7 #2
him while Tanner and I went out to search for other kittens, but we didn’t find any.”
“So no idea where he came from?”
“Nope. He was old enough to be weaned, but a runt from living on his own.”
“He’s such a big lug now.”
“Yeah, he is. Lazy, too. Occasionally, he likes to prowl outside, but he never goes far. Plus, he’s chipped and has a GPS
tag on his collar, so I’d always be able to find him.”
“I’ve never had a pet,” she suddenly said.
Kam took her hands in his, coasting his thumbs over her knuckles. “Did you want one?”
“I don’t know. I like Blu and Percy, and I’m getting used to Callie’s goats and chickens.”
Her lack of enthusiasm over the farm animals made him want to grin. “You’ve met the horses, too, right?”
“Once.” Wrinkling her nose, she said, “They’re awfully big.”
“Callie and Tanner go riding often now.”
Immediately, she shook her head. “No way will I ever get on a horse.”
If he got her to try it, she might change her mind. Few things were as peaceful as riding out, the sun on his back and the
wind in his face, with nothing to distract him but the sounds of nature and the horse’s hooves meeting the ground. “We’ll
see.”
Dismissing that, she slid off the stool, stepped up against him, and gave him a slow-burn kiss that quickly had his mind on
other things. It was the first time he could recall her initiating things, and damn, it was hot.
As she eased up, she said, “I’m going to take a quick shower before we turn in.”
He hoped her idea of quick meant two minutes, because he wasn’t sure he’d last longer than that.
She gave him another kiss, this one a light brushing of her lips over his. “You’re not sleepy, are you?”
Ha! “No.”
“Remember, there are rules.”
He wasn’t likely to forget, but all he said was, “Whatever you need, Glory.”
That earned him a very sweet smile before she turned and headed to her bedroom.
The second her door closed, he launched into the hall and out to the SUV to grab one of the boxes he’d brought from home.
It held his toiletries and a few changes of clothes.
The whole day had gone from one extreme emotion to another, but what he felt now—extreme lust tinged with tenderness—yeah,
he liked that best. Lust he knew, but the deeper caring . . . That added a new dimension to things.
And it beat the hell out of strolling down memory lane.
After locking the front door again, Kam strode into the guest room to do his own quick washup, brush his teeth, and change
into loose pajama pants.
They didn’t have pockets, so the condoms he grabbed remained in his hand as he left the room. Bare chested and barefoot, he stopped outside her door and heard the shower turn off. It sent his heart thundering.
The way his body reacted, you’d think he’d never had sex before.
Glory had a unique effect on him, and he was starting to like it.
When her door opened, he went still.
She peeked out, looked startled to see him waiting right there, but her surprise quickly settled into a gentle smile. That
was all the encouragement he needed.
He couldn’t recall ever arranging sex quite like this. Usually it was more impulsive or expected. But not . . . arranged.
A kiss led to a feel, which led to removing clothes and—ta-da—sex happened. On a couch, a bed . . .
Against a wall.
Somehow, in some indefinable way, this excited him even more.
The second he reached her, he pulled her into his arms. With the blackout blinds down and not a single lamp on, dark shadows
dominated the room. From what he could feel, she wore a sleep shirt . . . and nothing else.
Oh, yeah. That worked for him.
One of her rules was him staying the whole night with her. A lot could happen in the dark, under the sheets, during sex.
Like a starving man, he took her mouth.
Showing her own lack of patience, she ran her hands over his chest, his shoulders, and down to his ass.
Okay then, fair play. He reciprocated, using his free hand to reach beneath the night shirt and encountering nothing but her
warm silky skin. He groaned.
Glory pulled her mouth away and said, “The bed,” as she quickly led him to it.
He tripped over something, maybe a shoe. “Damn.”
“Right here.” She tried to tug him down to the mattress with her, but he held back. “Let me put the condoms on the nightstand.”
“Condoms, plural?”
“Three.”
She said nothing, and that worried him. He found the nightstand, made sure he wouldn’t knock over anything, and dropped the
condoms there.
“You could lose the sleep pants.”
Kam paused. “You said some clothes?”
“For me. I’m all for you being naked.”
Before she’d finished talking, he had them off. “Done.”
Voice lower, sultry, she said, “Come here.”
Wow, this was new. Breathing hard, grinning, too, Kam reached for the bed, encountered her thigh, and used that touch to guide
himself down beside her.
When he slid a hand to her hip, she caught his wrist and instead redirected him to her breast.
She’d already pushed the nightshirt up, leaving everything from her shoulders down bare. In the middle of rioting senses and
burning lust, he wondered, Why the rules? But he kept the thought to himself. He wasn’t about to say or do anything that might cause her to shy away.
Besides, one of her rules had been no questions.
While he kissed her, caressed her, she lifted her leg over his hip.
Even immersed in the most intense sensuality, a small part of Kam’s brain went on autopilot.
He was aware that she kept the nightshirt bunched above her breasts, and she didn’t want him touching her left hip.
Right hip was fair game, kissing and touching—anywhere, everywhere—she loved.
But it was her left hip, and possibly something to do with her shoulders, that had inspired her rules.
Kissing his way down her chest to her breasts, he plumped her up with his hands, then teased one nipple.
Glory arched hard against him.
Testing her, just a little, he asked, “You like that?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice a low vibration.
So that question was fine. He smiled as he circled her nipple with his tongue, then lightly caught it in his teeth.
Her breath shuddering out, she tangled her hands in his hair and held him closer until he drew her in. When she arched hard
against him, he trailed a hand down her waist, near to her left hip—until she stiffened—then he bypassed that tempting area
to press his fingers between her legs. He found her hot and wet, ready, and given how she moved, anxious.
At that point, he forgot his curiosity and wanted only her pleasure.
Moving to her other nipple, he licked twice, then sucked at her while he slowly pressed a finger deep. Her hands were all
over him, her breathing choppy.
Adding a second finger, he found a rhythm she liked and soon she was on the ragged edge, saying his name, gasping. He’d erred
once, taking her without a rubber, but going forward he wouldn’t put her at risk. For him, it was now or never because her
pleasure heightened his own.
“Let me grab a rubber.”
“Hurry.”
Sitting up, he felt for the nightstand—damn, he hated this clumsiness in the dark—and finally felt the small packet. Glory
hadn’t moved, so once he finished, he settled over her, between her legs.
He couldn’t resist saying, “I wish I could see you.” His mouth on hers stopped any protest she might have made. “I love looking at you, Glory.” Without thinking about it, he kissed her neck . . . on her left side.
Wiggling, she got his mouth back to hers and said with urgent worry, “Now.”
Brushing his lips over hers in soft agreement, he aligned them, opened her, and entered in one long slow thrust. Glory gripped
him, her legs around his hips, arms around his neck . . . She even squeezed his cock.
He’d meant to make it last this time, use a little finesse, drag out her enjoyment, offer a counter-perspective to their frenzied
rush against the wall.
Wasn’t happening. In a nanosecond, he forgot his plans and only responded to her cues. Bodies entwined, he rocked with her,
heat and pleasure coiling tighter. The second she tipped her head back on a long low groan, he let himself go, too. God, it
was sweet. And hot.
And special—because this was Glory.
One day, he promised himself, he’d know all her secrets. For now, this was enough.
Sitting at the small bar located within three miles of the hall where he’d hoped to reengage Glory, Mike stewed. He’d changed
his appearance as much as possible. His brown hair was now black, with added mousse to make it messier. His clear contacts
had been changed out so that now his eyes looked chocolate brown. Much as he detested being unkempt, he allowed itchy beard
scruff to cover his face. Instead of his usual tidy polo shirts, he wore plain dark T-shirts and jeans with sneakers.
Even his own mother, if she were miraculously brought back from the dead, wouldn’t recognize him now. Not that the bitch had
ever paid much attention to him, anyway.
That was a lowering thought, and he quickly scrubbed it from his mind.
Instead, his thoughts veered to Jenn . . . and he didn’t like that, either. His mother no longer mattered. Neither did Jenn.
All that mattered was his Glory. She was his soulmate. He knew it, and soon she would know it, too.
If he were the type to get drunk, he might actually enjoy slumming at the not-so-quaint establishment. Instead, he sipped
his second Manhattan and calculated his next move.
He’d have preferred a brandy but, of course, the little hick-town bar didn’t carry it. Not a surprise, really. Everyone else
in the place appeared to be swilling longneck beers.
It had been a miserable week since he’d attempted to take Glory’s car and he’d yet to locate her again. She’d even blocked
his number so he couldn’t call or text.
The games were getting ridiculous, but he wouldn’t give up. A man did not give up his heart.
“Oh, now look at that long face. Drinking alone is never fun, is it?”
He didn’t want to have fun, but at the throaty purr, Mike looked up to see a tall, slim woman, beautiful really, smiling down