She put up a hand so she could finish chewing, because he was already ready with the next bite. “That’s amazing,” she said, finally swallowing. “But so rich.”
“I know,” he said. “Like you. Dark and rich and amazing,” he said. “That’s what I taste when I kiss you.”
Her eyes widened as she accepted another piece.
“Down there,” he clarified. “When I kiss you down there.” He nodded at her pussy, and she felt wet heat clench there. She pushed aside the cake and pulled him in for a kiss.
He came gladly, and the kiss tasted of chocolate, velvety and intense as their tongues swirled together.
Harmony had never felt anything this amazing in her entire life. The fresh, cool air around them heightened the sensual heat between them, and she was more aware than usual of her body. Of the wind over her ears and neck, of Maverick’s hand on her waist, gently stroking, of the taste of him, the scent of him.
Cinnamon and cloves. Fire. Heat.
He deepened the kiss, thrusting into her mouth, around and past her tongue, licking every part, owning her completely, behind her teeth, on the roof of her mouth. When he went inside her, he really wanted inside her and was determined to be everywhere at once.
She moaned against him, aching with anticipation for what she really wanted, after this.
But then he pulled back, breathing heavily. “Are you really going to leave after this?” he asked, resting his wide forehead against hers. “Go back to New York?”
“I haven’t decided,” she rasped out. “I have a lot waiting for me there.”
“Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you,” he said. “I’ll build you a nicer house. I’ll buy you time at a recording studio. Just don’t leave.”
She heard his plea and knew now why it meant so much. Because he’d been left before, in one of the most painful ways possible.
But she couldn’t let pity be a reason to stay.
And if she was coming to love him, and he couldn’t love her, then a life together would be awkward, filled with one-sided resentment.
He could be romantic and sexy and protective. But none of that really mattered if he couldn’t truly open up to her when she was fully open to him.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s all so complicated.”
“I’ll give you whatever you want,” he said. “Stay.”
“I’m not leaving yet,” she murmured softly just before he took her lips in a kiss again. She kissed him back, their lips fighting for position, meeting and parting again and again, gently embracing with soft touches of tongue.
She pulled back, wiping her lips and trying to get a few deep breaths of mountain air so she could think.
Maverick took a bite of the cake and sat back with a sigh.
She gave him a little growl, and he handed it over and then cut a piece of his own, and for a moment, they just sat there watching the clouds roll by in the bright blue sky and trying to calm themselves from the intense sexual heat that seemed to build anytime they were together.
If only everything else could be as easy as the sex.
When he kissed her, when he touched her, she felt she had everything she needed. It was everything else that made her wonder if a life here would be awkward or lonely.
What if, once he was sure she wouldn’t leave, he just left her in the cabin all the time? What if he only wanted her for sex, and once he knew she would be available, he just came to her for that and didn’t fulfill any of her other needs? Like the need for snuggling or conversation or just getting out with friends?
Still, he was trying.
She leaned in against his strong arms, and he extended them so she could rest against him. He was sturdy and steady, and it was nice to just sit there with him and look out over the world below.
A good feeling. A spiritual one almost.
Like there was something greater than all of this, and here, together, they were a part of it.
Maverick moved his hand over until it was covering hers, and despite everything he’d said before, Harmony couldn’t help feeling truly loved.
“This was an amazing date, Maverick,” she said.
He gave her a pleased look, and she realized he liked when she used his full name.
“You like when I call you Maverick, don’t you?” she asked.
He nodded. “Everyone calls me Mav. So I wanted you to be different.”
“Do I mean more to you?” she asked, knowing it sounded stupid.
“Of course,” he said. “You’re my mate.”
She shook her head. “You know I don’t understand what that means.”
“You will someday,” he said, sounding sure. Though Harmony still felt nervous. Mate sounded awfully a lot like something animals did. Something strictly sexual. Something that wouldn’t ever make her happy.
“It’s been a good day,” she said. “I’m glad to learn more about you. And Cornflake.”
“He’s a good horse,” Maverick said. “For the most part, I trust horses more than people. They’re honest.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“So tell me about what you do at home. When you sing. Your family.”
She was surprised. They’d talked a little about this sort of thing, usually after sex, when getting dressed. But he seemed genuinely interested. Perhaps there was hope after all.
“My mother is dead now, but she raised me as a single mom. I never wanted for anything.”
“Except a dad,” he said intuitively.
“Yes,” she said. “I did miss that. Somewhat. But I had the most amazing mom, and some kids don’t have that. So I’m grateful.” She put her arms around her knees and was surprised when she felt his hand on her back, gently stroking. “Anyway, it was hard to lose her. That was three years ago. But I still feel like she’s with me, so it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” he said, studying her with that handsome face. “But I get it. You move on.”
“Yup. And my singing? She always encouraged that. I guess we both thought I’d go further than I did. I started at that restaurant because I thought it’d be a good way to build a resume. I studied music at school but dropped out to take a job. I had an agent for a while, but when nothing panned out, he dropped me.”
Maverick’s face tightened in anger, and she raised a hand. “No, that’s just how it works in the music biz. Any biz, really. No one wants to waste time on someone they can’t make money off of.”
“More people should hear your voice,” he said in a growly tone as his hand stroked possessively over her back. “We’ll make sure they do.”
She smiled sadly at that because she didn’t know if she would be around him long enough to see. He was being sweet, but he had no idea what it took to have studio time. And he probably didn’t have any money either.
Which was fine. She didn’t need a lot of money to be happy. She wasn’t even too worried about the album. As long as she could sing, as long as someone enjoyed her voice, she could be happy. And Maverick seemed to enjoy it.
“So do you sing for men?” he asked. “At the restaurant?”
“Yeah, of course,” she said.
“Do they come on to you?” he asked.
She frowned at him. “Of course.”
He growled. “I don’t like that.”
“You don’t get a say in it.”
He grumbled something about “mate,” but she just laughed. He was so odd sometimes, but that was what she loved about him.
Right. She was coming to love him.
Who was she kidding? It was already too late.
Should she tell him? Give him a chance to change their arrangement? See if his feelings had changed?
“Mav?” she asked, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.
He turned his face to her, a serious gaze in his dark eyes. Now that she was looking at them close, in the sunlight, she could see they were the darkest shade of brown with almost a little bit of a purple tinge to them at the center and t
iny gold flecks interspersed throughout.
That’s what made them sparkle sometimes, she guessed.
“What?” he asked, putting a hand up to stroke her cheek. “What is it?”
“Take me home?”
His brows raised. “You’re done with the date?”
“I want to go back and get ready. Take a nap. See Bonnie and Ruby. And then come over to your place. Spend the night with you.”
His eyes widened, sparkling in the sun. “Really? You’ll stay tonight?”
“Yes,” she said, closing her eyes slowly against his touch and then opening them. “I’ll stay tonight.”
“Yes,” he said, taking her lips in a quick kiss. “That would be amazing.”
Harmony thought so as well.
11
Maverick wanted everything to be perfect tonight for Harmony.
She was scheduled to fly back to New York in just a few days, and while she hadn’t said she would stay, it at least seemed to be an option.
He’d placed small candles that he’d gotten from Shane all around the small bedroom. He pulled the drapes closed. It was a beautiful moonlit night, but he wanted privacy.
He lit the candles and looked at the clock on his nightstand. Almost time.
He walked out of his house and onto the lit path that led to the lodge. Harmony was already waiting on the porch, and his heart skipped a beat.
He’d really enjoyed their “date” today. Just talking to her. Getting to know her, even though his bear had felt like he knew her from the moment they met.
She didn’t fully understand what had happened to him as a cub. She couldn’t yet because he couldn’t tell her about him until the time was right, when he knew she wouldn’t reject him.
But it had been nice to see caring in her face. She was bonding with him. He was sure of it.
And she’d asked to stay tonight. Something he’d wanted each time they’d made love.
When he reached the porch, his eyes raked over her. She’d called him to say she was having dinner at the lodge with her friends, and he’d taken the time to have his own quick dinner and get things ready.
But she looked beautiful. Her curls pulled up into an elegant updo, her lips glossed in the right red. And she was wearing a red dress that lit his hide on fire with anticipation of stripping it off her.
Perhaps there were some benefits to being human after all.
He reached out a hand, and she took it as she walked down the front steps. When she reached him, he intertwined their fingers as they walked silently back to his cabin.
His place was a little farther away than Shane’s or Jesse’s, but it was a beautiful night.
When winter came, it would be a little more difficult to get out here, but he looked forward to carrying her there in his arms over the deep white snow. Or back to the lodge. Or anywhere she wanted to go.
He noticed the more time he spent with Harmony, the less his bear screamed to get out of his skin. The less he felt like he needed to wander the mountains alone.
That was something special about her. Most people made him want to run into the mountains. Harmony made him want to stay on the ground.
This was the feeling of having a mate, he decided, as he opened the front door to lead her in.
She gasped as she saw the fresh wildflowers in a vase on the living room table. They were only in a tall glass, but judging by her huge smile when he gave them to her, they might as well have been in a million-dollar vase.
It made him grin.
But then he put aside the vase and pulled her close, gently moving her strap to the side so he could kiss her neck. Her shoulder was silky and soft bared to him, and he growled as he kissed that as well.
Harmony’s hands found his chest and pushed, shoving him back toward the bedroom. He went willingly, pulling on the tie he’d put on just for her, ignoring the fact that it felt like it was strangling him.
Harmony tugged at his suit jacket, and it felt to the floor in a heap as they stepped over it and went to the bed.
She was still fumbling with his tie as his legs hit the bed and he fell back onto it. He pulled himself backward onto it, and she crawled on with him.
Their sexual chemistry was perfect. Even without words, they seemed to understand perfectly what the other wanted.
His hands found the straps of her dress and pulled them down over her shoulders, momentarily trapping them at her sides as he reached for the zipper and dragged it down.
It slid over her in a wave of red silk, baring her creamy brown skin and luscious cleavage in a black satin bra.
Damn, she knew how to please him.
He reached around to unhook the bra, but she stopped his hand, bringing it back around the front.
She was straddling him now, her thick, gorgeous thighs pinning him to the bed, though he could easily reverse the positions if necessary.
She held his hands up at the side of his head, a playful look on her gorgeous, sassy face. “I want to be in charge tonight. At least for a while.”
He blinked. The female in control? What good could come of that? What could he be doing for her if he wasn’t doing anything?
He blinked as she reached for his tie, slid it fully out of his collar, and stretched it between her hands, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Oh, no, she didn’t. If anyone was going to be tied…
“Please?” she asked.
He growled, looking at the puny material. She didn’t actually think that would hold him, did she?
Still, a tiny part of him was curious what she would do if she thought he couldn’t move away.
“Fine,” he said, moving up to the head of the bed and resting his hands next to the iron headboard. He waited as she looped the material around his hands and then the bar, watching her with thoughtful eyes.
When she was done, she studied him with lust, and he could see himself reflected in her dark eyes, tied to the bed, collar open, sitting beneath her.
He looked stupid. He was sure of it.
But her eyes were hungrier than he’d ever seen them, and she gave him a long up-and-down look before her hands grabbed each side of the dress shirt Wyatt had lent him. Then, with a rip and several pops, she pulled the shirt apart, sending the buttons scattering everywhere, rolling over the wood floor.
Maverick’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“Turnabout is fair play,” she said, leaning down to press a kiss to his chest, right between the swells of his muscles. He didn’t mind, because it gave him a magnificent view of her breasts pressed together in that amazing bra she was wearing. He licked his lips.
Testing the bonds on his hands, he felt impressed with her knowledge of knots but sure in his ability to get free.
But first, he’d see what his little mate wanted to do to him.
* * *
Harmony didn’t think anything could get hotter than this.
Sure, she liked when Maverick pleased her. Held her down and made her his, made her come over and over.
But right now, she wanted to see him beneath her, writhing in the pleasure she gave.
She wanted to be the one owning him. Owning this huge bear of a man who couldn’t be tamed by anyone else.
He was unbelievably gorgeous. His tanned chest rising and falling, his incredible pecs strained by the position of his arms and bared by his torn-away shirt.
She hadn’t known her own strength until her lust to see him had made the fabric give way like paper under her hands.
She ran her palms over his huge pecs, which felt amazing, to his rippling abs, each one defined and incredible.
He sucked in a little breath as she did so, and her gaze flicked to him, loving the little confused expression he wore.
She was going to make those pretty brown eyes fly wide by the end of the night. She guaranteed it.
He watched her as she trailed her hands down to the top of his fly. As gorgeous as he looked in these dress pants, with his fabulous, muscular butt pus
hing them to their limits, she needed him out of them.
She undid the button, slid down the zipper, and then pulled them over his lean hips.
She caught a glimpse of his sexy, taut thighs as she did so.
Heavens, he had a beautiful body. Long, lean, and perfectly proportioned. She ran her hands over his legs, down around his ankles, and up over his muscular, bulging calves.
He made little growls as she did so, but she just laughed, ignoring them.
She came up over him to sit on him again. He was wearing black boxer briefs now, and his impressively large dick was straining upward against the fabric.
Hot.
She dug her nails lightly into his chest as she leaned forward to kiss him, and his tongue swept savagely into her mouth, letting her know just who was really in control and just how much strength and desire was restrained behind that silk tie.
Not that she had any illusions about him being unable to break free if he wanted. But he didn’t want to, and that trust, that openness, meant everything to her.
She didn’t want to be the only vulnerable one.
Giving him a wicked grin, she crawled down the long bed and settled herself between his legs. He bent them up, and she pressed against his knees as she leaned forward, pulling down his briefs and bringing her mouth down over his member.
He gasped as she took it into her mouth. Just the tip because he was so huge. But she loved the feel of him, velvety and hard and soft at the same time. She swirled her tongue around him and heard him give a low groan as he writhed slightly beneath her.
But she didn’t let up. She had to taste him. Had to feel every bit of him, to see him at her mercy, coming in her mouth as all his muscles tensed and his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Harmony, what is—you don’t have to—” But he didn’t seem to be able to keep a coherent thought as her hand begin to stroke his shaft, gliding beneath her mouth as she kissed and sucked his tip. “Oh, that feels good.”
She grinned around his dick. “Good.” She sucked and licked, and her hand played down around his balls, cupping them, massaging the base. He was so long, so thick; she was surprised he even fit inside her at all.
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