by Morgan Fox
She slipped from the hood of his truck and made her way toward him. “Will I get the chance to remind you? I was sort of unclear about where we stood together.”
He scowled, his gaze sweeping over her. Damn, she was beautiful standing there with only her tattoos and piercings. He was a weak man, a very weak man. All he could think about was making love to her and placing her back on the hood of his truck so he could spread her legs and lick her pussy until she came.
Fuck me… Keep it together.
He cleared his throat. “Where are your clothes?”
Her eyes widened, and she covered her breasts with her arms and nudged her chin in the direction of her clothing. “Grab them and come inside. We should talk,” he told her.
When she finally entered his kitchen, he was glad she’d chosen not to get dressed. Then again, he wondered how his brain would function properly. Was that her plan? Was she playing with him to keep him rattled by the desire to have sex with her?
She placed her clothing on the barstool. “Do you like the décor?”
He nodded, hiding his massive erection behind the island bar. “What are you doing here, Zerina?” He looked at his watch. “You’re supposed to be working.”
She licked her lips. “I’m supposed to be here, apologizing for being an idiot,” she said plainly.
He folded his arms over his chest. “Go on,” he encouraged.
“You were right. I overreacted and I didn’t give you a chance to help me understand what I heard.”
“And?”
“And I’m sorry.”
His brow rose up on his forehead. “And…” He let the word come out in a long exaggeration.
“And I want us to be together,” she said as if coaxing him to give her the right answer.
He stared at her. “Seriously? That’s all you got for me?” He rounded the counter, crowding in on her. “There’s nothing else you’ve failed to say?”
She frowned awkwardly. “No.”
He sat down on the barstool, shaking his head. He’d given her his heart and professed his love. He assumed she felt the same way, but he’d obviously been wrong. He didn’t know how to feel about that.
“I came to you naked and told you I wanted to be with you. Is that not enough?”
He shot to his feet. “Are you kidding me right now?” He gripped her shoulders. “I’m in love with you, Zerina. Why would you being naked and ready to fuck me be enough? I want more than that, damn it. I want it all.”
She trembled against him. Her eyes glistening with tears. “Good. I needed to hear you say that again because it just so happens that I’m in love with you, too.”
He relaxed a bit, hearing her words.
“I know I should’ve told you how I felt, but I didn’t realize it until the other day. The day I screwed up. I was freaked out by my emotions and by the ghost of my past. I guess I was just waiting for my taste of happiness to end.”
“It doesn’t have to end,” he whispered. “We can have a happy life together.”
“I know that now. I know that I can’t let my fear cloud my mind of the things I want most in life. Bartending, decorating…you.” She smiled, her eyes moving from his mouth to his eyes and back again. “Will you kiss me?”
He cupped her face and took her mouth in a kiss that was sure to leave her breathless and wanting more. And judging by the way she clung to him, he was right.
Chapter Eleven
Zerina held Jeremy. Her need for him was more powerful than anything she’d ever felt before. He had become the air in her lungs, the beat of her heart. And as he kissed her, she believed that he was her destiny, her future, and her new life.
She wept as he touched her, but the tears that fell from her eyes weren’t tears of sadness. They were of pure joy. For the first time in her life, she felt magic, passion, and moved by a love she’d never dreamed possible.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered, pressing tender kisses to her cheeks. “I don’t like it when you cry.”
“I can’t help it. I’m so happy,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “You’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been.”
He brushed his fingers through her hair as he kissed her lips. “I only want to see you happy, Zerina. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Her fingers teased the hem of his shirt, and after a second, she eased it up over his head, tossing it onto the counter. She pressed the palms of her hands against his chest. The frantic beat of his heart matched her own.
“I love you, Jeremy. I’m sorry I made things so difficult.”
“I love a good challenge,” he teased, and then his expression changed, his eyes filled with longing. “And I love you, too.”
He guided her hands down his chest toward his belt buckle. The moment her fingers touched it, they went to work, removing his belt and unbuttoning his jeans. With his hands cupping her neck, she dipped her fingers into his boxers and gently gripped his cock. He licked his lips and tilted his head back with a groan.
She kissed his chest as she explored his body, stroking him slowly. The heat from his skin drew her in. She wanted to touch him everywhere, feel him in every way she could.
She dropped to her knees and tugged his jeans and briefs down his hips. He kicked his clothing away and stood before her bare and hard as a spike. She licked her lips, gripped the base of his shaft, and slipped the tip past her lips for a taste. Then she took him deep, sucking a little as she retreated. She repeated the motion over and over again, nibbling on the head of his cock.
Jeremy’s fingers weaved in her hair, holding her against him, letting her know just how much he enjoyed her mouth on him. She caressed his firm buttocks, loving the way he felt as she pleasured him. She didn’t taste lots of men this way. It was sort of sacred to her. She also didn’t let many men do the same to her. But Jeremy wasn’t most men. He was the only man that mattered, and she’d gladly give him all she could.
Before she could finish, he gently coaxed her off him. “I want you,” he said gruffly. “I want you beneath me right now.” He helped her to her feet. “I want to be inside you. I want to feel you come with me.”
Her heart raced, her throat dry. “Whatever you want.”
“I want you bent over that sofa right now,” he told her, his voice a harsh whisper.
She moved to the back of the sofa and leaned over it, placing her ass in a provocative position with her legs slightly apart. “Like this?”
He groaned. “If you only knew how hot I think you are…”
His words drifted off, but the flood of excitement they roused in her was plenty to make her feel sexy as hell. “Come get it, big boy.”
He rushed to get a condom, slid the latex over his shaft, and placed his cock at her entrance, shoving past her swollen folds and right into her pussy. “Damn, you feel so good.”
She was so hungry for him, wanted him to lose control. She reached back and scraped her nails over his hips. He hissed, the sharp sting driving him to take her harder and faster. Then, before she could catch her breath, he had her spun around and her legs wrapped around his waist. He was carrying her. Right into the garage.
He placed her back on the hood of his truck. “Spread your legs and let me see just how wet you are for me.”
All the air fled her lungs and her nipples beaded into hard points. “Who knew you could be so insatiable?”
“I blame you for this,” he said with a groan. “If you didn’t look and smell so fucking good—”
A shiver rocked her as she saw the fire blazing in his eyes. Without hesitation she leaned back on the hood and slowly parted her legs. He shouldered his way closer, spreading the damp folds of her pussy. He stared up at her as he swiped his tongue over her clit. Then, he latched on, sucking gently and sending her spiraling. When he inserted a finger, pulsing in and out, she lost her breath. But the moment he used two fingers, she went over the moon. Her body shook with her release, a spasm that seemed to never end.
Once her
world stopped spinning, he pulled her off the hood of the truck and carried her into his bedroom. He held her close. “We can check off another fantasy from my list.”
“We can?”
He nodded. “The first was having you on my motorcycle. The second… my truck.”
She smiled. “I’m noticing a vehicle fetish.”
He chuckled. “I’m a guy. We think a naked woman straddling a washing machine is hot. What do you expect?”
She loved the way he looked at her and how natural being together was for them. She especially liked that she’d been the one he’d fantasized about. “I’ll remember that since you have one of those in your garage, too.”
He brushed his knuckles over her cheek, his smile softening. “I do have one fantasy that doesn’t involve heavy machinery.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared up at him. “I’m listening.”
His smile faded, his gaze consumed with emotions. “First you have to get on the bed.”
* * * *
Jeremy’s body trembled as he held Zerina. Everything he’d ever wanted, he finally had. A career as a fireman, his own construction business, and the love of a woman he’d always wanted. From the time he was a teenager, he pictured her in his mind. Never had he believed she was real, but the second he saw her at the bar fire, he knew Zerina was the one for him.
“I want forever with you, Zerina. This isn’t just a fling for me. I’m giving you my heart and soul. You’ll never have to worry about me ever wanting anything else in my life. With you, I finally have everything a man could want.”
She shook her head. “You can’t be real,” she said, pulling him against her for a hug. “Men like you don’t exist.”
He took her by her shoulders and eased her back. “Yes they do.”
He brought her knuckles up to his lips to kiss while he guided her backward toward the bed. When the backs of her legs hit the bed, she sat down and scooted back. He joined her, coming over top of her.
“Now for my fantasy,” he said, pressing the weight of his body overtop of her.
“And…” She let the word fall away in an exaggerated manner as if to ask him for more details.
“My fantasy is to make love to you. I don’t mean sex. I want to look into your eyes and feel the passion we share. I want to feel as much of your body touching mine as possible. I want you to know that I’ll never want another. You are all I’ll ever need.”
She bit her lower lip, her eyes glistening. “Oh, God, Jeremy. You’re romantic side is going to kill me.” She put her finger over his lips to keep him from speaking. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“I should be the one asking that question.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist, anchoring her feet at his buttocks. “Make love to me,” she whispered.
He kissed her, taking her lips in a slow, sensual caress that left him tingling from his head to his toes. The warm flutter of her breath on his neck was almost his undoing. He loved the sound of her throaty gasps, loved knowing he was the one doing that to her.
As he trailed his lips over her cheek and down her throat, he rocked his hips forward, teasing her clit with his cock. She rolled her hips, almost summoning him to enter her. He repositioned himself between her legs. Before he slipped back inside, he tenderly licked and sucked at her breasts. She arched her back, practically shoving her beautiful nipples into his mouth. He flicked his tongue over her piercings. He would never get enough of her.
“Now. Please,” she begged, rolling her hips. “I want you inside me.”
How could he resist? He couldn’t. He slowly entered her, feeling the walls of her pussy clench around him.
He pumped inside her, his motion slow and controlled. He stared into her eyes, consumed with desire and love. His chest tightened as he watched her, felt her everywhere around him. The moment was everything he’d hoped it would be. There were no secrets between them, no fear, nothing but the love they shared.
Her pussy tightened, pulling him deeper. He knew she was close. So was he. He pulsed a little harder, faster, and as he did, she held him closer. He slanted his mouth over hers in a kiss that had him breathing more erratically. Their bodies slick with sweat, he felt her shudder as she came. A breathless moan parting from her throat, he joined her, coming with a force that had him shaking.
Exhausted, he covered her with his body, shifting to the side for only a moment. As soon as he regained his breath, he moved off the bed and into the bathroom to clean up. Then he returned, tugging down the comforter. He crawled back into bed, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.
“That was three,” he whispered.
She released a breathy laugh. “Do you have any more? Oh, wait, never mind. You’re a guy. Of course you have more.”
He smiled. “And I’m sure we’ll get to them all.” He waggled his brows up and down at her. “But do you think we can wait a few minutes before we get started again?”
“Need a nap?” she asked with a smirk. “Maybe rest up for the rest of the night?”
He shook his head, brushing his fingers through her hair. “Nope. I just want to lay like this for a bit.”
* * * *
God, he said the sweetest things. How could she ever have lived without him? That was easy. She couldn’t have.
The night had flown by and the sun was already starting to come up before she moved to see if he was awake. His eyes cracked open and he smiled. Her heart fluttered as he kissed her.
Sighing as they parted, she asked, “Would you like to come up to Iron Horse tonight? We’re still celebrating the reopening, and it’d be cool for you to see how people love what you did.”
“I’d hoped you’d ask. Otherwise, I’d be all alone without you and that would suck.”
She laughed. “I know what you mean.” She dragged her finger over his shoulder. “I hope the people you work with don’t think I’m a freak for bailing on them the other day.”
He pinched her chin gently between his index finger and thumb and drew her gaze up to lock with his. “Stop referring to yourself as a freak. That’s a word that needs to be scrubbed from your vocabulary. Can you do that?”
She exhaled, not realizing she’d used the word until he’d pointed it out. It had become so commonplace for her. For a brighter future, one filled with acceptance, she could do anything. “Yes. I’ll definitely work on that.”
“Good,” he muttered, kissing her. “Now I need to do something I really don’t want to do, but must.”
She frowned. “What’s that?”
“I have to go bid on a job.”
The momentary panic that filled her chest quickly faded. “Oh, that does sort of suck. I had hoped to have you one more time before getting out of this bed.”
He rolled her over, and she laughed, feeling the pressure of his body in all the right places. “I didn’t say it had to be this second.” He glanced over at the clock. “I’ve got a few hours before most people are starting their day.”
When he claimed her mouth, the kiss set fire to her blood and warmed her soul. This was the life she wanted, the one she never imagined having. Jeremy had been the one to jumble her life, make it nice and messy, and perfect. He’d helped her see so many things and made her realize the dream she’d been overlooking for no other reason than fear. No longer a victim to her emotions, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close. He was like a warm blanket covering her, and as he slid inside her, she knew that their hearts and souls had merged and nothing would ever come between them again. Ever.
* * * *
Later that night, Jeremy entered the bar and Zerina spotted him. It was as if the atmosphere itself vibrated with his presence, letting her know he was near. She loved that and she loved him. Her heart beat fast as he approached her, his eyes fixed on her. As he parted the people at the bar, she hopped up enough to plant a sweet little kiss to his lips. Everyone around them whistled and shouted. She blushed, the warmth of her bo
dy filling her cheeks.
“I’m so glad you could make it.”
“This place is a zoo,” he told her, his eyes scanning all around them.
“It’s been like this since we opened, too. What can I get you?”
“Just a beer.” She got his favorite flavor, opened it, and passed it to him. “Can you get away for a moment?”
She glanced at the other bartenders. Sam, Brynn, and Layla were holding down the fort well enough on their own, and Jason wasn’t too far away. “Give me a second to tell Sam.”
After giving Sam the heads-up, she bolted around the counter to see him. He was standing at a table with McGuire and James. A bundle of nerves welled in her belly when she looked over the rest of the table wearing their firemen T-shirts and their wives and girlfriends sitting beside them.
But rather than bolt in the opposite direction and change jobs for fear of ever seeing them again, she raised her chin, sucked in a deep breath, and smiled. As she closed in on Jeremy, he reached his hand out to her and slipped his arm around her.
He kissed her, one of those kisses she’d often received from him when they thought no one was looking. Her heart swelled, feeling how much he loved her.
“Hey, guys,” he said, getting everyone’s attention. “I want to introduce you to Zerina, the absolute love of my life.”
A rounding of hellos sprung in her direction. “She also happens to be a bartender here and needs your pockets to lighten with tips. Z’s starting up her own interior decorating business and needs all the love and help we can send her way.”
“Oh, that awesome,” McGuire’s wife said. “I’ve been wanting to do something with my living room for years. It’s like living in the 80s.” She laughed. “Maybe you’d like to talk with me sometime about it?”
Holy shit! Did someone just ask her for help with decorating? She had to force her mouth to remember how to work. “S–sure,” she stammered. “I’d love to help.”
“Hey,” Jeremy called out. “How about we plan a barbeque at my place next Saturday? I want to show you guys what kind of magic Zerina can work.”