Sassy Ever After: Northern Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Sugar Shack Book 1)

by Élianne Adams

  Twelve

  Jaxon had stiffened as soon as she mentioned getting the place ready for sale, but she wouldn’t lead him on. Sure, she looked forward to spending her time with him while she was there, but she had a life she had to get back to in New York, even if it wasn’t much of a life. Opening the Sugar Shack for business had been a pipe dream that reality had erased long ago.

  When Jaxon came back in with his tools, rather than take a direct route to the bathroom, he came straight to her. He placed the red metal box on the floor next to her feet with a clang, then brought his hands up, cupping her face, before brushing his lips against hers. The barely there caress had her toes curling and her body pulsing to life. With a soft moan, she melted into him.

  Just when she was about to pull him closer to deepen the kiss, he pulled back. “I never got to give you a proper hello when I came in,” he said in way of explanation.

  “Hello,” Maple said as she leaned in for another taste, but he took a step back and grinned down at her.

  “If I get any closer to you, your shower won’t get fixed today, and I can guarantee we’ll both need a shower come morning.” He adjusted the front of his tan shorts and reached for his toolbox sitting on the floor between them.

  “Staying the night, are you?” she asked as she followed his backward retreat toward the bathroom.

  “That, sweet Maple, depends on you, now doesn’t it?”

  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as though contemplating his words. “I think I’d like that. In fact, I know I would. I’ll get the steaks going for dinner while you’re working in here,” she told him when she’d cornered him in the small bathroom. He placed his tools on the floor, and when he straightened, Maple came into his space until only a couple of inches separated them. The heat coming from his body engulfed her. His scent enveloped her, making her almost dizzy with want. Trailing a finger down his chest, she came to a stop at his waistband.

  Jaxon moaned at the light touch.

  “Maybe for dessert we’ll get to finish what we started on the beach.”

  He didn’t say a word as he tipped her head up and kissed her again. He burrowed his fingers in her hair, holding her for his invasion. In complete contrast to the tender kiss he’d given her in the kitchen, there was nothing soft or sweet about the way he claimed her mouth this time. When she sighed and melted into him, Jaxon seized the opportunity to plunge his tongue into her mouth, caressing hers with strong, sure strokes. Her nipples pebbled and her slick pussy throbbed with the need pulsing through her.

  By the time he loosened his hold on her hair and pulled back, Maple could only stand there, eyes closed, leaning against him.

  “Right. The shower,” he finally cut in, his voice rougher and deeper than it had been.

  Maple opened her eyes, not relinquishing the hold she had on his T-shirt. She blinked twice to focus her eyes. Damn, the man could kiss. His slow grin had her smiling right back at him. “How hungry are you?” she asked, her own voice husky.

  “Starving,” he said as his gaze dropped to her lips again.

  “Me, too.” She didn’t bother trying to speak again. She couldn’t have if she’d tried. His lips were on hers, taking her breath and stealing all reason. He brought his hands to her hips, pulling her flush against him, making her moan. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against her lower belly, sending excited flutters through her. Jaxon took a step, backing her out of the bathroom until they were in the hall.

  “Which one?” he asked.

  Desperate to touch and taste, she tugged on his shirt, pulling it halfway up before realizing he’d asked a question. “There,” she said, pointing in the general direction of her room.

  Taking the hint, Jaxon pulled his T-shirt off. Her fingers were already on the snap of his shorts before it hit the floor. “I’m not going to last if you keep looking at me like that, gorgeous.”

  “I need to touch you,” she said. She found the tab of his zipper, then smiled at the soft rasping sound it made going down. “I want to see what you’re packing, and then I want to have a good, long taste.”

  “Jesus,” Jaxon moaned before drawing her close and lifting her up against him so that her feet no longer touched the floor. “Bedroom. Now.”

  He didn’t stop or put her down until he stood at the side of her bed. His hands were everywhere, caressing her ass and up her back, only to go down again and curl around her hips. Maple couldn’t wait. Leaning forward, she flicked her tongue across one hardened nipple before sucking it between her lips. His quick gasp, followed by a moan, emboldened her. She scraped her teeth over the rigid little disk once, twice, and his whole body stiffened.

  “Do it,” he said, the rumble in his voice more pronounced. His hands gripped her tight, pulling her hard against him as he thrust his pelvis forward.

  She nipped at his nipple, the bite more teasing than anything, before laving it with the tip of her tongue again. His fingers dug into her flesh where he still held her against him. Her heart pounded against her ribs. The few times she’d dared make her need for a bit of roughness in the bedroom known in the past, the men she’d been with had either not been into it or hadn’t known how to meet those needs. A few had given it a good try, but it had been forced and stilted. She didn’t need to be spanked or tied down. Of course, she didn’t mind those things, but what she wanted—no, what she needed—was a hard fuck that would knock her into tomorrow.

  She looked up, needing to gauge Jaxon’s reaction, then bit down, hard. His half-lidded eyes rounded for a moment, then closed as he moaned. In the next instant, he had her blouse up and over her head. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she might have heard a button or two go flying across the wooden floor. Her shorts were gone in a second, her panties disappearing right along with them.

  “You like teeth, sweet Maple? You like it rough?” he asked as he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. He pushed his shorts down his legs, kicking them off before following, pressing her into the mattress with his weight.

  Spreading her thighs, she let him settle over her, his hard dick against her wet folds. “Yes. Fuck, yes.” She dug her fingers into his ass cheeks and thrust up, rubbing herself against him. If it wasn’t for the fact that she wanted his cock in her mouth, she would take matters into her own hands and impale herself on him.

  Jaxon lowered his lips to her neck as he rocked against her, stroking her clit with every tilt of his hips. He kissed his way to her ear, then bit her lobe, and her breath caught in her throat. “I’m going to love marking every inch of you. By the time I’m done, there will be no doubt who you belong to. Do you want that, Maple? Do you want me to bite you? Do you want me to make you mine?”

  The words strummed a visceral chord inside her, making her empty pussy spasm. “Yes,” she moaned when he bit the column of her neck hard enough to have her gasping but not leave a mark. If she didn’t take control now, she’d be a puddle beneath him, unable to do anything more than take whatever he was giving her. Jaxon moved to her shoulder, nipping her skin there, before moving to the swell of her breast.

  “I need to taste you,” she finally managed. Using all the strength she had in her lower body, she flipped them both. She didn’t dwell on the fact that he had let it happen, she was just glad that he had.

  Jaxon tunnelled his fingers through her hair again. “Take what you want while you can, gorgeous. Once I take over, you’ll be all mine,” he told her before bringing her head down and claiming her lips again. Was it a threat? A warning? Whatever it was, it had a fresh wave of heat flooding her pussy. This man played both her body and her mind like a fine instrument, and she was more than ready to let him—after she sucked him.

  Jaxon’s chest was a work of art. Hard lines and grooves highlighted each of his muscles. He kept his grip on her hair light as she kissed and licked her way down. When she got to his belly, she couldn’t help but give him a bite, then watch as the spot turned red. It was his own damned fault for being so deliciou
s. She kissed the bite mark and moved lower until her lips hovered over the head of his cock.

  With his gaze trained on hers, Jaxon watched. Each second that passed had the throb in her clit pulsing harder. When she brought her mouth closer, he sucked in a breath. Rolling her tongue around the head and over the slit, she lapped up the moisture that had collected there. His fingers tightened in her hair, and the air burst out of him in a rush, but he didn’t push her to move. Savoring the taste of him, she took another swipe, then another until his hips moved in involuntary, little thrusts, seeking more.

  She continued the slow, sensual torture until his hold on her hair tightened to the point of light pain. Then, without hesitation, she took as much of his length into her mouth as she could, pulling her cheeks in as she slid up. With a fist wrapped around the base of his shaft, she stroked him as she sucked.

  His body, already coiled tight with tension, vibrated with restraint. He’d closed his eyes, and his lips parted on a moan, but when she tried to swallow his cock for a third time, he stopped her. His gaze found hers again. The amber of his eyes was brighter with his passion. It was sexy as hell.

  “My turn,” he said. Then without warning, he flipped her onto her back, and he had his head buried between her thighs before she could draw a breath.

  With the first swipe of his tongue all the way up her slit, Maple writhed against him, but he held her hips where he wanted them. He flicked his tongue over her clit, drawing a moan from deep inside. The pleasure whipping through her stole her thoughts, replacing them with nothing but the feel of his mouth on her, his hot breath against her flesh, and the need pounding through her.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t take a second more, Jaxon pulled his head up, capturing her gaze. “Do you know what you taste like, Maple?”

  She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think, but then, she didn’t need to. “You taste like mine,” he growled in the next instant, then turned his head and bit her inner thigh.

  The searing sting of the bite ripped through her and went straight to her clit, but Jaxon beat it there. He devoured her, licking and sucking her hard and fast, bringing her body to a fevered pitch she couldn’t deny. She bucked up against him as he sent her flying over the edge, her pussy clenching and releasing in hard waves as the ecstasy tore through her.

  Thirteen

  Jaxon hadn’t meant to give her a mating bite, but with her taste on his tongue and his wolf riding him so hard to take her, he hadn’t been able to keep from biting her. It wasn’t enough for a permanent claim, but other wolves would know who she belonged to. His scent was embedded into her skin, making his wolf howl its pleasure.

  The instinct to turn her over to mate rode him—hard—but now wasn’t the time. He hung on to his control by a thread. If he entered her from behind, and her neck and back were on display, he wasn’t sure he could keep from fully claiming her. As much as he wanted that, he wouldn’t take that choice from her.

  Climbing over her, Jaxon rested his weight on his arms as he kissed her neck and shoulder, giving her a moment to come back to earth. When she opened her eyes and her breathing slowed a little, he positioned himself between her legs. His cock throbbed at her breathy sigh as he pushed the first inch inside her. Nothing in his life had ever felt so damned good as the tight grip of her sheath around him. His body shook with the restraint it took to keep from plunging into her balls deep.

  “More,” she whispered.

  He thrust forward, taking his time, allowing her body to adjust to his size, but she wouldn’t have it. When he retreated and stroked deeper inside her, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him all the way in.

  Their mingled moans filled the room as he hit bottom. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, trying to gain some control. “That feels too good. I need a second,” he whispered against her skin as he breathed her scent into his lungs.

  “So good,” she agreed, but rather than keep still, Maple pulled her hips back as much as she could, then took him again.

  Her velvety heat caressed every inch of him. The small muscles of her pussy milked him, sucking him with each of her small thrusts. His control slipped further. “Maple,” he pleaded.

  “Fuck me, Jaxon. I need it. Now.”

  Had she been sweet and soft, he could have resisted, but she was taking what she wanted—demanding what she needed—and he was powerless to deny her.

  He lifted one of her legs and placed it over his shoulder before pulling his hips back and slamming into her. Maple’s eyes grew wide, and she gasped. The moan that followed went straight to his cock, making him twitch inside her and the strong pulse in his shaft throb harder. Nothing could have stopped him from plunging into her again and again. She dug her nails into his shoulders, tipping her hips to take even more of him. Her breasts bounced with his powerful thrusts, begging for his attention. Lowering his head, he captured a nipple with his lips. He sucked in time with his hard strokes, pushing and pulling in and out of her.

  Her pussy quivered around him, tightening its grip until white hot pleasure raced from his spine to his cock. Jaxon scraped her nipple with his teeth, then tugged. Her nails dug into his flesh as her cries rang out, filling the room with her climax. Unable to hold on any longer, he pounded into her once, twice, then stilled as he came, filling her pussy with his seed, marking her body as his from the inside out.

  He didn’t want to move. Hell, he never wanted to leave the haven that was her body, but he wasn’t a small man, and he’d crush her if he stayed where he was. Jaxon rolled to the side, taking her with him, smiling when she mumbled an incoherent protest, then snuggled closer.

  ***

  Every muscle in Maple’s body had turned to Jell-O in the aftermath of her orgasms. Jaxon had been the perfect combination of tender and rough, satisfying every part of her with his lovemaking. His fingers traced lazy circles on her shoulder as they rested, adding to her blissful state.

  Once they got up, he’d fix her shower, and then what? She’d make him dinner, but would he leave to go home afterward? Maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn’t want him to.

  She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. The smile he was already sporting on his handsome face widened. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to stay?” she asked without preamble.

  “Stay for dinner?” he asked.

  She shook her head. If he said no, she’d be mortified, but she had to lay her cards out on the table or risk not getting what she wanted. “No, for the night—or longer, if you want to. I’ve only got a short amount of time here in Maine, and I’d like to spend it with you. I understand if you can’t, but I thought I’d put it out there,” she said in a rush, sounding more like a nervous teenager than the adult she was.

  Jaxon looked at her for so long without saying anything that she braced herself for the rejection she was sure was coming.

  “I’d love to spend the time here with you,” he finally said.

  “But?”

  He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “No but. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  With a gentle hand, he urged her to lay her head down again before resuming the soft glide of his fingers on her skin. “It’s obvious you love it here, and you’ve already told me that you’re not in love with your job. If you have no special someone to go back to, why go back?”

  Maple hadn’t expected it, but it was a fair question. “I never said there wasn’t a special someone to go back to. It’s just not a man. My grandmother lives there. She had a stroke a few years ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Jaxon’s arm tightened around her.

  “She can’t live on her own and needs an electric wheelchair to get around, but she does okay. We found a great retirement home for her. Considering all she gave up for me, staying in New York is the least I can do for her.”

  “She raised you, didn’t she?” he asked, his fingers never stopping th
e gentle caress on her arm.

  “She did. She and my grandpa took me in after my parents died. And you know this how?” she asked, a little surprised that he knew more about her than she expected.

  “I’ve lived around here my whole life. We went to the same school.”

  She lifted her head to look at him. “We did? I don’t remember.”

  “You don’t remember me? I’m crushed,” he teased before continuing. “I’m a few years older than you. It’s not like we had the same circle of friends.”

  “I suppose not.”

  “So why does your grandmother want to sell the place after hanging on to it for all these years?”

  Maple’s cheeks burned. “She doesn’t know I’m planning to put it on the market. She signed the place over to me when I graduated from college. I guess she expected I’d come back for good some day, but that’s not possible now. She needs me, and I need the money.”

  Jaxon’s body tensed beneath her. “Living in New York is expensive.”

  “It is. And retirement homes aren’t cheap.” She didn’t want to spend her time dwelling on the state of her finances. She was about to change the subject when her stomach growled.

  Jaxon’s chest shook with his chuckles. “Hungry?”

  “Mmm. I am.” Why bother denying it? She wasn’t the kind of woman to eat three bites of salad and be satisfied, and there were two steaks waiting in the kitchen. She kissed his chest, then pushed herself up. “I better get us both fed so we have enough energy for round two later.”

  Fourteen

  Maple couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She had to look like a loon dressed in her grubby clothes and going through yet more boxes of stuff that had to be sorted. She’d pulled her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head and was covered in dust. At least she’d get to shower when she was done. Jaxon had fixed it after they’d eaten their steaks two nights ago. They’d proceeded to test it out afterward, using up most of the hot water before bathing each other as it ran cold.