning.”

  “I’m sure you have work, and I need to get to my car so I can run some errands in the morning.”

  Garrett smiled and brushed some of my hair over my shoulder, his fingers lingering on my collarbone, which only served to make me shiver, my skin humming to life from his touch. I could see when he smiled at my reaction. His teeth were the lightest thing in the dark room. I was giving too much away, but at that moment, I couldn’t have cared less.

  “I forgot the real world was still out there churning away.” He ran his fingers down my jaw to my chin, tugging gently until my lips parted so he could lean in and steal my breath with another kiss. “Stay… and I’ll take you back early.”

  “I really can’t,” I whispered again, my lips pressing against his Adam’s apple. “I want to, but I can’t.”

  “Then promise me another date.”

  “When?” I didn’t really care how eager I sounded. I was eager. I wanted to see him again. What was the point in lying about that?

 

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