by Laurie Roma
“Together.”
He let out a growl and slammed him mouth back down on hers, making her head swim. She opened her mouth so his tongue could drive deep, and met it with her own in a seductive dance. Every touch, every taste just made her want more. Their tongues stroked and played together, mouths fused tight as they began to rip at each other’s clothes in a savage display of impatience.
Their lips parted as Evie lifted Dare’s shirt over his head, baring all those hard muscles to her stroking hands. Her fingertips tingled as she finally got to rub them all over his beautiful body. She moved her hands lower, playing over the contours of his abs until they reached the front of his jeans.
She was waylaid as he pulled back and tore her shirt off of her, jerking her bra with it. He bent down and took one of her taut nipples into his hot mouth, flicking it with his tongue so she moaned in pleasure. When his mouth switched to her other breast she felt him fumbling with the fastenings of her pants and lifted her hips so he could pull them off her. Her head fell back as his lips trailed back up her neck until he was once again claiming her lips with his.
Frantic with the need to feel him, she stroked her hand over the rigid length of his cock through the material of his jeans. She was rewarded with his low groan and was thrilled when she felt him harden under her palm. Wanting to feel his flesh with hers, she began working the top button of his jeans open.
“Christ. You need to stop that or this will be over before it’s begun.”
“I’m sure you will manage just fine.” Evie smiled up at him as she drew the zipper of his jeans down, allowing the thick length of him to spring free. Then he was hot and hard in her hand. Her fingertips didn’t touch around his thick shaft, but she did her best to stroke him as she watched his eyes darken with pleasure.
“That’s it. Consider yourself fucked, princess.”
Dare felt his control snap and he roughly shoved her so she was flat on her back. He rubbed one of his large hands down the valley between her breasts, enjoying the feel of her silky skin. Dare thought she looked so beautiful laying there on the desk like some pagan offering. She was a real woman whose passion matched his own.
And now she was his.
His knees felt weak as he saw the need shining in her brighter blue eyes. He wanted to touch her everywhere. Taste her everywhere. He loved the little strip of blonde hair on her mound pointing down to the treasure that lay beneath. Her pussy glistened in the light with proof of her desire for him, and it made him want to shove her thighs wide so he could taste her.
But not yet.
He didn’t have the patience to wait any longer.
Reaching down, he grabbed his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a condom, then threw his wallet on the ground. Tearing open the packet, he sheathed himself in record time.
“Come to me, Dare. I want to feel you inside me.”
Dare’s breath left in a rush as he stroked his fingers into the slick dew spilling from her pussy. He wanted to pound himself into that hot little hole, and the proof on his fingers told him of her readiness. Grabbing her hips, he slid her forward so her ass was at the end of the desk. Taking her hands, he braced them at the edge by her hips.
“Hold on,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.
When he saw she had a good grip on the desk, he lifted one of her legs and fit the mushroomed head of his cock tight against the entrance to her pussy. With one hard surge, he shoved the length of his cock into her hot, silken depths, and groaned as the sheer pleasure of being inside her.
“So fucking tight. You’re so fucking tight and hot. Perfect.” Dare’s voice was raw with lust as he ground himself into her, wanting to be as deep inside her as he could possibly get. It was as if he were a part of her, and she had somehow become a part of him.
It felt like coming home.
Evie moaned. “Dare, I need you to…”
“What, Eve?” Dare growled. “Tell me and I’ll give it to you.”
“I need you to move. Now. Right now!”
“Hold the fuck on. This is gonna be hard and fast.”
With savage glee, Dare began pumping into her hard, filling her pussy with his cock over and over again. He jerked both of her legs up so they were resting on his shoulders. He pressed opened mouthed kisses onto the skin of her calves as his arms held them firm. Her soft moans drove him wild as he shoved his cock into her hot little hole, driving deeper with every thrust.
There were no more words spoken, just the sound of flesh slapping against flesh and the harsh pants of breath filled the room. They were connected by the wild passion that raged between them on a level that went beyond speech.
Sweat dripped down his face as he continued to pound into her like a man gone mad, stretching her tight hole around his invading flesh. Dare muttered a curse as his hips pistoned hard and fast, thrusting into her heat with startling force. Her tight, wet pussy was gripping him so hard that he felt like he was shoving his cock into a velvet vise. He could feel her milking him, driving him closer and closer to the pinnacle of ecstasy, but he wouldn’t fall off that edge without her.
Her eyes closed but they snapped back open as he let out a vicious snarl. “Damn you, look at me! Look. At. Me!”
He punctuated each word with a hard thrust. He needed that connection with her as he pounded his full length into her. Dark triumph surged through him as she began chanting his name on a breathless cry. Knowing he was driving her closer to the edge, Dare moved his hand between her legs to stroke his fingers over the hard crest of her clit.
Evie gasped as he pushed her closer toward climax. The hard, driving rhythm of his thrusts made her hold the edge of the desk in a desperate grip to keep her from sliding backwards. Gazing into his dark-gray eyes, seeing the lust burning in their dark depths pushed her that last bit over the edge. She cried out, her back arching off the desk as she came. This wasn’t the gentle rolling waves of an orgasm she was used to. Instead, this was like pure energy being shot straight into her system. Her body went rigid with shock, the pleasure so intense it bordered on pain and left her gasping for air.
He roughly shoved into her once, twice more, then he exploded, letting out a triumphant growl as he came with her. Drained of energy, Evie let her legs fall off of Dare’s shoulders so they were hanging off the edge of the desk. Still recovering, Evie’s body continued to shudder as she lay there struggling to breathe. When Dare’s large body slumped over her, she felt as if her lungs collapsed, but she liked the feel of his heavy weight on hers too much to ask him to move.
Not that she could speak at the moment.
With his body wrapped around hers like a living blanket, she finally closed her eyes, basking in the afterglow until her body jerked when her brain started working again. “Oh my God! The door—!”
“Is locked,” Dare muttered. “I locked it when I thought we’d fight, but this was a much more enjoyable way to spend our time.”
She wheezed out a laugh. “I should hope so.”
Evie stroked her hands over his back, simply enjoying the feel of his hot skin as she relaxed again. Something had just happened between them. Something vital. She had let him see a part of her she’d instinctively kept hidden from every man before Dare, and now she felt vulnerable and unsure of herself. She was glad she didn’t have to look him in the eye at the moment since his head was nestled on her chest, right over her heart. It gave her a moment to collect herself as they lay there waiting for their frantic pulses to slow to a steady rhythm.
Dare sighed. “I guess I should explain.”
“Explain what?”
“I haven’t...hell, I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”
“And yet you carry a condom in your wallet? You must be a pretty optimistic fellow.”
He snorted out a laugh. “I’m a doctor. We’re always prepared. But that thing has been sitting in my wallet for months, so let’s hope it’s still in one piece when I pull out of you.”
“I guess we should have talked about this before, but I’m on the pill and I was just at the doctor a few weeks ago for a checkup, so I know I’m safe.”
“I am, too. I know this wasn’t exactly a spectacular showing, but I promise to make it up to you next time.”
“Any more spectacular and I think you might kill me next time.”
His head lifted and his eyebrow rose. “Yeah?”
Evie smiled up at him as she pulled him down for a kiss. “Oh, yeah.”
“If that’s the case, then why don’t we head back to your place and start on round two?” He muttered a curse. “Shit, that was my only condom.”
“It just so happens that my cousin Francesca gave me a large box as one of my stocking stuffers for Christmas.”
“Your cousin got you a box of condoms as a gift?”
“Mmm hmm. But I have to warn you...they glow in the dark.”
Dare snorted in amusement. “I can’t say I ever wanted to see my dick glow, but there is always a first time for everything.”
Chapter Ten
By the time Dare and Evie dressed, collected her dogs from the volunteer that had been watching them for her, and made it to her house they both realized they were absolutely starving. He offered to feed the dogs while she foraged in her freezer. She pulled out a large container and tossed it in the microwave.
“Maddy’s lasagna. She keeps me well stocked with meals for fear I’ll starve.”
“You don’t cook?”
She raised an eyebrow as she got them both a glass of wine. After the day they had, they deserved it. “I can get by on the basics, but I’m usually too busy. Why, were you expecting a home cooked gourmet meal? If so, you can keep dreaming.”
“I actually can cook.” Dare grinned. “But I have to be in the mood and I’m very picky about what I make, so it’s usually too much effort. Between Maddy and Kali taking pity on us, I guess we’ll survive.”
She laughed as she took out silverware from a drawer. “That’s one way to look at it.”
When she tried to take out plates from one of the cabinets, Dare told her not to bother as he took the heated container out of the microwave and set it on the dining room table. Picking up his fork, he dug in and laughed at the expression on her face. “Come on, princess. Dig in.”
“I’m not a snob,” she said with a sigh as she sat down next to him and picked up her own fork.
“I never said you were.”
“Don’t you every time you call me princess?”
Dare paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. He ate the bite, taking his time to chew as he tried to figure out how to answer her and decided to go with the truth. “The first time I saw you I thought you looked like a magical princess. Granted, I was pretty delirious at the time, but it stuck with me. You were standing at the top of the stairs with the light of the setting sun surrounding you like a halo. That image of you has haunted my dreams since.” She stared at him wide-eyed and he couldn’t help but lean in to press a kiss to her lips. “See? I can say the right thing when you aren’t messing with my head.”
“Yeah,” she said blowing out a shaky breath. “You really can.”
They ate in silence, and when she was done, Evie sat back sipping her wine as she watched Dare consume the rest of the lasagna. The man certainly had an impressive appetite. “After a day like today I could use a really long, hot shower.”
“That sounds good to me, too.” He paused, then said, “At the risk of losing this truce we seem to have going, we need to talk about your security.”
“I heard what you said, but I don’t see how—”
“I have a plan for that.”
Evie bristled for a second, then settled herself down. She wasn’t used to people questioning her decisions about the rescue center, but today had frightened her. He was right when he’d said someone could have been hurt, and she wasn’t too stubborn to listen to good advice when it came from a source who knew what they were talking about. “I’m always open to a good plan.”
“Good. Then why don’t you sit your ass up here on the table and lay back so I can eat that sweet little pussy of yours for dessert?” He laughed at her shocked gasp. “Not that I wouldn’t love to do exactly that, but I’d rather do it without an audience.”
They both glanced over to where her four dogs sat watching them from where they were sprawled out on their beds in the living room. “That’s a good point.”
“Please tell me they don’t sleep in your room with you.”
“Sometimes they’ll sleep upstairs, but they seemed like they actually prefer to sleep down here together. I think it’s because they like to see who is coming and going since Beckett, Francesca, Maddy and Tony stop by a lot and it saves them a trip down the stairs every time they hear something.”
“They’re good guard dogs.”
“The best.”
“Back to my plan. You need to hire more staff.”
“I was considering taking on Eugene and Claudette part-time.”
Dare shook his head. “If they’re planning on becoming vets, why doesn’t Beckett hire them? The clinic has a separate budget, right? Besides, they aren’t what you need. You’ve got Russ, and he’s a big guy, but he’s the only muscle you have on staff beside Hunter. The rest of your crew are women and geeks.”
“Hey!”
“It’s true. There are a lot of ex-military guys looking for work. Some of them who were staying at the boarding house only left to find a job somewhere else. You need to consider hiring some of them. Men who can do the heavy lifting around the center, and can also provide protection and security when you go out on rescues. I talked to Storm about it, and he said he would be willing to work with the guys to get conceal and carry licenses, if they don’t already have one. This would help take the load off Storm and his men going out on calls with you. Storm said he knows you guys use the tranq guns when needed on the animals, but for situations like today, you should have men who are trained to defend your groups from people like Conroy. You could even start your search with some of the guys who volunteer now, or some who have in the past.”
“You seem to know a lot about the center.”
“I listen,” he said with a frown. “For some reason people like to tell me things all the damn time, and I listen...sometimes.”
“Poor Dare. How horrible for you that people like talking to you.” He muttered under his breath, making her laugh. “Okay, I can see about hiring a couple of new—”
“Four. You need at least four men to fill in day and night shifts.”
Evie bit her lip as she considered his suggestion. Ultimately, she knew he was right. The center’s finances could handle four new hires, but she might have to do a little rearranging of her budget. She had been planning on taking on a few new people anyways, but she hadn’t thought about asking any of the ex-military men to stay on. That had been a mistake on her part, and she would correct it.
“Fine. We’ll look into it tomorrow.”
“Get Hunter to help you. He’ll know what to look for.”
Some of Evie’s excitement dimmed at the reminder that Dare wasn’t planning to stay. She had wanted to ask him to help with the search, but he was right, she’d ask Hunter to do it. “I’ll have to meet with my accountant to see how much money we have for new hires. We were planning an extension to the building, but maybe that can wait.”
“Ah, yes. I remember him.” Dare sipped his wine as he lifted a lock of her hair to twirl it. “Looks like the suit is going to have to look elsewhere for a dinner date from now on.”
She smiled. “Just so you know, I never said yes to him when he asked me out. And this doesn’t count as a dinner date either, Dr. Nyght.”
“Why not? We ate, had wine...now I’m hoping to get lucky.”
“You are hopeless.”
He grinned. “Why don’t we go upstairs and take that shower? Tell me that again after I make you come a few more times.”
She slapped at his
shoulder as she stood up to take their dishes to the sink. Evie liked the sound of his laugh, and she liked it even more when he offered to take her dogs out one last time before they went upstairs. She wasn’t used to having someone in her living space, but Dare didn’t seem like an outsider.
In fact, he seemed to fit in too well.
Pushing aside her worries of the future, she said goodnight to her boys as Dare checked to make sure the house was locked up. They walked upstairs together, and she led him into her sanctuary. Her bedroom walls were a light gray that she offset with a dark, royal purple duvet cover over her king size bed. There were other purple accents throughout the room and she’d chosen black furniture to complete the contemporary look.
On the far side of the room were a set of white French doors that led out to a little balcony that looked out over the pond. She loved sitting out there at night. It was where she could see where all the people she loved were, and yet allowed her to be separate from them when she needed.
“Jesus, you have an espresso bar in your bedroom?”
She grinned. “It’s essential to me being able to function, and also saves everyone from my wrath if they bother me before I have my coffee in the morning.”
Next to the espresso bar there was a two-way fireplace that shared a wall between the bedroom and bathroom. Even though she loved her bedroom, her favorite room of her entire house was the master bath. She stepped into the room, then turned to watch Dare’s face as he entered behind her, and the awe on his face pleased her.
Dare looked around the bathroom with wide eyes. No, it wasn’t anything as simple as a bathroom. Evie had created a haven of relaxation that could have been found in a five star spa somewhere. The walls of the room were made of a mixture of smoothed natural stones, ranging from dark-gray to a light-beige. The countertops were lined with black marble, but the center looked like a garden of round stones. Dare placed his hand down on the clear glass that covered the stones and noted that the thick glass sink bowls that were placed on top of the counter matched perfectly.