Chapter 26
The soft bubblingof the hot tub in Theo’s backyard should have been relaxing. Instead, the water reminded Amber of last night when she had waited for Theo in the lake, and how this night wasn’t going to end in frustration.
This time she would know what it was like to feel Theo deep inside her body. She would learn what he sounded like when he came, what his hands felt like gripping her, and watch the satisfaction on his face while she screamed his name.
She was no longer under the assumption that the mayor was uptight.
A man with that much hunger in his eyes when he looked at her knew of things beyond roses and candlelight and missionary sex. Anticipation cast a buzz across her skin, along with the bubbles skimming over her bare body.
Theo’s backyard was a good distance away from any curious neighbors, and the pergola that the hot tub sat under had lattice walls for privacy. She had fed and thrown the ball for Puddin’ and put her on the couch in the sunroom to snooze. Then she poured a glass of Theo’s excellent wine and slipped into the hot tub to wait.
“I like seeing you here.” The low, husky drawl sent instant heat into her veins.
Theo leaned against the French doors, his hands in his pockets, his head tilted as he studied her.
He still wore his silver aviators, but he had shed his suit jacket somewhere in the house, leaving only the white button-down shirt that clung so lovingly to his beautiful hard shoulders and biceps. His red tie was still properly knotted, his trousers pressed, and his wingtips gleamed when he crossed one in front of the other.
All of this beautiful man was hers for the night. She sank lower into the water. He was going to have to work for it.
“Can’t see much from over there,” she said. “Come here.” She patted the edge of the tub in invitation.
He made her wait.
“What do you have on under there?”
She imagined his eyes beneath the sunglasses flickering over her lower half, covered by the steady stream of bubbles, and something hot and deliciously womanly twisted her insides.
“Find out.” She sipped the wine, noticing how her hand trembled on the stem.
Slowly, he straightened away from the doorframe, and walked toward her without taking off his glasses, as if he were the one in charge tonight. Little did he know, there were few places in this world she felt more confident than the bedroom.
Sex had always been a pleasurable escape for her, one she knew exactly how to make feel good. She might fail miserably at relationships, but she enjoyed sex for what it was: pure, unadulterated fun.
He sat on the edge of the tub near her shoulder. “This is good,” she murmured, handing him the glass of wine. He took a sip and moved it out of the way. His silence heightened the anticipation in her. Her body was thrumming with need already. Slow, slick heat pulsed in her belly and between her thighs, turning her nipples into hard pebbles under the water. Still, he was silent.
He touched her face first.
A gentle brush of the back of his fingers against her cheek. Soft. He traced her eyebrows next, slid one long finger down the bridge of her nose, before resting just his thumb on her lips, tugging the bottom one down.
She parted her lips. He was salty and rough against her tongue when she licked him. She could feel the heat of his body radiating from him. His scent filled her along with the humid air. Clean, masculine, a faint hint of expensive cologne. She trembled.
She had a fierce desire to grab him by the tie and bring him down into the tub with her and make this first time quick and dirty. They had all night to explore each other. She wanted to feel the hard thrust of him when he first entered her. She wanted to run her fingers through his perfect hair and mess him up, hear what he sounded like when he moaned her name.
His finger led the way to her jaw, tracing the line there, then her throat. He paused like that, directly over her pulse, and smiled for the first time. She let out her breath and tilted her head back to rest against the tub, content to let him take the lead for now. She was surprised by her passivity.
In her experience, she was the one who took charge. It felt safer that way, leading where she wanted and pulling back when it dove into places she didn’t. A trickle of uncertainty pulled at her. She felt in the dark without being able to see his eyes and test his emotions through their cool blue or the darker shade they turned when he was turned on beyond all measure.
“Truth or dare?” she whispered.
His fingers continued to move over her neck and the tops of her shoulders, lightly skimming, teasing, but staying well above her breasts or anywhere else her skin ached to feel him.
“Truth,” he said.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking this is a very bad idea,” he murmured. He dropped his hand away from her collarbone. Instantly, a chill replaced it. Disappointment came crashing down, and she felt her face fall. He lifted a hand and took off his glasses.
Finally, she could see his eyes. Any lingering doubt or disappointment faded. They were dark, velvety blue, looking back at her with an intensity that made her breath skitter to a stop. “And we’re going to do it anyway.”
“I thought you were going to say you changed your mind,” she said, her breath coming back in shallow pants, “Or you didn’t want me.”
He slid his palm around her neck and tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “I want you more than I want my next breath. I want to sink my teeth into you, and taste you, and leave my mark on your skin. I want to fuck you until you scream my name into my pillow, and then I want to fuck you again, so you feel me for days.”
A flush rose up her chest to her neck and cheeks and she felt dizzy with heat and need. “You want me to feel you for days?” she asked faintly.
“I want you,” he corrected her. “Whatever way I can have you.”
His words sent a shiver through her, whether from desire or fear at the intensity in his voice.
She sat up with an instinct to leave. For the first time, she felt real fear with him. Men like Theo were used to getting what they wanted.
She had watched him work ruthlessly for months now, sacrificing sleep and anything else that came between him and his goals. To be the object of that much intensity scared her.
When he looked at her like that, there was no flimsy bravado or persona she could hide behind. It was only her, in all her truest, messiest, most vulnerable self.
He must have read the fear on her face because he smiled knowingly, as if he saw right through every one of her pretenses.
“Your turn. Truth or dare?” he countered.
”Dare,” she said. “Always.”
“Show me what you have on under the water.”
She took a deep breath, feeling the fear recede as she stepped back onto firmer ground. Amber looked down at the bubbles concealing her up to her throat. “What makes you think I have anything on?” she teased, raising an eyebrow.
She braced her arms and lifted herself onto the side edge of the tub. Water streamed down her naked body, dripping off her breasts, catching on her nipples to bead there, down her stomach, dripping between her thighs.
She leaned back on her arms and watched with pleasure as his eyes widened and his nostrils flared as his gaze roamed over her body. She’d never felt sexier in her life. The imbalance of it, with Theo fully dressed and her bare, shot through her like a drug, deliciously improper.
”Spread your legs.”
“Is that another dare?” she asked. Slowly, she opened her legs, exposing herself fully to him.
She was bare and slippery with need. His jaw clenched, and he yanked his tie undone. He made quick work of his buttons while she watched.
Lazily, she touched herself, a teasing, light stroke of her fingers on her bare mound. She dipped her fingers between her slick folds, spreading moisture to her clit before circling lightly there. The little bud was hard and aching, almost too sensitive to touch or she’d come before even feeling his beautiful, hard body against hers. Lust, bold and heavy, consumed her.
He swore and tore the rest of his shirt off, and then yanked his plain white cotton undershirt over his head with one hand, leaving his chest beautifully bare. Six squares of muscle lined his stomach, perfectly symmetrical, with two larger squares next to each other above, lightly covered in dark hair.
Theo’s body was a lean, powerful, sculpted testament to good nutrition and regular exercise. Not something she ever aspired to herself, but she was thrilled to enjoy the benefits of all that hard muscle naked against her.
She wanted to feel him inside her.
“You”ll have to wait for that, sweetheart.” A slow, amused grin lifted his lips, and she realized she had said it out loud. He clamped down on her hips and turned her body to let her feet hang over the side of the tub. He was between her thighs now. She drew him closer with her wet legs wrapped around his hips.
He bent his head and kissed her, a lingering stroke of tongue and lips that teased what was to come. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged gently, trying to take control, but Theo unwrapped her arms and stepped back. ”No, not yet,” he said, low and commanding, giving her a hard look. ”I want to taste you first.”
He settled two hands on her thighs and bent his knees, eye level with her pussy. She wasn’t a shy person by any means, but she suddenly felt exposed there in the openness of the backyard. She drew her legs together. Two large, warm hands on her thighs stopped her, spreading her legs farther apart with his shoulders.
She braced herself on her arms on the edge of the tub and tilted her head back, moving her hips involuntarily upward, seeking his mouth. ”Do you need directions?” she teased.
“You can tell me the answer to that when I’m done,” he murmured, and then she felt his mouth, hot and wet, sucking kisses all around the soft, bare skin of her lips—everywhere but where she needed it most.
“Give me your mouth,” she begged, running her fingers through his hair, messing it up, and gripping harder. She felt, more than heard, his dark laugh against her damp skin.
He yanked her closer to the edge of the tub, slid his arms underneath her thighs and wrapped around her legs, using two hands to hold her open. ”You have to learn patience,” he said with a swipe of his tongue on the side of her clit. She gasped and jerked her hips forward. So close.
A soft stroke on the other side, teasing, teasing. He dipped his tongue lower, dangerously, thrillingly, lower before his tongue dipped inside of her, fire-hot, leaving her aching. She was impatient. She wanted to come. She wanted to feel him buried within her, but his implacable hands held her still for the onslaught of his mouth and teeth and tongue.
She edged closer to the tub until her tiptoes touched the ground to gain leverage against his mouth and press her wet, aching pussy where she needed the friction. He licked and nipped her lips, and she whimpered again, shocked that he had elicited such a weak sound from her. Only then was she rewarded with his tongue exactly where she wanted it.
”Oh, yes, there, right there,” she whispered. Theo seemed to read her body better than even she did. He teased her with strokes and flicks and circles, finding out what made her gasp, what made her clench and moan. She would”ve said she liked it all if she could”ve taken a breath. Her first orgasm took her by surprise; in less than sixty seconds, she was curled around him, thighs quivering, arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him close while she gasped out a shuddering orgasm.
Theo stroked her hips and thighs, rubbed his face against her inner thighs, letting her catch her breath. When she wasn”t seeing stars, she sat back and reached down for his belt. Theo stood up, the bulge in his suit trousers straining the fabric. Her mouth watered.
Just as she slid the belt through the loop, Theo picked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and carried her over to one of the chaise lounges and laid her damp body back on it. She stretched her arms above her head and her legs out, toes pointed, at once relaxed from the intense orgasm and ready to play again.
”Your turn,” she said, hooking a hand in his belt loop to tug him closer. Her fingers brushed against the short, coarse hair on his stomach that led like an arrow down into the band of his underwear. Theo’s stomach muscles clenched in resistance. Instead, he placed a large hand in the middle of her chest and gently pressed her back, settling between her legs at the end of the chaise. The way he handled her, so firm and proprietary, was a surprise. A delicious one.
“Not yet. Fuck,” he murmured, gripping her thighs and looking her over. “You’re beautiful.”
She leaned up to kiss him, deep and wet, tasting herself on him. She took her time, licking delicately and thoroughly. “I want to see you, too,” she said when she pulled away.
His hands on her thighs gripped her legs tighter, drawing them farther apart. “Later,” she thought she heard him say, but he was already pressing hot, sucking kisses on her clit. Then a nip that had her arching her back and pushing herself into his dirty, delightful mouth.
“What—” she gasped. ”What are you doing?”
”Can you give me another one?” he asked between hot kisses.
”Of course I can.” She was still floating from the first one, but if he insisted...
He was more ruthless this time, having watched exactly what made her pant and cry out. This time, he added two fingers, slowly pushing into her and twisting while he sucked her clit. She was so wet she could hear the sounds of her arousal. It didn’t matter.
She was lost to the sensations he effortlessly created within her. She tried to keep her eyes open to watch what he was doing, but the sight of his dark head bent over her, his beautiful hands and mouth and tongue giving her such exquisite pleasure was too much.
She closed her eyes and came again, this one ripped from a place deep inside that left her panting and shaken. She floated back down to earth to the feel of Theo’s hands on her breasts, idly stroking her nipples and the sensitive undersides before sliding lower.
Again, his fingers stroked her expertly, lightly rubbing either side of her clit when she flinched at the sensation on her swollen, tender flesh.
“Give me one more,” he whispered against the fragile skin between her hips. He looked up and she shivered at what she saw. His beautiful hair was mussed from her fingers and a flush of color on his cheekbones along with his eyes, hungry and watchful on her.
It was as if he was purposefully unraveling her layers, physically and emotionally, and leaving her exposed and vulnerable. Maybe that was his intention all along. If so, he had succeeded. She had no shred of pretense left, and for once it didn’t matter.
”I can’t,” she said shakily. ”I can”t take anymore.” Her body still quivered from coming so hard.
His lips pulled the tight, red bud of her clit into his mouth and sucked gently. “Oh...oh,” she sighed. “If you insist.”
He was gentle and slow this time, which was good because she was sensitive and tender to the touch, but a slave to that feeling that he coaxed out of her. He used his mouth and his tongue and fingers and licked her straight into a third orgasm that left her unable to form words as waves of pleasure rocked her.
When she opened her eyes, Theo was grinning down at her, dimples on full display. “Nothing to say out of that mouth of yours now, Red Hot?”
“I’m going to show you exactly what I can do with this mouth,” she said. “Later. When I can feel my legs again.”
”We”re just getting started.”
She closed her eyes and sank back into the chair. ”I take it back. I take everything back. You’re a sex God who hates missionary and is allergic to rose petals.”
Her eyes flew open again when he scooped her into his arms. “Hold on tight.”
She twined her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist and tucked her head under his chin, ready for whatever came next.
Theo tossedAmber onto his bed and took a moment to admire the sight.
She bounced up as soon as she hit the bed and propped herself up on her elbows, staring at him as boldly as he watched her. Her hair was still piled into a loose bun on top of her head, with damp pieces falling around her face. Her lips were swollen from kisses and her cheeks flushed with red. Her breasts were full with pink tips that pouted up at him, begging for his mouth. The long line of her torso with its intriguing dips and valleys led down to her sweetly curved stomach and the paler skin of her mound. She was every fantasy he had come to life, lying in his bed with a witchy smile on her red lips.
He made quick work of his belt, then pushed his trousers down, neatly taking his underwear with them, and toeing out of his shoes and socks all in one fell swoop. Quick. Efficient. Eyes locked on the woman in his bed.
“Lie back,” he growled.
Her eyes glittered, but she leaned back, one knee drawn up to cover herself. He wanted more. He wanted it all. ”Open your legs.”
A shiver went through her at the rough command, and slowly, she inched her legs open to reveal the sweet, bare pussy he had devoured. He could still taste her. He was going to taste her again before the night was over. His cock jumped, and he palmed it while he watched her spread herself for him. Her eyes were half closed with desire.
”My turn,” he said. His heart pounded, hard and fast, inside his chest, but he forced himself to slow down. He had waited this long for her, and he wanted to wring every drop of pleasure from her body until she was limp and boneless, happily exhausted in his bed before he took care of his own pleasure.
He knew with the same certainty that he knew the sun rose in the east and set in the west, that if he gave her a moment to think when they were done with this, she would bolt. He craved the version of her that she hid from most people, and he had set to work on stripping her bare.
“I’m yours,” she said simply, and something possessive and primal surged within him again at the word. Mine.
Theo moved between her thighs, holding them open and teasing her clit with his cock. He stopped just before entering her and asked with a wicked glint in his eye, “May I fuck you now, please, Ms. Hart?”
“So polite,” she laughed huskily and reached out to stroke his cock. “You may indeed fuck me now, Mr. Mayor.”
She held him with two hands stacked on top of each other and stroked him tight and hard. His head fell back, and he let out a “Jesus” when she let one hand cup his balls and stroke. “Condom,” he gritted. He wasn’t going to last much longer, and he wanted to come inside her this first time.
He was leaning over her, stretching in his bedside drawer for a condom when he felt her mouth.
The shock of her wet, velvety warmth wrapped around him made his eyes close briefly in pleasure. He looked down to see her looking up at him with that naughty twinkle in her eyes that made him crazy with lust. Her lips stretched around the head of him, sucking lightly. She lifted her head off the pillow to take him deeper, and his hips jerked involuntarily.
”Fuck,” he whispered. ”Your mouth. I love your beautiful fucking mouth.”
She let him go with a soft pop and grinned up at him. This time she took him deeper, tilting her head back and opening her mouth wide to give him access to her throat. He felt her hands grip his hips and guide him in. He knew she couldn’t control how deep he was with her on her back, so he let her set the pace. She pulled him deeper, deeper, and deeper still. She moaned around him as if she loved the taste of him. He let himself enjoy it for a few more strokes before pulling away and moving back down her body.
”Later,” he said, ”I”ll use that mouth of yours.” He swooped in and kissed her softly, gently on the lips. “Now I’m going to fuck you.” He gripped her ankles and placed them one by one on his shoulders, and snugged up close enough that the back of her thighs rested on top of his. Her breathing grew shallow, and her hands reached out to his cock again. He let her tease him with soft, stroking fingers before brushing them aside to roll the condom on.
He was physically shaking from need. His cock throbbed so close to her hot cleft that he could push inside that warm slickness and lose himself in her. “You ready, sweetheart?”
“So ready.” He looked up, caught her involuntary shiver, and grinned.
She stuck out her tongue in response. “Let’s see what you’ve got, boss,” she taunted, lifting her hips to rub herself against his shaft harder.
Theo bent down until his elbows were on either side of her face, threaded his fingers into her hair, and looked at her fiercely. “Say my name when I’m inside of you.” With one slow, burning hot push, he was inside.
“Oh my—Theo,” she gasped. Her hand clenched on the comforter as she arched up into his thrust.
Theo hissed and pulled back, thrusting another inch, working himself into her tightness. She was tight and hot, a perfect fit as he pushed in deeper and deeper until he was seated fully. Theo paused like that, forearms on either side of her head, eyes locked on each other while he throbbed inside her.
The time for teasing was gone. The look in her eyes was wild and dark and raw, as if finally he was seeing the real Amber. He wanted to beat his chest or howl or do some other insane thing in relief and happiness that she was finally, finally letting go. The realness of it took his breath away as he looked in her eyes.
She blinked and it was gone.
”Your turn,” she whispered, a seductive smile taking over her face. He recognized that dazzling smile for what it was: her defense, and he let her have it.
He was shaken too.
She gently pushed him off her and turned around to face his headboard, thrusting her ass up and leaning over to hold the wooden slats of his bed. She looked over her shoulder coyly, spread her legs wider, and swayed. “I want it like this,” she said, pushing herself back at his cock.
He rubbed her cleft slowly, up and down, with the head of his cock, feeling that slickness coat him until he pushed in. Her thighs quivered and she let out a little moan at the invasion. He leaned down to her smooth back, nuzzling the satiny skin and enjoying the way his hand looked on her beautiful body.
She whimpered at the touch and thrust herself back harder on his cock. She was wild and hotter than fire, thrusting her plump ass back on him. He let her find her rhythm until he couldn’t anymore. Threading one arm around her waist and the other gripping her shoulder, he took over the pace, firm and controlled, while she begged.
“Oh, please,” she whispered, the words sounding like they were dragged from her throat. She reached back and gripped his thigh to pull him closer still. “Theo,” she panted. “Oh, please, give it to me.” Her hair had come undone, and little wisps of it clung to her face. She was a wild, wanton sight, begging him for her release.
He reached around her, slid his fingers into her slickness, and traced her spread lips around his cock, pressing the heel of his hand on her swollen clit with the firm strokes she liked. She was panting, little moans and growls coming from her as he set about taking her apart again.
The fourth time she came, she cried.
Theo held her tighter, feeling every pulse of her inner walls around him, chasing his own release. The pressure rose higher and hotter still until, with a hash cry, he came. She shuddered and dropped her head down, grinding her hips back on him like she couldn’t get enough.
He would have smiled if he had any strength left. Instead, he pulled out with a hiss and tucked her into his side. They rested like that, spent and peaceful, until the sound of Puddin’s unhappy yips filled the room.
“I’m just going to check on her,” he said, getting up to let the mutt in. Puddin’ took a flying leap and landed in the middle of the bed.
“Hey, baby,” Amber murmured, not opening her eyes. She reached out blindly to pet her on the head. “What happened to her crate?”
“She cried when I put her in there,” Theo said sheepishly. He pushed the dog gently to the end of the bed and settled against Amber again, ignoring Puddin’s wounded look. “You okay?”
Her eyes were closed, and she was grinning. He reached over and gave her a quick, hard kiss on the lips. She looked tousled and sleepy, and very well fucked. He wanted her all over again. He wanted her, in every way.
“Admit it, Puddin’ was a good idea,” she said after a while, petting the little dog’s head. She had wormed her way up between them again and was splayed out on her back waiting for a belly rub. “You love her.”
“She’s grown on me,” he admitted.
“You’re a natural. Someday you’ll make a wonderful father.”
“I hope so,” he murmured, feeling his eyes growing heavy. “I’d like a big family like your sister and Davis’s. Do you want kids?” When he opened his eyes, she was lying quietly, watching Puddin’.
“I don’t know,” she finally said. “Maybe someday.” By the tone of her voice, he could tell she was pulling away, putting up her defenses again, brick by brick. “I left my clothes downstairs,” she said after a while, sitting up. He knew of only one reliable way to get her to stay.
Theo wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her back to bed.
“Woman, you damn near killed me. Let me rest and I’ll make you food.”
She paused. “What kind? I’ve seen your fridge,” she said suspiciously.
“Pancakes.” He cracked an eye and watched the debate play on her face. Run or stay. He casually sweetened the deal. “With chocolate chips.”
“Theo, you know you don’t have any chocolate or butter here.”
“Chocolate, butter, and syrup. Bought it just for you,” he murmured sleepily, somewhat shocked that he was actually tired. He hadn’t fallen asleep so easily in a year at least, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open. “Come back to bed.”
She finally settled back down with a huff. “Fine, but I’ll only stay if we can do that again.”
He pulled her tighter into the curve of his body, where she fit perfectly, her hips against his, her back to his front. “We can do that all night long.”
He nuzzled his face into her sweet-smelling hair. Puddin’ yawned loudly and let out one last disgusted yip about being relegated to the end of the bed. She did a few circles before plopping down on Theo’s feet.
Theo smiled. He had both of his girls with him now.