The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance

by Sonia Florens

  Jake pulled the neckline of her nightie down and lowered his head to wrap his lips around a hard nipple and she arched her back, pressing into him. He wasn’t gentle in his suckling, and she liked it. With each tug of his lips another bolt of pleasure zipped from nipple to groin, until she was wantonly riding the hard thigh he’d shoved between her legs. Her pussy clenched, and she pressed against him harder. “More,” she moaned width="1em">“That’s it, baby,” he whispered. “Tell me what you want.”

  And that fast, she was ready for him. His voice, his hands, the weight of his body on hers had her juices flowing hotly until she writhed against him, gripping his shoulders and pulling him closer. “Inside me, I want you inside me.”

  One of his hands slid between them, taking the place of his thigh as he pushed her on to her back and rolled on top. He cupped her sex, one long finger sliding deep into her while the heel of his hand pressed and rubbed against her swollen clit. “Like this?”

  Scraping her nails down his back, she spread her legs and arched into him. When he didn’t move closer she growled her impatience. He’d moved so fast and sure that her desire was white hot, and now he was holding back. Damn the man. He got her so worked up. “No,” she panted. “I want you inside me. Not your freakin’ fingers.”

  His hand pressed against her harder as another finger joined the first. He wiggled them, pressing deep inside her, but it wasn’t enough. She rocked and panted, her nails digging into his back, into his rock-hard butt cheeks, as she tried to force him to take her. When he remained slow and steady, she planted a foot on the mattress and pushed, rolling them over so she was on top.

  She leaned down and sealed her lips over his, silencing anything he might have to say, as she reached between their bodies and took hold of his cock. Hot and hard in her hand, she lifted up on her knees, lined him up with her entrance and slid down on to him. His groan rumbled into her mouth and she sighed with pleasure at the way he filled her. They fitted together perfectly.

  She pulled back from the kiss, straightened up and grinned down at him. “Now fuck me, Jake,” she demanded.

  “My pleasure,” he said, as his hands gripped her hips and he began to move beneath her.

  Her breath caught in her throat as he lifted and lowered her in time with his own thrusts. Bracing her hands on his hard chest, she thrilled at the power of his muscles flexing under them. Tension gathered low in her belly as her sex contracted and clutched at Jake with every thrust and roll of their bodies. Their eyes met and her arousal hit a new high. Curling her fingers, she dug her nails in and scraped them across his chest until she reached his nipples. Watching him closely, she pinched them until his eyes widened and his lips parted in a gasp and his hips began to pump faster and harder. Pressure built deep inside Miranda, she was almost there; she just needed a bit more friction.

  “Touch me, Jake,” she panted. “Make me come!”

  He slid one hand forwards and pinched her clit, sending jolts of sensation exploding from her core to every nerve in her body. Jake’s low groan of satisfaction blended with her cry and his cock jerked deep inside her.

  Seconds later, Miranda fell bonelessly forwards on to his chest, where Jake cradled her close. Smoothing her hands over his naked chest, she noticed the scratches she’d left when she’d gotten carried away. Deep grooves surrounded his flat nipples and shame rose within her.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, kissing the marred skin softly.

  “Shhhh,” he murmured, shifting beneath her until they both lay on their sides with his arms wrapped around her from behind. “Don’t ever be sorry about doing what feels good.”

  He pressed soft kisses to her cheek and jaw as she hummed her satisfaction and slowly drifted back to sleep.

  Jake lay in bed, listening to the sounds of Miranda going through her morning rituals and his muscles twitched with the need to go to her. While he was often quiet and contained, he was rarely inactive when he wanted something. Comg home to find Miranda unexpectedly in his bed last night had been a pleasant surprise. It had felt so right to have her already there and it brought home how deeply he wanted Miranda in his life, wanted her there permanently. It brought home the fact that he was in love with her … and that scared the shit out of him. The shock of it hit him between the eyes. He’d never meant to get involved with her beyond the one night. Not because he wasn’t attracted to her. He was. Hell, any man with an ounce of testosterone would be. And not because she was his boss either. Things like that – titles or labels or whatever – didn’t bother him. He hadn’t meant to get involved with her because Miranda Grey was a love-and-marriage kind of woman, and Jake had given up on finding love after his first wife had died.

  Unable to fight the urge to do something, he got up, pulled on some shorts and headed for the small kitchen. Pulling out fruit, eggs, cheese and broccoli he let his thoughts flow as he whipped up a quick breakfast for her.

  He flipped the omelette on to a plate next to some sliced melon and set it on the table, just as he heard the drawers and cupboards being closed in the bathroom. Miranda had surprised him with her endearingly clumsy yet bold come on the first night they were alone, and kept on surprising him until somehow, their casual affair had turned into something he’d never thought possible.

  He froze with the carton of orange juice in his hand. That was the whole problem. The reason he was so restless and antsy lately. They were together, he was in love, and yet, it still wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough until she knew what he really needed, even if she couldn’t be the one to give it to him.

  The light flowery scent of her perfume filled his nostrils a second before her arms went around him from behind, jolting him from his thoughts.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  He shrugged. “Just wanted to make you breakfast. Tea’s already on the table.”

  Soft lips pressed against the middle of his back before she pulled away and went to the table. “Jesus, Jake. You’re going to spoil me.”

  Pride whipped through him as he carried the juice to the table and sat down across from her. “Consider it a thank you for the surprise visit.”

  “Keep spoiling me like this and I’ll never leave.” She grinned and forked some of the egg into her mouth.

  His heart stuttered and he struggled to think of a witty reply. Before his brain got back online, she finished chewing and waved the empty fork at the empty table in front of him. “You’re not eating?”

  “I’ll eat later. I’m heading back to bed after you leave.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes while she ate, and he watched her. Her comment about never leaving had been teasing, but walking in at two in the morning and finding her curled up in his bed had been nice. He’d given her a key to his place above the pub a month ago and she didn’t use it enough.

  “The salmon shipment should be in today so I’ll put it up on the board as the dinner special for tonight, OK?”

  “You’ll just put it up as a grilled salmon dinner, right? Nothing fancy?” They’d talked about her need to put fancy crap on the menu and his certainty that their simple blue-collar crowd only wanted good food, not gourmet food.

  “Yes, I’ll keep it simple.” She settled back into her chair, her lovely lips twitching as she arched a delicate blonde eyebrow at him. “I’m trusting you to make it good though.”

  Those words of confidence, combined with the slight command in her tone had his dick twitching, along with his lips. “You know I will, darlin’.”

  She laughed lightly and he grinned. Oh yeah, she could give him everything he needed, if she wanted to.

  “Time for me to get to work,” Miranda said with a sigh. She pushed her chair back, reaching for her empty plates as she stood.

  “Leave them,” he said as he got up and walked to her side. He pulled her close and kissed her. Taking its time, his tongue did a lazy tour of her mouth, drinking in her flavour and enjoying the way she felt in his arms. When he finally pulled back he could tel
l by her dazed expression that he’d wiped all thoughts of salmon and work from her mind.

  Good. He wanted her thinking of him all day.

  Spinning her around, he smacked a hand against her firm ass and urged her towards the door with a grin. “Now get. And have a good day.”

  As soon as the door closed behind her, his mind started going a mile a minute again. He put the dirty dishes in the sink then went back to the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he stared at the phone on the bedside table. He wasn’t a man who hesitated, and now that he’d accepted that he was falling in love with Miranda it needed to be done.

  With a steady hand, he picked up the phone and dialled the number from memory. Fifteen seconds later, a woman answered the phone on the other end. “Hello?”

  “It’s time. When can I see you?”

  “Jake,” her voice deepened, almost a purr. “It’s been a while, but you know I’ll always find time for you. How about tomorrow night?”

  “Eight o’clock?”

  “That will be fine.” There was a brief pause before Suzanne spoke again. “Is it over, or will you be bringing her with you as we discussed?”

  He closed his eyes. “I hope she’ll come with me.”

  “I’ll plan for either scenario then,” she said firmly.

  Jake ignored the small tremor that whipped through him. “Thank you.”

  Her voice was soft, and full of affection when she said goodbye. “Good luck, Jake.”

  He hung up, and fell back on the bed. Surrounded by mussed sheets and the scent of Miranda, he breathed deeply and tried to steady his heartbeat. He was about to take the biggest risk of his life.

  Two

  Miranda clicked the mouse over the publish button and her latest “From Boring to Bodacious” blog entry was sent off to cyberspace. The blog wasn’t to entertain others, but to use as a sounding board for her own thoughts on the way her life was changing. The online journal had been a godsend in helping her learn more about the woman she truly was, and not just the woman her family had tried to make her.

  It was also a great place to voice all her secret fears and desires without sharing them with anyone who actually knew her. For instance, she learned that she had secret desires. In her mind she’d always been a conservative, classy lady, just like her mother and her sister. The reality was that the more she did, the more she wanted to do. If someone had told her a year ago that she’d have sex on a pool table she’d have been insulted. Yet she remembered that first time with Jake with pride, and not a little bit of heat.

  Life was good, not only did she have a job she loved, she had a man she also loved. As if her thoughts had called him forth, the door to her office swung open and there he was, larger than life.

  “Jake,” she said breathlessly.

  He closed the door behind him and strode around her desk with a determined look on his gorgeous face. Kneeling down, he boxed her in by bracing his hands on the arms of her chair. “Miranda, I love you,” he said.

  Joy ripped through her and she gasped. She reached for him but he grabbed her hands and clasped them to his chest.

  “Don’t say anything yet,” he went on. “There’s something I need to tell you and I don’t think I could handle it if you told me you felt the same, and then changed your mind.”

  Her heart sang and she tried to wrap her arms around him again, only to have him clutch her hands tighter and block her way again. What was going on? “I’d never change my mind, Jake.”

  “You might when I tell you what I need from you.”

  “Need from me?”

  He stared at her, silent and intense, before he spoke in a rush, as if the words were shoved out of his mouth by force. “I need you to master me.”

  “Master you?”

  “There are times when I need you to take control, of me, of us, in the bedroom. Sexually.” He blew out a breath. “To dominate me.”

  Her mind went blank. Dominate him? “You want me to … spank you?”

  He grimaced, and then he chuckled. “That’s not really my thing, but either way, there’s more to it than that.”

  Heat pooled between Miranda’s thighs and she blushed. She’d never really thought about spanking a man, but the thought of it was a surprising turn-on. “Like what?”

  Jake’s lips lifted into a relieved smile. “You’re OK with it? Just like that?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess,” she said with a small laugh of her own. “I like the idea of experimenting a little and if that’s what you need, then I want to do it if I can.”

  He stood up, pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. “You can do it, Miranda. You’re a natural dominant. It’s why I’ve never been able to resist you.” His lips pressed against hers, stealing her breath and turning her blood to fire.

  Finally he pulled back, moving to the door. “I have to leave before I bend you over the desk.” He turned when he had his hand on the doorknob. “I’d like to take you to meet a friend of mine tomorrow night. Suzanne. So you can understand exactly what it is I’m asking of you, before you make a final decision.”

  “OK,” she said softly, coming back down to earth.

  He smiled at her, and she watched him leave as panic set in. Jake was the best lover she’d ever had. He’d made her feel things she’d only read about in romance novels. But one of her secret fears had always been that she wasn’t enough for him, and his confession had confirmed it. She loved him and hearing him say he loved her was a dream come true.

  She only hoped it didn’t turn into a nightmare when he discovered she had absolutely no clue how to dominate someone. Hell, she didn’t even know what it meant!

  Miranda was almost frantic by the time Sable got to her place later that night. “What took you so long? Your shift ended an hour ago.”

  Sable raised her eyebrows and hefted the brown paper bag in her hand. “I picked up Yow Min’s on the way over, they were pretty busy for a Wednesday night.”

  Clamping her lips together Miranda led the way to the kitchen where she poured them both a glass of wine.

  Sable gave her a funny look as she unpacked the Chinese food. “What’s up?”

  Miranda stood there for second. How was she supposed to say this? Should she even be telling Sable what was going on? Anonymous blogging wasn’t going to cut it this time, she had to talk to someone. She had to talk to sexy, confident and adventurous Sable.

  Miranda opened her mouth and it all tumbled out. “He wants me to master him, and I’m not even sure what that means. I can guess it means be strong and dominant, but I’m not a strong woman. I’m not bold and dominant and in control. I’m—”

  “Stop.”

  There was such command in Sable’s voice that Miranda stopped speaking instantly –then rushed on again. “See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’re strong and commanding, not me.”

  “I said stop, Mandy. You’re being an idiot.”

  That hurt. “Oh, that’s nice. Here I am pouring out my heart and you’re calling me an idiot. You’re supposed to be my friend. You’re supposed to support me.”

  “I am your friend, which is why I’m going to smack you upside the head if you keep putting yourself down.” Sable glared at her. “Stop with the whining about what you think you’re not, and just think about what you’ve done in the past year. You went against your family and quit a reliable, stable job to run a pub. In running that pub you’ve learned how to bartend, cook and bounce drunk idiots out the door. You made the first move on Jake, which led to you having sex on a fucking pool table!” She heaved a sigh and stared at Miranda. “The only person who thinks you’re not strong is you, Mandy. It’s time to open up your eyes and see who you really are.”

  Well, that shut her up. They stared at each other in silence, then Miranda picked up a plate. “I hope you got extra egg rolls.”

  “Of course.”

  “How are the pictures coming?”

  And just like that the subject was changed. Sabl
e told her all about the project she was building for her upcoming show and all was normal. The whole time Sable talked, Miranda listened with only half an ear as she remembered a time not so long ago when Jake had interrupted their girls’ lunch.

  She’d sat in the booth listening to Sable tell Jake about her first date with Gage, all the while wondering what he’d do if she were to slip her hand under the table and place it on his thigh. She knew he’d be surprised, and at that point so would she if she’d have actually gone through with it. She’d wanted to though.

  She’d really wanted to.

  She’d wanted to feel the lean muscles that covered his whole body flex under her fingertips ever since she’d seen him lounging in the leather chair at the lawyer’s office during the reading of her uncle’s will. But back then she was still in lockdown mode – a good girl, and she’d been raised to believe good girls didn’t do things like that. Good girls smiled pretty and waited for the man to make the first move.

  She’d sat there and listened to their conversation carefully, listening for any undertones or currents of jealousy on Jake’s part, but there’d been nothing. He’d been genuinely happy for Sable, although he wouldn’t even look at Miranda.

  That had been her first hint that Jake had been interested in her too. Almost every day he’d come into her office with some flimsy excuse and every time he stepped through the door she’d felt the room shrink around her and fill with his presence. He’d never touched her or said anything suggestive, but the way he’d looked at her was so intense that she’d often felt as if her body would burst into flame at any moment when he was around. It was that quiet intensity of his that made her dream about riding him long and hard night after night.

  “You OK?”

  Miranda smiled at her friend. “Yeah.”

  “It’s obvious you have a lot on your mind so I’m going to head out and let you do your thinking thing, but I want you to listen carefully first, OK?”

  “OK.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Mandy. You’ve always been a beautiful and intelligent lady, but in the last few months you’ve turned into a hell of a woman, too. Don’t let your fear cause you to revert back to less than you can be. It’s time to reward yourself with a bit of bad behaviour with the man you love.” She smiled devilishly and Miranda laughed. p width="1em">