Paying Up

by Mary Wine

  “Hum… Good morning to you too.”

  He laughed against her neck and bit her again. The leg between her thighs moved and rose, parting her legs for the length of his cock. The hard head of his erection found the entrance to her body and slipped gently into her.

  “I can smell you. Did you know that? Knowing your pussy is wet makes me a little crazy.”

  Her passage was flooding for him too, the fluid slipping down the walls of her body as he pressed his rod deeper into her. Her bottom lifted instinctively. The woman in her wanted to be exactly where she was.

  No one ever talked to her with those kinds of words. She should have been mad to hear him call a part of her body a word like pussy. Instead it sent another jolt of fire shooting toward her passage and the hard intruder thrusting into her.

  Maybe the language was just part of the difference between the boys she’d dated and the man who was lying in her bed.

  “Am I hurting you too badly?”

  Her bottom lifted toward his next thrust without conscious thought. Her body groaned but yearned for him at the same time. That knot of tension was twisting in her womb once again as she tried to move their pace faster.

  His hands gripped her hips and kept them in place, her body screamed for the liberty to move but she was held still with his huge erection deeply inside her.

  “Answer me.”

  Admitting her need in spoken words seemed almost too exposing. Her pride battled with her body as Shane refused to grant her any motion until she answered.

  “I’m fine.”

  She snapped the words and it made him mad. Shane clapped his hands over her hips and denied his own desire. He wanted to hear her say it.

  “And you want what, honey?” Shane nipped her ear before trailing soft kisses over her cheek. Her body trembled as he refused to release her hips. The walls of her pussy began to grip and tighten around his cock. It was a sweet torture that tested his will. Pulling out of her body, he thrust deeply into her and grinned at the little moan that escaped her lips. Lodged deeply inside her body, he once again held her hips solidly in place.

  “I hear some women like to be the ones calling the shots in bed. Just tell me what your sweet little body would like or I could just wait right here for you to think about it.”

  Oh God, she couldn’t survive that. The thick length of his rod was throbbing in her body. She needed it to move so badly. Every nerve ending seemed to be poised on that connection between their flesh.

  “I just need you, Shane.”

  His hips jerked and thrust into her. She purred with delight as he stretched and deepened the penetration. One of his hands slipped over her hip and found the little nub at the top of her sex. Pleasure spiked through her as he rubbed that sensitive bud and thrust deeply into her body at the same time.

  “That’s it, isn’t it, honey?” His hips flexed and his finger rubbed harder. Her hands clawed the sheets as his breath became harsh and cut with his approaching climax.

  “Come for me! I want to feel that little pussy milking me again.”

  She didn’t have any choice. Her body erupted into pleasure so tight it made her yell. A hard grunt hit her ear as his hand gripped her hip and held it in place for a deeper thrust. He shuddered inside her as she felt her body pulling on his length but the deepest desire wasn’t fed. Her womb felt the climax and lamented the lack of his seed hitting it. She looked over her shoulder to see a second box of condoms on the other bedside table. She hadn’t even noticed him slipping the thing on.

  Turning her head slightly, she noticed there was a second box of condoms on the opposite bedside table. A hand stroked her face as he rose up onto an elbow to look into her eyes.

  “I’ll leave the damn things off but you have to accept one thing about that.”

  His face fell into a solid mask of stone as his eyes cut into hers.

  “I fill your belly and you belong to me, forever.”

  Chapter Six

  She was turning into a jellyfish. Christina gave in to the urge to snort with her frustration because the sound of her shower would cover it.

  His? Forever? Sex had damaged her brain! A silly little thrill of excitement had raced through her at those barbarian words. She wasn’t some cavewoman and shouldn’t delight at the idea of being dragged home like a prize kill.

  Relationships should be comfortable and open to discussion. She snorted again. Yeah, right! Shane Jacobs didn’t have the word negotiation in his vocabulary.

  Yes, but you liked the way he took over.

  She didn’t like that fact but couldn’t exactly lie to herself. It was like he’d unlocked some secret door and found the control to her passion. Sex just wasn’t that intense normally, it couldn’t be. If it was, she’d have jumped into bed with half the boys who’d chased her. She had never felt her body erupt into lawless disorder, but it had last night.

  Her face was flaming as she stepped out of the shower. Not sure where Shane had gone was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He was not the sort of man you wanted sneaking up behind you.

  A low whistle came from the hallway. Her lips twisted into a crooked grin as she turned to see Shane leaning against the top of the stairs. His face told her he’d been watching the doorway for her.

  That same silly thrill crossed her mind as she noticed the fact that his duffel bag was still in the corner of her room. Somehow, the idea that he hadn’t disappeared once he’d gotten what he wanted made her want to smile and think a little more about that forever idea he’d planted in her imagination.

  Yup, brain damage for sure.

  “Hungry?”

  “A little.”

  He frowned at her response. Shane pushed his frame away from the wall and walked toward her. His eyes moved over her in a precise assessment of her body.

  “You need to eat more. Are you on one of those stupid trend diets?”

  “Excuse me, but my eating habits are just fine and there is nothing stupid about watching my weight.”

  His face told her otherwise. He reached for her hand and captured it. He pulled her behind him as he went down the stairs and headed toward the back of the store.

  “You’ve lost weight since you were with me last.” He pulled her out the back door and turned around to lock it. He pushed her ring of keys into his pocket before aiming his sharp eyes back at her. “You’re thin and that is definitely my concern.”

  “Since when?”

  That was a good question. One Shane wasn’t sure he was ready to answer. Instead he pulled her after him as he moved to the place he’d parked his Hummer.

  He sent her door closed with a slam as she raised an eyebrow at him. Communication definitely wasn’t one of the man’s charms. Her stomach grumbled, making her giggle. Lunch did sound good after all.

  * * * * *

  “You are a barbarian.”

  Shane grinned and displayed an even row of teeth in response. His eyebrow twitched up as he looked across the table at her. “Maybe I’m just a real bad boy.”

  “I think you’re past the spanking stage.”

  A low rumble of amusement shook his chest before he leaned across the table and lowered his voice for his next comment. “Spanking does have its stages, you know. First when it’s used to punish a child and then when it turns into a woman’s bedtime fantasy. Maybe we should see if you’ve entered your second one yet.”

  “You are not going to spank me.”

  He pressed his lips together and sent her a kiss in response. “Then maybe you shouldn’t look so excited by the idea.”

  Her cheeks were burning but it was temper. Christina glared at him but the waitress appeared to refill his coffee mug. Loving couples did not spank one another! Well, somehow she got the idea that Shane wasn’t planning on being on the receiving ending of any paddling, but still! What kind of man spanked his girlfriend?

  Her eyes went wide as she applied that word to them. She’d labeled him a barbarian because everyone in th
e diner was watching them and Shane made sure they had something to witness too. He caught her hand and sent her dark looks of longing that even a nun couldn’t miss.

  “My lucky day, two friends to have lunch with.”

  Sheriff Brice Campbell lowered his body into the booth right next to her as Christina stared at the man in shock. His brown eyes considered her with the same sharp movements that Shane always used. The waitress appeared with a lunch plate already cooked and sat it in front of him.

  “Heard your folks were out of Benton for a spell. Any trouble around the shop?” Brice Campbell kept his eyes on her as he waited for a response. The question sounded so benign but it wasn’t. The sheriff was part of that dark, shadow-breeding world that Shane belonged to. His wife was some kind of high-level psychic and Shane’s father was her bodyguard.

  The sheriff was just another reminder of the constant surveillance she was under but his face wasn’t unkind. In fact, there was the firm authority of a parent lurking in his brown eyes. Her own father couldn’t have done anything to protect her from a man like Shane, but Brice could.

  “Everything’s fine, thank you.”

  He nodded and looked across the table at Shane. “Nice to see you in town.”

  Shane lifted his mug and watched the sheriff over its rim. Christina got the impression that any other man would have been sent packing but Brice Campbell had the edge of respect from Shane. They glared at each other in a male battle of wills before the sheriff lifted his fork and pointed it at Shane.

  “Relax, son, there are a few parts of my job I take seriously.”

  The protective manner of both men rubbed her pride. They both had just decided to look after her and nothing she had to say was going to change that fact. She pushed her half-eaten meal away because her stomach was suddenly too knotted to eat anything else.

  Shane pushed it back in front of her. “Eat.”

  She would have laughed but the sheriff’s eyes suddenly inspected her arm before he nodded his head with approval. “I hope you’re not following this new fashion trend of looking half-starved.”

  “I don’t stuff myself just to please some male idea of how much food is enough for me.”

  Brice inspected her, his eyes making her temper simmer.

  “You’ve lost weight.”

  “All right! Fine, so what?”

  Brice grinned at her before wiggling his eyebrows at her. “So, maybe you need a little more exercise to stimulate that appetite. Shane should have some good ideas for you.”

  She snorted and didn’t care who heard the unladylike sound! Shane and Brice grinned like a pair of jackals before she borrowed one of Roshelle’s favorite sayings.

  Lifting her hand, she waved it in front of her face. “The testosterone fumes are nearing toxic levels.”

  * * * * *

  “Wrong.”

  Most men never argued with that tone of his voice. Women normally retreated. Christina stood and folded her arms across her chest and faced off with him. Shane couldn’t help but be impressed.

  “You are the one who’s wrong, Shane Jacobs.”

  She always used his surname when she was mad at him. Shane grinned as he recorded the detail and stored it in his brain.

  “I told Mick I’d do the job, I’m going to work.”

  “My woman isn’t serving in a bar.”

  “Who said I’m your woman?”

  His eyes erupted with rage. Christina stood firmly in her place. Maybe she’d said that just to see what would happen. Shane stretched his hands out and looked ready to kill.

  “I didn’t ask you to break your word, Shane. Mick wouldn’t have asked me if he didn’t need the extra pair of hands. Besides, you didn’t exactly tell me you were going to show up. I told him I’d be there.” That brought him up short. His eyes turned somber as he considered the set look on her face.

  “Besides, you’re treating me like a toy. You can’t just show up and play with me at your whim. I didn’t ask you to toss that cell phone on your hip out the window so stop acting like my commitment isn’t worth spit.”

  “All right, honey, you’ve got a point.” His hand gripped her jaw as he placed a hard kiss over her mouth. He pushed right through her lips to stroke the length of her tongue. Her nipples tightened immediately as she kissed him back.

  “But I’ll be here when you get back.”

  * * * * *

  She had to stop thinking about his promise. Actually, it had been more like an order but that just made her smile. Orders and Shane went together like a pair of shoes. That sneaky little voice in her head tried to suggest that she and Shane matched up like shoes as well.

  Christina sighed and tried to drop her thoughts. Instead she found her eyes watching the clock because she had to know if he’d keep his word. Going home had never seemed so important before. Sure, she loved her parents and before her kidnapping, the end of the workday was met with joy, but this was vastly different. She wanted to go home to Shane. Details didn’t seem to matter a bit as she felt the unmistakable rise of heat in her passage. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him. Maybe that was why she hadn’t really pushed for her independence back from her parents. She had been living in a haze of undefined emotions that still had strings running back to Shane.

  Time suddenly became more precious than gold. The moments that you got to share with those you loved were the most valuable passions you could ever have. Her kidnapping had taught her that lesson. She and Roshelle had clung to life as they fought to live just one more day. She’d lain at Shane’s feet in her own blood and made that bet with him just to make him think she was willing to fight to see the next sunrise.

  So tonight he would be waiting for her and tomorrow he would be gone. Each minute remaining sparkled like a diamond as she looked at the harsh reality of their coming separation. Shane would return to his men and the worst part about that was the idea that he wouldn’t even bother to ask her to go with him.

  Turning on her heel she looked at the time. She would just worry about a broken heart later! Tonight she was going home to make some more memories to fuel her dreams.

  * * * * *

  She came home early. Shane watched her walk out of The Pit two full hours before she had the night before. People still milled around the pool tables but she sent Mick a wave and began her walk home.

  She was coming to him. Shane couldn’t suppress the emotion that filled his chest in response. He had no clue what he was doing coming after her like he was, only that he just couldn’t resist the opening her parents’ trip had provided him.

  He wasn’t sorry either, keeping pace with her he watched the little skirt bounce with her steps. His cock filled with raging need to get back into her tight pussy. It was a basic and maybe even crude reaction to her but it went deeper than just fucking. He wanted her, the sassy and soft civilian that was the very definition of off-limits to him.

  * * * * *

  A heavy step behind her made her spin around. Shane sent her a cocky grin and lifted his arm to defend against any punches she might launch at him.

  “You didn’t really think I’d let you walk home alone.”

  That was just a flat statement. The truth was, she hadn’t even considered it but she should have. Shane didn’t forget the details. His fingers stroked the side of her face as he considered her in the dark.

  “You came home early.” His expression was hidden but his voice was low and husky.

  “Yes.” Simple and straight, she didn’t want to worry about words, all she wanted was to feel him once more. He stepped closer and the warm scent of his skin touched her senses. Her body instantly recognized it. Heat flowed over her skin and down to her belly.

  “Why?”

  In answer, Christina laid her hands on his wide chest. His breath turned harsh as she moved her hands over the ridges of his pectoral muscles and down over his abdomen. Her entire body seemed to hum with approval for his. It was more than prime conditioning, it included hi
s stubborn commanding attitude and the blunt, frontal approach he always used to get what he wanted.

  Shane pushed the door of her dad’s shop open and pulled her inside with him. The door swung back shut and they both became shadows merging into a single form. His lips brushed her neck and as his fingers threaded through her hair, he leaned forward and inhaled the scent of her blonde curls before aiming his glittering eyes at her.

  “Why, Christina?”

  The man never gave up. Christina refused to listen to her pride as it ordered her to keep her feelings buried. “You said you’d be here.”

  Her words cut deep. Shane felt his own hands shake before catching her mouth in a hard kiss. He didn’t want to hear anything that would give him a reason to hold onto her. Desperation drove him to deepen the kiss. Her mouth yielded and her body pressed toward his. That soft female form that soothed the hard edges of his own.

  Hard little nipples dug into his chest as the scent of her pussy reached his nose. Need shot through him as restraint retreated at full force. She twisted in his embrace as one small hand boldly rubbed his cock.

  Christina couldn’t help herself and she didn’t want to! What she wanted was him. She filled her hand with the swollen erection being held by his pants. Her body was already moist and wet in anticipation of being once again impaled on the weapon. Her fingers found a button and pulled on it. A little pop hit her ears making her search out another one to open.

  His swollen cock fell out into her hand the second she opened the last button. The thing pulsed in her hands as she gripped its width. Shane lifted his head and sucked in a huge gasp of air between clenched teeth as she stroked his length.

  His hands suddenly slipped up her thigh to the little elastic straps of her panties. One sharp tug and he snapped them at the hips. He dropped the ruined garment and cupped her bottom in his hands. Her feet left the floor as he lifted her up and placed her back against the wall. His hips spread her thighs as her body opened and the tip of his erection nudged its way toward her passage.

  “Hold on to me, honey.”

  “Yes, Sir.”