Cassie knew his words were true, but she realized she didn’t even know why she was fighting it anymore. “I can feel you too,” she admitted softly.
He cupped her chin. “Why did you run? Are you afraid of me?”
“Not you. I’m afraid of me.” She sighed. “I’ve been independent so long that I don’t think I know how to be with anyone else. Men in the past have only hurt me, and I don’t even know you. I’m afraid of being in love. I’m afraid of being chosen for someone. I’m afraid that I’m too cynical to make it work.”
He smiled and stroked her cheek. “I may call you mine, but I’m willing to give you time. You don’t have to give yourself to me fully.” He swallowed hard. “And if this is too quick for you, I can leave. We can start with dinner.”
Dinner? She threw back her head and laughed. “Dinner is definitely in order. I do want to get to know you more, and this is a little too quick, but it seems right. It seems like this is how it’s meant to be.” With his hands busy, she had more control over her lower body, and she took the opportunity to rock her hips. He hissed sharply. “And you owe me.”
His hands dropped from her face, but rather than stopping her, he cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumb over the material of her bra. “I’ve been picturing these swinging over me as you ride me,” he said in a thick voice. She leaned back and he nuzzled her cleavage. “Tell me what you like. Do you want me to touch them? Lick them? Nibble on them?”
She tensed as he unsnapped her bra and supported her as he slowly slid it down her arms. Free, they sung low, and he moaned as he cupped on in his hands. He stroked a thump over one nipple, and she gasped as it immediately tightened.
A slow smile curved across his face. “You like that, don’t you?”
Her nipples had always been sensitive, and most men just pinched at them roughly. But Max was taking his time. He teased them until they were tight points, and then he leaned down and ran a wet tongue across them. Warmth spread through her, and she moaned.
“You like that too, don’t you baby?” he whispered as he did it again.
She nodded her head, but he wasn’t looking. He swirled his tongue over, loving her, worshipping her, and she knew he could feel her wetness below. He raked his teeth lightly over her, and she cried out.
“Damn Cassie,” he murmured. “I bet I could make you come just from this.”
She had no doubt that he could, but she wasn’t patient enough to find out. She pushed him down and slid her hips over him. “Enough. You still have entirely too many clothes on.”
He pushed his hips up and ground himself against her. “Feel free to rectify the situation,” he said with a smirk.
Cassie leaned over and pulled at his bottom lip with her teeth. “I think I’ll do just that,” she whispered, and she slid down his body.
Max felt the tug of his pants, and he cocked his head forward to watch. She made eye contact, and she stared at him while she slowly slipped the button out of its loop. There was something so erotic about that half smile on her face, but then she dipped her head.
God was she? Yes. She lowered the zipper of her pants with her teeth, and he inhaled sharply as her nose brushed along his boxers.
“Damn,” he whispered.
He watched as she wiggled her ass in the air, and when the zipper was down, she looked up and grin. “Liked that, didn’t you?” she said mockingly. He lifted his hips, and she slid his pants down the rest of the way. Before he could react, she hooked her fingers under the waistband of his boxers and slid those down to. He sprung up, rock hard and in desperate need of attention.
She wasted no time.
As she crawled back up to him, she ran her hands on the inner parts of his thighs and slid her tongue up his base. His hips jumped involuntarily, and his breath escaped him. Christ. His body was on edge from the way he’d teased her, and if he didn’t stop her, it would be over before it began.
“Cassie,” he moaned as she wrapped her lips around him and slid down. He was big, and most women had to stop halfway down, but Cassie was something special. He cried out as he felt her throat muscles relax, and she practically slid all the way down. He hit the back of her throat and moaned. “Fuck, baby, you’ve got to stop,” he panted.
He wrapped his hands in her dark hair as she pulled back up, and while he meant to force her off his cock, he couldn’t help but thrust his hips just a few times. She moaned, and it was nearly his undoing.
The woman clearly loved to suck cock.
Gritting his teeth, he managed to regain his senses and tug on her air until he fell out of her mouth. Before she could saw anything, he hauled her up and flipped her over. “Keep pulling tricks like that out of your hat, and it’s going to be over before you know it,” he grunted.
He pushed at the under side of her knees while he settled in between her legs, and she grinned, straightened, her legs and pulled them all the way up.
Flexible. Max moaned. The damn woman was flexible. He was going to lose all control.
He slid a finger inside her, pulled it out, and tasted her. Her mouth dropped open as she watched him slide the finger inside his mouth. “Sweet,” he muttered. Wanting more, he dropped down and slowly licked her slip.
“Max,” she cried out. “I thought you were going to…” her voice trailed off as he circled his tongue around her clit.
“All in good time,” he murmured. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for a lifetime for this, and I don’t want to rush it. I want to do everything I dreamed about last night.”
“What…” she moaned as he buried his tongue inside her. God, he loved the way her legs were shaking. “What else did you dream about?”
He smiled. He’d dreamed about having her straddling him and riding. He dreamed about having her bent over a kitchen table. He’d dreamed about tying her to the bed and blindfolding her, and, just now, he was picturing how she’d look under the flow of the showerhead as he pressed her up against the shower and made her scream.
“We’ll get to that,” he promised as he went back to loving her.
She panted and moaned, and when he added a couple of fingers, she stopped breathing altogether. When he finally stopped teasing her and started running his tongue over her with determination, she squeezed his head between her legs and squealed as the orgasm rocked through her.
God, he couldn’t take anymore. She barely opened her eyes when he was nudging at her entrance with her erection. “I wanted to give you more time,” he muttered as he tried to still himself. “I should give you more time.”
She planted her feet on the floor and lifted her hips to take more of him in, and as he slid the first few inches in her warmth, he couldn’t control himself anymore. With a shout, he drove himself home.
Cassie arched her back as he stretched her. “Yes,” she hissed. “God, yes.” He leaned over her and pumped his hips just a little, and her eyes widened. “There’s more?”
He laughed shortly. “Yes, but I won’t give you more than you can take,” he muttered. She could see the veins in his neck strain as he tried to control himself.
She drew her legs up, and he settled even deeper. “More,” she said hungrily. “I want more.”
He moaned and slid just a little more in. Her eyes popped open as she tried to adjust herself. She’d never had anyone reach that deeply, and she’d never imagined that it could feel like that. He satisfied a deep ache that she didn’t even know existed. The more he threatened the scratch, he more she itched. “Fuck,” she whimpered. “Can you give me more?”
He closed his eyes and finally sank all the way in. She immediately scissored her legs around him. “Don’t move,” she ordered. She wiggled her hips around in delight. “Max. That’s so good. Right there. That’s my new spot. That’s it.”
He grunted. “Cassie, I love that you want to play, but I’m about to lose my mind here.”
She licked her lips in anticipation. With a wicked grin, she managed to pulse her muscles around him, and he lo
st it. At the first full thrust of his hips, she knew that playtime was over.
He slid all the way in and hit that spot that made her toes curls. Slow at first, and then faster, and soon she was digging her nails into him. As pleasure coursed through her in waves, she could barely hang on.
“Don’t stop,” she cried out. She knocked her head on the floor and tried to keep up. He grabbed her legs and pulled them up. Balancing himself on his arms, he pumped faster, and she moaned. “Oh God. I think I’m going to die.”
“Look at me,” he demanded. “I want to hear you scream my name when you come.”
She locked eyes with him, and as he buried himself in her, she could take no more. “Max,” she panted. “Max. MAX!” She convulsed around him and gripped his hips.
He dropped to rest his forehead on hers. “Mine,” he roared, and slid in as far as he could go before he emptied himself inside her. For just a moment, she saw the lion come out and join them.
She dropped her legs, limp, and he rolled them over so she could rest on him.
“Can’t do anymore,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “I’d need a few minutes anyways.” He paused. “I own a woodworking business. I make furniture and cabinets and such.”
She stilled. She usually hated when the guy got personal afterwards, but she knew that fighting it was futile. He tensed under her, waiting for her response. Even if she wanted to get up and walk away, her legs wouldn’t let her.
“I’m a reporter. But I guess you already knew that,” she muttered as she nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. He relaxed.
“I still have both my parents. I have three sisters, and I’m the alpha of the local pride.”
She propped her head on his shoulder and shuddered as he stroked a finger down her back. How was it that she was still responding to him? “I have an overbearing mother and no siblings.”
“My favorite color is blue, I like classical music, and I try to spend as much time outdoor as possible.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Black. Hard rock. And I’m a big fan of central heating and air conditioning.”
“Action movies, football, and red meat.”
She smiled. “Action movies, football, and red meat,” she echoed.
“At least three kids.”
She bit her lip. “In the future?”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
She wiggled on top of him. “Practice first, and then I think three kids might be in your future.”
“And a wedding. I’m a traditional man.”
She raised her eyebrows. This was getting serious quick, but what did she expect? There was no skirting around the truth. She belonged to him. And he belonged to her.”
“Fall. I like the colors better,” she said with a smile.
He laughed and reached up to kiss her. “Mine,” he said aggressively.
“Mine,” she countered and wiggled her hips.
“God,” he moaned. “You’re going to drive me insane for the rest of my life, aren’t you?”
She was delighted to find that he was already hard again, and she slid her hips over him, inch by inch. “That’s my plan,” she agreed.
It was slow and unhurried, and as he did things to her body that she never thought possible, she realized that some things really were meant to be. She had no doubt that he would love and treasure her for the rest of her life.
And she would do the same to him. “Cassie Torrents,” she whispered out loud.
His eyes widened, and as he gripped her hips, their lovemaking was no longer slow. As he pounded her, she gasped. “Like that, don’t you,” she managed just before she lost all capability to form words.
And for the fourth time in just a few hours, he made her fall apart.
And he was there to catch her.
THE END
GIFTED LANCE
Chapter One
Sasha stared at the man across from her. There was just not something quite right with his face. Was his nose too small? Were his eyes too close together? She cocked her head. Maybe his eyebrows were too bushy.
“Wouldn’t that be great?”
Startled, she shook herself out of her daze. Shit. He had said something to her. What was his name again? “Tell me about your job, Don,” she said trying to divert his attention away from the fact that she had absolutely no idea what he’d just said.
He looked crestfallen. “I just did.”
Double shit. “I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. “Long day at work, and I just zoned out.”
Her smiled must have encouraged him because his face brightened. “I bet. So you’re a baker? I love cupcakes!”
Of course he loved cupcakes. He probably loved everything a normal ten-year-old boy loved. Why did she let her sister set her up on these blind dates? They were always a complete disaster!
The check arrived, and she watched as he grabbed it. At least he was going to be a gentleman and pay for dinner.
“Mom said girls like to feel independent on first dates. Dutch?” he asked with a smile. “You owe twenty-four dollars plus tip.”
Mom said? This date was so over.
After giving him the brush off at the car, she locked herself safely inside and quickly called her sister.
“Sasha!” she squealed. Sasha could hear her niece and nephew screaming in the background. Apparently they didn’t want to go to bed. “Is the date over already?”
“Already?” Sasha asked. “Calla, it felt like it lasted forever. Where the hell did you find this guy? Boring R Us?”
Her sister got oddly quiet on the other end, and Sasha started her car with narrow eyes. “Calla. Where did you find him?”
“Maybe you just didn’t give him a chance,” she said softly.
That did it. “Calla Lilly Thompson! You tell me where you found him right here and now or so help me God!” Their mom had a thing for flowers. Sasha’s full name was Sasha Rose.
“Okay,” she said with a huff. “You don’t have to yell. I signed you up for this online dating site. Don looked so handsome in his picture, and he seemed so stable and nice when we talked.”
“You mean when you talked and pretended to be me? Well that explains why our conversations made absolutely no sense,” Sasha grumbled. “You will take me off that dating site right now. If you don’t personally know the guy, you don’t get to set me up with him.”
“I just want you to be happy,” her sister sniffed. Sasha rolled her eyes. Her sister wasn’t really going to cry, was she? That hadn’t worked since they were ten.
Calla was two years younger than her, and she’s always felt guilty about being the first to get married. Sasha never felt bitter about it because she loved her brother-in-law, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she wanted what they had. But it was so difficult to meet a decent man these days. Either they were taken, they were single and deservedly so, they were gay, or they came with an insane amount of baggage. And Sasha didn’t want to settle. She wanted to feel that initial spark of passion.
“Stop crying,” Sasha demanded. “Take me off the website.”
Her phone beeped, and she looked at her Bluetooth dashboard. “Hang on. Work is calling me. I’ve got to go.”
“But,” her sister interrupted, but Sasha hung up on her.
“Sasha Morrows,” she said.
“Sasha! Oh thank god!” Her boss, Billy Anderson, sounded frantic. “Miriam just called. She quit. Quit! Something about moving to Vegas and eloping. I have no idea. But I’m still in Florida, and someone has to man the Hairy and Fluffy party tonight. Susan finished baking, but she thought Miriam would ice them after they cooled. Please tell me you’re free tonight. I’ll do whatever you want,” he pleaded.
“Three days of paid vacation next month,” she said immediately. She wanted to spend some time digging her toes in the sand and listening to the ocean.
“Done,” he said immediately. She smiled.
“Text me the address. I’ll head that way
now.” She’d wasted her sultry red dress on the date, so she might as well wear it to the party.
“You are a lifesaver. A doll. My absolute favorite,” he gushed as he hung up on. Sasha rolled her eyes. By next week, Billy would be flipping out on her for something she hadn’t even done. She loved her boss, but he was a bit touchy. Especially when his husband was out of town, which was often.
She pulled up the directions to the party, turned her car around, and headed downtown. Hairy and Fluffy Dating Agency held a massive mixer three times a year in order for their members to meet. Shifters of all types were hoping to meet their mates and humans were hoping to hook up with an alpha.
Sasha knew the rumors. Shifters could sense their mates immediately, and Sasha thought it was ridiculous. How could you imprint on someone when you knew nothing about them? What if your soul mate was actually a huge asshole? What did you do then?
No. While Sasha certainly wanted some passion in her life, she relied on good old-fashioned logic. She wanted to get to know someone before she decided they were her soul mates.
Chapter Two
Cole nearly growled at his mother. She stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips while he shook the invitation in the air. “This Meet and Greet has my name on it. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”
“No.”
“Why are you standing so defensively, then?”
“Because you’re always accusing me of something. Yesterday you thought I’d deliberately shoved a nail in your neighbors tire so you’d have to change it. Last week you accused me of collaborating with your brother so that you’d have to talk to his receptionist. I swear Cole, you’re getting a little paranoid.”
He felt his anger rising. He knew she was behind those little antics. His mother was tired of waiting for grandpups. She wanted Cole to marry, and she wasn’t below a little manipulation to get what she wanted.
ROMANCE: HIGHLANDER ROMANCE: Seduced by highlander (Historical Mail Order Bride Time Travel Romance) (Military Fantasy Romance Short Stories) Page 18