by Iris Morland
“I have another animal in mind,” he said, his voice turning low and seductive.
Thea raised her eyebrows as he embraced her. “Do I want to know?”
“I’m thinking along the lines of something that starts with a C—”
“Chicken? Cow?”
Growling, he pushed her up against the nearest tree, and she could feel how hard he was already. As she rubbed him through his jeans, she added, “Cat? Chameleon? Look, Anthony, there are so many animals that start with the letter C.”
He kissed her throat, licking her skin before biting down between her neck and shoulder.
“Camel?” she guessed. “No, wait, we should get a capybara—”
“Thea, do you want me to put you over my knee and spank you?” His eyes gleamed.
“Is it bad that I don’t want to say no?”
He swooped down and kissed her, and she laughed before the laugh transformed into a moan. She tugged at his shirt, wanting to feel the warmth and strength of his muscles. His tongue glided into her mouth before he began to suck her lower lip.
She gasped for breath when he pulled up her shirt to kiss the tops of her breasts. “Cougar? Cheetah? Katydid?”
“Katydid starts with a K,” he said as he sucked her nipple through her bra.
“Oh God, how can you remember how to spell things at a time like this?”
She pulled his shirt over his head as he unhooked her bra, and then they were kissing like maniacs outside in the forest. Soon he was unbuckling his belt, but not before he touched her, making her wet and desperate. He groaned as he felt how ready she was for him already.
After they got the necessary clothing out of the way, Anthony picked her up until her legs wrapped around his waist. Thea was absurdly glad that she’d gone on the Pill two months ago so they didn’t have to worry about a pesky condom. Then again, she was so stupidly in love with this man that getting pregnant sounded rather wonderful.
Anthony pushed inside her, making Thea’s head thunk back onto the tree trunk at the sensation of his hard cock sliding into her.
“So I guess you wanted a cock?” she joked, but it soon turned into a loud moan.
“I always knew you were perceptive.” His eyes gleamed.
“You’re so smug, why do I put up with you—” He started moving faster, and she lost her train of thought. He could be as smug as he wanted right now. She didn’t even care. “Oh my God, don’t stop, don’t stop.”
He didn’t stop. His fingers dug into her hips as he filled her, the tree shaking and raining leaves down around them with each thrust. Thea clutched at him, kissing his chest, her release expanding inside her until she came so hard that she saw stars. She screamed Anthony’s name right as he came, too, and they just held each other for a long moment as they panted and their bodies calmed.
Anthony gently set Thea on the ground, although she was fairly certain her legs were jelly now. They got dressed, stealing kisses from each other as they did so, before fetching the carrier and walking back to the cabin.
“We need to do that in every room,” said Anthony as they went inside. He tapped his chin, a grin spreading across his face.
Thea shook her head right before he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “No, Anthony, where are you taking me?”
“We’re going to christen your room, then my room, then the bathroom—”
She groaned, but she didn’t mean it. She couldn’t get enough of him either.
He tossed her onto her former bed before climbing on top of her. Touching his hair, she whispered, “I love you.”
His eyes lit. “I love you. I’m so glad we got stuck together in this cabin. Even if you almost killed me.”
“You deserved it.”
Growling, he kissed her, showing her exactly what she really deserved.
Phin Younger had graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and had earned his bachelor’s from Oregon State before he could even drink legally. By the age of twenty-three, he’d earned his law degree and had been hired by one of the best firms in Portland.
It had been five years since he’d graduated from law school, had started to work as a practicing attorney, and had entered the world as a well-educated man. He could speak three languages fluently (English, French, and German); he could remember minute details of cases that he had read about years ago; he rarely lost a case. He was, to quote numerous papers and awards, a brilliant attorney.
The greatest irony? Phin would’ve thought that by now, he’d be able to talk to women.
Apparently not. They tended to find his frankness and tendency to argue his point without letting go unsettling. The last woman he’d taken home had told him that he was “too intense,” whatever the hell that meant.
He’d tried to be act insouciant, before realizing that nobody knew what the word even meant. He’d tried to say nothing in conversations, keeping things light. But then something would come up that Phin knew more about than most people, and he’d follow that subject until the other person in the conversation stared at him in confusion and, sometimes, sheer annoyance.
So, no, he wasn’t good with women. He was terrible with women. Women liked to be wooed. They liked compliments, they liked flirtatious comments. They liked it when you pursued them but didn’t pursue them. Again, whatever the hell that meant. That advice had been given by his older brother Ash, the consummate playboy turned dedicated fiancé. Ash’s advice about how to talk to women had never worked for Phin because Phin was the complete opposite of his older brother.
Tonight, Phin had been invited to happy hour with the rest of his law firm coworkers. As employees of one of the best public advocacy law firms in the state, Phin and his fellow lawyers worked around the clock, their pay being low and the cases oftentimes seemingly hopeless. But they’d all dedicated themselves to helping others who couldn’t afford attorneys, the people who were most vulnerable.
But tonight was about letting loose. There were five other attorneys at the practice, all of whom were older than Phin by some years. At the moment, one coworker was laughing so loudly that Phin winced, while another seemed to down his drinks as fast as he got them.
The only female in the firm, Katherine, was closest in age to Phin. She was in her late thirties and married with two kids, and her no-nonsense approach to life and law had made her one of the few people Phin actually liked. Katherine didn’t care about office politics or hierarchy: she cared about getting the work done, like he did.
“How soon do you think Dave will get drunk?” said Katherine.
Phin watched as Dave took another shot. What number was that? Four? “I give him six minutes,” replied Phin.
Katherine laughed. “I give him fifteen. You’re on.”
Within five minutes, forty-five seconds, Dave was about to fall out of his chair. Katherine handed Phin a five-dollar bill with a grumble.
The happy hour continued for another hour before Phin had had enough. Saying goodbye, he ignored how everyone but Katherine looked at him like he was some self-righteous asshole for not drinking. It wasn’t that Phin was against drinking: he just preferred to stay in control of himself.
Katherine followed him outside into the misty autumn evening. “Heading home?” she asked.
“Yes. Where else?”
“No reason. I just wondered if you ever went somewhere else.”
Phin knew she was hinting at something, but it irritated him when people didn’t say exactly what they meant to say. “Either spit it out, or I’m leaving,” he said.
Luckily, she knew his ways. “I mean, do you ever go to a woman’s house? Or invite a woman over?”
He stared at her. “Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“No, you aren’t. You have an agenda. Everyone does.”
“You’re so cynical.”
“I’m an attorney,” he said dryly. “Of course I’m cynical.”
Katherine shook her head. “Look, it’s none of my business�
��”
“So you’re going to ask it anyway?”
“I’ve known you for five years now. We’ve worked together, we’re friends, all of that. But I’ve never heard you mention dating. Now, at first I wondered if you were gay, or asexual, or both.”
Phin waited, eyebrow cocked.
Katherine continued, “But I’ve seen you look at women. You aren’t dead. And you’ve mentioned some women in passing. So, definitely not gay. But no matter what, you’ve been alone, haven’t you?”
Phin wondered how much Katherine had had to drink. They were friends, but they weren’t this close.
“I’m going home,” he said again.
“No, wait! I just don’t want to see you alone forever if you don’t want to be alone.” Katherine giggled.
Yes, she was definitely tipsy, Phin thought.
He smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Okay, let’s get you home before you start setting me up on dates.”
“That’s a great idea!”
By the time Phin got home after dropping Katherine off at her house, her husband amused at his wife’s inebriation, he couldn’t get Katherine’s words out of his head. I just don’t want to see you alone forever if you don’t want to be alone.
Well, joke was on her, because he wanted to be alone. It was easier. People were—complicated. He worked with them, for God’s sake. He spent his time defending the people no one cared about. He’d seen the dark side of humanity, and he’d made a choice to keep himself apart. Besides, women didn’t like him. They thought he was handsome, and they assumed he was rich, being an attorney, but when they saw him for who he really was, they bolted.
Phin told himself that being alone was the practical choice. He didn’t need a woman in his life. No matter what anyone else said or thought, he’d live his life how he saw fit—and he’d live it alone.
Afterword
I hope you enjoyed reading Thea and Anthony’s path to true love and a happily ever after.
Generally speaking, everything included in this book about animal testing is true—at least for the moment. (And anything that isn’t accurate is, of course, completely on me!)
Most American companies that test on animals (aka are not cruelty-free) do so because China still requires any cosmetics imported into the country to be tested on animals.
That being said, laws have been passed in China already to discontinue animal testing on domestically made products, and there’s reason to hope that that will expand to international products soon.
If you’re interested in learning more, including finding cruelty-free companies to support, check out Cruelty Free International.org.
I hope, like Thea, we can make the world a better place for all living things, big and small.
Iris
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All I Want Is You
(Phin and Emily’s story)
Coming September 2018
Also by Iris Morland
Love Everlasting
including
The Youngers
Then Came You
Taking a Chance on Love
All I Want Is You
(September 2018)
My One and Only
(December 2018)
The Thorntons
The Nearness of You
The Very Thought of You
If I Can’t Have You
Dream a Little Dream of Me
Someone to Watch Over Me
Till There Was You
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Heron’s Landing
Seduce Me Sweetly
Tempt Me Tenderly
Desire Me Dearly
Adore Me Ardently
About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.
irismorland.com