Her fingers slipped from his grasp, and her breath puffed into his mouth along with a squeak of surprise. Her hands trembled against his chest before fisting in his shirt as she slowly relaxed in increments against him. Slipping his tongue between her parted lips, he took his time, thoroughly tasting her.
Becoming bolder by the second, Cassie reached up and drove her fingers through his hair, sending shivers down his spine as her short nails abraded his scalp. He slid his hands underneath the hem of her shirt, caressing the soft warmth of her lower back. Her skin was so smooth, so silky. Greedily, he stroked upward, his fingertips skimming across the back of her bra. He wanted her naked and twined around him, now. But he didn’t want to push her. Didn’t want to frighten her with the depth of his need.
Forcing himself to slow down, he lifted his hand from beneath her shirt and pulled her hair tie from her hair, freeing the long, sleek strands to swing around her shoulders. He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along the side of her neck before skimming his lips to the hollow at the base of her throat. Her pulse hammered against his mouth, and he nipped at her collarbone, making her squirm against him before tracing his way back to her lips. She immediately opened for him, seeming almost as desperate for more as he was. But he tried to back off a little. To linger and give her time to get used to him touching her. He didn’t want this to be something she ended up regretting. His attempt at slowing down utterly disintegrated when she drew on his tongue.
On a groan, he deepened the kiss, pulling her flush against him. She moved willingly, wrapping her arms around him, clutching at his shoulders. He couldn’t believe she was finally in his arms, let alone pressed close to him with her nipples pebbled against his chest. He needed more. More contact. More Cassie. More everything.
Cassie trembled, but it had nothing to do with the cold. Molding her mouth, Sam kissed her with a shattering hunger. No one had ever kissed her like that—as if she were more precious than oxygen. Deftly, he turned so her back flattened against the wall, and he pressed along her length. A strangled moan vibrated in her throat at the sensation of his thick cock digging into her stomach. God, she wanted him. She shouldn’t, though. She should push him away. This was a terrible idea. The last thing she needed to do was get involved with Sam. Her body disagreed. As if it had a will of its own, she found herself rocking her hips against his as he ground into her.
Desire, stronger than she’d ever known, raced through her blood, stoked higher with each touch. One of his hands slid to her waist and hesitated before following the curve of her bottom. He tightened his arms around her, and she felt the heat rolling off him as he lifted his head.
“Look at me,” he rasped, but she kept her eyes squeezed shut. He traced her collarbone with his callused forefinger, letting it dip between her breasts, then followed the swell upward with the roughened fingertip, sending shivers through her. Leaning forward, he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along the path he’d just taken. “Open your eyes and see what you’re doing to me.”
If she kept her eyes shut, she could pretend this wasn’t happening. Pretend this was all a figment of her lust-filled, overactive imagination.
“Cass.” He spoke softly against her skin, each breath stroking her senses into a higher awareness of him. He trailed dark, heated kisses along the side of her neck, heedless of the quake he’d started within her. Grasping his jacket, she pushed it off his shoulders and onto the floor. But there was still too many layers separating them.
Plucking at his shirt buttons, she released them, baring his tightly muscled chest to her wandering hands. She still couldn’t quite bring herself to open her eyes—to make this real—to actually admit to herself that she was undressing Sam MacLane. In her kitchen.
He gripped her hands and held them firmly against his chest, his lips at her ear. “I need you to look at me. I need to know that you’re actually here with me. I don’t want you to get carried away and regret this later.”
She inhaled deeply a few times before slowly opening her eyes. Her gaze traveled over the expanse of chest revealed by his open shirt, before climbing upward over the strong column of his throat to his stubbled jaw and kiss-swollen lips. Forcing her gaze up a little farther, she met the brilliant blue of his eyes. Intense arousal mixed with concern.
She swallowed heavily. “I know what I’m doing,” she whispered. She couldn’t promise she wouldn’t regret it later, but it was what she had to offer now. And she wanted him. Badly. Who knew if this chance would ever present itself again?
He studied her as if he wasn’t sure he could trust her response.
Fearing he’d change his mind, she gripped the bottom of her sweater and pulled it up and off her body, letting it drop to the floor by their feet. To his credit, he held her gaze for what seemed like forever before his eyes lowered to her lace-covered breasts.
His breath caught in his chest, and her nipples hardened in response to the desire in his expression and the chilliness in the air. His hands tightened on her hips, and he lowered his head to take her mouth again. Sliding a hand upward, he brushed his thumb back and forth beneath the underside of her breast, raising goose bumps across her skin. She leaned backward and tugged him toward her. The cold plaster chilled her back, and the heated expanse of his chest warmed hers. After waiting for what felt like a year, he cupped an aching breast. Her nipple contracted against the lace, pressing into his palm. Tugging the bra cup aside, he freed her breast and bent down to suckle the aching tip into his mouth.
Sensation shot through her, making her pussy clench emptily. She couldn’t remember ever being this desperate to have a man inside her, but she’d never had a chance to have Sam before, either. She shoved his shirt off his shoulders, tugging at it to free his arms. It had been a while since she’d seen him without a shirt. If possible, he was even more gorgeous than she remembered.
He reached around and unhooked her bra clasp, and she quickly shimmied out of the restraining garment, pressing her bared breasts to his chest. The skin on skin contact made them both gasp. Reaching between them, he unfastened her jeans, and she kicked them off to land somewhere near her sweater. Lifting a leg, she tried to wrap it around him to pull him closer.
Somehow, she had that feeling that even having him inside her wouldn’t be close enough. But she’d take whatever she could get. He might want her now, but she doubted that feeling would last. It certainly hadn’t for Tyler. Viciously shoving away thoughts of her ex and her dismal marriage, she focused on the sensation of Sam’s fingers and lips plucking at her nipples.
He slipped his hand beneath her ass and lifted her until her legs were around his waist and the hard bulge of his cock was notched against her cunt. He thrust a few times, rocking against her, the rough denim deliciously chafing her clit through her now sodden underwear. Pleasure speared sharply through her core as her pulse pounded through her veins. A shuddering, melty feeling settled heavily in her abdomen as she ground herself against him.
Reaching between them, she tugged at his waistband. “Take them off.”
Chapter Three
Sam groaned at the rough quality of her voice as her cool fingers grazed his stomach and she tugged at the button of his fly. “God, Cass. I want you so fucking bad,” he muttered against her neck, palming her ass and fitting her more snugly against him.
Her damp heat practically seared his fingers as they came into contact with her sopping panties. The sweet scent of her arousal was addictive. He wanted nothing more than to lay her back across the counter and bury his face in her pussy. How many times had he imagined her thighs locked around his head as he ate her out? How many times had he stroked himself imagining making her come? Would she scream? Whimper? Stay silent? His balls drew up tight as he realized he was about to find out. He wouldn’t rest until he knew the answer and she was utterly satisfied.
The shrieking whistle of the tea kettle nearly startled her from his arms, but he pinned her more firmly to the wall and reached over to turn off the burner
. The wailing sputtered to silence, leaving no sound behind but their harsh breathing. Securing both arms around her, he carried her through the nearly dark house to the couch in the living room. It was selfish as hell of him, but he didn’t want to give her a chance to change her mind.
Laying her back on the cushions, he hooked his fingers in her panties and tugged them down her legs, taking her socks with them. Her thighs splayed open momentarily before she started to close them. There wasn’t enough light to tell, but he suspected that a blush had risen to her cheeks.
Kneeling on the floor before her, he urged her legs apart and leaned over her, pulling a taut nipple into his mouth. A strangled sound escaped her as she arched up, urging him to take more—suck harder—with her whispered begging. His stomach skimmed across her damp pussy as he leaned farther in, moving from one breast to the other, drawing on her tautly budded nipples, feeling them pucker against his tongue.
She tangled her hands in his hair, tugging as he teased her, nipping at her distended flesh as he sucked. He loved her responsiveness. Tyler had been an idiot to walk away from her, but Christ, Sam was glad he had.
Dragging kisses over her torso, he made his way across the trembling flesh of her belly to hover above her pussy. The scent of her arousal enflamed him further, and he slowly drew a fingertip through her slick folds. His cock jerked as he imagined what it would be like to slide inside her, to fill her completely.
He’d wanted her for so long; it was almost impossible to believe he was finally here with her. If not for the sensation of her velvet soft skin beneath his touch and her undeniable warmth, he’d think he was lost in another hopeless daydream.
Using his thumbs, he gently parted her folds, opening her to his gaze in the dim light. The single streetlamp backlit the blowing snow, and through the front window, it cast a gentle glow over her skin, making her look almost ethereal—her pale skin radiant in sharp contrast to her dark hair spread across the cushion. No matter what happened, he’d always remember her like this—beautiful and open to him.
Lowering his head, he tasted her. Like sweet wine, her flavor burst across his tongue, hot and addictive. He lapped at her slick flesh, darting inside her tight opening before stroking upward to circle her swollen clit.
Desperate whimpers escaped her lips as she lifted her hips to his mouth. He was certain he’d never seen anything as hard-on inducing as the sight of her body straining toward pleasure, toward release. He slipped a finger inside her wet channel, groaning at the way she clasped him, knowing it would only be a million times better when he was buried balls deep inside her.
Slowly, he stroked in and out of her shuddering body, adding another finger and another while brushing his thumb across her clit. She gripped the couch as if she wouldn’t stay grounded without hanging on. She was close. He could feel it in the way her muscles tensed and the way she bit her lip as if she could hold back her impassioned cries. He couldn’t wait to see her break. He wanted to make her come more than he’d ever wanted anything.
Keeping his gaze on her, he flicked his tongue across her clit before sucking the tiny bundle of nerves between his lips. Her entire body stiffened as her release washed over her; his name was torn from her lips with an anguished cry. He’d never heard anything more beautiful.
Panting, her eyes fluttered open, and she pinned him with her stare. “Please tell me you have a condom.”
Panic flared to life in his gut. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and rifled through it until he found one. He climbed to his feet and quickly stripped off the remainder of his clothes while Cassie watched, teeth gnawing at her lower lip. He quickly sheathed himself and paused, gazing down at her.
Cassie squirmed under his scrutiny. She knew she wasn’t perfect, but she couldn’t remember ever feeling so self-conscious before. Finally, she looked away. “Please, don’t. Don’t stare at me like that.”
A rueful smile curved his lips. “I wanted to make sure this wasn’t another misguided, adolescent fantasy.”
“Um…did they happen often enough for that to be a concern?”
He chuckled as he leaned over her. “You have no idea.”
A spiral of warmth unfurled in her middle, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. “I hope you’re not disappointed.”
Sam lifted up her chin until she met his gaze. “Fantasy was never this good.”
Her eyes stung at the sincerity in his expression. She opened her arms to him, drawing him into her embrace. As he settled into the cradle of her thighs, the warmth she’d experienced earlier was replaced by undeniable heat.
She groaned at the sensation of his thick cock sliding through her wet heat to graze her aching clit. “Quit teasing,” she muttered.
He grinned, and her chest tightened. “Never. Not while I can get a reaction out of you.” He slipped through her damp folds again, making her cry out. Finally, he took pity on her and gently prodded her opening.
Cassie lifted her hips in an attempt to urge him deeper, but he held back. All but growling, she nipped at his earlobe. “You’re not going to like the reaction you’re going to get if you don’t quit tormenting me and just fuck me.”
His lips quirked. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use that word before.” His eyes glinted wickedly. “Are librarians even allowed to say that?”
“Sam…”
“What? It’s hot.”
She frowned at him. “Then, fuck me already.”
His grin fading, he lunged forward, pushing all the air from her lungs with the force of his thrust. Yes. This is what she wanted. Him. He stilled, letting her adjust to the invasion, but his body shook from the effort of remaining motionless. She shifted slightly, taking him deeper, loving the way his eyes closed and his lips parted as he slid farther in, filling her completely.
His eyes flashed in the low light as he opened them and pinned her with his gaze. She wanted to look away, afraid he’d see the depth of emotion she’d always been careful to hide from him, but she couldn’t. She was sure he could see every thought she’d ever had about him, every feeling she’d ever experienced for him, and she couldn’t do a thing to stop it. It was as though he had a direct link to her heart, and he’d learned all of her secrets. There was a part of her that wanted to look away, but the bigger part wanted to commit everything about this night to memory.
Slowly, he withdrew, and she finally had to shut her eyes. The sensations were too much. She swore she felt every vein, every ridge as he pushed through her grasping passage. Her internal muscles convulsed, trying to keep him deep inside her. She whimpered at the loss as he almost completely pulled out, groaning as he hilted himself within her again. Nothing in the world had ever felt this good. She was sure of it.
Sam’s careful, measured thrusts quickly became out of control as he shafted her harder and faster. Cassie loved every rough lunge. She lifted herself into each advance, meeting him every time, as her release twisted and knotted in her middle.
She gripped his shoulders, unable to look away from the way he watched her—as if he were just as in awe of this moment as she was. She’d never been loved like this. Primitive need stripped away the mask of civility and filled her with raw, aching hunger. His gaze held her captive, feral and unfocused, his jaw clenched. The force of that much passion, directed solely at her, set off uncontrollable tremors throughout her body.
She clung tighter to him. His muscles twisted and flexed under his slick skin as she wrapped herself around him. Whispering his name over and over like an endless prayer, she strained against him. The tremors became rolling waves as he pounded into her, pushing her toward the edge.
“God, Cass—I can’t hold back. I wanted to make this good for you,” he grated. “To make it last…”
Heat coalesced in her middle, spiraling inward in an ever contracting knot, but his hoarsely muttered words shoved her past her breaking point, and everything flew apart. Release rushed through her body, drowning her as her pussy clutched and spasmed around h
is cock. Still, he slammed into her.
He groaned her name as he stiffened, his body shaking with exertion as his orgasm poured through him and into her. His heat seared her through the thin barrier of the condom, and she shuddered, wishing for a crazy moment that there was nothing between them. His head dropped to her shoulder while he dragged shaky breaths in and out of his heaving lungs as she stroked his sweat-damp back.
Slowly, he raised his head and looked at her, gently smoothing the hair from her face. Something about his bemused expression made her feel as if he were seeing her for the first time. And who knew—maybe he was. This was new territory for both of them.
He kissed her. Achingly sweet and tender, it was the kind of kiss that answered all of the questions she’d ever thought to ask. All except one—how was she ever going to find the will to go back to real life when this was over?
And it would be over. Of that, she had no doubt. This was a result of the heat of the moment, curiosity and pity. She couldn’t forget the pity. Yeah, reality was really going to suck.
Hiding her face in the curve of his neck, she sighed. She’d done the one thing she’d always swore she wouldn’t do. She’d gone and fallen in love with Sam. No, that wasn’t true. She’d been in love with him for years. She’d just refused to let those feelings have any air to breathe. Any room to develop. Now, they were running wild, and she needed to bury them again as quickly as possible.
He eased out of her and curled around her back, pulling the afghan from the back of the couch over the top of them. Urging her head onto his arm, he kissed her temple, and she blinked back the tears that burned her eyes.
Chapter Four
Dawn’s dull gray light crept through the window, making Cassie squint. Lifting her head, she saw that the snow still came down with a vengeance. She also noticed she was alone on the couch. For a minute, she wondered if Sam so thoroughly regretted what had happened between them that he’d slunk off into the night. But, she reasoned, even if he had regretted it, he wouldn’t have just left her without saying goodbye. He also wouldn’t have taken off in a dangerous blizzard. Especially not with his truck stuck like it was.
Unexpected Gifts Page 2