by Susan Hayes
He shucked his jeans off with practiced speed, giving her an ample view of everything he had to offer. Holy hell, he is hot. Built like a warrior from another time, muscle and sinew flowed under his skin in a way that no gym could duplicate. His strength and grace were his own, earned and paid for in the real world. She knew without a doubt that whatever this gorgeous man did for a living, it didn’t involve sitting behind a desk.
He slid beneath the covers and wrapped his arms around her, his kiss gentler this time. The passion was still there, but he’d dialled it back, at least for the moment. He drew her down beside him, as his hands drifted over her body, laying claim to every inch of her as his kiss went on and on. The calluses on his hands were rough against her sensitized skin, and it felt so good she wanted his touch everywhere at once. The taste of him was in her mouth, all jumbled with the scent of cedar that clung to the quilt and sheets. Her fingers itched to play with his hair again, and so she did. She wrapped the dark length around her hands and used it to tug him closer, deepening their kiss.
He groaned into her mouth, spearing deeply with his tongue. It was a promise of things to come. She wrapped a leg around his thigh and squeezed, needing contact, craving his body like an addict needed their drug of choice. He broke their kiss at last, lifting his head to stare down into her eyes, his own full of desire. “I need you, Michelle, need this.”
She recognized the need in his eyes, the yearning for companionship, for someone to keep the darkness away. Those needs mirrored her own. She nodded as understanding bloomed between them. “I need you, too.”
His lips brushed her brow for a sweet, tender second and then swept down her cheek and jaw to her throat, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Every kiss seared and teased as he worked his way down her body, pausing to suck each breast for a glorious minute before moving downward once more. She lay back, releasing her hands from his hair and uncoiling her legs from his, freeing him to do what he wanted. Whatever he wanted, she didn’t care. Not so long as he didn’t stop touching her.
Cool air wafted over her as he threw back the quilt, uncovering them both. His mouth was still branding her skin over and over again. His tongue swirled around her navel, and she shuddered in pleasure at that simple touch. She shifted her body, her thighs falling open. Her need grew urgent, but still he sampled the skin of her stomach, making her wait. She moaned, her hips bucking slightly, conveying her need, and he chuckled. His breath was hot where it fanned over her skin.
“You’re sexy when you're impatient. We’ll get there soon, sweetheart.” He lowered his head another inch and exhaled again, deliberately heating her flesh and making her squirm. “I promise.” Something in the way he spoke those two simple words made Michelle’s battered soul feel lighter, and she sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to relax, to trust him.
His lips brushed over her inner thigh and then lower, featherlight kisses trailing all the way down to her knee and then her calf. His hands cradled her leg, stroking and teasing, and she felt a sense of terrible loss when he moved away again. She whimpered in protest, and he laughed.
“Soon,” he told her, and then his mouth was on her again, nibbling at the tender skin of her other calf. His hands wrapped around her leg, and there was nothing but the glorious sensations he was giving her. Each kiss was a little higher than the last, closer to the one place she needed him to touch. But he was moving so slowly it was going to kill her.
“Tease,” she hissed at him, cracking one eye to give him what she hoped was an evil glare.
“Sometimes.” He winked at her and then settled himself between her thighs at last, his hands gently spreading her folds as he leaned in without warning, his tongue tracing a line of fire along her labia. Pleasure sizzled and popped over her skin and through her body, and she lifted her hips off the bed, pressing her pussy against his mouth.
“Sinjin!” She cried out his name as he pressed his face deeper into her folds. His wicked tongue lashed at her clit again and again before his lips sealed around her clitoris. He drew it into his mouth with a sharp suckling pressure that nearly brought her to orgasm right then and there. “Oh god,” she groaned, and she could feel his growl of approval vibrate through her, adding to the myriad of sensations bombarding her senses.
Again he sucked, and this time the tip of his tongue flicked against her sensitive pearl, drawing out another moan from her. He was merciless in his attentions, keeping her right on the edge without letting her come down, never letting her fall into the bliss of release.
Over and over again, he pleasured, flicked, and laved at her folds, until she was panting his name. Just as she was about to break, to beg him to let her come, she felt him shift and he slid two fingers into her pussy, filling her. Her world shattered, and she came on a cry, hurtling into an orgasm so intense the entire world disappeared and there was nothing but the sweet ecstasy of his touch.
As the world came back into focus, she found herself staring into his dark eyes again, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down to kiss him. His lips tasted of both of them as she drew his lower lip into her mouth and sucked on it, her teeth scraping gently over his skin.
“Gotta ask.” He managed a nearly intelligible mutter, and she released his lip so that he could speak more clearly. “Are you safe? Otherwise there are condoms in my cabin.” He was panting, and for the first time she realized how close to the edge he was, how much he wanted her.
“I’m safe.”
“Thank the gods, I really didn’t want to have to run over there naked.” He laughed and kissed her again, his body settling into the cradle of her thighs, his rock-hard cock resting between them. His hand cupped her cheek, and he kissed her gently, “Ready?”
She grinned suddenly and rocked her hips up into his. “Hell yes, what are you waiting for?”
“Brat.” He was still laughing as he moved into position and arched his back, sliding himself home. “So good,” he groaned as their bodies joined, hers giving way to his thick length one slow inch at a time. “You feel so good, Michelle.”
She felt fuller than she’d ever been, deliciously so. As his hips touched hers, she moved carefully and gasped as nerve endings flared and a wave of pleasure washed through her pussy.
“Yeah, I feel it, too.” He lowered her head and kissed her once, then pressed himself up on his hands, freeing his hips to move. His hair fell around their faces, a dark curtain that shut out the rest of the world as he claimed her body with his. He started off slowly, pushing himself so deep she could barely move and then retreating until she was nearly empty. Each time he withdrew her body would follow his, not wanting to lose their connection, aching with the need to have him inside her.
He shifted his body so that his cock slid along her clit at the beginning of each thrust and she gasped each and every time. She wrapped her legs around his waist and gripped him to her tightly, so tightly her muscles trembled.
“Please, Sin,” she whispered, not even sure what she was asking him for.
He sealed her mouth with a kiss that seared her lips and stole her breath away. His tongue speared into her mouth to duel with hers as he drove his cock deep, lifting her off of the bed with the power of his thrust.
She screamed her pleasure into his mouth and he dropped all pretense of control. The pace grew wilder, harder, and soon his arms were trembling as they held him suspended above her. His expression was one of rapture as they traded pleasure back and forth between them with every movement. She felt his cock grow impossibly larger, and she knew he was on the edge. As he came, she did, too, her muscles contracting around him, milking him of every drop as he plunged into her one last time.
Panting, she opened her eyes and saw him still above her, eyes closed, his expression one of pure male satisfaction. Somewhere in their lovemaking, she’d tangled her hands in his hair again, and she tugged on it lightly, bringing him back to awareness.
“Hi there.” She beamed up at him.
> Dark eyes blinked open slowly, and a wicked grin appeared on his face. “Hi, neighbour.”
He eased himself away from her and then settled back at her side. He gathered her close before he pulled the quilt back up over them both. She lay facing him, and her fingers reached out to idly trace the scar that marked his cheek.
“That wasn’t quite what I planned to do when I came over here this afternoon.” He leaned into her hand, nuzzling her palm and wrist.
“I came here to get away from everyone, and now I’m just grateful I’m not alone,” she told him. The confession surprised her, but his response surprised her even more.
“Yeah, me, too. I’ve got another week before I’m expected back at work.” His eyes met hers. “I know this is sudden, but I’d like it very much if we could spend that week together, Michelle. I don’t want to be alone either, not anymore.”
Outside their bedroom window, the wind shrieked in a fury and she remembered what had happened the night before, the way the wind had whispered her name. It made her decision an easy one. “I’d like that, too.”
Chapter 4
It was dark outside by the time Sinjin made his way back to his cabin. The wind had finally quieted, and now there was an eerie stillness to the woods, as if every wild thing had departed and left the area empty and silent. The back of his neck itched with that telltale tingle that always came when his instincts sensed danger, but what the hell could be dangerous out here? Images of killer bunny rabbits and rabid squirrels popped into his mind, followed by less entertaining thoughts. There could be a bear perhaps, or a cougar. He caught himself speeding up slightly and laughed at his paranoia. If the other guys could see him hightailing it back to his cabin at the first thought of a bear, they’d never let him live it down. He was a high-ranking member of an elite private security firm. Every one of them was a veteran of the military, and all of them were battle-hardened warriors. They protected the ones who could afford to hire the best, and their record had been perfect, at least until a month ago.
His hand went to his shoulder, rubbing the fresh scar there. He’d been cleared of any blame. The investigation had been fast but brutally intense, and the assessment had been definitive. The findings had all been all filed away and verified before he’d even been discharged from the private hospital where he’d been treated. The client he’d been assigned to protect had refused to listen to him. He’d insisted on taking a non-armored car on a route that hadn’t been vetted, and they’d been hit. The client was killed in the attack, along with half his entourage. Sinjin still didn’t remember much, and the doctors thought it unlikely he ever would. He’d been told his injuries had mostly been from shrapnel, shredded bits of the car they’d been riding in before the explosion tore it apart and threw him clear.
He reached the cabin door and went inside, the guilt and anger pushing back the part of him that still insisted there was danger nearby.
“Damn it!” he snarled out loud and flicked on the lights, heading straight for the fridge and the ice-cold beer he suddenly needed. Today had been almost perfect, and he didn’t want to screw it up now. His guilt and his doubts were why he was still out here. He couldn’t go back to work if he couldn’t trust his instincts, and right now his instincts were all fucked up.
He twisted the cap off the bottle and took a swig as he kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the overstuffed couch. He didn’t want to dwell on the incident or work, not when there were better things to be thinking about. Michelle, now there was a fine thought to dwell on.
He drew back another mouthful of beer and caught himself grinning as he recalled their parting. She’d been wearing nothing more than a T-shirt as she walked him to the door. She’d been all tousled and flushed from their last round of sex, and the vision of her long legs and blonde hair tumbling around her face had nearly made him change his mind and stay longer.
His cock twitched in his jeans, clearly protesting his choice to head back to his cabin. “Your vote’s duly noted, but there’s nothing wrong with giving the lady a little space. She hasn’t even had time to unpack yet,” he reminded his libido. It was a good excuse, but he knew that wasn’t really why he’d left her cabin. It wasn’t the reason he’d kissed her and promised to see her in the morning for breakfast. There was something about her that was already getting under his skin, and that was a bad idea considering they only had a week to spend together. He had no idea where they’d send him next, and he could hardly ask Michelle to uproot and head off with him to— He blinked. Where the hell had that thought come from?
“Not happening, man, forget it. A gorgeous woman like that is not going to fall for a messed up wreck of a glorified bodyguard.” He took several long pulls from his beer and shook his head in self-mockery. “Enjoy the moment and move on. You know the drill.”
He closed his eyes and conjured up an image of her beneath him, the way she had looked as she came apart in his arms. He could still smell her on his skin, and he remembered how soft she’d felt. The way her hair had felt as his fingers ran through it. His jeans pinched as his dick hardened, and he shifted on the couch, trying to ease the discomfort. It didn’t work. He popped the button on his jeans and unzipped his fly, already half lost in memories of the afternoon he’d just spent with Michelle.
His fingers wrapped around his cock, and he started to stroke himself as his brain flashed through a highlight reel of their lovemaking. He remembered the way her long legs had wrapped themselves around him. The feel of her pussy, slick and so tight around him, the way she’d moaned his name. She’d been incredible, and they’d been incredible together. He’d had lovers before. More than his share really, but nothing had ever felt quite like that. They’d clicked from the moment they’d met. Everything had just flowed naturally, with no awkward moments. His hand moved faster, pumping his cock as he imagined what he’d do to her the next time they were together. Maybe they’d go down to the lake and he’d take her there in the water. Her legs around his hips, moving slow and steady as he held her. His breath hissed over his teeth, and he knew he was close to coming now. More images flowed through his mind, the two of them making love in the grass on the shore. She was straddling him, riding him hard. Her blonde hair gleaming in the sun that shone overhead. The two of them in her bed again, his mouth on her clit as she begged him to fuck her. He groaned, gripped himself harder, and came as if he hadn’t just spent several hours having the most memorable sex of his life. As he headed to the bathroom to clean up, he heard something in the back of his mind whisper that maybe this time, moving on wasn’t going to be that simple.
Michelle watched him walk away until the night swallowed him up and left her staring at nothing but the shapeless darkness. Only then did she close the door and then slump against it as a sudden blush raced up her cheeks. She had never in her life had a one-night stand. Yet here she was, well loved and rumpled and couldn’t even blame her impulses on liquor because she hadn’t had a single glass of wine yet. “Well, it’s not a one-night stand,” she told herself as she turned and headed for the kitchen area. “For one thing, this is hopefully going to last a week, and for another, it wasn’t night when this started.” She laughed at her weak logic and fanned her face as another flush of heat warmed her cheeks. This time she was blushing at the memory of what she’d spent her afternoon doing. “Thank you universe, for sending me the perfect distraction from all my current worries.” She tossed the prayer out to the world with gratitude. Sinjin was exactly what his name suggested, absolutely sinful.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten yet. She went about making dinner, nothing fancy, just a simple soup base she could add to for the next few meals. She had offered to make Sinjin breakfast tomorrow, and she suspected that once he was back in her cabin she wasn’t going to have a whole lot of time to cook. At least I hope not.
She finished unpacking and cleaning while the soup simmered, filling the small cabin with familiar odors and making it feel like home. “Tomorr
ow night maybe we can have a fire on the beach, s’mores and roasted hot dogs, the works.” The idea made her smile, and she dug through the cabinets until she found the family stash of roasting sticks, all carefully fashioned from old coat hangers. Memories of family vacations long-past helped pass the time as she scrubbed the lot of them until every trace of age and rust was gone.
It was late by the time she had everything organized, and she decided to indulge herself in a hot bath. The strange windstorm of earlier was long gone, but if it came back, she’d be at risk of losing the electric water pump and the water heater, so she was going to indulge in a hot soak while she could. She knew from experience the lake would be anything but warm.
The water was the perfect temperature, and she slid into the smallish tub with a sigh of contentment. What it lacked in length it made up for in depth, so at least she could soak properly. She ached in places she hadn’t ached in a very long time, and the heat felt wonderful as it eased newly discovered muscles and tender flesh. Eyes closed and as much of her submerged as she could manage, Michelle just let herself drift. She felt downright blissful for the first time in ages.
She was half asleep and thinking of Sinjin when it started. At first the gentle, swirling contact on her calf seemed part of the erotic daydream she was enjoying. Too light to be a massage, the touch was soothing, intimate, and strangely familiar. She drifted deeper into her dream, and her mind assigned the caresses to Sinjin’s talented hands. It was his fingers stroking her leg from ankle to knee and back again. A slow, leisurely exploration that felt so good she sighed aloud. The contact faded away, and for a minute, she drifted in the bathtub, more asleep than awake, wishing that he’d touch her again.
Her wish was granted soon as a faint, kneading sensation began at her breasts. First one, then the other was being gently squeezed. Her nipples hardened as something brushed over them, too soft to be Sinjin’s callused hands. The touch came again, harder this time, and she began to come out of her dream. A sharp pain made her catch her breath as something pinched her. This was wrong. Sinjin had never touched her like this, rough and uncaring. Her eyes flew open, and she stared down at the bath, realizing the water in the tub was swirling around her body. It moved on its own, as though something was there, just below the surface. But there was nothing in the tub but herself and the quickly cooling bathwater.