by Sable Hunter
Drew groaned, a harsh bark of laughter, bursting from his lips. “You’re right.” There was no use worrying about it, he was definitely losing control, there was no way he could tamp down the raging hunger she kindled. The heaven of being inside the tight glove of her sheathe was fast obliterating his restraint.
As Drew surged within her, Angelina found herself moving past trepidation to full blown ecstasy. The feel of him thrusting in, then pulling out, awakened points of pleasure she hadn’t even known she possessed. Soon she was trying to capture the feeling, wrapping her legs around his waist, tightening down, squeezing him to prolong the ecstasy of his possession.
Drew moved helplessly within her. “Oh, God, love, that’s it,” he spoke with urgency. “Fuck me, I can’t stop…” Knowing he still wanted her to come first, he took matters into his own hand – sliding it between them until he could tease her, touch her, cause her to respond, her whole body growing tighter, helplessly lifting and seeking for more.
“Yes!” She sobbed and he captured the cry, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, penetrating it in the same manner his cock was taking her body.
Angelina shuddered, sobbing. A huge, insurmountable wave of pleasure was building. Cresting. The old fear started to rise, fear that what she was feeling wasn’t real. “Drew?”
“No, no, let it happen,” Drew whispered. “This is right, this is the way it’s supposed to be.”
Euphoria built within her, she craved what he was doing, needed what he could give her. With every movement of his hips, with every touch of his hand, she climbed higher – higher as the pleasure gripped her and her whole being pulsed in rhythmic contractions. The brightness of a thousand suns burst behind her eyelids in an explosion so intense that she was blinded.
Drowning in pleasure she moved with him, giving him all she could. In rapture, she watched his face grow taut, his teeth bared as he cried out, his face flushing with color. Seeing him helpless in the throes of climax, watching him lose control in this age-old act was wondrous. She felt her own body respond in kind, another breaker of bliss crashing over her and still, she couldn’t look away. With fascinated eyes, she watched him strain, his arms shaking, his face contorting in wonder. The pleasure was so intense, Angelina lost herself in it. “Oh, fuck,” she hissed under her breath, unable to keep the naughty word off her lips. Together they shuddered again and again, almost losing consciousness in the onslaught of ecstasy.
“My God,” he whispered, sinking down to rest on top of her. “I’m too weak to move.”
“You enjoyed that?” she asked, knowing the answer.
“I almost didn’t survive it,” he said, tugging her close and kissing her face. “Rest, we’ll go down and eat supper after we nap.” Drew wrapped a muscled arm around her. “Just promise me you’ll save that risqué language for the bedroom. I don’t want to give Hattie a heart attack.”
Angelina blushed at his words. “It just slipped out. Besides, it’s your fault, you shouldn’t be so sexy.” She grinned at his teasing, too happy to be embarrassed.
Maybe they were both tired, perhaps they were at peace, but when they went to sleep, they didn’t awaken until the next morning. For the first time in almost a year, Angelina slept through the night.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to rough it this morning, love.” Drew met Angelina at the bottom of the stairs with a cup of coffee. “Ralph, which I understand is the boyfriend’s name, has been called away to his aunt’s funeral and Hattie has asked for time off to accompany him.”
“Oh, I’m sorry someone died. Hattie is very kind to accompany him.”
Offering her his arm, he led Angelina toward the back patio. “I can’t help but be suspicious. Hattie still has the first dime she ever earned and I don’t want anyone taking advantage of her.”
“Do you have any reason to think he might?” she asked as he held the door open for her.
“No, I’m just thinking ahead.” He pulled out a chair at the round wrought iron table. “You get comfortable and I’ll be right back. Contrary to public opinion, I do have some culinary skills. While you were catching the last few winks of beauty sleep, I whipped up a frittata.”
Angelina’s stomach growled as if in gratitude. “Are you sure I can’t help?”
“No, be right back.” He gave her a kiss and left her to gaze out at the beautiful spring morning. Wildflowers were beginning to bloom. A sea of red clover lay right in front of her and in the distance she could see some scattered bluebonnets amid a field of black-eyed Susan’s.
When Drew returned with a laden tray, she helped him unload the food. “This smells fantastic.” Sure enough, the potatoes, bacon, cheese and spinach dish was to die for. While they fixed their plates and began their meal, Angelina tried to quell her nervousness. She didn’t know why she felt this way, she guessed everything was so wonderful, she couldn’t help but expect something to go awry.
“About last night, Angelina…”
Oh, no. “What about last night.” She searched his face, then widened her eyes when she saw him blush. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He laughed, kissing her on the end of the nose. “I just wanted to tell you that last night was the most amazing night of my life. I loved being with you. I knew it would be great, I didn’t know it would be so good that my heart almost stopped beating.”
Angelina didn’t say anything at first, she just stared at him with her heart in her eyes. Finally, after he’d fed her a bite of frittata and a piece of blueberry muffin she spoke, “All those months that I doubted myself were for nothing. I am sorry.”
“Hey, I didn’t tell you that for you to be sorry. I told you that so you’d know to never worry about your sexuality or our compatibility.” He smiled around a forkful of potatoes. “You, missy, are red-hot.”
Angelina blushed. “You love red, don’t you? Why is it your favorite color?”
Drew ducked his head. “My mother loved red. In the best photograph I have of her, she’s wearing red.” Raising his head, abruptly, he stared into the distance. “I never knew her, she died when I was born. My father was overseas in Korea when it happened.”
“I’m sorry about your mother. I’m glad to know, I’ll wear red often for you.” She leaned into him, enjoying the fact that she could touch him whenever she wanted to now. “I thought the reason for your propensity for the color was for an entirely different reason.”
“Like what?” He inhaled the light perfume wafting his way when her hair brushed his shoulder.
She waved her hand toward the landscape in front of them. “You live in Redlands. Before I came here, I didn’t know to take the name of the town literally.” She pointed to the ground. “The dirt is really red, not orange clay, but actual burgundy colored dirt. It’s crazy.”
“I suppose it’s due to mineral content, although I’ve never heard. Five counties in this part of Texas are comprised of dark red dirt.” He cleaned his plate and sat it back on the tray. “If you were to find something intriguing about the area, I’m surprised you didn’t mention that your name is everywhere.”
“My name is everywhere?” Angelina didn’t understand.
Drew gave her a teasing look. “When you left me, there was no way I was going to forget you. Even if I could have, the very countryside wouldn’t have let me.” At her perplexed expression, he laughed. “Angelina Forest, Angelina River, Angelina County, the only county in Texas named for a woman.”
“A woman? Who? I had no idea.”
“Angelina was an Indian maiden who lived in early Texas in the late 1600’s. She befriended the Spanish and learned their language. Angelina served as an interpreter, because of her, the missions of East Texas were built. She saved several explorers who would have starved to death otherwise, they called her their little angel. There’s a mural in downtown Lufkin depicting her face, she looks like you.”
Angelina smiled. “I want to see it someday.”
> “Okay, we’ll go out to eat soon to a steakhouse in Lufkin. I haven’t had the privilege of taking you on a real date. Would you do me the honor?”
“Of course, I’d love to go out with you.”
“Are you excited to get started at the lab?”
“I am.” Angelina rose to clear away the dishes. “Today, I’m going to get my bearings, start gathering information and start thinking about a staff.”
“How many people do you think you’ll require?”
“Two more should be sufficient,” Angelina answered. “Can I ask you a question?”
Drew put an arm around her. “The answer is yes, I plan on making love to you tonight. I will probably think about it all day.”
“Great. Now, I’ll be thinking about it all day.” She giggled. “No, I want to know why you chose GSS to support. Of all the conditions and diseases to choose, it seems so random.”
Wham! Drew felt like he’d just been kicked in the solar plexus. Lying to Angelina was hard, but he certainly wasn’t ready to tell her the truth. “I have a friend whose father died with GSS. He’s trying to work up the courage to get tested.”
His explanation seemed to satisfy her. “Well, I hope we can make some headway fast to help your friend.”
…The day passed quickly. Angelina made herself at home in the lab. Construction of the office section was complete, as was a private lab adjacent to her office. Her private lab filled with the equipment Drew had kept at his home was fully furnished and functioning. The computers were also up and ready to go, so there was nothing to stop her from getting down to business. After setting up her own workspace and ordering a few pieces of specialized equipment for the main lab, she began to gather data. Soon, Angelina was completely engrossed and fascinated with what she found. She began to make notes, processing the information as she went.
GSS is a prion disease that affects the central nervous system. The only hypotheses about the cause of the condition is a mutation in the code of the prion. The abnormal protein builds up in the brain, forming clumps which destroy neurons or nerve cells. “Much like Alzheimer’s,” she muttered aloud, “This disease is devastating.” The prognosis is poor. Most patients survived, on average, only sixty months after diagnosis.
The more she studied, the greater the weight that rested on her shoulders. She consumed every article she could find on it, even contacting the scientists behind Orphanet, a European rare disease database. They gladly shared with her a list of all the people in the world who were diagnosed with the disease. Seeing that some lived in the states, Angelina contacted a few of the them, arranging for a couple to visit the lab for testing. Soon she would have some actual data to work with.
When she took a break for lunch, Angelina was not surprised to find that Hattie had been by and dropped off her own version of a brown bag special. She found a meatloaf sandwich, homemade potato chips, and a brownie big enough to share. After she’d eaten about half the food, she warily approached the lab equipment in her private area and ran the test on her own blood. She needed to know for sure what was going on in her body.
Drawing the blood was easy, the hard part was waiting for results.
But when they came, Angelina was relieved to see that she was free and clear. A slight smile played on her face, everything she’d felt with Drew had been genuine.
…Drew had a busy day too, on top of the regular appointments, he had emergency at the clinic. A rancher was brought in who fell off his tractor and was run over by the machine, breaking and mauling his leg.
When quitting time came, Drew found himself anxious to head home to see Angelina. When he arrived at the lab, the construction crew he’d hired to complete the finish work was heading out. “Hard day, guys?” he addressed the foreman of the crew, Johnny Pickard.
“The view definitely improved since you hired the pretty doctor.” Johnny waggled his eyebrows. “This job might take a little longer than I figured.”
“I don’t think so, Johnny. We’re on a tight schedule.” Drew didn’t like the idea of other men lusting after Angelina, he didn’t like it at all. Seeing them off, he was glad to be alone with his new roommate. Locking the door behind them, he went to find her. “Angelina?”
“In here, Drew.”
When he walked to the door, she ran to greet him, a huge smile on her face. “You’re here! I’m so glad!”
“Did you get a lot done, Doctor Montoya?”
“I did.” She looped her arm through his and escorted him to her office. “I ordered a few more pieces of equipment, I contacted a headhunter about hiring some technicians, and I made a study of GSS. I’ve learned some of the similarities it has to other diseases, knowing this might help us find a cure.”
Drew sat there and listened as she talked about GSS so causally – the symptoms, how long people survived, their manner of death, not realizing that every word she uttered felt like a knife in his heart. Quickly, he stood and walked across the room so she wouldn’t see how her speech affected him. Glancing in the reflective surface of a cabinet, Drew could see he’d gone pale and a fine sheen of sweat was gathering above his upper lip. “Sounds like you’ve made some progress.”
“I feel good about it,” she confided. “No one has ever taken the time to learn about the disease or to put much money into it. Besides, new techniques are emerging all the time. Who knows? We might find a cure.”
“I hope so.” He jammed his hands into his pockets. Squaring his shoulders, Drew shook off the chill of panic. He was alive now and alone in a deserted building with the most beautiful woman in the world. “Enough talk about business. I say, let’s celebrate!”
“Okay. Do you want to go out for drinks?” She slipped off the white lab coat.
“No.” He pulled the blinds down. “I think we should christen the office.”
“Christen, like break a bottle of champagne on the door?”
“No.” He swept the paperwork off her desk. “Christen, like make love to the sexy doctor on her desk.”
Angelina felt her heart race. “You want to play doctor, doctor?” she asked flirtatiously, feeling emboldened by what she’d learned in the lab.
“I do.” He tossed off his Stetson and it landed on a chair by the door. “I think you need a thorough examination.”
“Oh, really?” Her fingers went to the top buttons of her blouse and she began to undo them slowly.
Drew unbuckled his belt, his eyes drawn to the deep cleavage she was unveiling. “I have told you how enamored I am with your bust line, haven’t I?” The more she revealed, the harder he became. “Damn, you’re beautiful. Two perfect handfuls.”
Angelina laughed with joy. “I’ve noticed your interest.”
She unclasped her bra, letting it fall and Drew moaned at the sight of all that feminine flesh spilling forth for his enjoyment.
“I think they’re more than a handful, don’t you?” She slipped her hands beneath her breasts and lifted them up, playfully tweaking her nipples. This was wonderful, this is what playtime between a man and a woman should be like.
Drew was within touching distance now. “I don’t know, let me see.” He cupped her breasts, loving the way her nipples grazed his palms. “My hands are big and these are a perfect fit.”
Angelina luxuriated in his touch, lifting her face for his kiss. When their lips met, the passion was instantaneous. There was nothing in the world but Drew’s mouth. She tasted his breath, she memorized each sensation. Her hands slid up to his shoulders as he massaged her breasts. She felt hypnotized and wanted nothing more than to drown in his touch.
“God, I want you, baby.” Drew released her breasts and cradled her to him, crushing his mouth to hers, his arms contracting around her hungrily. Angelina was burning alive. She ached. She yearned. And now that she knew the feelings were real, she wanted them to go on and on.
“Turn around,” he murmured. “I can’t wait. I need you now.” Shifting her body, he showed her how to lean over the desk. Angelin
a felt wonderfully vulnerable as he hiked up her skirt. “You didn’t really like these panties, did you?” He ripped them from her body and she gasped. “I’ll buy you more, I promise. I’ll buy you a whole case.”
Angelina trembled as she lay there, her breasts pressed to the wood, her legs spread, her ass bare. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Drew’s face taut with need. He’d unzipped his pants and was stroking his cock. She felt dew gather between her legs. “Hurry, Drew. I’m on fire.”
Coming to her, he used a knee to spread her legs farther. “Are you ready for me, Spanish Eyes?” Slipping two fingers into her slit, he found her creamy and inviting. “More than ready, good girl.” Taking his cock in hand, he guided it into her, taking his time, thrusting shallow until she relaxed enough for him to work it in deep. “Feel good?”
“God, yes,” she moaned, arching up and pushing back against him.
Drew leaned over her, filling his hands with her breasts and kissing her neck as he fucked her, his cock ramming deeper with every thrust. “Oh, hell, baby, this is so good,” he grunted as he filled her again and again.
Angelina’s fingers curled as she tried to find purchase on the desk. This was the most thrilling thing she’d ever experienced – Drew impaling her again and again, his fingers milking her nipples. The joy he was giving her came in vast, sweeping waves. Quivering with every powerful thrust of his body, Angelina groaned helplessly as sensation followed sensation, until she was crying out for satisfaction. “Please, please, more, more!” She fought for fulfillment, her body demanding, her inner muscles feverishly clasping him as the spiral of passion wound tighter and tighter. “Drew!” Suddenly the earth dropped away beneath her and she felt as if she plummeted from a great height into a molten sea of pleasure. “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” she begged, so afraid he’d pull away and leave her hanging.
Could one die from ecstasy?
“Shhh, baby,” he whispered tenderly. “I won’t stop. I couldn’t stop if I tried.”