A few hours later, she was dressed to impress in her best pair of curve-hugging jeans and a low cut black blouse. She wore a brand-new bra and panty set that made her feel sexy and gave her a boost of additional confidence. If things took a racy turn after dinner, then she had no doubt she’d look her best.
She was putting the finishing touches on dinner when the doorbell rang. A glance at the clock revealed Toby was a little early. It looked like he was just as anxious for tonight as she was. She popped the salmon in the oven, set the timer for ten minutes, and rushed to let him inside.
She yanked open the door and smiled at Toby, who looked as handsome as ever dressed in an open black leather jacket, collarless gray Henley, and snug black jeans. “Hey you. Come on in.”
“Hey yourself,” Toby said. “You look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” She moved back, making room for him to enter.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Before the latch finished clicking into place, he prowled toward her and boxed her in against the wall, invading her personal space. “I didn’t think tonight would ever get here.” He dipped his head and kissed her temple and then her cheek. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her chin, craving his kiss more than her next breath.
He cupped her face, caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, and bent to capture her lips. Her breath hitched as his mouth skimmed over hers, once, twice, and then again. On the third pass he licked over the seam between her lips, seeking entrance, and she immediately opened for him and gave him what they both wanted. She tilted her head, eager to get closer, to forge a better connection. She took everything he gave her and returned it tenfold, pouring all her longing into the kiss. Her head spun and her body heated, melting for the man bearing down on her. In that moment, she couldn’t think of a single reason why they shouldn’t take their relationship to the next level. He was already well on his way toward claiming her heart and soul; what was the purpose of holding back her body?
Through sheer force of will, she tore away from Toby’s tempting lips and opened her eyes to stare up at him. She swallowed back her fear of rejection and put all her trust into the man standing in front of her. “I’m done waiting. I don’t want to take things slow anymore.”
Toby cleared his throat. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Zoe nodded. Despite her nervousness, she’d never been more sure of anything in her life. “Want a tour of the house?”
A little wrinkle appeared between Toby’s brows. “Sure, I guess.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “This is the living room.” She walked past the kitchen doorway, trusting Toby to follow her. “That’s the kitchen.” She headed down the hallway. “The doorway on the right is the hall closet. On the left is the bathroom.” She stepped over the threshold leading into the final room at the end. “And this is my bedroom.”
“It’s a nice bedroom,” Toby said, without looking away from her.
He rushed forward, closing the distance between them, and claimed her mouth once again. There was no hesitance this time, not a hint of shyness. She threw everything she had into kissing him and had to hold onto him tight as he taught her a thing or two she’d never experienced before, tricks he hadn’t used any of the other times they’d kissed. He’d been holding out on her and she couldn’t wait to see what else he had to show her.
She ran her hands down his shoulders and over his bulging biceps. His muscles were so sexy. She loved that he was so big and strong. He could probably lift her over his head without breaking a sweat or pulling a muscle, a feat which had never happened. Of course, she’d never dated a shifter before either.
Toby’s big hands ran down her back and slid under her shirt. The feel of his palms caressing her bare skin sent a shiver of anticipation shooting up her spine. As much as she wanted to feel his hands on her, she wanted to touch him too. That would be much easier if they both had on a little less clothing.
Acting on impulse, she grabbed the hem of her blouse and lifted it up, pulling away from Toby at the last second so she could drag the shirt off over her head. Before she lost her nerve, she reached behind herself, unhooked her bra, and slipped it off her arms. She stood topless and anxious as he looked her over with heat in his eyes.
“Damn, Zoe. You’re so beautiful.” He reached out to touch her.
She took a step back. “Ah ah ah. It’s your turn to lose your shirt.”
“Is that how you want to play this?”
“I think so, yeah.” Tit for tat sounded good to her. Whatever it took to get them naked.
Toby ripped his shirt off, revealing perfect pecs and a washboard stomach that looked like it had been Photoshopped. There were even sexy diagonal divots leading to his hip bones. She licked her lips. “Pants next.”
“You first,” Toby said.
“Okay.” She popped the button, unzipped the zipper, and wiggled her pants over her hips and down her thighs. Only then did she realize she still had her shoes on. Oops. She took a step back, sat on the edge of the bed, and got rid of her shoes and socks. The pants were next and she had those off in the blink of an eye, leaving her in a pair of lacy black panties that left very little to the imagination. Seeing no sense in keeping them on, she shucked those too.
While Toby scrambled to remove the rest of his clothes, Zoe scooted back on the bed and reclined on her elbows in what she hoped was an enticing pose. Concern over her own attractiveness dimmed as more and more of Toby’s bare skin was uncovered. When he dropped his boxer-briefs, Zoe had to remind herself to breathe. What they said about the size of a man’s hands predicting the size of other lower body parts was really true. Wowsa.
Naked, Toby crawled onto the bed and prowled up the mattress toward her. Shivering with anticipation, she beckoned him forward with a curl of her finger.
He shot her a wicked grin right before he crawled between her legs and leaned over her. As soon as he was within reach, he swept his lips over hers and claimed her mouth with a firm and demanding kiss. Their tongues rasped together, wet and hot, and spurred on her desire for more.
As if being kissed to within an inch of her life wasn't enough to send her senses reeling, Toby's larger frame bore down on her, pressing her into the mattress, and rubbed against her from chest to groin. His hard dick lay in the sensitive crease between her groin and thigh, teasing her with its closeness to her core. Her own sex was moist and growing more so by the second as every inch of her was stimulated in one form or another.
She squirmed beneath him, brushing her breasts over his chest, and rolling her hips, wanting to drive him just as crazy as he was making her. If she could move just right, she had no doubt she could get him to sink inside her and give them both what they wanted. The more she moved, the higher her need climbed. She raked her nails down Toby’s back and felt his answering shudder of delight.
With a groan, he pulled back and kissed his way across her jaw to her neck. His humid breath washed over her skin and sent a shiver down her spine. The sharp edge of his teeth scored her earlobe, and then the slick glide of tongue soothed the sting.
Pleasure hummed through her body and heated her skin. She’d never felt so desperate before, so out of control. What she felt transcended lust. She needed more than just an orgasm. She needed Toby.
Her core throbbed, empty and eager for what he could give her. They'd barely gotten started and she was already on the verge of begging.
Toby's warm, callused hands caressed her sides and then moved up her stomach. He cupped and lifted her breasts, and used his thumbs to caress her nipples. She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her fingers in the short, crisp hair at his nape and hung onto him as he stroked her nipples and fanned the flames of desire within her. Electricity raced through her body, bouncing back and forth between her breasts and her weeping core as if they shared the sa
me nerve endings. She clenched her thighs, hoping to ease the ache building between them, and only succeeded in making matters worse. She was so damp and swollen, beyond ready for Toby to take her and fill the empty, aching void inside her.
“So beautiful,” Toby murmured, his gaze on her face. “I can't wait to watch you come undone for me.”
Zoe blinked up at him. It was so hard to think clearly, to consider anything when her pulse raced and her body ached with unfulfilled desires. “Do it,” she said, too desperate for him to be anything but blunt. “Take me and make me come.”
Toby’s nostrils flared. “I can do that. I want to make you feel so good.”
“Please.” Zoe nodded, unable to think of anything clever to say in return. She ran her hands down his chest and stomach, feeling every muscular curve along the way, and then reached for what she really wanted. She wrapped her fingers around his considerable girth and stroked him from root to tip. “I can’t wait to feel this inside me.”
Toby jumped into action. He slid his forearms beneath her knees and lifted her legs up and back. There he stilled, looking down at her with eyes darker than night. “Go on,” he urged her. “Put it in.”
Gladly. She slid the broad head downward through her folds and lined him up with her entrance. Toby took over, slowly working his way inside one thick inch at a time, stretching her open and reshaping her around him. Never had she felt so full, so close to the fine line between pleasure and pain. They fit together like they were made for each other.
Toby leaned over her, his weight braced on his elbows, and gazed down at her as he began to move, inching forward and back a little more with each stroke until his full length was sliding in and out, massaging every inch of her slick channel.
“Oh. Oh, Toby...” Zoe moaned and rocked into Toby’s next thrust. “That’s good. So good.” He felt huge and hot, like the missing puzzle piece she'd been searching for all her life. “Don't stop.”
“Not going to,” Toby promised, rolling his hips for emphasis. He slammed into her with just the right amount of force and friction to make her eyes roll back in her head. She moaned, unable to hold back the ecstasy building with every stroke.
His thrusts gained speed until he was plowing into her with long, forceful strokes. She kept pace with him, giving back as good as she got, and loved every minute. No one had ever been so forceful with her, treating her like an equal instead of some fragile female who needed to be coddled. She couldn’t get enough. Over and over he pounded into her, showing her no mercy.
Zoe closed her eyes against the sensations bombarding her body. She could feel her orgasm building, the low buzz of sexual energy growing stronger every time he speared deep and touched all the long-neglected hot spots within. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip and grabbed onto Toby's biceps to keep her grounded. Tension coiled inside her, the pressure ratcheting tighter and tighter. She turned her head, desperate for a deeper connection, and he met her halfway, pressing his lips against hers and licking his way into her mouth.
Her thighs tensed, her stomach quivered, and she came with a strangled cry. Toby swallowed the sound of her release and kissed her through the tremors that followed, his strong arms holding her tight.
Zoe shuddered, her channel quivering and trying to clench down and keep him locked inside. The spasms went on and on, longer than any other orgasm she could ever remember, until the pleasure bordered on pain. She moaned through the height of her release and then relaxed as the contractions finally began to wane and a languid heaviness infiltrated her. His caresses subsided just as she became too sensitive to bear any more touching.
His thrusts regained force, his big dick slicing through her swollen and tender recesses. He tightened his grip on her hips and powered into her, chasing his own orgasm. Her body continued to quiver as he drove into her. She was so sensitive she could feel every inch of him. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he pushed deep and ground against her, his hips working in a tight figure eight. A guttural groan spilled out of him as he trembled and spilled inside her.
After a moment, he eased back and stretched out beside her. He brushed the damp hair from her face and kissed her softly. “You’re amazing.”
Zoe rubbed the tip of her nose back and forth across his. “I feel the same way about you.”
His nostrils flared. “Do you smell that?” He lifted his head and sniffed the air. “Something’s on fire.”
“Oh shit.” She jerked upright. “The salmon.” She jumped up, snatched her shirt off the floor, and pulled it over her head as she ran for the kitchen.
She yanked open the oven door and smoke spilled out, choking her and making her eyes water. Coughing, she grabbed a potholder off the counter, pulled the blackened fish out, and carried it across the room, where she dumped it pan and all into the sink. She flipped on the cold water and stepped back as the hot pan crackled and hissed.
Toby waltzed into the room behind her. “What happened?”
She glanced over at him and noticed he’d taken the time to put on his jeans, although the top button remained open. “I forgot about the salmon. Looks like dinner is toast unless you like super blackened fish.”
“I think I’ll pass on burnt fish.” Toby turned off the water and leaned across the sink to open the window and let out some of the smoke. “I’m not sorry about distracting you though. That was totally worth it.”
She agreed, except... “The smoke killed the afterglow.”
Toby shrugged. “Speaking of the smoke, don’t you have a smoke alarm in here?”
Now that he mentioned it, the alarm should have gone off a lot sooner before they’d noticed the smell all the way back in the bedroom. “Yeah. There’s one on the ceiling right by the door.”
“When was the last time you checked the batteries?” He strode across the room and pulled the cover off the alarm.
“I put fresh batteries in that one and the other one in the hallway when I moved in back in August.”
“There are no batteries in here.”
“What?” She walked over and looked up. Sure enough, the batteries were missing. “That’s not possible. I think I’d remember removing the batteries.”
“Is it possible you meant to put the batteries in and just forgot?”
“No. I remember putting them in because I had to pull a chair over and climb up onto it in order to reach the damn thing.”
“Okay.” Toby put his arm around her. “Well, I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s an easy enough problem to fix. Do you have any more nine-volt batteries?”
“No. I’m pretty sure I don’t.” She stared up at the alarm and wondered if she was losing her mind.
“That’s okay.” He gave her a squeeze. “We can buy some more while we’re out picking up something else for dinner.”
“Right. Dinner.” She couldn’t believe she’d ruined the salmon. It had looked good too. So much for winning Toby’s heart through his stomach. If he fell in love with her, it definitely wouldn’t be because of her skills in the kitchen. “I’m really sorry I screwed up our meal.”
“Don’t be. What you gave me was a lot more satisfying than a single meal.”
Zoe’s cheeks heated at the reminder of what they’d just shared and how brazen she’d been. Not that she regretted it for a second. She’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. In fact, now that she knew how good things could be between them, she hoped to do it again as soon as possible.
“Well,” she said. “I guess we should get dressed if we’re going out to get something to eat.”
“Don’t hurry on my account.” He made a show of looking her over from head to toe. “I’m definitely enjoying the view.”
She swatted his arm and brushed by him on her way out of the room. “Enjoy the view from behind because I’m going to get my clothes.”
Toby’s laughter followed her down the hall. The man himself appeared a few minutes later. “I shut and locked your window. Most of the smoke is g
one now.”
“Thanks.” She buttoned her jeans and sat on the edge of the bed to put on her socks and shoes. “I probably would have forgotten to close it. I seem to be senile and accident prone lately.”
“What do you mean?” He picked his shirt up and pulled it on over his head, covering up his beautiful, muscular chest and abs.
“Nothing special,” she answered. “I just seem to be exceptionally forgetful over the last few weeks. I keep misplacing things, forgetting to lock my doors... small things like that. I guess the worst thing that happened was that weird flat tire—remember?—but that wasn't exactly my fault.”
“No, I wouldn't say you're to blame for a flat tire. Things like that happen all the time. However, you don’t seem like the kind of person who’d be so absentminded either.” Toby sat beside her and slipped on his sneakers.
“That’s the thing; I’m not usually so scatterbrained. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.”
“When did all that start?”
“Oh, I don’t know. A few weeks ago, I guess.”
“Around the same time we met?”
She thought back, trying to remember the first incident. “Yeah, I think so. On the day we met, I left my pocketbook in the cafeteria. I didn’t even notice it was missing until one of the janitors was nice enough to return it.”
“Huh.” He scratched his head. “That seems like a pretty big coincidence, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I mean, technically I forgot my purse before we ever met.”
“I guess you’re right.” But it still seemed fishy to him. He stood up and offered her his hand. “Come on. Let’s go get something to eat. I think better on a full stomach anyway.”
Pleasant Valley Bears: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Pleasant Valley Shifters) Page 22