“So you’re a Nancy Drew fan?” Heath asked, pouring me some wine.
“How’d you know?” Had I mentioned what I’d done that afternoon?
“I saw your stack of books by the couch.”
“You’re such a sleuth.” I told him all about my love of the quick, fun read, from YA to romance to zombie apocalypse mayhem. Turned out he had a liking for a good dystopian end-of-the-world read, too.
“You’ve got to be prepared at all times,” he told me gravely, only a slight twinkle in his eye indicating he might be joking around. But he might not be.
“You never know when a rogue flu is going to knock out the civilized world.” I nodded in agreement.
“Tell you what, Violet. If it does, you know who you want to be with.”
I smiled, picturing him wearing some kind of a leather holster laden with weapons strapped across his manly chest. Preferably with no shirt underneath. This fantasy would have to take place during the summer if it were in Vermont.
“You do know how to live off the grid already,” I acknowledged.
“I’d keep you safe.” The way he smiled at me, that intense intimacy, made my stomach do a slow flip. He made my pulse race and put me at ease at the same time. I’d never experienced the two of those together at the same time. In the past, either a guy was sexy and exciting until I got to know him or never even got the chance, or he was comfortable like an old shoe. This blend of exciting and “I’ll catch you if you fall” instinct I had to trust him? It was wild.
And it got me talking. I found myself telling him all sorts of stories from growing up, everything from how much fun I’d had at my mom’s hair salon to the kinds of things I didn’t usually share, like how much it had sucked when my father hadn’t even shown up for my high school graduation.
“Don’t feel bad.” Heath took my hand. “My father did show up for my high school graduation. But he brought his flavor-of-the-month girlfriend who was maybe five years older than my classmates. My mother about had a heart attack.”
“That sucks.” I squeezed his hand, and we made each other smile and even laugh a bit even as we relived painful moments from the past. That’s how good we were together. And then I couldn’t even blame it on the wine when I found myself bragging, telling him how I’d earned my college degree completely on my own, online and at night, while working full time in L.A. and then making my way into becoming an assistant producer last year.
“That’s amazing.” He looked at me with such admiration I instantly blushed and realized how much I’d been tooting my own horn.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”
“No, I love learning about you. You have a lot to be proud of. I don’t even have a college degree.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be ashamed of about that!” I rushed in, kicking myself. I bet I’d sounded like an ass, and I hoped I hadn’t made him feel self-conscious. “Lots of people can’t afford a four year degree. And look at what you’ve accomplished without one! You’re making amazing stuff, furniture and art, and it sounds like people are snapping it up!”
He shifted in his seat, looking down and playing with his dessert, a house-made ice cream. Man, I’d been on so many dates where the guy wouldn’t shut up about how awesome he was, and now here I was finally out with a man who blew me away and I’d spent the whole of it talking about myself.
“I feel like I don’t know much about you.” I looked up, shyly. “I mean, I know you’re really talented and you live here up in the woods, but…” I shrugged.
“What else do you want to know?” He looked tense all of a sudden. I hadn’t meant to pry. I’d meant it in a good way.
“I’m not trying to do a background check,” I said defensively. “Unless I should?” I tried to tease.
“No criminal record.” He shook his head, looking slightly amused.
“Well, did you grow up here in Vermont? What’s your family like?”
The waitress passed by. Heath let go of my hand to signal that we were ready for the check. I sighed and put my napkin on the table. Here I was trying to get to know him better and he’d basically flagged down a taxi to head out.
“Violet.” He reached over and took my upset hand once again in his. Something about his touch, the warmth, the roughness of his fingers, the way he enveloped me, stroking my skin. Ooh, that man knew how to hold hands. He looked into my eyes and there it was again, that rushing sense of just right.
“I didn’t grow up here and my family’s not like me,” he said, level. “But none of that matters. What matters is right now.”
Right now I was feeling all kinds of tingly, looking at him sitting across from me. That table was a whole lot in the way all of a sudden, such a barrier between me and his lap. I could almost feel him pulling me there, his huge arms wrapping around me, his lips down to meet mine, drinking me in.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. My thoughts exactly.
He waved away my offer to pay. Honestly, I could expense it so it really made sense, and I couldn’t imagine he made that much as a metalworker. But he insisted.
“Thank you so much,” I said as he helped me into my parka. “I love this place. What a lovely surprise.”
“This isn’t the surprise.”
He caught my hand in his again and had a gleam in his eye like a kid with a secret hiding place. “Are you ready?”
A half an hour later Heath had me standing in the pitch dark at the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere.
“Um, this is…neat,” I said, not exactly sure what was going on. He’d driven me there in his truck and then told me to stand and wait for a sec while he got something.
He chuckled. “Hold on.”
When he returned, he had a large, round plastic disc big enough for two. As if on cue, a full moon emerged from behind the clouds and illuminated the hill. Before us stretched a smooth, clear and seemingly endless expanse of fluffy, new snow.
“Are you ready?”
Before I could answer, he grabbed me and pulled me down to sit between his legs on the plastic thing. Right at the top of the long, steep decline. “What are we doing?” I gasped.
“Hold on!” I wrapped my arms around his large thighs on either side of me as he brought us forward with two strong pushes and suddenly we were up and over the top and speeding, sliding, hurtling down the wild hillside as I screamed at the top of my lungs. Trees passed in a blur, my heart hammered and I gulped in lungfuls of cold air as we flew through the night. It felt like a magic carpet sailing through a path in woods, until we slowly, gently came to a halt.
It took a second to catch my breath, until I could say what all kids did right after they did something Totally Awesome, “AGAIN!”
We must have climbed on back up, huffing and puffing, then flown our way down seven or eight times, each launch plotting our course and strategy to gain maximum velocity. Growing up in New Jersey, there’d been a small hump near a school people had called a sledding hill. I remembered rides there as slushy, crowded and short. Nothing like what we had going. We were ready for the Olympics.
“You ready?” Heath asked, whispering in my ear, prepping us for our flight.
“OK, remember, we lean right at the third tree,” I reminded him.
“Then left at the rock.”
Off we flew, leaning and guiding our course, probably breaking the sound barrier we rocked it so hard. At the bottom, we lay together, laughing in exhilaration, so warm I didn’t even feel the cold of the snow. Up above, limitless stars shown in the now cloudless sky, the full moon illuminating each and every branch with a pale glow. Our breath puffed together, and Heath reached over, pulling me next to him, my head resting in the crook of his arm.
“That was fun.” He kissed the top of my head.
“That was amazing.” I rested my hand on his chest, perfectly content in the middle of the snowy winter’s night.
CHAPTER 14
Heath
In the morning light, Violet looked even more beautiful than I could believe. Delicate and curvy and delicious. So much smaller than me, I wanted to protect her as much as I wanted to ravish her. I knew I never wanted another man to touch her ever again.
The sheets had slid down and she lay there, revealed entirely to me. Reaching over, I traced my fingers along her smooth stomach, up and over the curve of her hip. She was like a work of art, and I was the lucky man allowed to touch the exhibit. Sliding my hand along her smooth, pink skin, I reached around and cupped her ass, so round and perfect. My cock hardened at the memory of spanking her the other night, how wet she’d gotten from it, the feel of her soft buttocks under my firm hand.
She was still mostly asleep, but a luscious purr came from her throat and she parted her legs slightly for me, as if on instinct. Her body knew what it wanted even if her brain hadn’t fully awakened yet. I’d be happy to gratify. Slowly, I slid a finger between her legs, up along her pussy. She purred again as I stroked, coaxing the pleasure from her, drawing out her slick desire.
I savored the sight of her lying there in my bed, naked. That’s where she should always be, granting me instant access. She’d told me she was supposed to head back to L.A. some time next week. That meant less than seven days together. I wanted to keep her there in my cabin, naked, every one of them.
She was getting so slippery wet. I grinned in satisfaction as a moan escaped from her sleepy, gorgeous lips that still looked a little swollen from the night before. After sledding we’d done a whole lot of kissing. My beard was nothing like the beards I’d grown in the past, but I’d shave what was left of it off if it bothered her. Even though a crazy part of me liked seeing the tangible effect I’d had on her, her swollen lips, cheeks pink from where I’d scratched her. Pink like her ass had gotten when I’d smacked it.
Up, I pressed, then stroked and circled her perfect clit. She was so sensitive and I was addicted to figuring out what would make her crazy, stoke her fires until she exploded at my touch.
“Oh!” Her eyes fluttered open and she reached out and grabbed my bicep. I loved how she touched me, like she was amazed by my size and strength. She made me feel like the most powerful man in the world. She met my gaze with a mixture of surprise and lust.
I could keep on playing with her, lazy in the morning, but I wanted her to come. I wanted to watch her lose control. I plunged my finger up into her wet hole. She moaned, digging her fingernails into my muscle. I liked it when she marked me, too. I was her man.
“Ride my fingers, baby,” I spoke to her low and intimate. “I want to watch you come.”
She did as she was told, grinding down on me, pushing her clit against my thumb, eager, insistent. As hungry for me as I was for her.
“That’s it,” I praised her, mesmerized by her desire. Reaching up, I pinched one of her exposed, naked nipples. Stiff and peaked, I gave it a brief twist and she moaned, eyes closed.
“Open your eyes, Violet.” She was getting close, making little grunts and pants, and I wanted to look into her eyes when she came. I pushed down right on her clit. “Now come.”
She did, her mouth opening so wide, calling out. That moment, I wanted to freeze it, hold onto it, the feel of her wet, pulsing heat surrounding my fingers, her shudders and spasms. Then she looked at me afterward, glowing and amazed, and that moment was pretty great, too.
“Good morning!” she exclaimed, looking extremely pleased.
“Good morning.” I smiled at her and gave her a swift kiss.
She smiled at me, shyly. “You sure know how to show a girl a good time.” I winked at her. “Thanks for taking me sledding last night,” she added.
“Thanks for spend the night.” I brushed her hair back from her face.
“Thanks for waking me up right.”
She looked at me, lying buck naked beside her. Good thing I had a king size bed. I practically filled the thing on my own. Her eyes took in my shoulders, my chest and arms like she marveled over what she saw, then traveled lower where my cock stood out hard and full. The feel of her slick sweetness had turned me on so much.
Slowly, still slightly shy with me, her hand drifted down my abs, down farther until she wrapped her fingers around my cock. It made me hiss with pleasure, balling the sheet in my fists it felt so good. Her hand looked small as it worked its way along my length. I grit my teeth as she stroked me, slow and torturous. I wanted inside her again, up inside heaven, but her touch felt so intensely good, too. I closed my eyes in a wave of desire.
“You’re so big, Heath,” she whispered, worshipping my cock. I groaned and opened my eyes again, loving the sight of her hand on my shaft. I had some precome on my tip and she was fixated on it, mesmerized. She licked her lips and I groaned again, knowing she liked what she saw. She took her thumb and spread the precome along my tip, caressing me, tracing the outline of my slick crown.
“I love your cock,” she murmured, stroking my full length.
That was it. I was only human. I couldn’t take any more. I needed to slide into her deep. I rolled to the side and grabbed a condom from my nightstand. Then I grabbed her and flipped her around onto her side, pulling her hips back toward me. She arched her back and offering herself to me, letting me pull her outer thigh up slightly so I could position myself at her slick entrance. As I held my cock there, she stiffened.
“You ready baby?” I asked, knowing I was big and it was a lot for her to take.
“Yes, please, Heath,” she pleaded. “Fuck me.”
“I know I stretch you.”
“I love it,” she moaned.
I sank into her, my cock into her hot, slick pussy, my teeth into the soft skin along her neck. I had to own her, eat her, take her, make her mine. She screamed as I filled her. I had to push to do it, shove my way into her tight, wet pussy, holding on firm at her hip. I filled her to the hilt and then started in, fucking her from behind, ramming into her with wet, slick sounds of our fucking, my balls slapping against her ass.
“Uh, uh,” she began groaning, her hand fisting the pillow. I was fucking her hard and relentless. She clutched at the sheets and I heard a loud rip. Who cared about those sheets, anyway? What I cared about was making my woman crazy.
She had her eyes closed and was crying out now as I pushed harder, more urgent, pumping into her again and again. “Is it too much, baby?” I grit out.
“No!” she moaned. “Don’t stop. Fuck me.”
I swelled even bigger at her words. She was so small and tight but so eager. I moved faster, drilling into her, grabbing her by the hip and holding her so I could fuck her just the way I wanted. She cried out, her body starting to shudder.
“Are you going to come, Violet?” I growled, gruff, fucking her like an animal.
“Yes, yes,” she moaned. I reached around and found her clit, so slippery, so desperate for me. But she waited. I knew what she was waiting for.
“You want me to tell you when to come, baby?” I whispered, low and wicked in her ear. She liked how I commanded her, how I took control and owned her as I fucked her.
“Ah!” she pleaded without words, my question driving her right up to the brink. I could feel her orgasm begging for release, burning within her.
“Come,” I growled, and she exploded at my word, screaming and coming all around my cock. I came then, too, her tight pussy milking it out of my cock, my own release so intense everything nearly turned black. I kept coming and coming, the pleasure pumping out in a powerful, long explosion.
Panting, sweaty, holding onto her as our heartbeats raced, I knew I’d never get enough of this woman.
§
Saturday night was hockey night in Watson. Everyone knew that, and everyone turned out for it dressed in team colors and ready to shout and yell until they had no voice left.
Sure, the world knew about the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. The Celtics vs. the Lakers. The Bruins vs. the Canadians. What was it with Boston teams? But, anyway, those rivalries might be more well known,
but they weren’t more deeply felt. Fans of teams in the Vermont state youth hockey association Brought It.
Tonight was an epic showdown between our boys and those who should not be named from a county in the southern part of the state. True, they’d won the state championship last year but everyone knew that was a fluke. It wasn’t the championship, yet. That wouldn’t happen until March. But this was the first playdown weekend, when top contenders knocked each other out in the battle for the top prize. It was on.
I brought Violet into the thick of it. My buddy Dave and I had seats front and center. His friend was an assistant coach and he’d hooked us up. I’d played a little hockey as a teenager, but never anything like this. These kids were 15 years old and played like pros, with the heart and soul of champions.
Violet had never seen a hockey game.
“So, they play with a puck?” she asked as she gingerly took her place on the metal bleacher seats. Right. She probably would have liked to sit on one of those padded seat cushion things. I hadn’t thought of that. Next time. Only there might not be a next time, I reminded myself. Violet was set to leave in a week. And we had the town hall tomorrow night, with a big vote deciding whether the town would even invite them to stay and film.
Dave gave Violet a questioning look. Then he looked at me. “Is she serious?”
“She’s never seen a game,” I confirmed.
Dave raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve seen games before,” she protested. Then trailed off with, “I mean, not in person. And not exactly hockey.”
“Not a big sports fan?” Dave asked, clearly wondering if she’d dropped down from Mars. What did people do with their time if not follow sports?
“Not really,” Violet admitted. “But I used to do some figure skating. And I love watching it in the Olympics.”
Untamed: (Heath & Violet) (Beg For It) Page 15