“I’m sorry we didn’t get to…finish,” she said, unsure how to put it. “Or, start, really.”
He chuckled softly, then went serious. “Do you still want to?”
She wanted him, she couldn’t deny that. Wanted the body that she still hadn’t gotten to touch and the heart that had touched hers.
“I do.”
“So do I.” Now it was his turn for shaky breathing. “Give yourself to me, one more time. Trust that I’ll give you what you want.”
She grinned at him from under lowered lashes, catlike. “Just one more time?”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
“I meant…just one more time, tonight.”
“I didn’t.”
Roxy leaned away slightly. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want you. Whatever turns you on, I want to know it. Whatever worries you, I want to confront it. Whatever scares you, I want to combat it. I want it all, Roxy.”
Heat flared in her belly, and not from the fire. “But we’ve only known each other a few days. And you live…here.”
Hunter didn’t waver. “So? It’s enough for me to know I want to get to know you better. And you don’t have a show you need to get home to right away, do you?”
Her mouth fell open. “No, but…”
“But?” When she didn’t answer, he took her hands. “Stay. At least for a little while longer. Until your next audition. And if we hit it off, you’re only two hours away. I know my way around the city, and you certainly know how to get up here.”
All the things she’d been raised on ran through her mind. She shouldn’t let her guard down, but she’d done that already. She shouldn’t show her cards, but Hunter had seen them all. She shouldn’t show weakness, but she wasn’t weak right now. As a matter of fact, she felt stronger than ever.
She wanted this. And she was going after what she wanted.
She answered him with a kiss.
Hunter’s sharp inhalation of shocked pleasure came first, and then their hands found their ways along one another’s bodies, removing clothes and touching skin as they went. Naked and poised above her, he reached over and rummaged through his jeans, coming away with a condom and another long skein of black ribbon.
“Did you just happen to have that on you?” she asked with a laugh.
“Yes, property managers never know when they’re going to need to tie someone up.” When she glared at him, he laughed. “I threw it in my jeans last night after you left. The condom was already there, too.”
A decent explanation. “You’re not going to tie me to a log or something, are you?”
“No, sugar. Just wait. You’ll see.”
She waited as Hunter ripped open the package and rolled the condom on. Hungry to touch him, Roxy stroked along the latex as he took her other hand, threaded their fingers together and began tying the ribbon around their wrists. His face was a mask of concentration that only faltered when she squeezed him a little harder or played at the tip, one bead of sweat on his forehead betraying his cool demeanor.
She relished it. As well as the decadent feeling of smooth ribbon, securing his hand to hers. When he was done, he went down on his elbows, his body lowered so he was hovering over her.
“I like you like this,” he said roughly. “I like you tied to me.”
She liked it too. More than she could say.
He braced himself with his other hand on the floor and pressed himself inside her, one gloriously thick inch at a time. Gazing down at her, he never broke eye contact, not even when their hips met and Roxy’s entire body surged. She tipped her head back, lids sliding shut in pleasure, but Hunter wasn’t having that.
“Don’t look away,” he rasped. “Keep your eyes on me. I want to see what I do to you.”
“Fuck.” Roxy struggled to do as he commanded, then realized her error when Hunter paused, drew his hips back and raised an eyebrow. “I mean…yes Sir.”
He smiled and resumed his purposeful drives inside her, whispering how beautiful she was, making her feel full when she’d been so empty, connected when she’d been so adrift. Though she’d barely knew him, it was obvious to Roxy that Hunter Finn was every bit man enough to take her, and the way he was taking her now, finding every one of her most sensitive spots, was beyond her wildest expectations.
And for all that she wanted him to bring her to what was sure to be an incredible orgasm, she didn’t beg, didn’t demand. Roxy simply held onto him, feeling his strength, his dominance over her, their bodies growing sweaty and the pleasure mounting until he finally rocked them both to release.
She was still shaking when he pulled out, unbound their hands and held her, moving the pillows around and covering them with the blanket. They both dozed a bit, and she roused a short time later, comfortably warm and satisfied. She reached over to the coffee table where her phone sat and skimmed through her email. A new message from her agent listed the several new auditions she’d lined up for her, but they weren’t for two more weeks.
Roxy responded that they sounded promising, and then typed out a text to Gio.
‘Any chance Rog’s aunt and uncle will let me stay here a bit longer?’ She waited, then added, ‘I’d be happy to pay.’
His reply came swiftly.
‘You’re family. Family doesn’t pay. And I’m sure they’d be fine with it.’
‘I love you guys,’ she wrote back.
The little bouncing dots on the bottom of the screen showed that Gio was still typing. Roxy waited for her friend’s response, smiling at the words that came up on her screen.
‘Any chance a certain property manager had anything to do with this extended stay?’
She typed out her response. ‘I’ll never tell.’
‘Songs from the Buffy Musical episode don’t count, hon.’
Roxy laughed, put the phone down, then lay back on the makeshift bed. Maybe she could go home a different woman. Not a new one, but a better version of herself. One who could be patient…when she wanted to. She could still demand what she wanted out of life, could still be the uncontrollable Roxy Cavanaugh, but maybe softened a little.
And maybe, just maybe, she could learn how to trust and love.
Roxy cuddled back into Hunter’s embrace. He peeled his eyes open and looked down at her.
“You know, you never told me what the show you got booted from was.”
Roxy sighed longingly. “It was a revival of ‘Kiss Me, Kate.’”
“And you of course were Kate.”
“Of course. I guess it wasn’t the right role for me.”
He snorted. “Too headstrong even for the musical version of The Taming of the Shrew.”
Hunter’s smirk had her climbing on top of him and pressing a finger on his chest.
“Don’t you get any ideas about taming me, mister.”
“Tame you, sugar? I wouldn’t even try.” He smiled and held her tightly. “Kiss me, Roxy.”
It wasn’t a command she minded obeying. So kiss him, she did.
Thank you!
Thank you for reading Taming Sugar! I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are a great way to spread the word about books. I appreciate you posting your thoughts online.
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Other books by Rebecca Grace Allen
The Portland Rebels Series
The Duality Principle
The Hierarchy of Needs
The Theory of Deviance
The Punishment Doctrine (*free for newsletter subscribers!)
Standalone novels
Legally Bound: His Contract
Standalone novellas
Smells Like Teen Spirit
The Missing Piece (*free for newsletter subscribers!)
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