The Lion of Frenchman Street
Page 9
“I was taking the coward’s way to think about leaving.”
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “No, you had to consider your options. Especially since I hadn’t said I loved you.”
“I hadn’t either. In this case, we were both scared. But I’m not anymore. I love you, Peter. And I’m not going anywhere. I’ve made up my mind.”
“And I’ve made up mine. We’re going to make this work even if I get frightened again. Forever—like the song says. And I’d love for you to move in, if you think it’s a good idea. One of my uncles owns this building so the rent’s dirt-cheap. You can pay what you can until you get a better job.”
“Yes…I’ll… Of course. Wow. Thank you and yes, yes, yes.” Her mind started to whirl with practical details, but he cut off her thoughts with a kiss that started sweet but quickly turned searing. Kelsey’s mind abandoned planning and her nipples stood at attention. She tried to pull him closer, as if she could get inside his skin and stay there forever.
Peter worked her T-shirt out of her jeans, slid one hand over the bare skin of her back. He grasped the hair at the nape of her neck with the other, forcing her head back to deepen the kiss. Heat surged through her body at the contact, the mixture of dominance and tenderness. She swore she heard sweet notes of music in the quiet space, and she didn’t think they came from the other half of the duplex. She knew she heard “mine” groaned into her mouth.
Oh hell yes, and he was hers. He might dominate her in the bedroom, but she knew his softer side now. Knew his heart. The mine was mutual.
She was too distracted and aroused to say all that, though, so she shifted to straddle his lap. His cock was already hard, jutting against soft, wet, hungry parts of her. This time she allowed herself to feel the deeper connection that had been growing unacknowledged for so long alongside the strong erotic bond. Now that they’d both admitted their feelings, it was safe to ride those currents.
Maybe not exactly safe. Love wasn’t safe and it certainly wasn’t easy. They’d proved that even before they said “I love you.” But it was real and worth the fight. They could make this work.
They’d have challenges, both in the short term as they learned to live together and in the long run. But they’d face them with passion and music and—from now on—with communication.
In this moment, though, she wanted something less challenging, or challenging in a different way. She wanted Peter. Wanted to burn away the anger and doubt of the last couple of days in a blaze of pleasure blended with sweet, erotic pain.
She ground herself against Peter, letting the arousal build. He broke from the kiss. “We should take this into the bedroom before we break the chair.” But he was pulling her shirt over her head as he said it.
Freed from the shirt, she arched back and enjoyed as he pushed down the cups of her bra to expose her breasts, then tweaked her nipples. “I want to put clips on these pretty things,” he whispered. “Want to tie you to the bed with your legs in the air, with the ropes through the suspension points in the ceiling, so your ass is exposed and I can alternate between spanking you and eating you. Want to make you hurt because you scared me and make you orgasm about fifty times because you came back even though I don’t deserve it. But at the same time I want to hold you close and kiss you until we’re both delirious, with something soft and romantic playing in the background.”
“Why choose? We have all night…”
“I need to be at the bar at eight,” he corrected gently. “But we have a couple of hours. I mean, we have forever, but right now, we have a couple of hours. So we’ll compromise. I’ll tie you up in a less complicated way and then we’ll kiss each other senseless.”
Peter eased her to her feet and stood himself. Then he smacked her ass, as if herding her toward the bedroom. The pleasurable pain echoed through her body, but for once it didn’t center on her clit. It vibrated there, certainly, but it seemed to linger longest in her heart.
As they headed toward the bedroom, she thought of something. It hadn’t seemed important at the time, but now she was curious. “Did you decide to call the song ‘Kelsey, Wherever She Lands’?”
“That will still be the public title. But since you’ve decided where you’re landing, it’ll always be ‘Kelsey, All Tied Up’ between us. Now let’s get you that way.”
Dedication and Acknowledgements
This one is for David, who showed up at our house one winter day and announced, “We’re all going back to New Orleans this spring. I’ve already booked the hotel,” and for his wonderful wife, Alexandra.
It’s for all the terrific musicians who help create the magic of New Orleans, and for Three Muses on Frenchman Street, where we enjoyed far too many delicious adult beverages and ate far too much creative food.
And as always, it’s for Jeff. Now and forever.
Special thanks to my beta readers, Tamsen Parker and Jennifer Hallock, and to Dayle Dermatis, the incredible editor for this novella. You all helped make Peter and Kelsey sing.
About the Author
Teresa Noelle Roberts started writing stories in kindergarten and she hasn’t stopped yet. A prolific author of short erotica, she’s also a published poet and fantasy writer—but BDSM-spiced contemporaries, hot paranormals, and sexy science fiction romances have become her favorites.
Teresa is a crunchy granola girl who enjoys belly dance, yoga, cooking, hiking, playing in the ocean, and growing more vegetables than she and her husband can possibly eat. She’d enjoy sleeping too. She thinks. But it takes so much time!
She shares her home in southern Massachusetts with her husband, a Leo in law enforcement, and three cats. She and her husband often plan vacations around food, history, and/or proximity to water—which means they keep finding their way back to New Orleans.
Find out more about Teresa at http://www.teresanoelleroberts.com and subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.teresanoelleroberts.com/?page_id=1485. If you’d rather be conversational, follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TeresNoeRoberts or become a Facebook fan at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTeresaNoelleRoberts. She also hangs out on Pinterest, sharing pictures of hot men, New Orleans scenes, tasteful bondage, and other inspirational imagery, at https://www.pinterest.com/teresanoellerob/.
You might also enjoy Drive
He’s a kinky dream come true—and her only protection from danger.
Cougars, Cars and Kink, Book 1
Eight months after her (cheating, almost-ex) husband’s death, Suzanne Mayhew has a plan to move on with her life. First step: sell off Frank’s classic cars, starting with the red vintage Mustang convertible he never let her drive. Second step: get her unexplored kink on with a delicious younger man.
Preferably the one an old friend sends around, ostensibly to check out the Mustang. Neil Callahan—Boston cop, Dom, fifteen years her junior.
Neil feels the mutual sizzle, but if the blush staining her cheeks is any indication, her flirting skills are a little rusty. Though his instinct tells him to take things slow with the recent widow, he can’t resist inviting her along for a test drive—for the whole weekend.
Throwing caution to the wind, Suzanne takes him up on it. But they’re barely out of the driveway when Neil’s cop instincts kick in. They’ve got a tail…and it looks dangerously like her ex’s secrets looming large—and deadly—in their rear-view mirror.
Warning: Spies, lies and vile bad guys. A meddling BFF. Inappropriate use of kitchen tools. Completely appropriate use of rope and floggers. Your mileage may vary, depending on battery life.
Published by Samhain Publishing and available at Amazon.
You might also enjoy Out of Control
He’s got her tied up, but she’s got him out of control.
Glass artist Jen Kessler has hit the jackpot—a cheap apartment in a charming Victorian house, complete with a sexy, intense, buttoned-down landlord…who may or may not have a riding crop in his bedroom.
She’s not looking for a lover,
but when her innocent, impulsive hug sparks kisses as hot a molten glass, it leads to bondage, spankings, and more naughtiness that, up to now, she had only tasted.
His new tenant may have wild, dyed hair and an unconventional job, but Cornell math professor Drake Matthews admires the work ethic that got her out of debt. Then he’s stunned at how quickly she destroys decades of his carefully cultivated self control.
Soon their sexual and emotional passions push them to the edge—and beyond. But it’s not all good, dirty fun. As Drake takes more and more control of Jen in the bedroom, her deeply ingrained independent streak pushes back. And it’ll take more than a shared penchant for ropes, paddling, and coffee to overcome pasts that could unravel their relationship before it begins.
Warning: Contains kinky sex, molten glass, geeky higher mathematics, family secrets, and irresponsible consumption of coffee.
Published by Samhain Publishing and available at Amazon.
Other Books by Teresa Noelle Roberts
Contemporary kink
Drive
Out of Control
Knowing the Ropes
Christmas Stockings
Red-hot paranormal romance
The Duals and Donovans: the Different series http://www.teresanoelleroberts.com/?page_id=58
Lions’ Pride
Foxes’ Den
Fox’s Folly
Cougar’s Courage
Witches’ Waves
Adventurously sexy science fiction romance
The Chronicles of the Malcolm series http://www.teresanoelleroberts.com/?page_id=1690
Thrill-Kinky
Bad Kitty
Buck, Naked
Fantasy romance with a kinky twist
The Seasons of Sorania Cycle http://www.teresanoelleroberts.com/?page_id=77
Lady Sun Has Risen
Rain at Midsummer
Threshing the Grain
A Satyr for Midwinter
Dark, romantic fantasy
Blood and Lotuses